Dlllon 1050 - Mark VII autodrive

BlackSheepBrass

BlackSheepBrass

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Cobourg, Ontario
Hello everyone,

I have a question in regards to the Mark VII Auto-drive. I have recently ordered a 1050 Pro although it won't arrive for a couple of months. Does anyone have one up here in Canada? Are you (they) happy with it? I have tried a Possness Warren auto-drive and currently have a Forcht. The Forcht was a huge improvement, but it does still leave something to be desired in regards to "intelligence"

I am going to have it on a machine setup exclusively to process 223 Remington on a RL-1050 I have sitting around here in the shop.

I have seen reviews on it in the USA. I just didn't know if any fellow Canucks had any experience with them.
 
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So as an update to the world I ended up ordering the Pro-Model. I received it two weeks ago. It runs much better than any other auto-drive system I have operated in the past. They have to send me the sprockets and firmware to unlock the 2500 per hour setting. That has an ETA of 2 weeks. The only issue that I ran into was that I needed to replace the factory case index pawl after 7,000 rounds with the tool hardened one from Fast and Friendly Brass and that has greatly improved the functionality of the machine.

 
I use that machine exclusively for processing .223 brass. It does not have a priming system on it. I have a 1050 with a Forcht auto-drive that I use for loading on. If I add another machine I will use it for loading in addition for processing 40 SW.

 
I swear I usually wear full PPE including steel toe footwear..... I might have to re-record the video to delete the evidence.
My wife and I both shoot IPSC so we consume a fair amount of ammo between practice and shooting four to six level threes a year.
 
I have been looking at a Mark 7 and drooling to say the least, I would love one!
So was it worth the money?
The expense and the poor exchange rate is all that's holding me back... lol
 
By the time that I added the de-cap sensor and offload systems I was almost $6,000 with shipping, exchange and taxes. Expensive yes, it was worth it. The dollar is more favourable now than when I purchased it. You have to pay in full upon order and then they will ship it to you when its ready in 1 to 3 months.

I went from producing 1000 pieces of processed .223 an hour with hassles of having to specifically babysitting the machine. Now the machine at 1500 cycles per hour is more hands off and I can focus on quality control and keeping my other machines fed. I hope to add another one in 12 months.
 
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I started out with a LNL and a bucket of brass as my "initial startup" for the commercial setup. Obvious due to the scale I am working at I moved quickly at upgrading as I can only pull 1 handle at a time, and then I move to full power driven units for obvious reasons.
 
Good to see a CGNer with experience on the auto drive. So you were able to get it shipped to Canada did you get nailed by UPS on brokerage fees?

Also a question about the sensors which ones did you get BlackSheepBrass?
 
You will have to pay that wonderful UPS brokerage fee. I do not enjoy paying it however I get my parts and equipment in 24 to 48 hours. I just had some parts for this press (the actual press not the drive) sit in Customs for 12 days and I was shut down the whole time. So $100 brokerage fee but up and running next day vs 12 days of down time is a bargain for me.

I only have the decap sensor on this machine. I exclusively use it for processing 223. I do have a primer sense for it however it is still in bag as I do not load on it.

I am considering the swage sense but I use the Fast and Friendly Brass swage rods that last a really long time and provide a great swage. Ringers I might see 1 in 10,000 pieces if that, so what is my gain? I have a ringer check on my 9mm Camdex and it says I get about 1 in 15,000 on 9mm.

I might bring another one of these machines online in a year or so if I do not find another Camdex processor.

Let me know if you have any more questions.
 
Thanks for the response BlackSheep much appreciated. That sounds like quite the operation you have going. I would love to see your setup!! Good to see someone making a living in the firearms industry, that is my dream some day as well but for now it is trying to save some time reloading haha.

Appreciate the tips as well that is great feedback.

Have an awesome day.
 
I will try and have an awesome day. Anyone who wants to see my humble equipment is more than welcome... only caveat is you must bring a 6 pack of bud-light lime lol. I am shutting down here for a couple weeks as I am moving to Cobourg area.

In regards to making a living from the firearms industry.... I wish, I am just a home based business that I do some work on evenings and weekends. I started out trying to do this to subsidize my shooting..... Well it has really put some cool equipment in my garage that allows me to make a top notch product... it has taken away from the amount of shooting I do as I only have a finite amount of time.

It will be a few years yet before I can really make money from this. Every penny I make and more goes into supplies, repairing equipment, upgrading my "bottlenecks". I hope in a couple of years it is a profitable endeavour.

I hope in a couple of years to expand into polymer coated projectiles after I bring on a couple of more Camdex.
 
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