Looking for advice on Dillons.

Canuck223 said:
That's my next planned purchase, the Ponsness Warren Autodrive. Of course then I'd need to find someone to rig up a bypass switch for the foot pedal, and a manually resting switch for the primer alarm microswitch.:D
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I thought about it...but I don't think I'll get one. I have trained my brain to focus on the case as the bullet drops in so I can see the powder. I figure as long as I'm sitting there..I may as well crank the handle.

Besides...the auto drive is way too slow ;) Only 1200 rounds per hour
 
Quigley said:
I thought about it...but I don't think I'll get one. I have trained my brain to focus on the case as the bullet drops in so I can see the powder. I figure as long as I'm sitting there..I may as well crank the handle.

Besides...the auto drive is way too slow ;) Only 1200 rounds per hour
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I figure with the autodrive kit and the primer tube filler, I have 4+ minutes out of 5 to do nothing but watch the powder. I haven't yet found a powder that gives me any grief.
 
john777 said:
Yeah, if you plan to go for the 650. Must buy case feeder... Won't be the same without one.
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+1. If you don't plan on running a case feeder, you may as well get a 550 and save on the cost of conversion kits and toolheads. Auto indexing doesn't really improve production rates unless you have a case feeder. With a case feeder is where the 650 really shines over the 550.
 
If you reload any brass with crimpped primers the 1050 is the only way to go. My 650XL was nice fast, super reliable. But swaging primer pockets on a single stage press is too much work. It allows primer swage, powder check, bullet feeder, all at the same time, nothing else can.
 
tjhaile said:
+1. If you don't plan on running a case feeder, you may as well get a 550 and save on the cost of conversion kits and toolheads. Auto indexing doesn't really improve production rates unless you have a case feeder. With a case feeder is where the 650 really shines over the 550.
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Remember, you can get a casefeeder for the 550...I have one, and yes, it works great...Just be aware the the 550 casefeeder can`t handle rifle cases....
 
Plan "B".... buy a 550, and a 650 with a feeder. Set the 650 up for the volume caliber (I assume 9mm). Might seem like an expensive plan but..
- reduced bench time..
- bonding time with you and dad (priceless... really!)

You'll quickly discover which press you like.. if you want two the same, you'll have NO problem selling a nearly new Dillon. On the other hand, you might just wind up keeping the one of each setup..
 
Airwolf said:
Remember, you can get a casefeeder for the 550...I have one, and yes, it works great...Just be aware the the 550 casefeeder can`t handle rifle cases....
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I have 2 550's. One with a casefeeder setup for 9mm & 40S&W, and the other setup for .223. If I knew then what I know now, I would have bought a 1050.
 
pmt said:
I have 2 550's. One with a casefeeder setup for 9mm & 40S&W, and the other setup for .223. If I knew then what I know now, I would have bought a 1050.
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Since Dillon holds their value very well, sell one and get the 1050....Then get the bullet feeder...Then get the auto arm device...Then get another 1050...Repeat....;)
 
Airwolf said:
Just be aware the the 550 casefeeder can`t handle rifle cases....
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That is a very important piece of information.

That right there rules the 550 out for me. I will be using it with a casefeeder, so if it can not feed rifle rounds, then it is out of the question.

That narrows it down to the 650 and the 1050, and it seems like the general opinion is if you are thinking of getting a 650, you may as well get the 1050 and save yourself the trouble.

Besides, the 1050, while costing a lot more, already comes with mostly everything you need, including the casefeeder. The only likely addition I would make is a bulletfeeder.
 
I have intently back-read this entire thread, and want to thank everyone for their comments - I, too, am considering getting a Dillon to reload .223. I use a Lee Loadmaster right now, and we have an 'understanding'; it behaves better for me than for most of my reloading buddies... but I know Dillon is the crème de la crème in progressives, and I'm really thinking of getting a 650 or 1050.

I'd probably go 650 since I don't need mega-thousands of rounds... but then again, I DO have a bunch of military brass (and can probably get a ton more, cheap) which is a pain to de-crimp conventionally on my single-stage when I could just do it on the 1050.

Compound that with the fact that it's almost a guarantee that I'll be moving within the next 6 months... tough decisions here.

So, I suppose I'll continue to lurk and tag this thread for interest! :p

-M
 
Alright. I have done about a million years of research on the topic, and have come up with another question.

This is relating to the 1050.

Dillons website lists the caliber conversion time as 20-30 minutes. If I get the Quick Change Toolhead conversion, will this shorten the caliber change time drastically?

http://ww w.dillonprecision.com/#/content/p/9/catid/3/pid/23878/Super_1050_Quick_Change_Toolhead_Conversion

I have heard from a few people that their conversions take 5-10 minutes, and I have to assume that means that they are using the Quick Change Toolhead Conversion.

Let me know.

Thanks
 
Kevin -

having done about a million hours' research on it myself (I'm working with Dillon to quote on a 1050 in .308 with all the bits to change over to .223) I think the reason some say 20-30 minutes and some say 5-10 is because of a few reasons:

-Changing from small rifle/pistol to large (or vice versa) means changing the swaging rod/anvil and the priming system along with the toolhead. The case feeder might need some adjustment too.

-Without the QC toolhead, you'll have to re-set all your dies.

So, let's say I want to go from .308 to .303 British - I don't need to change my priming system, swaging setup, etc. And if I have my toolhead/powder measure set up already, changing the toolhead is a 5 minute job.

If I go from .308 to .223, as I'm planning to, I'll need to change all the 'small bits', the case feed plate, etc.

-M
 
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