AbitNutz Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Who has the best bullet collator? Not complete bullet feeding system, just the collator. RCBS, Hornady, Mr Bullet Feeder, GSI and? I'm just looking for a decent collator. I understand that some have built their own but that's not within my skillset. Also, equally undoable are the commercial grade collators like the Howell... Thanks, please share your opinions and experiences.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TennJeep1618 Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 I've only had experience with MBF, but once it's setup correctly, it has worked flawlessly. The biggest hurdle I faced was finding the right angle for most consistent feeding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaldor Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Probably MBF, at least for the time being... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzShooter Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Quote MrBulletFeeder. Been working flawlessly the past 10k rounds. Took a little effort to stop that one upside down bullet but I figured it out with Rick's help. Great service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbitNutz Posted September 17, 2016 Author Share Posted September 17, 2016 I contacted Uniquetek about trying to obtain just the Collator and they sent me the contact info for Rick at the manufacturer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cecil Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 Mr Bullet feeder.... would not load without it ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Donald Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 On 9/16/2016 at 7:58 AM, TennJeep1618 said: I've only had experience with MBF, but once it's setup correctly, it has worked flawlessly. The biggest hurdle I faced was finding the right angle for most consistent feeding. What angle did you set yours at? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TennJeep1618 Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 What angle did you set yours at?I have no idea. I followed the directions, then tweaked it a little. Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Donald Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 1 minute ago, TennJeep1618 said: I have no idea. I followed the directions, then tweaked it a little. Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk I set the base of mine as low as it can go, the bottom is a steeper angle the the case collator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 the mr bullet feeder is the best collator currently hornady and rcbs have a fairly fatal flaw which is they only feed bullets that happen to land the correct way into a slot. that limits speed greatly. they are also LOUD and run all the time. GSI is ok, but you need a different ring even for different bullet types of the same calibre. and again any bullets that fall into slots the wrong way get kicked back for another try. mr bf will feed bullets that land in slots the right way, but any that land upside down will get flipped over and fed too. this basically doubles it's production rate at a given speed over the other types. it also has way more adjustment than the others. angle of the collator, different nose guide thickness as well as position and flip ramp adjustment too. that ensures you can dial it in for 100% reliability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbitNutz Posted September 19, 2016 Author Share Posted September 19, 2016 Someone must have put a Mr Bullet Feeder on a GSI toolhead before. I don't want reinvent the wheel here so if someone else has done it, I'd like to hear about it. The physical connection I don't think will be much of a problem. Wiring them together so that the toolhead can tell the collator when to stop and start may be a bigger issue. I've got the name and number of the guy at MBF...I'll be calling him tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smeeg Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 Never did it cause I'm a cheap ass but I had the same thought you did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smeeg Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 (edited) 19 hours ago, AbitNutz said: Someone must have put a Mr Bullet Feeder on a GSI toolhead before. I don't want reinvent the wheel here so if someone else has done it, I'd like to hear about it. The physical connection I don't think will be much of a problem. Wiring them together so that the toolhead can tell the collator when to stop and start may be a bigger issue. I've got the name and number of the guy at MBF...I'll be calling him tomorrow. 650 or 1050? If you wind up doing this please do a write up/tutorial......when you order the GSI tool head I would do it over the phone as well cause you can "convert" GSI tool heads to other calipers Edited September 20, 2016 by Smeeg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smeeg Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 Individual parts http://www.doublealpha.biz/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=Mr.+Bullet+feeder+&x=0&y=0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 I wanted the same thing too. all research I did suggested the ideal setup was a mbf collator with the GSI toolhead which would mean no station lost to 'bullet placing' on the toolhead. however the cost of buying a mbf collator then the GSI toolhead and drop tube was way more than just a complete mbf. plus while the GSI method of placing a bullet is novel (and saves a station) it does need more tuning and parts for different bullet calibres and different bullet sizes/shapes. the mr bf dropper system is crazy easy to tune and to change calibre etc. the other thing that stopped me was I don't really need that 5th station. I don't use (nor want to use) a powder check system or lockout die. I have size/deprime in s1, powder in S2, bullet drop in S3, seat in S4 and crimp in S5. the only variation on that I had run in the past was putting a universal decapper in S1, sizer in S2 and move powder to S3. on another head I ran 2 sizers. regular lee in S1 and u-die in S2 without a decapper. those setups were nice and added some kind of redundancy or 'progressive' sizing but they didn't appreciably improve my end product. So in the end realising I could easily live without the 5th station mean the mbf was the choice for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbitNutz Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 I'm on the other end of that. I do want a powder check die. I blew up a fine pistol once due to what had to be an accidental double charge....never again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TennJeep1618 Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 I'm on the other end of that. I do want a powder check die. I blew up a fine pistol once due to what had to be an accidental double charge....never again. What about the DAA seating/crimp die? http://www.doublealpha.biz/daa-2-in-1-seating-and-crimping-dieSent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbitNutz Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 Well...not a fan of seat and crimp on one die,...usually only roll crimp, not taper crimp. I've not seen a seat/taper crimp die...not saying there isn't one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 it's very difficult to double charge a case on a 650. it's possible, but auto indexing makes it very unlikely. The best thing about bullet feeder and case feeder is your attention is totally free to simply watch the powder charge. all I'm going when loading is pulling the handle and looking at the powder in charged cases. occasionally I glance to check on cases being fed, primer and powder level etc but mostly just watching the charged case arrive at station 3. with the inline fabrication light kit it's very easy to see in any straight walled case. I had a powder check. used it for a bit when press was new then gave it to a friend. With most of the loads I run a double charge will result in a full to the brim case which is another clue (no way to seat a bullet on that) that something has gone wrong. but yeah if you want to retain powder check AND separate seat and crimp (which I agree is ideal) then GSI head is your only option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smeeg Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 (edited) I wound up going mr. Bullet feeder with borescope inline light kit and this bushing http://m.ebay.com/itm/Dillon-xl-650-reloader-camera-bushing-/152224573534?nav=SEARCH Edited September 20, 2016 by Smeeg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smeeg Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 But I still think about getting the GSI tool head Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbitNutz Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 (edited) I'm just finishing tuning up my 650/GSI and I have to tell you, it is an incredible machine. I often think that if the 650/GSI is this good, then how good would the 1050/GSI be? I shoot cast bullets a lot, especially in 45, for the obvious reasons of cost. It was just too messy for a bullet feeder to work flawlessly....but now with Hi-Tek coated bullets, I'm back in business. If I had lottery money, I would go with a 1050, GSI toolhead and an Autodrive Mk7, just to watch it work. 5 hours ago, Smeeg said: I wound up going mr. Bullet feeder with borescope inline light kit and this bushing http://m.ebay.com/itm/Dillon-xl-650-reloader-camera-bushing-/152224573534?nav=SEARCH I'm going to buy this. I have one of those cheap eBay USB borescopes for my computer. I found it relatively useless as a decent borescope but as a powder checker, it may be just the thing. Thanks! Edited September 20, 2016 by AbitNutz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbitNutz Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 7 hours ago, BeerBaron said: it's very difficult to double charge a case on a 650. it's possible, but auto indexing makes it very unlikely. I think you're right about that...my incident happened on a 550B. I now have it dedicated to cowboy loads using Trail Boss. If you try and double charge Trail Boss, it will typically overflow the case, the loading bench, flow into your loading room and carry you into the street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smeeg Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 If you already have a 650/GSI are you setting up another machine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbitNutz Posted September 21, 2016 Author Share Posted September 21, 2016 No, I've decided to change calibers on it and dedicate it to one caliber, because they are so painful to change and tune. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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