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Mark 7 vs Ammobot


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There are some pretty significant advantages with the MK 7.  The biggest being the sensors are actually available.  With the MK 7 the clutch is adjustable on the fly and you can install software and firmware updates in about 3 minutes when new features are added.  

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I have no experience with the Ammobot.  I do own  a M7 and I'm beyond impressed with it.  I recently had a sensor fail, I called, talked to a real person, and they shipped a free replacement out same day.  Couldn't ask for a better company to deal with.

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I've not done a side-side comparison, but I have been very happy with my AmmoBot, and especially the customer service.  I like having the handle available so I can easily clear jams, or run a few loads through manually if working up a load, etc. 

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I've got both (LTE).  Just getting started with the LTE.

 

The Ammobot will crank out ammo for you.  It's a good value, especially when they run a sale.  I like it.

 

I thought I would miss the handle on the Mark VII, especially with the limited LTE interface.  Nope.

 

If you like the interface and sensor support of the Mark VII and can afford it, get it.  If money is a factor, get the ammobot.  if you want a mark vii but don't want to spend that much and will always look at your ammobot as something you got because you didn't want to invest to the mark vii level, get the LTE.  You can upgrade it later if you want.

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

from 2016, by aceinyerface:

 

"After 4 months of using the Ammobot I had a few things that I did not care for.

It turns out that you have to sit with the kill switch in your hand and watch the shell plate.

They don’t exactly advertise this, but if you contact them they make it clear that it is in the owner’s manual and you need to follow those instructions.

This is true, I should have read page 29 of the Owner’s Manual before purchase- “5. Observe machine operation while keeping handheld reset switch in your hand AT ALL TIMES. 6. If observing any malfunction, press either the reset switch in hand or the yellow Reset button on control box.”.

I made my purchase based upon a comparison chart against other autodrive presses https://www.ammobot.us/pages/product-comparisonit happens to be a dead link at the moment.

It is not sensitive enough for my taste.

In 10,000 rounds, I’ve broken 9 primer pins and a shell plate.
It knocked the Primer System Assembly out of alignment with a tremendous hullabaloo. I am lucky it didn’t break something there.
It will fail to recognize a primer not punch out, swage it deep into the pocket, then smash a primer on top of that. I luckily have only had one detonation.
It will move the primer slide forward even if the primer is jammed into the hole on it. It seems like this is what causes an entire tube of primers to detonate. Luckily it never lit one.

The Primer Pocket Probe will not swage and sense at the same time. I was told the solution to this was to process the brass in one step with the stock swage rod, then install the Primer Pocket Probe and load ammo.

I learned that one of my friends that had the Ammobot sold it and went to the Mark 7, I learned his experience with the Mark 7 was very positive with respect to my issues.

Contacting Jay and asking a few questions about their Swage Sense, learning it will swage and detect at the same time, I decided to make the move.

I sold the Ammobot and bought the Mark 7 1050X (MK7) with the various sensors (though I still need to buy the Swage Sense).

The MK7 took about 200 rounds to get the primer sensor, dwell and clutch adjusted perfectly. I loaded 800 more to test it out.

On a clutch setting of 4, it stopped for 6 primers fail to punch out (all CBC cases, they suck), it caught one primer getting stuck in the primer slide for a hard jam, and 4 others that released out the bottom of the press by jogging up and down.

No primer pins breaking, no other problems.

I am confident that I can start the Mark 7 and have it stop itself if the smallest problem occurs, while I dryfire.

It does cost a grand more, so what do I get for my $1000? I get my time back, my sanity, as well as the primer pins which are $1 each and the rest of the damages to the Dillon.

post-52010-0-66866700-1467588532_thumb.j"

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I posted that quote because I"ve been debating ammobot vs mk7 for about 3 weeks now... and that post, from late last year, has sealed the deal for me.

 

I really think the ammobot is a phenomenal deal (they still have them for $1250) but the way I am, I'll have buyer's remorse if I get it... And the difference in price is much less than I spend every few months on guns and reloading/etc... 

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That's good logic.  I can say I have not had those type of problems with the Ammobot and I've loaded a reasonably significant amount of ammo on it.  But, the Mark VII gives you the digital clutch flexibility which is more significant now that I have it than I would have thought.  This video compares several features of the Ammobot to Mark VII's lowest end offering.

 

 

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I know the Mark 7 is a great machine, but I went with the Ammobot due to simplicity.  I liked having the handle for troubleshooting of the Dillon and quick small-batch changes to my load. I have processed 25k pieces of brass and loaded about 18K on mine in 6 months with no issues.  No broken pins, nothing (that wasn't a jam due to wrong brass slipping by or the very occasional toppled bullet). I have processed at 2500-2800 and loaded at 2000-2400.

 

Make no mistake, NO automated system is going to work well if you don't have the press running correctly first.  I think a lot of people throw a motor (Ammobot, Mk7, Forcht, PW, etc) on a press and blame the motor when they have issues related to the setup of the press itself. It is imperative that all other subsystems work correctly first.

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I had 3 years on a Forcht driven 1050 before I picked up the Mk7 Pro with all the sensors.  The Forcht was a big step over pulling the handle and it worked well and long as you stayed within it's limitations.  I don't have experience with Ammobot, but I would expect the same results.  The Mk7 Pro however is beyond amazing and the Swage Sense sensor alone is worth the $$.  Sure it took a bit of fiddling to get it running perfect for my 9 major loads as well as a few extra parts - F&F shellplate, delrin detent ball, zip ties and I certainly agree with the above poster - your press needs to run perfectly before you automate or you are going to have a lot of issues.  On my Mk7 with the machine speed at 2100 and my dwell times set, I get a true 1800 per hour production rate with very little powder spillage.  The only issue that ever comes up is the occasional bullet topple which has been address with their new Bullet Sense - can't wait until I receive mine. My biggest challenge now is components.  ;-)

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RippinSVT and blueeyedme are spot on and if you have been cranking out large volumes manually on the 1050 then you have probably worked out the kinks and will be pleased either route you go.

 

At some point we have all gone through the same analysis; in the end though I am confident there is more inherent value in the Mark-VII's capabilities and safety features. I have had mine for almost a year now and while I'm not cranking out 4,000 rounds a month, I am somewhere in the 12,000 to 15,000 total round count and I can honestly say I have never ever had to manually turn the press over or missed having a handle in that time.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

The Mark 7 LTE is a great machine, and for that matter the ammobot is solid as well.  But the full Mark 7 controls are great.  Superb autoloader solution.  Autoloaders have been so basic for so long its nice to see some tech being brought into the mix.

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I've been running the Ammobot for about 6 months now. I'm very satisfied with the product. When I was looking to automate my 1050 I saw the Mark 7 first and I was going to purchase that tool. I have several friends that run the Mark 7. One of the local GM's told me about the Ammobot. I researched both products and decided on the Ammobot. Here are the pros.

1. Great customer service. When Ive asked a question, via email or Facebook. I get a response within an hour. Usually within minutes. Jason is also very knowledgeable with the 1050 and answers those questions as well.
2. Quality product. I'm super impressed with the quality of the Ammobot. The issues that i have had have been with the Dillon press itself. No issues to date with the Ammobot components.

3. Sensors. The sensors work well. I have the swage, berdan primer, and primer tube sensors. The machine came with the primer tube sensor. The swage sensor has been the best investment to date. It works really well at finding ringers, small primer pockets, or primers that haven't been fully ejected. There are additional sensors from third party vendors as well.

4. Handle. Its great to have the handle to clear jams or just cycle the press when needed.

5. Cost. I got the Ammobot when they were running a special. It almost was less than half the price of the Mark 7 pro.

6. Speed. This tool can run up to 2800 rph. I've seen videos of people processing brass at over 3000 rph.


Here are the Cons:

1. Detecting jams. Both machines will sense and stop jams at high torque levels. But the Mark 7 works better for detecting jams at lower torque levels.

2. Noise level. The Ammobot is louder than the Mark 7. This is not that big of an issue though because I wear ear and eye pro when reloading anyway.

3. User interface. The Ammobot has a control box and the Mark 7 has a tablet. I thought this would be a bigger issue for me at first and that i was missing out by not having a tablet. But in reality the Ammobot control box is solid and has been error free. It is super easy to change the press cycle speed and turn on. Maybe this should listed as a pro.

Conclusion: I am extremely satisfied with the Ammobot. Knowing what I know now I would make the purchase again.



Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

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  • 8 months later...

Update,

 

I recently purchased the Rev 3 Ammobot.  The Rev 3 has all of the benefits of the Rev 2.  I sold the Rev 2 to a commercial ammo producer. The improvements in my opinion are:

 

1. Noise Level - The motor is much quieter, even when running at full processing speeds.   

2. Detecting Jams - The jam detection is better.  I honestly only had a few jams since getting it, as I've loaded less than 10,000 rounds on it so far, but the machine crushes less brass.

3. Speed - The speed has increased from around 2800 rounds rph to 3300 or 3400 rph.   

4. User Interface - I'm appreciate the control box.  Just turn it on and start loading.   No waiting, or syncing, or user agreements. Starting and stopping the machine is simple.  

 

 

Other pros:

1. Customer Support is excellent.  Questions are responded to very fast

2. Facebook group.  The Ammobot users group is very active.  It is a good way to share information and anyone can join.  I tried to go to the Mark 7 FB group and was denied because i don't currently own a Mark 7.   I just wanted to join to see how peoples' comments about the tool; not to troll

3. Information from commercial users.  There are a lot of commercial users on the Facebook group, and their information is invaluable.  I've learned a lot from their posts.

4. More sensors.  There are more sensors coming available for the Ammobot, including a sensor that will stop the press if an invalid case (measured by height) is found in station one.  The brass kicker option will then kick it out of station 2.  This is a good way of sorting .45 ACP small and large primer pockets.  This means that I will have to spend less time pulling out the .380s and 38 supers from my 9mms

 

I'd recommend that you join the Ammobot Facebook group. Get opinions from commercial users that have or still use both machines.  Look at the videos, ask questions,  and base your purchased decision on that and your own research.

 

After about 1.5 years of use, I'd still recommend the Ammobot. 

 

 

 

 

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The mark7 facebook is good because it only has actual users in it. Real advice beats forum opinions every time. 

 

What shell plate do you run to reliably feed cases at over 3000 cases an hour? I find even at 2400 i get the occasional case fly across the room when processing. 

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The mark7 facebook is good because it only has actual users in it. Real advice beats forum opinions every time. 
 
What shell plate do you run to reliably feed cases at over 3000 cases an hour? I find even at 2400 i get the occasional case fly across the room when processing. 
People actually have the opportunity to ask questions from actual users on the Ammobot FB page. Actual users give actual answers and the company owner responds as well. How's that customer service experience at Mark 7? I've heard great things.

Regarding the shell plate, I've only run at max 2400 with the standard Dillon shell plate a couple of times. However, I normally run about 2000 for practice ammo and slower for match ammo. I run slower b/c I like to look in each case. I haven't noticed a degredation in quality when running at the higher speed. I could run faster and I probably will at some point.

I agree, the Dillon shell plate gets kinda wonky at faster speeds. Folks are using the FFB shell plates to run faster, especially for processing. That is where the 3000 plus speed comes in handy. The case feeder has a problem keeping up though. But Dillon is coming out with a new case feeder that may be able to keep up. The faster speeds issues may not be too much of a concern with the Mark 7.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

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Another thumbs up for the AB FB page.  Jason and everyone on there has always been very helpful.  Jason has even answered FB messages/questions at late hours and on weekends. Cant say enough positive things about the level of support.

 

RE the shell plate, I still use the Dillon plates. I could process 9mm at about 3300 CPH max, but usually turned it down to about 2600.  This is the speed I also process 45ACP brass.  I load both at about 2300.  

 

I have no experience with the Mark7, but do know from the FB page that many of the commercial guys are dumping their M7s and going to the AB, for a lot of reasons.

 

Whichever one you get, it beats the hell out of manually cranking the press.  :cheers:

 

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  • 3 months later...

Found what seems to be a good price on a Super 1050 with older single speed Forcht drive. The press comes by itself so I'll have to buy the caliber-specific parts. I guess that's no big deal.

As I understand it the Forcht is now available with a variable speed option. Can the older system to updated to current? Also, the 1050 is somehow permanently modified for the Forcht. Does that mean it is dedicated to automation or can it be converted back to manual? Along there same lines, could I keep the press and sell the Forcht to someone else down the road if I don't like it?

Thanks. Hope the old thread bump is okay.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 6/10/2018 at 2:28 PM, Tokarev said:

Found what seems to be a good price on a Super 1050 with older single speed Forcht drive. The press comes by itself so I'll have to buy the caliber-specific parts. I guess that's no big deal.

As I understand it the Forcht is now available with a variable speed option. Can the older system to updated to current? Also, the 1050 is somehow permanently modified for the Forcht. Does that mean it is dedicated to automation or can it be converted back to manual? Along there same lines, could I keep the press and sell the Forcht to someone else down the road if I don't like it?

Thanks. Hope the old thread bump is okay.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
 

 

you can convert the press back but it takes time, the craig system uses a constant drive system so he uses a custom cam like rotating base assembly to get that, i don't see why craig couldn't sell you the new motor and control parts to update your unit.

 

also what would you want for the autodrive set up?  you can PM me if you like.

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  • 5 years later...

Good morning,

I bought a used Ammobot Rev2 over a yesr ago.Redid no gunroom ,time to take it out of the box.

I cant find a owners manual anywhere on the net. put it together from info on a Rev1

My buddy is coming over tomorrow, tech guy. Ill have him ask questions on here.

Thank you for the help

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