rjacobs

Ive always found the components were the more difficult items to get... Machines and die's have usually been available. I wouldnt call it a "sunk cost" as the equipment is worth close to what I paid for it. Its not really a financial reason or a downsizing reason, just a lack of use and I hate to see expensive equipment sitting around. Thats the part of me that says "keep it all". I dont know that I see the political headwinds changing for a few more years so I feel like stuff will stay cheap a bit longer. But I got into reloading in 2008 and have weathered a few storms already.

Probably an odd topic, but one I have been wracking my brain on the past few weeks... Usually you read "getting into" reloading types of posts, but I am contemplating the opposite. I have no time to shoot, havent for the past year(got married and all that goes into that), dont see shooting much for the next year(building a house and moving). In the past 2 years what I have shot, I can buy for almost cheaper than it costs me to reload(9mm, 45, shotguns). I WOULD keep my Forster Co-Ax single stage along with my Forster 6.5 creed, .223 and 300blk dies. I also have an RCBS chargemaster that I would either keep or upgrade to an Autotrickler V3. The rest of my setup is a Dillon XL650(with all the aftermarket upgrades: primer shut off, bearings, primer chute, roller handle, strong mount, bullet tray, hex wrench holder, etc...), Dillon case feeder, Mr. Bullet Feeder(9mm), 9mm loading tool head, 45 loading tool head, 223 prep/trimmer tool head(with RT1200), 223 loading tool head, 300blk prep/trimmer tool head(with RT1500), 300blk loading tool head, extra powder thrower, and some other stuff... Not a full inventory list obviously. I also have a TON of powder, bullets, and primers... Also have a big dual drum wet tumbler that can tumble 50lbs of brass at a time plus the big Dillon media separator. I believe I have like $5-6k or more worth of stuff thats just sitting... This stuff has taken me like 6-8 years to accumulate it all. My thought is to sell it all(except my precision stuff) and use the money to just buy like 5k rounds of 9mm, 2k rounds of 45, and maybe 2-3k rounds of 223... I figure I can get all that for about 2000 and have a bunch of money left over. It would likely take me years to shoot up all of that. Am I out of my mind thinking of selling all my equipment and components? I dont know that I want to sell it, and financially its obviously not hurting me to let it sit so I dont NEED to sell it, but it also pains me to see expensive equipment and components that arent getting used just sit and collect dust.

The RT1500(i think thats what they are running) will run at around 350-375 inches per hour of cutting feed speed(the older RT1200 would actually more feed rate, but it wouldnt last as long as the RT1500). Faster than that and you wont get a clean cut. On the machine the OP is running, and processing 5.56, at 3000 rounds per hour they would have to be trimming .115 or more to over run the RT1500 trimmer, and my guess is they are only cutting like half of that amount, so 4-5k rounds per hour should be attainable.

Measure 10 projectiles... none will measure the same. And 1.170 seems REALLY long for 9mm. Like "might not chamber" really long. Only way to sort of get an accurate measurement that SHOULD be repeatable is a base to ogive measurement using something like the Hornady comparator tool... https://www.hornady.com/reloading/precision-measuring/precision-tools-and-gauges/lock-n-load-bullet-comparator#!/ If you are this anal about 9mm, NEVER load an OTM type rifle bullet like a SMK... you will drive yourself bonkers.

If the threads get powder residue in them, it can make it hard to install or remove the lock ring. I loaded A TON of tiny tiny ball powders(A1680, H335, Titegroup) on my 1050 and constantly had to clean out the threads before disassembly or assembly. I would grab it with a strap wrench if you can OR some channel locks with a microfiber towel or the like on the jaws. It'll come off.

ive loaded give or take 100k rounds on Dillon machines... never ran a powder check, never had a dillon measure NOT drop powder OR double charge. I mean I am sure its possible if you arent paying attention, but reloading is something that IMO requires 100% attention at all times. With the 650's auto index you COULD get a squib load, but I would say a double charge is almost impossible(I would say 100% impossible because somebody will prove me wrong). If you get the case up high enough to engage the powder die, the shell plate is going to index on the way day.

I agree with cvincnet that during a reloading session, I just load another 100 and roll on, BUT i load in 500-1000 round batches and all my loaded rounds get dumped in bulk in an ammo can. When I am completely finished loading. When my primer alarm goes off I shut off the case feeder. I keep loading as usual until I dont feel a primer seat. Then I pull the case feed tube out and dump those cases back in the case feeder. I then remove the case from station 2, station 1, etc... and finish off my loading. Its so easy to pull a case from station 2 with the little spring loaded arm there. IMO no reason to "count" or whatever... Dont feel a primer, pull the case, empty the rest, done.

take it off, at least until you are finished trouble shooting... Also, never put it back on LOL.

Do you have the ratchet installed on the press?

Is it binding on the up or the down stroke? What type of powder funnel are you running? The mrbulletfeeder funnel was terrible in my 1050 and it always stuck in the brass and cause the machine to bind and pop. I went back to the dillon funnel and all was right.

my buddy found the quick change bushing were like $3.50 a piece x5 so 17 bucks give or take... a 650 tool head is 30 bucks(or less)... so 13 bucks... meh thats a wash as far as I am concerned on caliber change over...

When i got into it in 2011, there was Whidden and CH4D. The CH4D dies, at the time were supposedly being cut with Whisper reamers which aren't QUITE like 300blk reamers(supposedly CH4D is now cutting to 300blk spec, but I have heard of other issues with other trim dies they make, so I will continue to stay away from them). Whidden was what everybody pretty much was using. Then Dillon came out with the 2 step dies in order to try to save the RT1200 trimmers from blowing up in 22-25k rounds(I blew up 2). Then Dillon came out with the RT1500 which solved the trimmer blowing up problem and negated the need to do a 2 step processing. Now guys(like you) are running routers with end mills and other stuff which to me is a bit crazy, but to each his own. I dont know how fast you can run that router setup, but an RT1500 maxes out at about 950-1000 rounds per hour. Faster than that and the cut is not clean and a lot of swarf is left on the case mouth. This was confirmed with Dillon engineers on inches per hour feed rate. BUT as far as dies go, Whidden would still be my personal go to. They will go 100k or so rounds before you wear the die out, thats presuming no spinning of the cases... You can destroy any die quickly if the cases are spinning. Ive yet to destroy a die except one where the head broke off. Whidden said it look like bad heat treat(or something) when I sent it back for warranty(I cant honestly remember, it was in 2012 or so). Ive got 1 die in my tool head now and 2 sitting in my spares box.

why re-invent the wheel for 300blk conversion... jam em into the die in a single pass... stop and clean out the cutter every once in a while. I never had issues with that with the Dillon RT1200 or RT1500. I did blow up a couple RT1200's, but the RT1500 was good to go, just a little slower RPM than the 1200 which required slowing down the feed rate. Ive done single pass conversion on over 50k pieces of brass using Whidden dies and Dillon trimmers...

blue bullets are powder coated right? You want more than a bell. You need a case expander. Lyman M die is really what you want so you dont shave all the powder coating off the bullets. Ive never loaded powder coated pistol bullets, but I have loaded a TON for 300blk and you have to use the Lyman M expander before loading.

Dillon trim dies have tight necks.. Get a 21st century shooting expander mandrel. It will fit in station 5 of a 650 with a trimmer sitting in station 4... A normal size die WILL NOT(at least not that I have found) fit in station 5 with the trimmer in station 4.

My room is about 12x12. I had 2 super 1050's on the bench at once time plus a Forster Co-Ax. My advice would be to build a bench similar to what I have posted above. Its full length 2x4's except the cross bracing...top has 5 cross braces, shelves have 3. 4x4 corner posts and 2 sheets of 3/4 MDF ripped down the middle(so roughly 24" depth). The top is doubled up MDF. Size the height to hit your belt buckle. On the other wall build or buy shelves/cabinets to store your components which will be another 24" or so deep. The bench and the shelves/cabinets will take up 4' of your 8' width.

A&D FX-120i... be prepared for sticker shock though. But that scale paired with the auto-trickler setup is the new hot ticket in precision powder throwing. I think a prometheus still beats it, but the above setup is at least "affordable".

super 1050 is an awesome press no doubt... Caliber conversions are about 500 bucks(200 tool head, 125 for caliber conversion kit, 30 bucks for case feed plate, 70-150+ for dies). Then if you need the primer conversion to large primer its 115 bucks. Mr. Bullet Feeder conversions are 150, but that would apply to either press. Im probably one of the only people who has gone from running 2 Super 1050's down to a single XL650 MOSTLY due to conversion kit costs. Im happy with the XL650 with case feeder and bullet feeder. Its plenty of press for me. I just couldnt get over the caliber conversion price on the 1050. I needed to get setup for loading 223 and 45acp and was looking at spending 1000 bucks. I like the primer swage on the 1050, although I will likely get the frame mounted Swage-It swage setup for my 650(i know all about the warranty issues). I also liked seating primers on the stroke of the 1050 vs. the push that the 550 and 650 have. As far as speed. I am likely in the 800-1000 round per hour range on the 650. I could run the 1050 between 1200-1500 rounds per hour. I COULD run it as fast as 2000 rounds per hour with a second guy to keep the machine fed, although I would likely fall over dead after about 15 minutes at that speed. It was a work out LOL.

yup case feeder. Visit snowshooze ebay page and buy all his add ons. at least 1 extra 4 pack of primer pickup tubes per size... That will give you 5 total in each size... 500 rounds is a good amount to load then take a break.

so when you light off a primer accidentally you can also light off the load of powder and then the whole powder hopper? Yea seems like a great idea... NOT.

The OP's bearing mount has slotted holes with plenty of adjustment. Mine is perfectly in time. Again, since you dont own the OP's product, you probably shouldnt talk bad about it.

since you didnt buy one from the OP, you probably shouldnt bash his product in his thread... just a thought......

Meant to quote this for my above... cant seem to edit correctly.

Did you purchase one from the OP Snowshooze? I just got one from him and it runs like a champ, zero issues.

I went from 2 1050's down to a single 650. For my reloading needs now(a few years ago the 1050's were justified) the 650 does more than I need at a pace thats good enough for me. The 1050 is just crazy expensive to do caliber conversions to it. 500+ per caliber conversion when its all said and done, even more if you have a bullet feeder, want dedicated powder throwers, etc... You should be able to buy a 650 and sell your 550 to recoup some costs and get the 650 setup for whatever you need. Used dillon stuff seems to go for about 80% of retail. Primer change on the 650 is more complicated than a 550, but if you plan your reloading, you can swap to large primer, do say 2-3k rounds of 45acp, then go back to small primer for 9mm and 223.