AbitNutz

Well...I guess if it fails and I can't get some spares from them or fix it myself....I become a 100% MBF.

So if anyone needs detailed instructions on how to connect a Mr. Bullet Feeder collator with micro switch die to a GSI tool head here they are... Step 1. Get a 3" piece of tubing that has an OD of 5/8" and an ID of 1/2" . It can metal or plastic. Step 2. Connect parts Step 3. Run loader This works for both 38/9mm and 45...

I just got all the MBF bits today and was ready to MacGyver a hookup between the GSI and MBF. No need. The Output from the micro switch die body on the MBF and the aluminum casting that fits into the GSI tool head are both 5/8's OD. All it's going to take is a 5/8's OD, 1/2 ID tube. I could even use one of the springs that you run bullets through but I want something rigid.

I have their 650 tool heads in 45 and 9/38, as well as all the seating stems. They are really quality products and perform well. The collator...meh....not so much. It is not versatile in the least. I got my collator working for my 45 185gr HP BB NLG Hi-Tek coated but that was it. Played with most of the rings and have now given up on that. The collar quickly becomes a jam-o-matic when fed any sort of alien bullet. I'm going to hook a Mr. Bullet Feeder collator and micro switch up to drop bullets into the GSI tool head. I'm waiting for the USPS to drop off the required pieces/parts as I write this.

This thing deserves its own stand...contacting Dan at Inline Fabrications. This looks like it's right in his wheelhouse.

So I've got a Mr. Bullet Feeder coming tomorrow. The one thing I really don't fancy about it is mounting it on the side of my Dillon 650's case feeder. Does anyone make a separate stand for the collator? I'm sure I can cobble something together but if there is something already available I'd rather not go to the trouble.

That's absolutely true. In the direction it specifically says to degrease all parts thoroughly...then break the moving parts in. If you don't get all the grease off the moving parts won't wear in and the charge to charge variation won't be acceptable. I'm not sure I mentioned that once I did all this, it throws charges spot on every time. I think it throws fine grain or flake powers better than the Dillon. However the Dillon is superior with stick powder of almost any kind, small or large. I think it's the nature of the mechanisms. Rotary drum are better with one type of powder, sliding bar are better at another. I tend to use much more ball/flake so I'm liking the L-n-L a bit more...

Parts list looks good. You have all you need that will let you use L-n-L powder measure on a 650. The only thing I think you might look at is the use of the Double Alpha through powder expander for the L-N-L. It is a much better expander by an order of magnitude. You also pay for it...it's like 40 bucks. However, it's highly polished so it doesn't stick or shave the brass at all. This polishing is important enough that Starline brass offers it for free. You can send them your expander and they'll mirror polish it and profile it a bit. It is also stepped like a Lyman M-die, which makes seating cast bullets a sweater operation. They make them for both the DIllon and the L-n-L. If I can't use a real M-die, I use one of the D/A's. One other thing about the L-n-L. It needs to be broken in before it weighs charges consistently. A good way to do that is to fill the hopper and drop powder till it's empty, maybe even do 2 hoppers full. If you just put it all together and start loading, the powder drops will be off enough from charge to charge to make you unhappy. Once broken in, it will extremely consistent.

I tried it without the micrometer first but then ended up ordering it, It was just easier for me to make the fine adjustments. I don't regret ordering the micrometer at all.

It's not unheard of on a 650, that's for sure. I have a 650 and when I called Dillon about ordering some dies we started to shoot the chit...the guy told me they get two to three calls a week about blowing the primers out the top of the tube. I have ordered more than a few things since then and each time I ask about primers blowing up...all the sales guys tell the same story...and it happens for all the reasons listed above and a few more. No one gets hurt but the it makes a mess.,,,and Dillon never even winces about sending out the new parts , pronto. Quite a company.

Using lube with this die does make a difference. The amount of force required to size a case is reduced considerably when you use case lube. It reduces it enough that I use case lube with it...and I'm not a fan of cleaning up case lube....

Such as? I know of the shell plate bearing do-dad...beyond that, I'm drawing a do-dad blank.

It's unfortunate you had that experience with the GSI. I'm not going to argue your point. Your experience is your experience. Me? I couldn't be happier with my GSI.

True, it's not a fortune but you have to shoot an awful lot to make it pay. I truly believe the GSI bullet feeder is a better solution for folks like me that don't switch cartridges much. It only takes up one station and the toolhead is actually much more nicely made than the Dillon OEM. A 1050 runs $1750 and the GSI another $700. I'm not sure what other do-dads you can add to a 1050. The 650 has a myriad of roller bearings and other widgets people have invented. By the time it's outfitted and shipped I'm looking at about $2500.00 more or less. Say I decided I was going to shoot 9mm. Assuming you get the brass for free, which is very likely, you could probably get the cost down to $2.50 for a box of 50. The cost to break even is close to, what? 17,000 rounds? That's the cost of the machine plus your consumables. That would be about 325 rounds a week for a year. That is certainly a do-able figure many folks, some folks, maybe not so much. Me? I'm on the edge. The magic reloading machine would not be one that pumps out a 1000 rounds an hour. It would be one that somehow, someway would let you switch between any caliber, rifle or pistol, in minutes and not cost a fortune doing it. Like most people here, I have all kinds of guns. Wouldn't it be great to shoot a 1000 rounds of 9mm and then get the urge to warm up your 450 Nitro Express and be able to spit out 25 rounds in just a few minutes? It's a dream....

I do not disagree at all with that statement. It's just a matter of time and budget.

When you match the bullet to the GSI ring and seating stem, it works flawlessly. More than flawlessly I can't ask for. I tend not to switch around to different bullets once I find one I like. I keep my 650 setup for a particular caliber, powder, charge and bullet. For me, switching calibers, powders, charges, bullets, etc is just a gigantic pain that I'll do almost anything to avoid it. I probably try too many variations and combinations for my own good so when I find something I like, I stick to it.

I have some RCBS one shot type of spray lube that I use for most everything but haven't for this. I guess I will now. It's not like it's a chore...remember the glue like case lubes you had to apply by rolling it on a lube pad? Those were horrendously messy. Everything stuck to the cases...oxygen stuck to it..

No I'm not but that's an idea. I'll give it a squirt of some and see if that helps.

I was looking at the Hornady and RCBS case activated powder measure system and from the pictures, they look the same. Are they?

I have got to get a 1050. They sound incredible...

I love my GSI. But you must make sure that the bullet you use will run through it. It's not just the collator ring that will cause you grief but the seating stem as well. I shoot a .45 H&G #68 200 gr SWC BB coated using Hi-Tek. The GSI has a ring and seater that work PERFECTLY with this bullet. It is wonderful... If you have a particular bullet that you're married to you can send some to GSI and they'll make sure you get the ring and stem that will work...They'll even make a seater stem to work with your bullet if needs be. If you are going to shoot a lot of one kind of bullet I can't recommend the GSI highly enough but you can't switch around to UNTESTED bullet designs. You can switch easily between bullet designs that are known good ones but just dropping a new/different bullet in it and expecting it to work, is a recipe for frustration.

That certainly is part of it...but I also think it's cumulative. Every die position is now doing something. I added the Inline Fab Ergo lever and it didn't lighten things up at all. It did improve primer seating feel by quite a bit. It also lets you sit or stand closer to the press. It doesn't sound like much but it is decidedly more comfortable rowing away on the lever and the handle is nicer to my hand. The whole operation, while heavier, is decidedly smoother. I'm going to swap out the EGW undersize die for my Dillon and see where that leaves me. I believe that should, as you all have pointed out, drop the effort a fair bit on two accounts. The additional power needed to squeeze the case but also the additional resistance caused by the M-Die expanding a tighter case, both going in and coming out. I kinda like the Dillon floating decapping pin idea. It never seems to get out of alignment. I did replace the EGW/Lee decapping pin with one of those hardened tapered pins I have, it seems to center up quite well. Truth is neither one ever gave me any grief. I can see where the undersize die could really help some situations, just not mine. The 45 acp Kart barrel I have has a Clark/Para ramp and is fully supported. The cases never bulge, not even with the hot 45 Super loads I use, All in all, the experiment has proven to be a workable success. The Hornady L-n-L powder measure lets me use an M-Die and has proven to be at least as accurate as the Dillon and is less clanky/clunky. It does cost me my powder check position though...I wish there was a solution to that. It gave a little piece of mind. For those considering this for a loading pistol ammo I would encourage you to get the pistol micrometer. Some claim it isn't any more accurate, and that may be but it certainly gives a finer adjustment and doesn't require using the lock ring to hold it. It makes a adjusting the measure much easier.

1. The L-n-L powder measure 2. Case activated linkage If you're going to do through expander charging you need the caliber specific PTX expander. That's it...

Listen, I've had 5 children, three of which have boomeranged on me. One is here now with her two kids...I told my wife I wanted a divorce and she said, "you take the kids", I said, "No! You take the kids!". It was a custody fight like few others. At the end of the day we figured we needed to stay together and fight them off as a team.

You're not making any girl robots are you? If so, I'd like one...