Chet

WST

Empty and up when I finish for the day. Including powder back into the jug. Im never sure when I will get back for another run. I also check the powder drop at the beginning of a loading session to make sure something hasn't changed Super 1050 and a 650. Love'm both

So you just got a new RL? If you don't know what to do with it I'll take it. I have been looking for an RL to load pistol only. The deal on Enos seems to be about as good as it gets. Just wondering how much you paid. I though Dillon was controlling prices pretty tightly for internet sales.

Yeah if it not swimming or gymnastics your out of luck

That is amazing!

Yup, over 50 and working going for my second in April. Due to my late grandmother passing or colon cancer I get to be on a five year cycle. The prep is way worse than the procedure, and that really wasn't all that bad. I actually found the whole experience rather interesting since I woke up half way through.

I look for small primer 45 brass just so I don't have to change my 650 back and forth. Not that it is all the difficult just an extra step. Sorting is a pain for tired eyes though. I have not had any issues with small primer 45 and have loaded thousands.

If you like reloading it is all about over kill. If you like your process stay with it. I place washed cases into the wifes dryer on a towel, on the shoe rack. Cases are bone dry in about 15 minutes (and are fluffy too) Ready to drop in a tumbler. Just dont put too many in at one time. The rack will bend a little with the heat. If it sags too much it will hit the drum blades and you will get a really nice crash. If that happens remember to let the brass cool a little before picking up.

Get to know the insides of your gun. I would suggest the AGI DVD's as a really good starting point. You can rent a lot of them from SmartFlix.com for about $10. There is a series out done by Gene Schue on how to build a competition gun. Not suggesting you need to build anything up,but he does an excellent job of explaining how things are supposed to fit. He also goes through all of the part modifiication on how to make parts fit in a 1911/2011. I highly recommend it. I would get your old parts back from the smith you used as well. If your gun has been tuned you probable are going to mess up the sweet spot of the balance between the recoil spring and the main spring, so your cycle rate may be impaired. As for who did the mods to the gun....who knows. There is no real way to look and tell who did the work. Although guns are a work of art, they are usually not signed. BTW the Edge is a sweet shooter.

I am currently working on building a case sizer like the on pictured. I'll let you know how it turns out. My assumption is the cost should be less than $500 with a used gear motor driving the roller die.

If you have the means going to a 650 with a case feeder is far superior to what you plan to do. I upgraded from a SDB through my local distributor at the time. SDB is an excellent choice if you want to run a dedicated press. There always seem to be a few on Ebay available at good prices.

Akro bins into plastic ammo boxes when they get gauged. Easy way to spot a bad primer.

I love the 650. Started on a SDB, skipped over the 550 and went for the 650 when I up graded. I have full tool heads and conversion now for everything from 9mm to 44 mag. Once you are used to the machine and get the feel to seating a primer you can really cruise through the rounds. I would move up to a 1050 but don't have enough volumn to justify the cost of a machine new or used. I'd go with a Dillon (again)

I have had problems in the past with index lockup. It has usually been the result of tightening the center bolt down too far when making a change over from on caliber to another. Try to back the center bolt off a quarter turn and make sure you done have any primers jammed at station 2. Also make sure you have the proper lubrication on all the surfaces. A little dab here and there is plenty. I have easily run 100K+ rounds through my 650 and usually find most of the problems are with the operator adjustments.

My experience has been good, aside from the few odd cases being cracked or damaged. Most sellers seem to throw in a few extra to cover this. I have purchasing from Gunbroker.com. One seller in particular I would recommend was Curtis Weaver. Some of the cleanest used brass I have ever seen. You can try contacting him to see if he has what you are looking for at cjw234@earthlink.net. No relationship here just a good source at a reasonable price.

Wow you guys are great. Thanks for the welcome and the information. FranDoc thanks for the info on Stonewalls. I didn't know they had anything going on there. I'll have to check that out since it is so close.

Ryan; It is all about compromise. I'm sure you can find a nice compact in .45 ACP to get things started. Then you will have your gun and justify keeping the bullets and brass. Then you can upgrade to a 1911. Sounds like a nice setup you purchased. Once you get into it you can really get hooked. I look for reasons to make ammunition. I have gotten people started back into shooting just so I can build more ammunition for them. We were all faced with the same decision at some point on which press to buy. I ended up with a XL650 upgrade from a SDB and have never looked back. I love the 650 with all it's extra features and caliber change is no worse than on a 550, but you will be happy with the 550 for a long, long time. Dillon makes a great piece of equipment. Jst done sell the dies and the caliber conversion. If you let them go cheap you will kick yourself later when you have to replace them for your 1911. A little advise on marriage. It is all about compromise. 50% of the time you will be wrong and just have to give in, the other 50% you get to argue first then find out that you wrong. Chet

Welcome Grizz from another newbie! This is a great forum and full of information and friendly folks.

I found this guy on One of the gun auction site. Easy to work with and has a pretty big selection. Prices seem to be in line. http://gregcotellc.com/cart/index.php

I have both the new style and old style power measures. I actually bent the new "Z" shape into one of my old fail safe rods and it works great on both the new and old style powder measures. Mine are about 15 years old and have never had a problem with one wearing out and have loaded many thousands of rounds.

I built the electronic counter that was diagrammed on this site, using an LCD counter from Grainger. I think I built the whole thing for less than $30 and an hours worth of work. I used an aluminum project box that I bought off e-bay for the enclosure and a broom handle mounting clip to mount it to the press. Wires were from the maintenance guys at work and the rest of the switches I had laying around from other projects. Usually came a couple to the pack. My setup is on a Dillon XL650. I mounted a limit switch using the existing bolts on the indexer cam so every time a primer is seated the round gets counted. This was a good place to start but and it works, but I think I am going to move the limit switch to the crimp die once I figure out how to mount it so it will stay on the press when you change the tool head. This switch will be actuated when a round is in the crimp die using a plunger that will bump the bullet when it is at the top of the crimp stroke. I built the plunger so it is adjustable, similar to the plunger that was on the original Dillon counter that is married to the toolhead. Once I get my final setup in place I will post more pics.

Hi guys! Just wanted to get started posting to the forum. My name is Gary but go by the nickname Chester. I have been reading on the forum for months, as a guest, to get information on reloading and WOW! is there a lot of information. I am looking to get started in competitive shooting. Any recommendations out there for a guy in the Cleveland, Ohio area? Thanks Chet