cjim

I follow similar to you But tumble after processing, to remove lube. Then In station 1 use a universal deprimer, this clears any media that may have got stuck. Everyone does their thing when reloading. We all have the same result , cheaper, hopefully more accurate ammo

With a spare dillon spring in the tool bin and 30K + on the 1050. Looks like one of these other than dillon springs will be added to the parts bin. Better to have and not need, than need and not have.

Clean the case feeder after each use. What lube you using, i'm running dillons and the lanolin / 90 something% alcohol mix. Both dry prior to dropping in case feeder. I'm processing 223 & 9 on the 1050, after tumbling lube off load on the 650's.

I did, went the 450-550 upgrade, due to everything worn and wobbly.It was cost efficient to do the 4-550 upgrade than rebuild it. They are very a very stout press. if the deal is right buy it.

Always loosen or tighten with toolhead down. Have you tried some heat? You should be using a box wrench, or (IMO) a 6 point socket, with breaker bar. You risk rounding the bolt with a crescent wrench and hammer. The right tool for the job.

I focus on accuracy over fps. Tried some berrys 125 plated rn. 4.1gr TG, cci primers, mixed brass..10.5" oly upper..off a bench all rounds were on or touching a 3" target @ 25yds . This was a baseline test to see where I was hitting, before running suppressed. Hitting steel out to 200, isn't a problem, with the carbine. If the speed thing is your game, great. I found better results using mid point data, for the 4 9mm pistols, and carbine. Plus it stretches out the powderI have.

something similar to tom's only i mounted a container under the bench top. Using a cut 223 pc of brass. The way it is mounted with tube through the bench it is held in place with no issues after 10K of processing.

He's the local go to place since 1915. People have items they're not sure where to dispose them. He's the guy. The original drop off was 120+ lbs of powder in 1 - 4 lb containers. Their scrap metal area is a treasure trove when you want to keep steel below $0.10 per foot.Most of the time he sells by market prices. I dropped of a 5 gal bucket of primers & brass, came home with 5lbs of unique, 2 - bullseye and 2 lbs - 748. Had to beat him up on the 748 as 1 of them had been opened.

Win & CCI. i haven't noticed any difference between them. Unless i'm loading for the wheel guns, then it's fed SPP.

Took mine and the less than reusable brass to my scrap guy. He asked if i wanted cash, OR to browse through the 2 boxes of 1 lb containers of powder someone dropped off

For humidity i use kitty litter crystals, put in old socks. Any store carries it. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Fresh-Step-Crystals-8lb-Cats/10313505 Storing powder and primers in something that does not have an easy open door / front etc is potentially dangerous. I store my P&P in wooden cabinets that are 1" thich This gives my 1"+ as per SAAMI specs. It is wood kitchen cabinet, 1/2" sheetrock, 1/2" plywood. Front door is one that opens easy. YMMV. 11-3.9 Commercial stocks of smokeless propellants shall be stored as follows: (a) Quantities exceeding 20 lb. (9.1 kg) but not exceeding 100 lb. (45.4 kg) shall be stored in portable wooden boxes having walls of at least 1 in. (25.4 mm) thickness. ( Quantities exceeding 100 lb. (45.4 kg) but not exceeding 800 lb. (363 kg) shall be stored in non-portable storage cabinets having walls of at least 1 in. (25.4 mm) thickness. Not more than 400 lb. (181 kg) shall be permitted to be stored in any one cabinet and cabinets shall be separated by a distance of at least 25 ft (7.63 m) or by a fire partition having a fire resistance of at least 1 hour. © Quantities exceeding 800 lb. (363 kg) but not exceeding 5,000 lb. (2,268 kg) shall be permitted to be stored in a building, provided the following requirements are met: 1. The warehouse or storage room shall not be accessible to unauthorized personnel. 2. Smokeless propellants shall be stored in non-portable storage cabinets having wood walls of at least 1 in. (25.4 mm) thickness and having shelves with no more than 3 ft (0.92 m) of separation between shelves.

I use 3.8 - 4.0 TG with 1.14 OAL. 4gr's is the current max load, last years was 4.3 as MAX That's using LRN data.

Before deciding, i'd redo your bench by adding another top to the existing one, with it coming out and over that external 2x4. This way you mount the 550 right on the edge and load sitting in the chair you already have. My 650's are on sm's the 550 was surface mounted till we redid the whole bench.

You never wait till you run out of gas to fill the tank up. Around here most reloaders have been buying components way before they actually had a press. Unless you're not a buy in bulk person.

Anyone mention the one from lowes Have 2 of them and they work very well.

I had a set of pacific dies that were marked as chromium,

While not a catastrophic failure, I have never seen the spring break there ever before. New spring, easy fix. Problem is without the spring, and you want to hang out at the bench, you can always start rifle brass processing. That's always my back up plan when the Dillon goes down. I suggest that everyone buys that 650 spare parts bag of gizmos, springs and little things. And you can order al a carte but that's always expensive. I've found that when that little spring, screw, washer, etc. drop on the floor you'll never find it. Have some spares handy. Dog I have one of each by the bench. For those of us less flexible than others, it makes life easier http://www.harborfreight.com/24-inch-2-in-1-pickup-tool-94162.html http://www.harborfreight.com/heavy-duty-magnetic-pickup-tool-42288.html

EDIT TO ADD: Before technology made our lives easier, faster, and more effeicient, they used to make a device you'd stick into the end of your barrel that would hold a chart in front of your scope like a little billboard. You could then make your elevation adjustments on the chart, which was literally bore sighted INTO your barrel. This device would do the same thing as the laser bore sighting process above but at 1/10th the cost, if not less. They probably still sell 'em... assuming our current superior technology hasn't rendered them useless. i have one of these hi tek units. http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm?contentID=productDetail&prodID=TA28AC

GFL along the front range. When it is located the folks selling it have become very proud of it. I use TAC, X-terminator and 2230 None of those are to be found in 8 lbs containers. I did read hogdon's subsonic load data, using Titegroup, which i have a nice supply of. Might as well give those a go.

Same issue here only with xtreme. I doesn't effect POI and OAL . I'm just hitting steel plates and paper.

Where you purchase the bubble level?

Being disabled and unable to step on a ladder, or stool, to access, the case feeder lowering simplifies things. Not everyone who reloads is in perfect health,.

on the 650 AA2230 TAC 550 TG H110 all flow like melted butta.

I also have a seperate tool head for the size/deprime, i put a powder die in station 4 to minimize flex of the shell plate. Opted for a giraud over the dillon trimmer, not fond of a shop vac running while sizing. YMMV

the 550 will over time be the better investment. Having to sell any equipment is hard. However reap the benefit of selling the 1050. You still have the 550 and will be surprised how much use it will actually get. I have yet to see any reloading equipment or components on CL or most gun forums last longer than 2-3 days. Best of luck and wish you well what ever choice yo umake.