boatdoc173

thanks for the insight @RudyVey

funny that you brought that up @ddc. I have my eyes out for a lightly used 650 or might go with a 750xl. I wa s looking into a case feeder for the 550 but I am a bit confused as to the stations. the manual discusses using station #1` for a powder drop. I am still trying to figure out what station the primers are loaded and how a 4 station loader can use a case feeder. Obviously Dillon had this figured out

@grumpyone-- thanks for the suggestion.The paper clip would help I guess but it adds to what I need to do to reload a round(one mor e thing to manipulate). the reason it takes 2-3 seconds to place a bullet or place an empty case is that my hands lose dexterity ( fine manipulation) due to surgical reconstruction of one hand and overus e of the other. gets worse as time reloading passes each session It is the best I can do to pick up a case or bullet and get it where it needs to be to reload in 2-3 seconds for each ye s my shell plate is correct and tightened down properly I do use one -shot to reload and that lube makes a huge difference for sure. I am on board with case lube. case lube is the best for me. tried other lanolin products bu they seem to be a bit sticky thanks for the reply happy thanksgiving

my hands and back are messed up. I have a disability rating of 30% for the right hand alone. The following observations are due to my hands not being 100% where I am now: update. having fixed most of the issues presented during depriming and case shaping( primer system>) as I manually reload on the 550c, I have noted the following 2-3 seconds to place a case in station #1 2-3 seconds to place a bullet in station #2 3-4 seconds to operate the reloader. I am able to make 5-6 rounds/minute (IF no problems present to slow me down). I have had only 1 problem free session making 100 rounds in 20 minutes. in the past 3 weeks manual indexing has allowed me to catch little issue s before they become bigger. sure it costs me a bit of time, but I do not waste primers or crush cases and my rounds are safe to use considering case and bullet feeders to speed things up. case feeder is most important,I think. This is because some cases are a bit tough to size and the case moves as I reload. I must them stop,push the case back into position to prime. I am guessing a case feeder will hold the cases in place and eliminate the need to reposition them( which adds time to my loading process ) I load 15,000 rounds each winter. I like reloading but would prefer spending less time doing it. 2 hours or more to make 400 rounds is a bit tiresome.

great advice and opinions on this thread. I like the manual indexing on my 550c . This allows me to stop reloading if a problem presents.( been reloading 2+ years and have yet to experience a problem free session--usually related to the primer system). My hands are messed up due to injury. manipulating the bullets is difficult to get done fast. cases are larger and a bit easie rto place in position as I manually reload on the 550c, I have noted the following 2-3 seconds to place a case in station #1 2-3 seconds to place a bullet in station #2 3-4 seconds to operate the reloader. I am able to make 5-6 rounds/minute (IF no problems present to slow me down). I have had only 1 session making 100 rounds in 20 minutes. this thread has me thinking about the case and bullet feeder options. Like our OP, I load 15,000 rounds each winter. I like reloading but would prefer spending less time doing it. 2 hours or more to make 400 rounds is a bit tiresome. I have to contemplate adding the feeders. case feeder seems to be the one to buy as it would allow easier loading and hold cases in place during sizing and depriming. wondering if the price of admission( dillon quotes about $650 for the case feeder) is worth saving 2 seconds per round. Mini bullet feeder is tempting but seems a bit complicated to install. also requires changes in a perfectly working powder system. Murphys law apply e here I am concerned about the ease of setting up a case feeder to work properly. any thoughts?

finally had a chance to reload with the sorted brass. I was doing fine--about 100 rounds/ 20 minutes. then Murphys law kicked in. couple of small issues cropped up and slowed me down to 200 rounds a hour. the thrill of loading 100 safe round/20 min was a treat. looking forward to hitting those #s again..hopefully still better than 150 rounds per hour and many stoppages per session

couldn't slow it down much more than it already is. Hands are a mess after reconstructive surgery a few years back. it is tiny manipulation that suffers. so picking up a couple-4 cases at a time is a bottle neck. I check headstamp and caliber. sort as follows( since I know which cases easily reload) one tub has Win, FC, Blazer, S+b 9x19, Speer. another is a tub f cases that will probably reload fine : R-P, USa,cbc, cfl.. the rest is taken to my range so they can turn them in for the $$ they get for brass

had an "ah-ha moment today. I did a marathon head stamp sorting session today. It really showed me why my reloading is so slow when I check each case headstamp( one by one as I load). It took HOURS to sort through a few thousand pieces. leaves ya pretty sore too looking forward to the next loading session. cannot wait to see the increased #s of rounds made/hour using the sorted brass

no harm --no foul @hogrider. all posts are welcome

all new loaders need t read a manual or 3. lymans, sierra, lee,hornady all make good reads. THEN( a s suggested) go slow. be sur e your primers seat properly. most important to be sure you get the right powder load( use the manuals to find the right loads)> start low and work your way up withthe powder loads. seating and crimping are easy once th e loader is set up. # os rounds produced is NOT important at first. making quality ,safe round sis the goal good luck

just to touch on the sorting of brass. If 9mm was like 45 acp. there would be no issue as my large primer 45 acp cases load without issue most of my 9mm brass is winchester and it works great with my redding deprimer/ siziing die. federal,blazer,speer and S+B do not cause issues either. odd headstamped brass need to be pulled. they will be brought to my club so they can get the $$ when they turn it in.

@BigHand-- agreed and I will try.

@grumpyone--yeah the headstamp checking is because I did NOT sort the range brass when I came home with it. never thought about sorting 9mm brass before the depriming pin was getting stuck in the firing holes. now it is obvious what to do. Out of habit, I can see a primer in the cup as the slide moves forward. Yes I can feel it as I seat it. It doe s not take any time at all during loading. I see the primer,seat it in one move, index the case to station 2 while placing a bullet on the filled case in station 3. my flare is minimal. 99.9% of the bullets stay lined up ready to seat. . It takes 2 seconds or so to pick up the bullet(located in a wide bin on the left side of the loader,place it on the case( usually), then 3 sec or more to check the headstamp with my right hand and place the case in station 1. I need to find time to clean a lot of brass and sort it by headstamp. get rid of the other calibers( 380, 40 s+w). I also need to find time to sort freshly shot brass when I come home. small batches are much easier than buckets full( what I am facing. ) THanks to the posts from you and a few other helpful members, it is obvious that head stamp/case checking is my bottleneck. placing bullets and cases for each round should take only 2 seconds each and then 2 -3 more to load and start the next. I can see how I should be able to load at least 8-10 rounds/ minute. ..like you more experienced reloaders. thanks to you and to all who have taken he time to make suggestions. I will try to add pics later this week.

@BigHand-nice video. I am as efficient as I can be when you consider my checking cases, placing bullets, verifying new primer is being placed. best I can do is about 8-11 seconds per round. thanks for the reply and video

@GrumpyOne-- you could be a youtube star if you make that video..inquiring minds want to know @RudyVey-- you and grumpyone are providing good suggestions. I will consider each one

@GrumpyOne--very good suggestions. for me 200 rounds/ hour is an improvement. one time eater is checking each casing to be loaded . I am focusing on keeping the good headstamps(ones that work all the time) win=90% of what I load( all 9mm), some federal,speer, S+B. no issues with them. no depriming pin sticking either the depriming pin only sticks( now that I use the undersized ones @HOGRIDER suggested) in odd headstamped cases. that is my fault for using them. some headstamps are just hard to read. those cases will be recycled to my shooting club from now on. that will allow me to keep loading at a much better pace in the past year or 2, my biggest problems were caused by the priming system and the slide torquing. i WAS NOVICE AND DID NOT REALIZE HOW THAT ISSUE SLOWED ME DOWN( ADJUSTING PRIMER TOWER SCREWS ALL THE TIME, LOOSE USED PRIMERS BLOCKING THE SYSTEM....) NOW THAT i HAVE FIXED THaT MESS, i CAN JUST CRUISE ALONG AS FOLLOWS; 3 SEC TO CHECK HEADSTAMP WHILE LOADING NEW CASE( sorry just noticed the caps--my bad), 2-3 sec to place a bullet on the case in station 3, 2 sec to primer and index the plate for the next load. doing the math, I SHOULD be loading 6 or more rounds per minute= 360 rounds/hour.. Obviously my rate is way off of that. the case check is a time eater but is necessary to prevent loading bad cases or 380s. IF I sorted the cases before loaded, that would speed up my loading rate BUT it would take HUGE amounts of my spare time --I used mixed range brass including my own cases. I am considering doing this. I admire you and the others who can load faster than I can. I am striving to load faster in the near future. I would be happy with 250-300 rounds per hours. more is even better. 8-10 rounds/minute would be great. I will consider every tip you provided. thanks for the consideration and thought put intothe reply

@shred-thanks. your post along with a few others have me leaning toward a press upgrade. considering which one as I feel I should leave future automation for when I have more time to dedicate--like retirement. in the meantime I could load and tweak a new press to get the most out of it @Part_time_redneck--raw output is not my goal. just looking to do better than my 200/hour peak on a 550c. The manually indexed 550c allows me to assure that each round is loaded properly. sure it is slow but it is safe. increased rated of loading with better machines have a learning curve to assure that each station is working as it should. seems like everyone is stating that . If I am moving towards bullet feeders and case feeders ( an d possibly automation), I expect to spend quite a bitof time learning the new machine and what it takes to load rounds safely AND faster. I am still learning about the machines. seems like the consensus is to take the plunge with a RL1100 as it afford the most options now and in the future

thanks again @boomstick303. info provided an d offer are appreciated. even if I pas son full automation, it is starting to look like a step up is in order. more time needed to think this trough.. this thread and the info in it make the decision a stronger one. I am a loyal dillon customer. I would not buy the other machines due to the way dillon has treated me. They stand behind their equipment--period. choosing the next tep will take time for sure( 750 1050 1100) the new machine will be for 9mm only. I can load other calibers with my 550c machines. small batches are not an issue.

@Boomstick303 and @ddc . I appreciate your points of view and advice. I fully understand why you would work manually at first. I am still working out the issues that present on my RL 550C. most are fixed and I am now enjoying my sessions more. Just thinking that the better r eloaders offer a faster way to make the ammo. I need to research what it is that makes the RL 750, 1050,1100 better than my 550c. why would they make more ammo--manually.? I KNOW that a case feeder and a bullet feeder could speed up my loading #s( and that I would would been an auto indexing loader to take advantage of those improvements. Initially ,I would have to invest a HUGE amount of time to clean and sort by headstamp the 9mm brass( some brands of brass cause issues for sure. I want to get them out of the mix). I am concerned about the lack of a lifetime warranty on the 1050,100 series. The lifetime warranty is a huge draw when buying dillon reloaders. It is appreciated beyond explanation I have a lot of thinking and reading to do

@cvincent,I admire your skill and tenacity. your post confirmed the need for tweaks and know how in setting up the loader before automating and then more when automating. sure gives me a lot to think about thanks for the honest post and insight

@CC3D-thanks for the reassuring reply. o my next ? would be-- for someone who is not a natural mechanic, how hard is a dillon 1100, 1050 or mark 7 system to set up and get working right?. I only need 4 stations as I do now. setting up the dillon 550c was easy . tweaking it took time. trial and error for a newer reloader was expected. some of the issues I encountered sure stretched my ability to be patient and work things through

@Rnlinebacker -case lube is a must > I use Hornady one shot and the method you use. I fully understand and appreciate the bullet feeds and case feeder. I edited my thread to include my case issue( sorting by acceptable head stamp during loading vs doing it in bulk to prep for loading with an auto feeder). when I produce 200 rounds/ hours an d our members produce 1500 or mor e per hour automated.. makes ya think about time spent. I like reloading. It takes the winter pass easier. BUT making 1000 rounds+/ week in one session sounds better than what I am doing now( 5-7 hours or more a week- timing depends on stoppages)

Todays automatic loading systems seem like a dream to own and use. HOWEVER>> I have enough issues with a Dillon 550 just trying to manually load.(9mm and 45 acp only so far) so far 200/hour is my best as something ALWAYS happens( primer system issues usually- including deprime pins getting stuck in firing holes)..most issues are with the 9mm which I load a lot of so my ? to those that know-- how do you autoload so many rounds without issues? if something is wrong,does the system shut down automatically? are the sensors supplied reliable. when I reload. I am concerned with using the right brands of mixe d range brass , correct primer insertion, powder drops... So I am a slower loader( average 10-12 seconds/ round). BUT I Know my rounds are safe. I would LOVE to make even 500-800 rounds/hour on an auto system IF I could be assured of few problems and no safety issues JUst wondering how you auto loaders know your rounds are properly made? do you have duds? othe r issues? The time savings and ability to load in the thousands/hours is interesting and tempting. Of course I would have to spend quite a bit of time sorting brass by headstamps so they would be ready for auto loader use ( vs one at a time when I load now). how abou t primers? how do you bulk load them into a auto machine like the dillon 1100 or the mark 7 machines? do they feed smothly ,proper sid e up? any other considerations for going auto? thanks for your time and effort to help

I am very aware of that. we ha d up to 18 in the house at one time.( 39 total in 40 years) now only 3 left and 3 BIG dogs( all shelter adoptees). I us e mine a s you use yours. dirty brass collectors

they helped @ hogrider. redding CS( tops for sure) found a dealer withthem in stock. there is always 1 0r 2 cases with a hole just small enough to pull the pin-- grateful that these pins made this a RARE thing vs what I had before. thanks for the info