My Super 1050 is a POS <a rant>

[kbear38S]

I got one of the first Super 1050s an had just about every problem imaginable with it. After hours on the phone to tech support and a couple trips back to the factory, Dillon finally sent me a new machine for the old. Everything else finally runs fine but I still cannot get through more than 200 rounds with it choking on a primer - mostly from the primer feed but sometimes an old one from the Primer Toss O'Matic stage.

I've been told...

My primers are bad: Nope - many different lots of Fed and Win.

My brass is bad: Nope - Win, Starline, Rem plain & nickel, new of each brand, used of each brand, much of it Case-Pro'ed.

Not using Dillon dies: wtf???

Wrong powder brands & types: another wtf???

Too many shims on the primer feed bar.

Not enough shims on the primer feed bar.

Dirty primer feed bar.

Clean primer feed bar.

Bad primer tube tip including ones that run fine on the 550.

Not mechanically skilled enough to use a 1050: (no problems with the 60K or so loaded on my 550)

No matter what I do, all of a sudden the machine starts binding up - can't see a stuck primer anywhere, then after forcing the thing through a few cycles, a new, sometimes half smashed primer will go flying across my bench and of course, there's one loaded round in the bin without a primer.

My real throughput on that machine is probably no more than 100/hr because of all the downtime. My 550 will run forever at 400-450/hr.

Gotta load about 800 rounds for my wife and I for the A8 next week and since I need a press that actually works ALL the time, I guess it's a damn good thing I kept the 550.

[Gun Geek]

I'll give you $100 for it and pay the shipping!

Sorry!

Keep after it. I'm not a 1050 guy, but It will probably be something simple. I have had a couple of strange things on my 650 that took some head scratching.

I know it is PC here to sing the praises of Dillon's tech support. In general they are great, and the companies policies are fantastic, but if they get stumped it is always your fault. I really like the Dillon dies and powder brands question. I guess the economy is truly on the re-bound, good customer service people will be hard to find.

Somewhere here I have a rant about trying to figger out how to load 300WSM on my 650. I still remember the pin head at Dillon saying "why would you want to load that on a 650?". The the other pin head saying that the cartridge is to new (5 years!?) and they don't know if it will be worth making the parts. I figured it out myself using existing parts with a very slight mod (opened up a body bushing by about 5 thou).

[Merlin Orr]

2 ea 550s and 5 different cal. complete changeover setups - even trade....

[benos]

after forcing the thing through a few cycles

I can't say for sure what the problem is, but the forcing it through a few cycles thing is a red flag. As soon as anything feels different you should stop and figure out what the problem is. And I know a problematic machine can be a pain because you just get sick of messing with it and want to get some ammo loaded, but I think it's critical to always stop at the first sign "difference."

From the "flying crushed primer" (seen a few of those on my 1050) my first guess is that the primers are not dropping from the tube to bar consistently, so now and then a primer is tipped in the bar. I called tech at Dillon and he thought maybe the rubber tubing over the roll pin on the primer slide was maybe not perfectly concentric, which could case primers to not drop consistently into the slide. The way to make the hole in the primer bar is perfectly lined up with the tube is to, with the primer bar at rest and the primer magazine empty, drop one primer down the tube and it should drop into the bar perfectly with no extra help. If you make adjustments, repeat that test multiple time until you're satisfied it's perfect. Adjusting it that way, and keeping if "fairly" clean, fixed all my primer problems on my 1050.

be

[dillon]

A few things to check out on your Super 1050:

Examine the rubber bumper on the back end of the primer slide. This is actually a piece of 1/8" vacuum hose. If this is chewed up at all, replace it. Next, make sure the primer punch is being fully retracted by the return spring. If necessary, call for a replacement. Make sure the primer slide track in the frame is clean. Periodic dissassembly and cleaning with alcohol is a good thing. Forcing the handle when a primer is stuck is not a recommended course of action. Try the above steps, then try operating the machine at about half your regular pace for a few hundred rounds, and see how it acts. A smooth, gentle stroke, both up and down, will yield the best long term production rate with the fewest hiccups. Please keep us posted.

[Loves2Shoot]

Periodically replacing that little piece of rubber made the world of difference to me also.

[kbear38S]

This is actually a piece of 1/8" vacuum hose. If this is chewed up at all, replace it.

Yes, it's chewed up on one side but this problem has been going on almost from new. How critical is the diameter? Piece I got at the local autoparts store is bigger than the thickness of the primer slide. If the diameter changes, do I have to change the number of shims?

Make sure the primer slide track in the frame is clean. Periodic dissassembly and cleaning with alcohol is a good thing.

Track is clean. I spend more time cleaning the press then I do my guns which are very clean. Everybody else with 1050s tell me they hardly ever clean them.

Forcing the handle when a primer is stuck is not a recommended course of action

Every try and take one apart while it's jammed halfway down, a whole bunch of springs under tension, with a full tube of primers because a primer is stuck in the guts? Also not recommended.

[EricW]

Sell for $200 + ship?

[Gun Geek]

Oh, OK, I see how this is going. I guess I could bay $225 for it...

[Nik Habicht]

Kevin,

I seem to remember talking about this some time ago ---- and did find a few threads in the pinned 1050 thread....

Odds are you've already tried this ---- but the thing that finally did it with mine was to polish the crap out of the edges in the opening of the primer slide. Since then primers almost always drop. It took me a much longer time to get the 1050 running correctly, than any of my other presses. It also took me longer to learn the proper way to stroke the handle --- it seems that since there's three more stations it needs to be moved more smoothly than the handle on my 650. If I take a break from loading for a couple months, it always takes a hundred rounds or so to find the rhythm.....

[Jeeper]

Trade ya for a 650! That or $226

[dillon]

The diameter of the tubing is somewhat critical, but not uncompensatable for. If necessary, remove a washer. Try it without changing the washer first. It also helps to periodically push a patch moistened with alcohol through the magazine until it comes out clean. Call dillon, ask for gary. I'll be happy to mail a few rubber pieces to you.

[EricW]

OK OK OK....I'll trade you my Luger for it. If you sweet talk me, I might toss in another safe queen too.

[kbear38S]

OK OK OK....I'll trade you my Luger for it. If you sweet talk me, I might toss in another safe queen too.

Make it a Bushmaster 308 and a 650 w/o dies and I might get interested. Right now I have to get it working because I need 700-800 rounds for the A8 this weekend. Maybe half that but my wife won't feed me if I don't load her ammo.

[kbear38S]

Found some tubing that fits.

Then this:

Now the real reason for all the primer feed problems isn't the rubber buffer though, the primer hole in the primer feed bar is just a little bit too small or maybe off center. The primer punch presses through without too much extra difficulty - not enough to notice, but really binds when trying to reverse the stroke. All this time I thought it was because of the EGW undersized die and Lee factory crimp die. Fortunately I have an extra small primer feed bar that seems to work smoothly.

Now what are the chances that it will work with the busted cam pin?

Which smiley is the 'disgusted' one?

[diehli]

Call Dillon and have 'em send you a new one.

[EricW]

Trade you a spinner off a B-25 for it. Brand new. Never shot at by the Japanese.

[Gun Geek]

Bear:

I'd say this one:

Glad you're getting it resolved instead of trading it for the various low $$ and pieces of junk offered previously.

Geek

[EricW]

Glad you're getting it resolved instead of trading it for the various low $$ and pieces of junk offered previously.

Wow! Only someone that's never bought airplane parts would say that. I retract my piddly offers.

I still think I can have that sucker running 100% in no time.

[kbear38S]

I still think I can have that sucker running 100% in no time.

Well I got enough out of spec and busted parts laying around that you ought to be able to put something together.

Attach the B-25 and you got a deal. Will also do a B-26 which is arguably cooler.

Okay, I'll settle for a couple Ma-Duces off the B-n and I'll even pony up for the Class III license.

No... I don't really want to trade. I just want to load some ammo.

[dillon]

There appears to be sufficient bearing surface on the screw to get you through

the ammo you need to get loaded. Call Dillon for a replacement screw. If possible, try to orient the screw so that the fractured side is not dragging on the edges of the cam slot.

[wide45]

Should you really remove that screw? The first time I went to take the top off, the screw cracked. I stopped before anything broke off. Then I found you could juggle the top away with the cam in place.

[Bret Heidkamp]

Kbear,

I feel your pain. I have one of the first super 1050's and was also convinced the thing is a total POS.

I have incurred problems with practically every aspect of the machine. (and I've owned a 550 and a 650 which I keep set up for 223)

I have some posts on here somewhere with all the troubles.

Regarding the primer feed issues, here is what I've found. The slide was getting hung up by the little rubber tubing section because it was too long from the factory (admittedly an easy mistake to make) and was rubbing the slide's channel. This was enough to make it hang up intermittently, a real frustration. It only rubbed as the slide went to the last 1/3 of the travel toward the shellplate, and would cause the slide to stick in there a bit. Nothing that would feel too terrible, more like it had buildup on the slide. It was enough to crash the machine, though.

The other thing took forever to find, I hope I can describe it adequately: If you remove the shellplate, the track the primer slide runs in had a milling mistake (since this is CNC, yours probably does too!) where the track bottom had about a .002" lip towards the center of the machine. So, as the bar slid in, occasionally it would catch on the lip and cause the bar to hang up. This in turn caused the machine to crash. It is found in the bar's last little bit of travel as it slides in toward the shellplate. The front edge of the bar catches it.

After I took out the home gunsmith's favorite tool ... Mr. Dremel and removed the offending lip, the bar slides quite smoothly. I only found this hiccup with a little bit of downward pressure on the bar as I manually slid it in the channel with the shellplate removed. It's in a very awkward place to reach with anything to polish it out, thus the Dremel. Hope this makes sense, as I am willing to bet you've got this same issue as we both have early models, and mine would crush primers and lock up, spit them across the bench, etc. About 100 rounds = 1 hour on this machine. You should see how much powder used to flip all over my bench before I got this fixed.

I had also polished the outside edges of the bar, to add a bit more clearance as it was quite tight. Maybe about .001" or so. This helped only a little.

Also, when you have the low primer alert tube out, get a really bright flashlight (surefire, etc.) and shine the light toward the feed area of the primer system from the shellplate side. Look down the main primer feed tube and cycle the machine. This will allow you to see if the plate goes all the way back to pick up a new primer correctly. If it isn't 100% aligned it will miss primers and generally add to the frustration. This is adjusted by adding or removing shims to the primer slide stop / slide stop bolt. I can't remember if the primers would tilt or otherwise mess up, but the little blue tip that goes on the aluminum feed tube would sure get mangled. I am shocked that Dillon just said to add, then remove the shims without telling you how to actually align it.

I'll try to remember more of what I repaired if this doesn't fix your 1050, mine is running smooth now and doesn't puke every 50 to 100 rounds like it did when I got it.

[kbear38S]

Got a whoppin' 460 or so done before it took a sh## this time. Since I spent about 4 hours reworking the thing before this loading session, that works out just about right to my usual 2 hrs of press fixing for each 200 rounds. Sure wish I hadn't sold off the Super conversion for my 550.

The slide was getting hung up by the little rubber tubing section because it was too long from the factory

Brett, the primer feed bar I swapped out was the original one that was troublesome. Because I was replacing the buggered up rubber on the newer one, when I tried the old one it was obvious the rubber on that one was too long and dragging on the frame. 1) It should have never shipped that way. 2) You'd think one of the several tech guys at Dillon would have told me to check it. Oh yeah, I remember, they told me I'm not technical enough.