Lifeislarge Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 I'm looking for honest answers and am really having a hard time with this decision. Due to the lackluster economy, business slowing down to a crawl, and virtually no decent job prospects, I am going to be forced to sell one of my presses within a month unless something changes drastically. I am blessed to own two of the best reloading tools on the market today, and letting go of one of them is like having to choose between siblings. So here's the crux.... I have an RL1050 which is in like new condition but set up for .45 which I don't shoot, so a caliber conversion to .40 would be necessary (I have the dies) at a cost of around $120. If I kept the 1050 I would obviously limited slightly in what I could load and it would probably end up just being a dedicated press. I own several calibers that I might eventually want to load for, those being .223, 9mm, .380, just to name a few. I have both the large and small pistol plates for the case feeder. Next is the RL550, which is in like new condition. For this I have 5 brand new powder measures, 6 tool heads with powder dies, brand new primer system and powder failsafe, strong mount, bullet tray, roller handle, and three shell plates with pins. I have a powder funnel and pins to load .40 (I have the dies) but would need to buy or swap for a shell plate (no big deal). With this press I could obviously load anything and everything, with the conversions being pretty easy. It's like the bomb.com 550 setup. If you had to choose between the two, what would you do? It's different from making a purchasing decision as both are long ago bought and paid for, and with all things considered, would probably sell for close to the same amount. The couple hundred either way would not sway my decision. This is not by any means a classified ad. I am praying that things improve in the next month to where I can keep both, dedicate the 1050 to loading .40 and have the 550 for the rest. But at this point I can't even afford bullets to load anything. Please, this is a hard enough decision so I would appreciate it if there were no solicitations to purchase. IF and when I decide to sell I will either create a classified ad or sell locally. Thanks, and as always, I value your opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
latech15 Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Sell something else. You have some nice equipment there and you would always wish you had it back You would probably end up buying it again. Say you got 1000 for one of the packages.....how long would that 1k last you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob DuBois Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Times are hard for lot's of people now and it's going to get worse, hope your able to recover and get back on your feet. Right now you could do more with the 550 loading for other guns you may have. 1050 may bring enough to help out for a longer time but needs funds to be usefull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifeislarge Posted November 22, 2012 Author Share Posted November 22, 2012 Times are hard for lot's of people now and it's going to get worse, hope your able to recover and get back on your feet. Right now you could do more with the 550 loading for other guns you may have. 1050 may bring enough to help out for a longer time but needs funds to be usefull. I'll be alright. I have no debt and refuse to get in the hole when I have things (luxuries) that I can get rid of if need be. I'd always rather have to replace "stuff" than try to dig myself out of a hole. It wasn't that long ago that having ANY reloading equipment was just a dream. I'm grateful to have this problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadyscott999 Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Times are hard for lot's of people now and it's going to get worse, hope your able to recover and get back on your feet. Right now you could do more with the 550 loading for other guns you may have. 1050 may bring enough to help out for a longer time but needs funds to be usefull. I'll be alright. I have no debt and refuse to get in the hole when I have things (luxuries) that I can get rid of if need be. I'd always rather have to replace "stuff" than try to dig myself out of a hole. It wasn't that long ago that having ANY reloading equipment was just a dream. I'm grateful to have this problem. I would keep the 1050. You can easily by a conversion kit here and there as you need. i have 2 Rl's and I can do a caliber change in about 20 minutes. The time savings from loading in bulk then switching calibers is huge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 I am praying things improve in the next month to where I can keep both Sounds like a short-term problem (hopefully) - I wouldn't see either - let it "turn around" and all will be well. But, if cash is tight, I'd sell the 1050 - you get more money and you won't have too much reloading to do until you get more cash - then you can buy another 1050 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
August Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Sounds like you don't use the 1050, but the 550 sees some action. Keep the one that you use. You can always get another press when your ship comes in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blaster113 Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Voted for keeping the 550, if it is an absolute last resort and a press must go. With the 550 you can load everything under the sun pretty much. And the 1050 will command a high resale value. Sometimes (like right now, can't get consistent charges of N105 dammit) I miss my 550 after upgrading to the 650. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basman Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 Sell 1050, worth more cash and you use the 550 more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHolsted Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 I would sell the 1050 and use a small portion to buy a square deal b for the dedicated 40. Good luck and may good fortunes fall upon you soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifeislarge Posted November 23, 2012 Author Share Posted November 23, 2012 Thanks for all the input. Poll is showing resounding favor for the 550. One question though, how prevalent is crimped .40 brass? The swager on the 1050 is a real advantage if i happen to have a ton of this stuff mixed in my 7K of brass. The 1050 would also be a better press for loading .223 no? Been thinking that unless the contents of my safe change dramatically, I don't shoot enough 9mm or .380 to have to load in any real volume. These are mainly used in our carry guns which we shoot maybe 100 rounds a month. Better half says keep them both, and have faith that things will change. I love that woman..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoshidaex Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 I voted for the 550. I know you don't have many calibers listed but if you decide to load rifle ammo larger than 223 in the future, the RL1050 won't be able to load rifle ammo longer than 223. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toothguy Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 Sell 1050, worth more cash and you use the 550 more. +1, also remember the no BS warranty that comes with the 550 but not the 1050. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy's Toy Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 Keep the 550, or better yet, sell both and get a 650 and have the best of both worlds. Just my .02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
392heminut Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 I voted for the 550 also. I load a lot of .223 and .308 on mine and it works great on the rifle stuff! I've never heard of crimped primer pockets in 40 brass and have never run across any myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacktail 8541 Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Loading multiple calibers, it only makes sense to keep the 550. Also with the 1050 you would have to purchase a new primer system as i.45 acp uses a lg prime. The other pistol calibers you stated use small. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunaman Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Sell both - you should be able to get new prices based on what I've seen, and then as mentioned you can pick up a nice 650, or another 550, once you get back on your feet. Seems to be a seller's market right now with Dillon gear. Also doesn't sound like you're going to be reloading anything at the moment, so getting full value for your presses would maximize your cash position, and then you can watch for a deal on the press you want to end up with down the line when you're ready to start loading again. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadyscott999 Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 I wonder how many people voting have ever actually used a 1050. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifeislarge Posted November 26, 2012 Author Share Posted November 26, 2012 I wonder how many people voting have ever actually used a 1050. I don't know but auto indexing and a case feeder sure are nice to have. The RL1050 seems to have less bugs than the 650 as well. If changing calibers was cheaper I'd be more inclined to keep it but damn, it's not!!! The work involved in changing over doesn't phase me, it's all about the dough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babaganoosh Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 I've reloaded on a 1050 and damn it is nice, but your needs seem to be best served by the 550. Sell the 1050 and load away on the 550. You can always get another 1050 in the future if you really need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmorris Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 One other thing about the RL, there are some parts you can no longer get. The super may look a lot like the RL but there are som pretty significant differences between the two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Too_Slow Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Shadyscott999 I have and use 2 1050's and I still voted 550 because it is the best for what he needs right now. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadyscott999 Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 One other thing about the RL, there are some parts you can no longer get. The super may look a lot like the RL but there are som pretty significant differences between the two. To my knowledge, this is incorrect. I have 2 RL1050's and every part is available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BayouSlide Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 (edited) Hope you get to keep both. If it were me, I'd probably want to use the 1050 for the caliber that gets the most use and changeover the 550 for the secondary calibers as necessary. If you can only keep one, a 550B with caliber conversions is a nice setup...that's what I do. Curtis Edited November 26, 2012 by BayouSlide Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmorris Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 It was too late for me to call and confirm that I was spreading misinformation and don't remember who had one and what they couldn't get at the time. All I found was this thread from '03, looks like at the time you could still get everything just may have to wait for some parts. http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7554 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now