Convince me to buy or not to buy a 1050

[Why1504]

i have a Dillon 550. Its ok, but a bit slow. I HATE loading 223. What a pain. I currently load 45, 41 Mag, 9MM, 38 SP and the dreaded 223. the thought of being able to run the brass twice to fully process is very apealing. The thought of going from 223 to 45 Auto does not. If I do this, do I just do 223 on the 1050 or set up to run everything.

You guys with 1050's plaese advise.

Thanks!!

[rjacobs]

1050 caliber changes are EXPENSIVE. Just as an example I just got a tool head setup for doing 5.56 brass prep and I have almost 600 into it with a dedicated trimmer and my 1050 is already setup for .223. If it wasnt I would have at least another $100 or so into a case collater for the case feeder, shell plate and case feeder into the shell plate.

For a loading setup you are probably at least $500 for a full setup tool head and case feeder. If you have a Mr. Bullet Feeder the various caliber changes for it are around $150.

For loading on a 1050 add in a Mr. Bullet Feeder. Without a bullet feeder I dont think the 1050 will be that much faster than getting a good rhythm with a 650, which is a hell of a lot cheaper especially in the caliber change department.

I LOVE my 1050 and it is WORLDS better than the 550b IMO. If you are ok with the cost, dont even hesitate, but also add in the cost of the bullet feeder.

[CGT80]

I already have a 1050 (from Brian Enos)and a mr. bulletfeeder for 9mm. I load everything else on my 550 with a case feeder. I run my 223 on the 550 and use the case feeder, but it is not foolproof. I thought about converting the 1050, but the cost is holding me back as well. The 1050 is a beast and I love the swager and priming on the down stroke. If you have the money, go for it. How much 223 ammo do you use?

I shoot 3 gun twice a month so I can get away with as little as 200 rounds per month, if I don't practice or play around. I feed 3 9mm guns and we used to eat up 600-1200 rounds per pistol match between the three of us. Sometimes we did this 3 times per month. The 550, and I, couldn't keep up. I use the dillon bench mounted swager and a CTS case trimmer from ebay, which I made a motorized base for. The casefeeder on the 550 isn't perfect with 223, but I can still load pretty dang quick. I just have to pay attention to how it feels when I load. The 1050 would really shine for the swage and trimming on 223. The second run through a 550 or 650 with a casefeeder, to load primers, powder, and bullets, goes pretty easy.

[HotLoad]

I own 3 1050s. Get the 1050 u will not regret it.

J

[Longhill]

Once you have a 1050, you will learn how it works. It becomes easy to do caliber conversions.

Swapping shellplates and primer feeds are time consuming. Doing it a few times and it's not a big deal.

Swaging on the press, nothing else to say.

If there is a negative, it's only the amount of money for components needed to keep running.

[SD1]

Warranty is the only negative

[jmorris]

I HATE loading 223.

1050 loading .223

[chevyoneton]

I don't have a 1050, am too cheap to buy one, and too much in love with my old 550B to consider replacing her after all these years. All that said, yes .223 loading is a pain. I try and break up the process. I do the initial size/deprime on a single stage press (cheap Lee) bolted to a board which I then clamp to the dining room table so I am inside watching TV with the family. Then I tumble to clean the primer pocket and get the lube off. Then swage the pocket with a Super Swage (bought from Brian) bolted to another board also clamped to the dining room table. Only then do I depart for the "gun room" to load my processed brass through the patiently waiting 550B. Nothing special about my setup on it except I have a backed-off sizing-deprime die at station one just to clear the flash hole of any media. Don't have, or want, a case feeder either. Just one more dadgum machine to keep up with. Don't kick that 550B to the curb yet.

[Torogi]

I bought my 1050 in hopes of loading 223 easier. I was loading 9, 40 & 45acp at that time. A year or so later, im still NOT loading 223. The brass prep is time consuming, well, you get to swage on the fly but that is it.

Upside is ive been getting a lot of crimped 9 and 40 so that helped big time. Production is faster since i added a Mr. B and RF100.

If you have a budget for 1050, i recommend 650, as it should be upgrades, Mr. B, RF100 & (swager).

Warranty.. ive looked into this before but in my experience and the collective experiences of fellow 1050 owners, rarely that you see issues with the 1050. I bought a spare parts kit and its still new in package.

Price.. 1050. Caliber change is over the top compared to 650. You can get 2 XL650 for a price of a 1050 (roughly).1050 is for mass production. So set it up for the caliber you mostly use.

Using a 1050. Ive had shooters (that reload) come by my place to use my press. One uses SDB and the other, 650, after 30 rounds cranking going through the difference with their press, i leave them on their own and finish thousands of quality ammo. Set-up is the key to the press.

Good luck with what you choose!

Edit: typo

Edited December 9, 2013 by Torogi

[noylj]

I have three 1050s. Caliber conversion is not big deal. I bought mine used with the caliber conversions I wanted.

I don't consider the warranty a problem. Dillon will usually replace broken parts for free and the 1050 doesn't have many broken parts. Personally, if I am at fault, I buy the part no matter what the warranty is.

[ogiebb]

if you switch to a lot of calibers , only want to use 1 press and dont reload in bulk.. DO NOT buy a 1050 caliber conversion and changing them is a pain..but if you buy one in each caliber you want its HEAVEN.

[ogiebb]

Plus do not think of the warranty my presses always work well either way Dillon will always try help you out charge you a fair price and make it right.

Edited December 9, 2013 by ogiebb

[benos]

You might get started with a 1050, dedicated to just 223. And keep your 550 for your other calibers. (You're definitely not going to want to load 41 Mag on a 1050!)

Then after running if for a while, you will know if you want to add more calibers to the 1050.

[Why1504]

It is ordered for 223. I got an additional toolhead and the case trimmer. This will cut my case handling down from 4-6 times to 2. I plan to run it for a while and see how it runs. I will consider adding a change kit for 9MM and possibly 40 S&W in the future.

After doing research it is apparent, running large and small primers on the same 1050 is a real pain. I can do a switch on my 550 in 5 minutes. Granted it doesn't run as fast as a 650 or a 1050 it will run fast enough for now for pistol calibers.

Loading 223 on the 550 is a nightmare for me. I usually bring an AR to the range every time I go. And it isn't unusual to shoot well over 100 rounds with it during these sessions. With 3 trips a week plus 2-3 Multigun matches a month when I am in town that adds up.

[Henny]

For caliber conversions on my 1050 I use the Hornady lock rings. They make for a quick change over from processing 223 to loading it. It's not too bad to change it over to 9mm either. I only have one tool head a bunch of Hornady lock rings.

Just an idea, maybe start saving small primer 45 ACP brass? You'll be able to load your 45, 223, 9mm and 38 on the 1050 without having to change over the primer system. I've never owned a 41, so I'm not sure if it's small or large primer.

[B45C22]

Think about this, How many people have you heard of that have only one 1050? They are so nice that people usually buy two or three or four. I only have two at this point. I also have a 550 for 45 and for 38 Short colt. I hate using it. It is so slow. It works fine, but SSSLLLOOOOWWW.

The 1050's are the way to go unless you are 70 and don't plan on shooting for very much longer. The only downside that I know if is this: I like reloading. I enjoy the process. With 1050's, I don't spend nearly as much time reloading..

[roxfo]

The only downside that I know if is this: I like reloading. I enjoy the process. With 1050's, I don't spend nearly as much time reloading..

Hehe I get that too. After years of dreaming about making lots of great ammo, I finally justified a 1050 when a new job slashed my free time. As soon as I started to make larger batches I realized: "Hey! I'm not going to get to do any reloading for the next 2 months!" (even though I probably run the slowest 1050 on earth). Would never give it up though!

..

[Why1504]

Think about this, How many people have you heard of that have only one 1050? They are so nice that people usually buy two or three or four. I only have two at this point. I also have a 550 for 45 and for 38 Short colt. I hate using it. It is so slow. It works fine, but SSSLLLOOOOWWW.

The 1050's are the way to go unless you are 70 and don't plan on shooting for very much longer. The only downside that I know if is this: I like reloading. I enjoy the process. With 1050's, I don't spend nearly as much time reloading..

AMEN ON THIS!!!

[noylj]

>1050 caliber conversion and changing them is a pain..but if you buy one in each caliber you want its HEAVEN.

Yeah, it takes about 10-15 minutes. Of course, part of that time is cleaning and such. The only part I don't like is having to remove the tool head. I don't know about others, but I have to pull of the priming arm and the bolt-thingy that rides the cam track on the primer arm. It would be OK if I could just pull the tool head without removing anything else.

If caliber conversion time is important, you might as well simply buy a LOT of SDB presses...

[pmclaine]

I don't get the change over is a pain complaint. By the time I changeover Ive loaded so much ammo (5 calibers on my S1050) the machine needs to be torn down, cleaned, greased and maintained anyway.

Its like when the car manufacturers shut down to tool up for the new model year.

[G29SF]

^This.

I load several calibers. However, when I am loading a caliber, I load a lot... so I don't change often. By the time I am switching calibers, the machine needs cleaning anyway.

For me, I have several reasons for purchasing the 1050:

• When I finally get time to load, I want to be as productive as possible -- I don't have a lot of free time to do this... even though I enjoy it
• I find pleasure working with the finest equipment
• After adding up the price for the 1050 and a fully populated 650 (with all the bells and whistles that come with the 1050), the difference was maybe $500. (Except for the extra toolheads -- those aren't cheap, but aren't required either.)
• The limited warranty meant nothing to me. The machine just doesn't break. Considering the small fortune I have invested in firearms, components and everything else in this hobby, I'm just not worried about having to buy a $3 part IF it breaks. The 1050 is big iron and there just isn't much on it to break down.

[purecharger]

I don't get the change over is a pain complaint. By the time I changeover Ive loaded so much ammo (5 calibers on my S1050) the machine needs to be torn down, cleaned, greased and maintained anyway.

Its like when the car manufacturers shut down to tool up for the new model year.

Agreed, no big deal as far as I'm concerned. Kinda fun actually!

[Service Desk]

I have an RL 1050B and a Super 1050 along with 2 XL650s and a few other blue presses...... I would take a new RL1050B in a heartbeat, but would prefer a 650 over the Super1050. I only load handgun on the 1050's.

[Why1504]

The Super 1050 is bolted to the bench. What a dream. I have processed about 700 PC of 223 and loaded about 200, torn the press down twice to learn how it fits together. So far, it's a dream. I am getting closer to being able to just pound rounds out. I sent my son a video of me running the press last night. His comment, "That's Intense"

[Why1504]

One question, how tight should I set the shell plate lock ring? Right now I think I have it set a bit too loose but just a bit.