FlashAndPoof Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Say changing from 9mm to .223 and vice versa. Or for .45 to .308 and vice versa. I understand that having to change primer size also adds some time and complexity. I plan on also using a Mr Bulletfeeder so I'm thinking it'd be quite a labor intensive task to swap out calibers. Are there any good video guides showing the process? I'm not the best at reading and understanding manuals. :X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeatPuppet Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 I have had my 1050 for about 5 months now. It looks daunting at first, but after stripping it down to the frame for maintinance after 25k rounds, it really is simple. There are people with way more experience with the 1050, but having a second toolhead set up is the way to go. That way it is just swapping out a few components. Say, 20 minutes maximum for the changeover. probably less after doing it once or twice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hammer1 Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 (edited) Have a friend who has over a dozen Dillon 1050s and has been using them heavily for umpteen years loading millions of commercial reloads. Uses bullet feeders whenever they're an option. For cleaning and lubrication, and the occasional repair, he tears down his 1050s routinely. So he knows them well. He thinks that changing the top with dedicated toolheads is no problem. Can do it in a couple of minutes. Caliber changes involving the bottom and especially anything requiring primer size changes are a bigger deal and he avoids them. Personally, I keep dedicated 1050 toolheads for any caliber changes and I don't do primer size changes. And whenever I am changing the bottom, I have the Dillon video on the screen and follow it pausing between steps - sort of like an airplane pilot's checklist. Edited June 8, 2016 by Hammer1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlashAndPoof Posted June 8, 2016 Author Share Posted June 8, 2016 Any chance of a link to the Dillon video? I can't seem to find it on their site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hammer1 Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Don't know of any link to an online complete Dillon video. Mine are on DVDs purchased from Dillon. Earlier ones were VHS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icestud Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Here's a good YouTube video on the 1050 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beastly Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 The change isn't very difficult, but the tweaking and tunng of things to get it 'just right' can be a nuisance. Things like the nut on the failsave rod, swage station, primer seating depth, Mr. Bullet Feeder, etc. tend to dominate the nuisance factor for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiggerJJ Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Pretty easy actually, including primer change and cleaning, changing from 223 to 308 or vis versa takes me about 30 minutes...don't really have to tweak anything other than the swage, and I'm Getting pretty good at that. (Not including a bullet feeder) jj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxbat Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 He thinks that changing the top with dedicated toolheads is no problem. Can do it in a couple of minutes. Would like to see that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hammer1 Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 (edited) Would like to see that. I've seen him do it. Staying within a cartridge family, e.g., 243 Win, 260 Rem, 7mm-08 Rem, and 308 Win. First, he doesn't use the toolhead rachet. It's been permanently removed. So it is not a part of the toolhead swap. He is not changing anything on the bottom. No changes to the shellplate, case feed assembly, or primer system. Just disconnect the powder bar return rod and remove the toolhead bolt. Remove the toolhead. Install the replacement dedicated toolhead Replace toolhead bolt. Connect the powder bar return rod. Done. Oh, yes, double-check the powder charge being thrown -- which is marked on the dedicated powder measure on the dedicated toolhead. Think that covers it. Within these constraints, not much more complicated than swapping the toolhead on a 550 or 650. Edited June 8, 2016 by Hammer1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjacobs Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 (edited) He thinks that changing the top with dedicated toolheads is no problem. Can do it in a couple of minutes. Would like to see that. If you do it a lot, its not bad. I have a 12" extension on an electric impact I can remove the bolt with, yank the tool head, drop a new tool head on, run the bolt back down. Bet I could change just a tool head in about 1 minute, probably less. On my prep heads, I cant get the socket on because the trimmer is in the way, so I have to pull my de-cap die in station 2 and put a real wrench on the bolt. 308 to 45, same primer setup and same shell plate. 1 minute to change tool heads. Take a few minutes to setup the swage rod with a cut in half case. The thing with the 1050 is having all of the little tools and accessories standing by so you dont have to constantly run to the tool box. I have a full set of 3/8 drive hex wrenches in both long, short and long ball end. REAL wrenches for the die lock rings and tool head bolt. I have a set of thin wrenches for doing odds and ends. I have cut in half cases for every caliber. Edited June 8, 2016 by rjacobs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxbat Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Staying within a cartridge family, e.g., 243 Win, 260 Rem, 7mm-08 Rem, and 308 Win. First, he doesn't use the toolhead rachet. It's been permanently removed. So it is not a part of the toolhead swap. He is not changing anything on the bottom. No changes to the shellplate, case feed assembly, or primer system. Just disconnect the powder bar return rod and remove the toolhead bolt. Remove the toolhead. Install the replacement dedicated toolhead Replace toolhead bolt. Connect the powder bar return rod. Done. That's about 30-40% of total job. But no need to belabor the point. Yes, it normally takes a few minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hammer1 Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 When not changing from a given cartridge family... And having dedicated toolheads... What am I missing ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quirk Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 As an amateur using the 1050 for my personal use (not business), a caliber change on my 1050 with a MBF takes me a good hour from start to finish (ready to roll with the new caliber). That's removing the dies, changing shell plate, (but not primer size....everything I shoot is small primer), installing new dies, changing the Mr. Bullet Feeder to the new caliber (9mm to rifle), fine tuning everything, etc. Didn't seem worth getting a dedicated toolhead for each to me.....but I only load 2 calibers on the 1050.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tojan19 Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 I've only had my 1050 for a few years and have probably only run 10k round through it so far 9mm, 223, and 300BO. I don't find it to be hard at all to do swaps. 20-30 min is a leisurely pace. I decided not to get extra tool heads. I use the Hornady lock rings and it's easy to pull the dies off and put them back exactly where they were. Considering the toolheads at $200 each, it's a big savings. I haven't swapped the primer/swage mech from small to large yet and I can see that taking a bit of extra time and require a lot more tweaking to get set properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kf4zra Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 Not terribly difficult although it may be intimidating the first time. It is not nearly as fast as changing over a 550 or 650 though. there are plenty of vids online and the documentation is quite good. dont let the changing of calibers deter you from buying this awesome machine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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