650 or 1050

[safeactionjackson]

If I was you I'd send the 1050 to Dillon and have the press refurbished.  I'd then reload a single caliber to see if reloading is really something you want to do, I've seen lots of people make huge investments on xl650/s1050's.... only to decide that reloading isn't for them.

 

Would the lack of a "no BS warranty" skew my choice, not at all..... as the s1050 is another league as far as performance and build quality.  Would I worry about what people on the internet say about one machine or the other, probably not without an understanding of the personal actual reloading experience.

 

The biggest deciding factor would be number of calibers, and quantity.  Based on the numbers you provided, a 550b/c would probably cut it, with the xl650 being ideal..... that said, I'd still start with the 1050 and go from there.

 

[1911vm]

So i read through all the posts. First thanks for the info. Seems the biggest problem with the 1050. Is difficulty and costs of changing calibers. I am going to keep the 1050 . Load crap full of 9mm and trade friends for what ever caliber I need.  

[Hi-Power Jack]

1 hour ago, 1911vm said:

  I am going to keep the 1050 . Load crap full of 9mm and trade friends for other calibers.  

 

Some potential liability issues ...

 

Tough to customize ammo for your gun.

 

I'd "keep the 1050 and load crap full of 9mm", and buy a 550 to reload other calibers   

[ultimase]

the most complicated switch will be the primer system unless you plan on loading small primer .45 acp. If you do then you don't even need to worry about that. It'll just be a simple toolhead and shellplate switch. Again though, take a look at the 1050 and decide if you even really need a rebuilt. If not you might be able to even sell the 1050 without a rebuilt and have enough to get a 650 with everything you'll need to reload everything you plan on shooting.

[Want2BS8ed]

Seems the biggest problem with the 1050. Is difficulty and costs of changing calibers.

Expensive? Yes. Difficult? Absolutely not, especially if you are not changing primer sizes.

 
Some potential liability issues ...
 
Tough to customize ammo for your gun.
 
I'd "keep the 1050 and load crap full of 9mm", and buy a 550 to reload other calibers  [emoji4] 

Other than a few occasional rounds, as a general rule my shooting buddies and I don't swap reloaded ammunition. None of us want to run the risk, no matter how remote.

Agree, make sure both you and your gun like what you are loading before laying in a stock pile, and

"Keep the 1050, automate it and bring new meaning to loading a crap full of 9mm", and buy a second 1050 to load other calibers on! It's what I did. First press is driven by MkVII and cranks out ~1,700 rounds an hour of 9mm - only need to feed it cases, primers, powder and bullets. Don't touch it otherwise. Second press is used to load a half dozen different rifle/pistol calibers (both large and small primers) where it makes sense to use a progressive. Everything else gets loaded on a Redding T-7.

the most complicated switch will be the primer system unless you plan on loading small primer .45 acp. If you do then you don't even need to worry about that. It'll just be a simple toolhead and shellplate switch. Again though, take a look at the 1050 and decide if you even really need a rebuilt. If not you might be able to even sell the 1050 without a rebuilt and have enough to get a 650 with everything you'll need to reload everything you plan on shooting.

^^^^this is sound advice. Progressive presses actually hold their value well (at least Hornady and Dillon). I sold a pair of Hornady LNL's and got a little over 80¢ on the $ (better than originally expected) when I purchased the first 1050. Understand Dillons do quite well on the used market too.

M


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RiggerJJ]

Switching primer size on the 1050 takes at most 5 minutes, and its not difficult. I don't understand all the comments about how complicated it is, cause its not...

jj

[angus6]

6 hours ago, RiggerJJ said:

Switching primer size on the 1050 takes at most 5 minutes, and its not difficult. I don't understand all the comments about how complicated it is, cause its not...

jj

I do around 14 calibers on the 1050 and only 1 tool head, I use Hornady lock rings on the dies and I just buy only the parts needed for a specific caliber and been able to find them used so I'm at around $64 for each caliber and don't mind the little extra change over time . tried using the 650 3 different times but prefer the1050 so now those 3 650s are owned by other people

[3gunDQ]

1 hour ago, angus6 said:

I do around 14 calibers on the 1050 and only 1 tool head

 

What a pain in the ass... sounds like you do more work changing up your loader than you do shooting. I have a 650 and I load three calibers.... and I have three tool heads complete with powder drops and dies. 

[Nathanb]

Every caliber I own has its own complete tool head. There is no way I'm messing with all that stuff. 

 

If you shoot any volume of crimped primer brass the 1050 is a god. I did 2000 223 and 300

blk that I had to use the super stage on and wanted to gouge my eyes out

[RiggerJJ]

In Angus6's case above, with the lock rings I can see a caliber change taking MAYBE an extra 10-15 minutes, but a pia? Not if you are used to it...

 

With 14 different calibers, and assuming that 1/2 of them would need two heads for bottleneck brass processing and loading, he would need 21 different heads! At $200 a peice, thats $4,200 just for toolheads!

 

If a guy likes loading on a 1050, and loads a bunch of different calibers, using the single toolhead and lock rings is a good way to go unless money is no problem...

 

I don't get the way some use a single machine for only one caliber or one primer size... Where do they get all that bench space?  What is so hard about changing tool heads or (gasp!) changing primer size?

 

FOR THE OP

Opinion from someone using a 650 and a 1050, keep the 1050...unless you are only loading pistol ammo. Full length sizing rifle ammo on a 1050 compared to a 650...well, there is no comparison. The swage feature and the ease sizing alone makes the difference...

jj

[safeactionjackson]

While calibers conversion are surely more expensive (if you are doing a separate tool head for each cal), it isn't bad to change caliber if you aren't changing over the primer system, and even if you have two change the primer system it isn't really all that hard or time consuming.

 

Other things to consider, 1050 is a high volume press.... you aren't supposed to be changing calibers every hundred rounds.  I usually run 10K+ before switching to a new caliber, I always leverage the switch to clean and lube the press.... which honestly takes longer than the actual caliber conversions.

 

I'm running two s1050 (sm/lg primer), I've got 4-5 dedicated tool heads and have the ability to reload maybe 8 calibers in total.  My small primer s1050 has a MBF and Mark VII for my high volume reloading needs.  For the record I also have a 550b and xl650.

Edited September 7, 2017 by safeactionjackson

[angus6]

6 hours ago, RiggerJJ said:

In Angus6's case above, with the lock rings I can see a caliber change taking MAYBE an extra 10-15 minutes, but a pia? Not if you are used to it...

 

With 14 different calibers, and assuming that 1/2 of them would need two heads for bottleneck brass processing and loading, he would need 21 different heads! At $200 a peice, thats $4,200 just for toolheads!

 

If a guy likes loading on a 1050, and loads a bunch of different calibers, using the single toolhead and lock rings is a good way to go unless money is no problem...

 

I don't get the way some use a single machine for only one caliber or one primer size... Where do they get all that bench space?  What is so hard about changing tool heads or (gasp!) changing primer size?

 

FOR THE OP

Opinion from someone using a 650 and a 1050, keep the 1050...unless you are only loading pistol ammo. Full length sizing rifle ammo on a 1050 compared to a 650...well, there is no comparison. The swage feature and the ease sizing alone makes the difference...

jj

think extra 5 minutes tops , got 1 shell plate does 5 different calibers , others do 2 or 3, really slapping dies in and out verses a toolhead isn't hardly any difference in time , and much easier storing the die sets then it would be toolheads , with 4 presses setup and several other pieces of equipment room is a premium got n problem spending $$  on stuff to make life easier , if you peek in one room there's a Magma Bullet Master and Lube Master

Edited September 7, 2017 by angus6

[Mikelindsey]

If it was me I'd go with a 650.