Dillon 1050 can I shorten case feeder height?

[bzajdek]

I purchased a used 1050 and have low ceilings in my basement 79".  I don't think I could fill the case feeder at a comfortable standing height  I will be building a new bench mounted to the ceiling joists for stability and I like to load standing to look into cases to verify powder so my question is loading 9mm on a Dillon 1050 with a mr bullet feeder,will I hurt the functionality of the press by shortening the square haste feeder support and the clear plastic tube?

 

In the future I might purchase a 223 conversion and this will have longer cases than the 9mm I am currently using, would this have any future effect besides selling a press that has been altered?

 

I am sure I could purchase 2 replacement parts ( square steel tube and round plastic tube if needed in the future.

 

Does this sound like more trouble than it is worth and I should build the bench for seated loading or try another option?

[V2plus25]

Get a Mark 7 autodrive and then you won't have to worry about having the press high enough to pull the handle. 

 

If that's not an option then lowering the actual casefeeder shouldn't cause any functionality issues as long as it's out of the way of the toolhead.  You'll just have the noisy casefeeder closer to your ears.

 

As for the MBF you have 2 options.  If you aren't lowering the casefeeder very much then trimming the spring that runs from the MBF collator to the die would work.  If you are lowering it more than a few inches then I'd recommend mounting the MBF collator on it's own mount which will allow you to adjust the height for optimal movement of the bullets from the collator to the die.

Edited October 15, 2018 by V2plus25

[warpspeed]

The 1050 has the powder measure right under the casefeeder.  There is about 2" of room so if you decided to lower it, you only have about 2".  Will that really make a difference?

[V2plus25]

Ah yes after looking at the press you're correct.  I measure there to be a maximum of 3.5" of clearance between the casefeeder and the top of the powder measure.  I can't imagine that making much of a difference.

[bzajdek]

37 minutes ago, warpspeed said:

The 1050 has the powder measure right under the casefeeder.  There is about 2" of room so if you decided to lower it, you only have about 2".  Will that really make a difference?

Thank you I was not aware of that, I will have to come up with another solution besides a mark7. Thank you for the reply

[Foxbat]

Yes, there ARE other, better solutions.  For all its pluses, the 1050 has the case feeder support design that is at best marginal.  You are far better off building your own, separate from the press' frame.  Also use it to support the bullet feeder.  You get a more stable platform, which you can mount lower, and it will work more reliably. 

 

In my case I used the basement steel support column.  You can then swing the case feeder slightly, as long as its drop point is aligned with the press.   And there is plenty of room above the powder hopper.

 

I measured the height, the feed tube on that one is full 4" shorter, than on the standard Dillon mount.  And I could have dropped it another 2", if I needed to.

Edited October 15, 2018 by Foxbat

[bzajdek]

2 hours ago, Foxbat said:

Yes, there ARE other, better solutions.  For all its pluses, the 1050 has the case feeder support design that is at best marginal.  You are far better off building your own, separate from the press' frame.  Also use it to support the bullet feeder.  You get a more stable platform, which you can mount lower, and it will work more reliably. 

 

In my case I used the basement steel support column.  You can then swing the case feeder slightly, as long as its drop point is aligned with the press.   And there is plenty of room above the powder hopper.

 

I measured the height, the feed tube on that one is full 4" shorter, than on the standard Dillon mount.  And I could have dropped it another 2", if I needed to.

Maybe I could improvise something like that, would you be able to take a pic?

thanks

[Foxbat]

Here.  As you can kinda see, a shelf is attached to the column.  One wing of the shelf supports the case feeder.  The other wing, adjustable, holds the Mr. Bulletfeeder.  Those positions are easily modifiable, if necessary.

 

 

[bzajdek]

WOW there is a lot of equipment in that photo.  I do not consider myself that mechanically inclined, but I see it is possible.  I might try building a bench 35" high almost 44 inches of space on top of the bench.  I believe the top of the collator is 38" above the press and I might be able to dump small amounts of brass between the joists and maybe mount a small mirror to keep an eye on things.

[Foxbat]

I dunno... I have never seen any need for them mirrors.  The bulletfeeder starts clicking when empty, and case feeder is obvious and with no drama.

[jhgtyre]

47 minutes ago, Foxbat said:

I dunno... I have never seen any need for them mirrors.  The bulletfeeder starts clicking when empty, and case feeder is obvious and with no drama.

The OCD is stronger in some than others and some people just dig gadgets.  I can live without the extras on my press.

[Foxbat]

When I run my press in its automatic regime, I have to make sure bad things don't happen.  Bad things mean running out of primers, out of bullets and out of powder. 

 

Running out of cases is not dangerous - your press just runs empty.  But no primers and no bullets mean powder mess all over the place, so it has to be stopped, so I added the sensors - they are visible in the picture.  I could have also put in the low powder sensor, it is trivial, and I even have the wiring for it, but decided against it, because it is so darn visible.

[bzajdek]

I am going to try a low bench height and yes the case feeder running empty will be easy to figure out, and primers and powder are the only ones that have a safety concern or make a difficult to clean mess.

[Foxbat]

Everyone is different, but in my case the manual 1050 is mounted on a platform, that is about 6" below the standard bench height.  I find such that position most comfortable loading while sitting. 

Edited October 17, 2018 by Foxbat