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Time to upgrade....Dillon or Mark 7?


OptimiStick

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It's time to upgrade the trusty ole 650. Well, augment really.  I'll leave the 650 set up for .40 and the new press will be for 9mm - which is the largest volume I load. So having a swage station, and extra station for powder check are important.

 

So my decision is 1050 or Mark 7  Evolution. I know alot of guys are still waiting for their Evolutions- but for those that have them, what's the verdict? I see some complaints on powder throw and primer issues, but i get that people usually don't post 'hey everything is working great'. Is the Evolution polished and ready to go for prime time and multi-thousands trouble-free rounds or are the kinks still getting worked out of the new platform? I load ~ 3k a month. And considering how much I load and how long I plan on keeping the investment, the relatively small cost spread between the two isn't an issue.... so cost aside, press for press - love to hear feedback from those who have both or have had both. I suspect alot of guys traded in 1050s to go to the Evolution.

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Did you read the evolution thread in non Dillon reloading forum? There’s one thousand replies. There’s some quirks it seems. However, haven’t seen any posts that say “I wish i never sold my 1050”

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

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I mean it's kind of like saying do you want to buy a toyota or an american made car. Dillon's are made out of cheap chinese parts. Mark7 can put out a superior machine that competes in under 4 years with a company that's been around for 40 that right there says the Revolution or Evo has earned your money if you want to be a serious reloader. Just take your ticket and get in line. There wouldn't be a backlog if it wasn't a superior press.

 

Edited by donttreadonme
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I'm in the same boat. Wanting to automate and currently on a 650.  It is a tough choice between 1050 and Evo..  Was looking at the Evo Pro at Nats and it does look like a sweet machine. I have a tougher choice as I'm also considering an Ammobot too.

Edited by Novagunner
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Dillon, I didn't say your whole machine was made in China but you are absolutely bald faced lying if you say not a single part on your machine is made in China. You might want to hire a competent social media manager that can Google the term troll and how feeding them is considered unprofessional.

 

Edited by donttreadonme
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Yeah, y'all need to tone down the rhetoric and get back on point.  Some of us love Dillon and some of you love the new kid on the block.  My 650 has been amazing and if I had the room and the cash, I'd have a 1050.  And as far as Toyota goes, (weird comparison when implying Chinese) I'll take my Tundra over ANY American made truck on the market.  But once again, that's my opinion and what I prefer.

 

OP, Dillon for me.

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I don't see Dillon customers impuning the quality of Mark 7 products. As far as Country of Origin on parts go, the cordset, rocker switch, and possibly the microswitch on the case feeder are made in China. The microswitch comes from a French company, they probably subcontract the part. Non-heat-treated nuts and bolts could have origins in any one of 7 or 8 countries, including America or China. They packaging states it could be made an any a bunch of listed countries. All other parts are American made. I suspect Mark 7 uses many of the same sources.  My job at Dillon is to answer customer questions, and refute any falsehoods regarding our equipment. I'm told I look like a gruff billy goat.

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On 10/25/2018 at 8:15 AM, OptimiStick said:

...So my decision is 1050 or Mark 7  Evolution. I know alot of guys are still waiting for their Evolutions- but for those that have them, what's the verdict? I see some complaints on powder throw and primer issues, but i get that people usually don't post 'hey everything is working great'. Is the Evolution polished and ready to go for prime time and multi-thousands trouble-free rounds or are the kinks still getting worked out of the new platform? I load ~ 3k a month. And considering how much I load and how long I plan on keeping the investment, the relatively small cost spread between the two isn't an issue.... so cost aside, press for press - love to hear feedback from those who have both or have had both. I suspect alot of guys traded in 1050s to go to the Evolution.

 

As others have said a lot of information at the thread specific to Evolution. I would say at this point the kinks are worked out, I just received a brand new powder thrower and it is working great.  Now, I have a Revolution (sold the 1050, selling the 650 and keeping the 550 for low volume multi calibers) and at this point very happy with it. The price difference between a similarly equipped 1050 and an Evolution is only about a couple of hundred bucks or so (if you don't include the extras needed for 1050 to function, then Evolution might be cheaper by a few bucks). Not to mention it is fully expandable to all the automation and sensors if needed in the future.

 

If you are loading 3K rounds a month then I'd look at Evolution Pro, after all how much is your time worth? 

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On 10/27/2018 at 5:19 PM, donttreadonme said:

I mean it's kind of like saying do you want to buy a toyota or an american made car. 

 

That’s a pretty poor analogy as Toyota is light years ahead of any American made vehicle in reliability, quality, resale value, etc.

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I don’t know, I love my Mark 7 650. 50,000 cycles on it, maybe 10-15,000 before the mark 7. All I’ve had to replace are springs and 1 indexing ring. Have caliber conversions for 9, 40, 223, 300blk. Along with processing toolheads for the rifles. My main cartridge is .40. And it’s soooo dialed in, it just pumps out ammo. I don’t case gauge, ever. Never have ammo problems. Have a camera for powder inspection, bulletsense, decap sense and I rigged up a sensor to detect if the primer wheel is not rotating, to avoid primerless ammo. ~$200 dollar caliber conversions and perfect ammo. I would be hard pressed to give it up. But alas, the lack of swaging.....[emoji53]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Alright,  I will concede that Toyotas were not the right vehicle to pick on. Or compare a Dillon machine to since they are in fact known for their reliability. I hope for the sake of your customers that Dillon machines are manufactured better than their social media manager spells. There is a G in "Impugn" fyi and thank you for admitting that I was indeed correct in my assertions. Which means you should probably apologize to me for  incorrectly stating that I was spreading falsehoods.

 

 

Edited by donttreadonme
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Problem with Dillon is 1050s are a 30+ year old design that they never make improvements on.  I have three 1050s and they all run great, but they could be better in a lot of ways.  The Evolution is nice, and seems to solve a lot of the 1050s shortcomings.  But it could use some refinement as well as improved cosmetics so it doesn't look like something your neighbor built in his garage on weekends.

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13 minutes ago, ltdmstr said:

...The Evolution is nice, and seems to solve a lot of the 1050s shortcomings.  But it could use some refinement as well as improved cosmetics so it doesn't look like something your neighbor built in his garage on weekends.

 

Have you actually seen the machine? Evolution is made of CNC machined parts not cast, so definitely does NOT look like something a neighbor built. 

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7 hours ago, ltdmstr said:

Definitely quality materials and construction.  But it looked more like a hobby project than a commercial machine.

 

Aren't the sentences above kinda contradict each other? Regardless, if you were looking for an industrial look like Camdex machines that is probably true (though price point is way more) , but that applies to Dillon, Hornady etc. as well. Evolution and Evolution Pro are for consumers. I'd say Revolution is more for prosumers/small commercial outfits that would have used automated 1050s.

 

Their price point and target market are not people using Camdex machines though. It is people like OP that are looking for alternatives or an upgrade path to Dillon and Hornady progressive presses.

 

Personally, I am glad there is some competition as the 1050 has not changed much since the original patent and Dillon should have  incorporated the enhancements that were developed by third parties to overcome the short comings of the machine internally. Maybe, extra competition will force them to do that or they might not care due to volume of MK7 products not being huge at this point and they still have no serious competition for 650XL and 550. Of course, Dillon also might buy Ammobot and provide their own automated higher end solution as well.

Edited by tanks
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Not really contradictory.  For example, look at the primer feed cover and related parts on the Mark 7.  Quality stuff and well made.  But probably anyone with a vertical mill and basic skills could make those parts.  Lots of sharp edges instead of radiused corners, various parts that could be one piece are multiple flat pieces held together by screws, etc.  For comparison, look at the cover for a Dillon RF-100, which is the most similar part I can think of.  Which do you think looks more like a high-end commercially-manufactured part?  That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the Mark 7 parts, or that they're poor quality.  Just that they could be a lot better from a design standpoint.

 

As far as competition is concerned, I'm all for that.  And unless Dillon makes some improvements, I'll probably move the Mark 7s eventually.

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