K—O

[Ktokto]

What Dillion do I need?

I have been reloading for several years on a single stage and a shared 550b. I am a LEO and USPSA shooter currently living in California. My department does not supply range ammo and I am looking to load/shoot 8k rounds of 9mm and .223 each year. I live in a rural area about 4 hours from any reasonably priced ammo and California has killed the online ordering. I am considering buying a 1050 with a brass and bullet feeder. I like the idea of using the 1050 especially for rifle but I am concerned it will be a pain to change calibers back and forth.

I am looking for suggestions for setups from high volume loaders?

[Sarge]

You can load 1000-1200 9mm per hour on a 650 with case and bullet feeder. Not sure exactly how fast .223 would be but easily should be able to load several thousand a day. Much cheaper and simpler to change over and you get no BS warranty

[jcc7x7]

By my calculations that's about 300 rounds a week.

Any 550 or 650 will do that in way less than an hour.

I load on 550's cause I'm used to them and don't like the noise of the case/bullet feeders.

I came home and loaded 300 9's in about 35-40 minutes with filling the primer tubes.

Most opt for 650's these days.  You'll crank an easy 500 an hour with a case feeder.

So one hour a week and you'll have your supply and easier tool head changes and set up.

 

550's and 650's are easy to set up and change, the few guys I know who have 1050's don't like to mess with them any more than needed once they're running good.

 

Good fortune on the hunt for the right loader for you.  Might be worth a call to Dillon and get their opinion.

[Miranda]

after a few tries to get a process for making 223/556 using a 650,

I can state If you want volume rifle, GET the 1050.

 

for volume pistol the 650 is pretty good.

 

I do not know how anyone can swing their arm so fast to get 1200 pistol rounds done in an hour...

I load primers in that hour as a rest from swinging and I have no problem getting more than 400 done in an hour.

 

the rifle rounds go at the same pace If I do not need to trim the case

... or de-crimp the pockets...

I finally got the process down once I set up the lee press with the RCBS swage tool

and when a primer balked, I'd pull the case, knock the primer off if it came along 

and then I swaged the case with enthusiasm on the nearby lee press.

( I had swaged all of them but I guess I didn't get it done evenly)

 

miranda

 

 

 

 

 

[Hi-Power Jack]

13 hours ago, Ktokto said:

  I am looking to load/shoot 8k rounds of 9mm and .223 each year. 

I am looking for suggestions from high volume loaders?

 

That is NOT high volume.

 

You can very easily load that many rounds on a SDB (except you can't load rifle),

or any 550.

[Tom S.]

From the Helpful Links sticky at the top of this section:  http://brianenos.com/pages/dillon#which

[Furrly]

for your needs a 650 would work great, 1050 are great machines but the expense in involved in caliber conversion and the time it takes to change out can be a  Pain..I have a 1050 dedicated to 9mm and 650 dedicated to 40 cal.  I would look around for some good deals on 2 650 , you can find them for less or about the amount of a 1050. GL

[RiggerJJ]

Changing calibers on a 1050 is NOT a pain. Only takes 30 minutes, INCLUDING changing primer size. I never could understand having dedicated presses just to avoid changing calibers...

(About the same for changing calibers on a 650)

 

A 1050 will swage mil 223 AND 9mm primer pockets. That's the basic difference from a 650 besides the price of tooling up. A 1050 head (which you will need 3 of) cost about $200, vs $25 for the 650. Caliber conversions (which you will need 2 of) cost about $130 for the 1050, and about $80 for the 650.

Dillon has a special deal going on right now for their 650, including case feeder and all the conversions and dies for 9mm AND 223 for $1700. Not sure what the total would be for a similar 1050 set up.

 

So the big difference is cost, and having to do swaging off-press with the 650. This is assuming that you also get a on-press trimmer for either...

 

So...loading what your numbers indicate, leans you toward the 650...unless you anticipate shooting lots more, which you will because loading will not take up most of your time...if you have the scratch, get the 1050 and grow into it ...

 

 

Just to add my personal stuff...

I have a 1050 and a 650. The 650 is now just used to load precision ammo on.

The 1050 loads 45, 40, 9mm, 223, and 308. Having the swager on press is wonderful...

 

 

 

Edited April 27, 2019 by RiggerJJ

[pmiya]

I have to agree with RIggerJJ, it is not a pain to change calibers on a 1050.

 

I use a Super 1050 to load quite a few different calibers, rifle and pistol.  I only have one tool head and just have the conversion kits for the different caliber.  When I set up to load a caliber I will generally load at least 1000 rounds and often it is quite a bit more.  When I change calibers it doesn't take that long and it gives me a chance to clean and lube the press.  

[Joedirt199]

Just get a 550. You are already familiar with it and it can be fast enough. I load both pistol and .223 on mine. Less to adjust and makes you focus more on what you are doing so you don't mess something up. Then you and whoever you are sharing the 550 with can swap conversions back and forth when you need them.

[ultimase]

I wouldn't call it a pain to switch calibers on the 1050, it is however EXPENSIVE if you plan on having extra heads. Honestly though 8k a year isn't all that much, and while the 1050 might on paper look like way way way too much of a machine, the advantage is you spend a lot less time cranking away. I'm not that into reloading, I reload so that I can shoot more, the more time I need to be cranking away is less time I can spend with family.

[m700]

Someone has to come up with a calculator for helping people pick presses.  Something that takes into account a  persons annual round count/how many calibers/ disposable income/free time/ etc. This is always a hard question to answer . A guy with a lot of free time and a small amount of disposable income could do this on a 550 with hand tools for case prep even if hes doing 30k a year.  A guy who values his time may decide on a 1050  with all the accessories and load 10k of each round before service and caliber change. or buy 2-650s

[ultimase]

Lots of spare time, no immediate family, or you want to be away from family, low budget, less than 1k per year, enjoy the process of reloading

Single stage press

 

Not as much spare time, immediate family, lowish budget, 5k rounds per year

550/450 (if only one caliber, upgrade as needed)

 

Not much spare time, lots of family, higher budget, >5k per year, multiple calibers, want lifetime warranty

650

 

Not much spare time, lots of family, FIND A GREAT DEAL, lots and lots of rounds, don't mind the 1 year warranty, high budget, want to prime on downstroke, want swaging built in

1050

 

my rudimentary type out in 1 minute checklist.

 

Edited July 2, 2019 by ultimase

[Joe4d]

find a girlfriend in las vegas for the 223...
Get a square deal B for the 9mm,,, ,, 
Although at todays prices could probably get bulk 9mm cheaper than loading it.

[Sarge]

4 hours ago, Joe4d said:

Although at todays prices could probably get bulk 9mm cheaper than loading it.

Not really. I buy in bulk and can still load 9MAJOR for 7-8 bucks a box. About $140 per k

[MemphisMechanic]

If you have a 1050 you simply load several thousand of one caliber before switching to make life easier; 2,000 rounds isn’t an overly taxing evening if you have a sufficient number of primer tubes.

 

If you have a 650, load 500+ before switching.

 

If you have a 550, you can hopscotch around 100 rounds at time because caliber changes are quick!

 

I loaded for 10+ years on a 650 and switched to a 1050 in 2018. I wish I’d done it long ago, if for no other reason than the fact that the handle requires half the effort to pull!

[rowdyb]

when comparing costs of what you load versus other ammo I do not choose to use the cheapest of the same grain bullet as a comparison. i don't think my ammo is comparable to the cheapest ammo, it is better.

 

so if my ammo costs me 9c a 147gr projectile, 3c primer, 1c powder and 2c case that's 15c a round in materials.  Good 9mm ammo for 147 starts at 20c a round. So the difference in cost is 5c. Start off with $2,000 into all of your loading set up and you need to make 40,000 rounds to equal what you spent on your initial equipment. (assuming a 1050 and bullet feeder and other stuff)

 

Shoot 200 rounds a week in practice 3x a month (600) and two matches a month at 200rnds (400) and it will take you 40 months, or just over 3 years to find that tip over point. Shoot 1k of bullets a week, never buy brass and you're "paid off" in less than a year.

[MemphisMechanic]

And in addition to what @rowdyb said, the main advantage is not a huge increase in cost.

 

It’s quality and feel. You can load ammo to match your personal preference in feel and tune your gun to behave a certain way, in combination with your recoil and/or hammer spring.

 

After running 10k of a pet load dialed in for accuracy through your particular gun, running factory ammo through it just feels wrong.

[rowdyb]

1 hour ago, MemphisMechanic said:

, running factory ammo through it just feels wrong.

I absolutely refuse to buy ammo from the store for any caliber I load myself.

 

Also, OP, changing calibers is a pain on the 1050, especially rifle to pisol. The trick as others have mentioned is to mass mass mass produce one and then switch when you don't feel rushed.  Most serious people I know have a machine for each major caliber they use.....

 

For example, using only one tool head and having to change from small to large primer it takes me 2 hours to change from say 9mm to 45acp on my 1050. Take careful and thorough notes and setting things gets easier and faster. It's like anything mechanical, if you're in a rush you will pay for it.

Edited July 3, 2019 by rowdyb

[MemphisMechanic]

2 minutes ago, rowdyb said:

I absolutely refuse to buy ammo from the store for any caliber I load myself.

 

I do it. But only in dire circumstances.

 

It feels like wearing your wife’s underwear. Theoretically it does the same thing as yours, but it still just doesn’t feel right.

 

I mean.

 

Um.

 

Or so I’ve heard.

[Hi-Power Jack]

2 hours ago, MemphisMechanic said:

 

It feels like wearing your wife’s underwear. Theoretically it does the same thing as yours, but it still just doesn’t feel right.

 

Or so I’ve heard.

 

[DubfromGA]

On 7/3/2019 at 10:45 AM, MemphisMechanic said:

 

I do it. But only in dire circumstances.

 

It feels like wearing your wife’s underwear. Theoretically it does the same thing as yours, but it still just doesn’t feel right.

 

I mean.

 

Um.

 

Or so I’ve heard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 8, 2019 by DubfromGA

[DubfromGA]

On 4/25/2019 at 8:33 PM, Ktokto said:

What Dillion do I need?

I have been reloading for several years on a single stage and a shared 550b. I am a LEO and USPSA shooter currently living in California. My department does not supply range ammo and I am looking to load/shoot 8k rounds of 9mm and .223 each year. I live in a rural area about 4 hours from any reasonably priced ammo and California has killed the online ordering. I am considering buying a 1050 with a brass and bullet feeder. I like the idea of using the 1050 especially for rifle but I am concerned it will be a pain to change calibers back and forth.

I am looking for suggestions for setups from high volume loaders?

 

 

 

Absolutely sucks that you are LEO and under-supported in that way......in addition to the general media and leftist political under-support.

 

It's like adding insult to injury.

 

You are hired to do a job.....yet not given the tools to hone your skills and maintain them.  God forbid you ever need to use those particular skills.....

 

Yet..I"m sure they find away to scrounge up enough county/city tax money to fund some ridiculous social projects and safe spaces for junkies to shoot up.

 

This kind of crap makes me furious.

 

 

Okay.....rant over.   I'll shut the heck up now.

 

I can't begin to advise anyone else but simply tell you what I decided to do and my rationale for doing so......

 

I'm just now getting back into reloading and doing so with my first progressives.

 

I'd figured I'd need about 800 rds a month in 30/70 mix of 9mm / 45acp target ammo.   (9,600 rds)

 

My father also wants me to keep him supplied with 38.spcl.  That could easily be more than my own 9mm / .45acp needs. (~ 10,000 rds)

 

I don' t often shoot my AR and am sitting on a few thousand rounds of .223/5.56 of loaded ammo.  I'll begin saving the brass and begin loading it at some future point. I like what I've seen of the Dillon case trimmer.  I'd likely set it up on a toolhead for the 650 and resize and trim 'em like a beast.  That system looks to be capable to churn them out.

 

In addition to target rounds I have a pair of .30'06 rifles I'll be hunting with in  addition to 270WSM, .44mag & .45/70.  I'll be adding an M1A .308Win that will be a range toy and eat up some ammo, too.  While the actual hunting ammo won't be near the round count as the handgun target stuff......it does take considerable load development and tweaking.  

 

I decided to buy two presses.

 

1)  XL650 with case feeder that has dedicated toolheads (with dies, powder measures, powder checks)  for 9mm, .45acp, 38spcl/357mag and .44spcl/mag. 

 

2)  550C with dedicated toolheads (no powder measures) for the hunting rifles and other stuff that I'm doing load development with.  I'll likely be doing manual powder weighing/dumps using an auto measure unit (undecided on which at this point).

 

I think I'll be very well served with this config as I can leave the 650 set up for longer runs and the 550 looks like it will give me the ease of control and ability to change calibers insanely fast.

 

I went with Inline Fabrication Ultramounts & light kits for each.

 

 

It was an investment, but didn't thump my wallet too bad.  I opened up the gun safe and took a long critical look and decided to flip a few guns that I simply never shot or never shot well and let those proceeds mostly fund this deal.

 

Hopping to be setup and running in the weeks ahead. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 8, 2019 by DubfromGA

[DubfromGA]

1 minute ago, DubfromGA said:

 

 

 

Absolutely sucks that you are LEO and under-supported in that way......in addition to the general media and leftist political under-support.

 

It's like adding insult to injury.

 

You are hired to do a job.....yet not given the tools to hone your skills and maintain them.  God forbid you ever need to use those particular skills.....

 

Yet..I"m sure they find away to scrounge up enough county/city tax money to fund some ridiculous social projects and safe spaces for junkies to shoot up.

 

This kind of crap makes me furious.

 

 

Okay.....rant over.   I'll shut the heck up now.

 

I can't begin to advise anyone else but simply tell you what I decided to do and my rationale for doing so......

 

I'm just now getting back into reloading and doing so with my first progressives.

 

I'd figured I'd need about 800 rds a month in 30/70 mix of 9mm / 45acp target ammo.   (9,600 rds/yr)

 

My father also wants me to keep him supplied with 38.spcl.  That could easily be more than my own 9mm / .45acp needs. (~ 10,000 rds/yr)

 

I don' t often shoot my AR and am sitting on a few thousand rounds of .223/5.56 of loaded ammo.  I'll begin saving the brass and begin loading it at some future point. I like what I've seen of the Dillon case trimmer.  I'd likely set it up on a toolhead for the 650 and resize and trim 'em like a beast.  That system looks to be capable to churn them out.

 

In addition to target rounds I have a pair of .30'06 rifles I'll be hunting with in  addition to 270WSM, .44mag & .45/70.  I'll be adding an M1A .308Win that will be a range toy and eat up some ammo, too.  While the actual hunting ammo won't be near the round count as the handgun target stuff......it does take considerable load development and tweaking.  

 

I decided to buy two presses.

 

1)  XL650 with case feeder that has dedicated toolheads (with dies, powder measures, powder checks)  for 9mm, .45acp, 38spcl/357mag and .44spcl/mag. 

 

2)  550C with dedicated toolheads (no powder measures) for the hunting rifles and other stuff that I'm doing load development with.  I'll likely be doing manual powder weighing/dumps using an auto measure unit (undecided on which at this point).

 

I think I'll be very well served with this config as I can leave the 650 set up for longer runs and the 550 looks like it will give me the ease of control and ability to change calibers insanely fast.

 

I went with Inline Fabrication Ultramounts & light kits for each.

 

 

It was an investment, but didn't thump my wallet too bad.  I opened up the gun safe and took a long critical look and decided to flip a few guns that I simply never shot or never shot well and let those proceeds mostly fund this deal.

 

Hopping to be setup and running in the weeks ahead. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GrumpyOne]

17 minutes ago, DubfromGA said:

 

 

 

Absolutely sucks that you are LEO and under-supported in that way......in addition to the general media and leftist political under-support.

 

It's like adding insult to injury.

 

You are hired to do a job.....yet not given the tools to hone your skills and maintain them.  God forbid you ever need to use those particular skills.....

 

Yet..I"m sure they find away to scrounge up enough county/city tax money to fund some ridiculous social projects and safe spaces for junkies to shoot up.

 

This kind of crap makes me furious.

 

 

Okay.....rant over.   I'll shut the heck up now.

 

I can't begin to advise anyone else but simply tell you what I decided to do and my rationale for doing so......

 

I'm just now getting back into reloading and doing so with my first progressives.

 

I'd figured I'd need about 800 rds a month in 30/70 mix of 9mm / 45acp target ammo.   (9,600 rds)

 

My father also wants me to keep him supplied with 38.spcl.  That could easily be more than my own 9mm / .45acp needs. (~ 10,000 rds)

 

I don' t often shoot my AR and am sitting on a few thousand rounds of .223/5.56 of loaded ammo.  I'll begin saving the brass and begin loading it at some future point. I like what I've seen of the Dillon case trimmer.  I'd likely set it up on a toolhead for the 650 and resize and trim 'em like a beast.  That system looks to be capable to churn them out.

 

In addition to target rounds I have a pair of .30'06 rifles I'll be hunting with in  addition to 270WSM, .44mag & .45/70.  I'll be adding an M1A .308Win that will be a range toy and eat up some ammo, too.  While the actual hunting ammo won't be near the round count as the handgun target stuff......it does take considerable load development and tweaking.  

 

I decided to buy two presses.

 

1)  XL650 with case feeder that has dedicated toolheads (with dies, powder measures, powder checks)  for 9mm, .45acp, 38spcl/357mag and .44spcl/mag. 

 

2)  550C with dedicated toolheads (no powder measures) for the hunting rifles and other stuff that I'm doing load development with.  I'll likely be doing manual powder weighing/dumps using an auto measure unit (undecided on which at this point).

 

I think I'll be very well served with this config as I can leave the 650 set up for longer runs and the 550 looks like it will give me the ease of control and ability to change calibers insanely fast.

 

I went with Inline Fabrication Ultramounts & light kits for each.

 

 

It was an investment, but didn't thump my wallet too bad.  I opened up the gun safe and took a long critical look and decided to flip a few guns that I simply never shot or never shot well and let those proceeds mostly fund this deal.

 

Hopping to be setup and running in the weeks ahead. 

 

 

 

 

 

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