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RL1100 with a bullet feeder?


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Awkward to operate at all? Looks like you’re leaning over the finished bullet bin and under the case feeder. 

 

Strongly considering an RL1100 over a 750... but won’t have the funds for a bullet feeder - at least not initially. 
 

Thoughts?
 

 

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2 hours ago, Dirty_J said:

Awkward to operate at all? Looks like you’re leaning over the finished bullet bin and under the case feeder. 

 

Strongly considering an RL1100 over a 750... but won’t have the funds for a bullet feeder - at least not initially. 
 

Thoughts?
 

 

D_J:

As a new RL1100 owner, I'll chime in with my findings............

 

After many, many, years of loading on the XL650 platform for competition and now recreational shooting, I made the jump to the RL1100 platform.  I had read so many posts here on the forum about the merits of the S1050.  Just about the time I was ready to order, the RL1100 is gaining all the spotlight and coming with an additional 1 year warranty for the SAME MONEY!

 

My biggest disappointment was I went through 14 WEEKS of aggravation waiting on an order that was supposed to arrive in 6-8 weeks.  It was supposedly due to Covid-19; but was still a stressful time!  And calling/talking to the reps at Dillon Precision just added fuel to the fire!  So, if you decide to make the jump just be prepared for a substantial wait.  Hold onto the 750 until your RL1100 arrives at your doorstep if you don't want your reloading process to be interrupted.

 

Just today, I loaded my first 100 rounds with the RL1100 optimized (to my standards) plus I have just added the Mr. BulletFeeder along with the Pro Series Dropper.  Let me just say that I was so impressed with how well the press and MBF functioned that I just stood back and said: "why did I wait so long to do this!"  Yes, it's that good!  However, I have loaded several hundred rounds without the MBF; and IMO, once you get the RL1100 set up to your standards, it's still an absolute joy to load on compared to the XL650/750 platform.  And, I AM NOT putting down the 650/750 platform in any way; it's just I now like knowing that I have additional Stations that IMO improve the quality of ammo being produced plus I absolutely love the 1050/1100 priming process!

 

I still don't have my camera system set up for monitoring the powder level, but today I knocked out 100 rounds in about 15 minutes using the MBF; and I was still stopping a few times to weigh the powder drop!

 

Not the first rejected round; and the finished rounds were excellent in OALs, etc.

 

Yea, the finished bullet bin is always in the way; but you just learn to work around it.  Visibility is not restricted in any way IMO!

 

Bottom line is I definitely recommend making the jump to the RL1100; and later on you can add the MBF which just offers the icing on the cake! 

 

👍😁

Edited by HOGRIDER
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Appreciate the feedback. Happy to hear that. 
 

Yeah. I know the wait will be significant... unless I luck out with a dealer having one on hand. No big deal. 
 

Definitely not selling my current setup until the 1100 is in house and running... and maybe not even then! 😀 

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I’m another new RL1100 like @Hogrider. Mine took about 5 weeks since I ordered my machine without dies. 
 

It’s definitely a joy to use coming from a 650 and 550. It didn’t take me long to process .223 brass using FW Arms decapper and Autocentering Swage foot dies. After I got done processing all my .rifle cases, I installed the 9mm conversion, switch over the bullet feeder to reload 9mm.

 

I love reloading with this machine especially since I use S&B brass which have tight primer pockets. The Swage station really does a great job in swaging the tight primer pockets. 
 

Good luck whichever machine you choose to buy. 

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4 minutes ago, George16 said:

I’m another new RL1100 like @Hogrider. Mine took about 5 weeks since I ordered my machine without dies. 
 

It’s definitely a joy to use coming from a 650 and 550. It didn’t take me long to process .223 brass using FW Arms decapper and Autocentering Swage foot dies. After I got done processing all my .rifle cases, I installed the 9mm conversion, switch over the bullet feeder to reload 9mm.

 

I love reloading with this machine especially since I use S&B brass which have tight primer pockets. The Swage station really does a great job in swaging the tight primer pockets. 
 

Good luck whichever machine you choose to buy. 

Yeah. I’ve had just enough crimped pockets to get on my nerves with my once fired brass. The $800 difference between an XL750 and the RL1100 spread over a few years will easily be worth the saved irritation! 

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2 minutes ago, Dirty_J said:

Yeah. I’ve had just enough crimped pockets to get on my nerves with my once fired brass. The $800 difference between an XL750 and the RL1100 spread over a few years will easily be worth the saved irritation! 

Yea, I forgot to mention that the built in primer pocket swager is another significant advantage over the 650/750 platform!  Especially for those reloading range brass!

 

👍

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2 minutes ago, Dirty_J said:

Yeah. I’ve had just enough crimped pockets to get on my nerves with my once fired brass. The $800 difference between an XL750 and the RL1100 spread over a few years will easily be worth the saved irritation! 

Yup, I agree.

 

The military crimp on my Lake City and tight primer pockets on my S&B brass drove me to buy the 1100. I broke too many ring indexers on my 650 but the reps at Dillon always sends me a replacement ring indexer. The last time I broke one, they sent me two as a spare in case I break one again.

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I cannot imagine using a 1050 or 1100 without a bullet feeder. It would be like buying buying a car without an engine and planning on pedaling until you could afford one. Makes zero sense. If you're coming up with $2000 you need to come up with $465 more to finish the job.

 

$2500 is peanuts for the press that you will run much more in bullets, primers, brass, and powder through. Its the supplies that cost the most.

 

Case in point: Blue Bullets 200 gr by the case are 9.4 cents. Primers approx 3 cents a round, powder maybe 1 cent, and Ill throw brass in a t 1 cent since I collect most of my practice brass but of course lose some of it and all the match brass. So so 14 to 14.4 cents a round. Lets use 14.

 

I load about 60000 rounds a year or $  8400 a year in direct ammo expense. Add to that the cost of replacement parts for the press, upgrades, and whatever else and you can see that over time the press becomes the least of your expenses. Its the stuff you continually run through it. Maybe you don't run 60000 a year. Then maybe you don't need a a 1050 or 1100. A 750 might be the best bet.

 

Im not being ass but shooting is expensive. In addition to the direct ammo costs are match, travel, and transportation fees. Maybe shooting club dues or daily fees to use a range.

 

A $465 bullet feeder is trivial in the overall cost of shooting. I have no idea what kind of gun you're using but even a Glock is more than a bullet feeder. If you plan on being serious in CO, Limited. SS, or Open your gun could cost 4 times the cost of the press. Even shooting Production the gun will cost 1/3 to 1 times the press cost and that's when you're being frugal. None of us is frugal when it comes to the gun. We might start that way but we won't finish that way. 

 

Get the press that suits your needs with a bullet feeder which is a necessary part. Don't buy more press than you'll ever use for anything but bragging about what you have.If that's your attitude I hate to tell you what your gun is going to eventually cost.

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6 hours ago, Brooke said:

Get the press that suits your needs with a bullet feeder which is a necessary part. Don't buy more press than you'll ever use for anything but bragging about what you have.If that's your attitude I hate to tell you what your gun is going to eventually cost.

I don’t completely disagree with your position... a 750 meets most of my needs and the price difference would certainly allow the addition of a bullet feeder...
 

but...

 

”limping” along without a bullet feeder for half a year doesn’t slow the process that much. My left hand will just be sitting there holding my dick while cranking on the press... so it’s honestly not that big of a deal for me. 
 

Swaging on the other hand... is a process that I’ve decided I want. Even for 9mm. 
 

Stopping production to remove a case with a crimped primer pocket that won’t seat is a big deal. At least for me. I’ve encountered too many pieces of brass like that in the past.
 

Thanks for your feedback though. Much obliged. 

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Something else to consider: If automation is a possibility at some point even if it is remote then a bullet feeder will be absolutely essential.

Unless you want to be called "Three Fingered J Boy" after you make the inevitable mistake.

And if automation is a possibility you really want the 1100 over the 750 for other reasons as well.

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I do not see any issue in buying an 1100 without bullet feeder today, to expand in the future.  At least you have the ability to upscale, and have swagging as a part of the package.  What you can do in the interim is just buy the MBF die, if you plan to load bullets by hand for and extended period of time.  This prevents the need for putting your hand in the press.  You hand feed the die instead of the MBF feeding the die.  My MBF was down for a minute and this process worked great.  If you plan to buy the MBF sooner than later I wouldn't worry about it.  People have to work with the budgets they have, that way the don't have to sacrifice scalability in the future.  

 

I was on the fence too long on which press to buy.  The Super 1050 or the 750.  So glad I went the 1050 route.  I don't know how many primer detonations I would have had already without the swagging capability of the 1050.  Its pretty easy to sense when the old primer is still in the primer pocket when you get to the bottom of the down stroke and the lever feels spongy.   Just learn to pull that casing out of the swagging station before allowing the handle to cycle up.  Let the handle return up slightly and remove the casing.  Other wise you have to remove the Primer Station Retainer Tab once the press advances to the priming station to remove the questionable casing.  

Edited by Boomstick303
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Here’s how I setup my 1100 and 650. They're installed in suck a way that they  share the bullet feeder. Instead of buying another bulletfeeder, I just went ahead and bought a rifle conversion kit for it.

 

F6-BD1037-F095-4-C06-9794-40-FB1-B056-A4

 

8-DA22-D30-55-A1-4632-AFD2-E079-C0426-A8

 

I can’t tell you how content I am in being able to swage my brass and not worry about crimped primer pockets. It makes reloading much more enjoyable.

 

 

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3 hours ago, Boomstick303 said:

I do not see any issue in buying an 1100 without bullet feeder today, to expand in the future.  At least you have the ability to upscale, and have swagging as a part of the package.  What you can do in the interim is just but the MBF die, if you plan to load bullets by hand for and extended period of time.  This prevents the need for putting your hand in the press.  You hand feed the die instead of the MBF feeding the die.  My MBF was down for a minute and this process worked great.  If you plant to buy the MBF sooner than later I wouldn't worry about it.  People have to work with the budgets they have, that way the don't have to sacrifice scalability in the future.  

 

I was on the fence too long on which press to buy.  The Super 1050 or the 750.  So glad I went the 1050 route.  I don't know how many primer detonations I would have had already without the swagging capability of the 1050.  Its pretty easy to sense when the old primer is still in the primer pocket when you get to the bottom of the down stroke and the lever feels spongy.   Just learn to pull that casing out of the swagging station before allowing the handle to cycle up.  Let the handle return up slightly and remove the casing.  Other wise you have to remove the Primer Station Retainer Tab once the press advances to the priming station to remove the questionable casing.  

As someone that was loading on the RL1100 without a MBF, I can attest that it's a bit awkward reaching in to place the bullet on a case.  It does give you a chance to take a good look at the powder level though.  I also had, prior to the MBF, the Dillon Bullet Tray installed and that made for a harder "reach in" ..........

 

IMO, Boomstick303 has provided some excellent advice on an alternative of hand feeding the Bullet Dropper Assembly vs placing each bullet on the case by hand!  I opted to start my MBF experience with the Pro Dropper Assembly, and it easily holds 14-15 bullets when full!

 

Crank out over a dozen rounds with ease; drop a handful in the Dropper, and go at it again!  This would definitely be my process if I had to give up/do without the complete MBF!

 

💡

 

  

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3 hours ago, Boomstick303 said:

What you can do in the interim is just but the MBF die, if you plan to load bullets by hand for and extended period of time.  This prevents the need for putting your hand in the press.  You hand feed the die instead of the MBF feeding the die.  My MBF was down for a minute and this process worked great.  If you plant to buy the MBF sooner than later I wouldn't worry about it.  People have to work with the budgets they have, that way the don't have to sacrifice scalability in the future.  


Brilliant idea. 
 

Can you link me to the part needed to do this? I presume they sell it separately, so you can leave different tool heads setup..

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3 hours ago, Boomstick303 said:

... What you can do in the interim is just but the MBF die, if you plan to load bullets by hand for and extended period of time.  This prevents the need for putting your hand in the press.  You hand feed the die instead of the MBF feeding the die... 

 

This is what I did for years with my 650 and still do.

My 1100 has a bullet feeder but for the lower volume stuff I do on the 650 dropping the bullets into the bullet dropper (sounds redundant, lol) as you operate the crank actually works very well. It is much faster than placing them by hand into the case mouth. And I feel it is more precise as well.

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3 minutes ago, Dirty_J said:


Brilliant idea. 
 

Can you link me to the part needed to do this? I presume they sell it separately, so you can leave different tool heads setup..

 

You can get them from several places but last time I checked it was cheaper to buy it directly from the original inventor: http://www.mrbulletfeeder.biz/

It is the "lower dropper assembly".

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52 minutes ago, Dirty_J said:


Brilliant idea. 
 

Can you link me to the part needed to do this? I presume they sell it separately, so you can leave different tool heads setup..

After talking with Rick (http://www.mrbulletfeeder.biz/), he also recommended upgrading to the Pro unit....

 

I purchased from here and received EXCELLENT SERVICE!

 

https://www.doublealpha.biz/us/mr-bulletfeeder-machines-and-accessories?max_items=128

 

IMO, the extra $50+ (above the standard dropper) is well worth the upgraded parts.

 

👍

 

 

 

 

 

 

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As someone who recently got an XL750 + MBF setup, and likes it but, does have some regret in not getting one of the presses higher up the ladder: I'd say if you can afford to get the better press (or even if you have to save a bit longer), get the better press!

Guys have been loading for years and years on the 650/750 platform, pumping out thousands and thousands of rounds, so there's no argument that they're solid presses, hell, I bought one! ...but as someone who's free of any "owner's pride" and doesn't mind saying it, let's face it: priming on the upstroke kind of sucks, and running into crimped brass that messes you up (even if it's just for a few minutes) sucks too.

I read pretty much every 650 vs 1050 thread (750's and 1100's haven't really been out long enough to have a lot info/threads, but they're virtually the same as 650/1100's) that exists and feel like not enough 650 owners were up front and honest about the 650's (and now 750's) shortcomings.

 

I would consider adding a MBF to any press a foregone conclusion, a "when", not an "if". Getting a better press and using it while saving for the MBF is perfectly sound, but you're not really getting the full benefit of owning the better press without the bulletfeeder IMO.

 

Thing I've run into though for me is: "Is the priming on the downstroke + on press swaging of the brass really worth getting the better press?" to which I'd say without even thinking "YES!", but that leads to a further question,  and where things get trickier, "Is the RL1100 really $1000 better than an XL750 (basically double the cost)?" I'd have to say "probably NO".

 

I think the same logic that justifies guys moving up from a 650/750 to a 1050/1100, spend more to get more, works even better once you look at the Mark7 Evolution vs the RL1100... especially when you factor in possibly automating down the road. The Rl1100's look like great presses for sure and I wish I had one instead of my 750, but I don't think I can buy an RL1100 when an Evo is only about $800 more using the same logic. JMHO.

 

 

Edited by ck1
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3 hours ago, Dirty_J said:

Thanks. The verbiage is helpful. 

 

You bet. Also something to consider is that there is a guy, Karl Bibb, on Facebook who is marketing 3D printed bullet and case feeders.

 

He also has 3D printed "droppers". I'm using one and so far it seems to work as well as the MBF does. Time will tell how gracefully it ages. So far have about 3k through it.

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This is a bit off-topic, and I know previously in the thread I recommended getting the better press if you can afford it and all, because priming-on-the-upstroke and/or running into crimped primers can really be a drag with an XL750...... and it's tough to put a price on general annoyance.

 

But that said, really what's the main annoyance of the upstroke-priming thing and running into crimped primers on a 750 is that both of those things cause you to waste primers (which are pretty scarce these days, hopefully not forever), whether by seating them improperly or by crushing some of them on the crimped brass.

 

As far as output, in rounds per hour (when both are operated manually, with MBF or without) the 750 and 1100 are nearly tied, the 1100 will end up being a little faster of course due to fewer stoppages, but not always, depending on luck. 

 

Thing is, using this strange thing called "math", it seems one would have to crush/mess-up/destroy 25,000 primers (at $0.04 a piece) to justify spending the extra $1000 on a jump from a 750+casefeeder to an RL1100:

So, for example, if you had like the worst hour or so ever on record while operating a 750, and somehow were unlucky enough or ham-fisted enough to destroy 50 primers per 1000rds made (when actually ~10 KIA primers per 1000 is probably a more realistic average), then at $0.04 per primer, you'd have cost yourself a whopping two bucks ($2.00)... 

So even if you flat-out sucked at reloading on the 750, and were a world-renowned GM at ruining primers, you'd still have made 500,000rds before your primer-destruction would have made picking a 750 instead of going with the 1100 a bad decision money-wise. If the ammo you were making costs $0.10 to make per round, then that'd be $50,000.00 of ammo (plus $1,000.00 in trashed primers).

 

IDK, just something to think about. I hadn't really thought about it myself, but now suddenly those primers that get faked up now and then aren't going to make me feel so bad lol!

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Did you just take a bunch of Adderall? 😝

 

Its not purely a “cost of destroyed primers” equation.

Time is also money and the 1100 will simply crank out more ammo than a similarly equipped 650/750. 
 

With two young kids to chase around the house, the 20% reduction in loading time is invaluable to me at this point in life. Even for “double” price. (Even though it’s really more like $700 more). 

 

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