Mark 7 1100 Autodrive

[m700]

Pulled the trigger. Mark 7 has drive for 1999 with a free sensor. So I bought it with bullet sense. then separately bought the rest of the sensors from DAA as they had the best prices with the exception of Decapsense which they didnt have so went back to Mark 7 and bought that there.

 

Skipping powdersense as I dont have a spot for it.

 

I think my first task is to prep 15 gallons of 223 I have waiting since I hated this step previously

[shred]

FYI, IDK if the firmware has changed since but on mine the bullet sense doesn't function unless it sees a clear path during Calibrate.  That wasn't in the docs and confused me for a while since I made a little lid for it to block the path for loading the shellplate and finishing the final round.

 

 

[HOGRIDER]

27 minutes ago, shred said:

FYI, IDK if the firmware has changed since but on mine the bullet sense doesn't function unless it sees a clear path during Calibrate.  That wasn't in the docs and confused me for a while since I made a little lid for it to block the path for loading the shellplate and finishing the final round.

 

 

Looks like the latest 1050/1100 FW is version 2.17..........

 

https://www.markvii-loading.com/knowledgebase

 

[m700]

On 11/22/2023 at 9:38 AM, shred said:

FYI, IDK if the firmware has changed since but on mine the bullet sense doesn't function unless it sees a clear path during Calibrate.  That wasn't in the docs and confused me for a while since I made a little lid for it to block the path for loading the shellplate and finishing the final round.

 

 

They backordered the bulletsense on me but like I said ill be running 223 prep for a little while. I figured this is the perfect thing to start on as there are fewer pieces to master. Assuming dies are set right I should only have to deal with decap and swage sensors as well as figuring out the rest of the settings.

 

That way after 12000 223 cases are done I can switch up to either loading 223 or going back to 9 and only have to figure out bulletsense and new machine settings

[m700]

Is there a chart out there of machine start points?

for example im prepping 223 (torque 10,  Index speed**, top dwell **, bottom dwell **)

Switching to 9mm(torque 5,  Index speed**, top dwell **, bottom dwell **)

[shred]

Depends on how well your press is running, how tippy your bullets are and how much powder you put in the cases but for minor 9, on my S1050 I usually run torque around 3-4, Index around 2.  Top and bottom dwell 0-1.   I got tired of cleaning the decap sensor so just rely on it erroring out at swage these days.

 

[George16]

For processing .223, I have mine set at the following:

rph - 2000

torque - 6

index speed - 2

bottom dwell - 1

top dwell - 0

 

Loading .223

rph - 1500

torque - 6

index speed  - 2

Bottom dwell - 2

top dwell - 1

 

9mm processing 

rph - 2500

torque - 3

index speed 0

bottom dwell - 1

top dwell - 0

 

reloading 9mm 

rph -1500

torque - 3

index speed - 0

bottom dwell - 1

top dwell - 1

 

[m700]

Thanks George thats exactly what im looking for

[ezra650]

On 11/28/2023 at 10:50 AM, m700 said:

Is there a chart out there of machine start points?

for example im prepping 223 (torque 10,  Index speed**, top dwell **, bottom dwell **)

Switching to 9mm(torque 5,  Index speed**, top dwell **, bottom dwell **)

Let me start by saying I do not use a slow index for any of my automated dillons. If you are having to use the index dwell your press is not setup/upgraded perfectly. That's fine if you don't want to perfect your setup, but that is the truth. I also find there is a double edge sword using the index dwell. It can retard the index of the shellplate and the primer slide so much that it causes jams/hangups. Especially as you run the machine longer and things get a bit dirty. Bottom or top dwells can be useful for picky bullets and wobbly casings and also for brass trimming. 

Processing 556

2000rph. 2500rph if you have perfect lube coverage and no machinegun brass. 2000 will run all day requiring minimal attention.

No dwells or index

Torque 9-12. Depending on speed and brass lube. I use 2 sizing dies so my torque is high.

 

Loading 556

2500rph or 3000rph. I've even ran at 3500 before but the casings start to get peeled mouths going onto the powder funnel. Overall too violent for rifle ammo on the dillon and not worth the headache. 

The DAA psp brush is required IME at 3000rph. I use them from the powder drop all the way to bullet crimp. You still may not be able to run at 3000 depending on the powder level in your casing and the bullet type you are using.

No dwells or index

Torque is as low as possible. 3-5

 

Processing 9mm

2500rph-3000rph. At 3000 you may occasionally have casings fail to insert into the shellplate and cause a jam. Usually this is due to the shellplate getting dirty and will eventually appear at any speed. 2500 is the walkaway speed.

No dwells/index.

Torque 5-7

 

Loading 9mm

2500rph-3000. 3000 is just as smooth as 2500 if you have a low fill and/or dense powder. The DAA PSP brush helps with this. Bullet type and how expanded/belled your casings are also come into play. With some bullets like JHP I just run 2500 because the bullets don't have much bevel and fall off too easily. TMJ/Plated will run at 3000 smoothly. For something like 9mm major you will want to run 2000rph because of the powder fill.

No dwells/index

Torque 3-5

 

 

 

[m700]

Still having issues. This press ran fine previous to automating.

 

I was fighting torque issues got it running fine past that. Then every 3rd or 4th round through the decap pin on decap die would miss the case mouth and snap the pin. I got past that and got it running 50-60 rounds then it would jam on the extractor bar. Replaced that with Fast and friendly extractor. Now the decap pin is missing again. I bought an upgraded pawl Im going to install that and play with timing.

[Thomas918]

10 hours ago, m700 said:

Still having issues. This press ran fine previous to automating.

 

I was fighting torque issues got it running fine past that. Then every 3rd or 4th round through the decap pin on decap die would miss the case mouth and snap the pin. I got past that and got it running 50-60 rounds then it would jam on the extractor bar. Replaced that with Fast and friendly extractor. Now the decap pin is missing again. I bought an upgraded pawl Im going to install that and play with timing.

What decap die are you using, I use a FW arms decapper with the auto centering function. Great for 223 or rifle cases. I haven’t broke a pin yet. It punches right through small Norma flash holes too. I use my sizing die as a hold down die above swage or prime ( I have an FA X-10 though)

[HesedTech]

18 hours ago, m700 said:

Then every 3rd or 4th round through the decap pin on decap die would miss the case mouth and snap the pin.

Sounds like possibly shell plate wobble with 223. 

Automation adds a bunch of things one would never notice when pulling the handle.

Here's some ideas for you.

Make sure you have the shell plate indexing correctly set. If the centering rods on the head are moving the shell plate into position after the plate advances, then your index needs adjusting.

 

Decapping die - FWArms self-centering?

FWArms self-centering swage hold down die?

Did you do the wire " tie fix" between stations to prevent wobble?

These work great from FWA: F.W. Arms™ DILLON 1050/1100/CP2000 #3 STATION TAB SET - FW Arms

FW Arms, TNT, or FFB shell plate? These run a bit better than the Dillon one.

Did you correctly set the shell plate on the press? 

 

 

 

Hope these help.

 

[m700]

5 hours ago, HesedTech said:

Sounds like possibly shell plate wobble with 223. 

Automation adds a bunch of things one would never notice when pulling the handle.

Here's some ideas for you.

Make sure you have the shell plate indexing correctly set. If the centering rods on the head are moving the shell plate into position after the plate advances, then your index needs adjusting.

 

Decapping die - FWArms self-centering?

FWArms self-centering swage hold down die?

Did you do the wire " tie fix" between stations to prevent wobble?

These work great from FWA: F.W. Arms™ DILLON 1050/1100/CP2000 #3 STATION TAB SET - FW Arms

FW Arms, TNT, or FFB shell plate? These run a bit better than the Dillon one.

Did you correctly set the shell plate on the press? 

 

 

 

Hope these help.

 

 

Thank you for this.

 

I am running mighty armory decap

Mighty armory self centering swage hold

Didnt do the tie wire

stock shellplate.

 

Ordering fw decap/tab set but their #3 is out of stock.

 

[m700]

Ordered FFB shellplate as the fw were out of stock. also ordered their 223 plunger