New Super 1050 - First Impressions

[EricW]

First, let me start off by saying that buying a 1050 from Brian is the only way to fly. I'm VERY happy that he handled it because I would not have made the right decisions. Thank you Brian!

It took nearly 6 hours, but I finally got my 1050 running right. Whatever setup Dillon did got undone by FedEx. If anyone heard the running stream of profanity where I was damning the inventor of the 1050 priming system, let me apologize now.

Likes:

Mounting: The way the 1050 mounts to the table is the only way to fly. The quality of my casting was a little mysterious because it's uneven and unsymmetric for no apparent functional reason, but give the 1050 a solid surface, and the mounting is simply bombproof. Best of all, the handle and everything reside *above* the table surface. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but it really is functionally.

Aluminum Bullet Tray Upgrade: The stock plastic bullet tray and sheet metal mount supplied with the 1050 are simply ergonomically incorrect. Don't even think of limping along with it. Thank goodness Brian made sure I got the aluminum bullet tray. It's ergonomically perfect and rock solid - exactly like one would expect from Dillon.

The primer pocket swaging. This is HUGE. It totally fixes the issues I was having with undersize/sharp primer pockets.

Ball bearing operation. Just one word: buttah!

Speed. There simply is no comparison. Once it's set up, ammo just hoses out of the thing.

Casefeeder So far, I have experienced only one casefeeding issue like Dirtypool's, where the brass gets jammed going into the shellplate. The remaining failures were 99% self-induced due to poor brass sorting on my part (9mm mixed in the 40, jamming up the works). Speaking with Dillon, these issues are usually due to distressed case heads. I used my usual range pickup, randomly-mixed brass, so I'm *VERY* happy that this appears to be an issue I don't have to contend with.

Dislikes:

Primer system: I'm not happy with the apparent fragility and difficulty of tuning the primer system. I'm sure that most of my problems were caused by shipping, but holy cow! That sucker is a royal pisseroo to tune in. Once you figure out "the secret" everything seems to lock into place. Prior to that, the press was literally launching primers all over creation. Disappointingly, the manual doesn't detail much information on how to work with the priming system aside from disassembly instructions (unless there's something I missed - which is entirely possible). Dillon gave me a lot of coaching over the phone today, so if I can't make this work in the future, I'll be running out of excuses.

Spent Primer Collection Cup: In short, it doesn't fit as supplied. The crank handle hits the cup unless you do a serious amount of trimming. The thin, sheet metal bracket doesn't help any. I'm going to see if I can rig up a better solution. Having a 550, I'm pretty shocked at how underengineered the 1050 primer cup is. Or maybe I'm ecstatically happy about the overengineering on the 550....

-Plastic Roller Handle I sure wish the 1050 had the same, ultra-high quality metal roller handle that I added on to my 550. At least I wish it was an option I could purchase. The 1050 roller handle isn't round, it's sort of a tri-lobed affair. It's never going to break or wear out, but there's something about that Cadillac feel of the aluminum roller handle that's very appealing.

In short

You're paying more and getting a lot more. You're paying for machined steel parts and castings and ball bearings. The primer slide is steel, not aluminum. The toolhead indexes into the shell plate with beefy locating pins. That precision costs money.

Ironically, some areas had some shortcuts and are not the usual gross overengineering that I've come to expect from Dillon. That's the problem with Dillon's reputation: you get something that's merely as good as someone else would do, and you're disappointed.

It wouldn't take much to put those issues to bed - especially with the primer cup. I'm still surprised about that. It's just not Dillon's style.

Would I buy another one? Pretty sure I would. In the end, I don't think I spent any more time getting dialed in on the 1050 than I spent fiddling with the 550. It's new and different, so there's going to be a learning curve. By late last night, I had the press running the way I hoped: smooth and trouble free for 200 rounds.

Working on a great piece of equipment actually made loading ammo fun for a change.

[dirtypool40]

I know you'll be happy. Once I got mine adjusted, mostly primer issues, it hosed out 1400+ an hour. That's with tight dies in station one and crimp.

That was my first two. This third one has been a nightmare, but is back at Dillon for an attitude adjustment as we speak.

Keep you figners crossed for me, I am hoping to avoid a breakdown in the ammo supply as I try to spool up for A5 and the Nats.

....oh and I agree, why does the 1050 have to dump spent primers on the floor, instead of in the cup? Whadup widat?

Edited July 26, 2006 by dirtypool40

[XRe]

For what its worth - I've seen several 1050s rigged up now with a piece of clear plastic tubing attached where the primer cup would go, running down beneath the table into the cap of a plastic bottle. Primers go right to the bottle, no fuss....

Would be cool if they offered that as an option on the press originally, though...

[EricW]

For what its worth - I've seen several 1050s rigged up now with a piece of clear plastic tubing attached where the primer cup would go, running down beneath the table into the cap of a plastic bottle. Primers go right to the bottle, no fuss....

Would be cool if they offered that as an option on the press originally, though...

That's exactly what I have in mind - except my tube will run right into the garbage can.

I'll post some pics of the details I'm talking about. I'm not trying to bag on Dillon, but there are some little details that it would be nice if they attended to. It would enhance my perceived value of the machine and induce me to purchase more. The frame casting is a total mystery to me as to why it has the shape it has. It would seem to have cost very little to repair the pattern for the sandcast so as to produce a geometically uniform base. There is no *functional* issue other than a "what the heck is up with this?" issue.

It's going to be hard to go back to the 550 after pumping out ammo Cadillac-style for a while.

[standles]

For the price this thing is costing and the fact that is doesn't carry the NO BS warranty I wouldn't have expected to see comments like

Primer system issue

Flimsy sheet metal bracket and primer cup (expecially that the 550 was better)

Stock PLastic Bullet Tray??? Come on!

PLastic roller handle when AL is avail for lower end models

And finally not the first few posts talking about modifications to overcome some of these issues.

Oh well.. Don't get me wrong.. I like Dilllon and reload on Dillon but these reasons are why I have difficulty upgrading. It is marketed as a commercial machine (hence the reason for the different warranty) but has downgraded parts from the lower line machines. I am not bad mouthing Dillon but suggesting that if your going to market a "world class" "commercial machine" costing ~1500 base then whats an extra bit to make sure the primer system is bullet proof and put non-plastic parts as std.

Steven

[iweiny]

Working on a great piece of equipment actually made loading ammo fun for a change.

This is exactly my feeling...

One thing to note for those thinking of getting one is that I think the 1050 requires a much sturder bench than say the 550. I added a leg to my bench and that helped a lot.

As far as the primer system: I did have to adjust the seating a bit deeper for some of my brass. But that setting works for all my brass. Frankly, I think the primer system on the 1050 is WAY better than the 650. I like the fact that if there is no case in the primer station the primer just floats along back and forth. With the 650 you get them indexing out and falling on the floor. This alone makes the 1050 worth the money over the 650 IMHO. (I am using large primers though. So perhaps it is different with the small primers. )

I was a bit worried I would not be able to work up loads because of the automatic everything on the 1050 (vs the 550). This could NOT be farther from the truth.

Anyway, just my experience since I just got one too,

Ira

PS. dealing with Brian IS the way to go. Thanks again Brian.

[shred]

As the instigator of the spent-primer tubes, they're an easy mod, especially if the spent primer hole is still round, then a sawed off .223 case works great.

Interesting the spent primer cup design changed-- the one I have (had) on my aged RL1050 is a cast cup that hooks over a bolt head that protrudes from the frame

I agree the primer system is a pain to tune, but once you get it set, it rocks (btw, grease the bolt that rides the cam track that drives the primer slide-- a friend wore a slot through his)

[Sherwyn]

Had some issue with priming when I first switched to the 1050. Once it loosened up a little and / or I got used to running it, issues went away. I believe that some of it may be caused by wanting to stroke it the same as my other press, and to run it smooth, you need to get that old priming stroke out of your head.

Now about the only issue I have, is when I don't get the bullet placed right and it crushes the case...it would be a better machine if they designed the operator out of it.

On the other hand, I don't shoot stock guns, so I'm open to modifying anything. I mounted my from under the bench, added an arm rest ( I load seated on a stool), and spent primers go directly to an old 8# powder jug (not sure how many it holds, but it's time to empty it). I've got the bullet tray, but the bin would have been just as good for me.

Kept the 650 for the low quantity stuff - had to use it this week and started to question how many conversions I could justify for the 1050 - conversion cost is really the only negative I have.

Sherwyn

[tightloop]

God I hope my 1000 never gives up on me...I would hate to get one of these things dialed in..

[EricW]

David,

If Dillon made a few tweaks and added a page of instructions on the priming system, dialing the 1050 in would be painless. The powder funnel the 1050 blows the freaking doors off the 550. I have ZERO problems with bullet shift, which is a perennial problem on the 550 for me.

I can forsee a day down the road where I own 1050 for every high-volume caliber I shoot - or at least one each for large and small primers. I would just prefer that Dillon put some finishing touches on the 1050 - it would make opening the checkbook just that much easier.

[Chriss Grube]

Yep the instructions suck but man once you get it set up and running....DAMN! The cut off .223 case works great for the primer problem.

[slavex]

I would concur with the priming system. I honestly feel the strip feeder on my RCBS Pro 2000 is a far superior design, no flipped primers, ever, and they line up perfect everytime. However I know that Dillon will never have such a thing on their presses and acquired my 1050 with that knowledge. I'm also not a fan of the powder measure linkage, but once it's set it's good as gold as far as accuracy goes. I would like to see a seperate belling station just before the powder measure station, but I don't think there is enough material there to do it due to the priming system. I love the swager, that's a huge bonus to me, as is the case feeder obviously. Now we just need an affordable, reliable bullet feeder (and yes my name is down for that new one we've been talking about).

[benos]

Glad you're liking it, overall, Eric.

[mobocracy]

I bought the plastic roller handle for my 650 and ended up not liking it that much (although liking it more than the darn ball from my SDB days).

My ergonomic fix for the plastic roller handle was to go to the sporting goods store and get a roll of tennis racket grip tape. The triangular shape is still a tad awkward, but the squishy grip tape makes it much more pleasant to use.

My SDB had a crappy spent primer collection system, too. I milled the plastic cup so it would actually seat deep enough to catch most of the primers, as stock it caught 1 in 10. Fortunately my 650 is much better.

Having upgraded from a SDB to a 650, it's kind of funny how a better Dillon machine isn't 100% better. I like pretty much everything about my 650 but the priming system; IMHO the system needs to be re-engineered so that:

• The system consists of a single module, not the primer system and the punch. This would sell a lot of primer systems and make small/large swapouts really fast. I don't know who's buying a spare primer system only to avoid changing the disc.
  
• Make it so that not having a case at #2 doesn't "unload" the primer, but instead floats the primer until a case arrives.
  
• Make it so that primers in the magazine are available at #2 right away, not 8 pulls of the handle later. I'm used to counting to 6 before filling the casefeed, but if we could get primers right away *and* not lose them this would be a big benefit.
  

Sorry to hijack the 1050 thread..

[shred]

Having upgraded from a SDB to a 650, it's kind of funny how a better Dillon machine isn't 100% better. I like pretty much everything about my 650 but the priming system; IMHO the system needs to be re-engineered so that:

• ...
  

Yeah, after loading for years on a 650, I'd name my first child "Dillon 1050 priming system", I like it that much better :D

[EricW]

Did I say something about a primer system problem...?

Runs like a champ now. The "secret" seems to be to loosen the two bolts that hold the primer feed system to the base slightly. Fill the primer tube. Then wiggle the primer system until you feel the first primer "lock" into the hole in the primer slide. Tighten down the bolts and you're golden.

The only remaining issue is slop in the bearings on the crankshaft (the horizontal shaft driven by the crank handle). I'm not sure if it's an intentional feature or not. It does cause a clunk noise on the upstroke when the case releases from the sizing die. The dies are in proper alignment - so it's not that.

I think I have some of it adjusted out, but I wish the slop wasn't there at all.

Hello...Dillon....?

Edited July 28, 2006 by EricW

[shred]

Mod: Split new powder measure pro/cons into a separate thread, seen here: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=37980.

[RePete]

The item that I found to be a POS is the spent primer catcher, for all of the reasons listed above.

It's now gone. I got a small funnel, clipped the tube so that large primers fall through, added a length of clear tubing to funnel the spent primers into a LARGER box, rotated the original holder down to support the funnel and tie strapped it into place.

Now it works.

RePete.

[ebg3]

Did I say something about a primer system problem...?

Runs like a champ now. The "secret" seems to be to loosen the two bolts that hold the primer feed system to the base slightly. Fill the primer tube. Then wiggle the primer system until you feel the first primer "lock" into the hole in the primer slide. Tighten down the bolts and you're golden.

The only remaining issue is slop in the bearings on the crankshaft (the horizontal shaft driven by the crank handle). I'm not sure if it's an intentional feature or not. It does cause a clunk noise on the upstroke when the case releases from the sizing die. The dies are in proper alignment - so it's not that.

I think I have some of it adjusted out, but I wish the slop wasn't there at all.

Hello...Dillon....?

I know this is an old thread but I thought this might be helpful. My new to me 1050 was clunking on the upstroke when the case released from the sizing die so I just replaced the three needle/roller bearings on the crank. It stopped the clunk and everything is much tighter now.

EG

[Alan Adamson]

The trick to the primer catch cup, is to take one of those huge C type pinch clips that you use to hold a bunch of papers together, find one that will give you a nice tight pinch and pinch it over the metal bracket and the primer catch cup. I was knocking my primer catch cup at least once every half full cup and screaming when spent primers went everywhere... don't have that problem any more... ...

Alan

[pmclaine]

Brian sells the aluminum roller handle and you can fit it on your S1050.

You will need to use two small tool picks like chopsticks to undue/redo the snap ring that holds the plastic handle on - remove and replace and you will be all blue.

Gee, I'm going to jinx myself by stating this but I've been real lucky. I havent had any of these problems. I just loaded 500 rounds of .45 the other night into a spent primer cup that was already filled with 500 spent primers from a couple of nights before and not one failed to go into the cup. I had some primer issues but I attribute them to trying to load when the case feeder is filling an empty case tube. No issues when in normal operation save one that will drop off the punch every 300 plus rounds or so - thats acceptable in my book and more likely a brass issue than a S1050 issue. I have a powder check on my machine and it saved me from a double charge the other day. I forgot to put a bullet on a charged case when I returned to loading from filling the empty primer tube. I stupidly saved the charged primed case thinking I'd put it back in production at some point. Well I had one of those rare primer drops so I removed the unprimed case and threw it in the case feeder to replace it with the primed/charged case at the power drop. Of course two pulls later the powder check started wailing. Best $60 or so I spent in reloading equipment.

Any stoppages now I clear the shell plate, dump charged cases, and save the misfit toys for the end of production.

Great machine so far. I expect I will have some hard days with it though. Anything this complex has to have an issue sooner or later. I attribute some of my luck to the fact I dont try to set any speed records when reloading. I'm slow steady and deliberate on the lever pulls. Prior to buying my machine I watched the videos of the speed guys on youtube and thought "Wow! this is going to be great!" Now that I have the press, realize how much it cost me and how much it could cost me A) breaking parts or worse making bad ammo I have no desire for speed. 500 rounds at a session and thats it for me.

Edited December 5, 2011 by pmclaine