Does anyone have a Dillon 1050 for personal use?

[mlaustin]

I know the 1050 is designed for commercial ammo makers, but I was just curious if any one here used one for loading personal/family ammo and if you had comments about whether it's worth it or overkill. I've been using a Lee Turret and feel the need to get my own progressive - I'm thinking that as long as I can afford it, there's no reason not to get a 1050 over a LNL-AP or xl650 because it's a piece of equipment I plan to own until I die. I've used Loadmasters, 550's, 650's and tried the demo 1050 at a local gun shop and just loved it - the primer swaging for milsurp brass is certainly nice if I start shooting more 223.

If it matters, I currently shoot around 800-1krds of 9mm each month in practice loaded on a Lee turret. I load about 200rds at a time on the turret in around an hour each week but the only thing stopping me from shooting more ammo is time. My mom also shot her first IDPA match last weekend and I sense that my ammo needs might be doubling soon as I'll be asked to load practice ammo for her as well .

 

[Claude Clay]

each caliber change for a 1050 can nearly buy you a sq deal.

i have 4 presses and if i were to reduce to 2

a sq deal for pistol and a
650 for rifle. 650 for many reasons but one being that it auto indexes.


good luck to you.

 

[mlaustin]

Claude - Thanks, but the only caliber I shoot in any volume is 9mm. My plan would be to use the 1050 just for high volume 9mm reloading and then use my turret to load up small batches of anything else. The only things I can imagine shooting in large volume are pistol calibers for competition.

Edit - and by volume I mean to say that 2-3k/mo would not be out of the question.

 

[Claude Clay]

about 1 hour of prep work feeds my sq deal for about 4 hours.
thats 15 to 1800 rounds.
i have set up 1050's (3) and all were 223 & 308. ( i teach re-loading)
it is an impressive machine but not for a novice.the 4 hole lee is good for about 150 rounds per hour ( i don't push hard). the knowledge gained from a turret presses certainly helps towards a progressive........but a 1050 is liken to an INDY car when all you need is a street racer

 

[RhinoDefense]

If you're loading only 2-3K per month, the 1050 is a waste of money. The 550 would serve you much better. If you want a case feeder, go with the 650. The 550 case feeder is awkward and plagued with issues.

The 1050 is best when you are loading at least 5,000 rounds in a sitting or have military brass with crimped primers. The case feeder works well (same one as the 650). The swage operation is touchy and is best set and left alone. The one caliber press is where the 1050 shines best. Priming system is OK but is normal frustration with Dillon. That's really what they need to work on is the priming systems of each press. They all suck miserably.

The best thing besides the swage station is the inherent ability to prime on the downstroke with the adjustment being mechanical on the toolhead. This means you set the primer depth and leave it. With the 550 and 650 (and SDB) you prime by pushing the handle forward past "rest" to seat the primer. It's entirely dependent upon the user pushing the same distance every time. With the 1050, just work the press.

The 650 is great for small runs of about 3,000 rounds in a sitting. Case feeder works well, priming is OK, but not stellar, as it will continuously feed primers even if one isn't seated off the punch. Stupid design really.

The 550 is good for small runs less than 2,000 rounds in a sitting. Manual index allows ultimate control over the loading process and setup and changes are a breeze.

The 1050 is not a "commercial grade" press. That's marketing. Dillon knows there is nothing comparable on the market so they hype it up with a $1,000 premium over the 650 and a pathetic 1 year warranty versus the other products. Why? With no competition why have a warranty as the selling point when it swages on the press and primes on the downstroke (better seating and inherently faster by design)? Dillon should cut the BS and cut the price in half. With a sand cast frame there's no reason the press should retail for $1600 or whatever. With the 1050 over the 650 you get priming on the downstroke and a press mounted swage. If that's worth $1,000 over the 650 then go for it.

 

[Rollis R. Karvellis]

Buy the 1050, for no other reason than, that you want one.

 

[Sheldon]

If I hadn't gotten my 1050 used for cheap years back, I would still be using the two 650 presses that I also got cheap used. After trying the 1050 out I fell in love with the priming versus the method used on their other presses. That small bit of motion savings really makes it quicker in my opinion. I have mine setup for my high volume calibers....9mm, 38 spl., 45 acp. The 550 press takes care of everything else. I have been thinking about getting the .223 remington conversion kit as I have been shooting more of that lately. If you use mixed brass like I do the swaging feature is not that big a selling point due to the wide variation in brass cases from manufacturer to manufacturer. Toolheads costs are $$!!

 

[Jim Watson]

I load personal use .45 ACP on a 1050. It was expensive, a big loading press instead of a new gun, but it turns out ammunition in a hurry. I don't run it for hours at a time to accumulate cases of ammo, I use it to load enough to go shooting tomorrow in a few minutes.

I mostly got it as a reaction to the low leverage-high effort priming on a Square Deal. Primer seating to a positive stop on the downstroke is the 1050s main advantage to the medium volume loader. The primer FEED is kind of tedious to adjust but once you get it right it seems to stay that way.


I load other pistol calibers - mostly 9mm right now - on a 550 and have no trouble keeping up with my needs.

 

[taliv]

i've been using a 1050 for years to load 223 and 45acp. i'm about to buy another one to dedicate to 308. i tend to load more like Jim described: sit down and crank out 200 rnds in 15 minutes... then head to the range.

the swage is the main advantage, but there are many others.

ignore the "pathetic 1 yr warranty" Last year dillon sent me free replacements when i broke something and i've owned the press for at least 5 or 6 years. They're good people and you won't regret the 1050.