547 replies to this topic

[LeadChucker]

Nothing is free, you just pay for it in other ways. Normally higher prices.

Go Federal if it is not cost prohibitive

[Motosapiens]

I think reloading is more about control and shooting more for your $. I don't see "savings" as being a particularly valid argument, at least not the way I do it. And I do value the time that I could spend doing something more productive, like dry firing or working to make $ faster than I can 'save' it.

 

sheesh, how much time do you guys spend reloading? I shoot 1500 rds a month on average, and I spend probably 15 minutes a day on reloading tasks, usually while unwinding, sipping a beer, and thinking about other things.

[Motosapiens]

Why not just order Federal and never worry?

worry about what?

 

oddly enough, I just chrono'd some 45 rounds and had a LOT more variation and lower average velocity with fed lg mag primers compared to cci large mag primers. I'm pretty much agnostic tho, I'll use whichever of the major brands is cheap and available, regular or magnum. They all run fine for me.

[GuanoLoco]

I'm not even interested in STARTING unless I have 2-3 hours to focus.  I hate herky-jerky work when I can't hit 'critical mass'.

 

Planning 20K rounds minimum of just pistol this year. 

 

At 1K rounds/evening of 9mm, including QC that's 20 modest effort evenings of effort a year.  Not to mention 223, 308 and other odd calibers I shoot for fun.  Plus brass cleaning/QC, etc.

 

Efficiency matters, at least for me.

[Motosapiens]

Efficiency matters, at least for me.

Efficiency matters for me too, which is why I won't waste a whole evening reloading. Much more efficient *for me* to use 15 minutes in the morning that would otherwise be spent reading the boring parts of the newspaper after I've already finished the interesting stuff. Or the 15 minutes while waiting for mrs grapist to untie herself from the radiator and get dressed to go out.

[GuanoLoco]

Eeew, a morning person.  That explains a lot.  Mornings are for 2 large cups of hot coffee and idly surfing Doodie in bed while having my needs orally fulfilled.  Evenings are for reloading and dry fire.

[LeadChucker]

Mornings are for 2 large cups of hot coffee and idly surfing Doodie in bed while having my needs orally fulfilled. 

Now we know you're freaking full of shit

[GuanoLoco]

Don't get upset with me just because you lack my mad scheduling skills.  There's a lot I need to get done in the latter part of the day.  Its critically important to start each day off right.

[Motosapiens]

 while having my needs orally fulfilled.  

Sadly, I'm married, so my oral fulfillment is oatmeal and coffee in the morning (which I share with my dogs).

 

I admit tho, on the mornings I play hockey, I'm up before 5, and I don't reload. On the mornings I go straight to work I goof off and telecommute (reload) until after the traffic is reasonable and I've walked the dogs.

[barry owens]

Your dog's eat oatmeal and drink coffee? They must shot like geese on laxatives.

[Motosapiens]

Your dog's eat oatmeal and drink coffee? They must shot like geese on laxatives.

only one of them drinks coffee (wife's latte, actually, not my coffee). 

 

Oatmeal is good old-fashioned roughage. Good for all animals.

[GuanoLoco]

A large bowl of (1 dry ounce) oatmeal thick with fresh fruit (blueberries, cherries, bananas) and walnuts, slathered generously with local honey is an important and healthy start to my morning.

 

Right after the other stuff, of course. 

 

Priorities.

[JaeOne3345]

Not sure if your decision has been made, but buy a 1050. Fuck all that other shit. As long you stay with the same primer sizer for a majority of your ammo, a caliber change albeit expensive is only a ten minute ordeal, 15 tops, unless you're an idiot.

If you can change the oil on a car you can operate a 1050.

[Canuck223]

Yep what he said.

 

I can be as frugal as anyone, and hate to overspend on anything. Not once have I ever looked at my reloading bench and thought that I should have saved money by buying a cheaper press. I've owned the Hornady Projector, and the usual single stage. I've loaded on the 550 and 650. The 1050 makes them all look like toys by comparison.

 

[Canuck223]

If you need some perspective think about the cost of buying a new competition gun. Think about the cost of replacing the springs as well as freshening up the mag springs, followers, replacing the odd mag tube. If you are pushing that gun hard, how often do you replace it?

Your grandchildren will be fighting over the 1050. It will outlast most of the guns you will use while you have it. It's a big upfront cost, but very little down the road.

We don't blink at dropping 2-3 grand or more on new guns and may get 5 years out of them, maybe more with lighter use. We balk at spending 3 grand for a well equipped press that will outlast the guns we're feeding.

[Vagetarian]

I just got the 650 with all the upgrades and six full calibers.  There is no way in hell I could've got the same in a 1050.  I see the advantage of the swaging station, especially if you're loading .223 but I'll trade that for ease of use and cost savings.  At $400 a piece, I would have to pony up an additional $2000 to get 5 more calibers on a 1050.  Just having a case feeder is  Christmas morning delightful.

[JaeOne3345]

There's a reason the 1050 cost more. It's built entirely different. It doesn't even look like it is made by the same people. Are the other presses capable? Sure. I can rock the fuck out of a 550. Is the 1050 better? Yup. Much more stable chassis, onboard swaging, less effort to do long sessions, etc.

 

If you load 58573489 different calibers, I would still have a 1050 for your bread and butter main caliber that you shoot a majority of the time, and have a 550 or 650 for those other stepchild calibers that you don't shoot as often but still warrant reloading.

 

Everyone always throws out the bullshit warranty issue. By the time the 1050 ever breaks something, it would still be worth your time/money spent on it. I always see 650's breaking shit. They need that warranty. In my experience, if you do break or wear something out on the 1050 that is minor, Dillon reps are usually cool about it and hook you up, especially if it's something that works on other machines, like a powder hopper or something.

 

Most people I know who disregard the 1050 have never spent time loading with one. There is no way I wouldn't want to load on one. Pushing forward to primer is bullshit. That adjustable primer depth on the 1050 is the fucking bomb.

 

You guys buy $2k+ production guns, $3.5K limited guns, but are sweating $1800-2200 (with BF) that is responsible for producing your ammo, which is really the costly part of the game we play. Fuck that.

[JaeOne3345]

 but I'll trade that for ease of use and cost savings. 

 

The 1050 IS EASY TO USE. lol.

[Vagetarian]

The 1050 IS EASY TO USE. lol.

They're ALL easy to use once you've fucked with them for a while.  My buddy has 6 1050s all lined up on a big steel bench in his reloading room.  He's fucking special.  Guess what?  I don't have his dough, and I'm a cheapskate.  If you knew what I spent on my 650 setup you'd give me another fucking warning point.  Would I want them?  Sure but I'd want six separate machines in all the calibers I load.

[ZachJ]

Ordering here.. Eventually:
http://murraycharlto...g_machines.html

I think xl650 is the best bet?