How often does a Dillon 1050 need adjustment?

[FreedomIsNotFree]

Curious if you 1050 owners out there can shed some light on this subject. Lets say you have your 1050 dialed in just where you want it.

How often do you need to adjust the OAL, case trim, powder charge..etc? After 100, 1000, 10,000 rounds? At what point does it start to show a variance in the final product?

Thanks.

[ar15barrels]

How often do you need to adjust the OAL, case trim, powder charge..etc? After 100, 1000, 10,000 rounds? At what point does it start to show a variance in the final product?

You don't trim on a 1050 while loading, that's done seperately.
You can see that I have a 650 dedicated to trimming and sizing 223 brass to the left of my two 1050's in the picture below.

Once set, everything remains the same
There is no point where it shows a variance unless something comes loose or lube builds up in the seat/crimp dies.
I usually make a habit of verifying the powder charge every few thousand rounds, but it's boringly the same every time.
This is mostly just to be sure that someone has not broken into my place and re-adjusted the powder charge or perhaps I was sleep-reloading and mis-adjusted it...

I had my primer slide adjustment shift on me once and the press started spitting about 3% of primers out the back and loading pepper shakers.
Since I figured out that adjustment, I have not had any issues with my 1050's.

[jandmtv]

You don't trim on a 1050 while loading, that's done seperately.
You can see that I have a 650 dedicated to trimming and sizing 223 brass to the left of my two 1050's in the picture below.

Once set, everything remains the same
There is no point where it shows a variance unless something comes loose or lube builds up in the seat/crimp dies.
I usually make a habit of verifying the powder charge every few thousand rounds, but it's boringly the same every time.
This is mostly just to be sure that someone has not broken into my place and re-adjusted the powder charge or perhaps I was sleep-reloading and mis-adjusted it...

I had my primer slide adjustment shift on me once and the press started spitting about 3% of primers out the back and loading pepper shakers.
Since I figured out that adjustment, I have not had any issues with my 1050's.

showoff

[gose]

Curious if you 1050 owners out there can shed some light on this subject. Lets say you have your 1050 dialed in just where you want it.
How often do you need to adjust the OAL, case trim, powder charge..etc? After 100, 1000, 10,000 rounds? At what point does it start to show a variance in the final product?
Thanks.

I have a 650 and usually I check that everything is still as it should before I start making a batch (usually ~1500 rounds).

If I'm making practice ammo I usually check that everything is still ok every now and then (a couple of times over 1500 rounds) and if I'm making match ammo I do it every 200 rounds or so.

I also store my ammunition in 200 boxes, labeled with date and time, so if I notice that something changed, or went wrong, I can go back and check parts of my batch without discarding the whole batch.

[ar15barrels]

showoff

Did you notice that I cropped the picture so you don't see the press on the left?

[FreedomIsNotFree]

Randall...

From the Super 1050 owners manual it says "from station 2 the case is re-sized and deprimed."

Can you explain the difference between resizing and trimming? Also, can you explain how your 650 accomplishing this as a dedicated machine?

Thanks.

[jandmtv]

Did you notice that I cropped the picture so you don't see the press on the left?

yes, your .50 bmg press

[jandmtv]

Randall...

From the Super 1050 owners manual it says "from station 2 the case is re-sized and deprimed."

Can you explain the difference between resizing and trimming? Also, can you explain how your 650 accomplishing this as a dedicated machine?

Thanks.

trimming = shortening the length of the case.

[ar15barrels]

Can you explain the difference between resizing and trimming? Also, can you explain how your 650 accomplishing this as a dedicated machine?

Please don't take this the wrong way, but it's going to sound mean no matter how I say it...

You need to read up in a reloading manual about all the basic mechanics involved before you could fullly understand what I am about to tell you.

Sizing a case makes it small enough in diameter to fit into a chamber, short enough in headspace length to fit in a chamber and small enough in neck inside diameter to properly retain the bullet.

Trimming a case assures that the case neck will not hit the end of the chamber and makes the neck a consistent length for consistent crimp pressure.

I'm a pretty serious shooter/reloader so I have setup my presses in such a way as to maximize my output at minimal effort with very little concern of equipment costs.

In the picture above, the 650 is setup as a dedicated lube/decap/size/trim machine.
I can shovel clean brass into the casefeeder and out comes lubed/sized/trimmed cases.
The stations of the 650 are setup like this:
1-RCBS lube/decap die with extensive modifications to improve lube capacity and flow.
2-empty
3-Dillon trimmer (also full length sizes, but does not neck expand.
4-empty
5-basically empty, but I install a powder die here to offest press ram flex against the trimmer.

On the Dillon trimmer.
It's basically a full length sizing die that has a motorized cutter on top.
Once adjusted, you lube and then size a case in the trimmer.
The trimmer cuts off any extra brass beyond the desired trim length.
A vacum cleaner sucks the brass cuttings into the white plastic jar below the press via the vacum hose.

After brass comes off my 650, I tumble again to remove the lube and sharp edges left from trimming.

My 1050 does not need to size the brass now so I can run it faster.

The stations of the 1050 are setup like this:
Station 1 is where the case feeds into the shellplate.
Station 2 neck expands and decaps again to remove any media left in primer flash holes from the tumbling after lube/size/trim.
Station 3 swages the primer pocket.
Station 4 primes.
Station 5 drops a powder charge.
I have installed a Redding body die in station 6 as a secondary precaution against cases with long body lengths. Any case that was not sized enough will get the shoulder bumped here.
Station 7 is where you seat the bullet.
Station 8 taper crimps the case against the bullet.

[uscbigdawg]

I tear mine down and either do it myself or send it to Dillon about every 2 years. Basically a "tune up". Not that it needs it, but about every 2 years, I'm averaging close to 100k (on each). Not a hard fast rule, but it's pretty accurate.

On the my 650, it sees more "regular" maintenance since I do minor stuff every time I do a caliber change.

Big things that will are keeping it (especially the shellplate and all things below) clean and lubed. After that, it'll just keep running and running.

Rich

[FreedomIsNotFree]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but it's going to sound mean no matter how I say it...

You need to read up in a reloading manual about all the basic mechanics involved before you could fullly understand what I am about to tell you.

Sizing a case makes it small enough in diameter to fit into a chamber, short enough in headspace length to fit in a chamber and small enough in neck inside diameter to properly retain the bullet.

Trimming a case assures that the case neck will not hit the end of the chamber and makes the neck a consistent length for consistent crimp pressure.

I'm a pretty serious shooter/reloader so I have setup my presses in such a way as to maximize my output at minimal effort with very little concern of equipment costs.

In the picture above, the 650 is setup as a dedicated lube/decap/size/trim machine.
I can shovel clean brass into the casefeeder and out comes lubed/sized/trimmed cases.
The stations of the 650 are setup like this:
1-RCBS lube/decap die with extensive modifications to improve lube capacity and flow.
2-empty
3-Dillon trimmer (also full length sizes, but does not neck expand.
4-empty
5-basically empty, but I install a powder die here to offest press ram flex against the trimmer.

On the Dillon trimmer.
It's basically a full length sizing die that has a motorized cutter on top.
Once adjusted, you lube and then size a case in the trimmer.
The trimmer cuts off any extra brass beyond the desired trim length.
A vacum cleaner sucks the brass cuttings into the white plastic jar below the press via the vacum hose.

After brass comes off my 650, I tumble again to remove the lube and sharp edges left from trimming.

My 1050 does not need to size the brass now so I can run it faster.

The stations of the 1050 are setup like this:
Station 1 is where the case feeds into the shellplate.
Station 2 neck expands and decaps again to remove any media left in primer flash holes from the tumbling after lube/size/trim.
Station 3 swages the primer pocket.
Station 4 primes.
Station 5 drops a powder charge.
I have installed a Redding body die in station 6 as a secondary precaution against cases with long body lengths. Any case that was not sized enough will get the shoulder bumped here.
Station 7 is where you seat the bullet.
Station 8 taper crimps the case against the bullet.

no offense taken. I appreciate you taking the time to explain...I just thought the trimming was part of the resizing process. I didn't realize you have an individual die that does that.

Do you find that the cases could use another cleaning after they are swaged?

Thanks again.

[Sheldon]

The trimming is done with a "die" only on the Dillon trimmer. Most other trimmers are just a separate operation done after a case has been sized in any regular sizing die.

[ar15barrels]

Do you find that the cases could use another cleaning after they are swaged?

I assume by "swaged" you mean "sized".
I do like to clean the cases after sizing because they end up with lube on them and I want them absolutely clean when I load and shoot them.

The term "swaging" is usually referring to removing the crimp from the primer pockets of brass that had crimped primers.

The 1050 swages primer pockets as part of the normal process, even though most primer pockets will not need it.