Dillon Super 1050 worth it?

[made2order]

For home reloading is it really worth it to get a Dillon Super 1050 considering you are limited to 5kg of powder in your home at any one time? It seems like before your hour of reloading is even over you need to purchase more powder.

[gemoose23]

"Worth" is an interesting concept.

• Current reloading machinery and tools owned?
• Years of reloading? Doing this for Profit/business, family/friend co-op Machine or personal use only?
• How much do you shoot daily/weekly/monthly/yearly?
• How much time do you have to reload?
• Do you feel you need to make <Insert $.$$> per hour when you reload or do you reload for the thrill/precision/craftsmanship part of it?
• Are you a binge bulk buyer of reloading components? Lots of components to produce 500/1000/10,000/100,000 rounds?
• What calibers, pistol or rifle will you be loading, 1/3/5/25+?

There are a lot of parameters when "worth" is used. Give us some more details and we will help you along.

[UnknownShooter]

For home reloading is it really worth it to get a Dillon Super 1050 considering you are limited to 5kg of powder in your home at any one time? It seems like before your hour of reloading is even over you need to purchase more powder.

5kg = 11 pounds of powder.. that could easily be 15,000 rounds depending on what you're loading.. even if youre getting 1000 rounds an hour that would be a busy weekend.. id be more concerned about your mailman roughing you up because of the heavy packages of projectiles coming to your mailbox..

15000 180 grain projectiles would be ~385 pounds or 175 kg, just in bullet weight..

Even if youre a NY cop, and you only hit your target once every nine shots, thats a significant amount of shooting..

[BrianRodela]

Not covered by the same warranty as all the other presses as it is considered a commercial grade press.

[alfred1222]

ummm question, where does it say we can only have 5kg of powder...?

[XDRoX]

ummm question, where does it say we can only have 5kg of powder...?

Exactly, no where. If you live in a single detached house you can have as much powder as you want. If you live in an apartment or duplex then certain laws pertain but last time I read the law I believe it said you can have up to 20lbs of smokeless powder with no problems and up to 50lbs of smokeless powder in a wooden box 1" thick. Black powder in less quantities.

The only exceptions to this is if certain counties have stricter laws, but I've never seen or heard of one.

[Bill Steele]

... If you live in an apartment or duplex then certain laws pertain but last time I read the law I believe it said you can have up to 20lbs of smokeless powder with no problems and up to 50lbs of smokeless powder in a wooden box 1" thick. Black powder in less quantities..

More importantly, if you live in an apartment, don't buy a Dillon 1050. You will be far better served saving your money for a down payment on a house. These low interest rates will not last forever.

On whether a 1050 is worth it? The reloading industry is littered with companies that went out of business. It is very competitive out there. Companies like Lee, RCBS, Hornaday and Dillon all produce products that are "worth it", if they were not "worth it" they would be out of business, stat.

On whether a Dillon 1050 is the right choice for you? If you have to ask, I can say with a fair amount of certainty, it is not the right choice for you.

[SID45]

its only good if you can get the components....otherwise there are some other better deals out there.

[golfkelpman]

Exactly, no where. If you live in a single detached house you can have as much powder as you want. If you live in an apartment or duplex then certain laws pertain but last time I read the law I believe it said you can have up to 20lbs of smokeless powder with no problems and up to 50lbs of smokeless powder in a wooden box 1" thick. Black powder in less quantities.

The only exceptions to this is if certain counties have stricter laws, but I've never seen or heard of one.

Can you cite to any law for the exception for storage of smokeless powder in a single detached house? I took a look at California Health and Safety Code sections 12101-12112 (specifically, section 12102), and I don't see such an exception. Trust me, I would love it if there was an exception for single detached houses, but I am unaware of it.

[koehn,jim]

I would question how many rounds you fire a month and how much time you want to spend reloading. For me it would not be worth it, I only shoot about 300 rifle rounds and the same in pistol. I have an old Star progressive with 3 heads for pistol and while it is slower than the Dillon, It does my 300 rounds in less than an hour.

[UnknownShooter]

Can you cite to any law for the exception for storage of smokeless powder in a single detached house? I took a look at California Health and Safety Code sections 12101-12112 (specifically, section 12102), and I don't see such an exception. Trust me, I would love it if there was an exception for single detached houses, but I am unaware of it.

This:

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=hsc&group=12001-13000&file=12101-12112

12102. This chapter does not apply to any possession or use of 20
pounds or less of smokeless powder, or one pound or less of black
sporting powder, provided that:
(a) Smokeless powder is intended only for hand loading of small
arms ammunition of .75 caliber or less.
(b) Black sporting powder is intended for loading of small arms or
small arms ammunition of .75 caliber or less.
(c) All such powder is for private use and not for resale, and, in
the case of black sporting powder, there shall be no gift, delivery,
or other disposition to another person.
(d) The storage, use and handling of such smokeless and black
powder conforms to rules, regulations, or ordinances of authorities
having jurisdiction for fire prevention and suppression in the area
of such storage, use, and handling of such explosives.


Still kind of a nothingburger..

[XDRoX]

Can you cite to any law for the exception for storage of smokeless powder in a single detached house? I took a look at California Health and Safety Code sections 12101-12112 (specifically, section 12102), and I don't see such an exception. Trust me, I would love it if there was an exception for single detached houses, but I am unaware of it.

Here you go...

Excerpt from the California Fire Code:

3306.4.1 Black powder and smokeless propellants. Propellants for personal use in quantities not exceeding 20 pounds (9 kg) of black powder or 20 pounds (9 kg) of smokeless powder shall be stored in original containers in occupancies limited to Group R-3. Smokeless powder in quantities exceeding 20 pounds (9 kg) but not exceeding 50 pounds (23 kg) kept in a wooden box or cabinet having walls of at least 1 inch (25 mm) nominal thickness shall be allowed to be stored in occupancies limited to Group R-3. Quantities exceeding these amounts shall not be stored in any Group R occupancy.

3306.4.2 Small arms primers. No more than 10,000 small arms primers shall be stored in occupancies limited to Group R-3.

[foxtrotuniformlima]

If you load 4000 rounds per month of one caliber, especially one that has a tendency to be a military once were crimped primer pockets are the norm, then yes.


It is nice to be able to sit down one day and crank out all the ammo you will need all month at once. Getting all the components together is a real PITA.

[made2order]

Thanks for the legal info. My local fire department told me 5kg. More proof you should never automatically believe what a fireman says is legal. Now I know it is 20lbs. I am doing this for personal. I stocked up a LONG time ago pre obama and underestimated the obama panic. I kept thinking this hoarding will end next year, until here we are 4 years later. I have not purchased ammo in many years and am NOW getting low. I cannot find any of the good stuff.

So 1lb per 7,000 grains means out of 20lbs I can get:
1129rds of 124gr 9mm
608rds of 230gr 45acp
2545 of 55gr 223rem
833rds of 168gr 308win

I need at LEAST 4,000 rounds per month.

So my problem is still even getting enough reloading supplies to reload enough ammo. Seems everything firearms related is out of stock. I am considering the Dillon Super 1050, MEC9000GN, Hornady LnL, and Hornady 366.

[Heretodaygonetomorrow]

I'd think that a loaded Dillon 650 would be more than adequate for your needs with the added advantage that you get the Dillon Warranty.