As some of you know, I run a brass processing and once fired brass service. So far, I have done only .223 brass but I am about 150,000 pieces in to it and wanted to give my impressions of the Dillon 1050 and some quick money saving tips for my fellow loaders.
1) For about the first 50k pieces of brass, I was using Dillon's universal de-capping die. In 50k pieces I easily broke 8-10 de-capping pins. At almost $5 apiece+shipping, this can become extremely expensive.
Save a ton of money and buy yourself a Lee (or other comparable) de-capping die. I personally like the Lee because 100k pieces later, I've only broken one pin and it was completely my fault. As long as you set the tension of the retaining nut correctly, you won't have any problems.
2) For about the first 10k pieces, I used Hornady One Shot as my case lube of choice. Granted I only had one stuck case, but sizing was wearing my arm out.
I know it's been said a million times, but the Rubbing Alcohol and Lanolin Route is the easy (and economical) way to go. I use one 2 oz tube of lanolin to 16 oz of 99% pure Rubbing Alcohol which I have my local pharmacy special order.
3) Just like any other mechanical device, your 1050 will only run as good as you maintain it. After every 10k pieces Dillon recommends a cleaning. I easily have been able to push this to 25k+ with keeping an airhose by my side and blowing off the machine regulary while processing.
4) Different kinds of brass size differently and you need to adjust the sizing die accordingly. Some brass (especially WCC and LC) does not size as easily as other brass such as R-P or PMC brass. If you size mixed headstamps you are going to get mixed headspacing. I have noticed deviations as much as +/- .008 when sizing brass that is mixed headstamp. I don't have a scientific explanation, my only thoughts are the different compositions between the different types of brass is what causes the deviation. If you want consistent headspacing USE THE SAME HEAD STAMP of brass.
I will add more to this as I have time. Thanks for reading!
1) For about the first 50k pieces of brass, I was using Dillon's universal de-capping die. In 50k pieces I easily broke 8-10 de-capping pins. At almost $5 apiece+shipping, this can become extremely expensive.
Save a ton of money and buy yourself a Lee (or other comparable) de-capping die. I personally like the Lee because 100k pieces later, I've only broken one pin and it was completely my fault. As long as you set the tension of the retaining nut correctly, you won't have any problems.
2) For about the first 10k pieces, I used Hornady One Shot as my case lube of choice. Granted I only had one stuck case, but sizing was wearing my arm out.
I know it's been said a million times, but the Rubbing Alcohol and Lanolin Route is the easy (and economical) way to go. I use one 2 oz tube of lanolin to 16 oz of 99% pure Rubbing Alcohol which I have my local pharmacy special order.
3) Just like any other mechanical device, your 1050 will only run as good as you maintain it. After every 10k pieces Dillon recommends a cleaning. I easily have been able to push this to 25k+ with keeping an airhose by my side and blowing off the machine regulary while processing.
4) Different kinds of brass size differently and you need to adjust the sizing die accordingly. Some brass (especially WCC and LC) does not size as easily as other brass such as R-P or PMC brass. If you size mixed headstamps you are going to get mixed headspacing. I have noticed deviations as much as +/- .008 when sizing brass that is mixed headstamp. I don't have a scientific explanation, my only thoughts are the different compositions between the different types of brass is what causes the deviation. If you want consistent headspacing USE THE SAME HEAD STAMP of brass.
I will add more to this as I have time. Thanks for reading!