Dillon RL1100 vs Mark VII Apex 10 Automated Shootout(Updated)
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 16 июл 2024
- In this video I will compare the Dillon RL1100 with a Mark VII auto drive to a Mark VII Apex 10 with auto drive. I will go into pros and cons of both systems and hopefully give you some information if you are considering either of these machines. When you get into automating presses there are additional attributes that you need to consider. Neither of these machines is perfect but they both do a nice job, it just depends on your use case. I hope this is helpful for you and as a reminder I am not sponsored by anyone so this is a honest review and my opinion.
00:00-Intro
00:49-Dillion RL1100 Discussion
09:40-Mark VII Discussion
20:50-Comparison
Here is the link for the Dillon RL 1100 Spent Primer Chute:
www.printables.com/model/1423...
Awesome video thank you for all the information. I haven’t reloaded in about five years and naturally I was leaning towards purchasing another Dillon 1050 because that’s what I had in the past but I’m glad I stumbled on the mark7
hi devin, impressed by your knowledge and details! thanks
Thanks for the kind words.
2000 Round a Minute. That’s really good. Win automatic
This is an updated video that now shows full screen. Not sure what happened on the first one... I will copy comments from the first video and then pull it down in a couple of days.
Here is a comment from @WeTrudgeOn on the previous video:
@WeTrudgeOn • 1 day ago
I have an apex 10, just fyi for anyone who doesn't know, Lyman owns the Mark7 line of machines now. I've loaded around 100K 45acps on the machine so far, I also dumped the decap sensor, just a total PITA. I also had problems with the case feedfer getting bound up, so I took a lot of time just observing the feeder and ended up modifying it so it works flawlessly now. If they would have just taken a little time to get it right, they wouldn't have needed the reverse button on the feeder. I also bought the primer express and after a short time gave up on it, upsidedown primers, stuck primers, not worth the money. A freind has the $2000 dollar motorized primer system and that works really good but I just went back to the stock system also. I agree the shellplate pawl kinds sucks, the little 5/32 allen adjustment screw is hard toi get to and hard to keep in adjustment, I have put some blue locktite on it now and it seems to be staying put so far. I had issues wiht the bullet feeder too so I ended up getting rid of the spacer and moving the feeder clockwise around the case feeder and just drilling a new hole and bolting the bullet feeder on so the drop tube and spring are not in line with the powder hopper anymore. My new project is setting it up for .308 Win and I'll say this, the machine DOES NOT LIKE sizing .308s, they are pushing the outside limit of what it is capable of. Even with the premium Lyman carbide dies it still really doesn't like sizing them. To Lymans credit like Dillon they have excellent customer service, I have spent up to one hour of time on the phone with a tech sorting out problems. My nit pickiest thing with the machine is the rats nest of sensor cables you end up with with the factory cables, I spent a couple of days sorting cables out and cutting them down so they are not such a rats nest, I'm kinda anal about cable management anywhere on anything. I recently updated my pwoder sensor to one a guy called Rockcanyon munitions is making, it's a laser that senses the height or the powder so nothing goes inside the case so you never have any grains of powder sticking to the probe and dropping on the shell plate. This Rockcanyon guy is a pretty high volume commercial loader so he knows how to do sensors. Last I heard he is comming out with a whole new suite of sensors for the Mark 7 machines.
thanks for the comparison. I'm going with the apex 10 as mark 7 has been in the automation game longer than dillon
Sounds good, I think you will be happy. After I made this video I have changed my mind on the "Primer Orientation Sensor." It can be finicky to adjust and will provide some false positives. Since I case gauge all the ammo that I load I have stopped using this sensor as I will find the occasional upside down primer or one that is crushed. Either way you will be good but I just wanted to give you a heads up.
On the Rl1100 I have a powder check sensor where you put your bullet feed, and then I use a RCBS bullet seater/crimper die. Also I use a devinci decapper then clean my brass. I will then use the rollsizer to debulge the brass then send through the press.
Great plan on the RL1100. While I prefer to have two separate dies for seating and crimping one works for sure as well. I buy most of my brass an it is already roll sized but I have a roll sizer for any brass that is not already taken care of. I believe that it is critical to roll size the brass with as many Glock or similar handguns out there that create the bulge. Goes to show there is more than one way to skin the cat. Thanks for the input.
For what it’s worth, I don’t rollsize my 9mm brass and some of it must have been reloaded 5 times or so. Various headstamps, all mixed.
I shoot it from Glocks, Sigs, HKs and B&T without any problem.
They are loaded with Dillon carbide dies on an XL650 and do have that coke bottle shape, but they all feed. So why is roll sizing 9mm critical, if the ammo works? Bulge or no bulge.
A friend roll sizes his 9mm because they don’t fit his chambers after resizing with the Lyman carbide die on his 750. so yeah, if you have to, go for it. But it doesn’t seem necessary to me. I would have bought a dillon die instead of a 1k rollsizer and extra steps if I were him😅
Anyway, thanks for the video. I might be getting a RL1100😃😃
While I'm no expert on roll sizing my guess on why you are not having issues is because you are shooting a Glock. I don't have issues with all of my guns if I don't roll size but I do in others. If all is going good for you don't change a thing. It is simply insurance for me.
Hey Devin, any reason you didn’t use the hold down die that came with the a10?
I used it initially and it works great for straight wall pistol cases. When I started loading 5.56 bottle neck cases the hold down dies from FW Arms worked better because they help hold the case vertical. Also the rod that holds the case down is spring loaded so it works better with range brass because there is variation on the dimensions of the various cases.
@@devinbates6529 Thanks! I’m trying to pick out the extra dies I need. This makes a lot of sense.
I like the Lyman Pro Micrometer dies for case flare, seating, and crimp. They work well for loading a bunch of rounds. FW Arms for decap and hold down. I use a FW Arms hold down die in the priming station as well to keep the primer seating depth more consistent as it helps keep the case down when seating the primer. Good luck and enjoy.
I don't think there is a better universal decapper or hold down die than the FW Arms dies. They're amazing.
Agreed. They make great stuff that is near indestructible. In fact Lyman/Mark 7 include som FW arms dies in some of their sets.
I don't know about the Dillon but I do know about the Mark 7 Apex 10!! It really nis JUNK!!! The priming system will drive you nuts and there is a ton of waste. You have to disassemble the entire machine every 40-30 rounds to clean the priming shuttle disc!! The primers fall in sideways and then jam up.!!! Very poor design overall!! The hex head screws in the machine are both imperial and metric and of al different sizes!! Poor engineering!!! The Mark 7 is headed to the Trash!!! I have taken it apart for the last time!!! DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY OR TIME!!!!
I guess we've had very different experiences with the Apex 10. I'm not sure if you were using the Primer Xpress or not. I did not have good luck with it but when I switched back to the primer tube assembly I've not experienced the issues that you mention. I've loaded 10's of thousands of rounds without having to remove the priming shuttle disc. Also, I agree that there are a bunch of different hex head sizes but I don't recall any being metric. You definitely want a good set of hex wrenches for sure. I like the additional stations and I especially like being able to install a hold down die at the priming station to give me very consistent primer depths. Not sure if you received a lemon or not. Thanks for the feedback.
How are you liking the X1carbon ?
Good eye. I love it. It is great for prototyping things as well as just making handy things around the shop. It is very easy to use and there is a bunch of things already out there to print or you can use a 3D Cad solution to design whatever you want. If you don't need CAM for a CNC machine I recommend Onshape. It is free for hobby use and is easy to learn. I need a few more hobbies...;-)
I heard the apex 10 powder measure is not consistent. Have you experienced any of this?
It is "OK" unless you are working on precision loads. I've gone to the electronic powder measure and I find it to be more accurate for some reason. I typically achieve SD's in the 15 range with the electronic PM. If you need single digit SD's hand loading or a Dillion manual press with you measuring out powder is the way to go. The Dillion powder measure seems to provide similar results for me as the Apex 10.
Sounds good, my xl750 drops powder without any measurable deviation. I want the Apex 10, but I heard horror stories of people getting +- 0.4gr with standard pistol powders.
@@StewieStew820 I'm not setup for pistol currently but when I am I'll run some rounds and give powder drop amounts. I'm not seeing .4gr deviations but I will run the test and let you know what I'm seeing. I have a very accurate scale so it often looks worse than it is with that second digit...
@devinbates6529 thanks!
Well I was interested to see the difference between the Apex 10 powder measure and the Dillion so I did a test. I measured the powder weight using an A&D EJ-303 scale which I have found to be very accurate. I was measuring to two decimal points so there was no rounding. I tested 15 powder drops twice for each measure. Both setups were in the 4.65 grain range so that should be consistent. What I found was virtually no difference in the two powder measures. The Apex 10 had the same average for both sets of measurements and the Dillion varied by .02 between the measurements. One of the measurements on the Apex 10 had a delta of .1 grains but the second Apex 10 group and both Dillion groups had a delta of .08 grains. Finally one of the Apex 10 groups had a Standard Deviation of .03 and the rest of the measurements for both had a SD of .02. I will try and upload a spreadsheet showing this data. One thing that I have noticed on the Apex 10 powder measure is that you need to make sure the locknut is very tight so your measure does not drift over a loading session. You should always measure your powder charge every so often in a loading session on any machine to make sure you don't have drift. Thanks for the question, this was interesting. I think it shows that both powder measures do a nice job of consistency.
These setups seem to be for diy but what is considered the holy grail for commercial use? Any takes on top 5 commercial rigs?
I really don't have any experience beyond these presses in the video, but I know that Mark 7 has some commercial machines. The Revolution looks interesting and the Titan, not yet released, looks like a beast. I have no experience with either of these machines just with Mark 7. I have found their products to be reliable and their support is top notch. If anyone else has insights please share. Good luck.
@@devinbates6529 thank you for responding and great breakdown of the machines you use.very informative and helpful