For someone who has never reloaded before, You sir, made a DAMN FINE video! Maybe once we've loaded for decades, we forget how to evaluate reloading. Yes, someone who has reloaded for years may be able to troubleshoot these problems quickly, but thanks for making a great video!! I've been looking at these reloaders or automating my 650XL, this give me some great insight.
Min 12:37 Oh ! ! ! Major confusion cleared up here: At the beginning of the video, he says, "This is the ONLY reloader I've ever owned." No! Right behind him on that shelf is a half dozen other machines that look like reloaders. "How can he say this is the only reloader he's ever owned if there's a half dozen of them on the shelf behind him?" Well, the answer is here: all those reloader-looking things on the shelf are different TOOL HEADS that get put on top of the (one) reloader. Sort of like a vacuum cleaner that has a half dozen nozzle attachments to attach to it. (But to newbies they look like more reloaders.)
Min 10:30 Would like to see more of that "shell thingy" -- what it's doing and how it works. This is the first time I've seen it from the top. (In all the other videos it's just "there" -- like the machine's wearing a hat. Great video!
Thanks for the very thorough video. I've been loading for decades, and have used various presses. I just sold a RCBS T-7 and now use a Dillon RL550B and a Forster Co-Ax (for my precision rifle rounds). I have been waiting a long time for the Mark 7 Genesis to become available, but after what seems like an eternity, they are still working on the software, so at this point I am considering the APEX 10. Like yourself, I have to ask myself, "Do I really need this, or just want this". Truth be said, it's more of a want than need. I certainly don't shoot enough 9mm, 40 S&W, or 45 ACP to justify the purchase, but that sort of justification seldom carries much weight in my thought process. Thanks again for the insight and experience.
@@marku123 I received the APEX 10 about 3 weeks ago, and the autodrive about 10 days ago. Initially I set it up to deprime a few thousand pieces of 45 ACP range brass. The FW Arms self centering primer popper worked great, and Swage Sense was kept busy finding small primer pocket brass. I want to configure it for 9mm, but need to save up for the caliber change. Changing calibers is a LOT more spendy than on my RL550B!
@@garysreloadingroom Nice! I just ordered mine last night , I figure I will start in manual mode but Im sure it wont be long before I want the extra toy to play with. Any issues out of the box?
@@marku123 I've had a few teething issues (some of my own making), but mostly due to learning curve. I still get the occasional upside down bullet from Mr. Bullet Feeder, and one flipped primer, but that is after processing (depriming) several thousand pieces of mixed (small and large primer) range brass, and building 700 + rounds of ammo. The press did a nice job of weeding out the small primer 45 ACP brass. Still trying to catch my breath after the expenditure. I refer to it as the Binford Case Crusher 2000. Arrgh, Arrgh, ARRGH (in my best Tim Allen.
@@garysreloadingroom ha ha , Well those don't seem to be major issues , hopefully it just gets smoother and smoother. I'm glad I went with manual to begin. That automation seems like a pain to dial in and id rather just play with the press for a while.
Interesting video. Several of your comments about your journey mirrored my own. I also knew zip when I decided to get into reloading. Your comment that you can make so much ammo that you don't need to run the machine that often - and you start loosing your edge with it. Same here - I had not used it in close to 6 years and essentially felt like starting over. I have a Dillon 1050 and I recognized a lot of similarity as you was breaking your down. Your Mark 7 is like a very hi-tech version of the 1050 - thought I bet the Mark 7 was designed from the ground up to be hi-tech. I bet it is a challenge to get everything dialed in to the point where it really runs well - the learning curve on that had to be painful.
Min 12:50 More confusion cleared up here, namely: Here's doing MULTIPLE runs through the machine for a SINGLE batch of rounds. Hmmm... "Quality Control". All the other Mark 7 et all videos I've seen, the round makes ONE trip around the... shell holder (?) -- "One and Done". In this process, the shells make multiple trips around the shell holder. Good for quality control, right? Got it.
Min 7:06 "Wavey spring" -- that's what lifts up the "shell plate" (all these terns are new to me/newbie) when the "tool head" lifts up and the "shell plate" has to rotate 1 "station" -- have I got that right?
Thank you! You're going to enjoy the new loader. I probably should have started with just the manual press. Sometimes I consider removing the belt and using it manually just to make it less intense.
There is so much to all of it, especially with rifle brass. Understanding how to make sure headspace is correct (especially with mixed brass - something I'm trying to figure out now), case prep, etc. It's a lot to take in! The automation that can be enabled with this press is really great, although I understand your sentiment. I'm sure over time the sensors and components will evolve and become even more reliable.
Yes, there is a lot to take in. But I found that after a lot of research and practice I began to feel fairly confident. It is nice to have the automation option even if you don’t end up adding it.
I would suggest for small batches of unique loads such as what you are describing here to simplify things a bit. Step away from the automated progressive press and use a single stage press or a turret press. You already identified that you can purchase a special seating stem for specific bullets. Many die manufacturing companies can grind specific stems for their dies. I would suggest lubricating your brass your brass especially for progressive reloading machines. You will have much greater control of the seating with a single stage press and I would suggest crimping the bullets with a Lee factory crimp die so you don’t have problems in your AR type semi-auto. I use both a progressive press and a single stage. My work up loads and small batch loads are what I use the single stage for. You have some of the best progressive reloading equipment on the market. I would use it for larger batches and more standardized loading and brass prep, such as sizing and trimming. I’ve also found that cleaned lubricated brass works much better in the progressive press. I normally pouch the primers out then wet tumble the brass. Primming just works much smoother on my progressive press with clean primer pockets. After I punch the primers and wet tumble I dry the brass and lubricate it with Dillon lube or Hornady One Shot. I then size and trim the brass. After that I tumble it in my Dillon dry tumbler with corn cob media and Dillon Rapid shine. Now I’m ready to load either on the single stage press or my Dillon 650. Since I’m not punching primers or resizing the progressive press really runs smooth without hardly any problems. I hope this helps.
To check the air pressure theory, you might drill a small hole in a case to allow air to escape. That, of course, won't be a fix, but it might cross a possible cause off the list. I also have a love-hate relationship with my apex10. They are NOT for beginners or non mechanically inclined people. If you don't know what you are doing, you can make a lot of junk ammo in a hurry.
Honest review, pricewise, you also have to account for labor cost, youre own, when comparing factory ammo prices versus reload, reduces youre profit margin a bit more, not as much as reloading by hand. ROI, It all comes down to caliber and ammo usage i think.
Your Video is the best I’ve found giving lots of details on the auto mark7 . I’ve been in the fence on automating my xl750 or getting into mark7 machines . I don’t think I’ll be buying a mark 7 . Maybe the Genesis machine will be worth it
This may be dumb and I’m not sure if frankly held us posted but you mentioned air pressure having a bullet of stuck and if you drill a tiny hole in the stem above where the bullet is, maybe it’s causing a vacuum suction in there
*9:18** Took 7 minutes to swap calibers? Ouch.* *_I haven't seen a really perfect customer for this unit._* _Somewhere right before 'about to buy an ammo plant'??_
I could be wrong but I think your problem with seating the larger bullets is because you flared the case. I have loaded the same ones with the horned die on a xl750 and seated just fine. Try not flaring and see if it helps.
Hi on the seating die. Can you not drive a hole through the side of it? On the top of where the bullet head sits to relive any air pressure, it may be worth a try.
Never tried the 225gr but I am using Hornady dies with hitek coated 220gr bullets and using the stem that is meant for round nose or poly tipped bullets I have no problem. I am however using H110 which will have way less case fill. Maybe you're compressing the powder and that's also causing the bullet to jam up in the die?
@grayhairmark I understand the tinks want to tinker, I'm the same, but I reload on a single stage lee press with lee dies, and rcbs chargemaster, simply for consistencies sake, loved the video BTW, that is an amazing press,
first of all ....your shooting subsonic... why would u bother loading 225 grain , a subsonic load is slower then throwing a softball just use a smaller bullet u can have subsonic loads with any size bullet , i guess some people ahve more money then brains !!
For someone who has never reloaded before, You sir, made a DAMN FINE video! Maybe once we've loaded for decades, we forget how to evaluate reloading. Yes, someone who has reloaded for years may be able to troubleshoot these problems quickly, but thanks for making a great video!! I've been looking at these reloaders or automating my 650XL, this give me some great insight.
I second that. Really good video for a “Boomer”! lol. Keep up the good work
and thank you for this video, I broke down my apex 10 for the first time last night, and this helped tremendously!!
Min 12:37
Oh ! ! !
Major confusion cleared up here:
At the beginning of the video, he says, "This is the ONLY reloader I've ever owned."
No!
Right behind him on that shelf is a half dozen other machines that look like reloaders. "How can he say this is the only reloader he's ever owned if there's a half dozen of them on the shelf behind him?"
Well, the answer is here: all those reloader-looking things on the shelf are different TOOL HEADS that get put on top of the (one) reloader. Sort of like a vacuum cleaner that has a half dozen nozzle attachments to attach to it. (But to newbies they look like more reloaders.)
I just i stalled the gen 2 primer system, I hope it helps the priming issues.
By minute 4:00 we know this man knows every piece of this machine.
Good start!
Min 10:30
Would like to see more of that "shell thingy" -- what it's doing and how it works.
This is the first time I've seen it from the top. (In all the other videos it's just "there" -- like the machine's wearing a hat.
Great video!
This video is so valuable. It's so hard to find a fair appraisal of the product. Thank you!
Thank you. I appreciate the feedback.
Thanks for the very thorough video. I've been loading for decades, and have used various presses. I just sold a RCBS T-7 and now use a Dillon RL550B and a Forster Co-Ax (for my precision rifle rounds). I have been waiting a long time for the Mark 7 Genesis to become available, but after what seems like an eternity, they are still working on the software, so at this point I am considering the APEX 10. Like yourself, I have to ask myself, "Do I really need this, or just want this". Truth be said, it's more of a want than need. I certainly don't shoot enough 9mm, 40 S&W, or 45 ACP to justify the purchase, but that sort of justification seldom carries much weight in my thought process. Thanks again for the insight and experience.
Im having the same dilemma, I def don't need it but want it cause I like tinkering ... did you get it?
@@marku123 I received the APEX 10 about 3 weeks ago, and the autodrive about 10 days ago. Initially I set it up to deprime a few thousand pieces of 45 ACP range brass. The FW Arms self centering primer popper worked great, and Swage Sense was kept busy finding small primer pocket brass. I want to configure it for 9mm, but need to save up for the caliber change. Changing calibers is a LOT more spendy than on my RL550B!
@@garysreloadingroom Nice! I just ordered mine last night , I figure I will start in manual mode but Im sure it wont be long before I want the extra toy to play with. Any issues out of the box?
@@marku123 I've had a few teething issues (some of my own making), but mostly due to learning curve. I still get the occasional upside down bullet from Mr. Bullet Feeder, and one flipped primer, but that is after processing (depriming) several thousand pieces of mixed (small and large primer) range brass, and building 700 + rounds of ammo. The press did a nice job of weeding out the small primer 45 ACP brass. Still trying to catch my breath after the expenditure. I refer to it as the Binford Case Crusher 2000. Arrgh, Arrgh, ARRGH (in my best Tim Allen.
@@garysreloadingroom ha ha , Well those don't seem to be major issues , hopefully it just gets smoother and smoother. I'm glad I went with manual to begin. That automation seems like a pain to dial in and id rather just play with the press for a while.
Interesting video. Several of your comments about your journey mirrored my own. I also knew zip when I decided to get into reloading. Your comment that you can make so much ammo that you don't need to run the machine that often - and you start loosing your edge with it. Same here - I had not used it in close to 6 years and essentially felt like starting over. I have a Dillon 1050 and I recognized a lot of similarity as you was breaking your down. Your Mark 7 is like a very hi-tech version of the 1050 - thought I bet the Mark 7 was designed from the ground up to be hi-tech. I bet it is a challenge to get everything dialed in to the point where it really runs well - the learning curve on that had to be painful.
*Sounds like you need to sell that to someone that will use it more 😁*
Min 12:50
More confusion cleared up here, namely: Here's doing MULTIPLE runs through the machine for a SINGLE batch of rounds. Hmmm... "Quality Control".
All the other Mark 7 et all videos I've seen, the round makes ONE trip around the... shell holder (?) -- "One and Done".
In this process, the shells make multiple trips around the shell holder. Good for quality control, right? Got it.
Well done, thanks for making this comprehensive look at the MK 7.
Thanks. I hope it was helpful
I keep watching this video and man, im sure glad I started with just manual !!
Min 7:06
"Wavey spring" -- that's what lifts up the "shell plate" (all these terns are new to me/newbie) when the "tool head" lifts up and the "shell plate" has to rotate 1 "station" -- have I got that right?
Nice bench. Keep the cat, though. Thanks for the video, sir.
Fantastic video. I just picked up an A10 (manual). I’m still getting it dialed in. Thanks a lot for all this useful info!
Thank you! You're going to enjoy the new loader. I probably should have started with just the manual press. Sometimes I consider removing the belt and using it manually just to make it less intense.
There is so much to all of it, especially with rifle brass. Understanding how to make sure headspace is correct (especially with mixed brass - something I'm trying to figure out now), case prep, etc. It's a lot to take in! The automation that can be enabled with this press is really great, although I understand your sentiment. I'm sure over time the sensors and components will evolve and become even more reliable.
Yes, there is a lot to take in. But I found that after a lot of research and practice I began to feel fairly confident. It is nice to have the automation option even if you don’t end up adding it.
I can’t justify the volume that comes off this press but I sure do want a new toy to play with .
I just ordered mine last night in manual mode to start the journey.
I would suggest for small batches of unique loads such as what you are describing here to simplify things a bit. Step away from the automated progressive press and use a single stage press or a turret press. You already identified that you can purchase a special seating stem for specific bullets. Many die manufacturing companies can grind specific stems for their dies. I would suggest lubricating your brass your brass especially for progressive reloading machines. You will have much greater control of the seating with a single stage press and I would suggest crimping the bullets with a Lee factory crimp die so you don’t have problems in your AR type semi-auto. I use both a progressive press and a single stage. My work up loads and small batch loads are what I use the single stage for. You have some of the best progressive reloading equipment on the market. I would use it for larger batches and more standardized loading and brass prep, such as sizing and trimming. I’ve also found that cleaned lubricated brass works much better in the progressive press. I normally pouch the primers out then wet tumble the brass. Primming just works much smoother on my progressive press with clean primer pockets. After I punch the primers and wet tumble I dry the brass and lubricate it with Dillon lube or Hornady One Shot. I then size and trim the brass. After that I tumble it in my Dillon dry tumbler with corn cob media and Dillon Rapid shine. Now I’m ready to load either on the single stage press or my Dillon 650. Since I’m not punching primers or resizing the progressive press really runs smooth without hardly any problems. I hope this helps.
Thank you! I'll stay with my Dillon 650
Well, that’s why I made the video. 😁
To check the air pressure theory, you might drill a small hole in a case to allow air to escape. That, of course, won't be a fix, but it might cross a possible cause off the list. I also have a love-hate relationship with my apex10. They are NOT for beginners or non mechanically inclined people. If you don't know what you are doing, you can make a lot of junk ammo in a hurry.
Honest review, pricewise, you also have to account for labor cost, youre own, when comparing factory ammo prices versus reload, reduces youre profit margin a bit more, not as much as reloading by hand. ROI, It all comes down to caliber and ammo usage i think.
If I had to account for labor, I don’t know if I could justify much of what I do. You’re right about caliber and ammo use. Thanks for the post
Your Video is the best I’ve found giving lots of details on the auto mark7 . I’ve been in the fence on automating my xl750 or getting into mark7 machines . I don’t think I’ll be buying a mark 7 . Maybe the Genesis machine will be worth it
This may be dumb and I’m not sure if frankly held us posted but you mentioned air pressure having a bullet of stuck and if you drill a tiny hole in the stem above where the bullet is, maybe it’s causing a vacuum suction in there
*9:18** Took 7 minutes to swap calibers? Ouch.*
*_I haven't seen a really perfect customer for this unit._*
_Somewhere right before 'about to buy an ammo plant'??_
I could be wrong but I think your problem with seating the larger bullets is because you flared the case. I have loaded the same ones with the horned die on a xl750 and seated just fine. Try not flaring and see if it helps.
Min 11:15
What's being turned on here?
You problem was going straight to gucci and not going to walmart first and grabbing Mainstays
If air pressure truly is the problem you may want to drill a tiny escape hole in the side of the stem to relieve the pressure creating a vacuum
Hi on the seating die. Can you not drive a hole through the side of it?
On the top of where the bullet head sits to relive any air pressure, it may be worth a try.
Never tried the 225gr but I am using Hornady dies with hitek coated 220gr bullets and using the stem that is meant for round nose or poly tipped bullets I have no problem. I am however using H110 which will have way less case fill. Maybe you're compressing the powder and that's also causing the bullet to jam up in the die?
That wire on that bullet feeder really is something 😂
It really is 😎
You would benefit from some FW dies for your processing
I've heard that no reloading room is complete without a cat to supervise.
nice
I load those same bullets using an RL1100 Dillon dies….Dillon drive. Using cci and 1680 also
I can load 9mm for 1/2. Not all the sensors are great
I wonder if he has DBK tattooed somewhere on him. 😂
I think a possibility is your neck is being overly sized or the flaring die is flaring too much
or a seating die that has a hole to let air pressure to release
Damn, if i was loaded with enough cash to buy this press, i would just buy ammo or hire a reloader to load rounds for you,
Can’t argue with that. But it’s really more about playing with a toy, not saving money
@grayhairmark I understand the tinks want to tinker, I'm the same, but I reload on a single stage lee press with lee dies, and rcbs chargemaster, simply for consistencies sake, loved the video BTW, that is an amazing press,
first of all ....your shooting subsonic... why would u bother loading 225 grain , a subsonic load is slower then throwing a softball just use a smaller bullet u can have subsonic loads with any size bullet , i guess some people ahve more money then brains !!