What is the advantage of the 10 station Mark 7 Evolution/Revolution over the 8 station Dillon 1050? At a quick glance the Mark 7 and 1050 look to have a lot of similarities.
The 1050, like the original RL-1000 on which it was based (and which I bought for Kent Lomont and me to use in 1978 at a cost of $2400), has some inherent problems that can be worked around but not cured completely.
There are thousands of Dillon fanboys out there, but an objective assessment of Dillon presses will reveal that their level of fit and precision is nowhere near that of a Star. Further, some of their design and engineering is second rate, most notably the Dillon's priming system and their joke of a powder measure.
Dillon has great customer service on their consumer presses but my 1050 required broken parts replacement in less than 5,000 rounds (and there's no warranty on the 1050), while I have loaded over
1/4 million rounds on my Stars without breaking a single part.
Dillon was the first company to seriously address the individual consumer (non-commercial) market for progressive presses, and did it well enough to establish themselves as the dominant player in that market. However, they have NOT corrected the design flaws inherent in their machines, and every commercial loader who uses a 1050 will tell you the same thing.
Mark 7 is owned and operated by SERIOUS competition shooters and they made their reputation building the best autodrives out there for Dillon presses. To my eye the Evolution press corrects EVERY problem in the 1050, and I've decided to jump.
Here's the owner of the company showing the new line of presses at the 2018 SHOT Show last January. I was VERY impressed by the smoothness of operation demonstrated by these units.
JR
