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Posted: 12/17/2016 5:05:16 PM EDT
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I know it has been asked and answered but I'm now ready to put an auto drive on my 1050 and wonder which is the way to go? Forcht, Mark 7, or any other suggestions.
Also I have looked at the Mark 7 several times and they have 3 models with quite a bit of difference in price. Is there that big of advantage in one from the other? Thanks for any advise or experiences you have had with any if these |
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There was a nice thread over summer about autodrives:older thread
I personally would NOT buy one that reduces the number of calibers you can load. Sounds like Forcht doesnt work with big boy rounds. I can load 30-06 on my PW. Quite happy with it for price. I like the Mark 7 but dang... $$$$ |
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I have a Mark 7 drive set up on one of my Super 1050s to process 300 Blackout and 223 brass, once I got it dialed in it is solid. It has a lot of features that the user can change on the fly. It takes about 20 mins or so to get your 1050 up and running.
I have heard that for the Forcht drive you have to send your 1050 into the company to get hacked up so it will work and you don't get a ton of features like the Mark 7. My buddy has a Forcht drive on his 1050 and he says he likes my Mark 7 better.. |
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If I had the coin and was looking to automate, it'd be a Mark 7 hands down,
I've looked into all 3 options, Mark 7, Forcht, and the AmmoBot. I owned a PW for a year or two, but sold it as I don't really need an autodrive, and never really trusted it enough to load with. You need to watch an autodrive almost as much as when you're pulling the handle, so I just do it by hand. But I don't do mass amounts, just small time here.  I just stepped up to a 1050 for the swage option, then someone made a viable swage option for the 650. But now I'm spoiled and can't go back to a 650.
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Looks like Mark 7 has a few versions. The Pro version looks cool but thinking the X is good enough.
For the heck of it, I sent them a note to see if they have mailing list and coupon codes. I just got a Vmail saying they do from time to time but if "you are interested in buying today, give us a call and I can probably work out something today"... So basically, prices arent fixed. They also said to keep an eye on their facebook account but that doesnt work for me. This forum is about the only social media outlet I have (is a forum considered social media???). So yeah.. super tempted but wife would kill me. |
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I went ahead and ordered the LTE version of Mark 7 for my xmas present.
It is currently on sale for 1600 ($200 off). I contacted them and they said they had no coupons on that one but could give 5% off the others through end of year. Keep in mind they have upgrade packages to upgrade the LTE to X and Pro. Strange enough, the upgrade cost is reasonable. In fact the cost added to the LTE sale price is less than the X version. Not sure the upgrade is a full upgrade or not. Maybe I will upgrade in the future. I will post review once I get it. |
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Quoted:
I went ahead and ordered the LTE version of Mark 7 for my xmas present. It is currently on sale for 1600 ($200 off). I contacted them and they said they had no coupons on that one but could give 5% off the others through end of year. Keep in mind they have upgrade packages to upgrade the LTE to X and Pro. Strange enough, the upgrade cost is reasonable. In fact the cost added to the LTE sale price is less than the X version. Not sure the upgrade is a full upgrade or not. Maybe I will upgrade in the future. I will post review once I get it. Do yourself a favor and order the spent primer senor if you haven't done so, it is highly needed on the 1050 and well worth it.. Plus it gives you a spent primer tube so primers are not flying all over the place, I wish they would include it with the machine. |
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Quoted:
Do yourself a favor and order the spent primer senor if you haven't done so, it is highly needed on the 1050 and well worth it.. Plus it gives you a spent primer tube so primers are not flying all over the place, I wish they would include it with the machine. I debated that one.. I figure I will collect the extras as I get funds. I ordered the harness only for powder check. Going to figure out if I can rig a few other things with it... Edit: I just read the description of that sensor. They call it a "must have" which is BS IMO. If its a must have, include it with press. $200... bad taste in mouth and havent even received it yet. |
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Think fail safes if the game plan is to turn the machine on, and let it do it thing.
By fails safes, lets work around the tool head. Starting with the depriming rod, if you do get a berdan case in the mix, then something like the Hornady sizer and collet decapping pin and a contact switch over the decapping pin works well to shut the machine down if the decapping rod is forced upwards when it can not knock out a primer, instead of a primed case making it way through the cycle. Next, you always want the swager tool in play in case you get a crimped primer case in the mix that needs to be de-swagered, since it with a different collect rod retained top tool, will end up with the top tool rod being pushed up against a contact switch if a small primer channel case sneaks into large primer case mix as well (read so do you don't end up blowing a primer when the large primer is being tried to be shoved into a small primer case, or even a primer trying to be shoved in a crimped primer pocket). From there, you need to tie the contact switches for the case feeder, bullet feeder, primer tube, and powder measure into the mix as well, so if any of them goes dry, it will shut the drive off instead of just churning out bad ammo. Bluntly, the PW drive is not bad as just the drive, so long as you have the talent to add in the needed switches to the system. It does have a clutch system that will save the machine from most crashes, but it in stock form does not have the needed electronics to shut the drive off if something goes wrong/just churns out ammo that you will have to pull down instead. So in stock form, think of it as only being used for half steps between button pushes, and not something that your going to throw on the machine for a full auto type set up. The mark 7 will cycle the machine faster, since it has the ability to slow the stroke down at the end off the cycle and allow the needed amount of time for a clean powder drop, has the needed electronics already in play to add in the extra contact switches, uses a electric feed back circuit to shut the machine down if is does try to crash (increase in the amount of amps needed), as well a 100 count cycle run to shut the machine down before it does run out of primers instead. Bluntly, if you suck at building electronics, then its the system you really want as your drive to begin with. It gets a touch spendy with all the sensors in play on the system, but is worth it when you start figuring in the amount of time it's saving you by not producing trash ammo by the machine running wild, or crashing a 1050 and having to replace parts on it instead. [youtube]https://youtu.be/bsWfYk07c2w[/youtube] http://www.markvii-loading.com/Accessories_ep_44.html |
I asked them for free shipping. Instead they offered to refund me cost of wire harness after I bought it... Then I ordered and asked for them to throw in 2 harnesses. 
I believe they actually agreed to that too based on the response, "Sure thing" I plan to use one with my powder check. The other, I plan to wire to the universal decapper or sizer die... basically as a shut off in case the pin pushes up. That is probably the biggest issue you might have, right? |
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Being that they now have a optic decapping sensor that checks to make sure that the primer is sent down the chute or it will shut the machine off on decapping, you no don't need a contact on the de primer decapping rod with the Mark 7.
Hence I still would use a Hornday sizer, since I'm a big fan of the decapping pin being shoved up, instead of breaking the rod/tip, but with theoptic decapping sensor, you don't really need to add a contact there instead (unless you just want to save $200 and just tie a de-capping contact rod into one of the other sensors like the empty power or primer sensor). Note, full sensor kits across the board on the Mk 7 will run you around $550 on top of the base kit. http://www.markvii-loading.com/Mark-7-Optical-Decapping-Sensor_p_29.html 
http://www.markvii-loading.com/Accessories_ep_44.html Hence remember that I'm still using a PW drive (900rmp), and it's all the added contacts/electronics that I added to my machine to shut the drive down if something goes wrong short of a crash, so it not just churning out crap ammo that I have to pull down after the fact instead. It not as fancy as the Mark 7 kit, but then again, I'm less than a grand in the PW autodrive with added sensors for a machine that I can turn my back on at it does it thing, and will shut it self down if it does run into a problems too. |
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