QUESTION ON LEE PRESS

[flintforever]

I like to ask a question on progressive presses
1# Lee Pro 1000
2# Lee LoadMaster
I been reloading for 45 plus years I now run for the last 12 years a Lee Classic Turret it is a great press
I like to increase my numbers :I now load average 50 rounds in 20 Min:
My cal. are 380 9mm @ 45 acp
I been looking at the lee pro 1000 but the only draw back it has 3 station
I do like to taper crimp for semi-auto pistols
The next best would be to use the single stage press for taper crimp
I also looking at the lee loadmaster 5 station but read a bunch of mix reviews
on the press.
I did set up a Dillon last year for a good Buddie but the 550 I think that was the model had no auto index.
will the lee pro 1000 has less problems then the lee load master ???

[batsone]

I have the loadmaster with 5 stations it is currently set up for 45acp ,it's seems a little wonky if you short stroke the ram or some times finicky if the bullet feeder,or crimp die or even the primer trough are a hair off,
I've gotten sideways primers a few times also ,currently it's on standby as I blew a primer on the press and now my primer feeder needs replacing ,I figure I'm going to switch it to .223 and just set the bullet and the crimp with it .we'll see how that goes.Good luck


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[Divernhunter]

Just buy a Dillon 650 with a case feeder and be done with it.

[Sir Toast]

Hornady Lock N Loads are on sale for $389 that comes with 500 free bullets. Get a case feeder and its good.

Whatever you get, red or blue, check out the modifications on youtube that are out there. Quick little fixes will make your reloading much smoother.

[9mmepiphany]

The Hornady LNL AP is an excellent buy, but that really isn't your question...as it is still $150 more than the Loadmaster, doesn't come with a shellplate, dies, or a casefeeder

Before I stumbled into my LNL, I looked very hard at both the Lee Pro1000 and the Loadmaster.

The Loadmaster would have been my choice, based on just the fact that it has 5 stations.

With the 3 station Pro1000 you're really asking for too much multitasking.

What you really need to solve any issues you've read about with the Loadmaster is a really solid mounting and familiarizing yourself with The Loadmaster Zone

If I had no choice except to go with the Pro1000, I would get 2 turrets for each caliber I was loading for and break their reloading into 2 processes...1) Processing cases (deprime, resize, prime, expand) and 2) Loading them (charge, seat, crimp)

[5akman]

I have the classic and the Loadmaster. I completely skipped the priming on the LM press for two reasons. One, the priming system has issues but can be fixed via Mike's Reloading Bench upgrades from what I hear. Two, I wanted a powder check die and bullet feeder so loosing the priming station was necessary. I decap/size on either the Classic or LM, then hand prime the cases. With the stock case collator and modified Lee bullet feed tubes/Hornady bullet feed die, I can load 100 9mm preprimed cases in just under 10 minutes. Another 5 - 7 minutes to refill the bullets/cases and I'm ready for another 100. Compared to the other more expensive loaders, I think my modded LM is well worth the cost savings.

[stilly]

I like to ask a question on progressive presses
1# Lee Pro 1000
2# Lee LoadMaster
I been reloading for 45 plus years I now run for the last 12 years a Lee Classic Turret it is a great press
I like to increase my numbers :I now load average 50 rounds in 20 Min:
My cal. are 380 9mm @ 45 acp
I been looking at the lee pro 1000 but the only draw back it has 3 station
I do like to taper crimp for semi-auto pistols
The next best would be to use the single stage press for taper crimp
I also looking at the lee loadmaster 5 station but read a bunch of mix reviews
on the press.
I did set up a Dillon last year for a good Buddie but the 550 I think that was the model had no auto index.
will the lee pro 1000 has less problems then the lee load master ???

The Lee Loadmaster IS a house of cards. PLAIN AND SIMPLE.

I just put mine back onto my bench to load up another 3k 9mm rds. I expect it will take me a few hours, but I will have them done soon enough.

If I had to choose again, I am on the fence. I DO like to try the less expensive presses because I have never made a lot of money and never wanted to drop $2k into a press, BUT, I gotta say, Those Pro-1000 look REALLY cute and if you want a single caliber then they are cheap enough for it. Yeah you can prolly convert them but they are so cheap for a progressive, just buy one for each caliber...

The 9mm on the Loadmaster SUCKS at priming. The shell plate is shared with the .40 so sometimes the 9mm cases will not line up properly and you get smiley faced primers or primers that are flipped or smashed.

I bought my Loadmaster second hand for $150 and the complaint was that it would not index properly. I thought I could fix it.

After about 6 hours messing and troubleshooting and adjusting it AS WELL as multiple e-mails back and forth to Lee, I have a working Loadmaster and I have been very happy with it. I am NOT happy that I took it off the bench, put my Classic Turret back on for some .357 test rounds and .44 special/ mag and then when I put the Loadmaster back on it failed to index. I had to bend the little nubbin down on the lock that goes on top of the carrier/shell plate. That is one thing that I do not like about the Loadmaster, it is built WONDERFULLY SIMPLE, but NOT FOOLISHLY BULLETPROOF. If you are not careful and short stroke it, yes, that index rod will NOT go all of the way up and rotate in and then go back down and not even catch and bother to index. I HATE that, but now that I know what NOT to do, it is okay with me. I like the Dillon way of priming, but I prefer to use the APS strips from the RCBS Pro-2000 progressive. I do not have a pro-2000 because it is also expensive.

I was looking at the PRO-Chucker 5 and 7. I would rather have the 7 but the loadmaster so far has been doing a decent job.

The nice thing about the Loadmaster is that as with most progressives, you can mount a decent powder dropper on it and it will work fine. I am using a case activated Hornady LNL dropper on mine. I love it. I also am complaining about the brass feeder. I know that .070 gap is the ideal gap to have over the brass cases and the dropper, but sometimes, those cases still want to fall over and it is irritating and slows me down. But then again, to have a decent case feeder that comes with it and does not cost $400 is a HUGE plus. I think though that I do want to make a brass case feeder because THAT would be tops... For the price, if you get the Loadmaster, it is hard to beat, but certainly get a few extra PAWLs and maybe an extra indexing rod already setup from the factory AND DO NOT **** WITH THEM!
PAWLS only cost about $3.00 each and keep your shell plate from backing up. Once it starts to go, you have to either get a new pawl or bend yours at the tip. That is another thing I hate. I WISH the PAWL only functioned as a shell ejector and not a lock for the indexing. I think a secondary lock for indexing should be implemented underneath the shell plate. THAT woulb make the Loadmaster nearly bulletproof. Once you get that and the priming taken care of, most all issues will be solved.

[5akman]

The Lee Loadmaster IS a house of cards. PLAIN AND SIMPLE.

I just put mine back onto my bench to load up another 3k 9mm rds. I expect it will take me a few hours, but I will have them done soon enough.

If I had to choose again, I am on the fence. I DO like to try the less expensive presses because I have never made a lot of money and never wanted to drop $2k into a press, BUT, I gotta say, Those Pro-1000 look REALLY cute and if you want a single caliber then they are cheap enough for it. Yeah you can prolly convert them but they are so cheap for a progressive, just buy one for each caliber...

The 9mm on the Loadmaster SUCKS at priming. The shell plate is shared with the .40 so sometimes the 9mm cases will not line up properly and you get smiley faced primers or primers that are flipped or smashed.

I bought my Loadmaster second hand for $150 and the complaint was that it would not index properly. I thought I could fix it.

After about 6 hours messing and troubleshooting and adjusting it AS WELL as multiple e-mails back and forth to Lee, I have a working Loadmaster and I have been very happy with it. I am NOT happy that I took it off the bench, put my Classic Turret back on for some .357 test rounds and .44 special/ mag and then when I put the Loadmaster back on it failed to index. I had to bend the little nubbin down on the lock that goes on top of the carrier/shell plate. That is one thing that I do not like about the Loadmaster, it is built WONDERFULLY SIMPLE, but NOT FOOLISHLY BULLETPROOF. If you are not careful and short stroke it, yes, that index rod will NOT go all of the way up and rotate in and then go back down and not even catch and bother to index. I HATE that, but now that I know what NOT to do, it is okay with me. I like the Dillon way of priming, but I prefer to use the APS strips from the RCBS Pro-2000 progressive. I do not have a pro-2000 because it is also expensive.

I was looking at the PRO-Chucker 5 and 7. I would rather have the 7 but the loadmaster so far has been doing a decent job.

The nice thing about the Loadmaster is that as with most progressives, you can mount a decent powder dropper on it and it will work fine. I am using a case activated Hornady LNL dropper on mine. I love it. I also am complaining about the brass feeder. I know that .070 gap is the ideal gap to have over the brass cases and the dropper, but sometimes, those cases still want to fall over and it is irritating and slows me down. But then again, to have a decent case feeder that comes with it and does not cost $400 is a HUGE plus. I think though that I do want to make a brass case feeder because THAT would be tops... For the price, if you get the Loadmaster, it is hard to beat, but certainly get a few extra PAWLs and maybe an extra indexing rod already setup from the factory AND DO NOT **** WITH THEM!
PAWLS only cost about $3.00 each and keep your shell plate from backing up. Once it starts to go, you have to either get a new pawl or bend yours at the tip. That is another thing I hate. I WISH the PAWL only functioned as a shell ejector and not a lock for the indexing. I think a secondary lock for indexing should be implemented underneath the shell plate. THAT woulb make the Loadmaster nearly bulletproof. Once you get that and the priming taken care of, most all issues will be solved.

Stilly,
Mike over at Mike's Reloading bench has a fix for the thin piece of sheet metal (pawl?) over the shell plate. Its not mentioned on his website but was included in the directions when I bought his upgraded turret plate. It involves using a small center punch and punching 4 shallow "peens" into the plate around the square hole. It then positions the pawl so that it can't counter rotate, messing up the indexing. I'll pull mine off later today and post a picture for you.

[bigbossman]

I been looking at the lee pro 1000 but the only draw back it has 3 station
I do like to taper crimp for semi-auto pistols
..........

I have 2 Lee 1000's in production, one since the mid 1990's. Probably close to 100k rounds of 45acp loaded on that one. 1st station sizes and de-primes, 2nd station primes/drops powder/flares the case mouth, and the 3rd station seats AND taper crimps the bullet. Works great, especially withe the Lee 3-die pistol die sets.

The 1st press is dedicated to 45acp because I shoot so much of it. The 2nd press is set up for "everything else".... 44mag, 9mm, 32-20, and whatever else I am playing with at the time.

They are good, inexpensive presses. set them up right, keep them clean, and they run and run and run. I can easily load 400+ rounds an hour on mine.

With the 3 station Pro1000 you're really asking for too much multitasking.

See above - it really isn't a problem.

If I had no choice except to go with the Pro1000, I would get 2 turrets for each caliber I was loading for and break their reloading into 2 processes...1) Processing cases (deprime, resize, prime, expand) and 2) Loading them (charge, seat, crimp)

I do not understand why you would do that? Seems awfully time consuming and inefficient, when the press is designed to do all that in three stages.

The only caveat is this - the Lee 1000 should be considered as a pistol press only. Sure - you can load some smaller rifle rounds on it, but that is more of a pain in the *** than it is worth.

[BAWunder]

When I got into reloading in the 90s all I could afford was a Pro1000. Always worked very well. Earlier this year I got back into reloading. These days I'm lucky enough to be able to afford any press. Almost went Dillion but based on my prior experience I just couldn't justify the added expense and picked up another Pro1000. The only thing I gave up was not being able to sit at the cool kids table because my press isn't blue.

[bigbossman]

When I got into reloading in the 90s all I could afford was a Pro1000. Always worked very well. Earlier this year I got back into reloading. These days I'm lucky enough to be able to afford any press. Almost went Dillion but based on my prior experience I just couldn't justify the added expense and picked up another Pro1000. The only thing I gave up was not being able to sit at the cool kids table because my press isn't blue.

One of the things I like about the Lee Pro 1000 is that it is auto-indexing. A lot of folks don't seem to think that's a plus, but it sure is a handy feature as far as I'm concerned.

[Divernhunter]

BAWunder---You are welcome at the cool blue table. A X-mas gift to you from us(me)

[jimmythebrain]

I used to have two Lee Pro-1000's, then I switched to the Lee Loadmaster hoping to get more stations. Could never get the Loadmaster to index reliably and set primers reliably at the same time. Spent a ton of time messing with it, buying spare parts, etc, Then ditched it and bought a Hornady LNL progressive press. These too have issues with AOL as some leave the factory with a shell carrier plate the wobbles. It does prime better though.
If I recall correctly the Lee Pro-1000 has die carrier plate that is removable. The easiest, cheapest solution for you would be to load your ammo with a light crimp (with the seating die) on no crimp on the initial pass, then collect these in a bin. Run the entire batch through the first pass, Then switch plates to one with a factory crimp die and run these loaded, not fully crimped cartridges through a second pass. The crimp process would be "load a round, pull the handle, load a round, pull the handle, etc." The shells will droop out on their own secondary to auto index feature and the crimp be consistent.
If you go single stage press for the crimp you have to load, pull the handle, and unload, then load, pull the handle and unload...etc. This adds more steps. Single stage presses do not dump out the finished shell/cartridge on their own.
With the die carrier plate this system will work. What does a die carrier plate cost? $11 or something
In hindsight I would have been better for me to do this then invest all the TIME and money I have/had in the Lee Loadmaster (now sold) and my Lock-N-Load press. OR perhaps I should have just step all the way up into a 550 or 650 Dillon press after the Lee Pro 1000.
Mileage may very though. This is just my perspective having already traveled that path.
Merry Christmas

[Rez805]

I started with a Lee Turret Press and moved to a Pro 1000. Then I went back to the Turret. Then the 1000. Then I did this weird thing where I would size and re-prime on the turret then finish (powder+seat+crimp) on the 1000.

My main complaint on the Pro 1000 was priming when you are low on primers (i.e., no primers in the tray and about 50% left in the feed chute). A paperclip fixed that problem. Basically, you do the work that gravity is supposed to do by pushing the next primer into position.

I also found that my loads would sometimes spill powder as they advance to the 3rd station. I've since lightened my loads and that took care of it--Caution: Reducing the load simply for increased output and fewer "headaches" might not be the solution for you. Most people recommend keeping a can of compressed air nearby and cleaning each station after 100 rounds or so. That should clear out any spilled powder. Fortunately, 100 rounds actually times well with the case feeder tubes if you load 9mm.

You also have to account for the less-than-ideal spent primer disposal. Definitely not as convenient as the Turret Press. I ended up drilling a hole in the stand that I mounted the press on. There's an OEM distributor who sells a 3D printed chute that plugs the bottom of the Pro 1000 and allows you to connect to the spent primer tube that comes with the turret press. I botched the hole, so I found a funnel that would fit over the hole. Now the spent primers end up in a bucket with a lid as opposed to the floor.

Speaking of priming, I found that the feel of priming on a Pro 1000 takes a little getting used to.

Now I just do everything on the Pro 1000 and I don't bother crimping 9mm. I still get the weird "ultra-light-strike" on each primer due to a small nipple on the priming rod. No kabooms, just really weird to look at. Admittedly, it's still not 100% but it beats the heck out of picking up a primer that doesn't quite make it into the Turret Press priming arm. I might get a crushed primer once per session but that is often due to crimped brass--not the priming mechanism. I usually load for an hour. I'm going at about a 350-400 round per hour rate if everything is smooth. Most of my press stoppages occur because a 38 super comp brass sometimes ends up in the pile of range brass--darn those open guns! That ends up jamming the casefeeder because I have it set for 9mm height brass. I haven't tried the bullet feeder so I can't comment on that.

I don't crimp any of my 9mm and they all do just fine at the range (plinking, USPSA, IDPA, Steel Challenge, etc.). None of my malfunctions appear to be the product of bullet setback.

Once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to tell when something goes wrong. The worst for me was the 9x18 Makarov that ended up in the collected brass pile. I noticed that the seating station felt funky on that one. I checked it out and ended up doing a hard check on all of my brass and completed rounds.

[Cowboy T]

I use two Lee Pro 1000's, one for small primers, and one for large primers. As long as you clean that primer system every, say, 4,000 rounds (takes about 30 minutes), it works great. I routinely churn out 375 rounds of .38 Special every 60 minutes with the small primer Pro 1000. I will do 300 rounds of .45 Colt every 60 minutes with the large primer one.

If you should go Pro 1000, consider watching my videos on this model of press (link is in my sig). They were created specifically because Lee's instructions, well, leave something to be desired. :-) But they're good presses that produce lots of high quality ammo in a short period.

BTW, I also have a Classic Turret Press, which is a terrific do-it-all press. If I could have only one press, that would be it. But since we can have more than one, I keep the Classic Turret Press for rifle rounds and my ".45 Colt Magnum" loading.