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**mif_slim** · 01-12-2010, 8:49 AM

"Get a dillion"

haha, you'll get one of those soon enough.

Anyways, its a good product. But have you thought about single stage first? And how much are you planning to shoot?

**pisarski** · 01-12-2010, 10:42 AM

the lee pro 1000 works ok you just need to keep the primer feed clean and it will work fine

**gamma105** · 01-12-2010, 10:43 AM

Originally posted by mif_slim

"Get a dillion"

haha, you'll get one of those soon enough.

Anyways, its a good product. But have you thought about single stage first? And how much are you planning to shoot?

lol I thought about a dillon 650, but the price is over my current budget. I don't want to buy a single stage for now, and buy a progressive later, I'd rather save the $ from the single stage and use it on the progressive. I dont know how much I plan to shoot.

**mif_slim** · 01-12-2010, 10:59 AM

Only reason I asked about the single stage is that you can do a bunch more with it then a progressive. When you want to shoot precesion shooting (.223) then its better to load with a single stage then the progressive. Also if your shooting 100-500 rounds per month, a progressive might not be needed.

But, looking at what your going to be loading, I think you might be okay with a progressive, just that with a single stage you'll learn the hoops before jumping into something with more stages happening all at once. If you want, you can learn with the Lee Hand Press. That thing is only 20 something bucks. It'll teach you each stage at a time, then once your good at it, jump to the progressive to crank out dem ammo.

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**scrappy** · 01-12-2010, 11:15 AM

You mentioned buying the Lee 4 die sets... the 1000 is only a three hole turret.
Many guys don't like to seat and crimp at the same step, the way the 1000 is normally set up.

There are a bunch of Lee fanboys at this site:

http://forums.loadmastervideos.com/forums/index.php

Those guys steer people away from the 1000 and say if you want a low cost progressive, you're much better off to spend the extra $50 to get a Loadmaster. It seems that a LM can be a good bang for the buck if you don't mind tinkering with it to get it to work right. These guys at the loadmastervideos site have lots of tips/tweaks for making the LM run well and making their LM run smoothly seems to be a hobby in itself. Those who've tried the bullet feeder, say it was more trouble than it was worth.

I know guys with Dillon, Hornady and RCBS progressives, and they all have good reasons for why their press is THE WAY TO GO.

Personally, I decided to start by reloading only one caliber on a Lee Anniversary kit, to learn what I'm doing for a few months while saving up some money and deciding which progressive setup will be right for me.
That got me started for about $130 including dies. It has taught me a ton and my mistakes have been small ones. Loading with the SS isn't horrible...unless I'm working up a new load, I can make a batch of 100 rounds in less than an hour, without rushing. Even when I get a progressive, I'm sure I will continue to use the single stage for making small batches to test new bullets or powder.

**Bug Splat** · 01-12-2010, 11:49 AM

I bought a single stage as a starter and never left. I like the control and accuracy a single stage gives me. Its the only way I can assure my rounds are loaded correctly and safely. Also I get to put some real love into each round. Almost all my friends have Dillion's and while they work well I don't like all the things going on at the same time. For me its too busy and I feel like I'm driving at night with the lights off. I've watched my friends (and even me) run into stupid mistake after stupid mistake with progressives. Not the machines fault, its a lot to take in and watch and that is why most people don't recommend them for beginners.

I'm going to be getting a turret press next month. Faster than a single stage yet it lets me put the same love into each round.

**g17owner** · 01-12-2010, 4:00 PM

Originally posted by Bug Splat

I bought a single stage as a starter and never left. I like the control and accuracy a single stage gives me. Its the only way I can assure my rounds are loaded correctly and safely. Also I get to put some real love into each round. Almost all my friends have Dillion's and while they work well I don't like all the things going on at the same time. For me its too busy and I feel like I'm driving at night with the lights off. I've watched my friends (and even me) run into stupid mistake after stupid mistake with progressives. Not the machines fault, its a lot to take in and watch and that is why most people don't recommend them for beginners.

I'm going to be getting a turret press next month. Faster than a single stage yet it lets me put the same love into each round.

May i suggest the LEE classic cast press. works well, is well made and can be run in either single stage, with 3 or 4 dies and is much faster than a S.S.

**Fyathyrio** · 01-12-2010, 7:03 PM

This comparison helped me decide on the Hornady LNL progressive. Seems to be pretty unbiased and calls a spade a spade. Written by an experienced reloader who picks apart pretty much every detail side by side.

**uscbigdawg** · 01-12-2010, 7:09 PM

Nothing wrong with a Pro-1000 for any kind of reloading. On the whole Lee vs. Dillon, to me, it just comes down to the volume and type of ammo.

Oh...and for those that say you HAVE to have a single stage to load precision ammo, that's a crock. That guy David Tubb...he's kind of a good rifle shooter...he loads his ammo on a Dillon XL650. Oh...John Whidden...another "decent" rifle shooter does too.

Rich

ETA: NRA Instructor in Reloading and have reloaded well over 200k rounds in the last 13 years, including a 4 year break from competitive/personal shooting while in the Army.

**primers** · 01-12-2010, 7:31 PM

I hope this isnt against the rules...I have one for sale in the non fire arms stuff for sale...yes i know i screwed up and posted it in the wrong place...Sorry...

**jimmythebrain** · 01-12-2010, 7:49 PM

Do not get a LEE Pro1000!

They flex quite a bit and cause a lot of variability in COL. Also, the priming system is not very good. I had one, then sold it. Now I have a LEE Loadmaster but it is a pain to get set to run smoothly. Switching calibers is quite time consuming. The Loadmaster does load good quality ammunition when it is done but needs a lot of TLC.

I thought about getting a Hornady L-N-L press but the final die position cannot accept a taper crimp/final sizing die properly because a bar prevents the die from being run down all the way to the shell carrier. Otherwise it looks like a good press.

If I were to start over buying loading equipment, I would just jump in and buy a Dillon. I do not have one now because I have too much $$ invested in my LEE spare parts and have finally figured out how to get the Loadmaster to run properly (after 2 years of trial and effort).

If you buy quality (Hornady or Dillon) then you only pay once. If you save a little now on a LEE then you will pay the difference many times over in time, parts and frustration.

Credit should be given to the LEE press makers for making a usable product for low cost. However, their progressive presses look like some tinkerer came up with a system that "works" instead of a press that looks "designed".

Any system you buy will work. I just wish I had bought a Dillon.

**gamma105** · 01-12-2010, 8:20 PM

thanks for all of your input everyone! that dillon vs lee vs hornady article was very interesting! it actually answered quite a few questions I had in mind

so thanks for that link! now I gotta calculate the Hornady LNL AP to see how much more it would be

thanks again everyone!

**Fyathyrio** · 01-12-2010, 8:26 PM

Originally posted by jimmythebrain

I thought about getting a Hornady L-N-L press but the final die position cannot accept a taper crimp/final sizing die properly because a bar prevents the die from being run down all the way to the shell carrier. Otherwise it looks like a good press.

Huh?!?

I crimp on the 5th stage since I have a powder monitor on the 4th, no bar prevents the die from going where I want it to go. They've revamped the bar that used to eject the shell with a little button on the base plate.

**ar15barrels** · 01-12-2010, 9:00 PM

Read the reviews on midway.
Read them all, don't just look at the star rating.
Midway sorts the reviews by star rating so be sure to read both the good and the bad.
Read what people are really saying because even many of the high ratings talk about problems and how they fixed them.
There's lots of good info here if you really read it:

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http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=428284

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http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=363062

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http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=347040