Done with Progressive reloading

[gsc3zny]

Has anyone else ever dropped down to single stage from progressive? I bought a Lee Pro 1000 with all the goodies-bullet feeder, multi tube assemblies, shellplates, etc but just could never get it to work right. I bought a single stage Lee press and really enjoy it. Yes, I cannot produce hundreds of rounds in an hour, but it is more relaxing producing 50 or so than it is having to stop every few minutes to make some adjustment on the progressive.

[Pauliedad]

Really interesting problem.
I started with a dillon 650 and love it for mass production. What I'm not crazy about it for is smaller work ups.
I got close to the lee 1000 and was dissuaded by exactly your experience. If you're having fun then all is well. If you are looking to get back into high volume then look into a dillon. Yes, it has a learning curve but any and all challenges I've had were opperator error. The beast is a finly tuned machine and my only problem is finding more time to shoot so I can make more ammo.
Good times.

[at_liberty]

Has anyone else ever dropped down to single stage from progressive? I bought a Lee Pro 1000 with all the goodies-bullet feeder, multi tube assemblies, shellplates, etc but just could never get it to work right. I bought a single stage Lee press and really enjoy it. Yes, I cannot produce hundreds of rounds in an hour, but it is more relaxing producing 50 or so than it is having to stop every few minutes to make some adjustment on the progressive.

Whatever works for you. No need to seek validation.

[stilly]

And yete ANOTHER guy *****ing about a Lee Pro 1000.

Why did you get the pro 1000 instead of the Load Master?

That Load Master looks badass and I have rarely heard ANYONE talk smack about it...

[John Browning]

I sold my Hornady Lock-N-Load AP to go back to my Rockchucker. I am now going to be buying a Hornady Lock-N-Load AP because for bulk ammo, single stage presses suck.

Match ammo - single stage rocks
If you shoot less than a few thousand rounds a year - single stage rocks
If you need to load 250 rounds of .45 for a shooting trip in a few days - single state BLOWS

[damndave]

I use a Dillon XL650 and Hornady Single Stage. Best of both worlds. Haven't had to make any adjustments on the Dillon since initial setup.

[XDRoX]

Lee Pro 1000's are finicky at best. If you want to speed up your process without having to stop every couple minutes and fix the press try Dillon or Hornady.

I can walk into my garage and load 500 rounds in an hour without a hiccup. I agree stopping to adjust the press isn't fun. But it doesn't have to be that way. And with enough tinkering you good probably get the Pro 1000 to work pretty well.

[Jakywaky]

I have the lee classic turret and enjoy every reloading session.

[mjmagee67]

I have the lee classic turret and enjoy every reloading session.

^The Classic Turret is pure genius. Best bang for the buck.

[BajaJames83]

I use a 550B for small quantities and my 1050 for larger quantities.

[CGT80]

My grandfather has a lee pro 1000. He has some loads that came out almost as squibs and others are barrel burners, I assume from the same settings on the press. I didn't watch him load them. I did however try to make his press run and gave up after a while. At least my single stage is accurate and reliable, a Hollywood Universal 3 turret press.

I was happy to upgrade to my dillon 550. It is very nice but was bought used and I think it is ready for a rebuild.

My dream machine is a dillon 1050 and bullet feeder. My brother stopped by this morning and loaded up 300 rounds of 9mm in less than 30 minutes and that includes readjusting the dies and powder thrower. When all set, 300 rounds is a 10-15 minute job depending on how fast you crank it. Unfortunately it only does 9mm at the moment.

I can't even keep up with my reloading with the 550 (I am sometimes too lazy to do the work). I would hate to go back to single stage. I just cleaned up my hollywood press and gave it a paint job. It gets very little use, but I still love it, so it awaits for the odd ball job where a single stage may benefit.

If I had the lee pro 1000, I would be wanting to give it up for a single stage, so I don't blame anyone in that boat. I have heard they can run well, if you know all the little tricks to tune them.

[gsc3zny]

And yete ANOTHER guy *****ing about a Lee Pro 1000.

Why did you get the pro 1000 instead of the Load Master?

That Load Master looks badass and I have rarely heard ANYONE talk smack about it...

Please read my post again. Nowhere did I say Lee Pro is a POS. I said I could never get it to work right. In fact I have the small Lee single stage and love it.

[XDRoX]

Please read my post again. Nowhere did I say Lee Pro is a POS. I said I could never get it to work right. In fact I have the small Lee single stage and love it.

A press that doesn't work is probably a POS in his opinion. Nobody would argue that Lee makes crap. As stated above their turrets are awesome and of course any brand single stage works fine. But there have been more complaints regarding the Pro 1000 on these forums than any other press.

[noylj]

Lee does not make c--p. They do make some presses that are a tinkerer's delight.
The "problem" is that so many only know their press and have convinced themselves that they are smarter than everyone else.
Progressive for straightwall cases when you need more than an occasional 100 rounds.
Single stage for bottleneck cases when no more than a couple hundred rounds are needed.
All progressive presses have a weak link--the priming system.

[gsc3zny]

Lee does not make c--p. They do make some presses that are a tinkerer's delight.
The "problem" is that so many only know their press and have convinced themselves that they are smarter than everyone else.
Progressive for straightwall cases when you need more than an occasional 100 rounds.
Single stage for bottleneck cases when no more than a couple hundred rounds are needed.
All progressive presses have a weak link--the priming system.

The priming system was my biggest complaint