lee pro 1000 help

[beex215]

i currently own a single stage press and looking into upgrading to the lee pro. i already have 9mm,45acp dies. im thinking i should buy the 223 or the 40sw pro 1000 kit as dont own those dies and will end up using them. im thinking the 40sw shell plate would take a 9mm and they both are small primers. so that should work right? also if i did buy the 223 version and wanted to load 45acp. i know the 45 will need a larger plate but what would i do about the priming as it goes from small to large here?


how do i go about switching calibers in general?

ps- i would like to load 308 also. i would have to put it in single stage mode as it cannot work in progressive mode. is that correct?

[geargnasher]

Can't load .308 on a Pro1000 as far as I can determine but the others are fine. My advice would be to get one in a caliber you don't already have dies for like you say (.40 would be a good choice), and purchase an entire, loaded shellplate carrier ($37 each IIRC) for each additional caliber you want to load which requires a different shellplate. These carriers will come pre-loaded with the right size primer chute and punch, so you will accumulate duplicates of these parts as you buy additional assemblies for caliber changes. Buying shellplates by themselves is cheaper, but a lot more troublesome to do caliber swaps.

The press comes with both small and large primer chutes and seater punches/springs, so you would technically only need to purchase additional three-hole die plates (turrets) and shellplates and just swap the shellholders out. HOWEVER, in order to change the shellplate or primer punch/chute, you have to remove the shellplate carrier from the ram, take it apart, and swap the shellplate, then put it all back together and adjust it. After you do this two or three times you will probably get tired of the routine and just get a complete carrier assembly for each caliber that needs a different shellholder, or better yet, an additional complete press.

Obviously some calibers can use the same shellplate and carrier, so that simplifies things.

Personally, I have four of them, one for .38/.357 (just swap pre-loaded and adjusted turret heads), .44mag/.45 Colt (swap turret heads), .45 ACP (dedicated unit) and an additional one that goes between .40, 9mm, and .223 (swap complete and assembled shellplate carriers/turrets as necessary).

Don't forget to buy the case collator, it doesn't come with the press and is one of the most important things to have, it collates the brass and feeds the tubes in just seconds with a few gentle shakes. Also, get at least three additional three-hole die plates (turret heads, whatever you want to call them), as they will be needed for your other dies eventually.

Hope this answers some of your questions,

Gear

[beex215]

that was very detailed. now i just have to decide if i should get it. being unable to load 308 is kinda of a problem.

[evan price]

I have a Pro-1000 for my pistols and short rifle (30 carbine, 223 and 7.62x39). The caliber conversion is going to be a turret plate with the dies, and a shell plate, plus the right size primer punch and chute, and the correct case feeder, case pusher and Z-bar. You can do it with one shellplate carrier, but what I do is I have a specific shellplate carrier for each of the calibers I load- 9mm/40, 38/357, 45 auto/x39, 223/32, and 44 mag/45 colt. I swap the entire carrier when I change calibers. I still have a couple plates loose for oddballs like 30 carbine. I can also use my Pro-1000 turrets on my Lee 3-hole turret press, which is nice if I want to load some experimental stuff on the turret.

For rifle brass it is still better to have a turret or single stage, imho, because I want to deprime, swage, lube, resize, check length, trim, chamfer and deburr and re-tumble before I load and all that gets done on my turret.


Lee case feeder options:

Small case feeder
Large case feeder
Rifle case feeder

Small case pusher
Large case pusher

Straight Z-bar
Bent Z-bar

You will need all of those parts to be able to load almost anything on the Pro-1K.

9mm needs small feeder & pusher and straight Z-bar.
40 S&W needs large feeder, small pusher and straight Z-bar.
45 Auto needs large feeder, large pusher, and bent Z-bar.

They also have a kit that includes large and small primer chutes & pins and springs and another primer tray in a plastic box for about $10.


I advise getting the case collator funnel with the press. WORTH the money.

[sparky45]

This guy totally takes apart and cleans and assembles the Lee Pro 1000. Good presentation and good vid.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzaPXj4g8D0&feature=related

[mpmarty]

Had one once. Gave it away and bought a Dillon 550B. Best thing ever. No problems and instant support over the phone or by email. Loads any and all my calibers including 45/70, 7.5X55, 308, 9mm. 10mm and 45acp.

[41 mag fan]

Had one myself for the 223. I fiddled and fiddled with it, finally sent it back to Lee where I'd bought it from.

[geargnasher]

that was very detailed. now i just have to decide if i should get it. being unable to load 308 is kinda of a problem.

Like the last two posters, many people dislike the Lee progressives. I own four of them, plus two turret presses, and the only thing I can say is if you aren't mechanically inclined, or have the expectation that you're going to pay $150 and get Dillon quality, you might be disappointed in the inexpensive Lee progressives. Me, I have reasons for not owning a Dillon or a HornadyLNL. My purpose is not to start another Lee vs. Dillon argument like so often happens, but to try to give you a little perspective. I didn't follow the link someone gave above, but CowboyT (member here) has made a bunch of videos (sanfransicoliberalwithagun dot com) about using Lee products, you can watch and make up your own mind. That's what I did, and his videos helped me decide between the Pro1000 and Loadmaster when I was looking to buy my first progressive.

Don't overlook the Classic Turret 4-hole press, it will load anything you have, is 100% trouble-free, caliber changes (including primers and powder) are an absolute snap, and I challenge anyone to find a better designed, better functioning turret at ANY price. Just make sure it's a CLASSIC turret with the primer catch tube mounted to the bottom of the ram, not the regular 4-hole turret which is still decent, but not nearly as good.

Gear

[220swiftfn]

For what they are, I don't think anyone can complain about Lee's products (they're inexpensive and relatively good). Being so makes them just about perfect for beginning or light to moderate reloaders. I still have mine (old Challenger and a Pro 1000) that I have set up as dedicated decappers. Just so there aren't any misconceptions, I loaded enough on the Pro to wear down the primer chute, and the only issue I had with the Challenger was ram wiggle (not a lot, but enough...)


Dan

[beex215]

i do watch san fran liberals videos from time to time. i think i decided not to get a pro 1000 due to the 308 issue. the 4 hole turret is no different than the classic other than the metal involved. aluminum vs iron. the 4 hole is about 15$ cheaper. is the classic really that much better?

[geargnasher]

Yes, the Classic is in a whole different unit, except for the top frame. The regular turret "sort of, sometimes" catches primers through chutes cast in the base on either side of the ram, which causes four problems: Spent primers and residue all over the floor, primer residue gunking up the ram itself and wearing out the ram support in the base, gunking up the primer arm and making it stick and pop out when you lower the ram, and you have to de-mount the press or drill a "drain" hole under it to clean out the primers when the cavity under the press is full.

The regular turret has a small ram, which is ok, but not nearly as slick as the Classic verson. The classic version is also much more rigid, has a longer, nicer-looking, and fully adjustable arm (adjustable for length, offset, index, and can mount on either side.)

Trust me, the Classic Turret is WELL worth the few extra bucks.

Gear

[DLCTEX]

The regular 4 hole turret will not reload 308 either. It is the same frame as the 3 hole.

[geargnasher]

The regular 4 hole turret will not reload 308 either. It is the same frame as the 3 hole.

I never tried anything longer than .30-30 on the regular one, but it seemed to me that longer calibers could be loaded no problem if you disabled the auto-index feature, am I wrong about this? (I converted my only four-hole to a three-hole to use with generic or random dies for various single operations like decapping or charging so I can't check right now).

It is quite possible to load .30-30 on the regular turret with the auto-index, but seater die modifications are necessary for 150-grain and longer boolits.

Gear

[beex215]

it says it can load 50 bmg if you manual index it. also im not sure what comes with the classic turret. the description doesnt really say. does it come with a small and large primer holder?

[fryboy]

the 300 h&h can be loaded on the regular old 3 hole turret ( sans auto indexer of course ) true i had to insert the bullet nose first into the seating die but it's doable leaving me to wonder why if the 30-06 family is even shorter that one couldnt load the 308 ? the pro-1000 is the short one and as mentioned the classic turret has plenty of room , this is the update kit from lee to convert 3 holers to 4 using the same height of columns ( tho i bet a industrious fellow could make longer ones )
http://leeprecision.com/xcart/4-HOLE-UPDATE-KIT-W-AI.html
shame they dont make a similar kit to turn a 4 holer into a 3

ETA yes both a small and a large but the auto prime part is an option

[beex215]

i think that settles it. im gonna upgrade to the classic turret.

man. need more help. the primer bracket i thought didnt come with the system but i read a midway comment saying it does. anyone can confirm that? i was going to add one to my cart til i saw that. dont want to end up with 2. im sure it doesnt come with bushings does it? it does come with a 4 hole turret head right? i dont want to be surprised when i get it.

holy heck. it doesnt even use bushings. i was going to add that to my cart too.

[fryboy]

yes it comes with 1 - 4 hole turret , as for primer bracket ....
http://www.midwayusa.com/Product/467641/lee-primer-feeder-bracket-for-turret-presses
that piece came with my classic cast , what doesnt come with it is this
http://www.midwayusa.com/Product/548630/lee-safety-prime-small-and-large-primer-feeder-for-2006-later-reloading-press
many of us , except those using progressive presses, prime off the press ( myself i really love the old style auto prime )
sometimes it pays to shop around as sometimes different companies have sales/different prices but please consider the price shipped vs. just the product alone , there was a site a couple years ago that had crazy low prices yet sketchy practices and questionable ethics , one place i have seen good prices on lee at is natchez and from time to time mid-south shooting supplies or graf's have deals/sales etc , g'luck amigo

[geargnasher]

Personally, I'd go ahead and get the Safety Prime kit (the one with BOTH large and small primer trays/chutes/dispensers). It comes with the plastic brackets to mount to either type of top plate on the press, plus the press will come with the right bracket too for this. The press only comes with the primer seaters for large and small, not the Safety-Prime feeder.

Also, you might want to go ahead and get the PRO version of the Autodisk powder measure, a double-disk kit, and the "riser" for the Autodisk measure. You won't be disappointed with this powder measure, either, it's one of the best IMO.

Between the Safety-Prime kit and the Autodisk and it's accessories, you'll be nearly as productive as a progressive and much safer/simpler/more reliable with primers and powder handling/dispensing.

Gear

[Recluse]

Question: Just how much .308 are you planning to load and shoot?

You mention you're already loading on a single-stage, so your ability to load .308 is not hampered at all.

Personally, I've never loaded anything over a .223 on a progressive and never will. A) I don't shoot hundreds of rifle rounds per outing, B) the more exacting specs involved dictate that I want to load on the single stage presses in order to assure better QC, and C) a squib or double-charge is bad enough in a handgun, but can be fatal in a long gun, thus the added insurance of doing everything on a single-stage.

Your questions lead me to believe you're fairly new to reloading, and a natural inclination for new reloaders is to graduate to a progressive as soon (and often, as cheaply) as possible, and also to reload everything in their inventory on a progressive.

Rifle rounds are meant for longer-range distances and as such, the precise loading of them for optimum consistency and accuracy is far more demanding.

For me, when absolute accuracy counts (hunting, self-defense, match loads), those rounds are, without fail, always loaded on a single-stage press.

:coffee:

[mpmarty]

au contrair I have three single stage Rock Chuckers and a LEE "C" press as well as my Dillon 550B. I find the Dillon to be as accurate in dispensing charges as I am weighing each charge from a measure. I sample during loading and find less than 1/10 gr deviation from desired weight with the dillon dispensing ball powders. I do keep hopper over half full at all times.

[beex215]

i am quite new to reloading. the thing is i went half/half with a friend to buy all the reloading parts. that was the single stage press. since i used up all my components and its his turn, ill be out of a press. thats why i wanted to buy my own. ive loaded 3500 rounds in about 3 months on the press. it takes hours to do a few hundreds.

i shoot about 150 rounds of 308 everytime i go to the range. its not long distance but heck i dont care. its a pistol range. accuracy is fine at short range. i still need to find an open out door range.

i decided on just getting the pro 1000 after much debate back and fourth from all the info gather here and there. i bought the 40sw version along with a 6 cavity mold, the collater, 8lbs promo, 1lb blue dot, 10k small primers, 2k large primers. ill just load my 308 when i get the single stage in hand.


THANKS FOR THE ADVICE

[geargnasher]

The decision is yours to make, but with the additional info you've given about your situation I would strongly recommend against the Pro1000 at this time. It's a real pain to change calibers back and forth, and even more of a pain to do load development on one. At least plan on getting another single-stage if you get the progressive so you can work up loads. If you already have "keeper" loads dialed-in for every gun you own and are happy with just reproducing them, you can "tool up" and crank out several hundred or thousand of each at a time to minimize your setup hassles.

My recommendation would definitely be for the turret press, it can be used as a single stage with no disadvantage whatsoever, since the turret head design stays perfectly in-line with the ram under load (unlike any other turret I know of which have their heads supported in the center rather on the edges). As a self-indexing turret, you can crank out quality ammo one completed round at a time just as precisely as batch loading on a single stage, and like I said before, caliber, primer, and powder changes are MUCH easier on the turret. I think the turret will suit your needs and skill level far better than a progressive at this point.

Gear

[whisler]

I don't have lots of experience reloading (a few years) but I love my Lee classic turret press. Agree with everything Gear said about it, especially the PRO auto disk and the riser addition. I initially bought the auto-disk and quickly upgraded to the PRO. Much easier to use.

[Recluse]

i shoot about 150 rounds of 308 everytime i go to the range.

Your shoulder is a lot tougher than mine. :) Probably a lot younger than my shoulder, too. :wink:

Agree with my fellow Texan--take a hard look at the Lee Classic Turret. I'm putting that one on my Christmas-to-myself list this year.

It's stout as hell, can be used single stage or with auto-indexing, changing calibers is a complete non-event (quite unlike changing calibers on the Lee Pro1000--of which I own one and have cranked out over 100,000 rounds on), and for a relatively new reloader, it's also a helluva lot safer than the Pro1000 because you can see what's going on with the one round every time you pull the handle.

Couple of things to consider:

1. Don't believe nor buy the hype Lee puts out about hundreds and hundreds of bullets an hour with the Pro1000. The only way that happens is when the press is working flawlessly, and that's something I've only RARELY seen in over twenty-three years of reloading with mine.

You'll have two issues with the Pro1000 that will drive a beginning/new reloader to pull his hair out. One is when, not if, it gets out of sync on the indexing. The adjustment screw indexing system on the Pro1000 is THE crappiest, cheapest, sorriest excuse for engineering I have ever seen, bar none. The second issue will be with the priming system.

Both issues will drastically reduce your production rate. If you do like Geargnasher and buy a press for each caliber, you can tweak and adjust and calibrate and be okay. But the big problems with the Pro1000 come when you start changing calibers.

Trust me on this--I load three calibers on mine and I cuss a blue-streak every single time I change calibers and have to futz with the indexing and other adjustments.

2. The folks I know who have a Classic Turret tell me they easily average between 150 to 200 rounds per hour in handgun calibers.

I wasn't aware that the Classic Turret could or could not do longer cartridges. I know the Classic Cast (single stage) can load anything and I thought the ram travel on both of them was the same. Maybe not. . .

And finally, on occasion someone will ask me if I would ever buy another Pro1000 and my answer is always the same: "No way in hell."

I'll keep the one I've got running for as long as I can--I mainly do only .38 Special with it. But when it craters, it's gone.

:coffee:

[Moonie]

The regular 4 hole turret will not reload 308 either. It is the same frame as the 3 hole.

Wow, guess I will have to stop reloading 30-06 and 8x57 on mine, if it can't do 308 I'm sure I'm doing something wrong since I don't have issues with the longer ones I DO load on it.

I do realize you can't do 308 on the pro1000, that is why I have the larger Lee LoadMaster, and can load the 30-06 and 8x57 on it although I don't have the need for this kind of production on those 2 calibers.

[daschnoz]

I have a Pro 1000. It makes nice blasting ammo. I too tried 308 in it. FAIL! The shell holder for 308 and 45ACP are the same, so no $$ lost there.

Do yourself a favor - resize/decap your brass on your single stage then re-prime with a hand primer. The primer feed on the Pro 1000 is cr@p. You will shout far fewer 4 letter words if you prime as a separate operation.

Mine is setup as follows:
- stage 1, powder/flare case mouth
- stage 2, seat bullet
- stage 3, factory crimp

[rbertalotto]

I have 6 of the LEE 1000 presses set up in 45ACP, 38/357, 45LC, 44/44M, 40S&W and 9mm.

You MUST be mechanically inclined to own one. They require lots of "fiddl'n"

Having owned a Moto Guzzi or a Ferrari would help.

But once they are set up, and on a VERY rigid support, table, etc........and never lubricate with anything but silicone spray, they work fantastically.......

If they are on any type of shakey table.........fagetaboudit! They simply won't work well.

If you use oil.......it simply gums up the work with powder residue.........

Be sure to keep an eye on the primer tray. The weight of the primers in the primer tube is VERY important to feed primers properly.

But if you adhere to all of the above, they will turn out cartridges at lightning speed. I've loaded thousands of rounds without an issue.

And I used to buy them for $99 with the dies. (I believe they are still under $150)

Have fun....Be safe!

[beex215]

lets see how it measures up. ill know by tomorrow.

[geargnasher]

Since you already bought the Pro1000, re-read Rbertalotto's excellent post above, and please take these tips to heart too: Unpack it, bolt it securely to the bench, and start setting it up according to the instructions, but forget about the case feeder at first. Set up the dies exactly like they tell you to in the instructions, one at a time, beginning with the sizer die, get the shellplate timing adjusted, then set up the powder measure exactly like you want (especially the return chain tension, and remember that if you adjust the depth of the flare you must re-adjust the chain or you can break it), and insert a case and load through all the stations ONE CASE AT A TIME.

Check and recheck your powder charge and your loaded case for seating depth and crimp.

Be patient, this will take some time to get used to. Again, read and follow the instructions for setting each die up and the measure or you will get frustrated, unlike many Lee products the instructions for the Pro1000 are pretty good.

Keep your kinetic boolit puller and a handfull of scrap brass and reject "test" boolits handy for setting up flare, seat, and crimp adjustments.

Finally, once you get everything set up, and can insert a case, run it through all of the stations until it kicks out a finished, correctly loaded round, load a couple of boxes this way, running one all the way through. Then, add one shell and one boolit for every handle pull for full-progressive operation. Once you get the hang of that, and are CERTAIN that everything is set the way you want, THEN set up the case feeder. The case feeder is the most reliable part of the whole machine once you get it set up right, but it's best to learn about the rest of the machine and get that all working before adding the case feeder, since it gets in the way of and complicates the rest of the setup.

Don't let the primers get below the halfway point in the chute, they will stop gravity-feeding and jam the works if you don't. This is the only fault with the primer system that everyone loves to hate, other than spilled powder will get in the open top of the chute and eventually bind it up. It requires "head pressure" from the stack of primers above to keep a fresh primer fed onto the seating punch. Expect to have to tap the tray from time to time as the primers tend to bottleneck in it and jam. There's a pin on the back of the primer chute that rides on the back of the right rear column and hits the grooves cut in the column as the ram is cycled, but that often isn't enough agitation to prevent jams in the primer tray.

Oh, and get in the habit of FULLY cycling the ram to the top or the bottom each stroke, that's the most important thing to learn with this press, since if you short-stroke it at the bottom you wont' get a primer, and if you short-stroke it at the top you will get a squib. Beat this full-stroke thing into your head early on and you'll have fewer problems down the road, trust me!

You'll get the hang of it after a while, any progressive requires setup and a pretty steep learning curve if you're new to them.

Gear

[beex215]

holy heck the instructions are terrible. they dont even tell you how to set the press up. wow. i just had to stop and post that. ill figure it out.

[beex215]

i set it up and the primers will be stuck forever under the press. i elevated the press so i could access the bottom. this way i could poke out the spend primers. also the primer tray does indeed need to be full to operate full function. other then that, it neat so far.

[35remington]

I put a hole in the bench for primers falling beneath the press, which is permanently set up for 45 ACP. The hole needs to be reasonably large so primer stacking doesn't obscure the hole and lets them fall into a handy wastebasket set beneath the press.

Mine's been on the bench since 1987.

[geargnasher]

I take mine loose when the bases get full, it's time to tear them down for a good cleaning and lubing right about that time anyway.

Make sure the little steel pin that passes through the middle of the primer chute protrudes more on the right side than the left so it can get "bumped" by the grooves in the right rear column, this is the "primer agitator", and helps keep them flowing.

Gear