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View Full Version : Geargnasher Strikes Again!



geargnasher
07-07-2012, 02:24 AM
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_89094ff7d5477c26c.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=5807)..http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_89094ff7d6cc7c107.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=5808)..http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_89094ff895d8f2693.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=5821)..

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_89094ff8960b8217b.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=5822)..http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_89094ff8962fd6c3d.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=5823)

BWHAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!

Gear

tomme boy
07-07-2012, 02:54 AM
Do you have the case collator for filling the tubes? Man, I got one a few months ago. I don't know how I got along without it for the 7 years I have been loading 45acp.

geargnasher
07-07-2012, 03:26 AM
Yes, I have several collators. But take a closer look.

Gear

MikeS
07-07-2012, 03:45 AM
What are we supposed to be looking for? Is it the priming system? or the 3 hole turret? Or is that basically Lee's progressive setup assembled onto a classic cast frame, rather than the original style aluminum frame they usually come with?

btroj
07-07-2012, 07:30 AM
Yes he has. Once again Geargnasher has totally confused the rest of us with a photo.

Well done. Congrats. Bravo.

Now what the heck are we supposed to be looking at? The suspense is killing me.

BCall
07-07-2012, 07:33 AM
Somehow he has converted a classic cast turret press into a pro 1000 progressive. You can see the cast base instead of the regular pot metal one.

Jack Stanley
07-07-2012, 07:45 AM
Nahhh that ain't it Bill ..... it's the collection of coffee cans on the shelf :wink:



( I wouldn't know the details of one LEE press from another )[smilie=1:

Jack

fryboy
07-07-2012, 08:00 AM
indeed ...i caught what it was right off the bat and i figure you been tinkering with it and only posted it when it was working , i'm guessing a custom made ram head ( in replacement ? ) to hold the carrier ? while i have toyed with attaching the regular old 3 hole turret to the top of my classic cast turret ( i mostly have 3 die set ups anyway and the 4th hole is a waste with those )
even when properly lubed i've always thought of the older base as the weak link , if i was a machinist i'd of put bearings/bushings in one but the cast iron wears so much better , well done amigo ( erm looks nice !! )

44man
07-07-2012, 08:35 AM
Gear has a hole in the ceiling and has to upstairs to fill the tube! :drinks:

btroj
07-07-2012, 09:29 AM
Ok. Now I can see it? I don't own eitherofthose Lee presses so I had no frame of reference.

I prefer some of the other answers anyway.

462
07-07-2012, 09:41 AM
I'm not familiar with any of Lee's turret or progressive presses, but will say that certainly appears to be a rather well thought out and executed modification.

Danderdude
07-07-2012, 10:19 AM
Holy hell.

How'd you affix the carrier to the ram? Or did you swap out the entire ram?

Also, where do your spent primers end up going?

Jailer
07-07-2012, 10:45 AM
If it were a 4 station it would be perfect.

Nice work gear

felix
07-07-2012, 11:36 AM
Nah, you never have enough stations. ... felix

milprileb
07-07-2012, 12:24 PM
Okay, great work.

What did you do, why did you do it and what is this all about.

Jailer
07-07-2012, 01:19 PM
I'm interested in the why as well. Was there something lacking with the pro 1000 that adapting to the classic cast base fixed?

bearcove
07-07-2012, 01:28 PM
No, He cleaned his shop thats all.

And its way to clean!

Bigslug
07-07-2012, 01:29 PM
A Lee Progressive 1000?

If you're showing one of those off, I can only assume you managed to exorcise Satan and his ten million soul-devouring demons from the primer feed system.

Dad bought one of those when I was in my teens, and we never could get the primer system to reliably work. We ended up running the cases through once to size and deprime, doing the priming on a hand tool, and running them through again to finish the load.

That press went away in favor of something larger and blue. It is NOT missed.

runfiverun
07-07-2012, 01:29 PM
i wore out a boot on one of those things.
but,,,,,,
i finally got it and part of the bench into the trash.

Blammer
07-07-2012, 01:37 PM
looks like a blurry picture to me. :)

Longwood
07-07-2012, 02:30 PM
:popcorn:
Bearcove,,, I agree,,, Mighty suspicious looking if you ask me.
You do know that there is a Mrs. Gearnasher.

Is that a grenade I see right behind the plastic powder measure.:shock:
Hard to tell with all of that "Extreme" lube on the camera lens.
:kidding:

Ben
07-07-2012, 02:36 PM
Neat , orderly loading benches make me nervous.....

I always feel good about mine. Does that tell you anything about what mine looks like ?

Ben

JonB_in_Glencoe
07-07-2012, 02:49 PM
???
does the die holder turn...Or does the shell holder turn ?
a clear photo "close up" of the shell holder area would be nice :)
Jon

fryboy
07-07-2012, 03:13 PM
i've been thinking about this ... while i admit that the loadmaster primer system gave me a few fits at first i never had that problem with the pro 1000 , for me it just works ( erm as long as i keep the trough filled ) while my first thought this am was a modified top piece or shell holder for he ram it's also possible that the carrier it's self could of been modified to fit the ram , it doesnt address the biggest drawback i can think of with the pro 1000 ( lack of a 4th station ) it does ( after further thought ) add a question or two , such as spent primers , i've heard horror stories about them going everywhere but i've never really had that problem with the pro , the turret press yes - especially if the primer seater wasnt in front of the ram ( eh just musing ... )

geargnasher
07-07-2012, 03:18 PM
This was really a test to see how much of a Lee nut you are, some of you got it and some are still scratching your heads!

What you're looking at is a hybrid Classic Turret and Pro-1000. It's a progressive that works just like the Pro-1000 only is mechanically much better due to the huge ram, solid, stable base and handle linkage, and the VASTLY improved spent-primer disposal system, which dumps them into the tube at the bottom of the ram just like the Classic Turret does.

My dedicated .45 Colt/44 Magnum Pro-1000 ram/base and linkage was shot, wobbly, worn out. It also is a VERY old unit that has the spent primer hole drilled through the ram at an angle and it spits almost all of the primers on the floor. I have several new shellplate carriers and tons of spare small parts. I've long thought that many of the problems with the Pro-1000 could be fixed by a stronger ram, sturdier base, more positive lingage stop, and more leverage that the Classic bases offer, so after studying it a while I made the conversion.

Since the ram center and column footprint are the same between the two presses, and the threads and such are the same on the columns, swapping those out was a no-brainer. The Classic Turret has 1/2" more ram travel stop-to-stop than the other bases so that was a bonus but required some spacers on top of the columns and longer bolts to allow it to go full stroke.

The top portion of the ram on the Classic Turret I always thought was pressed on, but it turns out it's threaded, so it can be replaced or modified. My original plan was to cut the top, rebated portion off and weld on the top part of the Pro-1000 ram, and this would work with a later model Pro-1000 that had the center of the ram drilled for a spent primer chute, but not this old one where the hole comes out the side of the ram near the top. So, even though it's slightly shorter (1/8"), I just turned down the top stub of the ram .100" so it would fit the Pro-1000 shellplated carrier and pinch bolt. I lost the snap ring groove for retaining the shellholder C-clip, but in a pinch the press could still be converted back to a turret using a shim for the index rod ratched housing.

After sorting out the travel and and spacing and confirming shellplate to turret plate alignment on all three stations, I modified the case slider and link to function with the longer travel. All that needed to be done was drill a hole in the front upper corner of the block and put a slight bend in the rod so it would clear the turret support head at the top of the stroke. The whole setup works like a champ, and after rebuilding the carrier and primer mechanism all the issues I ever had with the Pr0-1000 are FIXED.

An added bonus is the 3/8" extra travel that the shellplate carrier has, which allows a better view inside a .45 Colt case to check powder before seating the boolit, and gives a little more working room. It might also allow loading of some longer calibers on this machine, but I haven't studied the available shellplates vs. calibers to see what exactly would work. I was hoping for .30-30 but I don't think they make a shellplate for that one.

Anyway, a few people were wondering in the last year or two if this could be done, and bemoaning the fact that Lee didn't figure out they needed to do it themselves, so I did it for them. A four-hole progressive would be absolutely fantastic, but the engineering needed to do that, along with the shellplate machine work and index ratchet housing modifications is a little beyond my means. Plus, I'm not sure you'd have anything better than a Loadmaster if you did make it work. This press has, at today's prices, close to $300 in parts in it including the collator, spare parts, and shipping. The good news is the leftover parts will still make a fine standard 4-hole turret if you obtain a ram from Lee.

Gear

geargnasher
07-07-2012, 03:36 PM
I took this: http://leeprecision.com/classic-turret-press/ and this: http://leeprecision.com/pro-1000-45-colt.html and put them together.

This is the top piece that screws into the ram on the Classic Turret, the small stub at the top is what has to be machined down .100" to fit the Pro-1000 shellplate carrier: http://leeprecision.com/sh-insert-classic-tp.html

Fryboy, the shellplate carrier doesn't have enough meat to be bored out to fit the Classic Turret ram head, the top ram stub has to be cut down to fit the hole in the bottom of the carrier.

Lee used several ram designs for the standard turret presses over the years, some of them spit every primer on the floor, some didn't have provision for the primer arm that carried up with the ram to work with the Safety Prime system, and some didn't have a notch cut in the back near the top for the auto-index ratchet housing crossbolt. The standart Turret presses of late manufacture with auto-index and the Safety-prime-compatible primer arms and also the later-model standard Turret preses had the primer ejection hole drilled lower on the ram and would pretty reliably dump them in the base trough. The Classic Turret and Classic Cast presses have a hole bored clear through the ram and a nipple machined on the bottom of the ram for a 1/2" clear plastic collection tube. This is the best spent-primer collection system I've ever seen, it totally isolates the primer residue from the outside of the ram so it never contaminates the ram lubricant or makes a mess anywhere, it's completely controlled and you don't get it all over you when emptying the catch tube, either. My Classic Pro-1000's primer collection system works the same way, although I had to fill the slot in the upper ram adapter to keep primers from going out the old primer arm slot. A sliver of wood wedged in there was all it took.

Gear

btroj
07-07-2012, 03:46 PM
We may not all be Lee nuts but we are all imaginative in our answers? Doesn't that count for anything?

geargnasher
07-07-2012, 04:10 PM
We may not all be Lee nuts but we are all imaginative in our answers? Doesn't that count for anything?

But of course! It was really about the coffee cans and the hand grenade all along :p

BTW, I added some pics to the OP to show the ram and case slider a little better.

Gear

Longwood
07-07-2012, 05:27 PM
I will say this,,, ya made me feel guilty with that spotless bench and room .
I walked into mine and "Geeze what a mess".
So,,,, I cleaned it all up and it looked so good that I rearranged the presses etc, and got all ready for the new cowboy dies when they get here.
Almost,, ready that is,,, I need to clean up my new mess now.
And,,, I may as well finish up that cabinet and shelf today.
More mess,,, it seems to never end.

Oh and,,,,
Nice job on the press modifications.
I have never even seen either up close but I can tell by your description that you have a much better press now.

wallenba
07-07-2012, 05:54 PM
I took this: http://leeprecision.com/classic-turret-press/ and this: http://leeprecision.com/pro-1000-45-colt.html and put them together.

This is the top piece that screws into the ram on the Classic Turret, the small stub at the top is what has to be machined down .100" to fit the Pro-1000 shellplate carrier: http://leeprecision.com/sh-insert-classic-tp.html


Gear

What we need now is for Lee to make and sell us the adapter. Makes you wonder why they just don't offer it made that way.

milprileb
07-07-2012, 07:07 PM
DILLON RL550B PRESS w/o DIES OR CAL. CONVERSION
Item Number: DP14261 · Availability: In stock
Add to Cart Price: $333.99

[B]Above is my C&R price for a brand new Dillon 550. Don't see $300 in parts and
all t hat effort to make a Lee Hybrid progressive press unless its some sort of challenge or something.

geargnasher
07-07-2012, 07:17 PM
I knew somebody would turn this into a Dillon thread. There are enough things I don't like about Dillon presses to prevent me buying one of my own. Besides, I had all this stuff on hand already, along with enough parts to switch to any caliber I load that will fit the press.

Many here will not see the value in what I did, but I think a few will, and I posted this to show it could be done and that to me, at least, it's well worth the little time and parts it takes to make it work. I figured those who recognized right off from the first pics I posted what I made would have an appreciation for it. I'm thinking really hard about springing for two more Classic Turrets, I need one to use as-is anyway to replace this one I used in the conversion and my .45 ACP progressive is starting to get a bit wobbly too.

Gear

Longwood
07-07-2012, 07:39 PM
Many here will not see the value in what I did, but I think a few will, and I posted this to show it could be done and that to me, at least, it's well worth the little time and parts it takes to make it work.

Gear

So what how much it cost or how long it took?
You made it suit you better and that is what counts.
I hate people that poo poo my projects and tell me how much time I have in it.
So what, again,,, It's my money and time, I enjoy working with my mind and hands, and it helps to keep me from going bonkers or worse yet,,,, watching TV..

Curly James
07-07-2012, 07:49 PM
That is the cleanest loading bench I have ever seen..........as to what you did, I wish I had the skills and as to why you did it ..that would be for your satisfaction and your business...besides my bench is populated with Dillon, Lee, RCBS, and MEC loaders along with a conglomerate of gear that I like to use...

geargnasher
07-07-2012, 08:33 PM
So what how much it cost or how long it took?
You made it suit you better and that is what counts.
I hate people that poo poo my projects and tell me how much time I have in it.
So what, again,,, It's my money and time, I enjoy working with my mind and hands, and it helps to keep me from going bonkers or worse yet,,,, watching TV..

About three hours, most of which was digging around for longer bolts, spacers, and taking things apart before modifying anything just to make sure it worked. Roughing in the stub on a bench grinder and truing it with files and sandpaper took about an hour.

As for the "clean bench", I knew when I designed my new gun room that I was as messy as anyone, and the problem was clearly identified as caliber change messes, not having enough presses, not having a place for everything, and not having a dedicated "project table" to do miscl. tinkering on. My new gun room has a place for everything except smelting lead, and a work station for every caliber, plus a generous station (seen in the pics) for doing multiple-caliber batch loading. Using the Classic Turret and three-hole turret for all my batch and sequential loading and keeping each caliber change already set up in a can saves not only time, but lots of space and opening/scattering containers and die boxes about. Boolits are sorted and stored in cigar boxes so they stay out of the way when not in use, or on the loading station for that caliber. There is little need to go dragging out a bunch of stuff to do one task, everything from casting to sizing to paper patching to case prep to loading to cleaning and gunsmithing is done at a dedicated station that's already mostly set-up and ready to go, or has the changeover parts stored right there at the work area. I spent a few years working through the system and figuring out my needs so I could have a compact, organized space that even a slob like me can keep somewhat organized.:redneck:

Gear

RBak
07-07-2012, 09:52 PM
I didn't understand a thing you said about what you did, but those pictures speak voulmes.
When I grow up I want my benches and shelves to look that good too. It's gotta be the way to fly.

Russ

troyboy
07-07-2012, 11:13 PM
Great job. Lots of the lee stuff interchanges. Once you get a bunch of it they are like lego's.

wallenba
07-07-2012, 11:45 PM
My dad said a cluttered desk meant a cluttered mind. Makes you wonder what an empty desk means.:kidding:

Bigslug
07-07-2012, 11:57 PM
OK . . .so you've got a rockin' system to collect your spent primers. What in the name of compound leverage did you do to get it to reliably feed the NEW primers? If you pulled that off, you are a freakin' GOD in my book.

It's been a number of years, and I think my damaged psyche may have purged some of the nastier specifics, but Dad and I did everything short of writing our Congressman, and we couldn't consistently get more than 10-20 cranks of the handle without a jam that required pushing primers back up the chute with a toothpick and partial disassembly of the press.

Kind of a shame, really. It functioned well enough EXCEPT for that insurmountable issue, and, assuming one could get it to work, the price was unbeatable. As it turned out, it wasn't a progressive press, and loading on it was something we had to work up some serious gumption for.

I understand your not wanting this to become a Dillon thread, but having something that WORKS without having to smear yourself with chicken blood and dance around the press naked by the light of a fully eclipsed moon is worth a lot. The biggest "problem" we had with setting up the XL650 was having to repeatedly pause in amazement because nothing was failing.

Like I said, if you've got it running smoothly, major props!:drinks:

geargnasher
07-08-2012, 12:44 AM
Bigslug, I don't have too much trouble with primers on any of my Pro-1000s except when the shellplate index is out of time slightly, if powder flakes sift into the trough, or if I let the trough run low. I bought several old Pro-1000s and a bunch of parts one time, and had trouble with the primer feeding system on most of them, I think some of the older castings has burrs and rough spots on them. After buying some shiny new replacement troughs I've never had problems with those old units, although the worn and rickety rams would sometimes jerk enough to through a primer off the punch. Both of the presses I bought new ran great right out of the box and still do with a little periodic cleaning and maintenance, my only complaints are that it's really difficult to visually check powder before seating boolits, and the system that ejects the finished round seems to throw them anywhere but in the exit trough. I've tried a variety of ejector rod configurations and haven't found one that works 100% yet, partially because the trough itself is a really terrible shape. A little JB Weld should fix that, though, if I ever get around to it.

Overall I think the Pro-1000 is a good, cheap press that makes plain-jane pistol ammo just fine for my needs, but the rickety, clanky feeling of the cheap base, sheet metal linkage, and the joke of a cast aluminum handle they have (or used to, I think they've improved that now) totally detracts from the operation of the unit. Anyone who's used a progressive press knows how important having minimal flex, a solid press mount, and tight-fitting parts is to getting all the gizmos to function when and how they should through a cycle. Modifying the Classic Turret base to accept the Pro-1000 upper takes care of all this, and each stroke of the handle is smooth and controlled. The ram is almost twice as big as the Pro-1000 and fits tightly in the base with almost zero wiggle, and since primer residue isn't constantly being introduced to the ram and ram bore, it doesn't continually wear and bind on the primer "paste" as it accumulates. The ram stroke is smooth, powerful, and controlled just like a more expensive press, and anyone who's used a Dillon knows how glass-smooth the operating stroke is. This isn't a Dillon, and I'm not saying it is or comparing the two, but this is NOW everything the Pro-1000 should have been in the first place, it just plain works and I like it. Anyone else with a bunch of Lee "Legos" and likes the three-station progressive can do this too pretty easily if they want.

Gear

geargnasher
07-08-2012, 12:47 AM
My dad said a cluttered desk meant a cluttered mind. Makes you wonder what an empty desk means.:kidding:

I tend to have big, empty spaces between piles of unidentifiable clutter, what does that mean? :holysheep

Gear

MikeS
07-08-2012, 03:09 AM
I've always heard that a clean bench was the sign of a sick mind. :) I tend to go the other way, I usually have at least a foot of clutter on my bench, but normally when I need something I know exactly where in the clutter it is, now that is sick!

Nice job on the press conversion!

DRNurse1
07-08-2012, 05:20 AM
Purty, you even matched the containers to the press. Do you have a bench skirt. too? (LOL)

I like the Dillon attachment you adapted to your case feed tubes. :kidding:

Seriously, y'all need to lay off the coffee or use the square containers (they fit on the shelf better). Looks useful, and that makes it real nice.

41 mag fan
07-08-2012, 09:04 AM
Gears just showing off the new camera he bought. And trying to get us to guess whats in the factory seconds box!!
Next you'll see him in the commercials with Ashton Kutcher, taking pics of pretty girls in pretty skimpy bikinis!!

fryboy
07-08-2012, 10:03 AM
factory seconds is a seegar box ( rolys are also good but dont come with a box [dratz] )

tonyjones
07-08-2012, 10:43 AM
"I tend to have big, empty spaces between piles of unidentifiable clutter, what does that mean?"

That could be final proof of the Big Bang Theory.

LOL

Tony