Apparently it was a "piggy-back" version of the Pro-1000. I stumbled across one lone picture of it this morning but no other information. They had to be made prior to the introduction of the Load-Master, I do not recall ever having seen one!
Does anybody actually own this contraption or even remember it?
You describe it well. A piggyback for a single stage. Hey! Shoot an email to Lee for circa and original pricing, etc. It should be an interesting read. I'm betting late 70s maybe early 80s. I wish I was at home to search old magazine articles.
take care,
r1kk1
Rikki, that's actually next on my list of things to do, it's truly a rare thing that does not even have a passing mention on Castboolits!
Hi,
Where did you find it???
“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace.
We ask not your counsels or arms.
Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you.
May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.” -Samuel Adams
Janet Reno, killed more children at Waco, with Bill Clinton's permission, than Adam Lanza killed, at Sandy Hook.
Seagiant, the picture I posted was from Popscreen.com. No data or information was listed. The first pic I encountered was an obscure reference/photo on a how-to build a reloading bench pdf. http://www.scribd.com/doc/33772787/h...y-erik-prestmo
As a side note the stand is not very good, why he made a pdf how-to is beyond me.
So far these are the only pictures I have located. The smoke powder hopper suggests late 80's early 90's. My "92" Lee catalogue does not have it listed.
Last edited by 44Vaquero; 05-27-2013 at 03:36 PM. Reason: added information
Hi,
Well..I hate telling this story but not to long ago I went into an old gun shop taking a trip and the old man there had a cardboard box full of a bunch of green RCBS stuff. It took me awhile to figure out what it was. It was an old Ammomaster progressive with everything there just taken apart and dumped in the box!
I thought at first it was a piggyback system but wasn't. I asked what he wanted for it and he said $75! Well,sometimes $75 dollars is $75 dollars and I hadn't worked in awhile and was not exactly flush and walked out and left it there! I kick myself mentally everytime I think about it! Go buy one on E-bay now and tell me what you pay! Ha!
I thought you had found this LEE piggyback somewhere?
“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace.
We ask not your counsels or arms.
Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you.
May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.” -Samuel Adams
Janet Reno, killed more children at Waco, with Bill Clinton's permission, than Adam Lanza killed, at Sandy Hook.
No Seagiant, I did not but if I had I would have purchased it "just because" of the unique oddity aspect. I have been reloading since 1985 and have never ran across an this item ever!
I feel your pain. About 15 years ago I came upon a original .44 Automag in the box w/2 spare mags. The owner wanted $1200.00 for it, might as well $12,000! Every time I think about it I almost cry. Today I would beg, borrow and steal if a chance like that presented itself.
There is an automag in Lake Havasu, AZ 44Vaquero.
take care,
r1kk1
That thing looks like a Pro 1000 without the base?
45 ACP because shooting more than once is just silly!!
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.
Gliden07 you are basically correct. Lee substituted the aluminum yoke for the red base and supplied an extension for the ram, similar to the RCBS Piggyback.
It just goes to show how things evolve from an add-on to a now reasonably priced Pro 1000.
I received this response from Lee Precision:
We introduced the Automator around 1989 and discontinued it at the end of 1990 or beginning of 1991 due to low sales. It cost $39.98 and could be used with any single stage press that used standard dies and universal shell holder with a vertical ram. It basically turned your single stage press to a taller Pro1000.
I would have posted this sooner but my e-mail (Yahoo)tossed into the spam folder.
My hero's have always been Cowboys!
Hi 44,
Well, you found out why were not tripping over these things every morning! Thanks for the info!
“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace.
We ask not your counsels or arms.
Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you.
May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.” -Samuel Adams
Janet Reno, killed more children at Waco, with Bill Clinton's permission, than Adam Lanza killed, at Sandy Hook.
Yup Seagiant, The price differential between the Automator update kit and the Pro 1000 complete most likely killed it. Why buy an add on kit when you can buy a full stand alone progressive press for a few bucks more.
I still think it's an interesting foot note in lee's history. Lee is sending me a copy of the instruction sheet, when it arrives I will scan and post it.
My hero's have always been Cowboys!
After several e-mails and phone conversations with Lee Precision customer service, it appears that they still had a few Automator kits sitting on the shelf. I ordered one just to play with, unfortunately my shell plate carrier has not yet arrived. I am looking forward to setting this thing up.
One interesting note: For all the criticism of Lee's instructions this one comes with an 8 page instruction sheet!
My hero's have always been Cowboys!
Just found this thread. I have a complete automator that I have set up a couple of times. I also have 3 pro1000s and an RCBS piggyback. The automator works just about like the pro100, just taller. I copied my instruction set off of their website.
Don
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
- Henry S. Haskins in “Meditations in Wall Street”
"Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rapidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end." ...Unknown
Well Obssd1958, so far you are the only person to come forward and admit to owning one.I got interested in them because no one remembers seeing them ever!!
My hero's have always been Cowboys!
Hi 44,
Does it have to mount on an aluminum LEE Challenger press? Can it work on an RCBS maybe????
“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace.
We ask not your counsels or arms.
Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you.
May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.” -Samuel Adams
Janet Reno, killed more children at Waco, with Bill Clinton's permission, than Adam Lanza killed, at Sandy Hook.
44vaquero if you dont mind me asking what did lee charge you for it?
Seagiant, I think that it could be mounted to any press with sufficient ram travel. Both the 7/8x14 Attachment Stud and the Ram Adaptor have some adjustment available and the nylon spacer could be trimmed/sized to fit a different stroke length.
I have actually mounted the frame on a C-Frame press just to see how it functions, but I think once you add all the rest it should really be mounted on an O-Frame.
Bhop, same price it sold for in 1990 $39.98!!
Last edited by 44Vaquero; 06-26-2013 at 07:48 PM.
My hero's have always been Cowboys!
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