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Thread: First impressions: New Auto Breech Lock Pro

  1. #1
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    First impressions: New Auto Breech Lock Pro

    I got my new press from Titan Reloading today. Fast shipping and great packing as usual.

    I mounted it to my reloading bench and loaded 50 rounds of 9mm. Here are my impressions:

    The press is assembled, just screw it down. You must install the proper shellplate which is a quick process. It is purchased separately from the press.

    I took my 9mm dies from the LCT turret head and installed them per the die directions. The fourth hole where the crimp die goes requires the use of the supplied lock ring eliminator bushing. The other three dies were right at home in the supplied breech lock bushings and set up was easy.

    I cycled through the stages with an empty case. The timing and alignment are perfect, no play and positive engagement every time.

    I mounted my old standby powder measure, the Lee Pro Auto Disk. I used the riser that I normally use on my LCT. I opted to use the spring return and not the chain. I added powder and tested for weights after the drops. All good so far.

    I figured it was time to get started so I loaded some primers in my trusty safety feed and that is where I ran into the only obstacle. Apparently the old primer assemblies won't work on this press. The arms are too long. I tried shimming them up and that worked but then the mouths of the primer dispensers were too wide. The priming arm sits deeper in the press so the old priming assembly can't get in deep enough.

    I could be doing something wrong, I don't know. There may not be a problem at all.

    Not to be defeated, I got out some brass, some Dardas bullets and 50 primers.

    I loaded all 50 by handed loading the primer into the arm. But every round loaded. All primers were seated to the correct depth, no high primers. All crimps were good.

    Lee even enclosed a tray for free that mounts to the bench next to the press to catch loaded ammo. Nice touch.

    Pros: The press worked wonderfully. Even loading the primers by hand I was able to quickly develop a rhythm.

    First, load an empty case at station 1 and set a bullet on station 3 if there is a charged case.

    On each downstroke (raises the ram) load a primer in station 2 and set an empty case in station 1. The case in station 1 has been sized and deprimed, station 2 has charged a primed case, station 3 has seated a bullet and station 4 has crimped it.

    Raise arm (lowers the ram) to seat primer, set bullet in station 3 and downstroke.

    I like the fact that you produce a round on each cycle. Big change from my LCT.

    I will definitely add a case feeder.

    Cons: The primer situation is a bummer. I will have to talk to Lee to see if I am doing something wrong.

    Also, the arm is quite long with a lot of travel. I tried rotating the arm out away from the press but I found that having the arm in is more comfortable.

    I'm sure that I will have more info as I use the press more but for now I think Lee has a winner. With the addition of a case feeder and correcting the priming issue I will soaring like an eagle.

    Some poor photos.

    Steve in N CA
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails DSCN1820.jpg   DSCN1821.jpg  
    Last edited by sghart3578; 04-20-2018 at 11:59 PM.

  2. #2
    Boolit Man
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    Thanks for the info. I used the old style safety-prime (black plastic, round trays) on a single stage years ago and it worked fine. I broke one of the arms at one point, and never bothered to mess with it again. I hand primed or bench primed.

    I ended up buying a new style (white plastic with square trays) when I bought my LCT and have never been able to get it working as well as the old one. I probably drop or put in upside down 4/10 primers. More hassle than it's worth.

    Apparently there are at least three versions of this out there...the newest being gray plastic.

    You might consider checking out some of the postings on THR. One of the posters there has it up and running well on his auto beech lock after a mod to the primer arm. He says he has an error rate of less than 1/100. I could probably live with that

  3. #3
    Boolit Master dbosman's Avatar
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    Thank you for the review.

  4. #4
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    You must be left handed by the way you rotated the handle.

  5. #5
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    Thanks for sharing your review.


    I am still interested in getting one of these , but I am going to wait a while I think. I just got a LCT press right around Christmas & am enjoying it right now. Maybe this Summer.

    Thnks again!
    2nd Amend./U.S. Const. - "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

    ~~ WWG1WGA ~~

    Restore the Republic!!!

    For the Fudds > "Those who appease a tiger, do so in the hope that the tiger will eat them last." -Winston Churchill.

    President Reagan tells it like it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6MwPgPK7WQ

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  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy TaylorS's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Livin_cincy View Post
    You must be left handed by the way you rotated the handle.
    That how it comes out of the box I spun mine around.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Livin_cincy View Post
    You must be left handed by the way you rotated the handle.
    I was trying it both ways. The throw is very long and I was trying different handle positions and different body placement.

    I have since turned the handle back around to the right side.

    I think this press needs a more ergonomic handle.

    It needs to be swept out to the right further and curved away from the user towards the machine. Then you wouldn't have to reach down as far on the upstroke of the ram. I have to almost bend over to take the arm all the way down.

    And there is no adjustment in the position of the arm other than spinning it left or right.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by sghart3578 View Post
    I was trying it both ways. The throw is very long and I was trying different handle positions and different body placement.

    I have since turned the handle back around to the right side.

    I think this press needs a more ergonomic handle.

    It needs to be swept out to the right further and curved away from the user towards the machine. Then you wouldn't have to reach down as far on the upstroke of the ram. I have to almost bend over to take the arm all the way down.

    And there is no adjustment in the position of the arm other than spinning it left or right.
    You can loosen the adjusting nut and slide the handle rod down until the projecting portion contacts the bench on the down stroke. I now have mine at nearly one half length now and the press works so easily that I think I'll cut a relief into the bench so that I can make it even shorter.
    Respectfully,
    Tom Myers
    Precision Shooting Software


  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Myers View Post
    You can loosen the adjusting nut and slide the handle rod down until the projecting portion contacts the bench on the down stroke. I now have mine at nearly one half length now and the press works so easily that I think I'll cut a relief into the bench so that I can make it even shorter.
    Thank you! That's a great idea!


    Steve in N CA

  10. #10
    Boolit Master

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    Yesterday was spent setting up the Lee Auto Breech Lock Pro press and loading a few rounds to test the operation of the press and the load for the S&W Model 39.

    The load is put together with the Lee 356-120-TC, powder coated with Randy Rat's grey, over 4.6 grains of Win 231 and ignited with Win small pistol primers with a Quick Load estimation of 1055 fps.

    The load works pretty good considering these 82 year old eyes and shaky hands.

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    Today, I wanted to test the reliability and cycle time of the press with this load.

    The Lee Safety Prime is the old model and several washers were used as shims to bring the dispenser up to the correct height to align correctly with the primer arm. As long as the feed chute is completely full of primers, If I can remember to click it, the primer dispenser works every time.

    Each of the Case and Bullet feeders seemed to work flawlessly throughout the entire session with never a hiccup. The only caveat is that the bullet feeder needs to be disabled until ready to feed the first bullet into the case. This is simply a matter of not rotating the multi tubes over the dispensing hole until ready. If the multi tubes are not used, the case feeder crank rod needs to be disconnected until ready to feed the first bullet.

    The Auto Drum Powder Measure absolutely amazed me with the consistency of the throws. It never varied more than 0.1 grain through 20 test throws.

    I spent about ten minutes loading 2 bullet tubes with 25 bullet each then plugged two of the tubes in the multi case feeder and dumped in 50 WW9mm cases. I've got a penny covering a portion of each hole in the Case Collater so all the cases went into the two tubes base down.

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    The timer was started and I began the cycle with a slow measured rhythm.
    After one full cycle, this is the sequence.
    With the handle in the down position.
    Load a primer into the priming arm with the Safety Prime.
    Pull the handle halfway up and glance into the case to verify a powder drop.
    Continue pulling the handle all the way up to rotate the shell plate, load a case into the shell plate and feel the primer seat.
    Pull the handle down while verifying bullet placement on top of the case and continue down to seat the bullet, drop the powder, resize another case and eject a loaded round into the collection box.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    The biggest hurdle for me is remembering to feed a primer into the priming arm but, keeping a slow and measured rhythm, I didn't goof it up this time.
    after cartridge number 50 dropped into the box, I stopped the timer at 9 minutes and 21 seconds.

    That calculates out to a rate of 321 cycles per hour. After some practice, where I don't have to slow down and think what needs to be done next, I should be able to increase that substantially.

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    Last edited by Tom Myers; 04-25-2018 at 09:56 AM.
    Respectfully,
    Tom Myers
    Precision Shooting Software


  11. #11
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Thanks for the write up Tom.
    Don Verna


  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by dverna View Post
    Thanks for the write up Tom.
    Ditto!
    2nd Amend./U.S. Const. - "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

    ~~ WWG1WGA ~~

    Restore the Republic!!!

    For the Fudds > "Those who appease a tiger, do so in the hope that the tiger will eat them last." -Winston Churchill.

    President Reagan tells it like it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6MwPgPK7WQ

    Phil Robertson explains the Wall: https://youtu.be/f9d1Wof7S4o

  13. #13
    Boolit Buddy gsdelong's Avatar
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    So I use my Lee Breech Lock Pro in a different way than most. To me it is a brass processing machine. Since it arrived last week I have added the case feeder, put a lee full length die in position one and an M-Die in position 2.

    I ran 1500 40 S&W cases to de prime and size, then expand. At around 750 cases I was on the phone with lee technical support because I had a "wallowed" out spot where the case hit when dropping out of the feeder onto the carrier cover "Red plastic" the track for the case slider block developed a very long bow stopping it from returning under its own power. After a please call and email conversation with Andy Lee I have another cover on the way. They want to evaluate the one that was on the press originally.

    I took a file to the carrier cover and was back in business.

    I proceeded to process the remaining 1500 40 S&W around 1700 380 auto, and I am somewhere around 2000 9mm, this was a lot of handle pulls.

    The biggest lessons I have learned is that I am going to consider the carrier cover an item to have a replacement on hand for, and since this press does not have the indexing button for the breech lock die bushing, I had the sizing die come loose and chip the very end of the breech lock threads before it popped out. The bushings need regular inspection.

    I used to use a lee pro 1000 press in the same way and this new press is much more reliable and feed much more consistently.

    If a case does double feed or feed irregularly and you do not catch it, the leverage of the press will press the case into the carrier cover.

    Even with the carrier cover issue I am a happy customer and would buy again this makes processing brass before hand priming go very fast.

  14. #14
    Boolit Mold redoubt's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gsdelong View Post
    The biggest lessons I have learned is that I am going to consider the carrier cover an item to have a replacement on hand for, and since this press does not have the indexing button for the breech lock die bushing, I had the sizing die come loose and chip the very end of the breech lock threads before it popped out. The bushings need regular inspection.
    Do you think a turn or two of plumbers teflon tape around the bushing would help keep it in place?

  15. #15
    Boolit Buddy gsdelong's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by redoubt View Post
    Do you think a turn or two of plumbers teflon tape around the bushing would help keep it in place?
    It is a pretty tight fit, the interesting thing is I did more 380 and 40 with no issues than the 9mm that came loose. I did notice that the occasional 9mm needed extra force in the sizing die.

  16. #16
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    Call me spoiled...but stuff like that should not happen!!! "Wallowed" out spot after less than 1000 cases. Die bushing coming loose!

    I was hoping to purchase one of these as a dedicated .223 loader but not now. Not until Lee (or the users) work out solutions.

    Here is what I do not understand. Surely as part of their product development they would have a run a few machines for 10,000 cycles before launching a product in order to find the weak spots in design and materials. At 350 rounds an hour (with addition of the case feeder and bullet feeder), it would take 30 hours to run 10,000 rounds, let's say two weeks for testing with time for breaks, lunch and fiddling. Now, a good company would do that as a minimum. A great company would keep running those test presses for a minimum of 100,000 cycles and add product improvements as needed.

    Lee continues its heritage of inexpensive progressive offerings that work most of the time for low volume users who value price over reliability. I know....what should we expect for less than $125. I was hoping this new press would be different but it does not look good.

    If Lee cares about their customers, they are reading these kinds of threads and learning something. A lot of us want a viable alternative and some are willing to live with tweaking poor designs but not everyone. If they could make a machine that works, their customer base would more than double. I, for one, will not buy a Beta machines that will always stay a Beta machine (like the Pro 1000's and Loadmasters)

    BTW, if they had to charge $250 (twice as much) for a press that worked out of the box, I would eagerly buy one. I wish Lee had engineers running their operations instead of bean counters. And the really sad part is that the improvements needed are not expensive...for example adding an indexing button so the dies do not back out...sheesh!
    Don Verna


  17. #17
    Boolit Buddy gsdelong's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dverna View Post
    Call me spoiled...but stuff like that should not happen!!! "Wallowed" out spot after less than 1000 cases. Die bushing coming loose!

    I was hoping to purchase one of these as a dedicated .223 loader but not now. Not until Lee (or the users) work out solutions.

    Here is what I do not understand. Surely as part of their product development they would have a run a few machines for 10,000 cycles before launching a product in order to find the weak spots in design and materials. At 350 rounds an hour (with addition of the case feeder and bullet feeder), it would take 30 hours to run 10,000 rounds, let's say two weeks for testing with time for breaks, lunch and fiddling. Now, a good company would do that as a minimum. A great company would keep running those test presses for a minimum of 100,000 cycles and add product improvements as needed.

    Lee continues its heritage of inexpensive progressive offerings that work most of the time for low volume users who value price over reliability. I know....what should we expect for less than $125. I was hoping this new press would be different but it does not look good.

    If Lee cares about their customers, they are reading these kinds of threads and learning something. A lot of us want a viable alternative and some are willing to live with tweaking poor designs but not everyone. If they could make a machine that works, their customer base would more than double. I, for one, will not buy a Beta machines that will always stay a Beta machine (like the Pro 1000's and Loadmasters)

    BTW, if they had to charge $250 (twice as much) for a press that worked out of the box, I would eagerly buy one. I wish Lee had engineers running their operations instead of bean counters. And the really sad part is that the improvements needed are not expensive...for example adding an indexing button so the dies do not back out...sheesh!
    As a person who works in a field where nothing is ever %100 functional by everyone's standards, I understand how to weigh the pluses and the negatives. I would buy the press again.

    My interaction was with both Andy and John Lee I would not characterize those two as "bean counters".

    I think as far as the dies go, it was a anomaly because as I mentioned the lee 380 & 40 SW ran for 3000 plus cases, and the problem occurred with the 9mm around the 1000 mark, so obviously it was not every round in every die that had this issue.

    The carrier cover on the other hand, I think does not allow for the 1 in 100 miss feed case that comes down at an angle or upside down.

    At this time I would still rate it as a significant improvement in the feeding department over the PRO1000

  18. #18
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    Aluminum strip over the top of the carrier to help prevent the "wallowing" or gouging? Need to have tolerance for the feeder to "ride" over the strip as the cover moves back & forth, but perhaps it could be done?

    Just offering with a mental picture. Not familiar other than watching videos & looking at pics right now, but it seems to me that if a cocked case or upside down acting as a "gouge" is cutting into the plastic, as "shim" or metal to protect the plastic might be a suitable fix...??

    IDK, just thinking out loud I guess...

    G'Luck & thanks to you all for the "reviews" & descriptions of your experiences with this new Lee press.

    I am still sitting on the fence right now.
    2nd Amend./U.S. Const. - "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

    ~~ WWG1WGA ~~

    Restore the Republic!!!

    For the Fudds > "Those who appease a tiger, do so in the hope that the tiger will eat them last." -Winston Churchill.

    President Reagan tells it like it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6MwPgPK7WQ

    Phil Robertson explains the Wall: https://youtu.be/f9d1Wof7S4o

  19. #19
    Boolit Grand Master OS OK's Avatar
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    @ Tom Meyers comment on production rate...

    [ I stopped the timer at 9 minutes and 21 seconds. ] Fair enough but this time doesn't reflect the entire actual time involved in assembling 50 rounds.

    [ I spent about ten minutes loading 2 bullet tubes with 25 bullet each then plugged two of the tubes in the multi case feeder and dumped in 50 WW9mm cases. ] In all fairness...with this time added, you assembled these 50 rounds in more like a rate of 155 RPH.

    Not trying to rain on your parade...just being realistic.
    a m e r i c a n p r a v d a

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  20. #20
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by OS OK View Post
    @ Tom Meyers comment on production rate...

    [ I stopped the timer at 9 minutes and 21 seconds. ] Fair enough but this time doesn't reflect the entire actual time involved in assembling 50 rounds.

    [ I spent about ten minutes loading 2 bullet tubes with 25 bullet each then plugged two of the tubes in the multi case feeder and dumped in 50 WW9mm cases. ] In all fairness...with this time added, you assembled these 50 rounds in more like a rate of 155 RPH.

    Not trying to rain on your parade...just being realistic.
    Your are absolutely correct. My statement should have read "That calculates out to a rate of 321 cycles per hour."

    This test was performed to test the functional reliability and cyclic rate of the press and not necessarily the number of rounds assembled per hour.

    The press can be loaded with 100 cases, 100 bullets and 100 primers at a time. Later on, when I have gathered up enough cleaned brass and coated bullets I can then actually find out how many times I can load the press, cycle 100 times, reload and cycle 100times, etc., etc. to determine how many rounds can be assembled within 1 hour.

    After affixing a penny to partially cover the holes for the small 9mm cases, the case collator works quite well and makes short work of preloading the cases. It is the bullet feeder that is painstakingly slow to load 100 bullets into the four tubes. I'll keep thinking on it and perhaps I can come up with a speedy method that doesn't involve an automated device .

    I could take into account the time spent casting, coating, sizing and organizing the bullets and also the time spent cleaning, sorting and storing the fired brass and cleaning up the work bench and.... Nahhh, that's getting too picky.....
    Respectfully,
    Tom Myers
    Precision Shooting Software


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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check