It's official; Lee will be releasing an "upside down" bullet sizing press.

[JBinMN]

Or at least some larger pictures!

Man, it would really stink if you have to buy into the new breach-lock resizing system in order to use the press's automation for sizing boolits. Although looking at the cost of the die itself and then the appropriate sizing insert, it's not too painful. But it would be nice to use the ten or so Lee push through sizing dies I already have on the shelf with the automation on the press. : /

If I didn't have my son to help me size the several thousand rounds of 9mm I cast each week, I'd go nuts. I know that we both would really appreciate the time savings this machine has the potential of offering.

I hope you early adopters will fill us in with big pictures and lots of videos of the thing in action.

My wife made me decide between this press or a new boolit mold for Christmas. I chose the mold, as I still don't know exactly what this new press is capable of doing. Ah well, my birthday is in February... hopefully enough time to see what this thing will do.

Phlier,

I don't know if you have already run across this topic about Automating sizers, but it might be worth a look for your situation, as well as some video links, related links & such that are in the multi pages of this topic:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...g-bullet-sizer

There are a few more topics around this CB.GL forum, but you will have to do a bit of searching in order to find them if you want more info.

G'Luck!


P.S. - Here are some "related topics":

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...ade-auto-sizer

( Note - ^ The above topic has 19 pages. )

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-through-sizer

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...neumatic-Sizer

I reckon there are more, but those should keep ya busy if ya want to go check them out...


P.P.S. - The member here called, jmorris, has a lot of automated equipment for our pastime, and may be someone to whom youmight contact for more info as well.

[Mytmousemalibu]

I've got a deluxe version + swage'r die pre ordered! Can't wait to get it!

[sagebrush rebel]

I was asked to delete mention of any bullet feeder. Thanks Don

[AR-Bossman]

Karl Bibb's Reloadings has a bullet feeder that put the bullets nose down and he has one of the Lee APP presses on order so he can make an adapter for it to the Lee press. The feeder can be make to feed the bullets nose up also. He is great to deal with and I have no affiliation with him. His bullet feeder runs about $200. I just put this out there if any one is interested.

Does he sell them on facebook or a web site?

[Phlier]

Karl Bibb's Reloadings has a bullet feeder that put the bullets nose down and he has one of the Lee APP presses on order so he can make an adapter for it to the Lee press. The feeder can be make to feed the bullets nose up also. He is great to deal with and I have no affiliation with him. His bullet feeder runs about $200. I just put this out there if any one is interested.

Does he sell them on facebook or a web site?

Facebook, unfortunately. That's the only reason I haven't ordered one from him already. I refuse to do the Facebook thing. : / If you have a 3D printer, you can actually print the whole shebang yourself. There are a ton of threads about it here and on other forums that'll really help you get one put together yourself if you have a 3D printer. If you don't have a printer, then supposedly the Karl Bibb thing is a great alternative.

If you have a 3D printer and are interested, just holler, and I'll supply you with links to pretty much everything you'll need... the thingiverse files, appropriate forum threads, etc. But only if you have a printer, as it's a bit of work to throw all of the information together. If you're just casually interested in it, a Google search for "OpenBulletFeeder" will get you started.

Phlier,

I don't know if you have already run across this topic about Automating sizers, but it might be worth a look for your situation, as well as some video links, related links & such that are in the multi pages of this topic:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...g-bullet-sizer

There are a few more topics around this CB.GL forum, but you will have to do a bit of searching in order to find them if you want more info.

G'Luck!


P.S. - Here are some "related topics":

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...ade-auto-sizer

( Note - ^ The above topic has 19 pages. )

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-through-sizer

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...neumatic-Sizer

I reckon there are more, but those should keep ya busy if ya want to go check them out...


P.P.S. - The member here called, jmorris, has a lot of automated equipment for our pastime, and may be someone to whom youmight contact for more info as well.

I'm a big fan of Mr. Morris's machines, both here and on other forums, as well as his YouTube channel. Man, that guy is so very talented.

Thanks for all those links! I've read pretty much all of them all the way through over the past few years. And yet *still* I waffle... This new Lee press looks to do a lot of the automation I'd like at a very attractive price point. That's why it really showed up on my radar. The possibility of relatively cheaply automating a lot of the drudgery of boolit sizing has a lot of appeal.

I'm actually procrastinating, sitting here posting/reading the forums; I have a little over 2,000 cast and PC'd 9mm boolits waiting to be sized. My son is getting out of sizing duty, as he's loading up 38 Special right now on the LCT.

[megasupermagnum]

I just pre-ordered the deluxe press and #2 primer pocket swager from Titan reloading. I also ordered every size I thought I would need of the new sizing bushings from midway.

[Phlier]

I just pre-ordered the deluxe press and #2 primer pocket swager from Titan reloading. I also ordered every size I thought I would need of the new sizing bushings from midway.

Congrats! Did the order confirmation email they sent ya include an estimated ship date? Just curious if the timeline on their web site jives with what they're saying on the order confirmation email. The press has been delayed a couple of times so far, just wondering what the very latest word is.

[megasupermagnum]

no, it just says "order status-pending".

[Racefiets]

Got an email from FS reloading that the expected date for the press to be in stock is 26 januari.

[baragasam]

LOL, I modified a Lee Loadmaster by epoxying the plunger to a piece of 45ACP brass to fit into the 12L shell plate. Took out the indexer and now have a single stage sizing setup. It's not perfect but it gets the work done (as done so after thousands of bullets)

[flyingmonkey35]

I pre ordered mine.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[jmar254]

I’ll be waiting for v2 or 3 and keep using my upside down press.

[psychbiker]

I saw this on a casting facebook group and knew there'd be a thread on it.

I like that I can swage now with somewhat of a feeder. I was going to use my 650 with a Swage It kit but might just sell that now

Question:

I'm using a Lee press upside down with lee push through sizer dies. I've got about 10 of them. Will this press use my current lee sizing dies? Hopefully so. I'd hate to have to buy all knew sizing dies WITH the press.

[AR-Bossman]

Anyone know how to embed the videos below to this forum?
Edit.. funny how preview don't show they are embedded..what a ***

I still haven't found out if my old bullet sizers will work or not.

[psychbiker]

^^ Yeah, I can't tell from the video if the original push through sizing dies will work. They will certainly thread in BUT might not side flush to allow the slider to seat a bullet.

It looks like it might might if you just thread the die down BUT probably wont be able to use the catch bottle.

Pic of the their new "BL" sizing die that's only to be used with the new 'Breech Lock Sizer Kit'.




Definitely different than the regular push through sizer that's threaded into the press.

[shooter bob]

Ar Bossman sorry to say but the way I read it new push through size dies will have to be purchased

[AR-Bossman]

The bullet catch bottle is a joke. Fill that up in 5 minutes. Should just have a tubing adapter so we can attach some tubing and have them drop into a bucket or something

I'm assuming the push post mount is part of the initial breach lock bullet sizing kit and then you buy your sizing dies. I will call Monday to get an idea what is going on.

Also

Update from John Lee:

The million-cycle fatigue test is complete, and I am delighted to report it was a complete success. There were no failures of any component and normal wear at the lever pivot points. The wear on the linkage does not affect the function of the press in any way. Simply adjusting the die into the press a little further to allow for the “slop” in the linkage restores the press to perfect operation. Had we lubricated the pivot points more often, the wear likely would have been reduced. We lubed the press when it began “talking” the proverbial squeaking wheel needing grease.

With the exception of large primer pocket swaging, no one will apply the amount of pressure that we applied during the fatigue test, and it is highly unlikely any reloader would cycle the lever a million times in a lifetime.

I have a little bad news to report, and that is, we are likely going to miss the end of year ship date that I originally predicted. Two components on the automation package required tool modifications and a material change that has pushed us into the holiday season and progress grinds to a halt during these festive days.

[onelight]

Thanks for the update .
The catch bottle is a nice size for primers but like you say small for bullets but then I don't know how much weight the plastic threads would take , looks simple enough to put a bucket or other container under it for bullets and cases.

[Phlier]

Anyone know how to embed the videos below to this forum?
Edit.. funny how preview don't show they are embedded..what a ***

I still haven't found out if my old bullet sizers will work or not.

Thank you very much for posting those videos. That's exactly what I've been waiting for.. videos that actually show the press in use. Much appreciated. It's not looking like our library of Lee push through sizing dies is going to work with this press. That really <insert expletive of your choice here>. Not happy about having to purchase identical tooling.

The bullet catch bottle is a joke. Fill that up in 5 minutes. Should just have a tubing adapter so we can attach some tubing and have them drop into a bucket or something

I'm assuming the push post mount is part of the initial breach lock bullet sizing kit and then you buy your sizing dies. I will call Monday to get an idea what is going on.

Also

Update from John Lee:

The million-cycle fatigue test is complete, and I am delighted to report it was a complete success. There were no failures of any component and normal wear at the lever pivot points. The wear on the linkage does not affect the function of the press in any way. Simply adjusting the die into the press a little further to allow for the “slop” in the linkage restores the press to perfect operation. Had we lubricated the pivot points more often, the wear likely would have been reduced. We lubed the press when it began “talking” the proverbial squeaking wheel needing grease.

With the exception of large primer pocket swaging, no one will apply the amount of pressure that we applied during the fatigue test, and it is highly unlikely any reloader would cycle the lever a million times in a lifetime.

I have a little bad news to report, and that is, we are likely going to miss the end of year ship date that I originally predicted. Two components on the automation package required tool modifications and a material change that has pushed us into the holiday season and progress grinds to a halt during these festive days.

Completely agree about the catch bottle. It does look like it might be fairly easy to hook something up to it in the manner you describe, though.

Thanks for the update on the timeline, too.

It really does look like it'll be a handy little utility press, but having to re-purchase sizing dies sucks. Hopefully, enough guys will complain that they'll figure out some sort of adapter for our existing Lee Push Through Sizing Kits. I know they'll be hearing (politely, of course) from me about it.

[Kenstone]

^^ Yeah, I can't tell from the video if the original push through sizing dies will work. They will certainly thread in BUT might not side flush to allow the slider to seat a bullet.

It looks like it might might if you just thread the die down BUT probably wont be able to use the catch bottle.

Pic of the their new "BL" sizing die that's only to be used with the new 'Breech Lock Sizer Kit'.




Definitely different than the regular push through sizer that's threaded into the press.

You'll need this BL Bullet Sizer Kit ($15) to put that bushing into:
https://leeprecision.com/bl-bullet-sizer-kit.html
Looks like this die/bushing "kit"can be used in a conventional press too, just Die on top, push punch on the bottom/ram.