Old Lee progressive

[colej]

My father recently gave me this old Lee 12ga press he's had in the barn for the last 20 years or so and I can't find any info about it. there is no model number or anything other than the "LEE" logo on the cover. Anyone seen one, or have one and know how it works (it doesn't rotate when you pull the handle).
Dad couldn't remember when or where he got it, but he thinks it was back in the 70's

Thanks

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/2546750a58433ca680.bmp

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/2546750a58433d2db8.bmp

[fryboy]

hey a load fast !!! many didntlike it but i love mine ( yeah i still have one ) sadly discontinued and parts are rare , lee has a manual

http://leeprecision.com/cgi-data/instruct/Load-Fast.pdf

edit for add ... the load all powder/shot bushings work/fit in it

[1bluehorse]

Yep..it's a Load Fast alrighty...I have one complete with the "optional auto prime feed", it's back in it's box..it's a little flimsey but for trap and skeet loads it works remarkably well. (a pain in the Butt if something goes south during a loading sequence) but if I had a need to load up a bunch of 12's in a hurry I'd consider bringing it out of "retirement". For what I shoot in shotgun today the Mec singles will keep up.

I just reread where you said it didn't index...hmmmm, I really don't remember how that works, it has something to do with that black "collar" I think...pretty sure I have a set of instructions in the box, I'll go look and get back to you..

[1bluehorse]

Well, I just read the instruction book that came with the Loader and typical Lee there ain't a whole lot of info in it...according to the instr. if it won't index it's jammed....well Duh...I think if I were you I'd disassemble it and give it a good cleaning and see what it does.

By the way this is the second one I've owned. I got to know the first one really well taking it apart (see pain in the Butt in the above post) and putting it back together. Again typical Lee, it's a pretty simple machine but takes some adjusting, and for all it's chintzy look and feel I cranked a lot of rounds out of it..oh..the first one, I sold it..bought a couple Mecs...then years later bought this one...paid 35 bucks for it, like new, couldn't resist...

[HangFireW8]

I've loaded over 5K on my LoadFast II. Yes, I've replaced a few parts! 1bluehorse is right, it works best for trap and skeet type loads, though #6 shot will work fine too.

My best tip- learn by running one at a time through it, then load 2 at a time, on opposite sides of the shell plate. Besides having a nice rythmn, it balances the tension on the machine and runs smoother.

I tried doing all stations filled a few times... it works, but not that well. Pretty much all "feel" is gone and it is easy to crush a shell or do something wrong with the primer.

[colej]

thanks fryboy, now that I know what model it is I'll start searching for more info.
Thats a great link, from the looks of those images it appears my dad's old press is not set properly and is probably the reason it won't index.
I also found a live primer still jammed under the auto-feed.

[dragonrider]

I still have one also, gave up shotgun about 20 years ago so it has been hanging on a nail ever since but I did a lot of loading with it for trap shooting.

[greyling22]

HA! I came here today to ask a very similar question. Found the same press in the family barn last night and was going to ask if they were any good and if it was worth trying to revive. I asked my uncle about it and he said it worked pretty well as long as you didn't run the green remington shells through it. Don't know why that is.

[fryboy]

they dont do hi brass very well , as for being "any good" ... alot depends upon the operator , i bought mine new and while i have since gotten a hornady 366 i have no desire to get rid of mine , once they discontinued it i baby it alot more than i used to , the fact is properly set up and operated they do indeed "load fast" , like many have stated i loaded alot of target loads thru mine and a bit of dove and quail loads , my fav shells for it was ye olde ww compression formed and the el cheapo federal low brass hulls for hunting ( where losing one was no big deal )

[toooldtocare]

I just acquired one that has a couple broken pieces.Any one care to sell one???

[fryboy]

not me but .... if you want to sell your salvageable parts reasonable .... not sure if you could fashion spares or not depending upon what's broken and how bad it is , some plastic can be judiciously epoxied back together ( make sure it's super clean and grease free ) and i cant imagine many of the metal parts breaking except the head plate that's a ( more than likely ) zinc casting , i can however wish you luck ( g'luck ! )

[HeavyMetal]

Mine was way to finicky and fragile for my taste.
I had constant issues with the indexing system breaking.

I bought this press because it had a lot of cool features for the price and I do wish someone would step up and " improve" the design with metal parts!

This press would sell like hot cakes at $200 a pop if the " fragile" was taken out of it!
Sadly Lee never stepped up and stopped making it for obvious reasons.