Lee Pro 1000

[calsite]

Anyone have any experiences trouble shooting a Lee Pro 1000? Got one last year and though it maks a pretty plant stand someday I'd like to get the thing to work thew way ity's supposed to. Watched all of the videos on Lee.com Still having problems ???????

[Old Ironsights]

What problems in what caliber?

It takes some futzing, but I got mine to make .357s pretty well.

[Topper]

Old Iron sights, I LIKE you signature

Dear Govt: I'm not Jesus. Stop Punishing me for other people's sins! :-D

[Lloyd Smale]

no troubles shooting one just go with a hard cast bullet. Personaly i wouldnt waste a bullet on one id just toss it in the pond.

[lee n. field]

Got one last year and though it maks a pretty plant stand someday I'd like to get the thing to work thew way ity's supposed to

If you want to sell it cheap, let me know. :-D

I've had a little experience with one. One of the toy stores I frequent had one for cheap. "Used" -- I suspect the guy opened the box, looked inside, decided it looked too complicated, and traded it for something else.

Minimal problems so far, mostly with the priming system. Lube the priming system with graphite and don't let it get too low. Watch the primer feed chute -- you'll be able to see the column advance. If it doesn't, stop and fix it. You'll be able to feel the primer seat. If it feels funny, you'll probably want to clear the press and check it out.

I'm not using the case feeder, and I've removed the case slider thing (which you only really need if you're using the case feeder).


What problems in what caliber?

Ditto. So far I've loaded .40, .45 ACP and 9mm Makarov on it, many hundreds of rounds.

[mtgrs737]

I had two of them at one time years ago. When new they ran pretty good, but once they got worn, dirty, etc they became harder to get along with. The nylon ratchet thingy that advances the shell plate wears and as stated earlier the primmer feed is a problem. I sold both of mine when I got a Dillon 550B and I have never looked back.

[trickyasafox]

I have a few of em. Mine gets a bit finicky with 38spl and 40sw. For the money its my only option to load progressively. I actually ended up with three of the darn things. One I bought new and 2 i bought used for 50-75 dollars with spare dies and accessories.

What is it doing/not doing? Do you have the spare parts that came with it? if your having index problems try a touch of lube on the index rod. Those nylon gears don't wear out as fast if you keep the rod lubricated. i drop a bit of gun oil on it every time i do a run. (300-500 rounds)

Also- don't be afraid to change the handle position (sounds dumb) but if you have the handle so it bottoms out the press (so the handle is up) so its about two inches from vertical, towards the user, the press runs smoother- I think it is because its easier to feel priming with the handle like this, and for me it runs a bit more naturally.

Like others have said, when they are dirty- they make for headaches.

[oso]

I've reconditioned one that was gifted to me and it runs so well I got another used one. Loaded multi-K of a couple different calibers on each. Please supply details of the problems you are experiencing.

[TAWILDCATT]

I have one of the first,since I clean cases first,I deprime clean and prime by hand.after that there is no problem.
I think most people have a mental problem like (its cheap so it wont work)and it does not.you have to get a rythem with the press and sometimes you have to have the ability to tinker
since Lee sells a lot some one must like them. all brands seem to have some problem.

[Marc2]

Its a man of delicate sensibilities that can load on a Pro 1000.

Marc

[Old Ironsights]

Yep. And I have Kittens on my Gun Safe too...

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y180/MrMisanthrope/IMG_5830.jpg

so there. PtHBLPTH! ;)

[Marc2]

Nice, Ironsights! I have three Pro 1000s and my bride has three kittens. I think she buys a cat everytime I buy a Pro 1000. I need to slow down.

Marc

[trickyasafox]

OldIronsights-

is your gun safe a converted fridge? it looks interesting. Details if you don't mind?

[melw]

I have one of the first,since I clean cases first,I deprime clean and prime by hand.after that there is no problem.
I think most people have a mental problem like (its cheap so it wont work)and it does not.you have to get a rythem with the press and sometimes you have to have the ability to tinker
since Lee sells a lot some one must like them. all brands seem to have some problem.

I do this to. I have had a pro 1000 fo 45 ACP for just over a year. I guess I have loaded about 1000 rounds on it. I am very happy with it. I have the parts to change it to 357\38sp but it is working so well that I am lothe to change it.:neutral:
I guess I will have to keep my eyes open for a used one.
Mel W.

[lee n. field]

I have the parts to change it to 357\38sp but it is working so well that I am lothe to change it.
I guess I will have to keep my eyes open for a used one.

The instructions make it look kind of complicated. It's really not. It's pretty trivial. (Hint, with the shellplate off, don't turn the shellplate holder over....)

[melw]

The instructions make it look kind of complicated. It's really not. It's pretty trivial. (Hint, with the shell plate off, don't turn the shell plate holder over....)

I load and shoot the 45 more then the 357. I went for the shell plate holder for 357. So I don't have to take the plate off.:-D I will give it a try when I really want to shoot a bunch of 38s.
Mel W.

[timdco]

I have a Pro 1000 set up for the 45 ACP . I really haven't had any troubles with it. I've found that most problems are caused by short stroking the press. The primer feed can be touchy when it gets low it doesn't want to feed right. What trouble are you having with your press?

[hungryhuntergirl]

Same here, .45 acp and the only problem so far is when primers get too low it defuncts everything and also if the fingers for the bullet droper stay with bullets in it they lose there spring and may load a bullet sideways...go figure!!

[Old Ironsights]

OldIronsights-

is your gun safe a converted fridge? it looks interesting. Details if you don't mind?

It's actually a converted FREEZER. Refrigerators don't have locks.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y180/MrMisanthrope/IMG_5833.jpg
All I did was find a dead one with a functional lock (free! for the haulage...) , gut it, pull the compressor and add some barrel rests.

The Door shelves are great for reloading supplies, and cases of ammo fit nicely under the bottom where the compressor once was.

It's not really theft-proof by any reasonable standard, but it IS virtually fireproof, and has the advantage of "Security through Obscurity"... i.e. Concealment vs. Hard Cover.

[Old Ironsights]

The instructions make it look kind of complicated. It's really not. It's pretty trivial. (Hint, with the shellplate off, don't turn the shellplate holder over....)

The instructions could have been written better by an illiterate Lithuanian who had his scribles translated to English by a Chinese Pesant Cat Farmer. :roll:

I really don't know what they were thinking with those non-instructions.

[wheelgunner]

I've used 3 pro-1000's to load several hundred thousand rounds between them. 3 keys I've found with them.

1) Keep it clean. Diassemble the carrier assy every couple of 1000 rounds and spray it clean with gun cleaner. Pay special attention to the primer ram tunnel and the face of the primer ram. A little drop of oil on the center guide rod on reassemble helps.

2) Don't let the primer tray get too low. Once the tray empties, refill it, don't run the primer slide dry, it seems to need the weight of the primers to force them onto the primer ram. I use a pen to hold the primers in the tray while inserting into the primer slide. When "timing" the press with the big phillips head screw on the underside of the carrier I set it where the carrier JUST makes it to the next station. If the primers just seem to continue to feed, the little paper clip style spring under the primer ram is sticking. Sometimes the slot it rides in can get closed up a it, try using some sand paper to open it up it bit. Also on occasion a speck of powder or a bit of bullett lube can find it's way to the top of the primer ram causing the primer to sit cockeyed and consequently seat crooked.

3) Develop a rhythm. It will take a bit to figure out the smoothest stroke. I find that giving the arm a slight extra bump at the upper and lower ends of the stroke helps with the primer feeding.


I should mention that I also have a Dillon 550B which is a much more substantial unit, but I find i can make ammo much faster on the Lee, leaving a lot more time to make things go bang!

[Maxthompson]

At the price of real gunsafes and the price of freezers, you could buy a new one and not plug it in and save a bunch. Most people won't break into a freezer. Or am I wrong?

Mike

[ozbornm]

I have 2 they are ok but not what a dillon is by anyones standards.

[Old Ironsights]

At the price of real gunsafes and the price of freezers, you could buy a new one and not plug it in and save a bunch. Most people won't break into a freezer. Or am I wrong?

Mike

Don't know too many Methheads who are looking for popsickles...

If you have a cheap gun "safe" (a stack-on or some such) with a throwaway/pawn shop *** in it, nobody is even going to LOOK at the spare freezer.

Another really good safe is an old Pop Machine. They ARE safes, and nobody is going to steal the "broken" one in your garage...

[Wicky]

I have a couple and if you do as Wheelgunner suggests you should be fine. I also have a Dillon and while they are much better made they also play up if they get grotty!

Ironsights, love the gun safe. Wouldn't pass our inspections but who would think to look in the freezer? 'Speccially one with kittens on it.

[Diamond-City-Bob]

Old freezers can be found for as little as free. When one considers the price of a gunsafe, the difference works out to a 650 or a new whatever you need. They are also air tight so humidity control is easy.
I replaced my Pro 1000 with a L&L AP. The 1000 requires way too much fussing, kinda like a hammer, if the heads loose you put a new wedge in. If you have to put a new wedge in the handle every time you use the hammer you get rid of it and pick up a rock or get a better hammer.

[hunter64]

I have 3 Pro1000's, I bought one 15 years ago and the other two were given to me because the owners couldn't make them work. The two that were given to me took about 10 minutes each to fix, the majority of timing problems are warn out gear/bushings in the shell plate holder, replaced the warn parts and that was that. The most annoying thing about the 1000 is the primer system, all it takes is one primer not to feed , the case is charged with powder, the powder drops thru the empty primer hole into the shell carrier and jams everything up. Then you have to completely disassemble everything and clean everything out and away you go again.

Simple fix and since I started doing this no more problems.

1. Buy another 3 hole turret for 11 bucks.
2. Remove the depriming die off of the turret and install it on the separate turret and remove the other die/powder measure turret and replace it with only the deprimer die turret.
3. So all you have now is the deprimer die on the machine and set it up to the correct depth to deprime and size.
4. Now run all your ammo thru the 1000 and all you are doing is sizing and priming the cases. I bought an extra primer trough and when one runs dry I have my son fill it up and change the troughs.
5. It is amazing how quick you can run this machine and not have to worry about spilled powder/primer problems, what I really need is a primer trough that would hold 200 and longer case feeder tubes.
6. Once you are done then just install the turret with the dies/powder on the machine again, hook up the powder return chain and away you go, never have to worry about cleaning the shell carrier out again or missed primers getting jammed.

I bought some lock rings for the deprimer dies and that way they return exactly to where they need to be for the next time.

I have my uncles Dillon 650 in 9mm that was willed to me when he passed away 2 years ago as well as his other reloading equipment. It is a great machine with it's quirks and nuances. To change to a different caliber it would cost the same as buying another used pro1000 with the dies. I use it for my 9mm and that is it and to be honest it runs time wise about the same as my pro1000, maybe slightly quicker but not by much and that includes my method of priming on the 1000. Does it make better ammo, not a bit. I did two boxes on the Dillon and two boxes with my 9mm 1000. I used the same powder/primers/cases on both, 20 10 shot groups at 25 yards from my Ransom rest and my Browning High Power both were indistinguishable. My 2 cents worth.

[timdco]

How about the Lee Load Master progressive press? anybody have any experience with that one? I've never used one but it looks like it would be about like the pro 1000

[Dale53]

I am thinking of selling a Lee Pro 1000 (.32 Caliber). I have used it with satisfaction for some years. Recently, I went .32 with my Dillon 550B. I may post it on the sell page.

At any rate, while I have used mine with few problems, it is good to be of a mechanical nature with most progressives to get good results. I have a friend who was a Lee Distributor and he wouldn't sell a progressive to anyone until he interviewed them and was satisfied that they had some mechanical ability.

Dale53

[trickyasafox]

did we ever hear what the problem was? I think i missed it . . . :)

[R.M.]

That's what Pee'd me off.
I'm a tool and die maker. I've made custom specialty machinery my whole life, and I couldn't get the @#$%$^%&&* thing to work properly. Sort of a slight against my manhood if you will.

[Lloyd Smale]

Id bet theres about as many of them sitting like yours because of frustration then there are in actual operation.