Lee 1000 problem

[minitruckster]

I just bought a Lee 1000 in the 9mm cal.i have it set up and working except every once in awhile the primer will flip on it's side and gets punched in the primer hole of the round.what is causing this to happen?

[petroid]

the design is causing that to happen. many experience it, few can fix it. I decided it wasn't worth dealing with and prime separately

[nagantguy]

It seems to be a symptom of the beast. Make sure there is no powder or debris under the priming stem and make sure you run the press handle smoothly and completely through its stroke with no stops or wobbles. And make sure your primer shoot is clean and clear of any burs or blockage. Winchester primers seem to run best in my 2 pros. After you've run one for a while you'll get a "feel" .

[kbstenberg]

Like Petroid I prime off press. Just my 2 cents. When I prime off press my #1 station is powder fill, my #2 station I seat bullets, my #3 station is my crimp station. Round is complete.

[oldfart1956]

Just for giggles using your thumb and forefinger squeeze the primer chute and make sure it's all the way together. When I clean&ArmorAll mine it spreads the chute apart sometimes. That's the only way I can see a primer rotating. Mebbe some primers are more round bottomed but the CCI primers (in mine) can't rotate. Curious. Audie..the Oldfart.

[Elkins45]

It happens because the primer doesn't slide all the way down the chute and all the way onto the seating punch. If it's only about half on the punch then it gets flipped when you try to seat it.

One thing to try is just to make sure you jiggle the primer tray right when the case trips the case sensor to make sure they advance down the chute.

[dikman]

I had the same problem. I found a youtube vid where the chap used the small vibrator from a mobile phone and taped it to the primer chute. The constant vibration jiggles the primers down the chute and keeps them feeding correctly. I used the small motor from a junked pair of battery-powered hair clippers to do the same thing. The constant noise from the vibration is a bit annoying, but I have no feed problems whenever I use it.

The pin sticking out the side of the chute is supposed to do the same thing by riding in the grooves on the upright column, but I found it's unreliable.

[petroid]

Also the shell plate is for 9mm and 40 which causes 9mm cases to be too far in/off center from the primer ram. Mikes reloading bench suggests using a #6 shell plate and modifying it for 9mm

[oso]

I would clean the primer chute and make sure the primers are filling the chute, check the primer seating stem motion (see that it is dropping all the way down) and check the shell plate timing. Watching the primers move down the chute and feeling the primer seating, with a preemptive tap or jiggle when needed, have become a helpful routine when using the Pro 1000.

[rbuck351]

The design of the primer slide is poor but they can be made to work. First you have to fix the powder thrower so it doesn't spit powder down into your primer slide. If there is any derbis, powder or other crud under the primer punch it can hold it up just a bit as the primer tries to slide on top of the punch the bottom edge of the primer hits the top of the punch and tips over on its side. Another issue is derbis in the primer slide that keeps the primer from sliding freely all the way onto the primer punch and not being aligned. The indexing of the shell plate needs to be correct or the primer can hit the primer pocket off center and be crushed or flipped. The primer slide can work itself apart. One of the main issues is leaked powder getting into the primer slide and the powder spitter is located directly above the primer slide. So, cut a piece of milk jug plastic that will just fit on top of the primer slide as far in toward the primer punch as you can make it fit and long enough to wedge against the outlet of the primer tray. Also sand the tops and bottoms of your powder discs until flat. This slows the leakage of the powder spitter. Oh yeah, deburr, polish and wax (JPW) everything the primer touches. And last, I keep an air compressor hose at my bench to blow off the bits of powder that leak despite all I have done to stop the leaking. Do all this and the vibrator motor shouldn't be necessary although it won't hurt. All three of my Pro 1000s work good now but it has been a ride getting them to work.

[Terryfromok]

Keeping it clean is a must. If there is spilled powder in the primer area, clean it out. Next important is never allowing the primer level to get to just the chute only. It needs the weight of primers behind to feed properly. If I see a primer jam in the tray, I simply flip the primer tray assembly with my finger to clear it. Get into a habit to check the primer chute often. I use Power Pistol in my auto disk with no leakage problems. Make sure the disks are assembled in the hopper correctly. Make sure the assembly works properly before you put powder in it. Does it return to the start position every time? Check the tightness of the brass hopper nuts. Not too tight and not too loose. When I first get a press, I thoroughly disassemble and clean it and lube it IAW the manufacturers specifications. I then assemble the press with the powder dispenser (without powder in it). Install a filled primer tray and everything else as if I was to reload something. I then cycle empty cases through the press several times to check for timing issues. You can recycle the brass later to remove the primers. Just plug the holes in the base to catch the good primers. I hope this helps.

[aspangler]

Take the primer slide apart, deburr, and paint with clear nail polish. a little JPW helps also. Make sure to watch the primers as the go down the slide to see if they are actually moving. A tap on the priner tray every third or fourth case works as well.

[minitruckster]

Thanks to all i will try all suggestions...hope it works

[dragonrider]

Like aspangler said take the slide apart and clean it, I used to apply funiture polish the slide and then polish it, make the slide slicker than snot, the less friction the better, primers will slide right down the way they should. Also another thing that helps is rigidity. A very solid, no motion bench mount will help a lot.

[Gliden07]

Has to be very clean. I polished the feed chute also, keep the primer try half full at all times, I tried the cell phone vibrator it does work but its a PITA!! I started to tap the primer tray every few pulls also. I learned how to load on this press as it was given to me. I still have it and use it to load 45 ACP only.

[rbuck351]

I got three of them for different calibers because I don't want to change anything once I have one of these diabolical machines working right. You will notice a couple of things common to most answers. Polish the slide, dry lube or wax it and KEEP IT CLEAN. I keep an air hose by mine when I load and give every thing a puff of air now and then to keep it free of bits of powder. If anyone has one of these they hate and are ready to throw in a pond, PM me. I could use another one.

[LAKEMASTER]

I placed a new in package (latest model) primer feed into my load master and have not had a flipped primer or any issue so far.

The only issue I've had 100%of the time is not checking to see if my brass has the little bevel around the primer pocket.

Mine will not not work with those no matter stay adjustment I make

[Pumpkinheaver]

Nature of the beast. Keeping the primer tray close to full helps.

[abunaitoo]

I just prime off the press. Never had a problem since.

For a mini vibrator, try the motor from an electric toothbrush.
Battery powered.
Wire it to a switch, so when the handle is pulled down, it turns on.

[rbuck351]

Priming off the press defeats the purpose of a progressive and the priming system can be made to work.

[abunaitoo]

I don't even size on it.
I prep, (deprime, size, clean) the shells before loading.
Works for me.

[Mike Kerr]

Back in the day and I mean over 1.5 decades ago, I did as Abunaito said. I only used the press for its indexing. I loaded each prepped case by hand and used No1 as powder thru, No 2 to seat and No 3 to crimp. Worked pretty good but I only loaded about 300 rounds with it before I bought some additional items for my 450 which indexes more consistently (I think).

[375supermag]

Hi...

The Lee 1000 progressive press is a tricky beast, but can be made to work.

First, completely remove the primer feed system. Throw it in the trash. There is nothing you can do to make it work. I know, I tried very hard...it just will not reliably feed primers in the correct orientation.
Second, remove the powder metering assembly. It will always leak powder no matter what you do. Throw it away. Better for you and those who live with you.

If you have any dies other than Lee dies in the press, remove them. Take the Lee 1000 press of your bench and put it in a sturdy box in a cabinet. If at any time in the near or distant future, you feel the need to buy another Lee press, open that sturdy box and the feeling should pass immediately.

Go buy another press...Hornady, RCBS, Lyman ,etc.
Mount it to your bench and use it.

You have now solved the problem with the Lee 1000. Trust me this system works very well. My Lee 1000 has been residing in a sturdy box for years and will remain there until I retire and have time to either adapt it into something that will work (as a boat anchor) or dig a big hole and bury it VERY DEEP.

Do not consider this as an attack on all Lee products, although I can state that their dies have an alarming tendency to go out of adjustment. Something about that innovative (read cheap) locking ring on the die body. Go ahead and use them if you don't mind your bullet seating depth to wander up and down randomly. Nothing that can't be solved by using a set of quality steel bodied dies from a reputable manufacturer.

I was warned not to buy Lee presses and dies when i started reloading 35+ years ago, but I thought surely they were exaggerating. No...they were just trying to save me some time, money and the bad habit of acquiring an extensive vocabulary of swear words.

[shoot-n-lead]

Hi...

The Lee 1000 progressive press is a tricky beast, but can be made to work.

First, completely remove the primer feed system. Throw it in the trash. There is nothing you can do to make it work. I know, I tried very hard...it just will not reliably feed primers in the correct orientation.
Second, remove the powder metering assembly. It will always leak powder no matter what you do. Throw it away. Better for you and those who live with you.

If you have any dies other than Lee dies in the press, remove them. Take the Lee 1000 press of your bench and put it in a sturdy box in a cabinet. If at any time in the near or distant future, you feel the need to buy another Lee press, open that sturdy box and the feeling should pass immediately.

Go buy another press...Hornady, RCBS, Lyman ,etc.
Mount it to your bench and use it.

You have now solved the problem with the Lee 1000. Trust me this system works very well. My Lee 1000 has been residing in a sturdy box for years and will remain there until I retire and have time to either adapt it into something that will work (as a boat anchor) or dig a big hole and bury it VERY DEEP.

Do not consider this as an attack on all Lee products, although I can state that their dies have an alarming tendency to go out of adjustment. Something about that innovative (read cheap) locking ring on the die body. Go ahead and use them if you don't mind your bullet seating depth to wander up and down randomly. Nothing that can't be solved by using a set of quality steel bodied dies from a reputable manufacturer.

I was warned not to buy Lee presses and dies when i started reloading 35+ years ago, but I thought surely they were exaggerating. No...they were just trying to save me some time, money and the bad habit of acquiring an extensive vocabulary of swear words.

BINGO!!!!

We have a winner!

[dikman]

Obvious answer to the "wandering die" scenario - replace the locking ring with Hornady, you know, the type with the screw-clamping. I bought a set to replace the Lee locknuts, but haven't used them 'cos I found that if I use a spanner to tighten them up they don't move.

[rbuck351]

375supermag
Put some stamps on that Lee Pro 1000 box and send it my way. I'll reimburse your shipping. It will clear up some shelf space and it will keep you from having to dig a hole.
shoot-n-lead
Same goes for you if you still have one..

[shoot-n-lead]

375supermag
Put some stamps on that Lee Pro 1000 box and send it my way. I'll reimburse your shipping. It will clear up some shelf space and it will keep you from having to dig a hole.
shoot-n-lead
Same goes for you if you still have one..

rbuck, sorry, I gave my last one away, to a member over at Specialty Pistols forum...about a year ago. It had been taking up space for way too many years and the guy said he would use it...but, even though I gave it to him...I didn't do him a favor.

[BatangSampaloc]

I just bought a Lee 1000 in the 9mm cal.i have it set up and working except every once in awhile the primer will flip on it's side and gets punched in the primer hole of the round.what is causing this to happen?

MiniTruckster - I may be in a minority here but I do like my Lee Pro 1000 a lot. I use it mostly for decapping and priming. Just last night I primed 500 45acp and 500 9mm cases with it. 1000 rounds total with only 1 issue - one crushed primer due to a crimped 9mm case. That is 99.99% success ratio! And the fault was due to a case, not the machine.

As for your flipped primers, it could be that your reloading bench may not be sturdy enough. A flimsy bench could bounce/rattle those primers with each stroke, causing them to flip, especially when you are sizing and seating bullets. This happened to me a long time ago until I finally realized it was my flimsy bench and my rough operation of the press. Also, make sure that each push/pull of the arm is as smooth as possible, minimizing the 'jarring?' effect to your bench.

Hope this helps.

[Outer Rondacker]

First off Welcome BatangSampaloc. Next.

Minitruckster might also want to check out my thread. We are rehabing an old Lee press. Well I am. But there is a lot of good info and LEE owners there solving issues and discussing both Pro 1000s and LM's. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?299916-Who-uses-a-Lee-Pro-1000-or-Loadmaster

One last thing I am always up for a challenge so if any LEE haters are here and wish to ship me that junk press I will pay the shipping bill. It can be in a box of parts.

[MT Chambers]

Lee blames Federal, for all their priming problems.

[rbuck351]

just for kicks I put a mix of federal, cci and some win primers in the tray stirred them up and went to loading. It worked fine. but, that is after a bunch of work on the powder measure and the primer feed.

[Bigslug]

First off, .375Supermag, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for post #23! Truer words were never typed, and they gave me a very good laugh.


Lee blames Federal, for all their priming problems.

Sounds a lot like the Obama / G.W. Bush relationship, but no, that priming system sucks butt with Winchesters as well.

My father and I gave up on that press LONG before anything like this forum existed to assist, but I've got to say that viruses, identity thieves, child predators, and reduced human contact are all small Internet dangers when compared to the deviously-presented premise that it's somehow possible to turn a Pro 1000 into a useful tool. Paste wax and vibrators? The porn sites have NOTHING on you guys! Come to think of it, the positions and language used in the attempted operation of this press are probably FAR more inventive.:mrgreen:

Maybe we should start support group meetings for recovering P-1000 users where we compare notes with meth addicts to see if bad chemicals fry more brain cells than frustration.

You know, if you edit the Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Steps to replace "alcohol" and "shortcomings" with "Pro-1000" as well as replacing "Higher Power" and "God" with "Mike Dillon", it makes for a pretty amusing read.

[MTSWAGER]

My 1000 was an ok machine for the price, never had any priming issues with it, I did always keep it very clean though.

[merlin101]

I've got 2 of the P1000 and I think they're worth the money. Like been said the biggest problem is the primer chute, but if you read this far then you know how to fix it. I keep a spray can of compressed air to blow off any spilled powder, cheap portable and works good. BTW. I tryed to load .223 on mine and never had much luck, that skinny little base just wasn't wide enough to keep them upright. Oh well I got them for hand gun tin can blasting ammo anyway.

[CraigOK]

I almost always prime on my single stage press so when this happens I can get it in the ram straight and get it seated as it should be. Then it's one less thing to keep an eye on when I'm running them through on the progressive and im not pulling bullets bc of it.

[kmw1954]

Seems to me that one of the biggest problems with this is with the 9mm cartridge and priming them. With the popularity of 9mm maybe Lee should make a dedicated shellplate for the 9mm.


With the design of the primer pin and feed I can easily understand the need for a rock solid bench mount. How many of you can balance a cup on the end of your finger?

[rbuck351]

Yeah, a proper fitting shell plate for the 9mm would help keeping things aligned but there is a fix for that as well.

[44Vaquero]

Tipped primers in a Pro-1000 can also be a result from improper timing adjustment of the shell plate carrier.

I always look at the priming trough/chute 1st. Being free of burrs and kept full. 2nd ensure the press is bolted down solid and tight. 3rd look at the timing adjustment.

4th and most importantly if you are on FaceBook join "Lee Reloading and Casting Users Group" 12,000+ members who are dedicated to using Lee Equipment correctly!!

I myself run A Lee Automator and a Classic Cast Pro-1000 Hi-bred as well a original Load Master all using factory priming systems as do many others on our page!

[HeadLead]

As stated above, I use station #1 as a charging station. Station #2 I use a hornady powder cop die and station #3 I seat using Lee's bullet feeder. I taper crimp in an old Lyman press which by the way is also my de-prime station, then after cleaning, the brass is resized and primed. I like my Pro 1000 for this scenario. Before this setup, I did use it as initially intended from the factory.

Google..... "SanFransisco Liberal with a Gun". He has some very interesting videos regarding the Pro 1000.

[Gaseous Maximus]

Like some others, I also prime off press. Tumble, resize and deprime first of course. 9's are what I load on my 1000. Struggled for about 2 weeks trying to use the built in primer, finally gave up. Using it, I was finally able to arrive at the point where it was only taking me about 4 time as long to load ammo, as it did on a single stage. I believe part of my problem was the fact that I use a lot of range brass, some of which has crimped in primers. which I didn't separate. The next ones I load will not be resized first, but run through a universal depriming die, and reprimed. I am going to try this method because of the construction of the 1000. The sizer is directly in line with the ram. I am hoping that the added pressure will help with more uniformity on the other two stations. I actually like the 1000, as I am retired with more time than money. I have a second one which I am setting up to run 38s on.

[Moonie]

For all the problems I've had over the years with priming on my loadmaster I've never had issues with it on either of the pro1000's I've owned. Granted I only load 45acp and 45 Colt on it.