Roto,
Nice job on the videos and your review/opinions. They will help a lot of us.
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Roto,
Nice job on the videos and your review/opinions. They will help a lot of us.
Don Verna
That's nice to know but I can't lift my Buick with my pinky either.Originally Posted by rototerrier
Sometimes size matters. All else being equal, a more massive press will be easier to operate and have better longevity when being pushed. My RC sometimes strains resizing 7.62 machine gun brass. This new press would not stand a chance. That does not make it "bad", just unsuitable for that specific task.
You can mount a plow to a 1/2 ton pickup but it will beat it up. Which is why most people using plows a lot opt for a 3/4 or 1 ton. Size matters.
Don Verna
Well, I just bought it to decap 45 Colt and 44-40 brass so I can clean the primer pockets, so I should be good to go. I have Magma sizers and Dillon 550 for everything else. The weak spot on the Dillon is the primer system anyway.
Even without the rifle case resizing this press will still expand my capabilities over what I can do now with what I have now. And even if I have to give up the productivity of the pass through die for a standard die to do rifle brass, that's still an improvement over my SDB.
By far and away I expect boolit sizing to be my AAP's main function, and so far I have read do any issues with that.
And that seems to be the gist of all this. Seems no one knows just what it was designed to do or just what it is capable of doing. Maybe the expectations were greater than what is being delivered.
Sure size matters. Just ask the all time caliber wars. But to compare this little machine to an overly built T7 which isn't even the same concept, is a bit ridicules. Like comparing a McDonalds cheeseburger to a Burger King Whopper. Yes they are both burgers but they still both don't compare to My Cheeseburgers!
I work in marketing and we always make 100% we deliver what the client expected. We write specs/requirements so we can track this. For Lee, if we go back to the beginning.... this is what our expectations were:
Introducing the Lee Automatic Processing Press the APP, the fastest and easiest way to prepare cases and size cast bullets. It is also a very convenient single station reloading press.
I received the patent on this new press late last year. It is the first press of its kind with the ability to mount the die to the top or bottom of the press. This die mounting flexibility allows previously unheard of automation on a single station press. Now you can deprime, primer pocket swage, bulge bust or size cast bullets as fast as you can operate the lever.
The press is actually heavy for its compact size. It is manufactured from a variety of materials best suited for the application. The lever or handles are made of steel and are topped with a molded grip we call the power grip. We went through a lot of iterations to come up with a really comfortable design. The grip is completely symmetrical making either hand operation a delight. The upper and lower die carriers are aluminum and the low stress items are nylon or acetal copolymer. The upper carrier rides on two centerless ground and roller burnished columns. The upper die carrier is counter balanced by a centrally mounted coil spring. The counter balance prevents the handle from falling and pinching a finger.
The APP is a “frameless” design with nearly all the forces going directly to the dies through the steel linkages rather than through the frame. As a single stage reloading press, it has almost unlimited visibility and hand clearance. Mounting is easy on any bench or table with no under swing.
But the APP is so much more. With the Automation kit, the APP becomes the world’s fastest single stage press. Now you can deprime cases, size cast bullets, swage primer pockets, etc. as fast as you can cycle the lever!
The Automation kit includes a revolutionary new kind of case and bullet feeder. Jaws automatically open and grasp the bullet or case. They then rapidly position the case or bullet into the operating position. Once in position, the jaws instantly open and return for the next case or bullet. It is fascinating just cycling the press empty watching the jaws open and close as it cycles back and forth.
It's really all there in that first sentence ... I expected ...the fastest and easiest way to prepare cases and size cast bullets. It is also a very convenient single station reloading press.
Anyway, I just really hope Lee calls it what it is. And what it isn't is a fast case prep press. At least not all of the steps necessary for case prep. Fix the marketing, or modify the product to match expectations.
I say all this as constructive criticism and as a very happy owner of numerous other lee products. I'm trying to think of one other item that from the beginning (not through wear) did not meet or exceed my expectations. I can't think of it. Pretty good track record all in all.
So. Lee then either Mislead their customers and didn't know or don't know what this machine is capable of. From the preliminary reviews I have read it is surely lacking their stated goals and expectations. Sorry but my personal opinion on this is that Lee was very premature in releasing this product. Not trying to judge this product as I don't have one. I don't know what it is or is not capable of doing but again from preliminary reviews there seems to be a lot of disappointed customers already. This situation is not going to bolster their reputation, I can see and hear it already.
If I had to take a wild stab... their proto type/ pre-production models of the press and accessories were likely to be made from stronger materials and at much finer tolerances. I do trust Lee and I do not think it was purposeful misleading. I have to think when the actual mass produced units came in, they then realized the shortcomings.
I'm not going to speculate on Lee's preproduction development as I have nothing to base it on.
Agreed that I don't think it purposeful though it probably was very premature. Because it sure looks as though they missed their mark. They do need to fix their advertising and promotion statements or correct the short comings.
I am a hearty Lee supporter, I have 3 Lee Presses, 6 pistol die sets and 4 powder measures. So to see this does not make me happy. To now have to listen to the haters spout out how Lee screwed up again and puts out complete junk just reinforces their claims.
The description on Titan says "A little over three inches of stroke allows sizing of the larger belted magnum cartridges".
Well it's great to see the app in action and I will order one soon .
My interest in it has always been 1 for depriming pistol brass and no. 2 use sizing boolits. I just moved, and my prepping and cleaning brass will be in the garage and loading in the house , so the APP will live in the garage.
It will work with the the 4 tube feeder and coallator so should save me some time. In my experience with the Lee case feeders the 9mm cases are the most difficult to keep running smooth , so watching the videos it looks like with a bit of a learning curve it will do what I want.
When I get my new areas in set up I will see if I like it.
Anyone that ordered from midsouth got a shipping email yet? I sent an email about the stuff I ordered and they said they could not tell me anything on when it will ships as they don't know.
OK, I finally got my APP running at 95% error free to de-cap 9mm brass. After LOTS
of futzing, trial and error here is what has worked for me:
- Removed the detent and spring beneath the shell holder.
- Oriented the shell holder with the stamped number at the exit side. If you orient it on the incoming side it will tilt the case.
- Adjust the automation shell clam clamp so it’s in the closed position when it’s beneath the vertical case holder tube.
- Adjust the gap between the top of the case, that is in the automation clamp, so there is only a hint of light between it and the black plastic piece above the case.
- Make sure to adjust the de-caping die with the press handle all the way down.
- I have mine connected to my Dillon case feeder. The tube is much longer than the plastic tube that comes with the APP kit. So if I let cases build up in my Dillon until it hits the shut off switch then there is too much weight, of cases, Bearing down on the plastic automation which causes binding and jams. Therefore, if I keep the cases to about the same height as the OEM tube then it feeds pretty reliably.
After these adjustments my press is running 95% consistently. It still snags occasionally but not nearly as much as it did.
Update ... There is a small Phillips screw beneath the plastic automation parts. This screw backs out and causes the automation to bind and lock up. I tried to tighten the screw but it’s stripped out and that was the first time I put a screwdriver to it. Makes me wonder if it’s supposed to be loose or someone at Lee stripped it out for me?
Last edited by igolfat8; 01-28-2020 at 11:16 PM. Reason: Update
What others, mostly Dillon owners are posting:
https://forums.brianenos.com/topic/2...ssing-machine/
fyi,
Size/Prime a few cases when starting off with a progressive and put them aside. You can plug them back into the process when a bad/odd case screws up in the priming station and continue loading.
The ramp on my was broken when it arrived, I see some of them on that board had the same problem.
https://youtu.be/ApkXLYqQpSY Posted today. Still didn’t get my app yet.
might have to get one for sizing bullets, quite a while ago, i made a 1/4" thick plate bracket for an old pacific press i had to mount it upside down so i just drop my bullets in and size without holding them on the ram. the sized bullets drop out the bottom and slide down a length of 1" hose and drop into a collection bucket on the floor
Most sites still have the press on preorder sale. I hoping it las until I get my tax return
Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
Last edited by Rcmaveric; 02-02-2020 at 10:31 PM.
"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."
~Theodore Roosevelt~
Another video with rifle brass ,
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...6FORM%3DVDVVXX
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