Lee APP, What can you tell me?

[JohnH]

I have neuropathy in my left hand and fingers to the point that I'm beginning to have difficulty handling cases and bullets. I currently use an RCBS bench mounted priming tool https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/rcbs...act&cm_soc=AFF but it's getting to be a real pain in the fingers (and other places too) I'm having the same issue with lubing bullets on my Lyman 4500. I see the APP has a feeder, does it work good? Are there additional tools I will need to get to use it or does it come with a priming set up and the case/bullet feeder? Do you like it? Has it been an energy saver? What do you not like about it? TIA.

[Papercidal]

I have one that I use for sizing bullets, decapping, & swaging primer pockets. It comes with the bullet/case feeder parts and works great for all of the above especially if fed with a bullet collator or Dillon case feeder.


I believe that they have a different press based off of the app for automated priming but there are no priming parts that come with the app

[kevin c]

The basic unit has a shuttle system that moves the bullet over to the sizing die or the case to the shell holder for processing. The shuttle has little claws that open then close around what you drop into them, so it’s self centering and allows for less fine manipulation on the operator’s part compared to manually setting a case into a shell holder or a bullet on a ram that moves up into a sizer. Also, the shell holder has pass through design where the next case pushes out the just processed case, much faster than working a single stage.

As described you feed the cases or bullets singly by hand. The shuttle moves from the operators left to the right, so manual feeding is with the left hand. The press has attachment points for a set of feeder tubes for the shuttle which speeds short term production, but as they come, the tubes themselves have to be loaded manually. I’m sure there are ways of automating the process with a case or bullet feeder but I haven’t seen any. My personal use of the APP is HiTek coated cast boolit sizing. Since the press can do this on the downstroke of a top mounted ram into a bottom mounted sizer, I can directly hand feed the boolits nose down into the sizer, and don’t bother with the shuttle system or tubes.

[cwlongshot]

For me its 80% SIZING my Powder Coated Cast.

20% and this number will grow. But de priming brass for cleaning.

GREAT to take that aspect off the reloading press. I have t touched my 450 since getting it.

CW

[Horn Ridge]

I mainly use my APP for depriming pistol brass before wet tumbling. It will test your patience setting it up to run properly, but once you get it all dialed in it’s worth what you paid for it. I’ve also used it with the debulging kit and it works well. A collator would make things even quicker if you’re doing several hundred rounds at a time.

[Liberty1776]

I received my APP Oct 15, 2021.

This actually makes depriming fun. I don't think it's possible to set up for priming. Lee has a separate priming tool for that. In my case, I rely on the Dillion 550c to feed primers and seat them after sizing.

I purchased the rotating 4-tube feeder system
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1020023248?pid=868423

and the case collator tray that fits on top of the four feed tubes.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/101300663?pid=244455



Also bought the primer pocket swage kit that removes the factory crimp from both large and small primer pockets. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1022387359?pid=983551

While you can screw the press to your benchtop, the Bench Plate Kit is helpful for mounting and quick removal.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/101282199?pid=113651

I screwed a simple angle bracket to the front of my bench that catches the lip of an Akro-Mils bin. This bin receives processed brass.


If you mount this bin bracket a bit lower than shown, it allows you to position the bin to the right or to the left. Sometimes the brass comes off to the right (depriming and pocket swaging) and sometimes it goes straight down (debulging or bullet sizing). Otherwise you put a bucket on the ground to catch the brass or bullets.


Depending on your grip, you may desire the roller handle, though the standard non-rotating red handle works fine for me. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1022927486?pid=443097

Personally, I can't say enough about this press. I've processed 9mm Luger and .45 ACP so far -- depriming and swaging the primer pockets. The breechlock quick-change system allows dies and rams to be changed out in seconds and after a bit of adjustment, the press is so fast I find myself pulling 9mm out of my range-pickup bin just to run 50 cases through the press to hear the primers pop out. It's just so darned fast it's a dream. No dirty hands.

The Pro 1000 4-tube loader and the collator tray allow you to load up the tubes in seconds.

Go to YouTube and enter "Lee APP Press review." Many videos will come up to familiarize yourself.

One of the confusing parts I skipped at first was not snapping a "riser" onto the clawed shuttle.

Amazingly, the press still works without a riser, but not very well. Adding the proper riser made all the difference!

The taller the case, the taller the riser you need to add. Small cases like 9mm and .45ACP take the thinnest riser.

Because I reload so many calibers, I purchased a Lee X-Press shellholder kit. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1022927226?pid=883529

These shellholders are different from normal "universal" shellholders utilized in most presses. Note they are not as strong, so don't be resizing giant cases like .308 Win or you'll rip the rim right off the case and end up with a case stuck in the sizing die.

I don't think I'd do sizing in this little press in any event. I've got burly Dillons and a Rock Chucker for heavy duty work.

The APP kit comes with three X-Press shellholders (#2, #4, #19) suitable for 60 calibers, per Lee. But check to make sure you don't need additional shellholders for your particular calibers. This cross-ref chart for which holder goes with which caliber is here: https://leeprecision.com/X-press-Shell-Holders-ID.html

The APP also comes with a single Lee "Breechlock" die adapter. You may need to buy a couple more of those adapters.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012849384?pid=971565

Bottom line: I love my APP.

[Valley-Shooter]

I received my APP Oct 15, 2021.

This actually makes depriming fun. I don't think it's possible to set up for priming. Lee has a separate priming tool for that. In my case, I rely on the Dillion 550c to feed primers and seat them after sizing.

I purchased the rotating 4-tube feeder system
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1020023248?pid=868423

and the case collator tray that fits on top of the four feed tubes.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/101300663?pid=244455



Also bought the primer pocket swage kit that removes the factory crimp from both large and small primer pockets. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1022387359?pid=983551

While you can screw the press to your benchtop, the Bench Plate Kit is helpful for mounting and quick removal.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/101282199?pid=113651

I screwed a simple angle bracket to the front of my bench that catches the lip of an Akro-Mils bin. This bin receives processed brass.


If you mount this bin bracket a bit lower than shown, it allows you to position the bin to the right or to the left. Sometimes the brass comes off to the right (depriming and pocket swaging) and sometimes it goes straight down (debulging or bullet sizing). Otherwise you put a bucket on the ground to catch the brass or bullets.


Depending on your grip, you may desire the roller handle, though the standard non-rotating red handle works fine for me. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1022927486?pid=443097

Personally, I can't say enough about this press. I've processed 9mm Luger and .45 ACP so far -- depriming and swaging the primer pockets. The breechlock quick-change system allows dies and rams to be changed out in seconds and after a bit of adjustment, the press is so fast I find myself pulling 9mm out of my range-pickup bin just to run 50 cases through the press to hear the primers pop out. It's just so darned fast it's a dream. No dirty hands.

The Pro 1000 4-tube loader and the collator tray allow you to load up the tubes in seconds.

Go to YouTube and enter "Lee APP Press review." Many videos will come up to familiarize yourself.

One of the confusing parts I skipped at first was not snapping a "riser" onto the clawed shuttle.

Amazingly, the press still works without a riser, but not very well. Adding the proper riser made all the difference!

The taller the case, the taller the riser you need to add. Small cases like 9mm and .45ACP take the thinnest riser.

Because I reload so many calibers, I purchased a Lee X-Press shellholder kit. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1022927226?pid=883529

These shellholders are different from normal "universal" shellholders utilized in most presses. Note they are not as strong, so don't be resizing giant cases like .308 Win or you'll rip the rim right off the case and end up with a case stuck in the sizing die.

I don't think I'd do sizing in this little press in any event. I've got burly Dillons and a Rock Chucker for heavy duty work.

The APP kit comes with three X-Press shellholders (#2, #4, #19) suitable for 60 calibers, per Lee. But check to make sure you don't need additional shellholders for your particular calibers. This cross-ref chart for which holder goes with which caliber is here: https://leeprecision.com/X-press-Shell-Holders-ID.html

The APP also comes with a single Lee "Breechlock" die adapter. You may need to buy a couple more of those adapters.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012849384?pid=971565

Bottom line: I love my APP.

You sound like a salesman.
Do you work for Lee?

You didn't mention all the everyday minor problems that we encounter using the press.
I actually like mine. It's doing the same job as 2 of my other presses.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

[Liberty1776]

You sound like a salesman.
Do you work for Lee?

A Lee salesman? Heavens no. I simply detest depriming, primer pocket swaging and debulging.

These steps are the worst part of reloading for me.

I like to wet-tumble my brass with stainless media. Wet tumbling works best if the primers are out -- better water flow, better cleaning inside, clean primer pockets, better draining, faster drying.

Getting those pesky primers out is a real pain: slow; one at a time; filthy fingertips; in and out of the shell holder; repetitive-motion joint and back aches as I sit there for an hour punching primers out.

After that, I'm back where I started, and I haven't even tumbled the brass yet.

After depriming and tumbling, I then get to remove the crimps from found military range brass. If I don't, I'll ruin primers trying to seat them through the crimp. Yay! Process the brass, again.

Want to debulge? Process each and every shell, one at a time...again. Ugh.

The APP speeds up these three drudge reloading steps so well that if that's all the APP did -- or even one of these steps -- the APP, at around $100 -- would still be worth it, at least for me.

I can see it sizing cast boolits too, especially now that I powder coat. Sizing is a low-pressure, but absolutely imperative, process. The APP should do it well.

If I had known about this little machine, I would have bought one sooner. Is the APP a rock-solid, cast iron machine that will never wear out? Hardly. Too much plastic and pot metal. Does it work? Absolutely.

I thank this forum for exposing me to the APP. It's a productivity improvement akin to the jump from the single stage Rock Chucker to the progressive Dillon. The time savings are remarkable. And at my age, I don't buy green bananas.

But simply knowing there is a better, faster (and inexpensive) way to do mundane processes is enough to drive me crazy if I must do the processes. Who would use a typewriter after experiencing a computer?

Resizing and the remaining reloading steps? I have fully functioning progressive Dillions for that, or, for precision low-volume reloading for, say, .500 S&W, my good ol' 1979-issue RCBS Rock Chucker is right there on the bench, although it's been upgraded with the Lee Breechlock adapter that speeds up die changes.

Finally, some may say, "Just tumble and then decap using the sizing die. That's what it's there for."

After getting into Cowboy Action shooting, and needing to reload upwards of 240 .38SPL rounds per meet (both the wife and I shoot) plus hundreds more after we practice, I tried to speed reloading up by decapping using the sizing die.

Aside from a dirty primer pocket (which everybody says is not a factor) somehow, a couple of dead primers were punched out, then redrawn back into the empty shell. This resulted in dud rounds.

Dillon's own knowledge base, article 49 (no longer on the Dillon website) states: "It is very unlikely that the depriming assembly is not pushing the primer out of the case. It is very likely that the spent primer is getting wedged onto the tip of the pin, getting partially pulled back up into the primer pocket. Then the attempt to seat the new primer reseats the primer back ..."

Dillon has a video that deals with this phenomenon: https://www.dillonprecision.com/rl55...roubleshooting

This reseating of a spent primer actually happened to me, at least twice. Reliability, for me, is the most important factor in reloading.

So I decap as a separate step. The APP makes that decapping process fun.

And did I mention that I don't have spent primers all over the floor anymore? The APP has absolutely solved that particular problem.

[Horn Ridge]

I screwed a simple angle bracket to the front of my bench that catches the lip of an Akro-Mils bin. This bin receives processed brass.


If you mount this bin bracket a bit lower than shown, it allows you to position the bin to the right or to the left. Sometimes the brass comes off to the right (depriming and pocket swaging) and sometimes it goes straight down (debulging or bullet sizing). Otherwise you put a bucket on the ground to catch the brass or bullets. .

Great idea on the bin bracket. I usually sit a bucket on a stool under the press when I debulge, but I like your idea.

[GWS]

There is a treasure trove of Lee APP 3D printed improvements right here on Cast Boolits. It's a long thread, and most of it is on really great bullet and case feeders.....but lots of APP parts too.

The best idea by far there is TylerR's caliber quick change.....I'm going to post two videos here that show how nice it works. The only thing I don't like about APP's is the caliber change......this makes it slick.....just pull a downtube out and replace it with another....



Change to .357 take about a minute..... (ignore the tube loading part...there are easier ways, but there is no easier depriming, swaging, or bullet sizing )

[Liberty1776]

There is a treasure trove of Lee APP 3D printed improvements right here on Cast Boolits.

The best idea by far there is TylerR's caliber quick change.....The only thing I don't like about APP's is the caliber change......this makes it slick.....just pull a downtube out and replace it with another....

Cool improvements. You're correct: that 1/4-20 bolt with three nuts on it is a lame way to mount the case feeder.

But I don't see how the height adjustment of these 3D printed solutions allows for really short 9mm cases or tall 5.56/.308 cases.

Obviously, further research is needed.

So far, the APP for me is a game-changer, even with its foibles.

[Liberty1776]

Great idea on the bin bracket. I usually sit a bucket on a stool under the press when I debulge, but I like your idea.

I took the idea from my Dillon. Of course, their bracket is a custom-molded aluminum thingy that costs $$$$. I just happened to have this steel inside corner bracket in my Angle Bracket Department Bin. The steel bracket happened to be the right thickness to fit the lip of the Akro-Mils bin. Its width also supports the end of the bin. It's not quite full width of the bin, but, so far, it's holding the bin with whatever load without issue.

Also, as it was in my collection, it was FREE!

[BigAlofPa.]

I love my APP press so much i bought another one. I use one for pistol brass. And the second one for 223/556 brass. Midway was running a sale on them for 70 bucks. That was when i got my second one. The handle upgrade is nice too. It's much better on the hands. It would help with neuropathy too. It does for me and my arthritis.

[rockshooter]

I found the APP to be useful but not wunnerful. The basic idea is good but the plastic parts are an issue. The 4-tube feed system needs to be kept clean- I run a brush thru the tubes before use. It doesn't do well with small cases like .32 S&W. Lubing the plastic parts with spray furniture wax helps a lot. As suggested earlier, buy the complete shellholder kit. Make sure all the cases in a batch are the same- a 9mm case in a batch of .40 S&W will bring the process to a hard to fix halt.
Loren

[Handloader109]

Deprime and swage works well. I have used mine on several thousand 223 ti deprime and then go back and swage the primer pockets. Worked well, I 3d printed a 4 tube vollator base and altered to use some pex tubing that is close, but really too large, and while it works, it doesn't keep the cases quite vertical near end of the tube and can hang. I couldn't get the OEM 4 tube setup at the time I bought it last year. And haven't bothered to spend the money as I've gone through all my brass. the APC will prime, so you need 2 machines to process the brass through priming. I've a 650 dillon, so I'll size and prime when I load on that machine. The Lee machine works and with thecollater, it should help with your hands.,

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

[GWS]

Cool improvements. You're correct: that 1/4-20 bolt with three nuts on it is a lame way to mount the case feeder.

But I don't see how the height adjustment of these 3D printed solutions allows for really short 9mm cases or tall 5.56/.308 cases.

Obviously, further research is needed.

So far, the APP for me is a game-changer, even with its foibles.

The following screen shot shows all the various caliber parts for the Quick Change system TylerR invented. The L shaped part in the front with the circular drop, is mounted to the App with the bolt Lee used for its slower than Molasses caliber change system.......Then you just drop in one of the downtubes depending on which caliber you are working on. ZERO unscrewing .... So want to do 308, just drop the 308 downtube in and change the shuttle...low, medium or high that goes with that caliber downtube. Want to process 9mm, pull out the 308 drop tube and drop in the 9mm drop tube and replace the shuttle with the lower shuttle that goes with that drop tube.



Below is one for .357 pistol.



Below is the shuttle base improvement that keep cases much more stable without bases falling behind and flipping cases across the room.



Below is how bottle neck rifle can be made stable and fast flowing.....(in this case 30-06) There is a downtube for .308 and .223 as well (in the first picture, second row #5 and #6)

[Horn Ridge]

I'm sure this has been mentioned somewhere before, but worth saying again. The two cylindrical socket head cap screws underneath the base that secure the two guide arms need a dab of blue loctite. After some 5-6,000 cases mine were very loose.

[megasupermagnum]

I found the APP to be useful but not wunnerful. The basic idea is good but the plastic parts are an issue. The 4-tube feed system needs to be kept clean- I run a brush thru the tubes before use. It doesn't do well with small cases like .32 S&W. Lubing the plastic parts with spray furniture wax helps a lot. As suggested earlier, buy the complete shellholder kit. Make sure all the cases in a batch are the same- a 9mm case in a batch of .40 S&W will bring the process to a hard to fix halt.
Loren

327 federal is 50% of what I've run through my APP, and that's at least a 1000 cases so far. If anything, it runs better than 45 acp, simply because 45 acp is often dirtier. If your 4 tube feeder doesn't like 32 s&w, you don't have it set right.

[rockshooter]

I suspect that i need to use smaller ID tubes- the .32 are short enough to want to tip sideways a bit in the tubes.
Loren

[megasupermagnum]

So you are saying they are getting cocked inside the tubes, and not falling through? That's not something I've experienced, so I can't help with that.