Lee Pro-1000 reloading solution

[jonl1968]

Got a new Pro-1000 progressive press a few weeks ago for 40 S&W and finally acquired all of the components to reload after much searching. I was incredibly frustrated by the press due to horrible primer feeding/seating/jamming. Here was my solution to make great rounds with it..

I got an extra turret and installed only the sizing/decapping die. I removed all primers from the auto feeder and using the case feeder tubes ran all brass through only to size and de-cap.

I then got comfortable on the lazyboy and hand primed all of the brass. On a second turret, I ran the expander/powder die in the first station, the bullet seater in the second station, and a factory crimp die in the last station. The result was no jams, no smashed or upside down primers, perfectly seated bullets and factory crimps.

Well worth the extra step and the avoidance of the press' crappy priming system.

Got to the range yesterday and aside from one with a missed powder charge, the feeding was perfect and the rounds were VERY accurate!

Berry's Bullets 180 grain round shoulder, Win spp, 4.8 grains Universal.

Initially I was very unhappy with the press, but altering it's function in this way is producing very nice ammo.

 

[FishingPilot]

I do almost the same process. I resize and decap on the press but hand prime EVERYTHING. I can do 100 primers in 10-15 minutes. I leave the resizer/decapper die in the turret and just remove the decapping pin so I don't accidentally push out a new primer (I have done this). After crimping, I remove the round and just cycle the press to get it to the expanding/powder die.

 

[blujax01]

So for your Lee Pro-1000 to work properly it takes two more presses (A turret/single stage and a hand press) and you perform the first two operations off the progressive?
I suppose if you're stuck with the thing and want to make use of it, it's marginally better than tossing it out.

 

[jj2am44]

Had the same problem with mine--primers failing to feed-powder spills. Finally fixed it. Bought a Dillon 550.

 

[blujax01]

You know what?

I apologize for my earlier remark - you had a problem and fixed it so you could use the gear you have on hand. All you were trying to do was share a fix and I made a snarky remark. Those have been falling from my lips all too readily lately.

Please forgive me. It's too easy to make a joke and not think about the person you're joking on.

God Speed,

~ Alan

 

[colt_saa]

I keep 2 Pro 1000s set up all the time so I can just move to a machine and load a different caliber (1 set for LP and 1 for SP). My priming works fine. I can not recall if I had initial trouble or not as I bought these 15 or 20 years ago.

I think I recall that Lee had some videos on their debsite to help people with setup.

I recently added a Lee LoadMaster for the extra stations and the ability to work with longer cartridges

 

[Smith357]

My Lee 1000 had the same issue when I first got it some 20 years ago. I made some brass shims that changed the angle of the primer feed chute as it goes into the shell plate. That part of the press has been working fine since the tweek. The only thing the Lee does is make mass quantities .38 wadcutters.

 

[Engineer1911]

As a happy Dillon 450 / 550 owner, all you young Lee boys have my deepest sympathy and profound admiration for that much patience.

 

[mstuhr]

Lee

You guys are missing something if your 1000 is doing these things.
Not to be a wise guy but I doubt that there is a 1000 out there other than one worn to the point of needing overhaul that I could not bolt to my bench,tune and have running at speed in 15 minutes.
I wouldn't trade anyone of my three 1000s for two Square deals.
The more expensive Dillion stuff is neat but I do fine with out it and saved enough money on three machines to buy a lot of components.
If properly set up on a stout bench the 1000 is as fast as any hand operated progressive machine available once you learn how to tune, run and maintain it.
Thanks
Mike

 

[RussellD]

and Jesus could turn water into wine. The rest of us go to the package store.....Proud of you for being the one in a thousand

 

[Argonnakid]

I too had some hiccups when I set up my 1000. I worked thru some operator errors and now she runs like a top. The instructions that come with all Lee equipment kind of sucks if you ask me. But hey, that's part of the fun of reloading for me. Tinkering with something.

 

[dcxplant]

Argonnakid, the instructions in the Dillon stuff aren't all that great either....

...and the 550B is not so easy to set up for priming either. Goodness help you if you spill some primers, and have to disassemble the priming station to get the spilled primers out.....man, what a chore to get that station is to set up right. I''m still fussing with the .45 priming station, about every 5th round the primer hangs up. Ugh.

 

[cellllman]

I have run my 1000 many years and did not like using the primer feed, not because it didn't work but because I could not "feel" the primer seating. So I use a RCBS aps hand primer which is very fast and sure. Other than that it workes very well for me. I to love to tinker with my reloaders and have lots of fun with the pro 1000. I am now also using the Lee Classic Turret press and love it, too.

I do not understand those who ridicule those who use other brands than them. If you are a Dillon fan, or a Hornady fan, or a RCBS fan, good for you! But why make fun of someone who really enjoys what they have? Jonl, you pretty much did what I did and are now happy with it. Nuff said......

 

[jonl1968]

I'm very mechanical and I studied that primer feed station on the 1000 for quite a while. It just seems that it does not like to transfer the primer to the primer ram pin correctly. Then as it presents to the case, it either mangles it or drops it into the works. The result is a case with either no primer at all, or one in smashed up, but I do not know it until after the powder charge is dropped and the bullet is seated.

When a primer get's caught up in the shell holder, it ends up knocking off the timing.

By doing it in separate steps, I am able to crank out the sized/deprimed cases quickly, prime them by hand so I KNOW every case is primed nicely, then still utilize the progressive 3-hole press to expand/charge, seat bullet, AND factory crimp.

It does create two extra steps, but it still functions as a progressive press and is making better ammo that way.

 

[Skunkhome]

I have run my 1000 many years and did not like using the primer feed, not because it didn't work but because I could not "feel" the primer seating. So I use a RCBS aps hand primer which is very fast and sure. Other than that it workes very well for me. I to love to tinker with my reloaders and have lots of fun with the pro 1000. I am now also using the Lee Classic Turret press and love it, too.

I do not understand those who ridicule those who use other brands than them. If you are a Dillon fan, or a Hornady fan, or a RCBS fan, good for you! But why make fun of someone who really enjoys what they have? Jonl, you pretty much did what I did and are now happy with it. Nuff said......

Agreed, I am not at all familiar with the Dillon systems as they were not even in existence back when I was selling reloading equipment and building my stock of reloading tools. At that time the consumer progressive press market was dominated by the Star and the CH Auto Champion. They were limited to pistol calibres and were extremely expensive by 1970's standards. Now Star is gone all together and the closest thing CH produces to a progressive is their ancient "h" press.
I think one should remember that all these progressive presses are relatively complex mechanical devices that require monitoring, cleaning, lubrication and adjustment to keep in smooth operating condition. A couple of years ago the son of my old boss gave me a well used CH Auto Champ progressive in .38/357 and a .44/44 Mag conversion kit. When I got back into reloading this year I decided to dig out the old press and put her to use just for old times sake. Gee when I said it was well used I was wrong. It would barely cycle at all with no cases in the mechanism. The slide was sticking and consequently the paw at he first station was damaged by the decapping pin. Just about everything was out of adjustment and one fine tuning involved clamping the slide actuator in a vise and rapping it with a ball peen hammer. It was quite obvious that when things thing got out of adjustment some one just continued to work the press, forcing it when it when it started hanging up. It now works wonderfully and despite the fact that I am still learning the "personality" of the machine. The point is that all of these devices take maintenance, adjustments and a light hand so that the operator will know when things don't feel or sound right. There needs to also be an understanding that every machine, even with consecutive serial numbers, is different and have their own personalities.
That said, Lee and Lee Precision has always been looked down upon by many folks using what they consider to be superior equipment. However if superior is judged by outcome i have to say that the best group i ever shot with a rife was with ammo was pounded out on a $9.99 LeeLoader. Lee Precision has always been a leader in innovation. When Lee introduced their $7.99 priming tool to use with their LeeLoader. It was the best thing out there because you could feel the primer bottom out in the pocket. At the time RCBS was the leader in the industry and it wasn't long before the scoffers started running it down because it was made of pot metal that would snap if you tried to force it. Guess what , it wasn't long before RCBS had their own also made of pot metal but at three times the cost. BTW: our customers broke them too. The bottom line is that Lee builds a quality product, they may not be polished or highly refined but they are well thought out and at a price that the average guy can afford. I am in the market for a turret and the Lee classic turret is high on the list.

There has to be a solution to the issue with the primer feed on that particular Pro-1000. Unfortunately I do not have that press but on my old CH, if I am paying attention, I can tell if the primer seats or if I am crushing it at which point I stop and remove the case, dump the powder and continue on to the next. I later go back and decap the case on my single stage press and salvage the case.

 

[Engineer1911]

Dillon needs maintenance too

My Dillon 450 and 550 do have primer issues, that are easily fixed with a little cleaning, debris removal, wipe with a clean cloth, and about 5 minutes. But after the primer mechanism is cleaned, I can load a 1,000 rounds without a problem.

Nothing I can see to do will solve the old primer "containment problem". No matter how I adjust the decap stem, about 2% of the old primers miss the cup and land on the floor. Military brass is the worst for spewing primers. After reloading, it only take 2 minutes to sweep up the painted concrete floor and dispose of the old primers.

I have tinkered with things all my life and now I want to reload ammo. I don't want to learn the press's personality -- I want loaded ammo now, not after 30 minutes of fine tuning and adjusting.

I wore out a Lee auto prime in one night priming 1500 38 spl cases even after following the lubrication instructions. The Lee disk powder dispenser didn't last as long as the 1# can of WW 296 powder I was loading in 357 mag and 44 mag.

 

[Skunkhome]

I have never used the lee disc powder measure but I am still priming with the Auto primer I purchased more than 30 years ago. As for not tinkering with reloading machines it isn't realistic however I doubt I would have to do anything more than load up my primer tubes and start loading on my old CH. Last time I had a malfunction was my fault because I tried to decap a .38 case with a spent .22 LR case inside. Took about 3 minutes to get back on track. This is what my old CH has to keep the spent primers corralled.

The rats had eaten the original bottle when I dug the press out so I used one of my wife's old lotion bottles that I had to cut down to make fit.
It's very low tech but never a primer lost.

 

[Wee Hooker]

As a happy Dillon 450 / 550 owner, all you young Lee boys have my deepest sympathy and profound admiration for that much patience.

Don't feel bad for all us "Lee boys" . I'll take the Lee Safety Prime system on my Classic Turret over the Dillon system any time. I can load a whole tray or change primer size in less than 20 seconds.
Admittedly though the primer feed on the Lee 1000 presses is a step below either and the weak point of that press series (even if your a good tinkerer.) I used to keep two of them and sold them off for just that reason. Guess I just didn't have that kind of patience.

 

[mstuhr]

Excuse me

and Jesus could turn water into wine. The rest of us go to the package store.....Proud of you for being the one in a thousand

Sorry my experience with the 1000's upsets you.
I'm just relating that most can be made work and I stand by what I say.
It's no miracle. It is not that difficult.
Do you really think 1 out of 1000 Lee 1000 owners get them to work?
Is it fair to say such untrue things about anyone's product?
I don't see anything untrue or insulting in my previous post. Why all the doubt and sarcasm?

 

[strbrinky]

I'm very mechanical and I studied that primer feed station on the 1000 for quite a while. It just seems that it does not like to transfer the primer to the primer ram pin correctly. Then as it presents to the case, it either mangles it or drops it into the works. The result is a case with either no primer at all, or one in smashed up, but I do not know it until after the powder charge is dropped and the bullet is seated.

When a primer get's caught up in the shell holder, it ends up knocking off the timing.

By doing it in separate steps, I am able to crank out the sized/deprimed cases quickly, prime them by hand so I KNOW every case is primed nicely, then still utilize the progressive 3-hole press to expand/charge, seat bullet, AND factory crimp.

It does create two extra steps, but it still functions as a progressive press and is making better ammo that way.

I prefer decapping separately for the above reason, but also because I can then tumble the decapped cases in a separate step so the primer seat is definitely cleaned and that primer won't hold any tumble media to get in the works in later steps. I also use a hand primer to prime. I suppose I might eventually get a different brand setup, just can't justify the extra expense right now. Although, I can say I have thought about it and can't see how any progressive system can function any better, with the tumbling step in there like that.

 

[jonl1968]

My latest challenge with the Lee1000 is the powder dispenser. My Pro Auto Disk seems to completely miss a charge every 5th or 6th throw. It DOES have a return chain. In fact, I have worked an improved pull back chain as the little ball-link kept snapping even with the spring in place.

I have used graphite on the disks to make them travel smoothly, I have downloaded a template for a baffle and put one in the hopper to keep the extra powder weight from packing the tube. I have tried Winchester 231 and Universal powders. I have wiped everything down with dryer sheets to remove static and even have tried a drier sheet in with the powder...

Thoughts?

 

[strbrinky]

My latest challenge with the Lee1000 is the powder dispenser. My Pro Auto Disk seems to completely miss a charge every 5th or 6th throw. It DOES have a return chain. In fact, I have worked an improved pull back chain as the little ball-link kept snapping even with the spring in place.

I have used graphite on the disks to make them travel smoothly, I have downloaded a template for a baffle and put one in the hopper to keep the extra powder weight from packing the tube. I have tried Winchester 231 and Universal powders. I have wiped everything down with dryer sheets to remove static and even have tried a drier sheet in with the powder...

Thoughts?

I just went through the annoyance of getting proper throws from the Powder Disc Measure, and the only thing I did that seemed to fix the issue for me was to make absolutely sure the thumbscrew nuts were completely tight so the measure didn't move in anyway. This also seemed to fix the chain getting overstressed inadvertently and coming apart. I haven't used any extra baffle or anything else, and I was metering Unique at 8gr (which is supposedly a difficult powder and charge size for it to work with). I never really had any missed measures, just light ones, but I do make sure to have a positive stop at top and bottom of every throw and that seems to have made the charges much more consistent.
By thumbscrew nuts, I mean those that attach the feeder to the die, not the ones that trap the disc between the hopper and the base, although those need to be snug too!

 

[mstuhr]

Maybe

My latest challenge with the Lee1000 is the powder dispenser. My Pro Auto Disk seems to completely miss a charge every 5th or 6th throw. It DOES have a return chain. In fact, I have worked an improved pull back chain as the little ball-link kept snapping even with the spring in place.

I have used graphite on the disks to make them travel smoothly, I have downloaded a template for a baffle and put one in the hopper to keep the extra powder weight from packing the tube. I have tried Winchester 231 and Universal powders. I have wiped everything down with dryer sheets to remove static and even have tried a drier sheet in with the powder...

Thoughts?

Hi,
I check to see that the lever where the chain is attached is reset. I use my left hand and make it part of the process just top be sure the disk has come all the way back.I check it just when I have seated the primer.
Also, I keep a pop sickle stick (non sparking) handy and every time before I start to reload I will give the powder a good stir if it has sat in the hopper, tap the hopper a few times to settle things after stirring.

 

[humpback]

My old Lee 1000 loads very accurate ammo. I know they take some patience and experience (some of it frustrating) to learn.....I enjoyed figuring mine out. It would have been simpler if I had read the directions. Their website videos are very good. I learned two things to try in this thread...decap first, then hand prime...which I like to do, sort of like crocheting or whittling I guess.
I don't have too much trouble with the press priming, but I'm going to look to change the angle of the feeding tube as suggested here.
The case feeders work remarkably well as they probably do with other manufacturers.
Never heard a bad word about a Dillon, but never owned one.
I just bought a second Pro 1000 in the .327 Federal so I don't have to switch heads for the small primer calibers.

 

[125JHP]

A couple months ago I pulled my old 1000 out of storage to set up exclusively for 38/357. I got everything set up and then that ol primer feed issue raised its head (for the umpteenth time). Getting the pro auto disk to work reliably was also time consuming and then the case feeder pivot arm started working its way out on the down stroke so much that the case would sometimes miss the die hole and stop up production. For a while I just used the press to decap and size brass for later loading on my RCBS. When a press requires more vigilance watching for malfunctions, taking time away from watching for consistency in the ammo, it is counter productive. I realized why I had put that press away in the first place and came up with a brilliant solution.
I put it on Craigs list and sold it. I think I got all my money back after 25 years so I guess you could say it eventually paid for itself.

 

[fredj338]

The point of a progressive press is to load a lot of ammo in a short period of time. Doing ANYTHING off press sort of defeats that purpose. THat is why I can never recommend a Lee anything for a progressive. Truth, you have to spend more money for better engneering & mat'ls to get a workable progressive. The Lee will work, sort of, with a lot of tinkering & then never break it down once setup, or you are back to tinkering. For that you might get 300rds/hour sustained.
Just pony up & buy the Dillon, 550 or 650. A Lee with everything for one caliber, call it $300, is $1.25/m over 20yrs. The 650 would be call it $1200 or $5/m over 20yrs. The Lee might get you 300rds/hr, the Dillon will get you 700/hr easily, every hour over 20yrs. The $3.75/m diff won't buy you a gal of gas a month, A no brainer to me.

 

[para82frame]

After setting up 2 pro 1000s for my self, getting them running 100% and helping half a dozen or so people do the same (yes they need a little tweaking to work perfect but at one tenth the cost of Dillon, I say it is worth it for a first or backup progressive press) I still maintain that anyone who can't get one running with all the help on the net shouldn't be reloading.

Knock the burs off the priming arm/pin and cast sub base, keep the feed shoot and lower sub assembly clean (I blow mine out with shop air every 500 primers or so) and make sure when you bolt the sub base to the ram that the protrusion on the feed shoot is fully resting against the right rear arm (your primers should be jumping as the protrusion works its way over the ridges, no matter how slowly work the press).

I have yet to hear of a pro 1000 that still had problems after these simple tips.

 

[SMSgt]

My single-stage press and hand primer continues to turn out quality rounds, abet a bit slower.

 

[Bib]

In my experience when I start getting primer-issues it's traced to the following: Keep the chute full...when the handle is at the bottom of it's stroke the primer tray is at the top...LOOK to see that the primers havent bridged and the chute is getting empty (I also look at the disc to see that powder has been dispensed). As the handle is coming back to the top you can look through the machine and see the primers move down the chute, then look for a double or missing powder charge. The case sensor screws up when the slot underneath where the wire spring passes through gets tight due to the carrier coming down on spent primers that lay on top of the base rather than going down into the base of the machine like they're supposed to. Insert a small screwdriver in the slot and pry it open a tiny bit so the wire spring doesn't bind.

I think the single biggest issue causing priming problems is NOT the priming mechanism itself, rather improper indexing is the culprit. If the shellplate isn't stopping dead center on the detent the edge of the primer touches it and turns sideways or inverts completely. The indexing WILL change over time...don't ignore it. I recently put all new internal moving parts in my 9mm machine....I just readjusted the indexing a few minutes ago...I've only loaded 6 or 7 hundred rounds since the new parts went in.

I would never try to convince anyone that a Lee is as good as a Dillon but with care, they can make good ammo with no problems.

 

[kenjen]

when i first started to reload money was tight and the lee pro 1000 was the only press i could afford. 25 years later i am still using it even though now i can afford any one out there.