Sparky_NY

The metal hub in the center of the case wheel is a clutch. Tighten the screws a bit. It is there so a complete jam-up does not do damage. I believe that is covered in the instructions. Every press has a learning curve. I set up the case feeder and press by the instructions and it works well. A friend bought one a year later and also had no problems.

Don't know how many you mean by "just a few" primers but it can get iffy feeding if there is less than 10. Many people put a plastic rod, wood dowel etc. in the tube to keep down pressure on the stack. (I do)

For those interested: I checked the shell plates today. They are surface hardened. A file won't touch them but they only measure 33 Rockwell on a hardness tester. I assume they have a surface hardening maybe .020 thick with a soft core underneath. Info for those considering modifying their own to the new style.

I've had the press for about 3 years and love it, EXCEPT for that ejector wire. Its great to see they came up with a fix. I have been reading up about the ezject system on the net in detail. As for retrofitting older presses, the info I found was you can send them your press, a $100 bill and they will retrofit it. The shellplates are different also, identical except for a groove on the bottom around the perimeter to allow clearance for the new ejection finger. They will exchange 2 shellplates for $10, the rest you have to pay full shot. They will not sell just the new cast plate so you can install it yourself. Now.... Having studied the new system, and having a lathe and cnc mill in my garage (more toys), I plan on retrofitting the press myself. The old shellplates are hardened so cutting that groove on the bottom may be tricky but I am pretty sure a carbide cutter will do it using care. I plan on milling out a recessed pocket in the baseplate and making a insert with the ejection finger that fits that pocket and attaches with one countersunk screw. Saves the shipping cost, the $100 bill, and makes the old shellplates useable. There are pics of the new system and shellplates on the hornady website.

There are other threads here on this very subject. I use the Lee FCD in station 5. The trick is to grind a flat on the bottom of the FCD where the ejector wire resides. Don't grind all the way to the carbide ring though or that ring will crack, you have to leave a little steel but not much. The ejector spring still needs to be tweaked for clearance. I find that shortening the ejector wire, the flat area where the attachment screw hold it under the shell plate, until the vertical part is up close to the extended part of the casting where the casings feed in. You may also have to tweak the loop end at the center bolt a tad but don't bend the wire in the straight area where it crosses the shell plate, that just screws things up I found. Doing this stuff, it can be made to work quite well. I didn't see what it is you don't like about the case feeder, maybe you can give more details.

I have all 3, lathe , mill and LNL press thats picky about ejecting.

I have owned the Pro1000 first, then the loadmaster. The loadmaster is worth the extra money BUT all the lee presses are a pain. Last year I upgraded to a Hornady LNL progressive and it has made life much easier. The most I could get from the lee presses was 200-300 per hour because of the constant fiddling required. I have hundreds of rounds that need to be pulled apart also from my days with the lee presses. Give some consideration to the Hornady LNL progressive, its a little more than the Lee but a lot less aggrivation plus you can later add the case feeder and other goodies as money permits. The Lees worked, but I would never recommend them to anyone.

Nice !! "They" say its good practice to occasionally clean the inside of primer tubes to remove residue. Your killing two birds with one stone. Dowels as small as 1/8 are hard to find. Hobby shops are the best source. I also found too heavy a rod would hinder feeding. Also at hobby shops are brass tubes which I bought in 3ft lengths, cut into 3 pieces, make a small slit at the end with a dremel cutoff wheel, squeeqe slightly, drill a tiny hole at the other end and you have primer pickup tubes for under a buck each. The small clips to hold/release the primers are the same exact thing as the pins used to hold R/C car bodies in place. I now have a dozen tubes each for small and large.

We are talking a 1/8" dowel here, about a foot long. The weight difference is a joke. In fact, it would not surprise me if plastic was heavier. The reason the "engineers" used the plastic piece was no doubt so it could be injection molded with the knob on the end. We are talking about the weight of 5 round toothpicks here ! LOL

I have a Hornady LNL progressive. I put a dillon powder checker on it and the primer warning buzzer. They were very simple to install, nearly a bolt on. For the powder checker I had to drill a hole in the toolhead for the actuator rod to touch the shellplate but it was very easy to do. As a alternative, a small wooden dowel inserted into the primer tube provides a easy visual indication of how many primers are left. (my prior method).

The collator portion of the system is a dream come true, the only shortcoming seems to be at the press end. A lot of guys (me included) are not going to be crazy of the idea of loosing one die location. The Lee Factory Crimp Die is extremely common for the last station, many swear by it, others will just not be willing to part with the powder checker. The ideal solution would be for the bullet feeder to accomplish the seating operation completely rather than just setting the bullet on top. Hopefully that is something that may still be getting worked out and may come in the future. It would also eliminate the need for the "over" expanding of the case neck so the bullet does not fall off when indexing to the next position.

So, 40 & 45 are two different setups / kits?

Brings to mind a couple questions.... is the drop tube spring the same for all calibers? What about the hockey puck flipper? What does a caliber change kit include.

The flare isn't as big as it looks and is needed for the bullet to remain in place when the shellplate rotates. The seating die irons out the flare nicely and I don't believe the neck is worked too hard. The flash was off. Again, thanks so much for taking the time to give us all the scoop and pictures, its much appreciated and well above the call of duty.

Wow, that one pic of the case with bullet in the shellplate.... the case mouth bell looks the size of a trumpet !!!!! PS The problem with getting a good pic of the white hockey puck is the flash on the camera is wiping out all the detail. Try a pic or two with the flash off, a lot more detail should show.