jmorris

I don't get it, I see a primer collator but then around 34-1:03 seconds into the video I see a shorted blast shield with something comming out the top? Have to wonder if they changed something once they had a chain fire around the disk, up the tube and into the collator when a primer lit off. They are running processed brass, that should help with the 650.

I gather that it is a work in progress vs a finished product. Like the first run being pneumatic, then a blend of pneumatics and electrical with the servos running the case feed and primer slide. Hard to argue that he wouldn't be better off with a 1050 though. If he adds a few more things to it, it could be useful. Speed is only important if you have to sit there and babysit it. Kind of like your tumbler would really suck if you had to sit there and watch it. If you can do something else while it is loading, you come out ahead.

Watch it again, it shows a bullet being dropped into a case in #4 and nothing changing in #5. If you pause it at 1:11 you can see the crooked bullet sitting on top of the case comming out of #5 as tall as the bullet that was just dropped into the case comming out of #4. You can confirm this by watching to 3:38 when he moves the camera and you can see the Hornady dropper in #4 and no die in #5.

This is another thing the Dillon powder check will do for you.

I like the RC servos and work. I could have a few beers with the felbow.

I had an ammo load stepped 9mm case somehow get by and into the machine, the powder check found it. I wired into this particular PC die as it is an input for the PLC that normally runs this machine but it is otherwise as it came from Dillon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EU9deSKm48

I would say no, the nose guide in the collator is completely different.

In the 100 rounds in under 4 min video above I used a regular die in station 1. If a case won't enter a regular die you likely won't have the flash hole line up with the decapping pin on a universal die either. An extra powder die was used in station 2 to align the case, if your loading a round that fits the shell plate, it won't be as important.

100% even with "ringers".

Your FL dies do not size the entire case, they can't. This is because the base sits in a shell holder so it can be pushed into and pulled out of the die. The die is also not square on the bottom or the case would be more difficult to line up properly as it enters, so the area where the radius is also does not get sized either. If you "plunk" test you won't catch imperfections in the unsized area because the base won't come in contact with the barrel. You will only find them when they get hung up entering the breech face. If you use a case gauge to test all of your rounds you have likely noticed when they fail it is most often because of an imperfection at the base of the case (assuming your dies are set properly) and a roll sizer can correct this as well as iron out any dings in the extractor grove. There are also a number of push through sizers that can size a straight wall case for the entire length too. Lee has the cheapest, for use with a single stage press and magma has one that will do over 5000/hr but it costs more than $6000. It is intended for commercial ammunition outfits. If you catch them when casegauging your finished product or don't care about the occasional "mystery" malfunction, they are all unnecessary.

Here you go.

The one that was given to me was a box of parts a frustrated owner had given up on. I ordered a few parts that it obviously needed and tinkered with it for a few days learning how they work. They wouldn't be my first choice in a progressive press or 2nd (maybe around #7) but if you have the time, patience and are somewhat mechanically inclined to see how things have a cause and effect relationship with one another they can keep up with the best presses out there (how long they can continue to do so without further adjustment is another matter).

Can you post photos of the areas you are talking about, I am having a hard time visualizing.

That's really only important if you are loading a round that is "loose" in their somewhat generic shell plates, like 9mm in the 19s shell plate that works even with .40 cases. If the case is located right. the most important part would be having the latest "system", that is the plastic parts that gets primers from the tray over the anvil.

No problem, be sure to post photos once you get it together.

Click on the link above and the one below, there are details in both threads.

I built mine before anyone had a "kit" to convert one. Not really that much to it.

And that is one reason why so many looking into progressive loading avoid problematic machines and why the LM has poor resale value vs others. Running multiple passes and performing operations manually off the press make the operation much less appealing.

Did you get any information that would indicate how it works?

I guess that's one good thing about them. Once you have one working well, you will have all the knowledge to keep it running well. Took me about a week of learning, tinkering and ordering parts before I could crank out 100 rounds in under 4 minutes with one.

I do to sometimes but have never gone through the extra trouble for mixed brass pistol loads. We can have a Lee looking like a permanent fixture at my house friends would start to talk...

I get an F for reading comprehension, sorry. If you want to speed things up don't run every case through the press twice. Not only will it be faster to load in a single pass, it will also be half the work. If you lube, like I do, post load tumble the rounds for 15 min and your ready to go. AS far as mixing Dillon with Lee stuff I run a lot of Lee dies on Dillon's and have rand some Dillon stuff on Lee's too.

Your second photo looks like you removed the low primer system and the arbor for the powder check die, why?

You have to ditch the low primer and powder check alarms in order to use the Lee measure?

The last one I had was given to me by it frustrated owner that gave up on trying to get it to work. You can get a brand new one from Titan for $165. http://www.titanreloading.com/lee-load-master/lee-load-master-press-only