Lee Pro 1000 Tip & Tricks

[kalifornia]

Three of my completed bullets don't have fully seated primers, is it safe to fully seat the primers in assembled bullets? and if not what is the best way to remove the bullet without a bullet puller? thanks alot

[TerryYu]

Three of my completed bullets don't have fully seated primers, is it safe to fully seat the primers in assembled bullets? and if not what is the best way to remove the bullet without a bullet puller? thanks alot

NO! You have a fully assembled bullet. One screwup with seating force and that's all it will take to set off the round. Either buy a bullet puller or put it in the bad ammo tin. Don't take the risk to recover 15 cents.

[kalifornia]

I pretty much figured that. can I work the bullet out with a couple pair of pliers?

[TerryYu]

Let it go... without the proper tools (bullet puller) you're setting yourself up for a lot of trouble for very little gain. At best you'll scuff up the bullet with pliers or dent your brass, at worst you wind up having the whole thing detonate in your face. Not worth it to save 50 cents, imo.

Or if you have a double action/external hammer type gun you can just repeatedly drop the hammer on them if they are only slightly out of normal. The hammer hits will seat the primer and you'll have a bang eventually. Don't do this if they are so far out of the primer pocket that you're afraid of a slamfire.

Edited May 31, 2012 by TerryYu

[kalifornia]

thanks Terry

[Reshoot]

A Pro 1000 that is seating primers "crooked", or "sideways" has been discussed at length in this thread. I have found the priming systems, on my presses work flawlessly, with only a small modification to the primer try, that I explanined early on in this thread. Your results may vary

From my experience, this crooked / sideways seating issue has pretty much nothing to do with the priming system itself. I have found the number one reason for this problem to be the position of the shell plate. If the shell plate snaps into position (on the detent ball) as the primer is being seated, the shell plate is arriving late and you will have problems with primer seating. On my machines I can hear, and see, the shell plate snap into position on the down stroke 1/2" before reaching the bottom of the stroke (as measured on the hex action rod). I believe Lee refers to this adjustemnt as shell plate zero. Again, your results may yary

There is a wealth of information in this thread, from many Pro 1000 owners. Please take the time to read it. You will even find the "shell plate zeroing" that I just mentioned

[deputygene]

Hi, fairly new to these forums, 3 gun and IPSC, but have been loading 38 specials for cowboy action on a pro 1000 since 1999. Have loaded over 100K rounds on this press. Did warp the shell plate carrier crushing 357 cases. My fault, sent the press back to Lee and they rebuilt it pretty cheap. Since then have acquired another strictly for 45acp, and a third for 9mm/40.

A few tricks I've learned along the way, if the shell catches going in the sizing/depriming die, STOP, push the shell all the way in. Learn to get a feel for the cases going in each station. If something doesn't feel right stop and check.

Small primers feed much better than large. Shiny primers feed better than dull. I use federal and Winchester, the Federals always feed better. Watch the primer feed, if you get a gap between the primer tray and the trough, tap the primer tray. I shim my press with washers, a little, so it is leaning a little forward (towards me while working the press)to help the primers gravity feed. Trays used for large primers can benefit from having the corners shaved. Small primer trays, I don't worry about.

I broke a couple chains along the way, but never had light charges with them. Still, I use springs now. I could never get flake powders like red dot to measure consistently. Some cowboy shooters who insisted on using red dot, taped an aqarium filter motor to the powder measure. I found a different powder. Mine measures tiny grain powders like Tightgroup and Bullseye vary consistently. Anyone else have a favorite powder for the Pro 1000?

Be careful how you lube the press. I used CLP on the operating rod and within 100 rounds the little plastic flex gear was slipping. Did that with Balistol also. I called Lee and they suggested using only WD40. No problems with it. Be careful not to get lube in the primer trough. Spraying off with compressed air is also a good idea.

The case coalator is wonderful!!! I can't believe how good it works! Dump your cases in from the edge of the case coalator, let them roll down to the center and you will get fewer upside down cases. Just throw them in and you will get upside down cases. I don't lube my cases, but I do clean and polish with a polisher that leaves a slick coating, and those cases run through like a hot knife through butter.

Has anyone tried this press set up for .223? I would think that sizing rifle cases would be a little hard on this press.

I had a bullet feeder, it worked ok, but it took as long to feed the bullet tubes as just placing them one at a time I thought. When it wore out and broke, I scrapped it.

I can easily load 300 rounds per hour on it. I don't hurry anymore like I used to, just try to be smooth and consistent. These presses are very good with small auto cartridges like 40, 45acp and 9mm. Not bad with 38 special, but do need to take more time with 44mag and 45 long colt. I loaded 300 .40 S&W with 155 hard cast lead RN bullets last night with one primer that started in sideways. Stopped, removed the primer and kept on. For $150.00 bucks or so, with dies, these presses are a serious bargain.

Things I wish Lee would do... The twisted steel action rod should be made of stainless. The steel bars that separate the top from bottom of the press should also be stainless, or coated with something to prevent rust.

Edited July 6, 2012 by deputygene

[empire12369]

I've had my Pro 1000 for a little over a month and have noticed when I pull off the powder measure and disk there is powder (Titegroup) spilled where the disk moves back and forth. Is this common for Titegroup or the powder measure in general?

[Reshoot]

I've had my Pro 1000 for a little over a month and have noticed when I pull off the powder measure and disk there is powder (Titegroup) spilled where the disk moves back and forth. Is this common for Titegroup or the powder measure in general?

If you turn the powder hopper to OFF, put a small container under the expander / charge die and cycle the powder system manually, until powder is no longer despensed, you should not find but a few grains of powder in there.

[empire12369]

I've had my Pro 1000 for a little over a month and have noticed when I pull off the powder measure and disk there is powder (Titegroup) spilled where the disk moves back and forth. Is this common for Titegroup or the powder measure in general?

If you turn the powder hopper to OFF, put a small container under the expander / charge die and cycle the powder system manually, until powder is no longer despensed, you should not find but a few grains of powder in there.

Thanks, I will give it a try next loading session.

[joedodge]

just put a colater on mine and a roller handle made it a totaly different animal, i liked the press befor haveabout 12000 rds of 45 through it now i love it and see no reason for a dillon. I dont prime on it as it wont reliably crush federal primers in for my 625 with a tuned action. I decap all my brass through the press then prime one case at a time on a lee single stage witha ram prime then run them through the press to load sounds time consuming but revos are finicky creatures with ammo. only complaint ive ever really had is the powder throw is terrible the orifice for 3.9 of clays throws 3.7 if i want 3.9 i have to use the 4.2 orifice and get somewere around 3.9 to 4.2 once i got the hang of it ti was ok though.

[elroyyboy]

Very new reloader, less than 45 days. One thing I learned somewhere? Was to snugly strap a zip tie to the "leg" of the press impacted by the bar on the primer feed tube. This made it shake more and, as a result, feed primers better.

I also had an issue with the primer feed ramp (two pieces) gradually working itself apart near where the primer tray mounts, allowing primers to get sideways/misaligned. I took a small document clip(one used to bind several pages together) and used it as a clamp on the underside of the primer feed ramp. It works.

Lastly, as I wrote, I'm very new at this, I go one at a time, still, even though I've loaded around 1000 rounds. It is difficult for me to "feel" primer seating when I'm also "feeling" strong resistance on the sizing/depriming stage.

My only nearly unlimited resource is time.

[Reshoot]

Just switched to 155 grain Montana Gold CMJHP's for my open gun. Immediately had a problem with one, or more, bullets falling out of the feeder. When the fingers move in with a bullet, the next bullet would be setting on the edge and fall out before the fingers returned to capture it.

I tried putting a thin piece of felt on the "ledge", giving some friction to hold the next bullet. That was too much, as the fingers were not able to remove the bullet . . . too much friction, I reckon. Then I installed a piece of Gorilla tape on the "ledge". Perfect! Just enough friction to keep the next bullet from sliding off, but not so much as to keep the fingers from grasping the bullet

Sorry about the picture quality!

[Fisch]

I've heard people talk about replacing the chain with the spring parts...I'm ordering them today. Hopefully it gets my powder throws more consistent. For those that are worried about squibs (everyone should be) the best way to avoid them is to put an eyeball on every single case that comes around for a bullet drop. Get a LOT of light angled onto the bullet feed station (some use a small flashlight, others a desk lamp).

Do you (or does anybody) have pictures of the spring setup? Did you order the two parts listed earlier in this thread from midway?

I need to replace my chain, and would be quite happy to use a spring instead.

[elroyyboy]

Fisch,

I went to the hardware store, bought a 1inch S hook and a 3 or 4 inch spring. I attached the s hook to the hole in the powder drop lever and the other end of the spring around the rod that shakes the primer feed chute(it travels against the rear support and vibrates to keep primers feeding). This has worked great. Pic to follow.

[elroyyboy]

This is my setup. $4.00.

[Azbalassiano]

This is my setup. $4.00.

Very Good, but for what it is ?

[elroyyboy]

It replaces the worthless chain and ensures powder drop arm pulls powder drop closed. The shell casing pushes the powder drop open and the spring pulls the powder drop closed.

[FTF]

Hey guys, new poster here. Great tips in this thread. I dug out my old Pro 1000 and other equipment (bought about 1990) to load up some .357, 9mm and .40.

The only mods I did on it were to change the shell ejector rod to a longer curved one to kick the shells out a little sooner. This made a world of difference in keeping the chute clear of loaded rounds. I wish I could claim this mod, but I actually found it in a you tube video. The only other mod I needed was a rubber band around the primer tray to keep the lid from shaking loose.(I still have the old round primer tray.)

The only thing I had to remind myself of was to slow down to speed up. When I press down on the handle I want to feel 1) The cases starting to engage the dies. 2) The cases going into and bottoming in the dies. 3) The cases coming free of the dies. 4) The shell plate indexing to the next position. 5) The primer seating in the case. Breaking the lever stroke into these 5 stages trains your eyes to see and your hand to feel what is going on and helps you to know when something is not right. After a little while you will be operating it smoothly and efficiently. Using this method I can load 120 to 150 rounds in twenty minutes. Not setting the world on fire, but for the money it's fast enough for me.

Oh yeah I forgot. I bought a $2.00 clamp on book light from Wal Mart to clamp on my loaded round container and adjusted it to shine into the cases so I can see the powder charge.

Good loading,

Jeff.

[Xarmyguy77]

Broke that damn chain twice just setting it up! Thanks for all the tips. Switching to springs

[Chucker]

Hey guys,

I've recently converted my Pro 1000 to load .223 Rem. I'm having a problem with the fine spherical ball powder leaking and dropping powder onto the shell carrier and my work bench. Here are my specifics:

Ramshot Tac

Double Disk Kit

'New Style' red Powder Hopper with wiper

Powder drop actuated by spring (not the bead chain)

I have everything tight. After about 40 rounds, I have about 10 particles of powder in a dime sized area all over the press and on my bench. Charge weights are very consistent but the mess is bothering me a little.

Is this 'normal' for the Auto Disk mechanism and fine ball powder or is there a fix for this? I'm thinking about shortening the double disk stand off plates so the powder hopper wiper is tighter against the disks.

[noylj]

Chucker: Both the Lee Auto-Disk and the Dillon powder measure will leak with fine powders.

If it is a little powder and it isn't falling into an empty case or getting under the shell plate, it is just a matter of cleaning up.

I would save up for a Hornady powder measure, as it will not leak and you can take the charge assembly out (when set for the powder and charge weight you like) and replace it for $10 so your pet load doesn't change.

[DinoR]

Issues with the priming system? Oh yeah, I've had a couple. One I fixed, and the other I have learned to live with. I have also learned to "feel" every primer seat. This is pretty important!

Once the primer level is half way down the feed tube there is not enough pressure (from the remaining primers) to push a primer over the primer seating pin. If I allow the primer level to get this low, do not pay attention to the feel of a primer seating and then raise the shell plate to accept a powder charge, I have a mess. As in powder trickling out the flash hole and down into the shell plate, primers in the tube and elsewhere. Not fun to clean up! And, if I do not clean all that powder out the priming system it will not work properly.

I now watch my primer tray very closely, and when I can see the last primer in the tube I refill the primer tray. Problem solved! When I do my part the system does a good job. I have loaded thousands of rounds in this Pro 1000, over the past 2 ~ 3 years and only once seated a primer crooked. Well, sideways actually

The second issue I had with the priming system was primers "bridging" across the primer tray exit. You know, a jamb that kept primers from falling down into the primer tube. The pin in the primer tube that rubs against the ribed post, to shake the primer tray, was not enough to keep this from happening. However, there is a very easy fix for this! CAREFULLY cut the corners off the primer tray exit, creating a funnel, and the primers will never jamb again. I have attached pics to make this more clear.

Dave

I really like the idea of cutting the sharp edges to create a funnel, What did you use to get a "Clean Cut"?

Dino

[Chucker]

Update on powder leakage (Ramshot TAC): Got it fixed.

When looking at the disks sliding back and forth underneath the wiper on the hopper I noticed that I could actually see daylight between the top disk and the wiper. The wiper really wasn't touching the top disk surface at all like it was supposed to. In other words, the wiper wasn't 'wiping'. I took the hopper apart and sanded the base down about 0.010". After loading a few hundred rounds, I only get some scattering of granules on the shell plate and none on my bench. Before, the area around my bench and the shell plate would be peppered with TAC after only 40 rounds.

The other thing I did was change my reloading technique. I am now slowing down the shell plate by hand before it snaps into place. This prevents any powder from sloshing out of the case when it arrives at the bullet seating station.

DinoR: You can just use a razor blade and keep taking thin slices off the corners until you get it working better.

[DinoR]

Great! I will try shaving it down today. I just never though of using a razor blade, "Too Simple" I like it!

Dino