Lee's new brass processing machine

[Lesliet]

Mine seems to hang up going the other way... on return to the feed-tube, sometimes the spring just folds up. Might see what I can do to stiffen the spring up, if pledge doesn't do it. Still, even with the issues setting it up, I got through a big box of cases deprimed.  Will try it out on swaging tomorrow.  

 

[Lesliet]

On 1/28/2020 at 6:30 AM, Tokarev said:

 

Well, after running this thing for a while, I would have to concur with the opinion that this is a bit unfinished. .  I DO like tinkering and fiddling with machines, so I have some ideas for making some parts to improve the function. One big issue I'd like to solve is that caliber changes take too much effort, and the mounting system for the universal casefeeder is flimsy, and the nuts come loose. ( loctite would help, but you have to take this apart every time you switch calibers.)  I'm thinking of machining better fitting slide/feed automation parts in brass, and using a tabletop actuated linkage to run it, so there isn't a push/pull on the feed block at a changing angle up to 45 degrees off axis. WHEN it runs, it's a brilliant thing, and I think there is some potential there, once various users come up with solutions.  Lemon Pledge did help keep the plastic from sticking, but bits of debris from bulk depriming range brass is always going to be an issue. 

  I think a dedicated autofeed for 9mm will also be helpful, since the provided parts don't work well for that caliber.  .45 ACP and .40 S&W run pretty well, and the swaging tool works very nicely. 

Edited April 21, 2020 by Lesliet
grabbed wrong quote.

[OptimiStick]

For the autofeed, now it's a generic kit. they used to have one that was a 'large' and a 'small' . The small worked great for 9mm. They don't make it anymore, but various peeps on the interwebs said if you can find them in stock, they work much better. So I tried to order a few where they still showed stock for that part #. What I got, every time, was a small 4 station shell-plate for one of their presses. Apparently Lee re-uses inventory part numbers. And the part # , 90659. that used to be the small autofeed, is now that shell plate. Even when the description from the vendor says Lee Small Case Autofeed. It's not. It's a Breech Lok pro Shell plate for 500 S&W and 7.62x54R

[Tokarev]

and the swaging tool works very nicely. 

As I kind of envision this, the Lee would be set up as a dedicated swaging machine. Brass would be full length sized on the progressive then run through the Lee to have the crimp removed. Afterwards the brass would be washed or tumbled to remove.

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[milanuk]

Has anyone here paired this with a Lee Universal Case Feeder, and/or the Lee Case Collator?

 

Specifically interested in decapping and swaging .223 / 5.56... I just don't shoot enough to justify adding a 1050 to the bench.

 

Actually, if they hadn't made the handle that dang 'Y' yoke style... this thing paired with a case feeder and an RT1200/1500 would be pretty sweet!

[Tokarev]

. this thing paired with a case feeder and an RT1200/1500 would be pretty sweet!

I don't know if this will clear a trimmer. Maybe.

https://leeprecision.com/app-roller-handle-upgrade-kit.html

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[milanuk]

I saw that!  Not available until July-ish, it sounds like.

 

I also saw a post in another forum where someone looked at it, looked at their APP, and realized that it's literally the same handle bars as the press comes with... just swapped from left to right, with the roller bar in between.  Made their own...

 

Which got me to wondering... if a person could finagle *two* of the angled handles somehow, or make their own off-set ones, it might be possible to clear a press-mounted trimmer

Edited April 30, 2020 by milanuk

[Tokarev]

I saw that!  Not available until July-ish, it sounds like.
 
I also saw a post in another forum where someone looked at it, looked at their APP, and realized that it's literally the same handle bars as the press comes with... just swapped from left to right, with the roller bar in between.  Made their own...
 
Which got me to wondering... if a person could finagle *two* of the angled handles somehow, or make their own off-set ones, it might be possible to clear a press-mounted trimmer [emoji848]

Hmm. Looking at his photo, I don't think a Dillon trimmer will fit. Most certainly not with a vacuum adapter in place.

What probably has to happen is a handle that's bent out on both the left and right sides with a big long roller across the top. Or someone can maybe 3D print a new vacuum manifold that will fit. Even then there might not be enough room to make it work.

The press is still new but it seems to have already garnered a lot of excitement. Hopefully this means someone like Inline Fabrication is looking into accessories, to include a trimmer handle.

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[Lesliet]

7 hours ago, milanuk said:

Has anyone here paired this with a Lee Universal Case Feeder, and/or the Lee Case Collator?

 

Specifically interested in decapping and swaging .223 / 5.56... I just don't shoot enough to justify adding a 1050 to the bench.

 

Actually, if they hadn't made the handle that dang 'Y' yoke style... this thing paired with a case feeder and an RT1200/1500 would be pretty sweet!

  Can't speak to the 5.56 application, but the case feeder and collator do a reasonably good job on pistol calibers, especially considering how inexpensive they are. I get occasional upside down cases, but they are easy to pull off the press and chuck back in the hopper. 

  One issue I've run into on processing .45 acp brass had to do with cases that had been run past an aggressive extractor claw; they had enough damage to the head that they would sometimes stick and not go into the shell holder even with a manual assist. Running them through the " bulge buster" first fixes this, the push through die corrects the damage, and the cases then run through the shell holder as intended. Not sure if 5.56/.223 tends to have that issue, as well?  In retrospect, for the money, I would have been smart to just order ALL the accessories with it at the same time, as after a month, I now have separately gotten all of that, and found it useful. 

[Tokarev]

I haven't loaded on a Pro 1000 in quite awhile but, if memory serves, the four tube case feeder holds maybe 60 cases tops.

I wonder if it might not be just as fast to have a bucket of brass next to the bench and manually drop a case into the shuttle piece. This would alleviate having to stop every 60 handle strokes or whatever to refill the tubes. Keep the right hand on the handle and use the left to set a case into the shuttle with each downstroke.

Just a guess since I don't have a Lee App and have no idea how fast the collator fills the tubes vs how inconvenient it would be to manually drop a case into the slider.



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[OptimiStick]

I can hold 88 9mm in the 4 tubes without the collator.  I just keep dumping brass up top in the collator and shaking it once in a while. It's much faster than trying to place them into the shuttle.

[Nolan]

23 minutes ago, OptimiStick said:

I can hold 88 9mm in the 4 tubes without the collator.  I just keep dumping brass up top in the collator and shaking it once in a while. It's much faster than trying to place them into the shuttle.

 

This!  I used a Lee Pro 1000 for sizing and depriming 38 Special brass, back in the day, so I could clean the primer pockets for my PPC pistol.  About every 30-40 rounds, just throw a big handful in the collator and the movement/vibration of the press collates them into the tubes.  Waayyy faster, than placing them one at a time.

 

Nolan

[Tokarev]

 
This!  I used a Lee Pro 1000 for sizing and depriming 38 Special brass, back in the day, so I could clean the primer pockets for my PPC pistol.  About every 30-40 rounds, just throw a big handful in the collator and the movement/vibration of the press collates them into the tubes.  Waayyy faster, than placing them one at a time.
 
Nolan

Last I was using a P1000 I sized on the press then primed off using a hand tool. I'd prime up 500 cases or so. Then I'd set the press up with powder at station 1, seater at station 2 and crimp at station 3. With the Lee's short little throw and not having to fiddle with the primer system the little press will sing!

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[OptimiStick]

yeah, if get the shuttle just right and the ramp/bottle level just right, and don't have to slow down for any corrections, you can scoot pretty good. If you look back in this thread on page 3 I posted some times for decapping 9mm. I got 87 in the tube and decapped them in 1 min 33 seconds. That's like 3300 an hour, if you could sustain that pace and not slow down for feeding (neither of those are possible). But you can definitely get some volume. Swaging is a little slower as you're using spring pressure against the handle stop to swage. But when you settle into a good cadence, its not bad at all.

Edited May 1, 2020 by OptimiStick

[Smeeg]

On 4/30/2020 at 8:48 AM, Tokarev said:

Hmm. Looking at his photo, I don't think a Dillon trimmer will fit. Most certainly not with a vacuum adapter in place.

What probably has to happen is a handle that's bent out on both the left and right sides with a big long roller across the top. Or someone can maybe 3D print a new vacuum manifold that will fit. Even then there might not be enough room to make it work.

The press is still new but it seems to have already garnered a lot of excitement. Hopefully this means someone like Inline Fabrication is looking into accessories, to include a trimmer handle.

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agreed someone needs to make a handle or manifold to clear the Dillion trimmer I was hoping that handle setup would clear ^

 

this manifold looks smaller to me 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Easy-Quick-disconnect-exhaust-trimmer-Upgrade-Fits-Dillon-650-750/254394902810?hash=item3b3b1e291a:g:7oEAAOSwcqxde~im

Edited May 1, 2020 by Smeeg

[Tokarev]

agreed someone needs to make a handle or manifold to clear the Dillion trimmer I was hoping that handle setup would clear ^
 
this manifold looks smaller to me 
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Easy-Quick-disconnect-exhaust-trimmer-Upgrade-Fits-Dillon-650-750/254394902810?hash=item3b3b1e291a:g:7oEAAOSwcqxde~im

That manifold might work. Who wants to be a Guinea pig?

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[Tokarev]

So here's a hypothetical for those like myself who'd like to have a trim option.

It doesn't sound like a Dillon trim motor will fit into the top of the press. Or more correctly the handle won't clear the motor. So what would happen if the trim motor was placed in the bottom of the press? Could a shell holder adapter be put into the top of the press? This would mean the trimmer would hang upside down and the cases would be plunged down into it. Obviously the case feeder system wouldn't work so cases would have to be manually inserted.

The other thing I kind of wonder about is the vacuum manifold. Would it fit underneath? Does the press overhang the bench enough for all this to fit underneath?

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[IrishPsych]

Hows the swaging on this? I Can't tell if the 223 I'm swaging is doing it enough. I'll have to prime a few cases or find  that small primer pocket uniform tool. It looked like I was getting a bevel on the cases. I have an extra dillon case feeder I really want to use for swaing 308 and 556. Size/decap in 650, swage on Lee APP, then trim and load on 650. 

[cjmill87]

Has anyone tried to size brass on an APP yet, specifically 9mm?  I've seen videos on YouTube of folks sizing rifle and larger pistol brass but no one sizing 9mm.

[OptimiStick]

I sized some 9mm when testing it- and then some 5.56.

[cjmill87]

26 minutes ago, OptimiStick said:

I sized some 9mm when testing it- and then some 5.56.

Any issues sizing?

[OptimiStick]

Nope. I had it set up to size 223 for a few that failed case gauge, and that worked fine. I didn't' remember the 9mm, so I went put my new Lyman Pro Series 9mm sizing die in there and ran a quick batch a few minutes ago. Works fine. If you're using the Xpress shell-holder, which you need to for the auto-loading part, it doesn't support the entire rim - so you need to be careful. Not so much with 9mm, but full length rifle. Resistance going down onto the case is noticeable, but lifting off the case isn't bad. Mine were all lubed (even pistol).

 

I don't know if they have any priming add-ons for it or not though. I really just use my as a universal decapper and swager for small batches that I don't run thru one of my bigger presses.

 

 

[Qunchr]

I've been messing with my new APP for a couple of weeks now.  I been processing 40S&W and it has work well for everything.  The pain I'm having is loading the cases mouth down for bulge busting. Question I have is why mouth down?  I've seen videos of machines pushing cases through rim down. I've done it both ways and see no difference in cases that come our the other side of the die.  Anyone have any advanced knowledge on bulge busting?

[Farmer]

I took the case feeder off of my loadmaster and hung it on mine, took some fiddling but works pretty good. I did have one of the early kits with the small caliber reducers in the base but any 9mm that was slightly bulged or nicked would hang up. It’s just a tapered aluminum tube so I pressed it out and turned out a properly sized one for 9 & 10mm. You have to watch how the slide spring (spring opening up on ram) is installed otherwise that messes up. I broke off a Qtip and stuck it through the hole to hold the spring a bit tighter. On the shuttle I use just a little motor mica to slick it up. A blast of compressed air every so often helps clear the crud too. I have de-capped and sized 9, 38 special, 357 and 10 mm but do lube the cases even with carbide dies. That shell holder doesn’t provide much holding area plus fits loosely and I had a 357 pull out just so you know it can happen. The swager works pretty good, much faster than my old RCBS unit. Only thing I noticed is that it left a fine brass ring/shaving in the pocket that prevents the pocket gauge from entering. I hope the SS pins will knock them out. The rod that goes into the case for the swager needs a recess in the center otherwise it will mash any flashing down over the flashole kind of closing it. Fairly easy to fix with a carbide ball cutter in a dremel, just remove some of the center of the rod to provide clearance. Sort of like a cup.   Other than those little quirks I like it. Even at a leisurely pace you can process allot of brass and I like that it keeps the crud off of my press. 

Edited August 17, 2020 by Farmer

[OleGreyGhost]

@Farmer
 

On 8/17/2020 at 4:38 PM, Farmer said:

The swager works pretty good, much faster than my old RCBS unit. Only thing I noticed is that it left a fine brass ring/shaving in the pocket that prevents the pocket gauge from entering. I hope the SS pins will knock them out.

I am having the same problem.  Went back to the RCBS swager, but the ring of brass was too deep for it to be corrected, also too deep for the Forster crimp reamer.  Tried a dental pick, to no avail.  Finally had to jury rig a pocket brush in a drill press to scrape it out.  It is taking 3 times as long to clear up the mess.

Let us know if you found an efficient way to correct the ring problem.
 

@Lesliet

 

On 4/30/2020 at 9:42 AM, Lesliet said:

Can't speak to the 5.56 application, but the case feeder and collator do a reasonably good job on pistol calibers, especially considering how inexpensive they are.

As designed, the collator seems to only work for pistol & short rifle calibers.  If you purchase a second collator, use a 3/4" counter-sink and bevel the four holes; it will orient the 223 without a problem.  Just be careful to not cut thru the plastic.  You should be able to deprime approx. 400 cases per hour, easily.

Am trying to work out a solution for the collator to accept .308 caliber.

 

I have also gotten the Lee case feeder & collator to work on the Dillon 450 press by modding it to the Dillon case feeder.  Not as fast, complicated or as expensive, but it will handle 300-350 cases ( .38 & 9 mm ) per hour.   (Just using the lower mechanical parts. )  Also included in this setup, for pistol only, is the Lee bullet feeder kit.

 

According to Dillon the 450/550 case feeder will not handle 223/556.

I am currently trying to work out the kinks on the setup for 223/556.  ( just need some uncrimped brass ).  Tolerances for this caliber are very tight.  Prospects seem promising.
 
The Lee bullet feeder cannot handle a .22 caliber bullet.  So you might have to use the DAA, RCBS or Hornady bullet feeder.  Just be advised, the DAA will not work with DEWC and/or HBWC bullets.  ( reason I am not using it )

Or go back to the old fashioned way of hand feeding the bullets.  Slower but effective.

 

Will update on any progress made....