Lee Pro-1000 review

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Inspector3711

New member
I've now completed 3 sessions in the garage with my new press. I bought the .40 S&W kit ($138 Midway USA), a case collator, and a spare turret. The spare turret was for the .40/10MM dies I already had. Now I can set them for 10MM (once I get a new gun). That collator is a must by the way.

Session one: Mostly stripping it down, cleaning and lubing it. I used Superlube per a friends advice on all moving parts that don't handle primers or powder. I then took some fine steel wool to the finished cartridge chute as I read that the finished rounds hang up there.

I got frustrated for sure. I felt like I was handicapped somehow. Something would go wrong and I would make the wrong move and compound the problem. I was like a fly stuck in fly paper. Crushed some brass, had some primer troubles, and cussed alot. In the end I produced 100 good rounds in four hours including setup. I produced 20 bad rounds several of which were beyond salvation.

I took a one week break so I wouldn't hurt anyone;).

Session 2: Took the shell plate off and cleaned all the spilled powder out of it. Got it cranked up and running good until around cartridge number 75. POW! The ball chain snapped and the spring flew accross the bench and under the car:eek: I hunted it down with my eagle eyes. Repaired it and finished 100 rounds in an hour total. Revelation: The key is to make dead sure you fully complete actuation of the arm on the press both up and down. Teach a monkey to do it and he'll run it with great success as long as he doesn't chew your hands off:eek:

Good headway but I took a 4 day break so I wouldn't hurt anyone:cool:

Session3: This morning I drove to the hardware store and bought a stainless ball chain and a new tube of dry graphite. I used graphite on the powder measure and primer chute, then cleaned the chute of excess graphite. The finished cartridge chute I had worked over with steel wool still wasn't perfect so I gave it a light dusting of graphite. Installed the new chain and adjusted it. 200 new rounds in 1.25 hours.

In the end, I love this machine! A great press for the money and as fast or faster than a guy could want. I can see doing 250-300 rounds per hour eventually. The one diemma is what to do when I'm out of components! I guess I'll have to go shooting at some point!
 
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RickV

New member
I can see a lot of similarities between your learning curve and mine. I did not go through all the prepping of the loader as you did but can relate to everything else. I have reached the point that doing 200+ rounds an hour is the norm. Like you I am happy with the Loader and feel I got more then my money's worth.
 
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Gbro

New member
I bought mine from a co-worker that cursed and stated there was no way to make it work properly.
I almost had to agree with him but did get some loads out the chute, and yes the chute needs tuning up. I used silicone sprayed on a rag.
Well the only thing that didn't go wrong is I have never broke the chain yet!
I do not have a case collator, but with the .40's that sneak into the .45 cases and cause the problems associated, well I don't want to go there again so filling tubes is acceptable. Then the problem with cast boolets/allox lube = many problems with seating die plugging up very often. Cast boolets are no longer loaded with this press.
Primer feed was a high freq. problem, as was spilled powder in the priming mechanism.
I am letting that press age for now and have returned to single stage loading for what I need at this point. The problem with that is not as much shooting gets done and that is a problem!:eek:
 
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farmall

New member
Hi guys,
I boufht my first Pro 1000 used in 2002, and I now own and use 3 of them, all bought used....2 from dissatisfied owners. I load 357/38 on one and keep the other 2 dedicated (when you buy them this cheap you can afford to dedicate)
to 9mm and 45ACP. I have loaded lots of rounds on them got them running pretty smoothly.

Dust the primer chute with mica or graphite, keep the primer tray relatively full of PLATED primers. I have found brand dosent matter, as long as they are plated. The brass ones seem to hang up easier.

Keep it clean...use a can of compressed air to blow out the spilled powder occasionally, be sure to lube the ram and linkage, wipe the gunk out of the primer slot in the ram occasionally.

Polish the loaded round chute, I used a Dremel and Flitz to get the shiniest chutes possible (Bored) Also polish the case inserter guide, as they will hang up if dry.

Watch the primer pockets...I avoid any military brass, even if the crimps have been removed...keep the pockets clean to avoid high primers.
I use a TINY ammount of Hornady One Shot case lube on all the 9mm and 45acp cases. Makes things run SO much smoother!

And, most important......Dont Ham-Hand the things! Inspector, you did the right thing....Walk away! They will not tolerate abuse!

Gbro...try dusting your bullets with Midway Mica....that totally solved the buildup for me.

I'm glad to see a few people get along well with these. They usually get bashed like a trailer house wife on the forums!

Andy
 
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The_Vigilante

New member
Here's another tip for you Lee Pro 1000 owners: If you don't already use one, try a powder baffle to improve the accuracy of your powder measure. RCBS sells an inexpensive baffle that fits the Lee Powder measure. Or from the BE forum one member there recommends a 1/2" x 2" Fender washer and swears on it.
 
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Inspector3711

New member
The can of compressed air is a great one! I read that somewhere and have a couple of cans around. This usually allows me to clean the powder out of the priming station without removing the shellplate. What a godsend.

Powder baffle.... I'm using HS-6 powder and I must say... Every time I spot check my loads I'm .1 grains below what Lee says the disk will do. It doesn't vary, .1 low always no matter what weight I'm targeting. For the loads I'm working on, this puts me spot on what the manual shows whether I'm loading 155 or 188 grain bullets.. If I find a powder that varies I'll check into it but for now all I'm using for pistol is HS-6.

My rifle reloading is done on a single stage with a Lyman 1200 DPS3 powder machine. That thing kicks rear!

The Pro-1000... I'm surrounded by reloading addicts at work. They all assured me that I was out of my mind. They all use Dillon or Hornady progressives. They also have worked there long enough to make more money than I do. At any rate, they all came back with the "I told you so" look at first. Now, whether they agree or not, I know i made a good decision.
 
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The_Vigilante

New member
Regarding the Lee discs, Lee is ultra conservative regarding their discs and it does depend on the type of powder. Most of the time it is necessary to go to the next larger hole or even up 1 more to arrive at the load you want to use. Just throw 10 loads on a scale to take an average to make sure what it is going to throw.
 
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Gbro

New member
Tractor Man Andy,

Thanks for the great tips!,
As I was entering my post I was thinking an air hose by that press would sure be handy, and I have a can of AIR BLASTER about 2' from my nose! Go figure! Thanks, sometimes our head just doesn't work like it should:p
I copied all the tips off this thread and it will be in with the instructions on this press as I have a son-in-law that could use it.
I got yours to Vig, Thanks.

Greg

Friends don't let friends drive Green Tractors, do they?
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Kawabuggy

New member
I too have recently joined the Lee progressive ranks. I bought the Loadmaster. Came back to the office, opened the box, read through the instruction manual.

I bought the Loadmaster set up for 45 Long Colt since it was the only one they had. I first swapped out the dies to work with my .45ACP, then the shell plate. Assembled the unit and started dry running it. Seemed to work okay. Added powder, then primers, and began cranking the handle. 20 minutes to set it up, and then another 20 minutes to spit out 100 completed .45 ACP rounds. 2 jams in the first 100 rounds, my fault for not adjusting the case feeder properly. Now I am going to move on to the auto bullet feeder to see if I can speed that time up.

For the money, I don't think you can beat it. I chose the Loadmaster over the 1000 because I can do rifle cartridges as well.
 
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Kawabuggy

New member
Okay, I'm back with an update.. After pumping out about 5K rounds, I find that my primer mechanism has taken a dump. It will often times try and insert the primers off center to the primer hole in the case, and then crush them as a result. I've checked to make sure that the shell guide is in correct adjustment and that it is holding the case firmly in the shell plate, however, the problem continues. Sometimes, it won't feed a primer at all and you'll get a case with powder in it, and no primer. Sometimes, because once the powder is in you can't see that it is missing a primer, I have actually put a bullet on a loaded case with no primer.

What I can see with the press empty of cases, and cycling it empty of cases, is that the hole the primer sits in is enlarged, and allows the primer to move around before it reaches the case. I guess I will be calling Lee to order that piece. It didn't take me long to figure it out, but hopefully if someone else is having this problem, just know that the plastic primer guide does wear out, and will need to be replaced at, or before, 5K in rounds.

I am still very pleased with the performance of the press, especially at the price. However, it would behoove those who own them to have spare parts on hand for when things take a dump. I know that this press appeals to people because of the lower price, and that has certainly helped sales. I feel that if Lee would sell higher quality replacement parts at a higher price, people would buy them to keep the press running. The marketing is simple, sell people an economically priced press to get into progressive reloading-along with the cheap plastic parts, but then offer higher quality steel replacement parts for those who want to keep it up and running long-term. You'll make more money that way. Joe blow who can't afford the initial outlay for a Dillon, over the long haul will have invested the same amount of money, but he would have been loading the entire time, and in the end would have all of the upgraded parts added for reliability. It just makes sense to me, and I can't understand why Lee has not figured it out.........? Anybody work for Lee, or know someone that does and can plant this bug?
 
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Brad01

New member
I've got 2 of them, 45ACP and 38/357. While they are obviously not Dillons or Hornadys, Lee's are the better value at one fourth of the price. $200+ for the case feeder in those two! Outrageous! Yes, you have to figure them out and pay attention, but shouldn't handloaders always do this regardless of brand? I've loaded about 25,000 rounds on mine and am very pleased but I may break down and by a Hornady so I can reload rifle.
 
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farmall

New member
I love mine, BUT......I'll be the first to admit, they arent for everyone. That said, a few weekends back I loaded over 2K of 9mm in one session. Not one single malfunction at all. Even I was kinda suprised!

Andy
 
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Catholicseymour

New member
I was recently given a Lee Pro 1000 Press by a friend that uses a Dillon 550. He just wanted to get rid of it because he needed the space in his garage. He took it in on a deal some time back and never used it. It was very dirty and had a small film of rust on all the steel parts and needed to be cleaned up very badly. The press would not function and the ram would hang in mid stroke. Being a machinist I saw the potential in restoring this press and knew that it would be no big deal to completely disassemble, polish all the parts, and re-assemble. I used red scotch bright to polish the steel parts and lost no parent metal. It was a great success! I also reworked the three shell plate carrier's that came with it. 44cal, 45ACP, 9mm Lugar. The two powder drops were ok and needed nothing. All that I have had to buy were the dies that I needed. The press was ready to go!

Upon my first attempt to make some bullets my experience was much like many that I have read on this forum. I just had problems making the dang thing work. Anyway I kept at it not to be outdone by this piece o' crap machine that I just put all this effort into and I re-inspected the nylon hex ratchet in the bottom end and the drive bolt and found that they needed to be replaced. This fixed the problem. The machine was in sound mechanical condition at this point and all I needed to do was learn how it worked and its particular characteristics. Yes I had all the problems with the primer tray and the problems with the ejection tray and so forth... I had problems learning how to use the stroke lever properly. If you short stroke the press even slightly it will cause problems. If you slam the stroke too hard you will screw up... In short you have to get the feel of this machine as with all other machines out there in order to get the results you are after. A smooth stroke with consistent speed is the key. This principle will apply to almost anything in the way of manually operated machines. My first 50 rounds of 44 special took better than 6 hours to make but they were good rounds. I just made another 100 rounds that took about an hour. As I gain experience with this machine I believe that 200 to 250 rounds an hour is quite possible without sacrificing quality.

Read what some of the other guys have said on this forum that have had success with this press and you can learn a lot from their tips and tricks. This press may not be top of the line but it is affordable for those of us who's pockets are not quite that deep. It is a good bang for the buck in my opinion.

Catholicseymour
 
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kyle663

New member
I have had my pro 1000 for a month or so and I've found what works best for me since i load several calibers is I scrounged and traded to the point that I have a carrier assembly for each caliber. this way i just replace the upper and lower assemblies instead of changing shell plates. takes only a few minutes and no adjusting for each plate. eventually i plan to have a auto disk for each turret set up. guess you could call that lazy but I call it easy setup. :D
 
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WANT A LCR 22LR

New member
I use a pro 1000 also. ( ~ 2500 .38 rounds so far ) The only real issues I have are when the primer supply disc runs out and there are only primers in the chute. In this case the primer at the case does not fully slide into position. The fix is to pull the case, use a paperclip to reset the primer on the inserter , reinstall case then continue. ( the lever must be above bottom enough so the inserter peg is in the down most position. )

A crushed primer should never occur, use light pressure to get the primer started then continue untill the lever hits the lower stop. If a primer is out of place the lever will stop and resist very early on signaling there is a problem.

A couple of minor ones are the occasional upsidedown case from the collator and , when the last case is in the tube, sometimes having it fall sideways. ( This will be cured by installing some sort of guides on the pusher and supply tube bottom.
 
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