I went ahead and ordered a new press today from Reloader.ca. While I really wanted a Hornady LnL or a Dillon 650XL I just could not justify the price tags. Nearly $600 for the Hornady for just the basics. So I replaced my worn out Lee Turret press for a new Lee 1000. The Turret Press has been loading handgun ammo for me since 1980, the ammo always went bang and the press seemed to turn out good ammo as long as I did my part. I know Lee is seen as an entry brand but if I can get 30 years out of this press too, well my grandchildren should be using it. Not only that I can completely outfit it for two more calibres for less money for just the basic starting kit of either the Hornady or Dillon. Will be seeing it hopefully by the end of the week.
Ordered New Press Today
- Thread starter Glockster
- Start date
Lee 1000's can be tempermental with rimless cartridges (Never once had an issue with rimmed). Put shoe string around the agitator grooves for the primer feed and keep it clean and you'll be doing 200+ rounds an hour.
Buy the case collator if you don't get one with it. It's a red extra wide funnel on top of the case feeding tubes, makes loading brass a stupidly simple matter and costs approx $20 versus a whole separate case feeder.
Buy the case collator if you don't get one with it. It's a red extra wide funnel on top of the case feeding tubes, makes loading brass a stupidly simple matter and costs approx $20 versus a whole separate case feeder.
easyrider604
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Greater Vancouver, BC
My first reloader 21 years ago was a Pro1000. It was probably because of my inexperience that I wasn't really happy with it at first. Once I learned to keep the whole works clean and properly lubricated....and made sure I didn't short stroke it, nor go forward and back on the operating lever, or apply undue force on the operating lever, it worked well.
The Pro1000 is not a foolproof design and you have to understand how it works. Take your time and be patient. Do not fall into the trap of wanting to reload 300 rounds per hour right away. Once you've mounted it on your bench, cycle the lever many times, and get a feel on how the auto-index works. Make sure the action is smooth. Then try one (1) case only. Run it through the whole cycle, remember smooth hand on the lever. Run one case at a time until you are comfortable with how all the parts interact. This Pro1000 is nothing close to the Turret's mechanism. It is a true progressive so a lot of things are going on at the same time.
When you truly understand how the press works, then load as a progressive.
Just think. It has all the good features people want in a progressive, but its relatively flimsy design doesn't lend it to a "hamfisted" and impatient operator. Patience in learning iand understanding its quirks will reward you with a nice progressive, albeit one that requires more maintenance than a Dillon Square Deal or 550B.
Check out these links before you even receive or mount your Pro1000.
http://www.sanfranciscoliberalwithagun.com/pro1000.html
http://loadmastervideos.com/
The Pro1000 is not a foolproof design and you have to understand how it works. Take your time and be patient. Do not fall into the trap of wanting to reload 300 rounds per hour right away. Once you've mounted it on your bench, cycle the lever many times, and get a feel on how the auto-index works. Make sure the action is smooth. Then try one (1) case only. Run it through the whole cycle, remember smooth hand on the lever. Run one case at a time until you are comfortable with how all the parts interact. This Pro1000 is nothing close to the Turret's mechanism. It is a true progressive so a lot of things are going on at the same time.
When you truly understand how the press works, then load as a progressive.
Just think. It has all the good features people want in a progressive, but its relatively flimsy design doesn't lend it to a "hamfisted" and impatient operator. Patience in learning iand understanding its quirks will reward you with a nice progressive, albeit one that requires more maintenance than a Dillon Square Deal or 550B.
Check out these links before you even receive or mount your Pro1000.
http://www.sanfranciscoliberalwithagun.com/pro1000.html
http://loadmastervideos.com/
Thanks for the links easyrider. Been a subscriber to San Fransico Liberal on YouTube for a while now. Spent many hours researching progressives, it ultimately came to price, and volume. Will the Lee get the job done? You bet, maybe just without all the bells and whistles. The Dillon and Hornady are the Mercedes Benz of the class while the Lee is the Impala.
easyrider604
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Greater Vancouver, BC
Thanks for the links easyrider. Been a subscriber to San Fransico Liberal on YouTube for a while now. Spent many hours researching progressives, it ultimately came to price, and volume. Will the Lee get the job done? You bet, maybe just without all the bells and whistles. The Dillon and Hornady are the Mercedes Benz of the class while the Lee is the Impala.
You're welcome, Glockster. The Pro1000 actually has all the bells and whistles
My Pro1000 is long gone, used Hornady Projector and a couple of 550Bs for a while (20 yrs) and come full circle back to Lee. All Lee user now...Classic Cast Single, Classic Turret and Loadmaster plus a 6-cav molds for my 4 pistol calibers, which serves all my needs today.
Have fun.
