Lee Pro 1000 - case sensor problems

[Snakehunter]

I just got my Lee Pro 1000 set up last week and it is frustrating the crap out of me.
The biggest problem I am having is with the case sensor clip.
No matter what I do, it never seems to trip properly.
Anybody know of a good fix?
I have checked a few youtube videos but haven't seen much about the sensor - just primer feeder issues. The feeder is another story - a total POS!!
Thanks for any help.
Glen

 

[daBear]

That priming system is a total piece of crap. If it werent for that, the press would be a terrific unit. Personally I havnt used the priming system on mine for over 20yrs. I prefer to hand prime anyways. Eliminate that step on the press and yur off to the races. I know it kinda defeats the purpose of a progressive but you will spend way too much time trying to tweak that one frustrating step.
dB

 

[kayaker1]

Disassemble and clean the unit, lube small parts with a tiny bit of powdered graphite.

(Lee sent my powder through expanding die covered in grease! It would have been totally gummed with powder if I didnt clean it first). My case sensor has been fine and the only issues the primer feed gives is when you get below about 10-12 primers.

 

[t-star]

the first thing i do when i get a 1000 is SWING THE SENSOR OUT OF THE WAY- take it a little slower and don't depend on the sensor not to trip the primer feed when there's not a case there- that primer feed is so fouled up that almost anything will casue it to fail, and if there is no case in the station, just remove the primer with a pair of needlenose- put it back in the primer feed tray( i drilled a hole in the faceplate just the right size for this- you don't have to open the cover- lee has conviently left a casting mark ( it's a little circle) exactly where the hole needs to be- and watch when you get down to just the trough( ie the tray- the round thing) that's where you get your primer flips, misfeeds , etc- the only trouble with this is that sometimes you might get primer stacking, wich will result in a BOOM if you try to seat two primers at once-the first exerts pressure on the second- so be sure to have ONLY ONE primer on the pin/cup at a time- in other words WATCH WHAT YOU'RE DOING, use FULL STROKES, and don't try to set any speed records

 

[RSA1]

Hi Snakehunter,
The Lee Pro 1000 can work well, so don't despair. I have used them in several handgun calibres, both pistol and revolver. I have found that I cannot get enough force to seat Win Mag primers for 44 Mag and now use CCI exclusively. Please look at the following and try again. If you still have problems, e-mail me and I'll send you my home tel number (Oakville, ON).

1) For small calibres (short cases such as 9mmP, 40 S&W), the black plastic case slider is about 19,8mm high or about 10.7mm where it touches the actual case. For 44 Mag (also 10mm Auto and 45 ACP ?) the hight is about 27.8mm and 18.9mm respectively. What calibre are you set up for? Ensure that it is the correct hight case slider, otherwise longer cases tip when pushed with the smaller slider. Also slow down all movement.

2) Also ensure that the long S-shaped wire spring (called Z-Bar) is in the front hole on the case slider. This is the hole in the flat part of the case slider, not the rounded section with hole right at the back.

3) On the case sensor unit make sure the thin hair like spring on the bottom is correctly placed and the primer pin moves freely. This spring (called sensor clip) has a straight section and a rounded section. Looking at it from above, the straight section should be on the right hand side (towards the outside), while the rounded section must be towards the middle of the press. When working correctly, it will allow the primer pin to move down and allow one primer onto the pin and ready to prime. Also ensure that the primer spring around the primer pin is in position and functinal, moving the pin.

4) Also ensure that the thin metal sensor bushing in the case sensor is in position, and the silversensor screw not too tight, otherwise the sensor screw will bind the plastic case sensor and it will not move.

5) Size of components also vary according to calibre: Small or Large primer pin. Also, the clear plastic case feeder tubes vary. For my 40 S&W the walls of these tubes are thicker at about .65mm, while on the 44 Mag these are only .40mm, giving more inside space for the larger case. I do not know if this is how it should be, but check to see that the correct components are in place for the calibre that you are loading.

I can e-mail you notes which I compiled a long time ago on how to make your Pro 1000 run more reliable, once you have it going. Do not attempt or expect the speed / number of rounds loaded per hour claimed by any manufacturer. I have tried a Dillon 550 and sold it to buy another Lee. They are ell slower than what the manufacturer will claim, if you want consistent ammo.

Hope this helps

RSA1

 

[Spawn-Inc]

the first thing i do when i get a 1000 is SWING THE SENSOR OUT OF THE WAY- take it a little slower and don't depend on the sensor not to trip the primer feed when there's not a case there- that primer feed is so fouled up that almost anything will casue it to fail, and if there is no case in the station, just remove the primer with a pair of needlenose- put it back in the primer feed tray( i drilled a hole in the faceplate just the right size for this- you don't have to open the cover- lee has conviently left a casting mark ( it's a little circle) exactly where the hole needs to be- and watch when you get down to just the trough( ie the tray- the round thing) that's where you get your primer flips, misfeeds , etc- the only trouble with this is that sometimes you might get primer stacking, wich will result in a BOOM if you try to seat two primers at once-the first exerts pressure on the second- so be sure to have ONLY ONE primer on the pin/cup at a time- in other words WATCH WHAT YOU'RE DOING, use FULL STROKES, and don't try to set any speed records

I've crushed 2 primers at once several times and crushes single primers hundreds of time without one ever going off. The only 2 times a primer has gone off for me was using a lee loader which requires sharp hits with a hammer

 

[Snakehunter]

Thanks a ton for the assistance folks.
In the short term I have decided to order a hand primer and I will use the Lee to deprime and size, then hand prime and then use the Lee for adding powder and the final bullet seating. I need to have some ammo made up for a Black Badge course in two weeks that my son and I are in so I can't waste any more time fiddling with this thing.
I am dissapointed in this Lee product. I have a Load-All and a 50th anniversary single stage that haven't given me an ounce of problems.
The finnicky little plastic bits and clips on the Pro 1000 are beneath the quality I think Lee is capable of.
I haven't abandoned this press yet, I will have all winter to play with it.
We'll see what becomes of it I guess.
Thanks again for the help - If and when I get things happening I will post somethting later on.
Glen
PS - For those that asked, it was purchased brand new and it is set up for 9mm.

 

[travellerw]

Watch the video on this page (Complete Disassembly, Cleaning, and Reassembly of the Lee Pro 1000 Press)

www.sanfranciscoliberalwithagun.com

It will provide invaluable information on how to take the press apart and how to make it sing.. I have seen so many posts from people saying they don't use the priming system.. bla bla...

I watched these videos, tweaked a little bit, and now I load like crazy. A couple of pointers.

1. Have a deliberate 1/2 second pause at the top and bottom of the stroke.
2. Don't overload the primer tray
3. Don't let the primers run too low, if you can see the last one in the ramp, refill.
4. Buy a can of compressed air and blow the crevices out often (every 40 or 50 rounds)

Happy reloading..

P.S. Don't trust the micro bar if you have it.. It undercharges about every 20 rounds..

 

[zuke]

Your in a rush to get it going,and in time you'll learn how to cycle it.That split second pause does help thing's along.
I have a Loadmaster.Once I took the time to just get know it and the feel of it thing's went along smoothly.
But with pre-primed shell's? WOW I loaded about 400 rd's of 9 mm in an hour no problem.
Same with 45 Win Mag.

 

[ted_dent]

4. Buy a can of compressed air and blow the crevices out often (every 40 or 50 rounds)

Enemy number one of the Lee priming system is to allow the primer feed assembly to get dirty. Once the nylon primer chute gets crud on it (even primer residue) the primers no longer slide smoothly down the chute and start feeding inconsistently. I disassemble mine about every 500 rounds and clean it with a Qtip (takes about 5 minutes). Right now I'm up to about round 900 in my Loadmaster 45 ACP setup without a primer misfeed. Keep the primer system clean the the press properly lubed and it works great.

 

[Snakehunter]

My plans changed in a blink so I decided to take some of the advice here and strip the Lee down and clean it.
I followed the tutorials posted on Youtube by the "San Francisco Liberal with a Gun" and stripped the shell carrier assembly down to its individual components. Seeing as the press is brand new there was no real build-up of crud. There was some powder flakes stuck all over the place so I cleaned everything and then reassembled everything.
Immediately I noticed that the primer ram would 'click' and trip when the case sensor was flicked.
I no sooner got everything put together and lo and behold I was reloading 9mm cartridges. Oh happy day I thought but after loading about 50 rounds the primer feed started missing a few rounds here and there. At about the 80 round mark the primer feed failed completely.
I have a hand primer that a friend lent me so I used it to round out my loading for the evening. I am thinking that unless I can get a handle on the primer feed system I may just stick with the hand primer.
Everything else about the press seems to work like a charm.
I'll clean it up again and have another go, but if it means stripping it down and cleaning after every 50 rounds I am not bothering.
Thanks to everyone who offered advice and assistance.
Regards,
Glen

 

[Runningfool]

My plans changed in a blink so I decided to take some of the advice here and strip the Lee down and clean it.
I followed the tutorials posted on Youtube by the "San Francisco Liberal with a Gun" and stripped the shell carrier assembly down to its individual components. Seeing as the press is brand new there was no real build-up of crud. There was some powder flakes stuck all over the place so I cleaned everything and then reassembled everything.
Immediately I noticed that the primer ram would 'click' and trip when the case sensor was flicked.
I no sooner got everything put together and lo and behold I was reloading 9mm cartridges. Oh happy day I thought but after loading about 50 rounds the primer feed started missing a few rounds here and there. At about the 80 round mark the primer feed failed completely.
I have a hand primer that a friend lent me so I used it to round out my loading for the evening. I am thinking that unless I can get a handle on the primer feed system I may just stick with the hand primer.
Everything else about the press seems to work like a charm.
I'll clean it up again and have another go, but if it means stripping it down and cleaning after every 50 rounds I am not bothering.
Thanks to everyone who offered advice and assistance.
Regards,
Glen

Did you reload the primer tray before hitting that 50 to 80 round mark? I've noticed that my Lee 1000 like to have at least 30 primers in the tray...less than that and the primer feed system acts up. You shouldn't have to clean and strip things every 50 rounds. Just an occasional blast of compressed air should be all you need for thousands of rounds. The Lee 1000 is a bit finicky and it can get dirty in a hurry if some powder spills into the priming works but once you get it set up and get that Lee rhythm you might not need to use that hand primer.