Ever use a Lee pro 1000 ?
- Thread starter Casper
- Start date
I am a new shooter and have a Lee Pro 1000. I bought it used from one of the good folks here on Gunnutz and like it fine. I use it to load 9MM and .40. As I said before I am fairly new to all this and it's met all my needs.
Now of course you will be coached to buy the expensive Dillon press.
It is no doubt a great press. If you load lots then it maybe its the answer. If you are on a budget then the Lee will do the trick just fine.
Have fun and let your budget, not the naysayers, be your guide.
Now of course you will be coached to buy the expensive Dillon press.
It is no doubt a great press. If you load lots then it maybe its the answer. If you are on a budget then the Lee will do the trick just fine.Have fun and let your budget, not the naysayers, be your guide.
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well i won't be coaching - i've got 3 of them - once you get past the primer problem, they're a good, relaible press if you do your part- full strokes and watch what you're doing- make sure your primers and powder are full and add a slight cant forward to help the primers feed, and CLEAN UP ANY SPILLS- it's usually spilled powder that makes it bind- i've got them in 45, 9mm and 223- all dedicated - right now the 45 is doing 44 mag duty, and you have to lube the 223 before you load, but all in all a good value for the money( let the cr*ap storm commence)
the biggest problem with the 1000 is that it is only three hole turret. this means that you cannot crimp your bullets. a lot of guns will not run uncrimped bullets. if you go to the pro, i think, it is a 4 hole turret and you can run a crimp die.
I use a Lee 1000 to load .38 Spl.
It works well with the exception of the primer feed. After cleaning and tweaking and screwing around with the primer feed I gave up on using the primer feed. I always decap brass as a separate step, as I wash the cases to clean off any grit and dirt. I removed the decaping rod from the sizing die. Now I prime the empties with an autoprime and drop them into the case feeder.
Using the Lee 1000 in this fashion it has proven to be satisfactory. I would rather a fourth die station so that seating and crimping could be done separately, however with the .38 special bullets that I am using the two operations are successfully accomplished in the one die.
I got my 1000 second hand (cheap), but if I like my Hornady Projector much better as it has extra die stations and the primer feed works very well.
It works well with the exception of the primer feed. After cleaning and tweaking and screwing around with the primer feed I gave up on using the primer feed. I always decap brass as a separate step, as I wash the cases to clean off any grit and dirt. I removed the decaping rod from the sizing die. Now I prime the empties with an autoprime and drop them into the case feeder.
Using the Lee 1000 in this fashion it has proven to be satisfactory. I would rather a fourth die station so that seating and crimping could be done separately, however with the .38 special bullets that I am using the two operations are successfully accomplished in the one die.
I got my 1000 second hand (cheap), but if I like my Hornady Projector much better as it has extra die stations and the primer feed works very well.
I bought my Pro 1000 back when i was a student and couldnt afford anything fancier,thats about 10 years ago.Ive loaded,probably over 100K on that press now,and its always made great ammo.I really cant see the need to get a Dillon as Im really quite happy with it.Theres no denying that Dillon presses are great,but for me the Lee is fine.
It is a bit fussy,and there is a learning curve to get it to work smoothly.Keep it clean and well oiled,keep the primer feed clean,make sure you tap the primer tray every once in a while to keep primers feeding.One mod I found helpful with the primer feed,is to remove the little arm and spring that keeps the machine from feeding a primer if there is no case there.I found that after this was removed that there was much less resistance to primers feeding and I very rarely get a primer jamming up now.
It is a bit fussy,and there is a learning curve to get it to work smoothly.Keep it clean and well oiled,keep the primer feed clean,make sure you tap the primer tray every once in a while to keep primers feeding.One mod I found helpful with the primer feed,is to remove the little arm and spring that keeps the machine from feeding a primer if there is no case there.I found that after this was removed that there was much less resistance to primers feeding and I very rarely get a primer jamming up now.
Another vote for the Lee pro 1000... I'd love to say I owned and loved a Dillon, but since I can buy about 20 pro 1000's for the price of a full 1050.... Its not good value.
I've loaded about 7,000 round on my pro 1000 without any problems. I hand prime as it lets me inspect the brass so the primer doesn't cause problems for me.
I've loaded about 7,000 round on my pro 1000 without any problems. I hand prime as it lets me inspect the brass so the primer doesn't cause problems for me.
I know three ( me being one ) users of the pro 1000 , all liked them , one went to the loadmaster .
I know another guy who has a loadmaster and swears by it .
My 1000 does everything I need of it and it took a bit to get it to work well but its been dead reliable ever since .
I know another guy who has a loadmaster and swears by it .
My 1000 does everything I need of it and it took a bit to get it to work well but its been dead reliable ever since .
I have 2 Lee 1000s and think they are quite good for the money. I can comfortably make around 220rph. Two hints...as was said before, keep the press clean, spilled powder can really foul the action. Secondly, install o-rings in the grooves that act as agitators for the primer tray, it works really well!
I have 4 or 5 Lee Progressive 1000's. The idea of the o-rings on the grooves sounds like a good one. The one I bought for .45 acp worked like a charm with no adjusting at all!! I loaded a pile of .38's, 9mm, .45 with them.
OneBarfly
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Wow - I must have got a real lemon. Spent countless hours trying to get it to run consistently. After solving two separate primer problems, the powder measure would act funky from time to time. Lost all confidence in it and sold it off for $75 incld .45 dies (warned the person buying of my troubles too). I've since bought a used Hornady progressive press for about $275.00 - works wonderfully and consistently.
Just got my 1000 in .45 Acp a few weeks ago. Took some minor tweaking but the thing is running pretty smoothly right now. The only things I have to keep an eye on: the case feeder, occasionally the next case that is 'on deck' is a little too far forward and can get crushed on the downstroke--crushed a few cases when I first got it, now I know to check this if the downstroke seems to require too much force. the primer feed, just have to give the tray a tap once in a while. I'm quite happy with the press and have ordered another in .357 Magnum.
Greenfields
CGN Regular
- Location
- Lower mainland BC
The trick with the 1000 is tweaking and keeping it clean. I load only 45's on mine. Does the trick and for the money you can literally buy a press for each cal without breaking the bank (as some here have already done). I don't love it, but I also wouldn't pass one up if it was offered.
Cheers
Brian
Cheers
Brian
The only reason I got rid of my Pro 1000 is that i have no more room on my bench. I now have a Loadmaster. For the primer feed, polish the trough with 400 grit emery cloth, and use some dry graphite lube. Then tilt it forward about 10 degrees. The Proo-1000 is cheap to get into, and if you want to load multiple calibers, just buy a couple more.
