Lee APP

Like most other Lee products, they work great 95% of the time... I have recapped 2k of .308 rounds, I had to intervene/adjust shell holder, claws, etc every now and then... That being said, it was still way faster than a single-stage press, and still faster compared to a manual progressive press...
 
I bought mine yesterday from Tenda. Not really on sale but they do have a 5% off code on all Lee product.

Initial impression is it's a lot smaller than I thought. I'll post more once I get it setup today.
 
I bought one, it's pretty neat and quick to process. I bought it primarily to swage the .223 ivi brass from work. Works great for full length resizing my 223 and 308 brass so far. Pretty capable little device.

If using it for any significant amount of brass get the case feeder tubes, I didn't, it's on my list, it would make things a little faster.
My only complaint is the handle. Holding it as it is stock gets uncomfortable after awhile as it's splitting your fingers and just doesn't feel good. I think they make replacement handles now.
 
I bought one, it's pretty neat and quick to process. I bought it primarily to swage the .223 ivi brass from work. Works great for full length resizing my 223 and 308 brass so far. Pretty capable little device.

If using it for any significant amount of brass get the case feeder tubes, I didn't, it's on my list, it would make things a little faster.
My only complaint is the handle. Holding it as it is stock gets uncomfortable after awhile as it's splitting your fingers and just doesn't feel good. I think they make replacement handles now.

I setup mine today and swaged some 223. What a bliss! This is miles ahead from my old way of chamfering the primer pocket with a countersink bit on a drill. Get the case feeder by all means. Once adjusted right, mine went through 120 brass without any hiccups. Lee advetises it will run as fast as you can pull the handle. I didn't take it seriously before but now I'm starting to believe. I also used the 4 tube feeder from my loadmaster. IMO the single tube that came with the app press will hold you back by a good margin.
 
I love the APP. I bought one of the first ones in the Country last year through Higginson Powders.

Man is it ever quick! I use it to size cast bullet in a flash. After a bunch of experimentation I found the best quickest way to use the APP is by feeding it with a single tube but modified with a dollar store funnel on top. I just cut the bottom off the funnel and use duct tape to hold it on the feeder tube. Works like a charm!

I'll use my left hand to continually feed either brass or bullets depending on what I'm doing while pulling the lever with my right. The tube acts like a buffer where you can sometimes toss a few in quick succession and then perhaps only 1. I like this method because it's continuous and you just keep going until the bin is empty. It's saved me so much time in swaging 223 brass and bullet sizing for my pistols.

+1 to the crappy handle. I found a great full sized one that goes right inside the existing handle but extends out to get a complete grip. It's on thingiverse and you need to 3D print it. They may have them out now to purchase but they didn't when I got mine.

In my opinion the APP is a real winner. It could even be used a single stage press if you're not doing 30-06 or bigger rounds. Seems to handle 308 and smaller no problem.
 
Is I got one of these a couple of weeks ago with the APP swage kit and the intention of removing the crimps from my 5.56/.223 brass. My swage kit is the new one that doesn’t include the decapper, and has a flat base rather than using the xpress shell holder. Non-crimped brass sails through this thing with no problem, but the crimped brass all seems to get stuck on the swaging pin. I’ve tried adjusting it from where it’s not swaging enough and wrecks a primer when trying to seat it, all the way to where it is over swaging and the primer is too loose, and everything in between. The brass all sticks on the swaging pin, and the spring won’t eject the casing. It is actually a very hard pull with the fingers to remove the brass. I’ve been on the phone with tech support at LEE and confirmed it’s assembled correctly, and adjusted correctly. They say they have never experienced this before. Also, it isn’t actually swaging. It is shearing off the crimp, I showed them tiny rings of brass that comes off. I’m now waiting for them to get back to me. Anyone else experience this?
 
Back
Top Bottom