LEE Press Failure!

punkrockboy

punkrockboy

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Eastern Bantario!
Well, I was making some .223 tonight,when I broke the link between the handle and the press. It is cast iron, and appears very brittle. I would gues I have mad 20000 rounds on this press(it came with the LEE 35th anniversary kit)
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"...It is cast iron..." Nope. Cast Al.
How old is it? Lee only gives a 2 year warrantee. If it's older than 2 years, they will fix it for the cost of the parts and shipping, but you have to send it to them, Stateside. Voice# 262-673-3075. FAX# 262-673-9273
RCBS would just fix or replace it. No questions asked. Even if you had bought it used.
Mind you, after 20,000 rounds, it has given you good service. You may want to just replace it.
 
Mine did the exact same thing a few months ago. I just haven't gotten around to sending it to Lee for a replacement. Mine had about 12 years worth of use. In the interim I bought the cheap Lee single stage press to get me by, later it will become a dedicated crimp press.

I thought Lee has a lifetime guarantee on their stuff, from what I have read I expect will replace the part.
Cheers

ADDED: Wasn't there a similar post a year or two ago, where the fellow's buddy machined a replacement piece from an aluminum billet?...looked super strong.

Cheers
 
Lee stuff is always well engineered and well designed, I think they need to use a little bit better "Stuff" when they make it!

Scott
 
Ike said:
ADDED: Wasn't there a similar post a year or two ago, where the fellow's buddy machined a replacement piece from an aluminum billet?...looked super strong.

Cheers
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Steel. I have one kicking around that I bought off the fellow (can;t remember who anymore) but haven;t installed it yet since I don;t have my press mounted. been doing handgun ammo only on my hand press.
 
5 mins after breaking it , I called my gunsmith, he had a Lee turret press in stock, gave that to me, now I will call LEE on Monday to get a new part. I think I paid 120 dollars for that 35 anniversary kit, so I got my moneys worth out of that press!
 
Grizz Axxemann said:
Steel. I have one kicking around that I bought off the fellow (can;t remember who anymore) but haven;t installed it yet since I don;t have my press mounted. been doing handgun ammo only on my hand press.
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It was CockedandLocked that made the steel toggle links. I got a set of them as well. As I recall he only made 4 sets, then got laid off and no longer had access to the CNC equipment he was using to make them.

Jim
 
Hoser-eh said:
How reliable has your press been?
Did you have the famous primer issues?

Mainly because of this I'm looking for a new progressive press, and Lee is not on the list.
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I once bought a Lee Anniversary kit with the Challenger press and it still goes well. One thing to watch though: never let the bolts in the toggle get just a bit loose, this can lead to cracking of the toggle's material which is cast aluminum.
Later, I inherited a Rockchucker press and the Challenger was then promoted to primer seating with an RCBS automatic strip primer toolhead on it; it works like a charm.
I really like the new Lee cast iron Classic series. Had I not got the Rockchucker already, I would have bought one. Maybe I'll get a Classic Turret, it looks like a good one for multitasking some jobs (I have many odd calibers to load).
As for the infamous Lee Tray primer attachment, I keep it clean and spray Jig-A-Loo in it periodically and it still goes well on my Lee PRO 1000.
Just don't bend it, it is very sensitive to ANY mistreatment.
On the PRO 1000, I deepened very slightly the three grooves on the rear post to increase the amount of tray shaking. It alleviates the problem of primers hanging up. I also do not wait for the primer tray to become empty. As soon as primer level reaches the top end of the through, I fill it.
I have been thinking about making a small hole in the primer tray to fit a blocking pin. This would help loading and unloading the tray.
PP.
 
They have upgraded the Challenger press in the last couple of years, but if you want a beautiful upgrade, check out the Classic Cast press. They retail around $100 and will last your liftime and the next one.
 
PerversPépère said:
As for the infamous Lee Tray primer attachment, I keep it clean and spray Jig-A-Loo in it periodically and it still goes well on my Lee PRO 1000.
Just don't bend it, it is very sensitive to ANY mistreatment.
On the PRO 1000, I deepened very slightly the three grooves on the rear post to increase the amount of tray shaking. It alleviates the problem of primers hanging up. I also do not wait for the primer tray to become empty. As soon as primer level reaches the top end of the through, I fill it.
I have been thinking about making a small hole in the primer tray to fit a blocking pin. This would help loading and unloading the tray.
PP.
Click to expand...

Armor All works very well for keeping the primer feed slick. As for the grooves, Go buy some thick O-rings that force the shaker bar to snap over then and you will have bullet proof shaker system.
I also add two layers of duct tape at the base were the primer seats hits.

As for a primer stop hole. I use a pipe cleaner and bent it into a hook. I use that as a blocking pin :)
 
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