lee pro progressive loaders

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mardig88

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Any experiences with these presses?
Good or bad?

I am planning on getting this or investing in a dillon 650. Havent made up my mind yet. Your input would be much appreciated

i also have a question. Sincr these come setup for a given caliber,is it possible to change the dies !nd migrate to another caliber?

Thanks
 
get the Dillon or the RCBS Pro2000. much more stable platforms, better built, better design.
 
While the presses mentioned by Slavex are good machines, you are looking at considerable coin to outfit them. The Lee’s are a good deal for the casual reloader making less than a thousand rds a month. If you plan on making more than that, then certainly invest in a better machine, but expect to pay 3-4 times the price for a fully kitted out dillion as compared to the Loadmaster. Almost every press can be converted to another calibre, some are more difficult than others. There was a thread here with an excellent review comparing the strengths and weaknesses of each press.
 
Here is the answer I gave someone else who asked the same thing a little while back

Finally something I can give advice on

I started shooting and reloading about 3 years ago and was in the same substitution, and here is my story
When I started shooting 3 years ago I had nothing I had to buy everything, safe trigger locks reloading equipment targets cleaner I think you get the point. I bought a Lee Pro 1000 for 9mm. It was cheap and I thought that 300 rnds an hour would be enough.

My advice,
If you want 20k per year save your money and get a Dillon 650 if you plan on shooting more than 20k a year get a 1050! I am shooting about 10k a year with my Lee and find it hard to keep up. If I had the money I would have bought a Dillon right away.
Click to expand...
 
I have Hornady LNL AP which is comparable in functionality with Dilon 650 but is cheaper to buy and to get additional calibers going. Easier and much faster to change calibers too. Without case feeder and not been in a hurry, I load 400-500rds an hour, realistically. I like the machine a lot.
I calculated that ammo cost difference would pay for my LNL setup (with a couple extras) after I load 3000 rounds, and it did.
I'm glad I didn't go with Lee, and I have nothing against Dillon.
 
Changing caliber is not a big deal. It can be done in 15 minutes when taking your time. Do things right the first time and get a Dillon XL650. I don't have experience with the Hornady but I know they make excellent products.
 
What sort of ammo quantities do you plan on going through? Do you plan on using a case feeder? How many calibres do you plan on loading?

Depending on your requirements, a Dillon 550 might be a less expensive alternative to a 650. Unless you are using a case feeder, there is no benefit to the auto indexing of the 650. Conversely, there is no sense in buying a 650 unless you intend to use a case feeder with it. I have no difficulty loading at a cyclic rate of over 500 rounds/hour with my 550 with a bullet tray and empty case bin attached to the strong mount.

You probably can't go too far wrong with most of the progressive presses made by RCBS, Dillon, or Hornady. Lee makes OK single stage and turret presses, but I would pass on their progressives. The cost difference between a cheap setup and a good one is negligible in the long run; it will be dwarfed by the cost of components. As the old Filson slogan goes, you "might as well have the best".
 
Been using a Lee 1000 for years loading HG and now 223 ammo.

It is slower then the other brands but does a great job once you set it up. Definitely works best with Lee HG dies.

Keep it clean and well lubed, fill the primer tray once the primers empty, keep an eye on the powder level as it drops faster then you expect ( a good thing).

The only real PITA part that some may not know about is the little plastic indexing widget in the base of the shell plate.

This little gem controls the indexing and when new, works great. however, it has a lifespan of around 5000rds and when it loosens, the plate will not index properly. The process is a slow creep where the once nicely lined up cases go slightly off. You play with index screw and back to normal. Some more loading and it drifts again.

Drove me round the bend until the little plastic piece broke and I had to see what was really wrong cause it just jammed up.

Well, 1 minute parts swap and reassembled to a like new working device. I keep spares on hand and will just replace as soon as the plate doesn't index.

Lee includes a spare one cause you WILL be replacing it. some say they have never replaced that part. Others more often so lifespan....depends.

Otherwise, I have no complaints on mine except when I don't keep it as clean as I should and powder fouls up the primer feed trough.

Can I blame the press or my lazy housekeeping?

I can load around 300 to 400rds of 40S&W an hour. the big dollar presses can crank out WAY more.

Now loading around 200/250rds per hour of 223 for my Norc M4 - plenty enough for a day at the range.

I don't shoot alot of HG and this rate of loading, I can make up a few months of ammo in an evening.

A friend just got a new 1000, we set it up in around 1/2 hr from opening the box and he hasn't touched a thing. He is over 3000rds in the last month and has had no complaints

For what the press costs and what comes for that cost, I would rate it a good buy.

Jerry

Tip #2. electrical tape on the primer feed tube so it can't split. Stops primers from flipping causing alot of grief.
 
I replace the index square every 6 months, cheap and easy to do. The biggest issue I have is not the press, it's finding the time to do brass prep. I need to get an illegal alien to live in my garage prepping shell casing in return for a warm bed!
 
wow i was just talking to my dad earlier tonight about this very subject. Great to know Mysticplayer. So how difficult is it to change from 9mm to .223? i have the lee dies. Sounds like i should just get a caliber i eventually want (.45) and switch the dies when needed.
 
I've been cranking out 9mm on a Lee Loadmaster for 2-3 years now. Do about 3-400 rounds per hour. Yes, they can be finicky but if you pay attention and know what to look for, they'll be just fine.

(E) :cool:
 
Had a Pro 1000, upgraded to a Jammaster. I probably made around 100K of ammo on those presses in total. Thought it was part of the reloading experience to be constantly tweaking and messing with the press as you made ammo. I was content in my ignorance.

Tried a Dillon, 1000 rounds later and not one stoppage to tweak the press, I saw the light. If you have no money and consider your free time worthless, get the Lee. If you prefer shooting time over reloading, get something else.
 
The Loadmasters have more stations, the biggest issue with the Pro is the 3 stations. With the Loadmaster or the turret press get extra turrets plates and put the dies into each turret plate. It takes about 3 minutes to switch my Loadmaster from 9mm to .40cal and about 1 minute to switch my turret press. To load rifle larger than .223 with the turret you will need to take the index rod out, approx 30 seconds to do so.
 
I have had THREE 1000's. .38/.357, .40 & .223

The 1000's have only three issues.

1. Clean it and keep it clean. The manual states you should clean it every 1000 rounds or so, most likely for a reason. Keep a compressed air can nearby and blow out the primer feed, indexing ball pocket and other areas where any powder flakes and brass shavings can accumulate. I personally used to grease the indexing rod occasionally to reduce waer on the cogs (See item 3).
2. Primer feed system. Keep it full and tight and clean. Ensure it agitates during press use. Do these and you'll never have primer issues.
3. Indexer/ratchet cog. As stated, it is plastic, and should be replaced every so often. It costs a couple bucks for a 3 pack of them. Replace pro-actively and you'll never get indexing problems.

I loaded thousands upon thousands of rounds on these 1000's, only when I failed to proactively replace the cog (after probably 7-8K rounds) did I have any issues develop. Several years later however, my free time became limited (kids do that), so I upgraded to a Hornady. 5x the cost for 2-3x the production levels.
 
One of my presses is a Loadmaster (never had the Pro). It did take some tweaking, a few minutes of polishing a couple sliding surfaces with a dremmel tool. As long as the primer path is kept CLEAN and free of all oil/grease, it works flawlessly. As fast or as smooth as the Hornady? (or Dillon, but haven't used one), no.

It is kept around, set up for one load only in 40 and one in 9mm, to crank out rounds at a moments notice, takes a couple minutes to change between these 2 calibres, uses the same shell plate for both, same powder, just put in new die holder with dies, move powder disk to different hole.
 
Colin said:
I replace the index square every 6 months, cheap and easy to do. The biggest issue I have is not the press, it's finding the time to do brass prep. I need to get an illegal alien to live in my garage prepping shell casing in return for a warm bed!
Click to expand...

I am assuming you mean case prep BEFORE the brass is used?

Becuase my fired stuff just goes into a tumbler and that takes care of all my prep work.

Jerry
 
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