Lee Pro1000 for 38/357 and .40

[v65magnafan]

Hi,

As you probably know, a friend of mine gave me his Lee Pro 1000. It's set up for 38 Special and 357. I need to do .40 S&W also.

I don't know if I'm getting stupid, or if some companies think that we're born with the knowledge. Probably the former.

I've read both the new Lee catalog and Modern Reloading, but I still don't know what parts I have to buy

Apparently, I need a Shell Plate and a 3-die set of .40 pistol dies. Right?

Anything else?

I've been fiddling around with empty brass and bullets. It seems that the .38 Special and .357 dies are the same, except that the bullet height must be adjusted for the bullet-seating die.

So, to do a quick switch from .38 to .40 I just have to change the shell plates.

Am I right?

 

[magicchip]

Shell plate and dies will do ya.

 

[t-star]

you might also want to invest in the factory crimp die and a single stage for the 357/38-this sets the casing back to factory specs so all casings can go in all cylinders- i've found out the hard way that the 3die set doesn't always allow this- you don't need it for the auto, though

 

[v65magnafan]

Great. Thx very much.

 

[shotgunjoe]

Before you load .357 with dies set for .38 you will likely also have to back out the powder through expander die.Otherwise you could end up with blunderbuss style cases.

 

[daBear]

Shotgun Joe is right. It may not be in your instructions, but to switch your dies from 38spl to 357Mag, you need to back out the expanding die and the bullet seating die 2 full turns. You should be pretty close to bang on at that point.
Good luck
Cheers
dB

 

[Auggie Doggie]

I think that the Pro 1000 needs a different piece on the case feeder (I think they call it the Z-bar) to load .40 S&W as well.

Auggie D.

 

[v65magnafan]

O.K. Here's the story behind the scenes. I've been working with the excellent guys at Williams Arms. I told them that I had a working Pro1000 set up for .38Sp/.357 and I wanted it to load .40 S&W as well.
We perused the catalog and couldn't figure it out.
I said, "I'll leave it with you. Contact Lee if you have to and get me all the pieces I need."

So, we shall see. This was over a week ago. I think some of the parts have to be ordered from Lee directly.

 

[daBear]

Okay, so heres the real deal. Like u said, you need a shell plate for the 40, size 19 I believe. The bent Z bar is not necessary as it is mainly required for the 45acp, but you will need a small case slider(38/357 uses a large size). Other than that, everything else is good. If you want to make for quick changes, you can get a complete shell plate carrier($58-$60) with the 19 shell plate so to change calibers all you need to do is swap the carriers. If you are gonna do that, you might as well get a spare 3 hole turret(about $10-$12) and keep your 40SW dies at the ready. The small case slider will run around $6. You can order all this through Lee Precision or through Higginsons, who are the Lee rep in Canada and very good. Give Higginson's a call if you wish, but there you have it..
Good luck
dB
..oh and be ready for the frustration and anxiety caused by the priming stage . The 1000's are notorious for priming difficulties, but you need to keep the trough clean!