Lee Pro 1000 Solutions < No Bashing >

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Problem: Primer attachment feeds primers regardless whether there is a case in station #2, two primers are found on top of the primer push rod, and/or extra primers are found at the base of station #2.

Solution: Case sensor spring is not installed properly and applying pressure on the primer push rod which keeps the rod from rising up to prevent extra primers from sliding into station #2. The bent part of the spring needs to go around the base the rod moves up and down in. Also, be sure the case sensor (black plastic part with a round end) is installed correctly and moves freely.

Picture on the left shows incorrectly installed case sensor spring which will hold the rod down, allowing extra primers to slide into station #2. Picture on the right shows correctly installed spring which allows the rod to stay up when there is no case present in station #2 and block primers from sliding into station #2.

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Improper shellplate timing, dirty/rough/damaged primer attachment surface (see post #67), debri in the primer rod hole, incorrectly installed case sensor spring, and/or cycling the shellplate too fast to allow a primer to slide into station #2 (remember, it is based on gravity) probably account for most of frustration Pro 1000 users experience. As illustrated, they are relatively easy to resolve and will get you back to less troublesome reloading.
 

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Unloading my Lee setup

I want to get rid of my Lee Pro 1000 and all accessories, but I cannot post on the for sale section. How do I go about trying to sell it?
 
Welcome to THR.

I believe there is a specific number of posts you need to make before you are allowed to post in the Trading Post section but I am not sure what that number is.

I PMed a moderator to see when you can post.
 
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Yes, there is a minimum number of posts. Continue to participate here at THR and it won't be long.

Sorry you are having trouble with the press. They do have a rep for being a little finicky, but most folks get them running well enough to suit them. :)
 
I just cant seem to get it. I'm tired of spending time doing this, that and the other thing to make everything work together
 
I just cant seem to get it. I'm tired of spending time doing this, that and the other thing to make everything work together

No press works perfectly 100% of the time. I've gotten awesome production on my lee 1000 in the past that would rival what I've done on my Hornady or Dillon.
 
Well, the Pro 1000 certainly is not for everyone and that's why this support thread exists. The solutions posted on this thread address most common problems Pro 1000 owners will face so they can operate their presses more reliably.

If you decided the Pro 1000 is not for you, I think there are many who would gladly pick up your press for the right price.
 
Problem: Primers getting stuck and not dropping down.
Solution: Another solution is to attach cable ties ( small size) to the grooves in the column where the shaker pin rides. So rather than having the shaker pin ride in a shallower groove, it now has to jump over the cable ties, making the primer tray shake more aggressively.
 
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Two tips

Problem: Hard effort in sizing die.
Solution: When I tumble my brass, or not, prior to using the brass, I wash them in water and rinse them. My last rinse is in a soapy water, hand soap, and not rinsed off. This leaves a very thin film of soap on the cases after drying, almost imperceptible. This is just enough to make sizing force less without fouling powder charges.

Problem: Primers tipping in feed ramp.
Solution: Apply a slight, hear it, slight, chamfer, more correctly, radius to the top edge of the primer seating pin and polish it.
 
@BDS, The curved ejector pin is a excellent mod. Those big .44 Magnum shells kept jamming on my Lee Automator. Not any more!

I also liked your funnel mod for primer collection, very clever.

This is a great thread for Pro 1000 users.
 
i have recently Changed my way of doing .223 with my Lee pro 1000

I used to use it as basicaly a turret press.... 1 rd from primer-powder-bullet done... De-prime and size was a totaly seperate step.

I really have never had any issues with the primer system but with .223 cases they can cause undo issues not related to the Lee pro system

using the Case feeder in my previous system just didnt work... to much ta focus on

So I decided to try hand Priming my cases... got an inexpensive Lee hand Primer for $17.
So Now Ill sit at watch Sports/TV hand Prime like 100 cases in a short amount of time... Then I will load my case feeder on the lee pro..... and bust out .223 rds as fast as i can set a Bullet on the case... Nothing to worry about besides the occasional Case no setting correctly in the 1st stage....

This has increased my speed a lot... and increased my loading accuracy since I am only focused on Powder and Bullet.....

anyways... thought i'd pass it along....

Stav
 
have recently Changed my way of doing .223 with my Lee pro 1000

I used to use it as basicaly a turret press.... 1 rd from primer-powder-bullet done... De-prime and size was a totaly seperate step.

I really have never had any issues with the primer system but with .223 cases they can cause undo issues not related to the Lee pro system

using the Case feeder in my previous system just didnt work... to much ta focus on

So I decided to try hand Priming my cases... got an inexpensive Lee hand Primer for $17.
So Now Ill sit at watch Sports/TV hand Prime like 100 cases in a short amount of time... Then I will load my case feeder on the lee pro..... and bust out .223 rds as fast as i can set a Bullet on the case... Nothing to worry about besides the occasional Case no setting correctly in the 1st stage....

This has increased my speed a lot... and increased my loading accuracy since I am only focused on Powder and Bullet.....

anyways... thought i'd pass it along....

Stav

exactly how i have loaded 223 on the 1000 for years.
 
hex drive nut wearing out

PROBLEM..I am having a problem with the hex drive nut wearing out and causing a mis-indexing situation , this can happen in as little as 200 rounds , the drive seems a little tight and spongy as it goes to turn the shell-plate which can make the action rod slip through the hex nut rounding it out rather than turning the shell-plate , the solution below is only a partial solution so any other ideas would be appreciated.

SOLUTION..physically blow loose powder flakes off the shell plate between cycles so that powder cannot fall into mechanism and cause jams also pay attention to how the plate is rotating and "feather" the handle so that it rotates fully . I also tried on one shell plate to shorten or lighten the ball detente spring so that it had less pressure against the shell plate , this did help a little a lighter spring might work better.
 
waverace said:
PROBLEM..I am having a problem with the hex drive nut wearing out and causing a mis-indexing situation, this can happen in as little as 200 rounds , the drive seems a little tight and spongy as it goes to turn the shell-plate which can make the action rod slip through the hex nut rounding it out rather than turning the shell-plate

the solution below is only a partial solution so any other ideas would be appreciated.
SOLUTION: The center hex "action rod" needs to be lubricated for smooth indexing of the shell plate. If run dry, premature wear of nylon hex ratchet will occur which will result in rough/inconsistent indexing and a very frustrated user. :D

Before each reloading session, lubricate the rod with a drop of oil on your finger tip (I use Breakfree CLP or any weight motor oil) and reapply another drop of oil during the reloading session if the indexing stops being smooth.

I lower the shell plate carrier and rub the drop of oil on the rod with my finger tip and raise the shell plate carrier and rub the remaining drop of oil on the bottom part of the rod below the carrier then cycle the handle several times until the indexing becomes smooth and check the shell plate timing.

For me, with proper lubrication of the action rod, the nylon hex ratchet doesn't need replacement for 15,000 - 30,000+ cycles.
 
BDS

I have 3 Lee pro Systems

my 9mm system see TIGHT... and my .357 not as Tight but tight.... my .223 is smooth as butter

I have adjusted the Handle/Cam nut down there but still seems a bit tight

any ideas???
 
stavman11, by "tight" do you mean the indexing of the shell plate is not smooth or the ram cycling is tight?

To check, remove the shell plate carrier and cycle the ram/lever. If ram/lever cycles smooth, the "tightness" is in the shell plate carrier. When you reinstall the shell plate carrier back on the ram, be sure that no part of carrier rubs/rides on the left column other than the pin from the primer attachment riding the right column.

After re-installation, lubricate the rod as I posted above and cycle the handle until smooth. If the indexing is still tight, I would take apart the shell plate carrier and inspect the nylon hex ratchet and replace as necessary if worn.
 
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Indexing

I loosend the Nut on the Handle... and helped some.... but on mid stroke, about half way up and down it just seems tight... and squeeks... cant figure out where it is Binding/tight at

Besides taking it apart and such... i have lubed everything
 
Ill test it out


Figured its about time ta clean it anyways....

I just played with it a Bit... its for sure in the Plate Carrier area..... something is binding/rubbing


Time for a CLEANING...

Thanks again, as always, for yer help


Stav
 
Sounds like the nylon hex ratchet is binding on the spiral part of the hex action rod.

I would inspect the hex ratchet and if worn/rounded, replace and lubricate before using it (Lee includes spare hex ratchets with each Pro 1000 kit so you should have several).

stavman11 said:
and squeeks... cant figure out where it is Binding/tight at
Since the primer attachment pin was meant to ride the right column and "click" along the grooves, even properly adjusted and lubed shell plate carrier will make some rubbing/squeaking/clicking sound. As long as the indexing is smooth and the primers are feeding reliably, this is normal. You could try cleaning these parts and lightly oiling the surface to see if the sound quiets down.
 
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i think its the Rachet/Shell plate....

Ill try and do it this weekend... and report Back.....


what i meant by the Nut on the Handle.... is the NUT that Tightens/loosens the Cam at the Bottom...... too tight and it really binds.... to loose and its sloppy as a $10...ummmm..... whel... its Sloppy

:)
 
stavman11 said:
what i meant by the Nut on the Handle.... is the NUT that Tightens/loosens the Cam at the Bottom...... too tight and it really binds.... to loose and its sloppy as a $10...ummmm..... whel... its Sloppy
I am still not sure which nut you are talking about as the nut that holds the ram lever handle in place should be simply "tight".

Could you post a picture?
 
I recently bought a Pro 1000 for the purpose of loading 45 ACP. A friend of mine who had never loaded before had bought a Lee load master to reload 40 S&W and he was very happy with his new purchase and I thought he had bought a 1000. I now have just found out that you can buy a kit to convert the 1000 to a four head unit and was thinking of doing so. The main reason I want the fourth is being able to the finish off the cartridge with the crimping die. Any advise yea or nay would be greatly appreciated.
 
I dont do 45acp but do .357

the crimp on the standard 3 die set seems ta work real well for me....

I have never looked at the Conversion to 4 stages... hmmmm Kinda currrious now Myself
 
Alternate method

I recently bought a Pro 1000 for the purpose of loading 45 ACP. A friend of mine who had never loaded before had bought a Lee load master to reload 40 S&W and he was very happy with his new purchase and I thought he had bought a 1000. I now have just found out that you can buy a kit to convert the 1000 to a four head unit and was thinking of doing so. The main reason I want the fourth is being able to the finish off the cartridge with the crimping die. Any advise yea or nay would be greatly appreciated.

What necesitates the need to use the FCD over the seating and crimp die? I loads about 1K .45 ACP and 9mm a month on my Lee Pro 1000 and hundreds of other calibers. The only time I use the FCD is to remove the belling on my rifle rounds to add neck tension to the bullets. I've never had a setback issue or anything else related to not using the FCD.

If you want to maintain the 3 station setup and use the FCD I would do the following:

1: I have a turret setup with Misc dies. Meaning if I have a spare die that I don't use all the time it goes into this turret. So when I get new to me range brass and I want to wet tumble with SS pins and clean out the primer pockets I put on my MISC turret with the decaping resizing die then back out the other misc dies to disable them. I load the case collator and run the press like a mad man to deprime/resize brass for cleaning.

2: Now that you have deprimed and cleaned your brass you have a free station open on your pro 1000 for your FCD. The issue is that to use the return chain for the auto disk on station 2 you have to utilize the shell plate carrier. You can get a kit to convert your pro disk for use as on a SS press or a turret press that has the auto return spring if it didn't come with the parts allready.

http://www.titanreloading.com/lee-ad2296-auto-disk-return-spring?filter_name=AD2296

http://www.titanreloading.com/lee-ad2309-auto-disk-return-lever?filter_name=ad2309

You can now move powder and flare to station one. But you will have to prime off press or just utilize the Pro 1000 in the same manner as you did for the depriming. Just back the dies out and use the press to mass prime batches of brass before you add the powder.

3: Now station two is bullet seat. Ensure you can see the powder in the case before seating your bullet

4: FCD. Crimp to your hearts content.

Unfortunately the conversion from 3 hole to 4 hole is not true in this case. You will utilize the base of your Pro 1000, the ram, and the handle and linkage. Everything above that gets changed, the upright columns, the turret head, etc. I also am sure that you will not have the auto indexing feature becasue the ram on the Turret press is specific to allow the auto indexing clamp to stay in place on the ram. Other than that you are converting it to the Lee Turret press which is not a progressive press.

http://www.titanreloading.com/lee-4-hole-turret-press-w-auto-index?filter_name=90932

Your other option is to get a Single stage press and use the FCD in the SS press to finish off your loads and leave the pro1000 the way it is, or........

If you really need and cannot live without the fourth hole and you plan on doing any rifle reloading in the future for .30 cal rounds I would reccomend you get the Lee Classic Cast Turett press instead of converting the pro 1000 to the 4 hole turret press. The classic cast turret has a bigger opening for longer .30 cal rounds. The normal 4 hole turret that you could convert your pro 1000 from is too short for most .30 cal rounds but will work for .223 and similar cartridges.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/785993/lee-4-hole-turret-press-with-auto-index-deluxe-kit

My recomendation? Don't worry about the Lee FCD, it's not a necesity to reload reliable safe ammo. I don't use one in any of my auto loader rounds for .32 ACP, .380 ACP, 9mm (pistol and carbine rifle), .45 ACP (two pistols). Just make sure that when you seat and crimp the case has enough tension not to allow bullet set back and your fine.

GOOD LUCK!!!
 
The main reason I want the fourth is being able to the finish off the cartridge with the crimping die. Any advise yea or nay would be greatly appreciated.

Many decades ago when I got into reloading, many auto pistol seater dies had roll crimps machine in them. My late seventies vintage 45 ACP seater die is one of these. Taper crimps in in the seater dies were not as common as they were today.

It was difficult to get the right amount of crimp on the auto pistol case so that headspace on the mouth without over crimping and rolling the case mouth into the bullet.

Separate taper crimp dies were available. The Lee FCD probably had not even been thought of at that time.

I got into the habit of crimping in a separate step and found it was easier to set set the seater die from the crimp die. Up until a couple years ago when I got a progressive, I still roll crimped revolver rounds in the seater die. With the progressive, crimping in a separate step is no big deal if you have the extra position, which I do.

But, folks have seated and crimped in the same step for at least a century so it certainly is a way to get good ammunition.

As a side note, with all the crimp dies that I have, not one is a Lee FCD.
 
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