Lee Pro 1000 Solutions < No Bashing >

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Problem: Balky primer feeding in curved tube

Solution: I find that lots of primers in the tray helps, more than 100. The steel pin that snaps into grooves in the press column does not seem to shake the primer tray enough. I had attached 1/16" wide cable ties to the grooves in the column to make the shaker pin snap OVER the ties, rather than INTO the grooves. This shakes the primer tray more violently, helping feeding.
 
Thought I would go ahead and relate a few things. My pro 1000 has now reloaded well over 25k rounds. It has operated fantastically. About two months ago I was reloading and noticed that my cases weren't aligning properly at the resizing station. After messing with it and making it through about fifty rounds on the downstroke of the ram there was a pop and the shellplate and cases were left stuck in the dies while the carrier can down.

Not good.

Long story short the carrier broke at the metal around the indexing bolt(the part the indexing rod goes through. I have a few pics somewhere I'll see if I can dig them up.

Lee quickly replaced the broken carrier, free of charge, and sent me a free set of timing components too. Good people. Looking at the damage closely I think there is a good chance it was my fault from over tightening the shell plate.

If you start to experience these issues I would recommend that you check your carrier, there is a good chance it is cracked.

34B1B426-09D8-408C-B4FE-9ABD1893698D.jpg


DA13AFB5-476B-4893-9F91-DD2B74BBDF1A_1.jpg
 
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ljnowell,

This type of failure is actually very common and is not a result of over-tightening the shell plate.

The repeated stress of sizing during the cycling of the press or sticking a case in the sizing die can cause this type failure. 25K is pretty decent the carrier did not owe you much and lee replaced per their policy.

If you are on FaceBook come join our group Lee Reloading and Casting Equipment, over 11,000+ members using Lee Equipment.
 
ljnowell,

This type of failure is actually very common and is not a result of over-tightening the shell plate.

The repeated stress of sizing during the cycling of the press or sticking a case in the sizing die can cause this type failure. 25K is pretty decent the carrier did not owe you much and lee replaced per their policy.

If you are on FaceBook come join our group Lee Reloading and Casting Equipment, over 11,000+ members using Lee Equipment.


Yep I'm definitely on facebook and the lee page. I'm pretty sure we know each other, lol.

Lee was fantastic about replacing it. If I break one every 25k and they replace it, I'm ok with that.
 
Problem:
Spilled primers when you try to insert the primer tray in the primer feed.


Solution:
Drill a hole sideways through the neck of the primer tray and insert a piece of wire in the hole. It holds the primers in until you're ready for them, then just pull the pin out. If you drill it as I did, it will clear the primer feed and the lid fine.

I used a piece of 14 gauge solid copper wire for the pin. It's about .063 inch diameter, so a #50 or 51 drill is about right. Other sizes and materials will work too, just don't drill the hole so big that it weakens the neck of the tray.

BTW, in case you're wondering about those cleaned out spent primers, I just bought this Pro 1000 used at a gun show. I'm still setting it up, and I didn't want to use live primers until I got all the kinks worked out of it.


 
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Problem:
No way to stop the empty cases from being fed into the press.

Solution:
Install a flat piece of metal and two locknuts on the case feeder mounting bolt. I just used a piece of plumber's strap. When not in use, the piece of metal swings out of the way. When in use it blocks empty cases from falling into the feed chute.

DSCN0859a.jpg

DSCN0858a.jpg
 
I've learned a lot from this thread, thanks bds and everyone who has posted here.

I've only loaded about 1000 45acp to date and found one "problem" I have yet to see addressed.

Problem: It takes a lot of fiddling/time to get the last 10-15 primers down the trough and over the primer pin.
I've seen vids showing a paper clip or pipe cleaner used to push the primers, stopping midway thru a stroke, and a reach around with a lot of poking.

Solution: A primer follower much like the ones used in primer feed tubes.
A simple 3 piece assembly, easily fabricated, a rod, a purchased clip, and an angle bracket.
I'm sure I will be further tweaking the design, keeping it simple, as my goal.

This pic is self explanatory:

PushAssy.JPG

I made the angle bracket by slicing off a piece of common metal angle, straightened it, and re-bent it like this:

BrktFab.JPG

The rod is something I had, turned down to 1/8"x1" long on one end to fit thru the slot in the trough, and bent to go under the shell plate to push the last primers over the primer pin.

I think a 1/8" diameter brass rod will work too, and would be my preference.

ClipRod.JPG

One thing I need to work around is that paper clip squeezes the tray tightly, and restricts primer flow, so it cannot be clipped on while there are still primers in the tray.

And one must be alert to the possibility of the rod sliding over the primer pin, after the last primer has been pressed into a case.
Trying to seat that rod into a primer pocket would be a major CRUNCH.

Cheers,
:D
 
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When seating the shell plate carrier on the ram, make sure it is seated all the way down on the ram before tightening the Allen bolt or you may crack the housing. I place a plastic primer tray the primers come in under the top frame and brace against the top of shell plate as I push the shell plate carrier up with the ram lever to ensure the carrier is fully seated on the ram.
 
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problem: jam. Ram won't move up. Something is stuck at bottom.
solution: remove spent primer anvil that was stuck in groove. It was visible from underneat - caught up in a bit of lube and dirt.
 
Hi all, I'm new to reload also new to forum and this post helped me a lot on setting up my pro1000.

Recently I have a stuck shell on the first die. I unscrew it and hammered the shell out as the video guide shown. However, I forgot to mark the depth of the deprimer pin before I unscrew it. How do I know my pin is at the right position? Thanks in advance
 
Hi guys I'm having trouble with my auto disk power measure... I'm loading 4.0gn titegroup for my 9s and acording to the auto disk maanual it indicates .34 disk is dead on 4.0gn for titegroup.

However, I'm only getting 3.6-3.8gn if I go one size up to .37 disk then I'll get 3.9-4.0gn but the manual says .37 disk is for 4.4gn titegroup so I don't feel safe with it since it could over charge.

Is there something wrong with my auto disk or auto disk is not accurate for titegroup??
 
I use the Auto Disk chart as a guide and always go by the readings from my scales verified with check weights.

Depending on the lot number, humidity level, etc., actual powder charges dropped can vary from Auto Disk chart which clearly states "APPROXIMATE CAPACITY" - https://leeprecision.com/cgi-data/instruct/AD2302.pdf

NOTE: Be sure you are allowing powder to settle in the hopper by discarding several drops (Usually around 5 drops for me) and your scale is properly zeroed/calibrated and verify with check weights in the powder charge range you are using. Also make sure you are tapping out all the powder from the flash hole.

I got 3.82 gr to 3.92 gr drops with Titegroup using .34 disk hole (Chart shows 4.0 gr with .34 disk hole):
  1. 3.90 gr
  2. 3.88 gr
  3. 3.88 gr
  4. 3.82 gr
  5. 3.84 gr
  6. 3.86 gr
  7. 3.92 gr
  8. 3.88 gr
  9. 3.82 gr
  10. 3.84 gr

I got 4.06 gr to 4.12 gr drops with Titegroup using .37 disk hole (Chart shows 4.4 gr with .37 disk hole):
  1. 4.12 gr
  2. 4.10 gr
  3. 4.06 gr
  4. 4.06 gr
  5. 4.08 gr
  6. 4.08 gr
  7. 4.10 gr
  8. 4.06 gr
  9. 4.08 gr
  10. 4.12 gr

If you want to drop in-between charges, you can use this $1 mod to vary your drops by .1 gr - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/working-diy-micro-auto-disk.741988/

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Also consider the affect of altitude on a beam scale.
A search result:
http://www.globalspec.com/learnmore...force_sensing/industrial_weigh_modules_scales
Where it says:
"Air pressure/altitude -- For every meter in altitude the item is raised, the change in air pressure will result in approximately -.065 mg decrease in weight."
and
"Local gravity -- Readouts can change ±.05% depending upon the global location in which the object is measured"
:uhoh:
 
Bds is right as usual. The Lee chart gets you close but you ALWAYS have to verify and weigh charges. I have a master chart that has all my actual measured weights for each powder and orifice I've used. Still weigh and verify every time. Some powders are usually right on, some are light. Some like unique are REALLY light. None have measured heavier so far.
 
Tilo, but I am at sea level and reading .3 gr lighter than what Lee published ...
:D
Maybe Lee developed that chart in a submarine:what:
I understand how you could get lighter readings than Lee, for the same volume of powder, most of us do.
I even start with the next bigger cavity that's charted to save time, and prefer a tenth or 2 over the target weight anyways.

Being at see level and your love of testing, you need to weigh something and send it to someone who lives on a mountain top...near the equator.
:rofl:
maybe a penny or paper clip:uhoh:
:D
 
No need as I have two set of check weights, Lyman set down to .5 gr and Ohaus set down to .015 gr (1 mg). :p

My two Ohaus 10-10 beam scales and GEM20/WAOAW milligram digital scales have been verified with Ohaus Class 6 check weights to following:
  • All verified 1.5 gr (100 mg) check weight
  • WAOAW down to 0.3 gr (20 mg) due to 10th grain display but verified down to 10 mg check weight in "gram" mode
  • Ohaus 10-10 down to 0.15 gr (10 mg) with micro drum poise between .1 and .2 gr
  • GEM 20 down to 0.06 - 0.08 gr (5 mg) and exact 5 mg in "gram" mode
 
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1KPerDay said The Lee chart gets you close but you ALWAYS have to verify and weigh charges. I have a master chart that has all my actual measured weights for each powder and orifice I've used. Still weigh and verify every time. Some powders are usually right on, some are light. Some like unique are REALLY light. None have measured heavier so far.[/QUOTE]


That's how it's supposed to be. This is why...

You will often lighter than listed charges when using the auto disk. This is by design. Density of a given powder can vary up to 16%. The values on the tables are at the high end of density for that powder, which is the low end of VMD. If someone is foolish enough to load without a scale, the actual load may be less than your target load, but never greater. If you want to get very close on your first try you should calculate the VMD for each container of powder.

Take a dipper or other known volume of a powder and weigh it. Now divide the cc by the grains. That’s your VMD in cc/gr for that batch of powder. An example…

2cc/15gr = 0.1333cc/gr VMD

To get a four grain load: 4.0gr x 0.133cc/gr = 0.53cc.

They included this info with the instructions for their adjustable charge bar (which I did not like), but for some reason not the Pro Auto Disk (which I like better than my Uniflow)

There are a lot of tips in Lee’s website videos and FAQs that are not included in their instructions. Their designs are often better and more innovative than their competitors, but they really hurt themselves with less than perfect instructions. That's one of the few knocks on Lee that I agree with.
 
One benefit of "fixed" volumetric Pro Auto Disk powder measure (even with the $1 micro-adjust mod) is that, as long as you keep powder in the hopper, your powder drops CANNOT drift even after 1000+ round reloading session - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/working-diy-micro-auto-disk.741988/

Even though I use C-H 502 micrometer powder measure and Dillon powder measure on the 650, for my routine load development and testing, I will use the Pro Auto Disk with Pro 1000 as it will meter most powders with .1 gr variance, many with less than .1 gr variance and certain powders like Sport Pistol with less than .05 gr variance - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/new-alliant-sport-pistol.816514/page-5#post-10598431
 
got a new issue I haven't read about. I just ordered the "large" case slider for the old style Pro1000 case feeder. The "universal" one they sell now is different, and everyone was out of stock of the large case slider old style except Midway. Anyhow, it works fine until the last case or two, (.45 ACP) but those slide down the little ramp on the top of the slider and momentum carries them too far forward on the carrier and the case blocks the upward stroke of the ram unless I push it back against the slider. Not a huge deal, and the setup is definitely waaay faster than placing a piece of brass onto the slider/carrier by hand (which I have been doing for the past few days while I waited for the large case slider) but I wondered if anyone had experienced this issue and had a fix.

BTW the large/tall slider fixes the other issue with using the 9mm-sized slider on tall .45 cases, where the pressure of the stack of cases above it would cause the bottom one to tip as the slider pushed it forward. I assume that's why there are two sizes of sliders.

Also, my large primers are feeding without issue which is awesome. As long as I remember to refill the primer tray before the stack of primers gets below halfway on the trough, I have zero issues. I wonder if the LPP are heavier and slide better. My small primer carrier is more finicky even after the "burnishing" and custom cover fixes suggested.
 
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