Opinions Lee Pro 1000 progressive please?

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MCgunner

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I have a Dillon square deal in 9mm that I was thinking of getting maybe a .38/357 conversion for, but a conversion on Dillon's site is 75 bucks and it's a royal pain to switch once you have the thing set up for a load, let alone a caliber. I like Lee stuff, friend has the Pro 1000 and likes it, but he doesn't load all that much on it. Midway has it for $120, so for a few bucks more I can have another machine. In addition, most of my pistol die sets are Lee because I like the powder through die set up with the disk powder measure I use on my Lyman turret set up.

I'm wondering what opinions are out there on this cheap Lee press and I'm also wondering if I can use the dies I have for it with just a shell plate change. I'm also thinking Lee sells die carriers so once you get 'em set up, you just change the carrier out and there's nothing to adjust, is this right? It sure sounds a LOT easier than the Dillon for cartridge conversion. And, I use the auto prime with a cheap Lee C press to prime and really like that priming system, but wonder if it works as well on the progressive?

I know Dillon is a good company, but I shoot different loads and switch around a lot. The Dillion is a royal pain to change loads with. I'm thinking if I got a caliber conversion, it'd just be for .38/.357 and I'd continue to load .380 and .45 colt/ACP on the turret press. 9mm and .38/.357 are my most fired calibers. I might should have gotten a Lee in the first place. I guess if I bought a Lee and liked it that much, I could always sell/ebay the Dillon to recoup some money. But, I'd probably keep it. It's a good machine other than the caliber changing thing.
 
MCGunner,

Depending on the volume you're reloading, you might want to consider Lee's Classic Cast turret press they've come out with in the last year or so. That press, along with their new safety prime and a Pro Auto Disk Powder Measure should put you in the 200-300 rounds/hour ballpark with no problems.

I've been reading about this press for a while and while I have a friend who was dissatisfied with his Pro 1000 (powder slinging, finicky priming) he's been very happy with the Classic Cast turret he replaced it with. You load one case at a time, but the turret auto cycles, making the operation pretty quick. You can see a small film of it on the Lee website.

Dave
 
Hmm, might be an option. I have an old Lyman turret I've loaded on for 30 years. Thing is built like a tank. But, it doesn't auto cycle and I do my priming on another press with a Lee Auto Prime 2. So, I have to decap/size, prime, charge/flair, and seat in separate steps which slows things quite a bit.

I'll check into that Lee turret. It would be a cheaper way to go, also. I don't want to spend another wad on a press or I'd upgrade to a Dillon 550 or something. The only thing I don't like about the square deal, really, is the impossibility of quickly changing calibers or even powder charges in the same caliber. Someone posted that calibrated dial thing to go on the powder bar and I think I'll add that to my square deal so I can at least change loads in 9mm fairly quickly without tools. I have a cast bullet load I like and also a IDPA load using JHP Winchester bullets I buy bulk from Midway. The cast bullet load is a lot cheaper to shoot.

That Lee turret press would probably be fast enough to suit me. I don't load other calibers as much as 9mm, though .38s come close.
 
Got to thinking first, why do I need auto index? I can get the manual indexed turret for $45. Then, I got to thinkin', "Now that's stupid. I have a Lyman turret. Only difference is I use a separate press to prime with a Lee auto prime, don't have the priming bar on the press, lost it, and the Lee auto prime is better anyway than handling each primer and getting finger juice on 'em. Then, I got to thinkin', I can modify my routine by just size/decap, move the case over and prime it on the priming press, move it back to the turret and move the flairing/powder through charging die for that step, then move it over to the bullet seating stage. Maybe I can speed up my loading by just modifying the routine with the press I have. Hmmmm.....:banghead:

The thing about that Dillon square deal press is I'm paranoid of the priming step and check every primer to make sure it's seated properly. I can see the powder charge, so that's not a problem. Checking the primer slows me some, but it's necessary IMHO, so I do it. But, it has a case at every stage, so 300 an hour isn't a problem even though you have to stop now and then to recharge the priming tube which is a bigger pain than with the Lee auto prime tray. I don't think they figure that in to your estimated rounds per hour they publish for those things. Dumping primers into the Lee auto prime tray and shaking and flipping them proper is one HECK of a lot faster than pickin' 'em up with that tube Dillon provides AFTER you're flipped 'em all the right direction with your fingers...:rolleyes: All in all, I think that auto indexing press might be nearly as fast as what I can do with the Dillon. And, I might be able to approach that with my old Lyman press. I'm going to experiment with it anyway before I spend money on a new press.
 
Why do you feel the need to check primers?
My 550 misses a primer every 500 rounds or so, prolly my fault, no idea how.....
Does your square deal miss more than 1 primer in 500?
As for loading primer tubes on the dillon, think vibra-prime...
 
MCGunner,

"Got to thinking first, why do I need auto index? I can get the manual indexed turret for $45. Then, I got to thinkin', "Now that's stupid. I have a Lyman turret."

You want the auto index because it gives you a press that's close to a progressive function wise if you use an auto disk and the safety prime with it. I used to own a Lyman T-Mag. Trust me, the Classic cast press is nothing like the Lyman in behavior or design. It's significantly more advanced.

"Only difference is I use a separate press to prime with a Lee auto prime, don't have the priming bar on the press, lost it, and the Lee auto prime is better anyway than handling each primer and getting finger juice on 'em."

With the Classic cast and the new safety prime, you load a box of primers at a time with no handling and unlike the auto prime, it actually works real well. I know, I've tried it. Slick little deal.

"Then, I got to thinkin', I can modify my routine by just size/decap, move the case over and prime it on the priming press, move it back to the turret and move the flairing/powder through charging die for that step, then move it over to the bullet seating stage. Maybe I can speed up my loading by just modifying the routine with the press I have. Hmmmm....."

You could speed up a bit, perhaps as much as 25%. What would a 25% increase in your current speed give you in actually rounds per hour output? I reasonably sure the Classic cast is nipping right at the heels of a 550 production wise, for a lot less money. Go watch the video on the Lee website, it's quite informative.

"The thing about that Dillon square deal press is I'm paranoid of the priming step and check every primer to make sure it's seated properly. I can see the powder charge, so that's not a problem. Checking the primer slows me some, but it's necessary IMHO, so I do it. But, it has a case at every stage, so 300 an hour isn't a problem even though you have to stop now and then to recharge the priming tube which is a bigger pain than with the Lee auto prime tray. I don't think they figure that in to your estimated rounds per hour they publish for those things. Dumping primers into the Lee auto prime tray and shaking and flipping them proper is one HECK of a lot faster than pickin' 'em up with that tube Dillon provides AFTER you're flipped 'em all the right direction with your fingers... All in all, I think that auto indexing press might be nearly as fast as what I can do with the Dillon. And, I might be able to approach that with my old Lyman press. I'm going to experiment with it anyway before I spend money on a new press."

Maybe you ought to look into buying one of those Frankford Arsenal Primer tube loaders for the thirty bucks or so and see how that does. Remember though, that you'll likely need to clean up the plastic flashing and tweak it a bit before it runs smooth. But for thirty bucks, it's been kicking ass for me and greatly improving my reloading volumes on my Hornady LnL. I'm running between 600 and 700 an hour depending on the cartridge using these Frankford Arsenal primer load to load up my primer tubes.
 
Why do you feel the need to check primers?
My 550 misses a primer every 500 rounds or so, prolly my fault, no idea how.....
Does your square deal miss more than 1 primer in 500?
As for loading primer tubes on the dillon, think vibra-prime...
Click to expand...


I always check for a high primer and make sure one didn't get in there upside down somehow, which has happened and I ain't figured out how. :rolleyes: I can feel, though, when one doesn't go in right. So, probably as I use the Dillon and get a little more confidence in it, I'll slack on the primer checks.


DaveInFloweryBranchGA, you seem to be quite right about the Lyman. :D After a test run of a change in routine, I don't believe I can get much better than 100 per hour with it safely. I've found that swapping the case over to prime on the other press is slower than just decapping 50, then priming 50. Duh...:rolleyes: It seems the Lee auto indexing press would be a good improvement, but, boy, that Dillon DOES crank 'em out there. As far as the primers go, fill that pick up tube and the primer charge tube on the press and you can crank out a couple of hundred pretty fast.

I'm going to toss around the idea of getting that Lee. I may get a caliber conversion for the Dillon in the future if 9mm ceases to be my most fired round or something, but for now, 9mm is what I shoot most. The Lee, it seems, would be a significant improvement in speed over what I'm doing with the Lyman now, and have been doing for 30 years. I do have more time on my hands now, at least, than I used to.
 
AFTER you're flipped 'em all the right direction with your fingers...
Click to expand...
Sweet thistle pie, man!!! You're flipping each primer right side up by hand? You must have the patience of Job. And arthritis.

Please, save yourself some aggro. Call up Dillon and get yourself a primer flip tray and an extra 4-pack of pickup tubes. Before you start reloading, use the flip tray and load up all of your primer tubes in advance - should take you 2-3 minutes per tube. Much faster and less stressful that way.

- Chris
 
I've also heard of guys picking up all the primers that were right side up, and then putting the lid on and flipping it over, then picking up the rest.

Andy
 
I wouldn't buy primers that come packaged on the side!

Buy Winchester, put them on smooth side of the tray, push plastic tray out, cover and flip...done. :) If they "packaged" them properly, you wouldn't even have to flip them...like shotgun primers. ;)
 
Dealing with loading primers into a progressive

While I have the flip tray and extra primer tubes for my setup, I've learned through experience the Frankford Arsenal Vibra Prime is the way to go when it comes to reloading the primer tubes. It's really fast and simple to operate. Yes, it's made out of plastic. Yes, it's cheap. But yes, it really works.

Yes, some people have problems with them. Why? Because they don't bother to take them out and clean the plastic flashing off the plastic parts before use. I did this with mine and it's been a beautiful thing.

Now some people would rather spend a big buncha bucks and have a primer feeder that they don't have to clean plastic flashing off of before they use it. That's fine. But this thing, for the miserly sum it costs, works as well or better than any of the hgh priced ones, as long as you're willing to do just 10 minutes of prep work cleaning up the flashing. I ask you: Are you really to darn lazy to clean up the flashing so the little device will work well? If so, don't buy this product. But if you are willing to "fluff and buff" this little jewel, it'll reward you with a quickly reloaded primer tube that's mounted right on the press. Since I've bought mine, I haven't used a flip try or a spare primer tube. At some point, I'll probalby sell them off.

Here's a link to the gadjet:

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=656090

Dave
 
i have 3 pro 1000s set up on my bench. one i use for 9mm and 40sw one is dedicated 45 and 1 is dedicated 223. even for a broke college student, if you look for them used they are affordable in quantity. i got all three shipped with calibers set up for under 300 total.
 
Depending on the volume you're reloading, you might want to consider Lee's Classic Cast turret press they've come out with in the last year or so. That press, along with their new safety prime and a Pro Auto Disk Powder Measure should put you in the 200-300 rounds/hour ballpark with no problems.

I've been reading about this press for a while and while I have a friend who was dissatisfied with his Pro 1000 (powder slinging, finicky priming) he's been very happy with the Classic Cast turret he replaced it with. You load one case at a time, but the turret auto cycles, making the operation pretty quick. You can see a small film of it on the Lee website.
Click to expand...

The only problem with this is that by the time you buy everything you want on it (safety prime, dies, powder measure) it costs the same or more than buying a 1000. If you are going to use it for multiple calibers it makes sense but if dedicated to one caliber the 1000 is the way to go.
 
My issue with my Pro 1000s is that it only has 3 holes hence no factory crimp die.
 
"The only problem with this is that by the time you buy everything you want on it (safety prime, dies, powder measure) it costs the same or more than buying a 1000. If you are going to use it for multiple calibers it makes sense but if dedicated to one caliber the 1000 is the way to go."

Who the heck is going to dedicate a press that's as easy to change calibers as the Lee Classic turret is to just one caliber? Not I, for certain. The appeal of the classic turret is it's ruggedness, versatility and reasonable speed. In other words, it's cheap to change calibers, easy to do so and reloads fast enough to satisfy the needs of most reloaders, the exception being competitors, who should be looking at the faster progressives anyways.
 
I have to jump in here--I have been using the new Lee Classic Turret press now with all the bells and whistles for almost two months. The Safety Prime is fantastic--you see every primer go into the cup and KNOW it is going to be seated. I have successfully loaded well over 200 rounds per hour with it and I know I can get to 260-275 per hour with a little better rhythym on my part.

The good news is that every round is right on--Auto Disk drops the right amount of powder; Factory Crimp die produces perfectly sized / crimped ammo. I can refill the primer system in seconds, I bought a few extra trays and load them up ahead of time; I can change dies in 2 minutes flat, I bought two extra turrets. I load 3 calibers, 4 if you count .357 Magnum(same dies as .38 Special).

This has got to be one of the best, and safest, values in reloading today. The press is awesomely rugged--it will outlast me by one heckuva' lot.

I don't know how much more you can get out of a Lee Pro 1000 but if I can get almost 5 boxes an hour, for the money, I don't need anything faster.
IMHO this is a great new system.
 
I don't know how much more you can get out of a Lee Pro 1000 but if I can get almost 5 boxes an hour, for the money, I don't need anything faster.
IMHO this is a great new system.
Click to expand...
Glad to hear it as I bought one today.
 
Agreed! I have 2 Lee original Turret presses, one I upgraded to auto-Index and they are excellent presses. I use them on the calibers I do not shoot much like 357, 38, and 38-40 Winchester. And priming in front of the TV is great!
 
Okay, well, I considered the auto indexing turret press. It's affordable new, but I found this Pro 1000 progressive on Ebay and won it for 42 bucks. I'm going to try it. It is lacking the tubes that hold the cases, no biggy, and the primer tray. I have a couple of Lee primer trays about. It is coming with a number one shell plate, which if it is like the shell holders, is for .38/.357 which is one of the calibers I need. It's missing the auto-disk powder measure, but I have one of those, too. I'm all set up in Lee hardware and it all works on the progressive.

I have dies and such, so I shouldn't need to buy anything for this press to start loading. I'll have to set the case and the bullet by hand as it doesn't have the hardware with it for automatic function, no biggy. I do this with my Dillon Square Deal, too. At least if I don't like it, it didn't cost me much.

I'm lookin' forward to cranking out the .38 rounds cause that's what I shoot the most other than 9mm which is the caliber I have my Dillon set up for. I'll buy another turret carrier and shell plate for my .45 ACP dies and I'll be set up. I'll still do what few .380s I do on my turret press the old fashioned way, ditto my rifles. I'll likely do .45 colt on the turret press, too. I don't shoot many .45 colt or .380 handloads. 9mm, .38/.357, and .45ACP are the majority of my centerfire handgun shooting.

Anyway, I hope this press works out cause it'll solve the problem if it does and for a really reasonable price.
 
Good for you!

I would urge you to go to the Lee website

http://www.leeprecision.com/html/HelpVideos/video.html

and make use of the instructional videos. They also have hard copy of the instructions for the Pro 1000

http://www.leeprecision.com/html/instruct/index.html

near the bottom of this page.

If you have any problems at all, email Uncle Don--he is a member of this forum, just look him up. He is completely versed in how to set it up and make the adjustments necessary for successful operation.

Once it is up and running you should be able to crank out a bunch of good ammo.
 
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