Well I just invested in a Lee Pro 1000 progressive press

[jason867]

and frustrated so far, lol

Took me forever to get it set up, and I'm still not done with it. I've heard bad things about the bullet feeder kit, but I decided to try it anyway. On the first stroke a plastic piece broke, the part that slides on the rod. Couldn't jerry rig it so I ordered a replacement piece.

Anyways, I did manage to get a box loaded up tonight.

I can tell it'll be a lot quicker than my challenger press setup, especially if I get the bullet feeder working good.

I have everything mounted on a roll around cart. It worked alright for the single stage press but I think I'm gonna have to build a sturdy wood bench on one of our walls, because the progressive demands it.

Who else here uses a pro 1000?

 

[mhs]

I used one for a number of years, and was pretty happy with it.

The bullet feeders are pretty finicky, and don't really save much time, since your left hand is free.

I had lots of priming problems until I mounted mine on a very rigid bench.

Once you get them set up they're very fast.

 

[eears]

I've had one for a couple years. A sturdy bench is a must. I've rebuilt mine twice. It is a good machine, but it takes a little time to work out the idiosyncracies of the press. I've used it to reload handgun stuff and like it. I've purchased a dillon 650 to reload rifle. It's a little more heavy duty.

 

[red91vert]

Got one about a year ago and you are right it was tought getting it running smoothly but once you do you can chuck some ammo out. Congrats and good luck.

 

[Cam]

I have one and as others have said, once you get it right, it will work fine. I can load about 100 or so an hour without the bullet feed kit. I'd imagine you could go faster if you wanted to.

 

[jason867]

I finally got it mounted on a solid bench and boy howdy do I love it!

I got everything working great and smooth, event the bullet feed!

I can easily churn out a few hundred rounds an hour, not even rushing.

 

[EvilElmo]

I had a similar problem the first time I tried to bullet feed - the same little plastic buffer broke. My solution was to use my fingers to spread a drop of breakfree all over the rod. That way the plastic pieces slide much easier.

I also added a washer between the buffer spring and the attach plate. Until I did that the spring would slip through the hold on the attach plate, preventing the rod from making the full motion it's supposed to.

 

[fingers]

Lee presses if it has the nylon gear I would get rid of it.Ihave one it messed up still cant get it working right. I would suggest a hornady press they work great.

 

[Rammer]

There is nothing wrong with Lee presses. Sure they are not as good as a Dillon. But not everyone can afford a Dillon. I have loaded around 20,000 rounds through my loadmaster.

Rammer

 

[swbster]

I picked up a Lee Pro 1000 maybe a month ago and have it working very well. I did quite a bit of research before I bought it and was prepared for most of what I ran into. I was prepared to hand load the 9mm's but the press is working so well that it is not necessary. I never timed myself but I can get a rhythm going and crank out some ammo in a hurry that is great quality. By the way, the Press I purchased was used and I have produced around 2k rounds.

 

[Claddagh]

I've had mine since 1993. Doesn't have the bullet feed (it wasn't invented yet) but IMO that's not a big deal, as I can produce more-than-enough ammo in an hour or so to keep me plinking all day without it.

Ditto on the solid bench mounting. I tried to conserve space by going to a Midway portable stand. I started getting a lot of primer seating issues that no changes in technique seemed to cure entirely. When I put it back on a heavy bench, they went away.

A couple of small points: Keep the priming system's feed path scrupulously clean or you'll start getting rounds with missing primers. The path itself is fairly long, and all that's keeping things moving is gravity. It doesn't take a lot to hinder the free flow, especially when you're trying to run at a really fast clip. Don't let the supply in the reservoir get too low either, as the system relies on the weight of the upline supply to keep things moving into position correctly.

Also take the manual's caution about using only CCI or Winchester brand primers seriously. Bad things are said to have happened to those who didn't, especially with Federals. If in doubt about a brand, a call to Lee is a whole bunch cheaper and less painful than the potential consequences of a mass detonation.

 

[Claddagh]

Got a double-post somehow. Sorry.