Lee prog 1000

[dsmjon]

Heck yeah I'll pay shipping, ought to fit in a large FR box, shouldn't it?

PM sent!

[Cowboy T]

Those of you who've had frustration with your Pro 1000's? Have a look at this thread.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=77595

There's no reason to junk a perfectly fine press. I seem to have gotten pretty good at making these things work, so if you have any questions about 'em that Lee isn't answering, maybe this'll help.

- Cowboy T

[desteve811]

I'll take one if someone wants to throw theirs in a lake. The only problem i had with mine was the primer feed. It ended up being the small clip needed to be bent in so it held the brass in the shell holder pocker tight. other than that, smooth reloading.

[ept000]

Ok, I admit I didn't read all the posts, but they were getting a little sideways. First, if anybody wants to dump a Pro 1000 I will be more than happy to take it. Next, I have to argue the point that they need regular adjusting. That has not been the case with me. Once I got it set up I have not needed to "chase any adjustments".
The primer chute needs to be polished, and even more important, needs to be kept full. If you run even slightly low on primers it will crush a primer. Also make sure the small rod on the primer chute is rubbing on the shaft with the grooves in it. They shake the primer chute to keep the primers moving.
I have made some "off the chart" adjustments to mine, the largest probably being the spring under the check ball under the shell plate. I found that as the plate advanced it wanted to snap to the next station and would sometimes fling powder. Once powder gets under the shell plate your gonna have some trouble. Stop and clean it out. To soften the "snap" to the next station I cut off part of the spring under the check ball.
I also found that the direction that came with mine directed you to use the wrong hole on the case slider which caused it torun into the shell plate. Once I switched the hole and readjusted, it works great.
With the case feeded tubes and primer tray full I can load 100 9mm's in seven minutes. It's a good press, you just need to be patient when you set it up.

[Recluse]

The Pro1000 was my first progressive press. Once dies and everything were set up and adjusted, I never had any really significant problems.

I primarily only load .38 Special with it--and still have the press today on the bench. I'm on my second shellplate carrier in a little over 70,000 rounds loaded in the past two and a half or more decades.

I'll also switch it over for .380ACP, which loading for is a bonafide PITA. But for that, I simply load up several thousand rounds, then put the dies and shellplate holders back up for another year or so.

I also use it for 9mm and it works okay, not superb, but okay. I don't shoot a lot of 9mm compared to my wheelgun calibers, so a couple of sessions of pulling the handle for 9mm and .380 keeps me in good shape for a year or so.

The primer mechanism actually is easier for me than the ones on Dillon or Hornady. Those damn primer pickup tubes and feed mechanisms make me homicidal. The Dillon powder measure gives me a pain-in-the-posterior, but Hornady's is pretty good.

I use the Lee pro disc powder system with the Pro1000 as I only do "set" loads for .38 Special, and it works perfectly with the powders I use.

For the $99 I paid for it way, way back when and the tens of thousands of rounds it has loaded for me, I have zero complaints. At the time, it was a very good deal for a new IPSC shooter who was going through 500 - 1000 rounds per week.

But would I buy another one? Definitely not.

[Cowboy T]

Ok, I admit I didn't read all the posts, but they were getting a little sideways. First, if anybody wants to dump a Pro 1000 I will be more than happy to take it.

No, I got dibs! I got dibs!

Next, I have to argue the point that they need regular adjusting. That has not been the case with me. Once I got it set up I have not needed to "chase any adjustments".

That's my experience as well. After 3,000 rounds of .38 Special, I have not had to adjust anything on mine.

The primer chute needs to be polished, and even more important, needs to be kept full. If you run even slightly low on primers it will crush a primer.

My method's a little different. I just field-strip and clean the press with WD-40 as a cleaning solvent, followed by washing all the primer parts w/ warm, soapy water. My primer feed works really well after doing this, even when it's really low.

I also found that the direction that came with mine directed you to use the wrong hole on the case slider which caused it torun into the shell plate. Once I switched the hole and readjusted, it works great.

Lee's directions aren't the greatest. On my case slider, choosing the wrong hole will have the opposite effect. The case slider won't push the case far enough into the shell plate. I had to use the hole closest to the shell plate to get things to work right.

With the case feeded tubes and primer tray full I can load 100 9mm's in seven minutes. It's a good press, you just need to be patient when you set it up.

The Pro 1000 does let you load fast. Over a full 60 minutes, I always hit anywhere between 5 and 6 boxes of .38 Special ammo...starting from an empty press. This is a rate that I can sustain for several hours. That includes refilling the primer tray, restocking the powder hopper, case feeder tube refills, and boxing up all the resultant ammo.

BTW, yes, I've cracked the 300/hour mark with this press on several occasions...and I wasn't really rushing. All the ammo shot fine.

[Lloyd Smale]

Ill add my tips for running a square deal or about any dillon press.
1. bolt to bench
2. load ammo
3. drink beer when done.

[deerslayer]

Also another tip for the pro 1000 is paint a mark on the back left support to act as a visual reference when the press is all the way down and therefore you know the priming is complete. Also a couple zip ties around the primer feed ramp helps to complete the assembly and keep the ramp together. As far as the tips above I can't afford a dillon much less beer to go with it but I can reguraly get 400 an hour out of my lee as cheesy as it is, I can only imagine how much i will appreciate a good press when I get one. Thanks Nathan

[swheeler]

I've loaded on one for several years now and am very satisfied with it, once you set it up for the caliber to be loaded you never have to touch it, DONT RUN IT OUT OF PRIMERS! I bought the double disc powder measure kit and load 223 on it with a collet sizer die, makes accurate ammo fast. I load 38 Spec, 357 mag, 9 Luger and 223 on it, best 100 bucks I've spent in a long time!

[azshtr]

If any of you pro1000 hater's have one laying around collecting dust, or ready for the hammer or lake PM me with how it is equipped and what you want for it. If we make a deal I will pay with cash or perhaps make a trade as I have a lot of new Lee items.

[rickster]

Is this the line for Lee Pro 1000 presses that are being thrown away? If it is, I'll take 3. TIA

[Cowboy T]

Ill add my tips for running a square deal or about any dillon press.
1. bolt to bench
2. load ammo
3. drink beer when done.

Ah, an Apple Mac--er, "Dillon" fanboy. That's OK, while you're making payments on that Dillon, I'll be buying more powder and primers.

[Elkins45]

I've had good luck with mine when using it in the original caliber it was set up for (45 acp) but not so good when converting to SP rounds. I think the LP has less slop in the system so it works better for the design. As many others have said, keep your primer trays full. I 'flick' mine every 2-3 rounds to make sure they are feeding into the chute.

[Trey45]

My dedicated 45 Colt press is a Lee Pro1000. I also have 2 Dillon 550's(one set up for large primer, the other set up for small primer) so it wasn't a matter of money or only buying what I could afford. The Lee Pro1000 has given me a few issues, primer feed for one, auto index skipping time, high primers, but for the most part, it produces good ammo. I am considering, once again, a Dillon Square Deal to replace the Pro1000 as a dedicated 45 Colt press. The Lee does produce good ammo WHEN IT WORKS RIGHT. Dillons are mostly worry free, as Lloyd said, bolt to table, make ammo, drink beer. Yup, pretty much sums it up.

[Cowboy T]

My dedicated 45 Colt press is a Lee Pro1000. I also have 2 Dillon 550's(one set up for large primer, the other set up for small primer) so it wasn't a matter of money or only buying what I could afford. The Lee Pro1000 has given me a few issues, primer feed for one, auto index skipping time, high primers, but for the most part, it produces good ammo. I am considering, once again, a Dillon Square Deal to replace the Pro1000 as a dedicated 45 Colt press. The Lee does produce good ammo WHEN IT WORKS RIGHT. Dillons are mostly worry free, as Lloyd said, bolt to table, make ammo, drink beer. Yup, pretty much sums it up.

If you do go for the Square Deal and want to dump that Pro 1000, let me know.

[dragonrider]

Like Recluse my first press was a Pro 1000 more that 20 years ago. Still got it, still using it. Got two more about 12 years ago when my friend died, gave one to another friend when he got into reloading. I keep my two dedicated to .380 and 9mm. I have had minimal problems with my 1000's, the same for my friend. Had a Loadmaster for six months also, complete junk is all I can say about that.

[OBIII]

Cowboy T, you beat me to it. I was going to plug your website, cause I just downloaded and viewed your video's night before last. I too have a Lee Pro 1000 and had my share of difficulty in setting it up and getting it to work properly. I can truthfully say that once you figure it out it is easy to crank out 200+ rounds per hour. (I'm getting older and my fingers don't work so well anymore.) All I can say is, how many extras can you buy with the savings of buying a Lee versus the more expensive presses? I'll take the extras every time. BTW, if you want to dump your gift, PM me. You should be able to download the manual from Lee. Lots of websites have info on this press... Google around.

OBIII
Independent Redneck Conservative

[Cowboy T]

You hit the nail on the head there, OBIII. That's why I bought Lee gear, too. Taking out a second mortgage just to get into reloading didn't really appeal to me.

Lee gear works just fine for those who aren't IPSC/USPSA competitors who shoot and reload 2,000 rounds/week. Those folks are professional shootists who probably need a Dillon 650 or even bigger. I'm a hobbyist; I shoot 1,000 rounds/month. I'm exactly the market that Lee's catering to with the Pro 1000. Hard to beat a press that works well, makes great ammo, and paid for itself in just over 2 weeks.

If there are others who might benefit from these vids, please do tell them. And more are on the way.