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Thoughts? Experience?
I was thinking this would be an inexpensive way to get into a progressive reloader....
I was thinking this would be an inexpensive way to get into a progressive reloader....
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Lee Pro 1000
- Thread starter waltherlover
- Start date
I have loaded around 100K on Lee Pro1000s, They are a little finicky, but once you have them figured out, they will crank out good ammo. I recently went to a Hornady LNL, thinking it would be faster, it wasn't
Every red vs blue vs orange thread:
In all seriousness, best thing to do is find someone that owns one and have them show it to you, see how it works, what the pitfalls/bonuses are, etc.
One thing to be aware of, is if you reload enough, the price of the gear won't matter much because it will all pay for itself, so price is only an issue with what you can afford to spend at once to get started.
-Mike
In all seriousness, best thing to do is find someone that owns one and have them show it to you, see how it works, what the pitfalls/bonuses are, etc.
One thing to be aware of, is if you reload enough, the price of the gear won't matter much because it will all pay for itself, so price is only an issue with what you can afford to spend at once to get started.
-Mike
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Kicker96FS
NES Member
I have that one, it's OK, can be finicky at times and you need to develop a "feel" for it. But as stated already, once you have it dialed in, you can really crank out some bullets.
For the money, it's a good progressive press. If I had the money, I would buy a Dillon 550, but I just can't justify it.
I had TWO of the Lee pro 1000's , and got rid of them both as fast as I could. The one tooled in 9mm made about 15,000 rounds, with lots of issues along the way, including cheap cast parts that broke. The 223 version would never work right, and had almost no use at all. My Dillon 550b has had NO ISSUES! If you're making low volumes of ammo, the Lee Pro 1000 will be OK for you. If you're into medium to high volumes............... as they say in Brooklyn........ "FORGETABOUTIT"
Duke, what do you consider medium to high volumes? I'm thinking of getting one for loading 9mm and .45 and would probably load 2,000-3,000 rounds per year of each. The Dillon is a goal but it would require me to wait a lot longer to get the scratch together before I start reloading.
I started off with a Pro 1000, and it loaded lots and lots of ammo very fast, but I had to make sure the windows in the basement were closed when I ran it because if I didn't I was sure the neighbors were going to call the cops with all the yelling and screaming going on by the madman unseen. The press has (had? been 6 years since I owned one) issues, mainly involving the primer feed system. I ended up karma'ing mine on here when I got my Hornady LnL, and the "winner" seemed to be unspokenly pissed off.......
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wiskie762
Instructor
save your money. buy your equipment right the first time. I would recommend saving for the hornady lnl or dillon presses. I started with a lee press and it was crap. couldnt get it to prime at all. I now have a hornady lnl and i love it. with the lee i would have to stop every 5 rounds cause of some problem. parts that are made of plastic would break constantly. research and ask if you can see someones setup, find whats best for you. i dont know where you are located but if you are close i invite you to come see my lnl.
For the price of a Lee Pro 1000 (under $200, including tooling), it would fit your volume range fine. It's not practical to switch over from one caliber to another. It's just about more cost effective to just buy TWO machines, one tooled for 9's and the other tooled for 45. At less than $400 invested, when it is time to step up, you could walk away from the two Lees with them not owing you anything. Or, you could also run those qtys on a single station press (which you'd need for low volume rifle rounds anyways) quite comfortably. That's the cheapest way out.
They know who you are, and what you are up to!!!!! LOL
They know who you are, and what you are up to!!!!! LOL
I took a 6 month break from all shooting and gun/ammo purchaseing....I saved enough to purchase all I needed to reload 30-06,.223,45, and a few odd ball pistrol cals. I lingered on the pro 1000 but from the general feed back(good for the money but bad if you are not mechanically inclined) I decided on a Hornady single stage. Not ideal for large volume pistol loading but with in mu budget.
I purchased everything to reload and also enough componants to do several thousand of each cal that I shoot. I did not even relize how much I was spending on ammo until the last year or so. I also stoped buying DD coffe every day instant 240 bucks after 6 months.
I purchased everything to reload and also enough componants to do several thousand of each cal that I shoot. I did not even relize how much I was spending on ammo until the last year or so. I also stoped buying DD coffe every day instant 240 bucks after 6 months.
Kicker96FS
NES Member
LOL! I was there too man! But I have it tuned in now and dropped out 300 rounds Sunday and spent about 10 minutes making 50 rounds last night when I had nothing to do.
I'm just getting started as well, and after looking at the cost/production situation I decided I'd be a low volume reloader at least for now. I bought an RCBS Rock Chucker kit for under $300 with a $50 mail in rebate (dies not included). The Rock Chucker will allow me to make anything up to 50BMG and seems like a solid piece of equipment.
http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/12960 is what I ended up with.
http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/12960 is what I ended up with.
I have a Lee Loadmaster and I am quite satisfied with it. For around $225 you get a 5 station completely progressive press. I have replace exactly 2 primer sliders in the 15+ years I've owned it. They cost less than $2 each. I've loaded tens of thousands of rounds on it. I've found shell plates and turrets on ebay at cheap money (it takes great patience as many ebayers want more than retail for reloading stuff) It'll pump out 9mm and 45s by the thousands. As with all reloading presses there is a learning curve. Lee offers excellent customer support. They don't make much noise about spare parts for repairs because they don't seem to need all that many repairs...unless you are trying to do the impossible with them I suppose. The primer tray will hold close to 200 primers but if you put more than 100 primers in at a time it will not work. Read and follow Lee's directions and they work well.
I've never loaded on a pro 1000 but I have seen them in operation. Problems come from trying to push them faster than they are designed for. Once you get some momentum they can be pretty quick.
I've never loaded on a pro 1000 but I have seen them in operation. Problems come from trying to push them faster than they are designed for. Once you get some momentum they can be pretty quick.
I have had my lee pro for about 1 year now. I bought it used from a guy on craigslist. While the primer feed can be a pain in the ass, I have loaded a lot of .38spl/357 on it. I also just bought a Lee Classic Cast Turret Press to load rifle ammo, and its awesome. No complaints at all.
If you want the best buy a dillon.
If you want something to get you going and making some decent ammo for cheap get the lee 1000.
I have had the 1000 for 10 years (got it for free)![[smile]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/001.gif "Smile [smile]")
and it requires some patience and time to get it going and to keep it going.
If you want something to get you going and making some decent ammo for cheap get the lee 1000.
I have had the 1000 for 10 years (got it for free)
and it requires some patience and time to get it going and to keep it going.
