My take on the Lee pro 1000

[mac1911]

I have no issues with most lee products.
I have dies,molds, and had several of the turret presses over the years. I sold the turret presses to fund other things.
Well I bought a NOS Lee pro1000 of a NES member in hopes to load up some 38spl
Then convert the press to other cals.
My logic was simple. Cheap press to load up some bulk plinking ammo. 38spl, 30 carbine, 9mm and some bulk 223 ( cases are all pre prepared).
I had the press up and running after I watch some vids in about 40 minutes.
With in a short time I loaded up 200 rounds with only a few minor issues. Issues though that would drive the impatient or mechanically challenged to vulgarity and hammer blows....but hey for 150$ or so it's expected. Again my PC and camera are down so no pictures.
If you are not patient or don't have some mechanical insight this might not help. Maybe when I get my new PC and camera I will re visit this and update it.

Being one not to leave things alone that really don't need fixing when they are just "bothering" me a,little. I just had to tear into it and see what could be done.
1. The press has a gritty not so,smooth feeling. Function was fine I just could not take that grit feeling any more.
2. When the primer system failed it IS A PITA to correct.
3. The completed bullet did not like to fall down the chute when completed.

So last night I removed the carrier plate assembly. Takes a bit of angle of the dangle to get it out. What I found and corrected.
1. The under side of the shell plate and the body of the carrier had some noticeable rub marks. So I polished the under side of the shell plate and the flat of the carrier body. I also polished the portion where the case feeder slides. Took down any burrs and filed down the area where the finished shell slides out of the shell plate. I also bent the steel pin that pushes the finished cartridge out.
2. Primer system , what can I say it just doesn't get any more simple or shitty all in one swing....looking at how the primer system works I found some easy fixes.
A: first thing I found was on the primer feed ramp where the primer seating post rides there was some plastic flashing. Cleaned that up nice. Looking at this I could see why the primers would fail to complete travel onto the post.
B: when you look at the priming seating stem it's a simple design. The case indicator that turns the prime system on and off is simple. Basically a simple spring clip holds the seating stem a little high until a case triggers the lever.
So it was easy to see once the carrier was apparent what could be tuned. I filed the primer post top down with just a few passes of a file then polished it with a 1200 diamond file. Now the post sits ever so slightly below the primer feed. The primers drop flawlessly so far and settle in the little recess created by the slightly shorter post.
3. Finished shell chute, I polished the ramp the best I could with the dremal kit.
This has eliminated 95% of the loaded cartridges hanging up in the chute.

Over all I found the pro 1000 simple to set up and on th easy side to keep running.
It is what it is. A 150$ press complete with dies ready to load with minimum set up.

My press is a older design and not sure what is updated on the newer model but looking at pictures there are differences.

Now I'm not so,sure if caliper changes is worth the money or not. I don't know if the case feeder needs changing with each caliper and the priming system only comes with the small primer set up?

Over all this 1 hour tune up did wonders on how the press feels.

The primer system is really not bad , more problems I caused because I did not fully seat the primer. I am used to seating primers on the down stroke of the handle....

 

[StevensMarksman]

I use the pro 1000 too. I load 9mm, .40, and am going to load .223 when I get the powder and projectiles I need to do so. I have to admit that your run down, in the beginning of the post, is exactly the same experience I had. I had to tweek my press before I could load efficiently. One recommendation I would make, if you haven't done it yet, is get the sliding powder measure with the turn screw adjuster. You can dial in the charge size much much better.

StevensMarksman

 

[asp]

How many rounds before maintenance do you think you'd get including these mods?

You had my curiosity, now you have my attention. I have two Dillons. Always looking for a cheap alternative.

 

[n1bsbri]

The way the primer feed is designed, it needs to have the primer chute vibrated with every stroke. That's what the pin sticking out of the chute is for. I found it does not reliably contact the support post, so I added three zip ties to the post to give the pin something to connect with. That one simple change has made primer feed just about 100% reliable.

It also helps to keep everything clean, about every 500 rounds or so, pull off the shell plate and primer chute and wipe them down. Takes about 5 minutes.

 

[drgrant]

Lee pro 1000 = masochist skinflint press.

 

[n1bsbri]

Lee pro 1000 = masochist skinflint press.

I guess that's the simple minded way of dismissing it. Mine runs great, but then again I'm not a mechanical moron.

 

[mac1911]

Lee pro 1000 = masochist skinflint press.

I will agree there is a level of self torture with a good amount of Lee products.
Although I will say the pro 1000 is very basic in design and it does work. Although the lack of certain levels of "finish" they leave the factory with is why they are cheap.
The flashing left on the plastic and cast parts is part of the problems that I can see.

Lee=skinflint ..... yeah I will agree it's the least expensive progressive loader out there and that was my goal. I already have the die sets for each cal. I would love to just "borrow " a loader to run out all this surplus,brass,bullets,powder and store it away in the locker. I still load on a single stage.

Basically all I,need is a few shell plates and a large primer system if I want to run 45cap.

So @ 140$ for a NIB press, 45$ for the 3 shell plates and I'm good for 11 different cartridges. If I wanted the 45 carrier and primer feed it's 38$
They are not match loads and it will take me years to shoot up the loaded ammo. Once it's all loaded I won't have to worry about ammo for some time. Then I can slowly stock pile again and in 5 years or so I can do it again.
I load my match ammo on my single stage. Only down side to the pro is its limited to small rifle cases. Like 223 and 762x39

 

[mac1911]

The way the primer feed is designed, it needs to have the primer chute vibrated with every stroke. That's what the pin sticking out of the chute is for. I found it does not reliably contact the support post, so I added three zip ties to the post to give the pin something to connect with. That one simple change has made primer feed just about 100% reliable.

It also helps to keep everything clean, about every 500 rounds or so, pull off the shell plate and primer chute and wipe them down. Takes about 5 minutes.

I will not clean this press just to see how far it will go with out cleaning. 500 rounds is to low to need a cleaning....would mean cleaning it more often than I would want.( yes shell plate removal is easy) I don't want to clean it until I switch cals.

 

[WanMan99]

I have a Dillon XL650 and a 550. They both take a constant amount of tweaking to run consistently (albeit usually very minor adjustments). I also have a few different Lee presses (single stage and 4hole turret). I have found that their manufacturing is pretty rough and that a good "smoothing" out of the components helps immensely.
On my XL650 this weekend I was working up a .357 magnum load and my case feeder suddenly wouldn't stop feeding. Somehow the auto shut off switch had become bent enough to not fully trigger the switch. I have a priming system for both large and small primers and I swap them out whenever I run .45 acp. This swap usually results in major tweaking to get consistent priming running again.
I kind of enjoy the tinkering aspect of reloading. Shooting is one hobby and reloading is another...

 

[Chet0729]

I hav the Lee Load master and it takes a bit of tinkering to keep running.

 

[n1bsbri]

I will not clean this press just to see how far it will go with out cleaning. 500 rounds is to low to need a cleaning....would mean cleaning it more often than I would want.( yes shell plate removal is easy) I don't want to clean it until I switch cals.

You can definitely go more than that, and it still runs. Mine gets cranky after 1500+ rounds, but the cleaning is easy to do.

The primer feed and seating seem to cause the most pain, but once you figure out how the system works, it's OK. The primer seating on the upstroke takes some getting used to, and I can see where if you are not paying attention to how it works, there can be a problem. The primer feed will not work without being jogged on each stroke (just the way it's designed). The vibration is what keeps the primers moving in the tray and down the chute. It's cheap to be sure, but quite functional. With mine in the factory configuration, the pin on the primer chute barely contacts the post, so there's not much jogging going on. Adding the three zip ties to the post solved that problem for good. Five cents and 30 seconds to fix it.

 

[mac1911]

I hav the Lee Load master and it takes a bit of tinkering to keep running.

I help set up a LEE load master for my friends father. It was not as "easy" as the pro 1000 to set up.
He's minimally skilled in anything mechanical. He can get through any issues now without calling me.
Poking around the web I see some complain the load master is worse than the pro with quirks and glitches.

 

[mac1911]

You can definitely go more than that, and it still runs. Mine gets cranky after 1500+ rounds, but the cleaning is easy to do.

The primer feed and seating seem to cause the most pain, but once you figure out how the system works, it's OK. The primer seating on the upstroke takes some getting used to, and I can see where if you are not paying attention to how it works, there can be a problem. The primer feed will not work without being jogged on each stroke (just the way it's designed). The vibration is what keeps the primers moving in the tray and down the chute. It's cheap to be sure, but quite functional. With mine in the factory configuration, the pin on the primer chute barely contacts the post, so there's not much jogging going on. Adding the three zip ties to the post solved that problem for good. Five cents and 30 seconds to fix it.

I wrote on the handle and the press body , press to prime. As I kept forgetting to seat the primer.
That went on for the first 50 or so rounds. This primer system really flips around when hitting the notches. My next mod is I need to smooth out where the primers drop from the tray to the shute. They seem to catch on the slot. Preventing primers from dropping into the shute It's all good.

 

[swampy]

I've been loading on a Loadmaster since sometime in the 90s. I got rid of an RCBS 4x4 which was similar to a Dillon 550. I was sick of primer tubes, turning the shell plate, inserting cases individually and a few other gripes. The loadmaster was a sweet upgrade. It still cranks out 10-15K rounds a year with minor maintenance and only a few inexpensive replacement parts in 20ish years. I really think people fear it's simplicity. Regular lubrication and a logical approach to diagnosing troubles make it easy to use and reliable. I load 8 pistol calibers on it. The .32acp is a bitch no matter what press you run it through! I ran .223 on it for a while until I scored a Pro 1000 dirt cheap. That press is dedicated to .223 and works great though I don't often prime on press.

Dillon might be great for sending repair parts free but the fact that so many repair parts are bragged about is a red flag. On the Lee Loadmaster I've only replaced a few primer slides, the new design primer system, a case inserter that I broke being stupid, and a stud that holds the case slider operator arm.

 

[mac1911]

UPDATE: My buddy liked my pro 1000 in 38spl he made a offer I couldn't refuse. The 223 pro 1000 should be here Monday.

 

[drgrant]

I guess that's the simple minded way of dismissing it. Mine runs great, but then again I'm not a mechanical moron.

I know other people that aren't mechanical morons but they've all said the same thing. If you have the patience for stuff like that, they're great. I don't. I just want things to "usually work" because I spend 50+ hours a week fixing shit. Even good presses **** up from time to time and I like to keep that BS to a minimum.

-Mike

 

[mac1911]

I know other people that aren't mechanical morons but they've all said the same thing. If you have the patience for stuff like that, they're great. I don't. I just want things to "usually work" because I spend 50+ hours a week fixing shit. Even good presses **** up from time to time and I like to keep that BS to a minimum.

-Mike

It took all but 1 hrs to recognize some issues and correct them. I then proceeded over the few days to load 1500+ rounds with out issue...my goal was to pump out about 2k rounds and either update or sell it.... I sold it and used the proceeds to buy one in 223. Again I found a load that shoots very well in my ARs with 55gn FMJ and surplus powder. So I'm going to load out the 4k+ cases I have set aside just for this load.

I will do another review of this pro 1000 as it has some design changes vs the old new stock one I bought.

 

[mac1911]

I know other people that aren't mechanical morons but they've all said the same thing. If you have the patience for stuff like that, they're great. I don't. I just want things to "usually work" because I spend 50+ hours a week fixing shit. Even good presses **** up from time to time and I like to keep that BS to a minimum.

-Mike

It took all but 1 hrs to recognize some issues and correct them. I then proceeded over the few days to load 1500+ rounds with out issue...my goal was to pump out about 2k rounds and either update or sell it.... I sold it and used the proceeds to buy one in 223. Again I found a load that shoots very well in my ARs with 55gn FMJ and surplus powder. So I'm going to load out the 4k+ cases I have set aside just for this load.

I will do another review of this pro 1000 as it has some design changes vs the old new stock one I bought.

 

[xtry51]

I have a buddy who has one and it gets the job done. I think any progressive press, regardless of manufacturer, is going to require tweaking along the way.

The easiest one I've ever had out of the box is the Dillon Square Deal I have in 9mm. If you want a single caliber progressive that just works, I can't praise that piece of equipment enough. It's smooth, it requires very little correction and I can reload 500rds of 9mm per hour if I preload primer tubes.

Beyond a single caliber, any progressive that is being used for multiple calibers, or hell even just multiple load types of powder/bullet combo, will require a lot of tweaking to get just right. It's the nature of what is really a fairly complex machine in a relatively compact size.

 

[mac1911]

I have a buddy who has one and it gets the job done. I think any progressive press, regardless of manufacturer, is going to require tweaking along the way.

The easiest one I've ever had out of the box is the Dillon Square Deal I have in 9mm. If you want a single caliber progressive that just works, I can't praise that piece of equipment enough. It's smooth, it requires very little correction and I can reload 500rds of 9mm per hour if I preload primer tubes.

Beyond a single caliber, any progressive that is being used for multiple calibers, or hell even just multiple load types of powder/bullet combo, will require a lot of tweaking to get just right. It's the nature of what is really a fairly complex machine in a relatively compact size.

Hmmm see I look at the lee and marvel at its simplicity. I then wonder if the press would work any better with high quality machined parts ? The simplicity of the lee I think is its only saving grace for its lack of highly precise parts. The inexpensive price is hard to beat. I often wonder how cheap a Dillon or hornady can be made and still function?????

 

[xtry51]

Hard to tell. You're talking to the guy who still reloads .223 and .308 on his Lee 4 hole turret because it works so well I can't justify the Dillon 650 I really want Seriously though I did 3k rounds of 223 in two weeks. 200-400 rounds a night, it just chugs away.

 

[mac1911]

Hard to tell. You're talking to the guy who still reloads .223 and .308 on his Lee 4 hole turret because it works so well I can't justify the Dillon 650 I really want Seriously though I did 3k rounds of 223 in two weeks. 200-400 rounds a night, it just chugs away.

I have been loading on a 007 single stage. Anytime I get 500+ to spend on "shooting" I,tend to buy bullets and powder....this will be a "up grade" for me. I have 4 Lee turret presses over the years but I sold them to fund other things.

 

[highlander]

The old saying "you get what you pay for" is true in most cases.
I am somewhat mechanically inclined and can usually figure out a problem on a reloading press but if I owned a Lee I'd probably start drinking again.
I have 2 650s and they run 99% of the time and with anything mechanical things go awry but the 650 isn't really that tough to work on or diagnos a problem. If you don't have a lot of cash Lee products are the way to go but myself I'll buy a single stage press and save my shekels to buy the best equipment I can.

 

[mac1911]

The old saying "you get what you pay for" is true in most cases.
I am somewhat mechanically inclined and can usually figure out a problem on a reloading press but if I owned a Lee I'd probably start drinking again.
I have 2 650s and they run 99% of the time and with anything mechanical things go awry but the 650 isn't really that tough to work on or diagnos a problem. If you don't have a lot of cash Lee products are the way to go but myself I'll buy a single stage press and save my shekels to buy the best equipment I can.

you are correct. Lee has its certain place in the frugal,cheap, "SKINFLINT" reloading world. Lee would not have lasted this long if their products did not live up to their value all be it low.

I often wonder how well a 150$ progressive press from Dillon would work ?

 

[KTech2316]

I loaded on the Lee in years past. Used it for a few months until I loaded on a 650 at a friends house. Donated the Lee shortly after. I wont $hit on the lee...It is what it is...cheap entry level press that gets you loading. Dillon is pricey...But I load in 30 minutes what took 5 hours on the lee. 2 650's and a S1050 are on my bench now.

 

[mac1911]

Ok so,I sold the older model pro 1000 vs buying any shellplates or converting to different cal.

I went with a new pro 1000 223.... I will point out some differences I see.
1. The carrier seems a,little more refined and a,little smother.
2. The handle,set up. The linkage and handle are better. Although the handle is,not as off set and doesn't allow a more forward position
3. The powder measure appears to be made out of a harder slicker plastic.
That's as far as I got

I did buy the quick change mounting plate. It's surprisingly solid and the hardware is actually not to bad.

I also bought the auto drum powder measure which is supposed to not leak with fine ball powder...we will see

 

[mac1911]

I played with the pro 1000 a little more today. Pretty much uneventful, to a point.
The pro 1000 in My short experience works.....until it decides not to that is. I loaded up 50 rounds with just 2 "jams".
I later found another bag of X fired mixed head stamp brass needing resizing. This is when things seem to go bad.....I don't know why but this batch of brass would fall over , double feed and just plain screwed up the works....
It appears lee uses the tall case pusher for the 223... the problem seems to be that the case mouth snags a bit on the case above it in the feed tube. Then the case pusher only contacts the rim of the case causing it to lean and fall.....ok so I added a piece to the top of the pusher adding height and pushing it out a,little over the edge to keep the case from leaning and tipping.

Using this machine for a few hours and seeing what can go wrong I see why some people have fits with it. Your doomed if you don't have a little mechanical skill.
Once I got the case feeder working 100% I decided to just run the press decap and resize only. I cranked out 300plus cases in about 20 min. Figure I could do 800 plus even needing to fill the case feeder.
Tomorrow I will set up with some ball powder and see how leak proof the auto drum really is.

 

[Gammon]

My take on the Lee Pro 1000. I was given one several years ago in apparently brand new condition, i.e. unused. I opened the box, examined the machine carefully, returned the press to its box, and sold it for $75. I know trouble when I see it, or maybe I'm just spoiled by my Dillon equipment.

 

[warwickben]

I have a buddy who has one and it gets the job done. I think any progressive press, regardless of manufacturer, is going to require tweaking along the way.

The easiest one I've ever had out of the box is the Dillon Square Deal I have in 9mm. If you want a single caliber progressive that just works, I can't praise that piece of equipment enough. It's smooth, it requires very little correction and I can reload 500rds of 9mm per hour if I preload primer tubes.

Beyond a single caliber, any progressive that is being used for multiple calibers, or hell even just multiple load types of powder/bullet combo, will require a lot of tweaking to get just right. It's the nature of what is really a fairly complex machine in a relatively compact size.

I got the square deal b in 45acp as my first press . Love the thing . Looking like I need to buy a 9mm set up for the gf now lol . I like how it's not a big deal to swap it .

 

[mac1911]

I got the square deal b in 45acp as my first press . Love the thing . Looking like I need to buy a 9mm set up for the gf now lol . I like how it's not a big deal to swap it .

I'm not pushing lee.....I would not consider one "if " I,already had a Dillon .

I did the 30 carbine conversion. Transferring shell plate and adjusting the dies took about 15 min.
I might at some point buy a few die plates.

The key to my LEE pro 1000 purchase was the reloading on this press will be short lived.
For under $200. (I already have dies for every gun I load for. ) I have a press that will load everything I want to load but do not shoot much.... less than 1000 per year or like my bulk 223 loads.
I load my rifle rounds and my 223 match loads on my single stage.

So basically when I test my 30 carbine loads and they prove good I will crank out the 1500 or so worth bullets I have and won't need to think about reloading for 30 car. For a long while.
Then I will move on to 9mms....same thing I shoot maybe 300-500 rounds a year of 9 and I shoot cast loads. Load up 2000 of my pet load and I'm good for a while.
So basically since I won't be doing much shooting between now and February I will load up a few years worth of ammo in the next few months.....
Then I will go back to the 223 plinking loads. Which is 55gn hornady FMJ and W844 all bought cheap. Then it will be on to the single stage and load up my rifle loads I use in cmp and other matches.

My only real big issue with the lee is getting the bullets on the case.
It's a combination of space/angle/arthritic fingers.

I will update also that the new ProDisc powder measure is working well and not leaking like the old cast metal powder drop on the old 38spl I tried in the beginning. I'm using W296 and will try some 2400 also.