Lee Progressive Reloader--Need opinions on this one

ElyBoy

OK guys, I need your input on this one.
Once in a while, I need to reload a bunch of .45ACP's in a hurry.
Along with Bullseye, I will be trying a new type of shooting next Wed.
I have been invited to compete at another gun club, and will be shooting a couple of hundred rounds.
It is at close range, and I'm not sure what is required.

I don't want to spend a ton of money on an expensive progressive reloader, but I am thinking of purchasing the Lee Progressive for just this type of shooting.
If I am off a couple of grains, it won't hurt much, because I'm not shooting for accuracy at 50yds. All of my reloads are in the lower end of powder drops so I'm not worried about too much pressure.

Do any of you guys have experience using the Lee???

Eric

Bushmaster

Just the Lee Classic (three hole) Turret...No help I know... Very Happy

Crackshot

I won a Lee Loadmaster last fall and did nat care for it, It worked for the most part, But always needed to be tinkered with. Mostly the primer feeder..... But thats just my oppinion. Some fine lady on Ebay got it for a good price. I also just got a LEE classic cast turret and love it! So I cant be of much help.
If it were me, I would buy what I could afford, Dillon, Hornady, Or Lee. In that order.

Pumpkinslinger

Haven't tried a Lee progressive but wasn't that impressed with a Lee single stage that a friend bought. Another friend swears by his Dillon, I like my Hornady.

chambered221

I do not recomend any Lee progressive loader, alot of guys I shoot with started out with a Lee p-press and all have Dillons now !!!!

Well all but one, he still uses it but complains about it all the time.

I do however recomend the Lee turret press to anyone looking for a semi-progressive press. If your reloading with lead bullets or shoot a semi-auto I recomend the 4-hole so you can crimp in a seperate stage using the Lee factory crimp die.

Other than that, spend the money and buy a Dillon !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just so evryone knows, Dillon makes more than one press for pistol shooters.
Square Deal "B" - $340
RL 550 B - $395
XL 650 - $505
Super 1050 - $1540

English Mike

If you're off a couple of grains with some powders, then it could indeed hurt. Shocked

A friend of mine in the US shoots a lot of handgun & bought a Lee Progressive. After spending a lot of time fiddling he got it to work OK - most of the time. Now he owns two Dillon 550's which work all of the time & the Lee is back in its box.
I saw a review of progressive presses & the Hornady L-N-L AP showed very well indeed, with some advantages over the Dillon. The Lee didn't fare too well.
Do some research via Google, as there's a wealth of information & personal experience of all these presses out there.
IMO save up the extra $170 for the Hornady & you wont regret it.

ElyBoy

Thanks guy for the input.
I have a Lee Classic Turret that I really like.
I don't want to spend money for a Dillon, and after seeing what you guys think of the Lee Progressive, I will stick with my Lee Classic and be happy with it.

Thanks again.

Eric

gelandangan

I swear AT my lee progressive just before I return it to the shop and bought a dillon...

Vince

Well...seems that I am gonna be at odds with everyone else.

I had a LEE 1000 Progressive and the only problems I had with it were the primer feed flipping the odd primer and not feeding a primer when you are down to around 8 - 10 primers in the channel...easy to fix...keep the primer tray filled. Any other problems I had were of my own making so I can't blame the press for them.

All up, I reckon I loaded thousands of rounds with it without asny real complaints. Would I buy another one...if I was loading pistol calibres I would...but seeing as I only load rifle calibres now I don't need one.

Cheers, Vince

SingleShotLover

I'm on the same wave length as Vince on this. I have two Lee 1000s that are just now wearing out...20 years and several hundred thousand rounds later. Vince hit it right on the head about the primer issue but, as he said, it is an easy fix. If it fits your price range there really is no reason not to try one.

The only other problem I have had was when dropping large powder loads through the disk measures. Many times part of the charge would hang on the edge of the disk base. I fixed that problem by beveling the charging hole back toward the center at about 40 degrees and polished the result to a mirror finish. Now, regardless of the disk hole size, all of the charge has no choice but to drop.

Having said that, I will be replacing the two I have with a Loadmaster for several reasons. First, it is built sturdier, second, it has enough die stations to crimp my lead handgun loads as a separate step from seating and third, the Loadmaster allows you to change calibers without taking half of the day. That way I can save a little room on an already overcrowded loading bench.

Wicky

Hi Guys - I also have two Lees (1000s) as well as a Dillon (550) - Primer feeding is the only fault I have with my Lees, my fault if it happens as if the guide to the priming ram is kept full there are no feeding problems. Which appears to be the only problems with these presses as expresses by the two gentlemen before me.
My Lee set up for 357 has loaded thousands of rounds and works as good as the day it was bought.
My suggestion is to buy what you can afford and if it happens to be a Lee 1000 I think you will be fine.

RePete

I started loading pistol ammo on a Lee Pro 1000, 20 years) and yes it can be finicky, but mostly after 6 or 7 years and in excess of 100,000 rounds.

The primer problems, indicated above, are real real but are workable.

As soon as the last primer is visible in the chute, refill, another thing I did with my primer chute was to place a small tie strap just below the half way point on the chute to stop it from spreading.

As wicky says, buy what you can afford, I now have a Dillon 1050 Super.

PaulS

Just changing your loading procedure can make a big difference in how fast you can reload a large number of rounds. Back when I was shooting Hunter's Pistol I was loading 1000 rounds a week on a Rock Crusher single station. The round was 357 mag. I would begin by using carbide dies - no lube! then I would size and decap as many rounds as my tumblers could hold. Put those in the tumbler and size and decap another batch. Pull the ones out of the tumblers and put the next batch in. Clean the primer pockets and trim (run them through the process whether they needed it or not). Bell the cases and prime them all. They were loaded into loading blocks with the primers up after each was primed. Pulled the next batch out of the tumblers and did the same to them. Set the charge on the powder measure. Charge a block of cases and through a charge for the scale - then through ten charges for the scale. If it is still dead on (it usually was) charge the next block of cases. I would keep going until all the cases were charged. Examine each block for even powder levels and seat the bullets. Dropping each finished round into a shell case finished the process for that round. Working that way I could load three hundred rounds in under three hours. That was enough to shoot the next day and have enough left at the end of the week to shoot a practice session and my matches. After the match I would go to the other side of the range and shoot another practice session. Then pack it up and head home. That night I would load another 3 or 400 rounds.
After two years I thought I should get a progressive so I bought a Dillon. I had some trouble with the primer feed and went back to hand priming. I had some problems with powder charge inconsistancy so i went back to hand charging. It wasn't long before I decided that my Dillon wasn't much faster then my old single stage because I was being what the guys at the clubhouse called "too particular" with my loads. If I could find a progerssive loader that would produce loads as good as I can produce with that old RCBS Chucker and I never had to clean another primer pocket or look at another block of charged cases for uneven charges I would buy it in a minute. There is a lot of things that I do to a case that the time on a press is just coincidental. I have to examine each case several times through the reloading process to satisfy me - a progressive just doesn't fit well in my method.
For some guys a progressive is the only way to get enough ammo to shoot with but for me it just didn't work.

ElyBoy

That is my problem right now Paul.
I use the Lee Classic Turret which is just fine. [For now.]
I cycle all of my used brass, so my freshly shot is tumbled, then put into a "newly fired" jar. I have around 10,000 .45 ACP brass, so if I do it this way, I there is much time from one firing to the next.
However, I have been invited to shoot some IPSIC?? Tournaments this summer, so I'll be shooting a lot more.
In getting a 1000 Pro, if I don't like it fine. I'm out $150.00. [ I checked at Graf and Sons tonight]
I will still check all of my cases, and from what the guys here say, I just have to watch the primer feed, which I have had to do with my Mec 650 for the past 38 yrs.
I'm still thinking about it, but I will most likely give one a try in the near future.

Eric

Bushmaster

L O L...No...Not me...I respectfully decline....