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Old July 1, 2010, 05:48 AM   #1
troy_mclure
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lee progressive?

what are the good lee progressive presses?
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Old July 1, 2010, 06:39 AM   #2
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Are you dead-set on Lee, or on progressives?
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Old July 1, 2010, 07:59 AM   #3
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If you want a Lee Progressive then 1000 seems to be the best choice but from what I have read you will need to "tinker" with it and if you are willing to work with it, it will work for you at a great price. Most people get the Hornady Lock-N-Load or a Dillion if they get a progressive. There are some good threads on the Lee 1000 and how to make them work right and many who love their Lee progresssive presses. One step down in speed would be the Lee Classic Turret whioch will crank out about 200 rounds per hour and for sure is a great press.
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Old July 1, 2010, 08:47 AM   #4
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None of them. Don't get me wrong, they do work. They often need to be tweeked a bit here and there to keep them running. With practice, you can find just the right touch to load ammo with minimum failures. They tend to be a bit messy and you will need to keep the spilled powder blown off to keep things running smooth. A Lee Pro 1000 was my first press and I loaded over 5000 rouinds on it before I sold it. The owner of my local gun shop has four of them and cranks out ammo for his competitive shooting. He has used them for years, so they can last a very long time.
Get a Dillon 550b. It's not that much more and is a lot easier to keep running.
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Old July 1, 2010, 08:55 AM   #5
dmazur
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...Get a Dillon 550b. It's not that much more and is a lot easier to keep running.
I don't have Lee experience to go with a Dillon recommendation, so I'll be accused of drinking blue Kool-Aid. All I have is a co-worker who has had a string of complaints about his Lee 1000.

I've never said, "You should have bought a Dillon". Not very helpful, unless he asks, "Who would make a more reliable progressive press?" Then there are a couple of answers, at least, and Dillon would be one of them.

I didn't have any experience with unreliable equipment when I ordered my press. I checked some ads and made a decision and I got lucky.

IMO, it is cheaper to "buy right" than to repeatedly replace equipment.
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Old July 1, 2010, 09:03 AM   #6
Krieger9
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General Sentiments here

It has appeared to me for some time now that people do not like Lee progressives.
I have a load master and love it. It took some tweaking, but does not continue to take some tweaking.

I haven't used the other presses so I'm sure it's true they are more convenient by the general consensus. But I can tell you this, I have not experienced as much as 5% of the problems people report here with my press.

I do have to add that I hardly ever, ever use the charging die, so I don't know about the messiness. That would certainly disuade me. I however have a little air compressor seems to cover what I have experienced.

Good luck.
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Old July 1, 2010, 09:19 AM   #7
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This may help in your decision: http://www.comrace.ca/cmfiles/dillon...Comparison.pdf
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Old July 1, 2010, 09:44 AM   #8
troy_mclure
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im just looking for something a bit faster than my single stage for pistol than the single stage im using now.

i picked lee because ive got a bunch of good lee equipment, and dont have $500 for a dillon or hornady.
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Old July 1, 2010, 10:41 AM   #9
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Then the Classic Turret would seem to be the best candidate unless you are "handy" and then then Lee Progressives would work fine for you.
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Old July 1, 2010, 10:55 AM   #10
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I use lee loadmasters. Once they are set just right and lubed with stp, they work great. I loaded with one press for years, and finally bought another one so I could do small pistol in one and large in the other without having to change case inserters and primer feeds. Reloading for pistol is much easier now!
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Old July 1, 2010, 04:35 PM   #11
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The Lee Loadmaster is a MUCH better press than the Lee Pro-1000.

Dillon owners recommend Dillon, which is fine if you are willing to spend a ton of money.

For me, I currently load 4 calibers on my Loadmaster. My total costs, including separate turrets, the die sets, shellplates, and both priming systems for 4 calibers was less than what a new Dillon would have cost me.

Five key points to keep in mind.

First, when I got my Loadmaster, I was new to reloading and didn't even know if I would like this new hobby. Starting at an attractive price point made sense to me.

Second, when you are comparing presses, you must also compare the hidden costs of adding a new caliber to an existing press. Make yourself a spreadsheet that includes all your costs if you want to compare systems.

For example, adding a caliber conversion to the Dillon XL 650 runs about $175 (Dies, Caliber Conversion kit, Toolhead, Powder Die).

Adding a caliber conversion to the Loadmaster costs $61.55 (Deluxe 4 die pistol set $33.75), (Shellplate $13.80), (Extra Turret $14.00).

Since the press kit comes ready to load one caliber, adding three additional calibers would be a cost difference of $525 versus $184.00. That $340 cost difference would be enough to add a second Loadmaster press to the order.

Third, Dillon has a reputation for great customer service and lifetime warranty. However, that warranty/service is not free. Consider that if my Loadmaster was completely ruined, I could still replace it two times over and have less total money in it than the Dillon XL650. Also consider that it would a highly unusual set of circumstances for a press to be completely ruined, when the more likely scenario is needing to replace parts. Here is the Loadmaster spare parts price list. The press frame costs $55.00 to replace. There are 4 or 5 other parts that are $30.00 or less. Everything else is $1.00-$5.00. I have no philosophical problem with purchasing parts that are so reasonably priced. I don't mind running the risk of having to buy inexpensive parts to save $400 on the press.

Fourth, I don't agree that you need to "constantly tweak" the press. Once I got it setup correctly, thanks to assistance from loadmastervideos.com, it runs quite nicely. For someone who had never reloaded before this press, it has been easy to crank out well over 10,000 rounds since I got it.

Fifth, at the end of the day the rounds produced on my Loadmaster are going to be indistinguishable from the rounds produced on the Dillon. They are both going to be decapped, primed, sized, filled with powder, bullet seated and crimped. They are both going to go bang appropriately.
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Old July 1, 2010, 06:09 PM   #12
oneounceload
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i picked lee because ive got a bunch of good lee equipment, and dont have $500 for a dillon or hornady.
Have you looked into buying a used one for half that?
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Old July 2, 2010, 07:49 AM   #13
Krieger9
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One more consideration

Lee presses are red.
We all know red makes people angry.

Anger and guns don't mix.
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Old July 2, 2010, 12:55 PM   #14
Farmland
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Fifth, at the end of the day the rounds produced on my Loadmaster are going to be indistinguishable from the rounds produced on the Dillon. They are both going to be decapped, primed, sized, filled with powder, bullet seated and crimped. They are both going to go bang appropriately.
This is not true, the bullets made by the Dillon come out with gold lead and a blue case. Well at least they do in my 650.


If you think you are going to do a lot of reloading then I would personally think about the Hornady or Dillon machine even if that means taking some time to save the money.

However the Lee will reload just as well, I never own one so I can't say if the problems are what is being stated. I have used one and it just isn't what I like in a progressive reloaded.
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Old July 3, 2010, 12:28 AM   #15
DocAitch
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Choosing a press

I have loaded with both the Lee Pro 1000 ad the Dillon 650.
I have no experience with the Loadmaster.
Since your stated objective is to load faster than a single stage, you can use the Pro 1000 to accomplish that aim.
The most problematic area of the Pro1000 is the primer feed. If you don't keep the chute full (it is a gravity feed and requires a full slide to index properly) and clean, then the primers will fail to index and tie up the machine. When you clear the tie up, you risk a short stroke and the production of a squib load. If you can keep that straight, you can produce good ammo.
A hybrid answer to the problematic primer feed is to size, deprime, and prime off the machine and then run the primed brass through the Pro 1000 to charge and seat the bullet. This combines 2 steps and is faster than a single stage.
Another solution would be set the press up to size, deprime and prime without charging and seating, then inspect your cases for proper primer seating, then run the primed cases through for charging and seating/crimping. Use 2 die heads -the first with the size/decap die and the second with the powder charge die and bullet seater crimper. This will cost $11 more for the extra die head and add a single extra stroke for each completed round.
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Old July 3, 2010, 07:41 AM   #16
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Classic Turret will do the job at less cost, unless your shooting thousands per month.

Fast reloading is somewhat like driving fast at some point there may be a kaboom.

Last edited by wingman; July 3, 2010 at 07:58 AM.
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Old July 3, 2010, 08:01 AM   #17
fishluv
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One key I found with the Lee 1000 is you must keep it clean. Once you take it totally apart and clean it you will be surprised at how well it runs.

I take the shell plate carrier totally apart and wash it with soap and water along with the primer feed ramp.
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Old July 3, 2010, 11:39 AM   #18
LubeckTech
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I kept wearing out parts on my Pro 1000 and have found the LoadMaster to be a decent press for the money and works well aside from the priming system. I have produced a lot of quality ammunition with both presses but the "Frustration Factor" is very high (not unbearable) with them. Eventually I will probably buy a Dillon. I have never heard a Dillon owner say "I wish I bought a Lee" but it is common to hear the reverse.
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