[ohman11]

I just got one of these, Anyone have any tips for getting it to run smooth? I have not even unboxed it but I have heard the priming can be a pain.

[Dean Williams]

Go ahead and get set up to see how it works as is. The only thing I ever had trouble with on mine was the feed slot that the primers run through. Run a few primers through it without attaching it to the press. They should fall right through. If they don't, you can spread the sides of the feed slot a little.

I think the biggest problem people have with these it they try to see how fast they can go with it, or it's not mounted to a really sturdy bench.
If you can make yourself just go nice and steady, not "pumping" the ram lever, but making a smooth motion from one end of travel to the other, these press will work well. It's no problem putting out 300-400 rounds per hour, until you try to make it do more than it wants to do.

I no longer use mine, since I no longer shoot competition. It produced many tens of thousands of rounds for me and all I ever replaced on it was the fiber drive nut, which is made to be replaced. .

[bfox]

I put some powdered graphite in the primer chute .
Seems to keep them moving along .
Make sure the chute is always full even if you have to sometimes
shake the primer tray or you will get sideways primers .

And don't forget to push down to seat the primers .
You will feel them being seated , if you don't powder will
spill on the priming pin and then it can be a pain .

Bill

[ohman11]

Well Im not out to break any speed records but was wanting to bump production a bit. Thanks for the advice!

[rfwobbly]

They do OK until you start loading the accessories on. Skip the case feeder. Just stay with powder and priming and that will invite enough "issues" for one lifetime.

I highly suggest using ONE drop of synthetic motor oil (any weight) on the ram, handle pivot points, and under the shell holder about once every 2 months.

For what it's worth.... I was advised that to keep from stripping the plastic gear, to only turn the Phillips head index adjusting screw in a clock-wise direction. I don't know if that's an urban folk tale, but I followed the advice and never lost a gear.

Send me a PM if you need the owner's manual. I have a PDF to send to your email address.

:)

[fourdollarbill]

I had trouble with the case feeder always sticking. I would unscrew the slide box that fits over the square guide rod and clean it dry and it would still mess up and stick. I found out that it is not the slide box on the guide it is the case slider itself sticking. I used a couple of drops of oil on the case slide board and never had a problem with the case feeder again. I load many many boolits.

[RVenick]

Some good reading here

http://www.geocities.com/leereloading/leepro1000.htm

Take your time check and recheck every adjustment When I first started using mine biggest problem I had was seating primers after a while you develop a "Feel" for the primer seating correctly.

[blikseme300]

There is plenty of good information already listed here. 2 things that often cause grief:

1.The bench MUST be sturdy. You cannot truly feel the primer seat if the press wobbles around. Feeling is important throughout. You will learn to catch problems by feel alone. Every bit of feedback from the press helps.

2.Lube. Without a slick moving press you will have much grief. Graphite powder is a great dry lubricant. This can be used on the case feeder slide, the powder measures and the primer feed. I use white lithium grease to lube the ram and other mechanical links.

BTW - I currently run 5 Pro1000 presses and have reloaded in excess of 100k in the past 2 years in these.

Happy reloading.:)

[kostner]

Just one more tip. Keep an eye on the primer tray and chute.. Have found that taping on the primer tray keeps the chute full. I do use graphite and also like my case feed.

[Dean Williams]

rfwobbly:
For what it's worth.... I was advised that to keep from stripping the plastic gear, to only turn the Phillips head index adjusting screw in a clock-wise direction. I don't know if that's an urban folk tale, but I followed the advice and never lost a gear.

I never actually stripped that gear on mine. They just flat wore out after every 10-15K rounds. Probably because it's in a place I didn't check very often. It gathers a bit of grime and is just plastic. Replacements are inexpensive enough, anyway.

[Eric F]

look at the brian enos site for more info there is a bunch there

[evan price]

Half of what you read on Teh Intarnetz about the Pro1K is true, the other half is Lee-bashing...

Anyway, the secret to smooth operation is first, get the press timed right. It should be right from the factory but the instructions for timing it are in the sheet that came with it. If you are out of time you get primer sideways or upside down problems.

Second is to lube it well- the ram where it goes through the base, the hex shaft, the "Z"-bar pivots, the right rear support column (where the primer jiggler pin rubs), all the linkage, I use turbine oil (or light oil, motor oil, etc) just a small amount.

For the case feed slider I use silicone spray and keep it clean. I also use some silicone spray on the finished-round chute so they don't stack up there.
I also polished my finished-round chute and the horn the case feeder slides on and keep it clean and shiny. Keep spilled powder from building up under the shellplate and primer punch area. Blow it out if any gets in there.

I use the case feeder, it works. The only problems with it I have are tall, skinny cases (like .357 & .223) tend to fall over because they are so tall and skinny. Everything else feeds just fine. The Case Collator funnel is worth the $10 or so you pay for it.

If something feels funny, stop, don't force it. Shells sometimes fall over or out of position in the case feeder and if you force it you will ruin the case, or pound a notch into the case feeder horn that will have to be polished out or it will cause a case to stick there.
It is important to keep the primers filled! If they get below the level of the jiggler pin they will not advance properly (since it is gravity feed). Once I can remove the primer tray without losing primers, I refill it. Check the powder measure at that time, too.

I also adjusted (bent) the finished round ejector wire so that it conforms to the motion of the case in the shellplate- as it is now, the case hits the ejector and sort of bounces the finished round out of the shellplate slot- I made a newer, longer one and bent an "S"-curve into it so as the shellplate moves the round is gently pushed out along the rotation of the shellplate... sounds complicated, but it's not- smooths it out a lot.

Also, at first, practice getting the mahcine to run smoothly, and get the handle fully to the top and bottom of the stroke each time. No short-stroking. With practice the speed will come.
Try to make it so the press is always moving with your right arm, with the left, slip the bullets in the case, smooth, even strokes.

I get over 300 RPH on my Pro-1K when I am warmed up on .45 acp.

[jfh]

I have nothing to add--the other guys said it all. I will second the powdered-graphite tip for the primer chute, and tweaking the Z-bar while lubricating the case feeder slide (on the underside, with STP, like the Load-Master tips) works well for me.

This list is so good I'm going to link to it for the next time this query comes up.

Jim H.