WORN OUT

LiveLife said:

After loading over 120,000 rounds on my first Pro 1000, I called Lee to replace ram linkage with holes that elongated into slight oval holes but still worked. They went "You loaded over 120,000 rounds on a Pro 1000? ... Really?" then silence.

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I received a Lee 3 hole turret a while back and it was the same way. This is one of the first models with the roll pin in the frame for the linkage instead of a shoulder bolt. I took the linkage part to work and was able to drill them and then bush the holes. Wasn't to concerned because really what I wanted from it were the dies and turret.

Also own an RCBS JR3 that who knows how old or how many cycles it has been through.. Still makes great 223.

My LNL AP has certainly loosened up over the years, but it hasn't been from a lack of lube/maintenance. (Over-lubed, if that's possible)
It was/is still my first 1st Progressive. It's been through a lot of learning and loading,,,

Is it worn out? No, not really. It depends on your expectations.
To make the most-consistent Pistol ammo, I break it up into 2-passes through the Press instead of one. Easier on me and the Press.
My rifle loads are all run through my 'Chucker Supreme.

I still dream of a '6 or more' station LNL AP with a cast iron frame, but I bet the price tag would 'wake me up/bring me back to reality' rather quickly!

KY DAN said:

I will make this statement no reloading press of quality construction and design can be worn out by proper use with maintenance and lube.

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I can tell you from a lifetime of building and repairing things, as soon as you think you have made something idiot proof, they just bring out better idiots.

Two things I have found out over time. If it’s a machine, it can stop working. If it’s electronic it’s going to stop working.

I bought my Lee Breechlock single stage press about 11 years ago when I first got into reloading and joined the Forum. I'm not a high volume reloader and enjoy the single stage process. This Forum has been a great help to me. My Lee + Lee dies work just fine. It's a fun hobby!

I started out on a Redding Jr C-frame press that Dad bought at some point in time.
It was really a cheap made aluminum press that didn't last long at all. Not even 10 years.
The the pins that held the linkage together were just knurled pins, the frame was aluminum and when I quit using it due to excessive ram play, the ram would move 1/8" forward to back at the top of it's stroke. It was seating my bullets crooked. The knurled pins all came loose and wouldn't stay in their holes anymore. Kept falling out on the floor.
That press was worn out completely prematurely in my opinion. Probably why Redding quit making the aluminum C-frame Jr.

Now, any good quality iron press that was taken care of? I would challenge anyone to wear one out. After I threw that cheap Redding C-frame aluminum press in the trash, I bought a RCll and this would have been in the mid 1990's and it loaded all my ammo until I bought the LNL-AP in the 2012 and I was loading a lot. There is still to this day no movement in the ram when completely up. I don't think this press could be warn out in 3 lifetimes.

jmorris said:

Two things I have found out over time. If it’s a machine, it can stop working. If it’s electronic it’s going to stop working.

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...and the best way to fix it is to tell a supervisor it's busted and you can't work.

Y-T71 said:

Pulled a helicoil out of my Square Deal that I bought used from a friend in '87 a couple of years ago.

Sent it back to Dillon and they replaced the frame, powder measure and quite a few other parts; but not the handle.
Free.

2 years ago I broke the handle.
Even during the height of "the pandemic" they replaced the handle within 2 weeks.
Free.

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The more complex the machine the more fragile it is. Having a good warranty doesn't make the machine more robust but it does make it a better buy. I don't know much about turrets or progressives, I've always used single-stage presses and dies like the Lee Loaders, but I've used some pretty complex machines that didn't loosen up - but they were YUGE $$$$ industrial equipment, not consumer-grade products.
Simple machines, when properly designed and constructed of quality goods, hold up better than complex machines under the same conditions. REF: Law of Entropy

Bought new in '77-'78 a RCBS Rock Chukar. In the late 90's, I called RCBS CS to purchase linkage pins and washers. They sent all those plus a new arm with the ball, as I had the old style.
Press still works as it should. Not worn out.

GeoDudeFlorida said:

The more complex the machine the more fragile it is. Having a good warranty doesn't make the machine more robust but it does make it a better buyREF: Law of Entropy

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Can't argue with that.

All I will say is, aside from those 2 incidents, the machine has been completely trouble free; not even any adjustments aside from dies and powder measure in all those years.

Not bad for a heavily used 35 yeah old machine IMO.

My brother brought me a RC from a job site him and my Dad were on. He said it was just sitting out in the yard in GA and it was rusted up tight. I called RCBS and they sent me all the parts to rebuild it (free of course), and I used heat, Kroil and ATF fluid to break it loose and it is now under my bench (completely rebuilt) next to a couple other presses.

Does anyone have a "worn out press" ?[/QUOTE]

I had a new Hornaday single-stage Lock n Load press that I bought as a kit..
When I started buying and selling range brass I use to deprime all of the brass with the Lee universal decapping die before tumbling the brass.
Needless to say all the grit & grim wore the aluminum frame out. The ram got over a 1/8th.of an inch in slob from back of press to front of press.
A call to Hornaday and a prepaid shipping label. Mailed it in, less then a week later I got a brand new press back.

Every thing broken or bent from RCBS has been replace free of charge and free shipping.

I bought two Dillon 550 pressesand a Dillon 650,
All used. Once I get these set up and start useing them I'm sure I'll be contacting their customer service.

I buy a lot of used reloading equipment.
Last week I was going through some used die sets and started making a list of parts needed.
I made a call to RCBS and got all the parts needed free of charge and free shipping.

I went through a Lee 30/30 die set. The full length resizing die need to be replaced.
I called Lee and they said to mail it in and they will replace it.
Well this morning I recieved a email from Lee they sent an invoice for $11.50.

I'll passing that and toss the rest of the die set in to the garbage.
I truly do not like Lee at all.
I never seen any one who slaps themselves on their own back as much as Lee does in his reloading manual.