Adventures with the lee 1000

[Catpop]

My friend and I finally got together to try and get his new Lee 1000 9mm up and running.

Problem: Failure to prime: I found that the priming ram would not drop low enough to allow the next primer to feed. While I was reading the instructions (yes you read that right, I was reading the instructions), he was fiddling with the little springy thing at priming station. All at once it began to work properly and we were able to load about 20 cartridges without a hitch!

Problem: inconsistant powder drops: He does not own a powder scale We came up with 2 powdered and bulleted cases s primer. So I carried them home to pull the bullets for him. I also got to weigh the charges. As per instructions, we had selected the .57 disc to drop 4.0 gr RD. I weighed the first at 3.7 gr which I expected as I had always heard Lee disc and dippers dropped shy of given for liability reasons. What surprised me was the second charge dropping 3.1
QUESTION: Is this the norm for this system?

IMHO
Good Feature: Case feeder worked like a charm
Bad Feature: Last charge of powder makes a mess when changing disc or powders
Bad Feature: Priming system also makes a mess when charging system
Good exercise in old game of pick-up-sticks:bang head:

I still like my Dillon SDB better, BUT I sure do like that auto case feeder system! Catpop

 

[beeenbag]

I enjoy my pro 1000, although it does not like to be dirty.

What powder was he using? Large flake powders meters rough in the autodisk.

 

[loose noose]

As has been previously stated numerous times ya get what ya pay for as a rule. However, I've heard plenty of good things about the Lee 1000, it's just a pain to get up and running. I do believe there are several videos put out by Lee Reloading that will walk you right thru it.

 

[Rico567]

As "beeenbag" says, keep it clean. in particular the primer feed must be kept clean throughout. Also make sure it is lubricated according to instructions. I loaded pistol on two Pro 1000s for over 15 years, and they are very serviceable presses, once their quirks are mastered.
The one thing that's missing is a powder scale. Don't rely on those charts of the disk cavities for exact drop weight. There is no substitute for a scale.

 

[Schwing]

I love my pro1000. There are probably hundreds of threads out there (some even here) about tips and tricks to get it to run flawlessly. I only reload hand gun calibers and have yet to see a reason to buy anything else.

 

[LiveLife]

Problem: inconsistant powder drops ... selected the .57 disc to drop 4.0 gr RD. I weighed the first at 3.7 gr which I expected as I had always heard Lee disc and dippers dropped shy of given for liability reasons. What surprised me was the second charge dropping 3.1

QUESTION: Is this the norm for this system?

No.

This is where that small spring at the end of the bead chain comes in. With some flake powders, it is crucial that the disk moves back fully to receive consistent powder charge from the hopper (none issue if you are using the return spring - see picture on the right below). Push on the ram lever to bring the shell plate carrier down and inspect the bead chain. If there is any slack, tighten the slack. Cycle the disk again and push down on the Auto Disk lever to see if the disk slides back further. If it does, you need to tighten the bead chain by one bead. The spring at the end of the chain allows the disk to return fully for a full hopper drop without breaking the bead chain. Lost the small spring? No problem. Take apart any "click type" pen and use the spring.

Lee Pro Auto Disk on the left with bead chain and spring (Pro Auto Disk on the right set up with return spring)

Tip #1: For consistent drops with flake powders, tap the hopper 10-20 times after filling the hopper. Then cycle 3-5+ drops and weigh the drops until consistent (even with large flake Red Dot/Promo, I can drop 60% right at 4.0 gr and rest at 3.9-4.1 gr).

Tip #2: Loosen the two brass nuts and inspect the wiper at the bottom of the hopper. If it is not lubricated with black coating on ball powders like W231/HP-38, take a piece of paper and shave some Number 2 pencil lead very fine and smear on the paper to make it really fine. Remove the wiper from the bottom of hopper and coat the wiper liberally with fine graphite dust until all black. Reinstall the wiper and smear some graphite dust on the top surface of the disk too. Add powder, tap 10-20 times and cycle until powder drops weigh consistently. Wiper surface damaged? No problem, just flip it when you reinstall it or get a replacement - http://leeprecision.com/wiper.html

Problem: Failure to prime: I found that the priming ram would not drop low enough to allow the next primer to feed. While I was reading the instructions (yes you read that right, I was reading the instructions), he was fiddling with the little springy thing at priming station. All at once it began to work properly and we were able to load about 20 cartridges without a hitch!

Debri at the bottom of the tube under the primer feed attachment may keep priming rod from dropping all the way down. To inspect, you need to remove the shell plate and the priming feed attachment.

Priming rod should be flush/just below flush to allow easy sliding of primers into station #2.

Debri at the bottom of tube under the primer feed attachment won't allow the priming rod to drop all the way down and will prevent smooth sliding of primer into station #2 or tilting of primer which will catch the bottom of the shell plate and keep it from rotating and gouge the primer feed attachment surface.

Also, make sure the case sensor spring is install properly and not riding on the priming rod which will allow multiple primers to enter station #2 - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=8699621#post8699621

Here's an in depth support thread to address Pro 1000 primer feed issues - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=7877744#post7877744

Bad Feature: Last charge of powder makes a mess when changing disc or powders

Hopper has on/off feature for no mess powder/disk change. Turn off hopper by rotating the hopper clockwise. I then use a spent case with primer to drop several cycles of powder (return powder to hopper) until nothing drops and push down on the ram lever and keep it there. Gently list on the Auto Disk and keep pushing disk forward and slide out the disk. Select another disk/hole and slide back in to reinstall making sure the round part of lever fits inside the slot under the disk. To change powder, unscrew two brass nuts and lift hopper.

This link is to THR's Pro 1000 support thread - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=507454

 

[2 Horse]

bds, do you like the spring or the chain when using it on a progressive press?

Ever tried the adjustable charge bar with the pro auto disk powder measure? Any tips or tricks you can pass along?

Thanks

 

[LiveLife]

On the Pro 1000, I prefer the bead chain over the spring but both work well.

If you are the type that gets frustrated with breaking of bead chain and can't never find that small spring so disk fully cycles for consistent powder drops, spring may be a better option (you also need to replace the lever).

Ever tried the adjustable charge bar with the pro auto disk powder measure? Any tips or tricks you can pass along?

Yes. It works well but at very low powder charge amounts where the cavity becomes more of an oval/football shape instead of a circle, powder drops may not be consistent. Some have used bondo/hot glue gun to reshape the cavity so it would be more of a circle at small powder drops.

I prefer to use a modified disk with a brass screw that drops Bullseye/W231/HP-38 accurately down to 1.8 - 2.0 gr (see picture below) - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=741988

If you are loading for rifle cartridges and want powder charges more than what two largest Auto Disk holes can drop, I modified and stacked two adjustable charge bars. I metered up to around 47 grains of I4895/H4895/Varget and 48 grains of RL15 and I didn't even max out the adjustments - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=8882235#post8882235

 

[2 Horse]

Have one of each powder measures, the auto disk with the rectangle hopper is fine with the charge bar all the way down to 3 gr of HP-38. The pro one is giving me fits, anything below 4.8 gr is a pain. It'll give me 7 or 8 good charges and then no powder.

I'm using the standard one on my turret and the pro is on a Loadmaster. Didn't know if I should switch them or drill some disk.

The chain is easy to repair with a chain connector, so no sweat on that

 

[LiveLife]

If you are having issues with Pro Auto Disk metering W231/HP-38, I would inspect the wiper and flip/replace as necessary and be sure you are fully cycling the disk with each cycling of ram lever to prevent partial cavity fill or no cavity fill.

If the bead chain is properly adjusted with the spring at the end to pull back the disk fully under the hopper (test by pushing back in the disk), something else is preventing fully cycling and fill of disk cavity.

Are you sure the round end of the lever is inside the slot on the bottom of the disk?

 

[2 Horse]

All new parts, the 6 cavity disk work the way they should, the adjustable charge bar is the problem I think. I made a baffle and installed that thinking maybe it was bridging or clumping, didn't solve the problem. Looking down the hopper I can see the cavity in the charge bar is only open in the front part of the drop tube, maybe about 1/4 of the tube.
The front edge of the charge bar maybe just under the wiper, but it still looks like the powder has enough room to fall into the cavity.

The adjustable charge bars are great when changing calibers or charge weights. That is when they work right