I've taken my first step into reloading

[MacTech]

I stopped by my gunshop tonight to have them check out my Tanf. Witness, see if they can figure out it's FTF issues, turns out I was causing the problem myself by riding the slide closed, not letting it snap closed

anyway, as I was passing the reloading section, I checked out their used counter, mostly shotgun presses, and a couple ancient single-stage presses

under the counter, however, I found the jackpot, a Lee Progressive 1000 three-die setup, with a full set of .45 ACP dies, an automatic primer feeder and automatic powder feeder, the press had a very light patina of surface rust on the chromed parts (less than 5% total) and should come right off with Flitz, the press itself works fine, indexes properly and is all set to start turning out '45s

the price? $65 for the complete press setup, it was a no-brainer, I bought it, once I get the press mounted up, I can start my first step into reloading, depriming my 300+ 45 ACP brass cases....

Now, to get a good reloading book and start researching loads

 

[Eric F]

Ok the pro 1000 is an ok press I sugest you go to the lee site and look at the videos, youtube for more videos do a search on THR for pro 1000 and then go to the brian enos site and read up there too, the primer system is tricky and keeping it in time is a trick too. I have one for the 38 super and It works great but maintance is a must. go slow at first but be deliberate with every pull and lift of the lever, feel free to pm me with any issues you have.
Have fun.

 

[Shoney]

I started loading on a single stage press since 1960. About 17-18 years ago; I bought a used Dillon 550 for $75 at an estate sale. It cost me over $35,000 to $50,000 in the long run LOL.
BEWARE THE DISEASE!
Since I could load pistol ammo so quickly, I shot more and became more proficient at pistol shooting. I decided to see how good I was, so I needed to shoot competitively. In order to be competitive, I soon needed better pistols, and in order to have even more fun, I needed to compete in several divisions (more pistols).
BEWARE THE DISEASE!
Next, I needed a more versatile and higher capacity press, so I purchased the Hornady LNL Auto (still load one cartridge with 550) and got a few extras to go with that LNL.
BEWARE THE DISEASE!
I buy powder by the 5 to 8 lb jugs in 4-6 jug lots, bullets by 10K to 20K, and primers locally by 10K or more batches, and feel obligated to be well stocked on all components.
BEWARE THE DISEASE!
It all starts sooooooooo innocently.

 

[MacTech]

Don't worry, I plan to take it slow and careful here, after all, I'm dealing with explosive devices here, cutting corners is not an option

from what I can see from running the empty press, it works in stages with one or two functions per die

First handle pull;
(lever down); drops a brass case into the pusher
(lever up); case pushed into the first station
Second handle pull;
(down); brass case is raised up to the decpriming/resizing die, brass case is brought back into spec dimension-wise and old primer is pushed out
(up); case advances to the second station, new primer is seated
(down) mouth of case is expanded slightly to allow bullet to be inserted, powder charge is dropped into case
(at this stage, it is advisible to verify powder charge before proceeding, if charge is too much, return powder to hopper, adjust charge accordingly, and start again from position 2)
Third handle pull;
(up); case advances to third position, ready for bullet, bullet is inserted
(down); bullet is seated and crimped, round complete

Once I read up on the basics and set up my first powder charge, I will treat this press as a single station press and only insert one case at a time until I gain confidence, I'm in no hurry to blow up myself, damage the gun or have any type of accident with this equipment, I'm well aware of Mr. Murphy and his laws....

my first load(s) will be light loads, to reduce the chances of failure/injury, I'll be building target loads, and have no desire to create high-pressure monsterloads, I want a nice, flat-shooting, low-recoiling target round, nothing more

 

[evan price]

The Pro-1k is a great press given its budgetary constraints. It's amazing what Dr. Lee was able to do that gave us true progressive reloading with a case feeder and everything, and still keep the price point where it is- especially comapred to his competitors. The Dillon 550 doesn't even have a case feeder iirc.

Get used to how the press feels when you are inserting a primer on the downstroke of the ram. If it feels hard to push, or feels odd, stop and take a look. You might have a sideways primer. Also, you will quickly be used to the noise and feel of the press operating. If something stops or jams, don't force anything- take a look. I've had jams because the case in the case feeder fell over and got stuck against the shellplate. The case in the deprime station backed out of the shellplate a tiny bit and now the shellplate can't turn. A finished round got stuck on the chute and now the press won't go all the way up. A spent primer got lodged in the ram linkage. The primer did not get pressed all the way into the finished round, and now it won't eject from the shellplate. Stuff like that happens now and then, don't force the press, find out why it is not doing what it should.

The Pro1K timing adjustment isn't hard- it's a matter of running it a bit and getting the feel for how it should run to know if the timing needs adjusted. If you are having problems with primers going in sideways or pushing in hard, your timing might be a bit off. This will seem like a PITA when you start messing with it- just remember that if you need to adjust it, you can't go backwards, just keep going forwards until the next station just snaps into the spring-ball to lock it in lace, then 1/2 turn more on the screw to take up the slop, and it is usually done until you take apart the shellplate carrier for some reason.

Keep the hex shaft lubed, I like silicone spray.

As far as primers go, keep the primer trough and tray dry and free from ANY grease, oils, or anything that might slow down the primers. A bit of dry graphite is OK. The yellow primer dust from the primers will eventually build up and work good as a lube.

Keep the primers at least up to the level of the curve in the chute, if they get lower, gravity won't help them fall down to the primer punch. I like to refill them when I see a space between the primer stack and the primer tray nose, then I know there's none stuck up in the tray nose and I can pull the tray off without getting a primer sideways in the top of the trough.

I also like to polish the finished-round ramp/chute and the case-feed rail with some ultrafine sandpaper. I also give the finished round chute a light spray of silicone spray to help the finished rounds slide down the chute- they sometimes get hung up there and pile up.

Good luck!

 

[Eric F]

I will treat this press as a single station press and only insert one case at a time until I gain confidence

Thats good but when the shell plate is full it will feel diffrent as multiple functions happen.

 

[Walkalong]

Man, you did well. That is a great way to get started. Good luck, and don't hesitate to ask questions.

 

[MacTech]

Okay, last night, I temporarily set up the press to try depriming/resizing a couple spent shells, pretty straightforward, I forgot to hold on to the used primers, as I could use them to test the priming station as well, just slide a used primer into the primer feed and re-seat it

as far as adjusting the height of the powder feed die and the crimp die, I need to figure out how to do that, it *might* be set up ready to go by the previous owner, but that's a risk I'm not willing to take, I'm going to treat this press like it's new and I'm setting it up for the first time, take nothing for granted

What's a good book to start off with, I figure I can get my supplies and just sit on them (not literally, obviously) until I'm ready and confident enough to work up my first batch of ammo

Since I'm going to be shooting them out of my Glock 21 with stock barrel to start, I know that;

1; Lead is a big no-no, I'll be using jacketed/plated bullets, even if they cost more
2; the stock Glock barrel has less case support than a third-party barrel, so I need to be careful when shooting reloads through it
3; at some point it would be advisable to get an aftermarket barrel for the 21, for the better case support (and the ability to shoot lead...)

 

[Eric F]

go to the lee site and look at the videos thats the most help your going to find short of finding a person to come over and show you in person.

Get the lee loading manual that also explains the steps and equipment.

I cant comment on loading for glocks as I dont and wont own one, but there is plenty of good info here for that use the search.

 

[easyrider604]

Great score! You are doing the right thing, learning slow and getting to know the Lee Pro1K first, not getting excited and immediately trying to pump out hundreds of rounds.

Good advice from Eric F and Evan P.

just remember that if you need to adjust it, you can't go backwards, just keep going forwards until the next station just snaps into the spring-ball to lock it in lace, then 1/2 turn more on the screw to take up the slop, and it is usually done until you take apart the shellplate carrier for some reason.

This tip is valuable with the LeePro1K. Never short cycle the handle, that is, you should always go through a complete down stroke, or complete up stroke. Never stop in the middle of a stroke and go back on the handle. That is how my LeePro1K started to give me problems.

Never force the operating handle. If you feel any extra resistance, binding or unusual "grinding", stop and investigate. Again, do not back-up the operating handle. This machine is made from adequately strong materials but it is not designed to be muscled.

As well, keep the whole machine clean and lightly dry lubed as mentioned by Evan P. Cover it with a cloth or plastic bag when not in use.

 

[MacTech]

I think the next steps I'm going to try are to first dissect a live round, pull the bullet, dump the powder, and measure out how much powder is in a factory load, that'll give me a rough guideline to match if not underload slightly

I'm assuming you adjust bullet seating depth and such by putting a live round in station three, back the seating die all the way out, then screw it back down until it touches the bullet, right?

yes, I need to get a book first and read up on it, as well as check out the vids on the Lee website

yes, I'm being this slow and methodical on purpose, reloading is no place to cut corners or rush things

....and it may even give me a reason to eventually pick up a cheap test .45 handgun to be the first test subject for my reloaded rounds, I'm a little leery about risking my nice Glock 21 on my first batch of rounds.....

 

[AZAndy]

Wow, what a good deal! Congratulations!

The manual and setup stuff is right here.

Oooops, that was the Load Master, sorry. Try this one instead.

 

[Eric F]

I think the next steps I'm going to try are to first dissect a live round, pull the bullet, dump the powder, and measure out how much powder is in a factory load, that'll give me a rough guideline to match if not underload slightly

NO dont do this, factory rounds use theur own powder, diffrent powders weigh diffrently, get a load manual pick a powder and go from there. 4.9 of aa#2 does not = 4.9 gr of vvn350 burn rates are diffrent with all powders. please dont do that.

 

[TacoMalo]

Great price for that setup

 

[RustyFN]

NO dont do this, factory rounds use theur own powder, diffrent powders weigh diffrently, get a load manual pick a powder and go from there. 4.9 of aa#2 does not = 4.9 gr of vvn350 burn rates are diffrent with all powders. please dont do that.

+ 1 million. You have no idea what powder the factory used. In fact they use powder we can't buy. You need at least one manual and a scale to check the powder drop. Now the good news is I have a friend with a Pro 1K and he loves it. I have heard a lot of other people that like it also. Probably the worse thing about that press is the primer feed can get a little finiky and need tweeking. Check these guys out if you have any questions. http://forums.loadmastervideos.com/forums/ Darwin, Shadow and a few of the others are the Lee masters. It's a great site for anybody haveing problems with a lee press. Congrats.
Rusty

 

[MacTech]

I found a piece of scrap wood that was perfect for the press, it had a large cut out of one edge that was the perfect size for the press, the arm assembly fits in the cutout and the rest of the press is parallel with the front edge of the wood

a couple solid C-Clamps will allow me to anchor it to a table temporarily, yet solidly until I can find a dedicated bench for it

I set up the press and deprimed my first hundred cases in about a half hour, I also intently watched their progress as they passed through the other two stations, visualizing the steps that would be taking place, the press seems deceptively simple, once I have verified and dialed in my settings, it looks like it'll easily turn out good ammo

Looks like the previous owner set up the Auto-disk at .43, so if I was using, lets say, Unique powder, that should be a load of 3.9 grains, right?

 

[easyrider604]

Looks like the previous owner set up the Auto-disk at .43, so if I was using, lets say, Unique powder, that should be a load of 3.9 grains, right?

If that is what the chart says, then it may be close. However, you really need to buy a powder scale, nothing fancy required.

Like this Lee balance beam scale:
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=712103

Powder charge weight should be checked with a scale because of all the variables in reloading, powder charge is the most critical and user sensitive.

 

[evan price]

Yes, if the PO was using Unique, 3.9 grains would be the nominal drop with that disc.

Don't worry so much about what the previous owner setup or did- as you said, treat the press like it is new and all the settings are unknown.

If you want to reload, YOU choose a powder and then use the reloading references (such as are provided by the powder manufacturer) to get the load you need for the bullet you are using.

For example, let me suggest Winchester 231. It feeds well from the autodisc measure and it is- if anything is universal in reloading- a "Universal" pistol powder. It's a good beginner's powder- commonly available, easy to use, the same as Hodgdon HP38, lots of loads out there for it.

Now you need to decide which bullet to use. The amount of powder depends on the weight of the bullet. Lighter bullets can use more powder and go faster.

For example, a 230-grain FMJ round nose .45 will have a max load of 5.3 grains of Winchester 231 powder. Some trial and error has shown me that the .49 disc will nominally drop 5.3 grains- but the Lee discs drop a tad light and it will actually be around 5.2 grains unless corrected.

A better choice to be under max is to use the .46 disc which drops nominally 4.9 grains (but again, will drop light- probably 4.8 grains unless corrected).

YOU need to decide what components you want and go from there.

 

[tiger rag]

Great buy,I have loaded thousands of rounds on my old pro 1k. A little care and it will serve you well.