Lee Six Pack Pro at 4k rounds

[GW Staar]

9mm: Hope the hip heals right. My brother (4 years younger) had one replaced and says it's so much better that he's scheduled the second replacement. Mine are fine.....so far. Which 3D printer did you end up buying?

LiveLife: "tingly hands and fingers" was my first symptom then it spread to my feet and toes. Doctor calls it neuropathy (least ways on me).....arthritis may be a cause in the hands too. For neuropathy doc says Vitamin 6 and 12 shortage might cause it, or too much of it might cause it.......do they really know what they're talking about? Not that sure.

My wife's a better cook....shes cooks, I do the dishes.....least ways since the kids grew up and left home. Unless she's sick, then I do both.

My SPP keeps my mind off my age......along with my 3D printer. I may be crazy, but I bought a second 3D printer last month. Supposed to be faster......for all the small parts (smaller bed). But like 9mm I haven't got it on line yet.....together yes, but you know me....stock was not good enough.

 

[9mmepiphany]

Which 3D printer did you end up buying?

Ender 3 V2 Neo

 

[LiveLife]

LiveLife: "tingly hands and fingers" was my first symptom then it spread to my feet and toes. Doctor calls it neuropathy (least ways on me).....arthritis may be a cause in the hands too.

Yup, I chose wrong parents. They gave me spinal stenosis and type 2 diabetes and I likely aggravated with carpal tunnel syndrome (Doctor said I have a mild case) all contributed. Arthritis? Not yet but I am sure it's coming.

As to SPP, new ergonomic roller handle is definitely helping - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-oal-consistency.911743/page-19#post-12798966

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I got a hold of some .44 Mag cases.


You adjust the spring tension/gate position with the black plastic nut below the gate.
View attachment 1188163

And gate should stay put wherever you put it. This is normal position.

View attachment 1188166

I turned the "black plastic nut" and gate is held open part way like this

View attachment 1188165

I can even hold the gate open so slider won't even touch it like this

View attachment 1188164


So I filled the tube full of .44 Mag cases and adjusted the height of the 5 tube magazine body so dropping cases would readily slide forward with gate in closed position.

View attachment 1188170

Pulling back on the ram handle dropped the case held by the gate

View attachment 1188169

Forward moving slider/case pushed the gate to the side

View attachment 1188168

Slider returning under the 5 tube rotary magazine closed the gate

View attachment 1188167

I know how it works, it's really simple but I just don't have the room on the ABLP that you have on the 6000. It works most of the time but I can make it work 100% of the time by taking off the gate.

I don't even have to take the gate off, just twist it out of the way so it doesn't interfere then it's good.
With .357s it just doesn't need it. With .327FM it most definitely needs the gate, that is why I bought it.

My 4 tube case feeder I took off worked great with 357s and on my APP deluxe, I nipped out the front of the skirt, then brought it down to almost touch the case pusher.
After I did that I never lost another 357 case off the slide. There was already a 1/4" opening there, I just made it a full semi-circle. I had to chuckle after I did this, then bought the 5 tube case feeder to discover the bushings for in the feeder base is made to the same design as how my 4 tube feeder skirt is now.

That really improves the stability to nip out the front of the skirt like in my pic.

But .327still will not stay on there. This helped with them but didn't cure the problem.
I could try taking tension off the gate, for the APP deluxe and if that works I will buy another 5 tube and put one on it. 327s are just a pain because they are so tall and have a small base to sit on. Very tipsy.

I also found out with 357s in the collator, if I take the disc out with the 5 holes in it and put the center piece back in, it will fill the tubes with 357s twice as fast as it does with the disc in place.
What is that disc for anyways?

 

[LiveLife]

What is that disc for anyways?
View attachment 1188280

The disk insert is removed to collate larger/longer cases into 5 tubes.

just don't have the room on the ABLP that you have on the 6000

I thought your problem was .357 case hitting the gate as it dropped from the tube magazine? And I illustrated default position of gate can be changed to whatever position you want so dropping case won't hit it - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/lee-six-pack-pro-at-4k-rounds.925330/#post-12800470

"With the gate closing on the up stroke, it has to be already closed before the ram tops out or it comes up under the die head which will break it off. It also has to be twisted around far enough to clear when when closed when it tops outs."​

 

[RashQuestion]

It sucks to get old, I hit 74 last month....wait til the neuropathy sets in to your fingers and toes. Dexterity goes out the window no matter how much you exercise them

My wife's a better cook....shes cooks, I do the dishes

ME TOO!!! Made me laugh!!! I needed the chuckle!!! Not on topic but fits me to a tee!!!

God Bless you guys!!! Thanks for brightening my day!!!

 

[LiveLife]

ME TOO!!! Made me laugh!!! I needed the chuckle!!! Not on topic but fits me to a tee!!!

God Bless you guys!!! Thanks for brightening my day!!!

Key takeaway, "Don't get old." And if you can't stop that, enjoy the youth of now.

 

[GW Staar]

You don't have to get old....join the army, become a policeman (both very worthy causes), take up skydiving, or make enemies every day in the middle East. Or if you're already too old for that, you can enjoy your wife, kids, and grandchildren when you retire, and keep yourself busy with a Lee Pro 6000.......and wait for the rewards on the other side. We will die. Count for something while you're here.....and don't fall for the "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die attitude." That said, I'm with LiveLife....enjoy your youth, but don't waste it. Fun as it is, reloading and shooting is not the way to get points for the other side.....do more than that.....you have blessings? Give back. That's my first and last off topic Sunday sermon...which the boss can erase.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I thought your problem was .357 case hitting the gate as it dropped from the tube magazine?

It is, I don't have enough room to back the gate far enough away from the case pusher shuttle, when the case falls. If I do the gate comes up under the top of the press because it's sticking out to far.
All I have to do is twist it out of the way and not use it, to stop the problem. It's not a big deal to me. As long as it works for my .327 cases I'll be happy.
Part of the problem is I have to slow down my stroke because of the bullet feeder, if I work the press really fast the cases will fall down where they belong but that's not how we run our presses.

 

[LiveLife]

It is, I don't have enough room to back the gate far enough away from the case pusher shuttle, when the case falls. If I do the gate comes up under the top of the press because it's sticking out to far.

Since I don't have the ABLP anymore, I will forward this to Calvin at Lee Precision as ABLP is listed to work with new 5 tube "Universal" case feeder - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/lee-six-pack-pro-at-4k-rounds.925330/#post-12799159

 

[GW Staar]

I'm paying close attention to all this gate stuff, but I've never had any problems with cases needing one......but then I've mostly loaded .223, and 9mm on it so far too. Guess I probably ought to order the new gate part.........so I can compare and copy it if necessary, since I use a electric case collator and 3D printed drop tube to the plate ramp, instead of their 4 or 5 way tube setup. Wondering if our 3D printed design somehow works better? Don't know, but I'm going to have to get to the bottom of it....no pun intended.

 

[LiveLife]

paying close attention to all this gate stuff ... Guess I probably ought to order the new gate part.........so I can copy it since I use a electric case collator and 3D printed drop tube to the plate ramp, instead of their 4 or 5 way tube setup.

I don't have enough room to back the gate far enough away from the case pusher shuttle, when the case falls. If I do the gate comes up under the top of the press because it's sticking out to far.

Since I don't have the ABLP anymore, I will forward this to Calvin at Lee Precision as ABLP is listed to work with new 5 tube "Universal" case feeder - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/lee-six-pack-pro-at-4k-rounds.925330/#post-12799159

This is the email reply I got from Calvin (I will update when he responds after looking into .357 case and ABLP with new 5 tube gated case feeder):

Hello John,​

​

The case gate will not be compatible with the old 4 tube feeder. The 5 tube feeder allows the user to set the feed plate height and leave it for most cases due to the assorted drop tubes. The 4 tube feeder needing to be adjusted for every case would not allow the gate to function properly and remain set near the mid point of the case. There would not be enough spring tension to force the gate to return.​

​

I will look into the issue you mention in your other email with 357 and the ABLP. There should be no issues with compatibility.​

​

Calvin Katzfey​

Lee Precision, Inc.​

 

[Gillie Dog]

Does anyone know if the updated, redesigned parts, are being put on the presses now?

(I still want one of these presses but I'm not buying one until I know they fixed their problems they had with it. I bought one of the first ones that came out and it had to go back.)

I got a new SPP 6000 a little while back and all the known/discussed here updated parts were on it. Even a reduced diameter lower section alignment pin update which I had not heard about anywhere was on it. It came with standard index rod not slow twist.

GD

 

[Gillie Dog]

- Case feeding was finicky too and I would have cases falling to the side, cases flipping over, etc. I got tired of it and ordered the updated universal 5-tube case feeder and collator. Best $40 I can imagine spending on a press part. The thing just damn works and I have had zero problems since the upgrade. The spring-loaded gate keeps cases in place until they’re fed into the shellplate.

Called Lee to buy just plastic parts and they would not sell me replacement plastic parts for the 5 tube. I wanted to try the case sliders to see if feeding large diameter cases to the SPP was improved over standard slider.

Just looking for improved case slider for printed collator feeder.

Surprised me.

Ordered whole thing, we will see.

GD

 

[tightgroup tiger]

This is the email reply I got from Calvin (I will update when he responds after looking into .357 case and ABLP with new 5 tube gated case feeder):

Hello John,The case gate will not be compatible with the old 4 tube feeder. The 5 tube feeder allows the user to set the feed plate height and leave it for most cases due to the assorted drop tubes. The 4 tube feeder needing to be adjusted for every case would not allow the gate to function properly and remain set near the mid point of the case. There would not be enough spring tension to force the gate to return.I will look into the issue you mention in your other email with 357 and the ABLP. There should be no issues with compatibility.Calvin KatzfeyLee Precision, Inc.

I don't understand. Why is Calvin referencing the 4 tube case feeder with the gate from the 5 tube case feeder. That's the way I read this.

I never said anything about using the gate from the 5 tube case feeder on a 4 tube case feeder I took off of the ABLP.

I said the 5 tube case feeder is bigger in dia than the 4 tube, and it doesn't give me the room to back the gate out far enough to let all the .357 cases fall down to the platform, without some landing on the top of the gate as in the pics that I posted in post 17.

I put the gate back on the 5 tube case feeder and took pictures like I said I would, so you could see what I was having trouble with. Something got lost in translation.
There is no 4 tube case feeder involved in this conversation.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I got a new SPP 6000 a little while back and all the known/discussed here updated parts were on it. Even a reduced diameter lower section alignment pin update which I had not heard about anywhere was on it. It came with standard index rod not slow twist.

GD

Sweetness!

 

[benvigil]

I don't understand. Why is Calvin referencing the 4 tube case feeder with the gate from the 5 tube case feeder. That's the way I read this.

Because I asked if the gate could be purchased as a replacement part. @LiveLife was kind enough to reach out and ask Lee, who responded with that email.

 

[LiveLife]

I don't understand. Why is Calvin referencing the 4 tube case feeder with the gate from the 5 tube case feeder. That's the way I read this.

Because I asked if the gate could be purchased as a replacement part. @LiveLife was kind enough to reach out and ask Lee, who responded with that email.

Yes, my emails to Calvin contained both questions from @tightgroup tiger and @benvigil.

Calvin's email answered @benvigil question first and then added he would verify with .357 Mag case for 5 tube gated case feeder on ABLP and would reply back for @tightgroup tiger.

I will look into the issue you mention in your other email with 357 and the ABLP. There should be no issues with compatibility.​

​

Calvin Katzfey​

Lee Precision, Inc.​

 

[LiveLife]

With the gate closing on the up stroke, it has to be already closed before the ram tops out or it comes up under the die head which will break it off. It also has to be twisted around far enough to clear when when closed when it tops outs.

I compared pictures of your setup with .357 Mag cases on ABLP and my test of .44 Mag cases on SPP and noticed some differences. This is your setup and I am assuming you are using the short case insert and there's appears to be about 1/2" space below the gate/plastic nut and hex nut. Notice how high the gate is above the slide bar.

This is my set up for .44 Mag cases on SPP and due to larger diameter of case, I opted to not use the short case insert and notice the position of gate/plastic nut on top of hex nut without any space. Could you try not using the short case insert and adjust the gate so dropping case won't contact the gate and gate won't rub the frame head?

 

[LiveLife]

New 5 tube case feeder is "Universal" case feeder designed to work with following presses - https://leeprecision.com/deluxe-case-feed-magazine

"5 case feed tubes automate the case feeding operation on the APP, Deluxe APP, Pro 1000, Pro 4000 Kit | Auto Breech Lock Pro, Load-Master, and Six Pack Pro presses. Increases rates and has been optimized for bottleneck cartridges."​

Got an update.

I will look into the issue you mention in your other email with 357 and the ABLP. There should be no issues with compatibility.​

​

Calvin Katzfey​

Lee Precision, Inc.​

Here's reply back from Calvin:

I double checked the 357 mag on the ABLP with the 5 tube case feeder. Everything worked as normal. "D" drop tube with the spring in the front attach loop on the tall riser. Perhaps if the slider is hooked in the wrong hole it may not travel back far enough to clear the case.​

​

Calvin Katzfey​

Lee Precision, Inc.​

 

[9mmepiphany]

Sounds like two knowledgeable sources concur about a likely process...using the tall riser...with an additional factor to check the travel of the slider being limited

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I had to take it off the ABLP. The shuttle is traveling the distance it is supposed to. If you look at the picture I posted this happens before case gets to the shuttle.
If I run the lever really fast this doesn't happen. But I have Lee's bullet feeder on it and I can't run it fast. Throws the bullets off.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I put the 4 tube case feeder back on it and with the bullet feeder everything works fine.

 

[9mmepiphany]

But I have Lee's bullet feeder on it and I can't run it fast. Throws the bullets off.

This struck me as an odd statement.

Are you saying that it is literally throwing them off or that the bullets are no longer straight in the case mouth?

Which then bring up the obvious question:
Are you using the Square Start expanding insert?

 

[tightgroup tiger]

Are you using the Square Start expanding insert?

I'm using an M-die for an expander, so yes.

Are you saying that it is literally throwing them off or that the bullets are no longer straight in the case mouth,

I'm saying that some of them are falling over so I have to stop and stand them back up, or they are falling completely off.

I thought your problem was .357 case hitting the gate as it dropped from the tube magazine? And I illustrated default position of gate can be changed to whatever position you want so dropping case won't hit it - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/lee-six-pack-pro-at-4k-rounds.925330/#post-12800470

That is the problem, I can't change the "default position of the gate" to open it up further, because it will stick out far enough that it hits under the die head.
In this pic from post 17 you will see that the gate is out as far as it can be, without coming up under the die head.

If it opens up any further it will come up under the die head and may break off.

I compared pictures of your setup with .357 Mag cases on ABLP and my test of .44 Mag cases on SPP and noticed some differences. This is your setup and I am assuming you are using the short case insert and there's appears to be about 1/2" space below the gate/plastic nut and hex nut. Notice how high the gate is above the slide bar.

I am using the longest case insert that was in the package.

And I illustrated default position of gate can be changed to whatever position you want so dropping case won't hit it.

I can't open it any further.

I took it off the ABLP and put it back on the APP deluxe to see if changing the spring tension would help it.
I found out that the case shuttle wasn't coming forward far enough to line the case up with the primer seating pin to let the primers seat, because the spring was just a little too long to let the shuttle hit the hard stop at the end of the stroke. I cut about a 1/16" off the end of the loop of the spring and rebent the loop to take up the slop . Now it actually primes right and doesn't put the primer in sideways.
I did take tension off the gate spring and it does still hold the .327 cases on the deck so on the APP deluxe, the 5 tube case feeder will stay.