Lee pro 1000 decent budget press?

[DngBat7]

I was wondering for reviews on the lee pro 1000 progressive press. I am fully aware you get what you pay for, but sometimes certain items are a deal. I just want something to load 300blk for fun at the range. And I don’t want to spend a fortune. So I am wondering what people’s experiences are with this press. Thanks

 

[jk80]

I had one and it was the biggest piece of crap I ever owned. Sent it down the road and bought a Dillon and never looked back. Sometimes buying cheap can cost more than buying the best first.

 

[BeefyT11]

Never used one, but I'm sure if you're not looking to produce high precision ammo, itll be fine. My only experience with progressive presses is a dillon square deal... only advice I could give is if they're powder distribution method is the same, I would highly recommend looking into fine cut cylindrical powders or ball powders

 

[SurgeonCO]

I use one for dedicated .223 blaster ammo. There was a learning curve but it now has 1500 rds on it. Case feeder is nice. Primer system can be finicky. It serves this purpose just fine

 

[mchees1]

I had one for a while when I first started reloading in volume for handgun ammo. I did not like the primer feed system - had too many problems with feeding issues. Powder feed system was a little hinky. It did have quite a few jams also. It worked OK for around 90% of the rounds. But when there was an issue or a jam, it was a big pain to fix. Those 10% errors took a lot of time and frustration to fix. I ended up getting a Dillon and that was a really good decision! Auto indexing was touchy too - had to be careful how fast you worked the lever. I found that sometimes when the lever is pulled a little too quickly, the shell plate spins too fast and causes problems. But, the big issue is I don't think the Pro 1000 has a setup for 300 blk. I was on their web site and they don't list 300 blk as a cartridge the Pro 1000 does - all handgun cartridges except for 223. Same thing for the Lee Load-Master press. I don't know if you could somehow use the .223 setup to work for 300 blk die setup. Just doing some quick searching on the web I didn't see any inexpensive progressive presses that do 300 blk. You might just have to wait and save for a Lyman lock-n-load ap or a Dillon. You might also want to go to https://ultimatereloader.com/ to check out some of Gavin's reviews on reloaders. If you are going to be large volumes it really will be worth it to get a good reliable press - it will save you lots of time and frustration in the long run. Good luck.

 

[hpshooter]

"I had one for a while when I first started reloading in volume for handgun ammo. I did not like the primer feed system - had too many problems with feeding issues. Powder feed system was a little hinky. It did have quite a few jams also. It worked OK for around 90% of the rounds. But when there was an issue or a jam, it was a big pain to fix. Those 10% errors took a lot of time and frustration to fix. I ended up getting a Dillon ".

"But, the big issue is I don't think the Pro 1000 has a setup for 300 blk"

Mchees 1 experience mirrors mine to a "T". Endured the frustration for several years thru the 80's until I found a used 450 Dillon that fit the budget in the early 90's. Fast forward to 2019 the 450 a 550 and a Square deal share the bench with a Rock Crusher II, a Redding T-5 and a Redding single stage. Each press was purchased used but not abused for about what a new 1000 would cost. Reloading was once again fun! I would not feel comfortable giving the Lee Pro 1000's to anyone, they were that frustrating to me.

 

[pirate ammo]

I've got a Lee Loadmaster that I load thousands of handgun rounds with.I don't use the primer system because I think it's junk,would rather hand prime anyway.The powder system works
O,K. with some but not all,I weigh all mine so it doesn't really matter. Loadmaster has 5 hole head, Pro 1000 has 3 hole,,more holes are better. I work mine hard and got all the kinks
out of it, so for what I do it works great. Heck, I got a Pro 1000 set up for 9MM new in the box I'll sell for $150.00 shipped,just don't like them.

 

[SSL]

I've got a Lee Loadmaster that I load thousands of handgun rounds with.I don't use the primer system because I think it's junk,would rather hand prime anyway.The powder system works
O,K. with some but not all,I weigh all mine so it doesn't really matter. Loadmaster has 5 hole head, Pro 1000 has 3 hole,,more holes are better. I work mine hard and got all the kinks
out of it, so for what I do it works great. Heck, I got a Pro 1000 set up for 9MM new in the box I'll sell for $150.00 shipped,just don't like them.

I have had similar experiences. Though I would never dream of loading accurate rifle ammunition on a progressive, I do have a Loadmaster for my .45 ACP, .45 Colt and .44 Magnum cartridges that works flawlessly...NOW. I used to hate the priming system due to misaligned primers, flipped and/or crushed primers and failure to feed and was about ready to toss the press out when I found that there was an upgrade to the priming that was available. Installed it and all priming issues vanished. Proper lubing and care setting up goes a long way towards producing lots of good quality ammo fast. I also still have two heavily self-modified 1000s for .38 Special and 9mm for occasional use that work well, but not my favorite to use.

If one were to choose either of the Lee presses, it is nearly essential to go with the micrometer adjustable measure plates. Those discs are woefully inaccurate and often leave powder from heavier charges on the plate if you haven't modified the drop hole to leave a completely clear opening regardless of the disc used.

 

[VOLKSRVA]

I've got a Lee Loadmaster that I load thousands of handgun rounds with.I don't use the primer system because I think it's junk,would rather hand prime anyway.The powder system works
O,K. with some but not all,I weigh all mine so it doesn't really matter. Loadmaster has 5 hole head, Pro 1000 has 3 hole,,more holes are better. I work mine hard and got all the kinks
out of it, so for what I do it works great. Heck, I got a Pro 1000 set up for 9MM new in the box I'll sell for $150.00 shipped,just don't like them.

Is that Lee pro 1K still available?

 

[Terry]

I have two. They work fine if I pay attention and use them as directed.

 

[pirate ammo]

Is that Lee pro 1K still available?

No ,dumped it on Amazon a few months ago

 

[tommeboy]

Get the auto breech Lock Pro. WAY better press. But I do have 2 of the 1000 presses. They are for processing brass only. I size brass on them and that is it.