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blue68f100 wrote: I would like to know how that happens too.

Since this is a new press, it may be that the shell plate is out of spec. With all press feed primer system the alignment and pickup settings are critical for trouble free operation.

Is the problem picking up the primer or inserting the primer into to brass? Is the primer carrier hitting the base as it feeds it up and in?

The shell plate has been used for about 5 years. The only new part is the base.

On the Pro, the shell plate rotates 120° counterclockwise moving the casing to the next position. The second position is priming (downstroke). The casing passes a limit switch that drops the seating pin enough to allow the primer to slide(by gravity) onto the top of the pin. Continued downstroke puts the casing over the pin, which is pushed up, seating the primer. The only adjustment on the Pro is zeroing the shell holders over each fully down position.

The primers appear to be not centering on the priming pin. They do it with a different shell plate. They did it when I last loaded .45ACP.

Probably something very simple I'm missing.


Description of the Pro 1000
http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi-data/in ... TR2441.pdf

greener wrote:
Probably something very simple I'm missing.

Riiiiiiiiight, if it were something complicated you would have seen it by now, the simple things just slip by.
I am firmly convinced the Nickle, chrome,e and iron ions have deteriorated until the stainless steel in your shell plate has become bifurcated and therein lies the problem. Either that or it is like me in it;s old age and only works when it damn well pleases.
Got my Pro1000 om Wed afternoon, got it mounted temporarily for a short trial on Thu, and began to tech myself to use it. The loader seems fine and the only problem seems to be operator induced, got to learn to push hard on the way back up on the lever to seat the primer. Clumsy fingers poking around managed to loosen the clip the controls the primer feed and it went someplace. After taking it down to inspect the bottom better, I managed to lose the buffer spring on the bead chain. Fri morning ordered the parts from Lee and they said they would ship that morning, so they should be here on Mon just afternoon. Still have to remodel the reloading bench top to accommodate the mounting of bot the song;e and progressive loaders at the same time.

The little, hard to see parts never fall straight down.

Primers fall into the little chutes on the base, most of the time. Unless you mount the press on a stand, you either have to suck primers out of the base from time to time or cut a hole in the bench and allow them to fall into a collector.

A slight pause on the forward stroke after the case hits the limit switch should allow the primer feed and center. (I'm doing this with the .45 ACP and am not getting centering or proper feed).

Once you index the shell plate, you shouldn't have to do it again unless you remove the plate from the carrier.

I tended to get the chain too tight initially, all it has to do is move the charging disk "forward". Most ball chain at Lowe's is too big. I found some the right size and bought a couple feet. Haven't used it since i bought it. I guess that comes under the "prevent the original from breaking or getting lost by having a spare for replacement at hand" rule.

First thing to confirm is indexing since you changed a shell holder. Even if you changed the whole base, check the indexing. Since the primers have to go through a shoot/sled to get to the priming station, make sure NO POWDER or carbon residue is impairing it's travel. It would not take much to keep a primer from going/sliding into the home position. This seams to be an issue with most all press priming systems. Keep them CLEAN. Now this assumes the LPP parts are installed.

It always wonderful when small parts go MIA. At times I though about setting a small baking pan under a press like you do for shotgun press to capture all of the shot that wants to run away. But want work due to the ram setup.

blue68f100 wrote:First thing to confirm is indexing since you changed a shell holder. Even if you changed the whole base, check the indexing. Since the primers have to go through a shoot/sled to get to the priming station, make sure NO POWDER or carbon residue is impairing it's travel. It would not take much to keep a primer from going/sliding into the home position. This seams to be an issue with most all press priming systems. Keep them CLEAN. Now this assumes the LPP parts are installed.

It always wonderful when small parts go MIA. At times I though about setting a small baking pan under a press like you do for shotgun press to capture all of the shot that wants to run away. But want work due to the ram setup.

Correctly indexed (no play on shell plate), clean and will do ~10 before it starts not feeding. This shell plate is on the carrier that had the #11 shell plate and loaded 175 rounds of .45 colt without a problem. I've also just loaded a bunch of .38spl without problem on the new base (different carrier/shell plate).

Thought I had it today with a second cleaning. Started acting up quickly when I started actually loading rounds and not just test-priming them.

2-3 years ago during the great primer shortage all I could find was Winchester primers. Every set up I had gave me fits with primers. When I could find CCI primers, no problems. Thought this was the problem with .45ACP. I don't think so.

I've got an email into Lee. I'll probably end up buying a new feed tube and shell plate. I have spare gears for the shell plates.

It's strange that it starts acting up by dry cycling of the press. There has to be something your over looking. Is the primer pusher setting high and not dropping down all the way? Just grasping at straws here. Is there any roughness on the parts related to the primer feed parts which I kind of dought if the parts are plastic.

I guess this is why they invented hand primers

Replaced the shell plate and primer feed tube with new ones.

Discovered the decapping pin had skewered a primer, that was wedged up in the die. Not quite sure how that happened.

Put it back together and got 10 cases to cycle perfectly. Started actually reloading and started having the same problems.

Primers are not feeding completely to the center position.

Will reload some other caliber to check to verify that it isn't the base setup, but I've already loaded 300-400 .38 special and .45 colt on this base with no problems.

Certainly is puzzling.

greener wrote:Replaced the shell plate and primer feed tube with new ones.

Discovered the decapping pin had skewered a primer, that was wedged up in the die. Not quite sure how that happened.

Put it back together and got 10 cases to cycle perfectly. Started actually reloading and started having the same problems.

Primers are not feeding completely to the center position.

Will reload some other caliber to check to verify that it isn't the base setup, but I've already loaded 300-400 .38 special and .45 colt on this base with no problems.

Certainly is puzzling.

Have had my decapping pin skewer a 22lr case and that flew into my .38 cases and went unseen. After cleaning I do not inspect them, just start loading. Do you have that 1/16 pin sticking out of the primer trough? It's only purpose is to shake the primer grooveswhen it hits the notches in the post Is the primer pin dropping all the way when the case sensor is actuated. All steel parts except for the primer trough, so there are really no plastic problems, eh?

Put in the carrier with the 9mm shell plate and the new small case feed equipment. One primer feed problem, not counting the 4 .380 brass. The case feeder is four feed tubes, a collater "hat" and a smaller push block. You fill the tubes buy dumping cases in the collater by the handfull. Worked very nicely. Loaded 93 rounds.

With 9mm you have to be extra vigilant not to get the .380 cases mixed in the batch. Every now and then, I find one in with the nines and end up making a short round.

I like the collater for the cases but then again sometimes the 9mm cases end up in the tubes upside down. They're lighter in the bases than the larger .45 cases and don't always drop in oriented properly.

R,
Bullseye

Well, .380 is 9mm kurtz.

.380's don't fit in my 9mm shell plate, so they just push out on priming.

Right about not all cases tipping. Also, theoretically, a .38 special could block the small case feeder opening, if, theoretically, one were to have one of those amidst the 9mm cases.

greener wrote:Well, .380 is 9mm kurtz.

.380's don't fit in my 9mm shell plate, so they just push out on priming.

Right about not all cases tipping. Also, theoretically, a .38 special could block the small case feeder opening, if, theoretically, one were to have one of those amidst the 9mm cases.

Don't have a 9 myself but do have a .380, winter time left hand coat pocket gun. Yes. I* do carry 2 as my mentor taught me, he always has three on him. Always thought they were the same case but just a 9mm short. Getting used toi the Pro 1000 now, still learning how to use it, got to make sure it full strokes on the down so that the primer is properly seated. Other than that, I think I like it.

When the case feeder is set up right it works great on the lee presses.... But when you change calibers it Thames a littlee finesse to set it up right. I gave up, took it off and insert cases by hand. That gives me another chance to see if there is a 9 or 40 case hiding inside the case going in....

The down stroke on the Lee Pro 1000 is critically important for proper primer seating. It takes a little finesse to seat the primers especially if they're going into crimped military cases. A primer pocket swage or a slight chamfer around the primer hole really helps in these circumstances.

I don't change calibers on the Lee 1000 press, I just change presses. They're inexpensive enough to just swap out the whole assembly rather than mess with all the readjusting needed to change calibers; my time is worth money too.

R,
Bullseye

Bullseye wrote:The down stroke on the Lee Pro 1000 is critically important for proper primer seating. It takes a little finesse to seat the primers

R,
Bullseye

Yes it does and I have not totally developed the touch yet. Only had it a week, lost a spring off the case sensor on the first try and had to order a couple so have not got many rounds through it yet. Primers feed all right at times but I think all of my problems are operator induced. As the primer is gravity feed you have to give it enough time to get on top of the priming pin and I believe I was stroking the lever too fast and flipping the primer out on the bench, saw a few of them do that. Other than that it seems to work fine. Can we send the old operator back under warranty?