Topic: Lee 1000?

[RevolverLove]

I've gone through my initial 250 rounds now. I had to tighten my crimp a touch, adjust the flair and have fine tuned a few other things. now its running very smooth and reliable.

Last thing is to find a place I can get some bulk bullets without breaking the bank...   

Thanks to all for the great advice.

Also look at Powder Bond they are in Greenleaf and they ship for $5 flat. Great prices, very good quality.
http://www.powerbondbullets.com/products.html

Also did you every figure out what was making those little smiley faces on your bullets. I'n getting the same thing. Increasing the crimp seem to help but I don't know if there is such a thing as over crimping. It's not when I seat the bullet as I have check them then. Also when they enter the crimp die it's kind of rough, not smooth like the others.

Any thoughts??

[Jaggy13]

I had to increase the flair so the bullet would seat slightly lower before the seating and crimp die.
Increase the flair too much though and the bullet would just fall in the casing...

[RevolverLove]

Thanks I'll play around with that. I like the Lee system a lot. The Auto-Disk is good but of course using the number disk Lee says is not even close to the Min charge for .38 Spl. Same for the Dipper the .5cc dipper which Lee says is "Close" measures out to 4.6 grains. Min charge for .38 with 125gr JHP is 5.0 So those first rounds from my GP-100 were like a cap gun. The 5.0 grains were O.K. and now I'm using 5.2 and it feels like it should. I just don't want to go to a match and have light loads.

Otherwise the Lee stuff is great. Time consuming but great.

Next will be the 9mm.

[Jaggy13]

not sure where I posted it, this thread has really grown...
I had the same experience with the auto disc.
I opted to purchase a digital scale and after talking to many people I settled on load data before I ever de-primed a case. I wanted a 5 grain load with unique because it would just meet power factor. So I kept changing the disc until it read correctly on the scale.

That load was also a safe point in the middle of the load options. Some of the first advice I received about selecting load data was less powder is worse. He suggested I start somewhere near the middle and work one way or the other to what I want for my load.
There were a few considerations for me as well. My primary 9mm that these loads are for is a 1911 frame. Given that, it has to manipulate a fairly heavy slide and there fore "Hotter" loads would provide more consistent feeding. I don't want too hot though, because it is for speed...

I would love to chrono some of my loads, as I'm sure you would to make sure your hitting the "sweet spot" in your load. I'm sure someone here has one we could borrow or recommend a range that has one on hand.

my only complaint about the lee is the primer tray. Runs fine for a while, then if a primer fails to seat it seems to ruin everything and take several minutes to set back up correctly.
For now my loading needs are fairly modest so the Lee is perfect. I will either learn to use it better/live with it or replace with a Dillon.

[luvmy45]

For the priming tray, have a plastic dental pick on hand... they work well for fixing the issue 

[Jaggy13]

heh, I've been using a scribe.
I wish they were ferris...

If one fleck of powder gets down there, the primer will fall off that press and jam in there. Haven't had one detonate yet, but I'm anticipating it....

[luvmy45]

I never had one detonate in the primer feed path... not to say it couldn't happen, but I loaded 1000's of rounds on my Lee1000 without a premature detonation.

[Jaggy13]

good to know. I've seen a few of them folded up from getting pinched.

[RevolverLove]

I'm hand priming at this time. I bought the RCBS model because it's safe with ANY primer. The Lee hand primer is not safe with Federal primers. Gee why is that???

With all the problems I read about auto primers and having to fix problems and such I decided to go the hand route. 35 min to de-prime clean pockets and reprime 50 cases. another 35 for powder and bullet and crimp.

As for the Auto Disk, I have the same experience as Jaggy. Had to use a different disk to get a 5.2 grains drop. I've been weight checking every 5th load and everything is great. Is it acceptable to weight every 15 or 20 instead?? I have ordered the Lee Adjustable Insert bar that has a micrometer setting. Should be able to get and grain setting I want with the usual experimentation.

Got the little smiley faces to stop. As Jaggy suggested playing with the amount of flair and bullet depth.

What is the story on tumbling. I have not done that step yet. Good,Bad, necessary optional?? And how do you get the corn crap off the cases??

[fj40mojo]

I'm hand priming at this time. I bought the RCBS model because it's safe with ANY primer. The Lee hand primer is not safe with Federal primers. Gee why is that???

With all the problems I read about auto primers and having to fix problems and such I decided to go the hand route. 35 min to de-prime clean pockets and reprime 50 cases. another 35 for powder and bullet and crimp.

As for the Auto Disk, I have the same experience as Jaggy. Had to use a different disk to get a 5.2 grains drop. I've been weight checking every 5th load and everything is great. Is it acceptable to weight every 15 or 20 instead?? I have ordered the Lee Adjustable Insert bar that has a micrometer setting. Should be able to get and grain setting I want with the usual experimentation.

Got the little smiley faces to stop. As Jaggy suggested playing with the amount of flair and bullet depth.

What is the story on tumbling. I have not done that step yet. Good,Bad, necessary optional?? And how do you get the corn crap off the cases??

Weight check frequency depends on the powder you are using and your measure. I've found with mine that with extruded and flake powders I weigh at least every tenth charge, ball powders are so predictably repeatable that sometimes I just visually check to make sure the thimble hasn't moved and weigh every 25th.

I've used the RCBS press mounted priming system w/o any problems for years. I've heard good things about the hand priming systems but have never felt that my current system was in need of replacing so never tried  it.

Tumbling isn't necessary, but it's nice and I do it. I clean and polish before sizing, ideology "clean brass is easier on my sizing dies".  This is especially true for all the auto stuff that ends up on the ground and I don't have to pick media out of flash holes as the decapping pin cleans it out for me when I size. Never had a problem getting the 

corn crap

off. Media separators work.

 :)Little smiley faces?

[Jaggy13]

I started loading some black bullets and everything is going great except I can't seem to control the depth.
I have the cap off of the crimp die and can see the internal cap raise when the round enters but it's still seating the bullets too deep. 1.169 is spec, I've been shooting for 1.158 (most of the factory ammo I have measured that) and the black bullets are closer to 1.08.
Is this anything to be concerned about?
I did have to tighten my crimp die, spec was allowing the bullet to fall out of the brass when loading into mags, but have tried loosening it and adjust the flair.

*Edit*
Took everything down tonight and examined a little more. The black bullets are not as aggresive a taper as the others I have tried. With the die out I can see a lip inside the die that does not allow the bullet to enter any further. Basicly its seating the bullet weather the seating portion of the die is engaged or not. I found some Lee literature that advises to "fit" the die to a specific bullet type.
It looks like I could ream out the die to work with more options. Any objections?

[Jaggy13]

The saga continues...
been a little frustrated with the powder disc as of late.
about 1 in 20 rounds is coming up light... Extremely light! instead of 5.2 grains, I'm getting 1 grain or less.
I'm saving up for a dillion, but with all the gear I've been putting toward my kit, I'm not quite ready to make that plunge yet.
I know there are some Lee loaders out there, any advice for the powder disc to be more consistent?
I thought it was just a volume issue, but its not. I have the powder station full.

[J Mack]

I’m not familiar with the Lee powder system but I will wipe all the accessible areas of my Dillon powder system with a drier cling free sheet when I notice powder sticking to the sides and this seems top help.