lee pro 1000 and lee 4 hole turret press

[45calibre]

has anyone used this loader? i have read both good and bad. i saw in a youtube video that lee has fixed things that were giving out when it first came out.

i have also been looking at the lee 4 hole turret press

 

[shibumiseeker]

Which one?

I think the 4 hole turret press is an excellent press for the money and is ideal for people who frequently change calibers since it literally takes about ten seconds. I have no experience with the other press.

 

[45calibre]

either one of them.

 

[04DarkShadowGT]

I own the turret and I like it. Simple, easy to use, and inexpensive. I can make enough ammo for me. If you shoot a lot go with progressive.

 

[shibumiseeker]

I own the turret and I like it. Simple, easy to use, and inexpensive. I can make enough ammo for me. If you shoot a lot go with progressive.

How much is a lot? I shoot 3-5k of non-.22lr a year and I'm pretty happy with the turret press.

I would say that if you don't enjoy reloading itself AND you shoot a lot then go with a progressive. But I enjoy the process, so the 100-150 rounds or so an hour I can make is a fine speed for me.

 

[45calibre]

I own the turret and I like it. Simple, easy to use, and inexpensive. I can make enough ammo for me. If you shoot a lot go with progressive.

How much is a lot? I shoot 3-5k of non-.22lr a year and I'm pretty happy with the turret press.

I would say that if you don't enjoy reloading itself AND you shoot a lot then go with a progressive. But I enjoy the process, so the 100-150 rounds or so an hour I can make is a fine speed for me.

any bad experiences with it? did you buy the kit? im thinking about spending a little more and getting the loadmaster

Lee Load Master 40 S&W - Natchez Shooters Supplies

 

[shibumiseeker]

any bad experiences with it? did you buy the kit? im thinking about spending a little more and getting the loadmaster

Lee Load Master 40 S&W - Natchez Shooters Supplies

The turret press is mostly trouble free except the little plastic thing that helps index it wears out every few thousand rounds, but they're like a buck or two. I took it off and index manually anyway because I prefer it.

I have a Loadmaster that I am going to be listing for sale soon. I bought it a few years ago when I wanted more production than a single stage. I can't say I was impressed. They have a fan club but I am not among them. If I was going progressive I'd go Hornaday or Dillon. A little more money up front for a whole lot better machine.

 

[45calibre]

The turret press is mostly trouble free except the little plastic thing that helps index it wears out every few thousand rounds, but they're like a buck or two. I took it off and index manually anyway because I prefer it.

I have a Loadmaster that I am going to be listing for sale soon. I bought it a few years ago when I wanted more production than a single stage. I can't say I was impressed. They have a fan club but I am not among them. If I was going progressive I'd go Hornaday or Dillon. A little more money up front for a whole lot better machine.

what didnt you like about it?

 

[rockhopper46038]

I've got a couple of the Lee 1000's. They can be fussy, but with a little mechanical aptitude they can be made to work just fine. To my mind the best thing about them is that they can usually be picked up in new condition, dirt cheap, from someone who doesn't have the patience to mess with them. As far as turret presses go, I think it's hard to go wrong with one from just about anyone. Mine is an old Lyman All-American that would perform admirably as a makeshift boat anchor for any ship under cruiser class. Heavy, cast iron, indestructible. Slower than a progressive for sure, but perfectly adequate for almost all purposes I would think. The Lee 1000 might frustrate you if you don't like tinkering, but is probably the cheapest press you can buy to put out 400-500 rounds per hour. The turret press will be more like 150/hr, but that's still a good bit of ammunition for most folks.

 

[kludge]

I have the Lee 4-hole Turret (converted from 3-hole, similar to the Pro 1000). I also have the 4-hole Lee Classic Turret. You want the Classic Turret.

When I got the first turret, I started to wonder why I kept my old Challenger press around... but I kept it for decapping and crimping duty.

Then I finally got around to getting the Classic Turret. And that was it. I don't think I'll ever use a single stage press again, so it went to a friend. If I could have only one press for the rest of my life it would be the Lee Classic Turret.

For reloading only pistol the 4-hole turret will do, but I don't like the way it throws primers everywhere, and if you load a lot of rifle I think it's just not strong enough.

If you want an inexpensive progressive press bypass the Pro 1000 and get a Loadmaster. I have a Loadmaster and I set it up whever I'm going to load more than a box or two. I've had no problems with it and I'm happy with the way it operates. Except that the ProAuto Disc doesn't like Unique. That's OK, because I don't like Unique either.

I ended up converting the 3-hole Turret to a 4-hole (to share turrets) and mounted it so I can stick it in my trailer hitch at the range for load development.

 

[shibumiseeker]

what didnt you like about it?

It's finicky, particularly the priming system and changing calibers took more time and hassle than I like getting it to run smoothly again. I generally think of Lee as good value for the money, but not the Loadmaster. There you get what you pay for. If I were going to go progessive again I'd probably do the Hornaday LNL. Midway currentlyhas them for $370 on sale and you get 500 bullets as a rebate which is worth $100-150 so for ~$250 you get a much better press.


My reloading shack is also my range building so I do a lot of reloading a few rounds at a time then switch calibers to reload and the turret press is ideal for that. Plus I found that I like feeling each step as a discreet event so I have a better feel for when something is not right.

 

[45calibre]

I have the Lee 4-hole Turret (converted from 3-hole, similar to the Pro 1000). I also have the 4-hole Lee Classic Turret. You want the Classic Turret.

When I got the first turret, I started to wonder why I kept my old Challenger press around... but I kept it for decapping and crimping duty.

Then I finally got around to getting the Classic Turret. And that was it. I don't think I'll ever use a single stage press again, so it went to a friend. If I could have only one press for the rest of my life it would be the Lee Classic Turret.

For reloading only pistol the 4-hole turret will do, but I don't like the way it throws primers everywhere, and if you load a lot of rifle I think it's just not strong enough.

If you want an inexpensive progressive press bypass the Pro 1000 and get a Loadmaster. I have a Loadmaster and I set it up whever I'm going to load more than a box or two. I've had no problems with it and I'm happy with the way it operates. Except that the ProAuto Disc doesn't like Unique. That's OK, because I don't like Unique either.

I ended up converting the 3-hole Turret to a 4-hole (to share turrets) and mounted it so I can stick it in my trailer hitch at the range for load development.

did you have any problems with any of the other items in the kit?

 

[45calibre]

I've got a couple of the Lee 1000's. They can be fussy, but with a little mechanical aptitude they can be made to work just fine. To my mind the best thing about them is that they can usually be picked up in new condition, dirt cheap, from someone who doesn't have the patience to mess with them. As far as turret presses go, I think it's hard to go wrong with one from just about anyone. Mine is an old Lyman All-American that would perform admirably as a makeshift boat anchor for any ship under cruiser class. Heavy, cast iron, indestructible. Slower than a progressive for sure, but perfectly adequate for almost all purposes I would think. The Lee 1000 might frustrate you if you don't like tinkering, but is probably the cheapest press you can buy to put out 400-500 rounds per hour. The turret press will be more like 150/hr, but that's still a good bit of ammunition for most folks.

are you crimping your bullets?

 

[NullSyndrome]

I ended up converting the 3-hole Turret to a 4-hole (to share turrets) and mounted it so I can stick it in my trailer hitch at the range for load development.

LOL..now THAT is hardcore reloading...

 

[pinshooter45]

I have a Lee Pro 1000, and load everything form .32acp to .223. and while they can take a bit of mechanical skill to master their quirks, once you get them running they are a good solid entry level press. I bought mine used floor sample in 9mm. And after using it for a while it started giving me trouble that I could not fix permanatly so I shipped it off to Lee expecting them to charge me the Half of new price to rebuild it. It was returned to me within 2 weeks completly repaired at no charge. They have excellent customer service! One thing I have done to make things easier besides haveing the different die heads for each caliber. I also have two complete shell plate carriers. One set up for large primers and one set up for small primers. I am considering getting a shell plate carrier for each caliber I reload. Then the changeover will be really quick!

 

[Fishersjohn48]

The Lee kit has most of what you need except for the scale that they sell with it. I bought the kit and never used the scale as I could not get it to zero reliably. I invested in a very good scale and a quality set of calipers. Too me scale and calipers are two of the most important items that you should not skimp on.

 

[rockhopper46038]

are you crimping your bullets?

Currently, no. The combination seat and crimp die in the Pro 1000 is a PITA, and since my reloads are just range rounds I don't worry too much about bullet set-back. I did pick up a factory crimp die at the 1500, so I'm going to see how crimping as a secondary operation on my All-American affects my output.

 

[04DarkShadowGT]

any bad experiences with it? did you buy the kit? im thinking about spending a little more and getting the loadmaster

Lee Load Master 40 S&W - Natchez Shooters Supplies

I bought the classic turret press only, I already had a single stage before that and had some of the other stuff. The kits are nice though, but that lee scale is garbage lol.

I am very happy with it. No bad as of yet, occasionally a primer will be flipped or fall out of the cup, but rarely. Changes are easy when you buy additional turrets. I have four already set up and ready to go. Literally 2 minutes changeover if both calibers are running the same primers, maybe 4 if they arent.

Eventually I will step it up to a progressive but I just don't shoot enough to warrant it right now. Both of my presses have been Lee and both have been excellent.

I will probably spring for a loadmaster some day, the pro 1000 is nice but I prefer the loadmaster for its strength and 4 die capability. On my 9mm, 40, and 45 I use the factory crimp die in the 4th position.

 

[kludge]

did you have any problems with any of the other items in the kit?

Do you mean the Loadmaster?

 

[kludge]

LOL..now THAT is hardcore reloading...