Lee pro 1000...worth anything?

[Espire]

Buddy of mine sold his his entire reloading setup to me (I just wanted the bullets, but I had to buy the lot if I wanted them).
He has a 3 turret Lee Pro 1000. I don't know anything about it, and just curious if it's worth anything, or if I should just sell the lot I'm not going to use (I'm out of pocket about $100...think this might be worth that much if I was to sell it together).
Pic shows everything I grabbed from him

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[DizzyJ]

Never been a big fan of the Lee equipment, though admittedly I do have a couple of their dies and one press.

 

[Caveman Jim]

As your buddy how old it is & what the model number on the powder measure kit.

 

[Mistman]

The 1000 isn't the most user friendly press. Once set-up properly they will crank out good ammo. I have one set-up for 40 S&W, got it on a similar kind of deal. I have a 550b and a single stage RCBS on the bench also. I wouldn't recommend the 1000 for a beginner, not that it won't work but when it doesn't it helps to have a good understanding of the overall process to make the right tweaks to get it working correctly. The Lee disk measuring system actually works pretty well if/when you find the right disk. It may not get you exactly the charge you're looking for but it'll get really close which is usually good enough and it's pretty consistent. Since the 1000 auto indexes it makes it more challenging to tweak things if something goes amiss or if you are checking charge weights or need to refill a feeder or the primer tray. For the $$ they work, like I said they make good ammo but can try your patience. Since I only run 1 bullet and charge weight for my 40's I never change anything on it which eliminates the re-tweaking needed when changing either of those. I wouldn't actually go out and buy one but if someone gave me another I might spend the time to set it up, maybe. I'd much rather use the Dillon though.

 

[Tully Mars]

Personally I'd lean towards selling the whole shebang and putting the cash towards something else-like a Dillon

I like Lee carbide pistol dies and their Load All is the bomb for loading slug and buckshot loads for scatterguns but never have been a fan of their center fire presses. In all my years of reloading I've never found a progressive that comes close the the blue ones on my bench-YMMV

 

[Espire]

As your buddy how old it is & what the model number on the powder measure kit.

He' says it's about 10 years old, and the powder measure kit is model 90100

 

[Espire]

Personally I'd lean towards selling the whole shebang and putting the cash towards something else-like a Dillon

I already have a Hornady L-n-L that has done me more then enough good (while I know many live and die by their blues, I've never had a reason to upgrade as my press has put out thousands of rounds), and a co-ax for my single stage. One could never have enough presses though, hence me asking about this one. But Mistman has advised the tinkering aspect....I'll save that time and frustration for 1911 restoration and just sell this =D

 

[Oathkeeper1775]

Some people are satisfied with the 3 hole turret; having shared that...

I have a spare 3 hole turret plate; can pay forward if you're gonna keep the press.

 

[Caveman Jim]

Since I do all the case prep (pistol & rifle) before l actually load, I have been seriously considering going to a 3 hole turret. I currently have the 4 hole model & have a blank space where the resizer & deprimer should reside.
Convo started.

 

[ma96782]

Say it this way.....

I own and use three different Lee M1000s (mostly it's the same thing as the Lee Pro1000). I bought them in .38 Special, .45 ACP and 9mm. Back then, they were cheap at about $125 complete with dies in your choice of caliber. Note: I only use them for pistol cartridges as I use carbide dies for sizing.

Consider what a Dillon change out will cost to change calibers. Then, consider the time involved to change out the primer parts (large to small or the other way) and shell plates and cartridge buttons and consider that IF you only had one powder measurer you'll be messing with the powder settings. Humm....is that fun?

I figured, that I was better off just changing out the entire press on the bench and I'd be back in business loading ammo. That way, I don't even mess with primer parts or charge weights. Yup, I have my FAVORITE loads for my pistol cartridges.

For rifle ammo....I have a Dillon. But actually, I prefer to use my single stage RCBS Rock Chucker. It's because of the way I like to do things when loading rifle ammo. Truthfully, I haven't used my Dillon in a long while.

Yes, There are things that you have to get used to when using the Lee. It's won't be perfect (maybe) right out of the box. But, once you got it running....you'll be amazed at what it can do at such a cheap price.

Aloha, Mark

PS...FWIW, I don't recommend a progressive press for anyone just starting out.

 

[Member 5605]

No. The 1000 is a bubblegum to get dialed in.

The cast classic turret 4 hole is better even as a turret and non-progressive.

 

[Caveman Jim]

Some people are satisfied with the 3 hole turret; having shared that...

I have a spare 3 hole turret plate; can pay forward if you're gonna keep the press.

Convo strarted.

 

[joken]

They actually work pretty good once you understand the machine. The primer feed can be problematic. I bought on cheap and just sold it after loading a ton of .45. Just traded into a Dillon SD and it is rock solid compared to the Lee. Bottom line is the Lee beats the carp out of a single stage.

 

[Caveman Jim]

I'm getting it for rifle loading since all my cases are fully prepped before they reach my Lee press for components. It works for me as I have thousands of 223/556 cases that ready to go.
For pistol I'll use the 4 holer.....