New Lee Automatic Processing Press!

[mmc45414]

Mentioning this here because it might be better to say this here rather just in For Sale or Trade (I will post there also with a price, I think that stays inside the rules and expectations). I just placed an order for an RL1100 and am planning to sell my two APPs. Mentioning it here because the APP fans seem to be in this thread anyway. If you read through here you can see what all I have, but the overview:

APP setup for 9mm
Sizing and swaging
Lee case feeder
Inline handle with my extra screw modification

APP Setup for 223
Decap and swage
Lee automation, but not the feed
I used this with the Dillon feeder. It has what you need if you wanted to set it up with the tubes and bowl from the other one, but I used some of the tubes for something else, but they are cheap and available
Inline handle with my extra screw modification

These have been fantastic tools, I have swaged a buttload of 9mm and a several thousand 223. As I have mentioned up thread, rather than decapping 9mm I sized and decapped with lube, and that has really made reloading smooth. Even if you do not plan to swage 9mm it is still nice, with lube there is not hardly any effort, and it helps cull out the 380 and 40.

I splurged for the RL1100 for a few reasons (wants...) so now I will have swaging. These are still handy tools but I am pretty much out of bench space.

[LittleLebowski]

I forgot how handy this thing is. I am decapping and then swaging.

[SecondsCount]

I forgot how handy this thing is. I am decapping and then swaging.

Are you decapping and swaging at the same time or in two separate steps?

[mmc45414]

Are you decapping and swaging at the same time or in two separate steps?

It has to be two steps, simply because the primer has to be gone for the swager to go in. But as I have mentioned in prior posts, instead of just decapping I was sizing, and since I would have an opportunity to wash the cases (they dry fast with no primer) I went ahead and lubricated them. The APP could crank right through them, and boy it sure was smoooothe reloading cases that had already been sized. With the lube it took no more appreciable effort to size them, rather than just decap.

[Chapo]

It has to be two steps, simply because the primer has to be gone for the swager to go in. But as I have mentioned in prior posts, instead of just decapping I was sizing, and since I would have an opportunity to wash the cases (they dry fast with no primer) I went ahead and lubricated them. The APP could crank right through them, and boy it sure was smoooothe reloading cases that had already been sized. With the lube it took no more appreciable effort to size them, rather than just decap.

Exactly my experience. Well said sir!

[ssb]

I do not understand the value of this press beyond ruining your sizing dies within about five pieces of brass. If sizing and depriming a straight walled case was not a recommended action, perhaps somebody should have put that in the poorly written manual.

[jeep45238]

I do not understand the value of this press beyond ruining your sizing dies within about five pieces of brass. If sizing and depriming a straight walled case was not a recommended action, perhaps somebody should have put that in the poorly written manual.

It's good for swaging primer pockets and sizing bullets. I'll run a universal decapping die then swage, and the feed system jams if a .380 or 9x18 finds it's way in the 9x19 bucket.

I miss having a 1050, but for where I am and the price, this press really does make my loading press run a lot smoother with less headaches when I'm dealing with powder and primers.

[mmc45414]

I do not understand the value of this press beyond ruining your sizing dies within about five pieces of brass. If sizing and depriming a straight walled case was not a recommended action, perhaps somebody should have put that in the poorly written manual.

How did the press ruin your die? I believe they say not to size bottleneck cases, because the though feed shell holders do not grab enough case to withdrawal it.

It's good for swaging primer pockets and sizing bullets. I'll run a universal decapping die then swage, and the feed system jams if a .380 or 9x18 finds it's way in the 9x19 bucket.

This except I used to size also, and think it is a big benefit. For one thing it makes sense to lubricate the cases, since it is easy to wet tumble after the size/deprime. I did at least 10k 9mm in this manner, the lanolin lubricated 9mm cases took hardly any more effort than just pushing the primer out. And without a primer the cases dried in a day, just laying on their side on a towel. And it is nice to have a first pass to sort things out, especially after I went to a bullet feeder.

I miss having a 1050, but for where I am and the price, this press really does make my loading press run a lot smoother with less headaches when I'm dealing with powder and primers.

I sold the two APPs I had when I got the 1100, but am casually starting to think about getting another one. I could preprocess brass at my leisure, and it makes the actual loading very easy. And if I got behind I can still just run tumbled range brass.

[ssb]

How did the press ruin your die? I believe they say not to size bottleneck cases, because the though feed shell holders do not grab enough case to withdrawal it.


This except I used to size also, and think it is a big benefit. For one thing it makes sense to lubricate the cases, since it is easy to wet tumble after the size/deprime. I did at least 10k 9mm in this manner, the lanolin lubricated 9mm cases took hardly any more effort than just pushing the primer out. And without a primer the cases dried in a day, just laying on their side on a towel. And it is nice to have a first pass to sort things out, especially after I went to a bullet feeder.


I sold the two APPs I had when I got the 1100, but am casually starting to think about getting another one. I could preprocess brass at my leisure, and it makes the actual loading very easy. And if I got behind I can still just run tumbled range brass.

The shell plates apparently don’t have enough grab for 9mm either. The first die, which is about ten years old, made it I think nine cases before I got a stuck case. The rim was pretty disfigured but I was eventually able to get the casing out. The second attempt was a new in package die. That made it a whopping three casings before the case was stuck. Still haven’t gotten that one out.

[jeep45238]

The shell plates apparently don’t have enough grab for 9mm either. The first die, which is about ten years old, made it I think nine cases before I got a stuck case. The rim was pretty disfigured but I was eventually able to get the casing out. The second attempt was a new in package die. That made it a whopping three casings before the case was stuck. Still haven’t gotten that one out.

This sounds like the press wasn't setup with the correct shell plate (or one that's out of spec), not a problem with the press itself.