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Thread: New Lee Automatic Processing Press!

  1. #261
    Quote Originally Posted by ranger View Post

    I also have the Dillon tool but I prefer the APP. I have the RCBS decrimp tool for single stage and it is clunky to me
    I have used the Dillon bench swager, the RCBS press swager and the RCBS stand-alone swager that's not unlike the Dillon in function.

    None of them are worth a darn. They are fine for swaging 100 pieces of surplus 30-06 brass for hunting loads or something. But none will work well for those of us who might want to process large quantities of 223, 308 or 9mm.

    As I think I've mentioned, the only thing I've used that's practical--outside of a Dillon 1050--is the Hornady Lock N Load AP swager. It still means handling each case again but it is consistent and fairly quick. The other press mounted system I've tried is the Swage It for the Dillon 650. It seems good in theory but hasn't worked well for me in practice. My only real complaint with the Hornady conversion is that it isn't available for 9mm.

    The Hornady conversion is pretty much what's kept me from buying a Lee APP although I have to say I'm pretty close to ordering one. I've had an APP in my shopping cart a time or two but just haven't completely convinced myself that I need it.

    Sent from my SM-A505U using Tapatalk

  2. #262
    The R in F.A.R.T RevolverRob's Avatar
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    May 2014
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    Gotham Adjacent
    So, I've been swaging a bunch on the APP the last few days. I've come to the following conclusions...

    1) PUMP the APP handle to get a nice deep swage. I push down firmly and then pump up and down firmly 3'ish times per case. It's resulting in very nicely swaged primer pockets, judging both visually, and feeling the right amount of resistance when seating my primers later through the press using a ram prime.

    2) The Lee Case Collator sucks, at least for 5.56 cases. Cut them down to .300BO length and it works great, but it's just too small to work with rifle cases. Which sucks, since I have another oh...1500 or so pieces of 5.56 brass (maybe more) to process and I was really hoping to do a pass through first decapping and flaring them out, then back through swaging them.

    The case collator just isn't big enough for the brass to "swirl around" enough to slip down into the feed holes. I can drop a handful of 300 length brass in there and shake it and the whole handful drops into the tubes. I can drop a handful, half a handful, a bucket full...of 5.56 and shake it...and shake it...and shake it...and shake it. I've discovered it is faster to grab brass out two at a time and drop them into two tubes, like I'm reloading a revolver cylinder or something.

    I have an idea though...I'm thinking of trying a "cone of shame" modification. Where I insert a dog cone inside the funnel, to lengthen it out and increase the taper inside, hopefully giving some more area and velocity to the "swirl". We'll see how it goes. I have to go pick up my dog in a bit from doggy daycamp, so I'll grab a cone while I am grabbing some shit bags. Pics later.

  3. #263
    The R in F.A.R.T RevolverRob's Avatar
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    May 2014
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    Gotham Adjacent
    Right, so I pretty quickly discovered...it’s not the dish of the cone...it’s the width of the cone that makes a difference.

    So...

    Here is my rigged up approach...which drops a handful of cases right into the tubes with nary an issue.

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  4. #264
    Quote Originally Posted by mmc45414 View Post
    I went ahead and took the tentative plunge. Dunno why Brownells shows it as "Pre-Order" instead of backorder, but I guess this can be like when you order Milt Sparks, you sorta fugetaboutit and then it shows up.
    So, I am a patient man, but....
    Ordered mid May, still showing as Pre-Order at Brownells. I sorta had a strategiery that if it was not in stock at Brownells I would be certain of getting the latest version of a new product, but now I am hoping it comes soon because I got some loads to do. For sure I do not want to go back to the Dillon, I have a pretty nice flipper system with a shock cord for the Dillon, but the way my luck is I will grind my way through a big pile and the next day my APP would show up.

    But now they are showing as available at Lee, so I would have to think Brownells would be the kind of customer that would get their stuff soon. Might call or chat Brownells in the morning to see if they have an idea which way the wind is blowing.

  5. #265
    Member SecondsCount's Avatar
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    Feb 2011
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    Utah, USA
    Quote Originally Posted by mmc45414 View Post
    So, I am a patient man, but....
    Ordered mid May, still showing as Pre-Order at Brownells. I sorta had a strategiery that if it was not in stock at Brownells I would be certain of getting the latest version of a new product, but now I am hoping it comes soon because I got some loads to do. For sure I do not want to go back to the Dillon, I have a pretty nice flipper system with a shock cord for the Dillon, but the way my luck is I will grind my way through a big pile and the next day my APP would show up.

    But now they are showing as available at Lee, so I would have to think Brownells would be the kind of customer that would get their stuff soon. Might call or chat Brownells in the morning to see if they have an idea which way the wind is blowing.
    Midsouth sent me an email this morning showing stock
    -Seconds Count. Misses Don't-

  6. #266
    The R in F.A.R.T RevolverRob's Avatar
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    May 2014
    Location
    Gotham Adjacent
    It finally clicked this afternoon, what is going on to make rifle cases feed better with my “improved” collator. It’s not the width of the funnel nor the dish of the funnel. It’s the extra space to the drop tubes that allows the rifle brass to tip over. This is why shorter .300BO length brass, which is barely longer than a .357 Magnum works fine, but 5.56 doesn’t. Unless you raise it up.

    With this in mind the solution is simple: create some kind of permanent/semi permanent raised collator that can allow rifle brass to drop in easily.

    Making Version 2.0 of The RevolverRob Rifle Case Collator:

    Materials:

    1x tin can approximately Fancy Feast cat food sized.
    1x tin can of any size at least as talk as the catfood can.
    1x “funnel” material. Could be a cardboard box, a bucket you cut up, a 1-gallon jug, whatever. I made mine from a square flat-rate postal box.
    1x roll of your redneck adhesive tape of choice. Mine is aluminum foil tape.

    Presumably, tuna cans would work equally well, I didn’t have one on hand.

    The cat food can is almost the perfect height to function as the spacer and it’s diameter is perfect for fitting over the collator’s holes while still allowing space for casings to drop in.

    Tools:

    1xPair of tin snips
    1xMarker/Pencil

    -

    Step 1: Cut the bottom off of your spacer can. I say bottom, because we’re going to place the rim down against the collator, this gives a nice uniform edge to make things not move. And the can has to be hollow. Trim around the cut edge until it is fairly level, doesn’t need to be perfect.

    Step 2: Cut two strips out of your other can. The width of these pieces is approximately the height of your spacer can. The length of these pieces is longer than the diameter of your spacer can, by 2”

    Step 3, cross-hatch your two pieces from step 2, by cutting slits ~1/2 way through the width of each piece.

    Step 4: cut slits into your spacer can. I recommend cutting a slit, then cutting a second slight, taking ~1/10” out to make your slots.

    Step 5: Fit cross hatch into the spacer can. Trim excess from the top (the top is formerly the bottom of your spacer can)

    Step 6: That excess material you left in terms of length? Bend it over 90-degrees, 1” in on one side, 1” on the other (giving you four tabs to stop your crosshatch from moving.

    Step 7: take your spacer can and mark the INSIDE diameter onto your funnel. Be sure to make sure you stop and center the funnel on your Lee Collator you want everything lined up.

    Step 8: cut out the hole for your spacer.

    Step 9: attach spacer can to the bottom of your new funnelt - using redneck adhesive of choice.

    Step 10: attach funnel/spacer assembly to case collator.

    I recommend checking function before opting for more permanent install.

    Test fitting and function check:

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    Final version, I cut the box down it doesn’t need to be really tall.

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  7. #267
    Quote Originally Posted by SecondsCount View Post
    Yeah, will probably call Brownells tomorrow (today will be hectic) to see if they know more. I found some .223 cases I had that had been swaged already so there is a little less urgency.

  8. #268
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    Oct 2013
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    Canton GA
    I loaded 500 rounds of 223 (73 ELDMs and TAC) over last two days. Processed brass on Dillon 550 with Lee 223 deprime/sizer then used Dillon 1200(?) to trim. Very mixed range brass but lots of crimped 556. Tumbled to get off case lube then used new APP to remove crimp. Then loaded with Dillon 550 with Dillon powder drop and Lee 223 dies for seat and crimp. Pleased with process. About 1 out of 50 cases was tight or problematic or 10 of 500 total.

  9. #269
    Got mine yesterday, I am glad I bought it if for no other reason than it is just so darn cute!!!!

    And I have an answer to my question about what exactly the current Deluxe version includes, since it seems like the Basic version and Automation Kit are maybe discontinued now. It looks like the Automation Kit is part of the package, but does not include the Universal Case Feeder #90242, that looks like it is just the four tubes (the Collator is still separate) and the base that holds them, and a slider that I am not sure will or will not be used on the APP. Anyhoo, it seems a little Charlie Sierra IMO that these trinkets are not included as part of the Automation Kit, but if you want to sprinkle the cases into the four tubes with the collator you need:
    https://www.brownells.com/reloading/...rod123828.aspx
    But the thing seems like such a value and total bundle of awesome I am not going to whine about it.

    Quote Originally Posted by richiecotite View Post
    Tried to resize/deprime and because of the way the case is held, kept sticking brass in my resizing die.
    I am a little uncomfortable openly admitting this on a forum where most participants are manly men, but I actually read the instructions. Turns out they say that resizing bottleneck cases with the X-PRESS shell holders is not recommended and iffy.
    https://leeprecision.com/files/instruct/PA4336.pdf
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    I was thinking it might be cool to set up to size and deprime, but without the case feed I will continue to do that in the 650.

    I primarily bought this to do swaging anyway and that looks great. I will probably alter the small rod a little, since I have been trying to not neck expand until I am charging, so the rod may be a little too large. Should be a simple tweak, and I think Lee is pretty good about selling parts if I screw one up.

  10. #270
    Sooooo, got it setup, nifty, but...
    The collator is iffy with 5.56, so I moved it over under the Dillon. This is totally a proof of concept mockup but I cranked out all of the 5.56 cases I had that have with primers in them:
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    And this is all with stuff that came with the press, just a merging of the tubes:
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    So, probably use the little dish for 9mm.

    Digging it!
    Last edited by mmc45414; 07-09-2020 at 08:27 PM.

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