Six Pack Pro observations

[BrianT]

I've had mine almost a week, and I've loaded 300 hundred 357Mag, and 300 hundred 44Mag, loading some 45ACP today. Overall I like the press.
My only complaints are:
1.The new Primer tray is very tight, and the primers don't flow thru it very well, but that has always been an issue. just use a known good one.
2. After loading about 200 44Magnum, I didn't pay attention to the flow of the primers, was still using the new tray. Primers quit feeding and I didn't notice it for a couple of rounds, powder went all over under the shellplate. No big deal. I cleaned this up, and finished this run.
When I inspected this last 200 rounds of 44Mag, I noticed some primers not seated at least flush, and the ones that were have a flat spot in the middle of them, same size as the primer seating pin.
I corrected, as best I could, the incorrectly seated primers, and came to the realization, that we are now seating Large Pistol/Rifle primers, with a Small Primer seating pin, as there is only one primer pin for the Six Pack Pro. This Six Pack primer pin is about .030" smaller in diameter, than the old large Primer pins, we are used to.
Even the primers that were really messed up, shot fine, but the large primers do get flattened some, by this small primer pin.
I realize I caused the missing primer/powder issue to happen, which I believe caused the really bad seated primers, but I went back thru all 300 hundred Large Primers I seated, and you can see the impression of the small seating pin. I don't like it, but they shoot fine.
The 357s all look great, and overall I am very impressed with the press, but after I load these 45 ACPs today, just to keep testing, I'll never prime another Large Primer case on this press.
In my opinion, it's much easier to pull the indexing rod, and manually index the press, while setting it up, especially the powder drop and bullet seater.

[horseman]

I was wondering about the "one size fits all" primer pin when I was first reading about this press. I've also always wondered why Lee didn't use a "captured" primer sleeve and spring like everyone else does on their presses. I always thought that would have eliminated most priming issues with the Loadmaster Press. Seems like a pretty simple system to engineer into a press especially with the new Pro as it uses a shuttle to move the primer into position anyway. I have never liked Lee's "frog on a post" system of an unsupported primer.

[Fyodor]

I have never liked Lee's "frog on a post" system of an unsupported primer.

When the press is mounted on a sturdy surface with no flex, that is not an issue at all. The priming system of the pro1000 is one of the things I thought were genius, because of it's simplicity an effectiveness.

[BrianT]

OK, but just so no one gets confused, that doesn't apply to the Six Pack pro. How it's mounted has no effect on the priming pin issue.

[Bill Moore]

I too dislike the marked large primers, although most seat without problems. If my old friend Pete was still around, I would get him to make a correct sized primer pin! I think I'll order another pin, and next time I'm in a town with a machine shop, I'll get one built with a larger head.

[Fyodor]

I don't have a six pack (yet). But the priming system looks very similar to the one of the pro1000, and the newer pro1000 use the same plastic parts. As far as I know, the carrier casting of the pro1000 was not modified. Maybe the large pins of the pro1000 fit?

[Bill Moore]

That may be, but the pins look different! look different
Another consideration is the carrier cover change, Titan shows a "gold" primer pin for use with the "new" carrier cover, my press was acquired in November, but has the "silver" primer pin. I'm sure they are trying to save disassembling the press to change primer size.

[BrianT]

Yes, taking it apart to to change primer size, would be a chore. My press has the gold pin, so it is not a fix, by any means.

[horseman]

I have never liked Lee's "frog on a post" system of an unsupported primer.

When the press is mounted on a sturdy surface with no flex, that is not an issue at all. The priming system of the pro1000 is one of the things I thought were genius, because of it's simplicity an effectiveness.


Not sure about the genius part, but considering that Lee is the only press maker that uses a non-captured primer system when priming confuses me. But it's only on the Pro 1000 and Loadmaster (and now Six Pack Pro) progressive presses minus the Pro 4000. And just a little research will show that the priming systems on these presses are NOT popular, (Pro 6000 not withstanding) with the majority of users. That's the largest by far of complaints of the Pro 1000 and Loadmaster presses. The priming system. I've owned several of both and got along with them just fine. But it took some work. What I thought was genius was how Lee made the Loadmaster work, the indexing system to me was just way to cool and I could just cycle the press over and over just to watch it do it's job and listen to it cycle, so don't get me wrong, I enjoyed them both and I wouldn't mind having another LM except they're (Lee) not supporting it anymore. I also don't know for sure if the captured primer system everyone else uses would have been a help or not, but it probably wouldn't have hurt.

[Fyodor]

Well, that's how experience differs.

The priming system in my pro1000s (three of them) is about the only thing that never failed me. If it is kept clean, it works perfectly for me.

I never had a LM to compare, but I know from friends who have then, that they were not LEE's best throw.