I agree. No more rifle on the 6000. This is NOT "one press to rule them all". I also have alot of problems with the primer arm getting stuck, then the spring buckles, then the press crushes the spring, then I need a new spring. I think the problem is traceable to metal/plastic interface and those to parts getting misaligned and jamming.
I like the 6000, I hot one of the original batches and was happy to have that opportunity to use it. For me I prefer using my Lee Classic Turret press. Yes its short 2 holes for dies but its a workhorse, and I can produce nearly as many rounds because its in serial and not parallel. Easier to focus. When the 6000 is running smooth its a beast. The 6 holes is very cool. Using a powder checker and bullet feeder is pretty nice. The auto drum is quite good. I loaded probably 1100 .223 with it. For .308 I am using my turret press.
Thanks for the review! Looking to graduate from my rockchucker (bought it last year and loaded 10,000 rounds on it) and the Lee six pack seems like the most cost effective choice. I know the two problems with it are the priming and case feeding. Not a problem for me since I plan to prime off press and manually feed cases. All I really want is to reduce the number of pulls per cartridge (I got shoulder issues).
I've had great luck with priming on my six pack, I did have one primer get squished in kinda sideways once, but just the one throughout the 1200-ish 9mm rounds I've put through it since getting it two weeks ago, and it was only because I wasn't paying attention to the case feeder which set the case a little crooked. I've since ironed out the case feeder by adjusting/fine tuning the depth and location of the drop tube, once you figure out the sweet spot it runs like a champ, and once the cases are feeding reliably you won't have any problems with priming either, I was pleasantly surprised by how reliable the priming system is now. The six pack is quite a good press, though it seems there's a few things the instructions were unclear on or insufficiently explained (like setting the case feeder, they just say "stick a penny under it and tighten it" which turned out to not be right for mine, I had to set it a little higher to stop it from grabbing the upper case), which I think is where most of the complaints about the lack of reliability are coming from. It needs a little fine tuning but once you iron it all out it rocks and rolls.
Holy crap I have a 6000 pro was trying to think of a way to stop the shells from falling great invention will be doing this myself glad I clicked on this video
Wish I could take credit for it but I can’t. Saw the idea somewhere else. It was just scraps I had in my junk drawer. Hope it helps. Just a little heads up, if your case pusher starts pulling the bras back out of the shell plate when you install this upgrade just tighten up on the screw about an 1/8th of a turn or so. It was driving me nuts on mine and I figured out what was happening. Happy reloading and dry powder.
Got my 6000 a couple weeks back. Put at least 1000 casings through it. The only issue I have, which I dont see a remedy for, is that you can only go so fast before the motion of the press, coupled with the jerkiness that can be introduced with hard sizing cases and flaring, can lead to the casings spilling powder. It somewhat slows down the process. I've heard of people lubing 9mm, i can see why. I had powder leakage (W231) but I took the drum out, polished the plastic which was quite rough with fine sandpaper, and that seems to have alleviated all or almost all powder leakage. The case feed for some reason was sticky towards the end of travel randomly, causing the casing to not enter the shellplate fully. I polished the metal feed surfaces I could reach, which did not resolve the issue. I noticed the case feeder would sometimes hit the plastic case retainer ring. I trimmed the ring back ever so slightly, then filed the angle back into it, and the feeder thus far hasnt repeated its problem. Case ejection sometimes randomly misses the bin, a small deflector would prevent that. I assume mine is a new production piece...my case feeder has never had an issue with cases falling over/out, but that is my experience on only one caliber. However Ive emptied the tubes at least 15-20 times (running a couple casings at a time) so I think I would have seen an issue. The priming system is fabulous. Agitation needed the wire mod to get a bit more, but as long as the chute had more than 3 primers, it fed, every time. I like that it takes the "old" style primer trays, which I prefer and have multiples of. I have ordered a case and bullet feed setup, as well as shellplates for .223/30BLK and .45/.308, so we will see how mine works with other calibers.
Thanks for the information. I had not thought about polishing the drum on the powder measure yet as it was not a significant amount of powder loss even with finer ball powders. The issues with powder being slung out of the case is not something I have experienced yet either. I can see where it would happen if you are operating the machine fast. I saw on one of the fb groups I’m in where a gentleman had made an indexing rod that started turning the shell plate higher in the down stroke and slowed it down on the turn instead of the sudden turn at almost the end of the stroke. The issue I had with the case feeding was it would try to pull the case back out of the shell plate and I would have multiple cases fall or kick out of the feed tubes. Tightened up on the cave pusher and installed the door and solved those problems. I agree on the primer system as long as you have the spring installed properly it will work great, if it is not you’ll know fairly quick. Good luck on the rifle cases as I stated in the video (and it was just my opinion) this press is better suited for straight wall cartridges.
I wish the drive clutch was stronger. I’ve had simple issues that caused the cross in the driver to strip and indexing to fail. It works very well, just my 2 cents.
@@jasongoodman9053 it’s hard for me to say what’s better. The six pack pro will handle whatever you feed it for sure but like any rifle cartridges it can be a pain in the butt on a progressive press. If you do your preparation and a little one shot lube on the cases it will do good. I don’t shoot large quantities of rifle anymore so I try to stick to my single stage press. If you have a good working Loadmaster I would use it for rifle and the six pack for pistol. That’s just my two cents.
The pistol dies are carbide. Most bottle neck dies are not. Even though the pistol dies are carbide I will still run a lubed case or two every 50 rounds or so. Just seems to make it run smoothly to me. Thanks for watching and asking.
@@pietromazzeo183 I’ve not encountered this problem. I would say to be sure all is tight and doesn’t move around. If all is good try a different seater die.
I've been watching all kinds of reloading videos trying to decide if I'm going to get in to that. It seems that if I'm going to shoot as much as I want to, and the wife wanting to now as well, I'm going to have to get in to reloading. I like the idea of it and I've always had hobbies and jobs that required full attention so I'm not afraid of the learning curve to it. Now, my question is, would this be a good press to start with, or should I go to a simpler system. I so like the idea of not having to change things after each step and the only thing I will be reloading are 9mm Luger unless of course I win a lottery and can afford better platforms. I've been watching your videos and seems like you explain things in a way that are easier for me to grasp. This old buzzard is still able to learn new tricks, but want to make sure of where I'm heading first. Thanks for any advice you could give me.
Most of us started out on a single stage press. In fact years ago, when I started, my uncle who had been loading for many years prior suggested a single stage. There are some great advantages to a single stage first and foremost is getting familiar with the equipment and the concept of reloading. I tell folks to get a good reloading manual I started with the Lee 2nd edition load manual. A lot of good information in it. Also, and for a lot of guys this is a hard one, READ THE DIRECTIONS. Not just for the press you decide on but also the dies you use. I still read the pamphlets that come with my dies to remind me of the proper setting for them. If you decide to get a progressive press go ahead and get it in the caliber you want to reload. Just during the first bit of learning take it slow and get use to the function of the press. And as I said earlier read read read the instructions. If you have any issues I’ll help as much as I can. Oh yea, yes this would be a good press for a first progressive.
If I was going to be reloading a significant amount of any caliber, I would not want a single stage. For being able to control variables a bit more, and low volume, a single stage press is fine. Learning the basics to reloading on a single stage MAY help to make sure you understand the concepts, running the progressive presses are more about understanding mechanics. You just need to make sure they are doing what they are supposed to be doing as you run it. As progressives go, the 6000 seems to be the least problematic of any Lee progressives. I would highly suggest the kit for a caliber you will load lots of.
@@danya822 I agree that a progressive is the way to go for large quantities of ammo. However if you’re just getting started a progressive press can be overwhelming for first time reloading. It was just my opinion on where to get started to get familiar with the process of reloading. Besides, a good single stage press in one’s tool kit is never a bad idea. I will use my single stage to do a small batch of pistol ammo for my carry gun to practice with and get it as close to factory loads as I have the most control over the process. Thanks for the input and keep your powder dry.(note edited for clarification 5/4/23)
@@aubreyfishingandoutdoors5479 Totally agree. I do think the Six Pack is generally trouble free enough that it can be recommended to a beginner, but as with reloading itself, you have to be serious, patient, cautious, and careful. A progressive adds doubly to that.
@@aubreyfishingandoutdoors5479 Legally, we all may be on firmer ground using commercial ammo for carry. Please check with an attorney, but I'm pretty much 100% sure this is the case for many reasons, not the least of which is reliability. If we do get in a defensive shooting, prosecutors can go after us badly, including going after the type of ammo we use. Handloads MAY be harder to defend in court for too many reasons to go into here. Note: I'm not AT ALL in favor of prosecutors doing this, but they do. Fact of life, unfortunately.
I have been using a Loadmaster for years as well as Pro 1000's I Am expecting a 6000 to be delivered in 3 days. I have always deprimed, cleaned, polished and sized my bottle neck brass in separate steps before they ever went on the 1000 or Loadmaster. Pistol brass I just deprime and clean and then size on the press I'm reloading on. I will follow the same procedure with the 6000. Reloading is something I enjoy and don't mind the couple of extra steps. I am lazy though in certain ways. I cast my own 9mm .30 and .45 bullets and hate sizing, especially as I do it twice. Once after casting and again after epoxy coating. So I use a Lee single stage press that I've added a pneumatic cylinder to and mounted upside down. Just have to drop a bullet into the die and move a control lever about 1 inch. (see here: ua-cam.com/video/tiKkI8-iti4/v-deo.html)
Is switching calibers easy on these lee presses? Also I thought about making this my first progressive press. Is this a bad choice? I plan to do .45 acp and 9mm first. I thought about a single stage press for 7.62 x 39 and 7.62 x 54.
Switching the calibers is not to much of a pain if you have the better breach lock sleeves. Just follow the instructions on changing the shell plate. If you get any binding just stop as it will bugger up the advancing clutch.
It was the process. Lubing the cases and using the case feeder would get lube everywhere. Not to mention if one of the cases wasn’t lubed enough it would get stuck and pull out of the shell plate easier then my loadmaster and single stage presses. It just seemed to be more of a hassle. My process on the LM is different then what I did on the 6000 and no issues with sticking cases. Not saying it wouldn’t work, but my opinion is it was too much sugar for a dime.
@@aubreyfishingandoutdoors5479 yeah I size 223 on single stage then use 6 pack, to load , but have to go slower than pistol calibers as 223 case seem a little wobbly when trying to go faster
I haven’t experienced any problems with going into the plate. My problem was it was being pulled out of the plate as it cycled. I fixed that by tightening up the screw on the case pusher just a tiny bit.
I agree. No more rifle on the 6000. This is NOT "one press to rule them all". I also have alot of problems with the primer arm getting stuck, then the spring buckles, then the press crushes the spring, then I need a new spring. I think the problem is traceable to metal/plastic interface and those to parts getting misaligned and jamming.
I like the 6000, I hot one of the original batches and was happy to have that opportunity to use it. For me I prefer using my Lee Classic Turret press. Yes its short 2 holes for dies but its a workhorse, and I can produce nearly as many rounds because its in serial and not parallel. Easier to focus. When the 6000 is running smooth its a beast. The 6 holes is very cool. Using a powder checker and bullet feeder is pretty nice. The auto drum is quite good. I loaded probably 1100 .223 with it. For .308 I am using my turret press.
Thanks for the review! Looking to graduate from my rockchucker (bought it last year and loaded 10,000 rounds on it) and the Lee six pack seems like the most cost effective choice. I know the two problems with it are the priming and case feeding. Not a problem for me since I plan to prime off press and manually feed cases. All I really want is to reduce the number of pulls per cartridge (I got shoulder issues).
I've had great luck with priming on my six pack, I did have one primer get squished in kinda sideways once, but just the one throughout the 1200-ish 9mm rounds I've put through it since getting it two weeks ago, and it was only because I wasn't paying attention to the case feeder which set the case a little crooked. I've since ironed out the case feeder by adjusting/fine tuning the depth and location of the drop tube, once you figure out the sweet spot it runs like a champ, and once the cases are feeding reliably you won't have any problems with priming either, I was pleasantly surprised by how reliable the priming system is now. The six pack is quite a good press, though it seems there's a few things the instructions were unclear on or insufficiently explained (like setting the case feeder, they just say "stick a penny under it and tighten it" which turned out to not be right for mine, I had to set it a little higher to stop it from grabbing the upper case), which I think is where most of the complaints about the lack of reliability are coming from. It needs a little fine tuning but once you iron it all out it rocks and rolls.
I use the 6000 for my 223. But I prep my cases on a single stage press then run them on the 6000 . Primer powder bullet. Comes out nice
Holy crap I have a 6000 pro was trying to think of a way to stop the shells from falling great invention will be doing this myself glad I clicked on this video
Wish I could take credit for it but I can’t. Saw the idea somewhere else. It was just scraps I had in my junk drawer. Hope it helps. Just a little heads up, if your case pusher starts pulling the bras back out of the shell plate when you install this upgrade just tighten up on the screw about an 1/8th of a turn or so. It was driving me nuts on mine and I figured out what was happening. Happy reloading and dry powder.
Got my 6000 a couple weeks back. Put at least 1000 casings through it.
The only issue I have, which I dont see a remedy for, is that you can only go so fast before the motion of the press, coupled with the jerkiness that can be introduced with hard sizing cases and flaring, can lead to the casings spilling powder. It somewhat slows down the process. I've heard of people lubing 9mm, i can see why.
I had powder leakage (W231) but I took the drum out, polished the plastic which was quite rough with fine sandpaper, and that seems to have alleviated all or almost all powder leakage.
The case feed for some reason was sticky towards the end of travel randomly, causing the casing to not enter the shellplate fully. I polished the metal feed surfaces I could reach, which did not resolve the issue. I noticed the case feeder would sometimes hit the plastic case retainer ring. I trimmed the ring back ever so slightly, then filed the angle back into it, and the feeder thus far hasnt repeated its problem.
Case ejection sometimes randomly misses the bin, a small deflector would prevent that.
I assume mine is a new production piece...my case feeder has never had an issue with cases falling over/out, but that is my experience on only one caliber. However Ive emptied the tubes at least 15-20 times (running a couple casings at a time) so I think I would have seen an issue.
The priming system is fabulous. Agitation needed the wire mod to get a bit more, but as long as the chute had more than 3 primers, it fed, every time. I like that it takes the "old" style primer trays, which I prefer and have multiples of.
I have ordered a case and bullet feed setup, as well as shellplates for .223/30BLK and .45/.308, so we will see how mine works with other calibers.
Thanks for the information. I had not thought about polishing the drum on the powder measure yet as it was not a significant amount of powder loss even with finer ball powders.
The issues with powder being slung out of the case is not something I have experienced yet either. I can see where it would happen if you are operating the machine fast. I saw on one of the fb groups I’m in where a gentleman had made an indexing rod that started turning the shell plate higher in the down stroke and slowed it down on the turn instead of the sudden turn at almost the end of the stroke.
The issue I had with the case feeding was it would try to pull the case back out of the shell plate and I would have multiple cases fall or kick out of the feed tubes. Tightened up on the cave pusher and installed the door and solved those problems.
I agree on the primer system as long as you have the spring installed properly it will work great, if it is not you’ll know fairly quick.
Good luck on the rifle cases as I stated in the video (and it was just my opinion) this press is better suited for straight wall cartridges.
I wish the drive clutch was stronger. I’ve had simple issues that caused the cross in the driver to strip and indexing to fail. It works very well, just my 2 cents.
I did put that door on the case drop works good
What progressive press do you recommend for rifle? Loadmaster?
@@jasongoodman9053 it’s hard for me to say what’s better. The six pack pro will handle whatever you feed it for sure but like any rifle cartridges it can be a pain in the butt on a progressive press. If you do your preparation and a little one shot lube on the cases it will do good. I don’t shoot large quantities of rifle anymore so I try to stick to my single stage press. If you have a good working Loadmaster I would use it for rifle and the six pack for pistol. That’s just my two cents.
Just wondering I thought the dies were carbide? Why would you have to lube? Thanks for info
The pistol dies are carbide. Most bottle neck dies are not. Even though the pistol dies are carbide I will still run a lubed case or two every 50 rounds or so. Just seems to make it run smoothly to me. Thanks for watching and asking.
You always have to lube bottle neck cases.
Hi, I have just issue with OAL. 9mm Luger come 28.70 and other 29.00. is it normal? I would to change seater die lee to rcbs
@@pietromazzeo183 I’ve not encountered this problem. I would say to be sure all is tight and doesn’t move around. If all is good try a different seater die.
I've been watching all kinds of reloading videos trying to decide if I'm going to get in to that. It seems that if I'm going to shoot as much as I want to, and the wife wanting to now as well, I'm going to have to get in to reloading. I like the idea of it and I've always had hobbies and jobs that required full attention so I'm not afraid of the learning curve to it. Now, my question is, would this be a good press to start with, or should I go to a simpler system. I so like the idea of not having to change things after each step and the only thing I will be reloading are 9mm Luger unless of course I win a lottery and can afford better platforms. I've been watching your videos and seems like you explain things in a way that are easier for me to grasp. This old buzzard is still able to learn new tricks, but want to make sure of where I'm heading first. Thanks for any advice you could give me.
Most of us started out on a single stage press. In fact years ago, when I started, my uncle who had been loading for many years prior suggested a single stage. There are some great advantages to a single stage first and foremost is getting familiar with the equipment and the concept of reloading. I tell folks to get a good reloading manual I started with the Lee 2nd edition load manual. A lot of good information in it. Also, and for a lot of guys this is a hard one, READ THE DIRECTIONS. Not just for the press you decide on but also the dies you use. I still read the pamphlets that come with my dies to remind me of the proper setting for them. If you decide to get a progressive press go ahead and get it in the caliber you want to reload. Just during the first bit of learning take it slow and get use to the function of the press. And as I said earlier read read read the instructions. If you have any issues I’ll help as much as I can. Oh yea, yes this would be a good press for a first progressive.
If I was going to be reloading a significant amount of any caliber, I would not want a single stage. For being able to control variables a bit more, and low volume, a single stage press is fine. Learning the basics to reloading on a single stage MAY help to make sure you understand the concepts, running the progressive presses are more about understanding mechanics. You just need to make sure they are doing what they are supposed to be doing as you run it. As progressives go, the 6000 seems to be the least problematic of any Lee progressives. I would highly suggest the kit for a caliber you will load lots of.
@@danya822 I agree that a progressive is the way to go for large quantities of ammo. However if you’re just getting started a progressive press can be overwhelming for first time reloading. It was just my opinion on where to get started to get familiar with the process of reloading. Besides, a good single stage press in one’s tool kit is never a bad idea. I will use my single stage to do a small batch of pistol ammo for my carry gun to practice with and get it as close to factory loads as I have the most control over the process.
Thanks for the input and keep your powder dry.(note edited for clarification 5/4/23)
@@aubreyfishingandoutdoors5479 Totally agree. I do think the Six Pack is generally trouble free enough that it can be recommended to a beginner, but as with reloading itself, you have to be serious, patient, cautious, and careful. A progressive adds doubly to that.
@@aubreyfishingandoutdoors5479 Legally, we all may be on firmer ground using commercial ammo for carry. Please check with an attorney, but I'm pretty much 100% sure this is the case for many reasons, not the least of which is reliability. If we do get in a defensive shooting, prosecutors can go after us badly, including going after the type of ammo we use. Handloads MAY be harder to defend in court for too many reasons to go into here.
Note: I'm not AT ALL in favor of prosecutors doing this, but they do. Fact of life, unfortunately.
Hello!
Still awesome?
I have been using a Loadmaster for years as well as Pro 1000's
I Am expecting a 6000 to be delivered in 3 days.
I have always deprimed, cleaned, polished and sized my bottle neck brass in separate steps before they ever went on the 1000 or Loadmaster. Pistol brass I just deprime and clean and then size on the press I'm reloading on.
I will follow the same procedure with the 6000.
Reloading is something I enjoy and don't mind the couple of extra steps.
I am lazy though in certain ways. I cast my own 9mm .30 and .45 bullets and hate sizing, especially as I do it twice. Once after casting and again after epoxy coating. So I use a Lee single stage press that I've added a pneumatic cylinder to and mounted upside down. Just have to drop a bullet into the die and move a control lever about 1 inch. (see here: ua-cam.com/video/tiKkI8-iti4/v-deo.html)
Is switching calibers easy on these lee presses? Also I thought about making this my first progressive press. Is this a bad choice? I plan to do .45 acp and 9mm first. I thought about a single stage press for 7.62 x 39 and 7.62 x 54.
Switching the calibers is not to much of a pain if you have the better breach lock sleeves. Just follow the instructions on changing the shell plate. If you get any binding just stop as it will bugger up the advancing clutch.
How did you make the little door on case feeder? Having same problem.
I have another video showing me make it. Most of the parts I had laying in my junk drawer of my tool box.
Just watched it thank you. Lee needs to do that. Maybe they should talk to you🙂
Go on, esty I think 10.00
What issues did you have with bottleneck cases?
It was the process. Lubing the cases and using the case feeder would get lube everywhere. Not to mention if one of the cases wasn’t lubed enough it would get stuck and pull out of the shell plate easier then my loadmaster and single stage presses. It just seemed to be more of a hassle. My process on the LM is different then what I did on the 6000 and no issues with sticking cases. Not saying it wouldn’t work, but my opinion is it was too much sugar for a dime.
@@aubreyfishingandoutdoors5479 yeah I size 223 on single stage then use 6 pack, to load , but have to go slower than pistol calibers as 223 case seem a little wobbly when trying to go faster
@@chrisl1636 I do the same
Problem with 300blk out case hanging up going into shellplate any suggestions?
I haven’t experienced any problems with going into the plate. My problem was it was being pulled out of the plate as it cycled. I fixed that by tightening up the screw on the case pusher just a tiny bit.
Thanks
This seems over engineered to me.