Lee App mini review
- Thread starter lazarus
- Start date
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mtlcafan79
Ultimate Member
Just got my swage kit and have yet to try it. Are you sorting by headstamp? Or just one setting fits all? Have you tried to prime any of the cases yet?
I did about a hundred so far. It is a little tight on a couple of them but all prime just fine. I sort by headstand stamp on other brass but not on 5.56
- Feb 4, 2013
- 28,175
I picked up the sized decapping rods mentioned in the instructions.
It should help, and the rod to pin is tapered, so it should enter a slightly off center case better, and move it to be centered.
I picked up .22, .30, 3.2-.35 (for 9 mm) and .45.
They are like $3.50 each.
For .22 cal - https://leeprecision.com/22-cal-heavy-duty-guided-decapper.html
All of them - https://leeprecision.com/search.php?mode=search&page=1&keep_https=yes
So.. mine came with that. But I already had 1000 cases deprimed. So I just tried using it without belling the month. It works ok enough. Just occasionally needs to be jiggle.
85MikeTPI
Ultimate Member
So I went through 3K of 357sig brass, one pass on the 40sw carbide die, and a second through the steel 357sig die. It wasn't without issue but definitely made the process much quicker than the lee turret.
I readjusted to start the 223 NATO and followed the ARFCOM article tips posted above, that really helped the rhythm. But one issue I have that I haven't seen mentioned, is my collator just hates the 223 brass. I spend minutes trying to twist and shake the collator to get the brass to drop and I'm usually lucky to get one of the four tubes to fill. The 357sig would drop like butter and I could even fill the collator and they would continue to fill the tubes during processing. But nothing I've tried can get consistent 223 case drops and I'm wondering if the aftermarket collator mentioned is the key ? Any thoughts?
I readjusted to start the 223 NATO and followed the ARFCOM article tips posted above, that really helped the rhythm. But one issue I have that I haven't seen mentioned, is my collator just hates the 223 brass. I spend minutes trying to twist and shake the collator to get the brass to drop and I'm usually lucky to get one of the four tubes to fill. The 357sig would drop like butter and I could even fill the collator and they would continue to fill the tubes during processing. But nothing I've tried can get consistent 223 case drops and I'm wondering if the aftermarket collator mentioned is the key ? Any thoughts?
mtlcafan79
Ultimate Member
https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Design...e-PRO-1000-and-Loadmaster-Press-/324331921262
That is supposed to work better for rifle cases. I'll find out in a week or so.
That is supposed to work better for rifle cases. I'll find out in a week or so.
85MikeTPI
Ultimate Member
My "New Design" collator arrived yesterday and seems to be the ticket for 223 (and I presume 300bo) brass. I have the Swager humming and, except for the occasional brass "avalanche" out of the tubes on a 45deg angle, I've gone through about 1000 cases.
One "flaw", I haven't thought of a solution yet, is that sometimes the case being fed into position will "launch" out of the jaws and continue on down the chute. I try to eyeball the approx area in the box where it landed and run about a dozen cases through again, but it's not always reliable. With decapping it was easy to see which one launched, but with swaging, not so much..
85MikeTPI
Ultimate Member
I saw the Lee Press decap conversion kit on midway sale and ordered one as it "looked" like it would work with the APP Swage kit.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1023264245?pid=575619
I installed it last evening and decapped a dozen crimped NATO LC brass without effort/issue.. Seems like a nice inexpensive
"Universal" decapping solution for the APP if you already have the Swage kit..
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1023264245?pid=575619
I installed it last evening and decapped a dozen crimped NATO LC brass without effort/issue.. Seems like a nice inexpensive
"Universal" decapping solution for the APP if you already have the Swage kit..
Lee APP on order and shipped from Midway yesterday.
I"m looking to do 223, 9 and 45ACP.
I also ordered the Lee swager even though I have an RCBS.
I also ordered the ebay collator bin
That should get me started. I have LOTS of 223 brass built up. And although I don't need it right away, I"m gearing up to prep brass over the thanksgiving and Christmas holidays as I have some vacation time I need to use or lose. If it rains, I'll be reloading. If its not, I'll be shooting and thus have the need to replenish my reloads
I"m looking to do 223, 9 and 45ACP.
I also ordered the Lee swager even though I have an RCBS.
I also ordered the ebay collator bin
That should get me started. I have LOTS of 223 brass built up. And although I don't need it right away, I"m gearing up to prep brass over the thanksgiving and Christmas holidays as I have some vacation time I need to use or lose. If it rains, I'll be reloading. If its not, I'll be shooting and thus have the need to replenish my reloads
85MikeTPI
Ultimate Member
Lee APP on order and shipped from Midway yesterday.
I"m looking to do 223, 9 and 45ACP.
I also ordered the Lee swager even though I have an RCBS.
I also ordered the ebay collator bin
That should get me started. I have LOTS of 223 brass built up. And although I don't need it right away, I"m gearing up to prep brass over the thanksgiving and Christmas holidays as I have some vacation time I need to use or lose. If it rains, I'll be reloading. If its not, I'll be shooting and thus have the need to replenish my reloads
Good deal. The APP is great for prepping brass to be loaded at a later time.
I later added the upgraded handle, brass catch bin, and mounting plates if I ever wanted to swap in/out my other lee presses.
Definitely go through the ARFCOM link in post #2, it has a lot of tips and tricks that help out with making the APP run better. (spring rod, slide pusher cut outs, etc.)
Pistol works well, but I had issues with 223/5.56. Even properly lubed and tried a couple different lubes I ripped the rim off about every 40 rounds and had to hammer the case out from a lee sizing die. I didn’t try my Hornady sizing die as those aren’t nearly so easy to remove cases from.
But the App does work wonderfully for swaging primer pockets. I just used my lee classic for resizing. Somewhat slower, but not too horrible for 1400 cases. Well, okay like 900. I ran 500 through the app before giving up. A different sizing die may have made the difference.
And pistol cases it zooms with and no issues sticking.
85MikeTPI
Ultimate Member
I used my RCBS small base 223 dies and a lanolin spray (dried for 1hr since my bench is in the cool basement) and haven't ripped a rim in over 10gal of brass processed..
YMMV
- Feb 4, 2013
- 28,175
Personally, I would not size on an APP.
I look at it as a brass prep tool. So decap and swage.
I look at it as a brass prep tool. So decap and swage.
The problem is that you gotta size before you can trim.
85MikeTPI
Ultimate Member
I've had no problem resizing spray lubed 223 on a steel RCBS die and unlubed 357sig on a carbide die. I decap-only NATO 5.56 brass because its
all destined for the chop saw and eventual 300bo conversion, but even then I spray lube and process (resize) the cut brass on the APP with a
RCBS small base die.
So maybe it's just the RCBS dies that allow this, but I don't understand why that would be ??
all destined for the chop saw and eventual 300bo conversion, but even then I spray lube and process (resize) the cut brass on the APP with a
RCBS small base die.
So maybe it's just the RCBS dies that allow this, but I don't understand why that would be ??
Or it could be my lee just proves to be stickier. I’ve tried Hornady one shot lube as well as lanolin spray with similar results. Lanolin seemed to work a little better.
I am not opposed to trying it again at some point. Though with 1400 cases that just need to be swaged now it’ll probably be a couple of years before I try to bulk prep 223/5.56 again. I will try the App for .308/7.62 soon as I’ve got probably 800 cases there I need to prep to start working up loads.
guzma393
Active Member
I'm still on the fence since it was released as I invested in progressives and a bench swager (FA vertical bench swager) for brass prep. I really do like the streamlined swaging feature, but I feel like that's not enough to completely replace my bench swager/justify another equipment purchase. Perhaps what i really want to do is to switch over to the blue side and get a dillon with a sizing die, trimming setup, and swage attachment to mass process 223 and do 300 blackout conversions.
Anyone use the App for sizing cast bullets? I do most of my plainbased sizing operations on my lee turret outfitted with the lee bullet feeder installed along the sizer die where the bullet feeder will feed the casts into the bullet feeder die. Only other thing I can see the app useful is if it would streamline the installation of gas checks as the app sizes bullets upside down, where you can insert a gas check when the bullet falls in the sizing bushing and ram it down, crimping the gascheck to the base and sizing the cast at the same time (currently do this with a lee hand press). This is purely out of speculation on how the mechanism works though, so any insight on this matter would be helpful.
Anyone use the App for sizing cast bullets? I do most of my plainbased sizing operations on my lee turret outfitted with the lee bullet feeder installed along the sizer die where the bullet feeder will feed the casts into the bullet feeder die. Only other thing I can see the app useful is if it would streamline the installation of gas checks as the app sizes bullets upside down, where you can insert a gas check when the bullet falls in the sizing bushing and ram it down, crimping the gascheck to the base and sizing the cast at the same time (currently do this with a lee hand press). This is purely out of speculation on how the mechanism works though, so any insight on this matter would be helpful.
Still working through swaging those primer pockets. Going okay. I finally went back and looked at the tips and took one of them for the 223/5.56 brass. I've been having a hard time getting through more than about 30 pieces before a case or cases will go flying, shot out, drop, whatever. If you take the .223 height block, flip it around for the bullet feeder size, measure a case and then cut it off with a knife or snips. That'll support the case better when it drops so it doesn't sometimes flip/tip out. Still the occasional mess up, but it is more like once every 80-100 rounds I need to go fish a piece of brass off the ground or whatever.
Which at the rate I can yank the handle and feed it is probably 600-800 cases an hour. Maybe even somewhat more. Of course it is has been playing and adjusting with it to get to this point. But I've done about 1000 cases in maybe 2hrs of work. Going to cruise through the last 400 odd this evening.
Which at the rate I can yank the handle and feed it is probably 600-800 cases an hour. Maybe even somewhat more. Of course it is has been playing and adjusting with it to get to this point. But I've done about 1000 cases in maybe 2hrs of work. Going to cruise through the last 400 odd this evening.
