Lee Pro 4000 Caliber Change and Loading 6.5 Grendel

In this article I’ll pick up where I left off in my first LEE Pro 4000 article (unboxing, setup, loading 9mm). This time I’ll show a caliber conversion, we’ll add the Safety Prime, and load some 6.5 Grendel!

What You Need for a Pro 4000 Caliber Change

For each caliber change you perform with the LEE Pro 4000, you’ll need some parts and pieces which will depend on which cartridge you’re switching from, and what caliber you’re switching to. Here’s a picture of the parts/pieces I needed to change the Pro 4000 over from 9mm to 6.5 Grendel:

Pictured above, on left parts that are included in the Pro 4000 kit:

  • Safety prime arm and primer flip tray
  • Case inserter riser
  • Auto Drum drum insert (large, rifle)
  • Primer rocker (not swapped in this case since both cartridges use small primers)

Pictured above on right (purchased for caliber conversion):

I also opted to use three new LEE Breech Lock integral bushings with lock ring eliminator: (gold bushing came with press)

Here you can check out my LEE Lock ring update: (full article HERE)

Changing Calibers

The first step changing calibers is to tear down the components that will require parts changes:

  • Remove powder measure
  • Remove case feeder (if changing case feed configuration)
  • Remove dies and bushings
  • Remove indexing rod (seen in picture above)
  • Remove ejector bar and shellplate (center allen bolt tightens/loosens shellplate)
  • Remove primer rocker

The second step is to change out parts:

  • Install new shellplate
  • Install ejector bar
  • Install new bushings (I used lock ring eliminator type)
  • Swap drum in Auto Drum Powder Measure (if needed)
  • Install powder die, adjust die height, powder charge
  • Install and adjust sizer/de-primer, bullet seater, crimping die (if used)
  • Install appropriate size primer rocker and Safety Prime components

The third step is to configure the case feeder:

  • Change drop tube configuration (large or small)
  • Install or remove case inserter riser block (if needed)
  • Install drop tube assembly and adjust height (coin used on top of case to set height)

Die Stations for 6.5 Grendel Setup

I used 3 out of 4 stations for my 6.5 Grendel setup on the Pro 4000:

  1. Sizer/De-Primer
  2. Powder charge
  3. Bullet Seating
  4. [empty – could use crimp die]

This setup worked great!

Loading 6.5 Grendel with the Pro 4000

Loading 6.5 Grendel ammunition with the Pro 4000 was very fast compared to using a single stage! Each pull of the handle yields a fresh 6.5 Grendel cartridge- that’s satisfying!

Here’s the user input for each round of ammunition:

  1. Pull the handle DOWN
  2. Activate Safety Prime (push forward until it clicks), withdraw Safety Prime
  3. Pull handle UP
  4. Place a bullet at station #3 (shown in picture above)

Load Specifics

For this loading session, I used the following load:

Use load data at your own risk. Ultimate Reloader is not responsible for errors in load data on this website. Always cross-reference load data with manufacturer’s published data.

Get Yours at Midsouth Shooters

The Pro-4000 is available in a variety of calibers at Midsouth Shooters Supply:

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Thanks,
Gavin

One thought on “Lee Pro 4000 Caliber Change and Loading 6.5 Grendel”

  1. Gavin,
    Thank you for another great review! Unfortunately, many shooters are too quick to dismiss the utilitarian and economical benefits of Lee products. It’s refreshing to see someone willing to test and report on Lee equipment. I’ve had good success producing quality match grade ammo using Lee products for many decades.

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