Lee Loadmaster

[Guest canebreaker]

Is anyone using a loadmaster? I have questions.

I guess this is an older one. The primer trough is light gray. I long gated the primer hole last night, so I'll be getting a black one soon.

The powder dish has a gray smoke square hopper. If that gives you something to go on for age. What make the powder dish work? Is there a spring suppose to be there? Where? And the part number.

[Raoul]

Good luck. I didn't have much luck with that particular model. I suggest you call Lee.

[dlm37015]

i have a pile of them i sold and then had to buy back cause they are junk .lee makes lots of great sruff but the loadmaster aint one of them

[Guest canebreaker]

I agree on the junk. I'm looking at replacing about $40. to $70. worth of parts and still will it halfA work.

I watched a bunch of reloading with it on youtube, looks so good. I guess that's the brand new ones.

But it could have taken 5 hours to make a 8 minute film.

My son bought a Lee 1000 press setup for 9mm off ebay at christmas from WA state. It's still being held at the post office there for some reason, He can't get any info from the seller I told him to call the seller, get the post office number and call them. Or request a refund.

[rstandley]

I upgraded and tweeked my loadmasters and have no problems with them. Once you learn their special issues, they run like clockwork. I load several thousand rounds a year on mine. I would agree that they are not for someone who lacks a good undersanding of mechanics, tinkertoy mechanics that is.

[TNWNGR]

I ran a Lee Pro 1000 for a few years loading 38 Special ammunition with it, once I put it up to store it that finished it. As for the Load Master I suggest you go to U-tube and view some of the video instruction clips because it can be made to work pretty well. Mostly is depends on how well you know how to tinker and tweak the Lp1k and LLM in getting them to run. People keep buying them because of the price and if you don't change calibers or tear them down once dialed in they're ok. FWIW I don't own a Lp1k or LM now but do have the Classic Cast turret press. As well as some green and blue presses.

[Guest canebreaker]

I got parts in friday and worked on it some sat., sun, and monday. Got it going tonight. I loaded 9m til I lost the last primer in the window, guessing 95. I had issues with the shell plate nut backing off and jamming up things. I pulled every case to check primer seating and charge level before placing bullet . It was slow, but I'm ready.

[Guest canebreaker]

I cranked out a few rounds tonite after tiger left. Noticed the rounds were coming out short. I didn't check the seating die before, it was full of alox. It will spend the night in paint thinner.

[rstandley]

note on Loadmasters; When the last primers drops below the slot on the primer window, stop and add more primers, not having enough primers to in the trough will cause it to miss priming a shell. Do not let an empty slot come around to the priming station, It will flip the primer, sometime on it side. Take the primer feeder apart every 5000 primers and clean it. A small drop of blue lock tight on the shell holder nut will stop the loosing problem. Seat the primers hard, that is I put about 2 nut flats more than what is needed to seat the primer, I don't have primer issues. any other problem you may have I am sure that I have already been their.

[Guest canebreaker]

Thanks rstandley, I see you are right around the corner when I was living in nashville. Do you shoot at stones river?

The die got a good cleaning this morning and back into the system. It took 6 rounds to get it down to the height I wanted. I'll reseat them later today. I saw the watching the primer window on utube, I didn't see about the washing.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

That article posted a few days ago, comparing Dillon, Hornady, and loadmaster-- It said that you can buy an optional metal shield to protect the user in case the primer tray goes off. Do any of ya'll use that?

[Guest canebreaker]

This one had it on there when I got it. But it was a bother working around it. So it's off for now. It's for safety, it will go back on.

[Raoul]

Yeah it's a real treat when a primer pops off in one of those presses.

[Guest canebreaker]

I was going good and watching everything. Last primer cleared the top window so I stopped to refill everything. Standing finished rounds in trays, I found one that the primer is cocked. It's not turned on it's side, it's at an angle. 1 so far to redone.

[rstandley]

Do you have the resizing die at the priming station, I have found it helps to align the brass better. I use a plan decapping die at station one. Also some brass may have a burr in the primer pocket causing this problem. I also have had old primers not fall out of the brass and get put back in with the new primer, you will feel some added pressure when this happens, it may fire off. Always wear glasses when priming. I set one off once and it set off about 75 within .20 of a second. makes for a great WTF moment. I never found the primer tray. I shoot at Gallatin and Dickson

[Guest canebreaker]

I had the bullet fed option on this press. The tip was chewed up so I got a replaement. I got everything going up to that point, then replaced it. The first bullet inserted and the tip is chewed up. So now I have to place the bullets in the cases. I took that seating die, removed the guts and moved it to the priming station on the turret. The utube that I watched, said to remove the guts from either the decapper or seating die and place it in the primer station for better alignment.

[Guest canebreaker]

I didn't answer that the right way. On the turret, station 1 is the resizing die with decapping pin. Station 2, priming, is a seating die without guts or cap. Station 3 is the powder through, expanding die. Station 4 is the seating die. Station 5 is open.

It's doing good, just a mess up every now and then. I've loaded 7 1/2 trays so far, 6 short rounds, about 25 mm. 4 loaded with primers cocked. Which I pulled the bullets, poured the powder back and decaped the primers. Now ready to load them again.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Have watched all the loadmaster videos on youtube. Get the impression it could be a fun machine especially if somebody is skilled enough to get a loadmaster carefully tweaked for a single caliber and load, and then leave it set up thataway forever. Some folks use Dillon SDB's the same way, and SDB's don't have a case or bullet feeder. Might try playing with a loadmaster sometime.

I like the low-budget simplicity of the bullet and case feeders. Loading up primers looks lots faster than primer pickup tubes for a dillon or hornady progressive. Takes me awhile to fill a primer pickup tube. And a dillon automatic pickup tube filler machine costs as much as an entire loadmaster. Have not yet managed to light off a primer when reloading, but without a guard over the lee primer mechanism, would make me nervous.

In principle I like that the loadmaster primer seating can be set for depth, rather than seating "for feel" on some of the dillons or hornady. Sometimes I have trouble knowing if a primer seated correctly "from feel".

Lately been hand-priming with an RCBS hand tool, which is nice. Feel is great, and as long as one pays attention it seems real unlikely to mess up real bad. I think I can load faster on the SDB by decapping/priming before loading on the SDB, because I don't have to worry about priming at all during loading and can pay more attention to other stuff.

So maybe it would be "even more gooder" with a loadmaster, if the case and bullet feed could be adjusted reliable. If one is already primed before starting in on the loadmaster, then if the case and bullet feed is reliable enough, then wouldn't have to worry about canted primers or the primer mechanism running dry or whatever?

[rstandley]

Check the primer trough and the area where the black primer slider is for burrs and smooth operation. Also check that the the arm is not hitting the shell retainer. Alittle vasloine at the pivoit point helps the movement too. I mounted a light so I can clearly see the primers move down when the shell plate rotates.

[Guest canebreaker]

I was using the bore inspection light that I bought at harbor freight. The light is small and light blue in color. I had it mounted with a rubber band, with the flex light over the seating die so I could see the powder. I found a book reading light at dollar tree. They are different colors, but clear. The battery box has a clip, so it's on the seating die. the flex head is pointed down to that case. But the head is so much bigger, I can see everything under the turret. I picked up all the extra lube points off utube. Thanks

[Guest canebreaker]

Ok, I loaded 1 1/2 30 cal cans of 9m ammo on this press. Now I want to move on to something else. 38 spl., nope the cases won't go through the shell plate for feeding. I look online and order a new plate kit for large cal. I got it in the mail today, nope they won't go through. I got the same as I have. I double check the site and found this. There are 3 different size shell feed plate kits for the press, but only 1 part number. I sent them an email, hope they can correct the problem.

TR2449A, TR2449D, TR2449E= 90663

There should be 3 different 90000 numbers.

[rstandley]

On a loadmaster, 9mm is a 19s, #90920, 38spl is a 1s, #90907

[dlm37015]

Yeah it's a real treat when a primer pops off in one of those presses.

i had a tube in a dillon 1050 go off one time still never figured out how it happened

i was sure glad there wasnt any open powder on my bench

[Guest canebreaker]

On a loadmaster, 9mm is a 19s, #90920, 38spl is a 1s, #90907

That's the shell plate numbers.

I need the right case feeder, which I'm told is 90658.

But it's not there on the website.

Look at these, 1 says large-lg, 1 says small-sm, and 1 says rifle. But all have a 90663 part number. Where is the 90658 number? TR2449A, D and E

A 9m case will go through the sm and rifle size, 90663, but a 38 spl. 357 won't.

http://leeprecision....r-plate-lg.html

http://leeprecision....r-plate-sm.html

http://leeprecision....late-rifle.html

Edited March 6, 2012 by canebreaker

[Guest canebreaker]

Dang the heck I'm getting from Lee.

They post the wrong part. I order it. Now they want me to ship it back and order the right part.

Shipping to me was 5.81, what's it going to cost to return?

Then another part with shipping on it. No way.

They didn't post it right, they ought to have to pay for the return.

If I have to pay to return it, get my money back and go elsewhere to buy it.

And stay off their site.