Just went to Lee's website and read the instructions again. It does mention the indexing adjustment like in the video. Page 6 of the instructions under "Changing the shell plate" towards the bottom. I never saw that before. Loose shell plate could have been a large part of the problems I had. OH well. Not going to give up my Dillon XL650 now.
Yeah, machines generally work better when they're tuned and adjusted properly. Also helps to remember any and all progressives are built to a price point. The higher that price, the more refinement you get and the better the instructions. That said, any and all progressives are cheap for what they do.
Similiar machines designed for manufacturing, tend to start at 4000 and go quickly upward and they need tweaking, tuning and repair too. And you usually don't get any instructions much. Instead, you pay the company to install it, then you hire a technician to keep it running for you.
Add to that most all these machines were designed for pistol reloading, not rifle and you have even more "stuff" to deal with. They all have flaws, bugagoos and things that can be improved on. Take Dillon, for example, their charge bar on their powder measure leaks and can be improved upon with tuning and aftermarket add ons, like the Whidden Gunworks charge bar. Or for that matter, the Whidden Gunworks tool head to remove movement in the shell plate and improve upon COAL. Or even adding a Hornady or RCBS or Lee powder measure for powders the Dillon measure doesn't handle well. Then, Inlne Fabrications makes a strong mount and a roller handle that's superior to the Dillon's, so those can be added. It's all in what you want to do and how much you want to spend.
Fact is, at the very low price point any and all of these progressives are offered at for what they do, it's surprising any of them work at all out of the box and most all of them do not work at their full potential and can be significantly improved with tuning, modifications, after market add-ons, etc. All of them are really best looked at as progressive reloading kits in various stages of completion, based on price.
The question then becomes, how much time, how much money, how much mechanical aptitude does one have and how much is one willing to put into a certain brand of machine to get it to it's full potential. If the answer to this is "as much as it takes" to get it to where I want it," then any of the machines can be made to run incredibly well.
My preferred press I've owned the last few years is an RCBS Pro 2000. Flawless running, perfect primer system, but was not perfect out of the box and I had teething issues due to a bad batch of subplates that had a hole drilled off by a fraction of a millimeter, just enough to through priming off. I could have let myself get totally PO'ed and sent it back, got my money back and got something else. Instead, I worked through it with RCBS, found out and replaced the bad subplate, adjusted the press and since then, it's been boringly reliable for several years. But it could be improved with a case feeder system. I saw where GWHIS on another forum came up with a manually operated one. I felt I could design a fully automated one. I decided on a Lee feeding system as the basis for making one, as the Hornady is kind of a kludge and the Dillon one, while it works well, takes ridiculous amounts of "caliber conversion" parts for each caliber at prices designed to help Dillon relieve me of lots of money.
And I wanted a "toy" to play with during the winter months to entertain me this winter. So I bought a Lee Loadmaster a couple of weeks ago after doing a lot of research. I've done a lot of tuning on it, several mods and I'm planning on a few more. I've already got it to feeding and processing 308 Winchester brass through it. The plan is to add a home built electric case collator and a bullet feeder to it, get it running and see how it does. After that, I am going to take what I learned from tuning the Lee case feed system and use it to add case & bullet feeding to my RCBS Pro 2000. Then I'll have two presses about as automated as I want them to be. But then, I could look at adding a power drive to operate the handle....can't have JMorris having all the fun....
The first key to getting a Loadmaster to work is a solid mount. Bolting the base to a couple of boards and clamping it to the kitchen table is asking for problems.
75% of my issues went away after I set up a dedicated loading bench. Mine was originally a school lab bench with a steel base and a sheet of chip board. I mounted large pad adjustable feet to level it with. then cut a sheet of 3/4 MDF in half and screwed that to the chip board top. That alone weighs in at around 250Lbs. Then I cut pieces of butcher block to elevate each loader and mounted each loader to a piece of 3/8 aluminum. then the aluminum was screwed into the butcher block. They just do NOT move any more. Even when more than one at a time is being used. No need for a shake brake. Mike does have some great fixes for the LM if you are having issues
Attachment 154845Attachment 154846
Do, or do not.
There is no try.
Yoda
Mine is mounted solid and does not move.
Do you reload 9mmOriginally Posted by Blanco
I have an offer for you Kryogen.
Ship your Loadmaster to me and I will help you get it working correctly.
I have a pretty good working knowledge of what makes them tick, and I am pretty good at getting them to do their job.
Do, or do not.
There is no try.
Yoda
Yes I do load 9mm and .40S&W and .45 ACP and 38/357
Do, or do not.
There is no try.
Yoda
Good looking bench Blanco, mine is a one I built from plans from an old Rifleman mag, 2x6 underlayment with 3/4" birch plywood top. No movement.
Best thing to do with any Lee press, take the instructions, don't even look at them and toss them in the trash. Go online to youtube and forums dedicated to lee. The written instructions are worse than useless.
forget the shipping i'm from canada and shipping usa/can is a huge ***....
I have tightened the shellplate by unscrewing the indexing rod 2 turns, and I'll find some 030 wire to mod the 19s shellplate for 9mm so it will center the case over the priming arm. That should help a lot.
Having a die over the priming station isnt good for 9mm because the die is not centered with the priming arm. it would be for 40, but not for 9mm.
Will report after trying that.
Lee (or someone else) should definitely make a "9mm only" shellplate that would hold the case properly, and center it properly over the dies or priming arm.
Not loading 9mm myself, but from what I'm reading, 9mm seems to be the culprit on most of the issues. Have you tried loading other calibers? How does it do on them?
If the case is loose in the shell plate, that would likely be a huge part of the issue and your rite, Lee should make a 9mm only shell plate. Should be cost effective as well considering the number of people that load and shoot 9mm, it's not like it's an odd ball obsolete caliber like a 45-75 or something. Since magic mike is making custom turrets, maybe he could make a custom shell plate?
I reload 9mm because I shoot 9mm. I don't care about other calibers.
There should be a 9mm only shellplate that actually fits.
I just bought some .032 wire (20 gauge) at walmart in the crafts section. Will try it epoxied on the shellplate like mike recommends. Supposed to center the 9mm over the priming arm
This, and the tightening of the shellplate should, hopefully, fix it for the priming issue.
if I could prime on the press, that would be a huge time saver...
I agree, just saying if you did load for other calibers it would eliminate other variables and confirm the shell plate is the issue. I'm just guessing as I don't load for 9mm. If theres that much slop in it though, don't understand why Lee doesn't make a dedicated shell plate being that it's a popular caliber.
So where are the pics of the setup?
,,, stupidity comes to some people very easily. 8/22/2017 Pat Lengyel (my wife) in a discussion about Liberals.
going to try the wire tonight, but I'm ordering a 650 with casefeeder anyway this week probably, with setups for 223 and 9mm. No time to waste trying to get an economy press working.
I just in box and got it put together now time to dial it in.
Please report once you have had the chance to try the case collator, feeder and priming system.
what caliber will you be loading? I think that the press works much better with 45 vs 9mm.
I hand feed only now, as its just more complex to switch calibers if using the feeder, and also 9mm ends up upside down in the collator, and 223 often tips or falls.
we will see if the indexer rod trick plus the shellplate .030 wire mod help.
i think that 9mm and 223 are the worst calibers to reload on that press.
the turret is always loose also, need to tighten every 50 rounds or so.
the powder measure reset lampchain is always in the way
the press works ok to flare, drop, bullet and crimp. I use it with sized and primed brass to do the loading operation. It works reliably that way.
i dont blame the lee brand. That press costs somewhere around 3-4 times less than a loaded xl650, and same thing applies to caliber changes.
I am in the process of ordering a fully loaded 650 for 9mm and 223. Will cost around 2300$ cad(should have bought last year when dollar was even, now it costs me x1.3). Shipping is like 500$ to canada also. Oh well, i sold 6 guns this year anyway to reduce the calibers tat i had to reload for, and to pay for the 650.
i will probably just sell my loadmaster once the 650 is setup and running.
Well got the RV parked in Colorado and spent a week at home reloading a bunch of stuff. Dave you stated, "not having a shell plate selection for calibers not very common is poor justification for not buying a press." Why in the hell would I buy a piece of equipment if it doesn't fill a need? The 500 S&W is not very common Dave? Who are you to tell ME what I can load on what press?
My wife and I spend two - three days a week reloading on a single stage in the RV. Not fun. I carry a huge Rubbermaid tub just for kegs of powder not pounds. We look forward to going home to the ranch to pump out mass quantities of ammo. Meanwhile there is no room in the rig for my 550 and all the different shellplates and heads. Yes I own just about every one of them and use them!
Let's see, you have owned every make of progressive - a 550b, LNL, 2000 and now a LM. What's the matter? Can't find a progressive to meet your needs? I did. Little did I know back in the 80s that the one progressive I bought a 450 would morph into the 550 and accumlating shellplates over time, I can load from .17 caliber to .50 caliber non BMG stuff. This year alone I purchased 16 Encore/Contender and Savage 110 barrels. None are stuff you can buy loaded ammo for but one barrel a 26 Nosler. I can load and DO on the 550b.
Dave, the only press on the market but I fear RCBS will faze it out sometimes soon, that can load as many cartridges as the 550 is the 2000. Is that my opinion or is that fact? You going to tell me that when you started reloading you haven't added a few firearms along the way? When buying a progressive look at what you have today and then 30 years down the regret your purchase? I haven't but you have.
I didn't buy a progressive to load just 38s on. I bought one so I don't have to pull the handle on a single stage or turret numerous times! This year I took a Texas Dall Ram and my wife took a 350 lb sow. Both loaded on a 550. Cases formed on a single stage. The headstamps of the cartridge was a 30-30 and a 475 Linebaugh for my wife. Both short necked, blown out cartridges with a single purpose. My ram taken at 85 yds with a pistol and her's was 50 feet with a pistol. Meanwhile over a 1k rounds were put through their paces and practice to match. Backup handguns were the 500 Linebaugh and 455 GNR. There are over 500 rounds fired through the Linebaugh in three months. She shoot double that with her's.
Lee produced shellplates for the 500 S&W on the custom order side. Why they haven't is a mystery. Funny thing is, unless someone asks Lee what is going on is pure speculation and a fool's endeaver. I own three different calibers based on the cartridge.
My point is this. Before you buy a progressive, think more than a couple of decades down the road. It's your money. If it wasn't for T/C and Savage, my purchases would be quite less.
So Dave, you may think my opinion has no value. I hope we can meet face to face someday to discuss this. As VHoward says you have the right to your opinion as I do. The difference is, I don't devalue your opinion.
take care,
r1kk1
I buy the Lee because that want I can buy. All the money I had save up. I loss my job 4 years ago and was on unemployment for 13 months. me, my wife and now 7 year old son loss everything. Are house, are nice car, are 401. And move into my mother in-law. I sold ever gun I had to keep food on the table. And then my mother buy be a airplane ticket to come visit her in FL and a week I want on 16 interviews. Getting 7 job out of that. And I pack all I had into a 20 ft box truck and moving from Maryland to FL from Md. Barring money from friends and family for the move.
I been smelting lead and selling on eBay to help my family. And in 6 months I have make ok money. I have been able to feed my family and pay off one car. Then my wife say go and buy a loading press. You work hard for it.
I only own 4 cal guns.
9mm HK usp compact.
30-30 Winchester golden spike 1969 replica inherited from my father.
30-06 rifles inherited from my father.
And a 22 gsg-8 for my son.
I love to build and rebuild. So I do not care if it take me 2 week to tweet it get good ammo.
I target practice and conceal carry, and I don't hunt anymore. Because I to not have time.
Asked in another LM thread but I didn't see this one, so.
Does anyone have photos (maybe even a side by side) showing the difference between the two different styles of primer slides, they could post?
.
I have 9 mm dies and die plate if you need them they are yours.
"What makes you think I care" ........High Plains Drifter
Rick C.
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