Lee Loadmaster

[joeatact]

How good/bad is this press? Have Heard more negitive reports then positive.

Joe

[Moonie]

I love mine, don't like the priming on them though.

[sparky45]

I had two of them, operative word HAD. Couldn't for the life of me get the priming figured out. Lots of folks have them and love them, they just weren't for me.

[Puddin99]

Check out this site:
http://loadmastervideos.com/

[wpfontenot]

Love mine, it runs like a top. Though I imagine if the timing got off even a little bit it would be a nightmare

[Whiterabbit]

people tell me make sure you have a sizing die in station 2 then priming works like a champ. So the case is 100% perfectly aligned with the plunger.

I've been thinking about them for no other reason than the inexpensive case feeder. Brilliant idea for those of us who don't care to spend $300 on JUST a case feeder!

[Acronn]

Works great, you have to learn how to use it though. It's not hard to figure out if you are interested. It takes time and patience to reload. The videos on YouTube are very helpful. The instructions on how to run the press from Lee are okay, but watching a video is much easier. It gets easier once you start using the press.

I made my small case feeder into a large case feeder by making a single hole feeder out of wood. I just install one tube of empty cases at a time. Works great. So what that I can't just rotate another tube full of cases. I simply just put another tube in.

[Lloyd Smale]

had one and its long gone. If anything i had more trouble with it then the pro1000s. Mostly primer problems.

[garym1a2]

Primer systems does not work!!!!

After a while the indexings system stops working. Case feeder needs treaking to work. Knob fell off.
I should have spent the extra $150 and got a Dillon 550B.

[dragonrider]

IMHO they are junk. This is not true for most of Lee's stuff, but it is for that press.

[Rayc384]

I have been using one for about 12 years. I do not prime on it. I size the brass and prime by hand and store the brass, later loading them at a good rate. Every couple of years, the timing gets off and has to be adjusted, no big thing. A couple of parts wear, but they are cheap.

I reload 10 different cartridges on it, very easy to switch .

[zomby woof]

I have two. The priming system has been upgraded. it takes a little tinkering to make them hum. If you can't turn a screwdriver, it may not be for you.

[seagiant]

Hi Zomby,
I'm just curious what you did to get the priming system going? I saw where a guy attached the vibrators from an old cell phone to the off side of the primer track!

[sparky45]

I have two. The priming system has been upgraded. it takes a little tinkering to make them hum. If you can't turn a screwdriver, it may not be for you.

Takes a little more than a PHD in screwdriver to get it to hum and keep it there. Over on Loadmasters website their number one complaint or trouble with the press is the priming system.

[Lloyd Smale]

Problem with that is that if you have to run them through twice you might as well use a turent press.
I have been using one for about 12 years. I do not prime on it. I size the brass and prime by hand and store the brass, later loading them at a good rate. Every couple of years, the timing gets off and has to be adjusted, no big thing. A couple of parts wear, but they are cheap.

I reload 10 different cartridges on it, very easy to switch .

[Rayc384]

Well, when I tried to prime on the press, I could average from 1 to 100 an hour before failures. By doing the two passes, when doing the final pass I can average 200-300 per hour, plus I do not have to handle the brass cases.

It was the cheaper solution at the time. I already had a turrent press, but it ate up time handling primers, cases and bullets.

[Rotaxxx]

I was looking at a loadmaster but decided to spend the extra $ and get a Hornady lock n load ap. I am still waiting for it to show up.

[44Vaquero]

I have had mine since they 1st came out (19 or 20 years ago)! Had a few growing pains at 1st and like any progressive the learning curve is steep. Now it's a trusted old friend that only loads 45 ACP, .38/.357 and .32 Mag!
I actually think it's loads of fun to operate (pun intended). I really do not see replacing it with anything else when you consider the bang for the buck factor. I think the case collator and bullet feeder are pure genius and both cost under 30 bucks.
Most of people have lots of opinion and prejudices about Lee equipment, is it a Hornady or a Dillion no, can it hold it's own yes..

[Cowboy T]

Personally, I'd suggest a Pro 1000 for the handgun rounds and a Classic Turret Press for the rifle rounds. The Pro 1000 gives you the progressive speed without the Loadmaster's added complexity, and the Classic Turret Press will reload anything short of the .50 BMG family, while still giving you decent speed and major ease of use/maintenance.

Personally, I wish Lee would take the 4-station Classic Turret Press and make a "Classic Pro 1000" version of it. That would totally rock.

[Whiterabbit]

Problem with that is that if you have to run them through twice you might as well use a turent press.

No case feeder on the turret.

[seagiant]

Hi 44 Vaquero,
I was wondering what your thoughts are on the primer system? This seems to be the #1 complaint! As an Engineer I can't help but wonder how hard it would be to make something that actually works 100% !!!

[44Vaquero]

Hey Seagiant,
I had problems with the primer system early on (Purchased mine in 1992!) and learned a few things:

1. Keep it clean!!!!! no dust, dirt etc.

2. Take the primer feed apart and look for excess mold flash on the pieces. Z-acto knife required.

3. Re-leave the underside of the opening the primer comes up through. ( I understand that new presses have an updated red primer feed chute.)

4. The primer system is gravity fed, keep the chute full at all times.

5. Youtube has several good videos on running this press and setting up the primer feed system.

6.Never ever short stroke the Loadmaster, Always work the lever stop to stop!!

7.Pay attention to what you are doing, all progressives have lots of things going on at once!

That's my 2-cents, YMMV!

[Whiterabbit]

As stated earlier, I've heard from owners that case alignment is critical for the primer ram to work properly, and that placing a sizer die in station 2 fixes problems with the primer action.

Has nothing to do with complains surrounding the primer hopper, but may solve primer action issues.

[pistolman44]

I have 2 of them set up. One for any caliber that takes a small primer and the other for any caliber that uses a large primer. Had them for over 10 years. You have to take your time operating them. Make sure you use a long steady stroke of the lever and never stop half way.

[seagiant]

Thanks 44,
You might want to look into the old cell phone vibrater (sp) trick. I had a simular set up on my Spolar Gold shotshell reloader and it does work!

[UNIQUEDOT]

As stated earlier, I've heard from owners that case alignment is critical for the primer ram to work properly, and that placing a sizer die in station 2 fixes problems with the primer action.

While i use a Lyman m die on many calibers in station two i have never found a need to have any die there and i don't have priming problems. When i got my press it was NIB yet the indexing was off! i thought to myself "no wonder people have problems with this press" especially so for an inexperienced reloader or one that can't comprehend to well the action of several things happening at once.

I set the indexing after mounting it and the press has never got out of timing. I don't have a clue as to why some people have priming problems with this press as it's so simple to understand any problems should be self explanatory. My press will prime down to the last two primers in the chute.

A few months ago i did a test where i ran several thousand filthy range cases through the press with only a deprime die in preparation for cleaning them. When i do this i always remove the priming system, but this time i left it in to see what effects it would have on it. I dumped dirt, trash, sand and all into the collator and after several days of this nonsense i removed the priming system and disassembled it to inspect it and it looked pretty much shot.

I set the press up for 9mm and loaded somewhere between 5 to 7 hundred rounds with the chewed up system and didn't have a single priming problem, but i changed over to .380 and had problems almost from the get go. I assume that others problems may come from loading very dirty brass. All i know is that if i want to load a thousand rounds of this or that i do not expect to have a single priming issue doing it and it's rare if i do.

As far as suggestions on the pro 1000...well i had that press and the loadmaster is at least twice the press the pk1 is...as far as that goes it's twice the press a square deal b is too! the pk1 and the sdb are the two clumsiest presses a man could hope to have if he intends to load them up pretty quick as bullet placement on those two presses are...well just plain clumsy. I suppose you could get used to them and it would be o.k. but i never could.

As far as the loadmaster goes all i can say is it's a top performer for me and i currently load nine calibers on it and i have used it for rifle cartridges without problems as well. I did modify a rifle case feeder to work with small pistol cartridges because i had it left over from my pk1 and was to cheap to buy a new one for the LM and i did have to modify a small case slider to work with all the small cases i load as it would only work with some, but i have been very pleased with the dependability of the loadmaster and no one can make me believe these presses have inherit priming problems. My time with the press has convinced me that the priming problems are user related.

If i were to buy a new press today and was interested in mostly pistol cartridges i wouldn't hesitate to buy another one, but if rifle cartridges were on the table for the same press i would get an rl550b. There isn't much that could go wrong with the 550 and it's only draw back is that it has only four stations. Still i hope to add one to my bench in the near future.

[44Vaquero]

UniqueDot,
You may be interested to know the 1st factory fix for the Loadmaster was as follows:
1.An etching compound to remove the chrome from the top of the ram Where the shell plate carrier attaches
2.An adhesive/friction compound applied after step 1 to the top of the ram.

As shipped from factory the carrier on mine would not maintain location very well. Production was changed shortly after.

I could not agree with your statements more, most issues do revolve around the user and his/her technique!

[Crash_Corrigan]

My first press was a Loadmaster. I struggled for two years with that piece of articulated junk and I gave up and bought a Dillon 550B. When the Loadmaster was running well nothing could touch it for speed and ease of use. I even used the bullet feeder and that thing could really churn out the rounds fast.

Alas the major stumbling block was the priming device. I never could get it to run without a snag for 100 rounds. I was always fiddling with it and it got tiresome to have to clean up the spilled powder from rounds without a primer in them.

The Dillon is not perfect but if you get a steady pace it will go along for hundreds of rounds without a hitch and adjustments are easy and simple.

Now I have a Dillon 550B, a Square Deal Press, a Lee Classic Turret Press (priming is still an issue), a Lyman Spar T (black powder only), a Midway single stage (decapping spent primers & sizing down too pudgy completed rounds) and a Lee Challenger along with a Lee hand press.

If I am making only a few rounds for testing then the Lee classic gets the nod. Once I have settled on a decent load and it has been tested for accuracy etc I get into production with either the Dillon 550B or the Square Deal Press.

Most of my rifle rounds (except .223 Rem) are done on the Lee Turret press as I usually only make 200 rounds at a time in rifle calibre.

The Loadmaster may be a perfect press for some people but not me.

[Moonie]

Hey Seagiant,
I had problems with the primer system early on (Purchased mine in 1992!) and learned a few things:

1. Keep it clean!!!!! no dust, dirt etc.

2. Take the primer feed apart and look for excess mold flash on the pieces. Z-acto knife required.

3. Re-leave the underside of the opening the primer comes up through. ( I understand that new presses have an updated red primer feed chute.)

4. The primer system is gravity fed, keep the chute full at all times.

5. Youtube has several good videos on running this press and setting up the primer feed system.

6.Never ever short stroke the Loadmaster, Always work the lever stop to stop!!

7.Pay attention to what you are doing, all progressives have lots of things going on at once!

That's my 2-cents, YMMV!

I updated my press with the new red chute, out of 100 rounds 2 explosions, it was bad before but never did that with the large feeder. On the other hand I've put over 300 through the new black (small primer) chute without a single problem, the old small one did blow a primer once. I debur them and lube them with powdered graphite. I always use a size die in station #2 as well.

[44Vaquero]

Moonie, as I have no experience with the newer "Red" chute your experience is worth noting! I have never had a primer explosion, it must be quite an exciting event. Do you know what lead up to the primer explosion? i.e. cocked primer, upside down, off center etc.
I have never needed to try the "sizing die" fix, but if it solves the problem for some users, it's just as good any other fix. Again it's a YMMV issue, production parts +/- being what they are, each unit may experience different issues.

[zomby woof]

Hi Zomby,
I'm just curious what you did to get the priming system going? I saw where a guy attached the vibrators from an old cell phone to the off side of the primer track!

The upgraded primer assemblies work much better. As stated above, keep it clean and alignment is a must for every station .

[gefiltephish]

My experience with the loadmaster pretty much mirrors Crash Corrigan's. However, it only took me 1yr to become completely discouraged with it. Sure I made it work, but I found it just too frustrating to have to constantly readjust every little thing. I don't mind tweaking things, but jeeze once it's fixed I expect it to stay that way. I'm sure Rube Goldberg loves Richard Lee. I've since bought an LNL and I'm sooo much happier now. The only thing I miss is the case loader, but I'm not spending 300 bucks on one as I'm not in that much of a hurry. I use the loadmaster occasionally for decapping larger quantities of brass before tumbling.

I swore up and down I'd never get another Lee press, but a few months ago I bought the LCT. Now that's a nice little tool that's a great value.

[davidalyn]

I had one...replaced it with a blue one about 18 years ago. The blue one has been great, in fact I loaded 300 rounds on it today.

[DLCTEX]

I had a couple of Lee Pro 100 presses and didn't do well with them. I have two Loadmasters and do very well with them. The new red primer chute has made primer feeding almost flawless. I use the Loadmaster for pistol only and like both the case and bullet feeders. Rifle are done on a Lee Classic Cast Turret (great press) or one of the RCBS single stage presses. I have a Lyman Turret press that broke the turret bolt five years ago and I haven't bothered to repair it yet.

[SlowSmokeN]

Not happy with mine. Like most others the primer system is just a pain. You would think Lee would see the number one complaint and fix it.