Lee Loadmaster

[markr]

I am shopping for a press and was reading reviews @ Midway for the Loadmaster. Man, there are a lot of pi$$ed off people, but there is always one or two reviews where folks are pleased as punch with the thing????? Do they work for Lee on the sly?

I found at least 3 different reviews on seperate Loadmasters, where the owners gave up, took the press to the range, and used it for target practice!

Any comments?

[fourrobert13]

IMO, if you like always having to fiddle with something to keep it running, then buy a Loadmaster. I owned one and only kept it for a month. Constantly having to adjust the priming system, and the auto index would get stuck all of the time. I sold it, got a Pro 1000 and wasn't much happier with it either. Had a primer get stuck, and then kaboom, 80 primers went off in my face. I have since settled on the Lee Classic Turret and couldn't be happier. One day, when I save up my pennies, I may get a Hornady LnL or a Dillon, but they are a bit to expensive for me at this time. If I had the cash to buy one of those presses, I probably wouldn't need to reload my own ammo, but that's me.

[markr]

Hope you weren't hurt in the KB.

Everyone else had the same problems as you. From the sounds of it, you can load just about as fast with the Classic turret, and folks seem to be happy with that one.

Funny, in quite a few reviews, the individual states that they threw out the Loadmaster and are now getting a Hornady LNL.

[rwilson452]

I have a loadmaster and after tuning it up, it is picky, I haven't had any trouble with it. some do some don't I can't give you why some people do but I know a group that likely has the answers.

http://forums.loadmastervideos.com/forums/

I think one of the problems is they didn't hire a tech writer but let the engineers write the manual.

no I don't work for Lee I'm retired from uncle's canoe club

[Foxbat]

You have to realize that when buying a Lee you are buying a low cost product. You can't expect it to perform just as well as the product costing three times as much.

Having said that, I have three Load Masters, and also own the Hornady and Dillon 650.

Why three? Because I like the convenience of simply going to the press and loading the caliber it is set to. I actually might buy another one or two later. And I can handle their minor issues.

HOWEVER... they can be tricky to set up. Once you have experience and if you are mechanically inclined, you can handle it. But it does seem to be more difficult to get started than the more expensive presses.

Also, there are many plastic parts... OK, let's say it - CHEAP plastic parts, and the do break. No too often, but still often enough to get some people upset. There are no such issues with the more expensive machines.

So if you can live with these shortcomings, go for it, it is great bargain. But if you would rather not worry about it, then pay more and get a Dillon.

I actually like certain aspects of them better than on the bigger brothers. I do prefer their primer system by a long shot, just wish it was made out of metal.

[nicknitro71]

Word to what Foxbat said.

I have a Loadmaster and I am happy with it. The initial set-up is not trivial and there are a few mods to be done that will make your life much easier.

As pointed out there is a loadmaster forum out there with great videos.

If you set it up with 5 dies, and follow all the instruction in the video it will run as good or better than any Dillon, and yes the press that I've used prior to the loadmaster was a Dillon Square-b.

The reson why I went with Lee is the ease of changing calibers. The press is also much more sturdy than a SB. And talking abotu plastic, look the material the SB 's handle is made out of!

[croc4]

I have one and never really had any problems with it in over a year, I didn't find set up very difficult, so I'm not sure what people are referring to when they mention setup issues. I try to keep mine as clean as possible to stop any grit from fouling anything, but you could say this about any machine I guess.

If I had the room I would buy another without a thought

Croc4

[bfox]

I am one of those replies on Midway .
Have two Loadmasters and like them .
It does take a little tinkering around to get it set up
right but then mine have been running good .

The Loadmaster forum that Darwin just started
has Excellent videos to get the press set up right .

Bill

[TexasSeaRay]

So if you can live with these shortcomings, go for it, it is great bargain. But if you would rather not worry about it, then pay more and get a Dillon.

I had more trouble in three months with the Dillon 650 than I've had in twenty-three years with my Lee Pro1000.

Am I saying Lee is superior in quality to Dillon. Of course not. What I am saying, though, is that neither brands are perfect and value and satisfaction are often in the eyes of the beholder.

By the time I got through buying everything I wanted for that 650, including case feeder, machine heads, etc etc, I'd dropped almost a thousand dollars. It was one exercise in frustration after another until I finally gave up. All because of one little cheap plastic part that was apparently broken when the press was shipped to me.

I like Dillon equipment and I like the Dillon folks. I've read--and heard--that right now the 650 is an albatross around their neck. The 550B is rock solid and what made Dillon's reputation--but I'm spoiled, big time, to my case feeder and collator on my Lee Pro1000. The 550 I have hasn't seen the top of my reloading bench in years--it's boxed up and in the back of one of my ammo cabinets.

I was considering the Super 1050, but I don't need a thousand rounds an hour and it, for a Dillon product, only carries a one-year warranty. This is a minimum investment of $1500+ dollars we're talking about, and it only carries a one-year warranty. Sorry, but I expect more from the boys in blue for something that expensive/pricey.

I paid, if I recall correctly, $99 for my Pro1000 back in '87 with my law enforcement discount. Since then, I have loaded very close to a hundred thousand rounds through it with only one problem--a brace part in the handle mechanism broke about five years ago.

A phone call to Lee with an explanation and brief history of the press had me a complete new handle assembly overnighted, no charge.

I have no complaints with Lee Precision. I bought their Lee Anniverary Challenger setup several years after I bought the Pro1000. I've had zero problems with it. Zero.

In my storage areas and on my bench, there are colors from all of the reloading manufacturers' products. I purchase what is going to give me the best value and most utility for my purposes for the money I invest in them.

I choose my reloading equipment and the subsequent brands that make it to help me develop the best loads I can--not to impress other gun-owners or reloaders. I try to let my shooting do that.

Color snobbery doesn't impress me or many other shooters. Good groups on a target do.

Jeff

[CowTowner]

I have one and it does what I need it to do. Load plinking ammo for all my handguns. Do I have to adjust things? Yes. Does that bother me? No. To me it's part of the fun of producing my own ammunition.

[UGH]

I have had mine for about a year now and I would agree that if your mechanically inclined and like to tinker with things then you will do OK with a Loadmaster. Once you get it set it works just fine. That said I have a buddy with two Dillons and I have seen him have to tinker with those also.

[Foxbat]

All that nonsense about color preferences ignores the facts that different brands are built differently. The 20 year old Hornady Pro 7 is truly built like a tank, with heavy duty cast iron and no cheap plastic... in fact, I think NO plastic, except for the handle ball. About the same for Dillon. Now, to some it might not matter - a cheap stamping where Dillon has cast iron part... to me it does. From the standpoint of engineering, the Xornady and Dillon parts are designed as they should be. Lee is designed for low cost, and it shows.

Like I already said, I own three Load Masters, so I do see their value, but I certainly do not see them in the same category as Dillon. All Lee's I have had case feeder issues. Dillon never has it, its engagement is firm and positive, unlike Lee's "Ah, yes, and don't forget to push it on your way out" approach. While I actually love Lee's simple design, great at its cost, it is like comparing a Hunday to a Lexus.

Another area where they differ is in the feel. And I don't mean the touchy-feely things, I am talking about positive feedback at each end of the stroke. With Dillon you have no ambiguity, you have arrived, you hit the stop and go back. With Lee you are never 100% sure, it is ill-defined. There is also very definite clean as a whistle feedback on primer seating with Dillon and Hornady - there is no such thing with the Lee - the sensation of primer seating is swamped by other, more significant forces at the top of the stroke.

The Lee's ball handle is OK for small ammo, on big calibers your hand hurts after 200 rounds. Dillon's ball bearing handle has no such issue.

On the other hand, Lee's disc powder measure is great if you don't want to be caught adjusting the drops. And their primer tray, although cheesy, is far easier to load than the tubes used on Dillon and Hornady.

So I would not hide behind that "They all have issues"... this is like saying all cars break down. Yet there are good and bad ones.

So if your budget allows Lee, you will be happy. If it stretches to Dillon - you will be much happier.

[Alleykat]

I think one of the problems is they didn't hire a tech writer but let the engineers write the manual.

I guarantee you that no real engineer who attended and graduated from an accredited school of engineering ever had anything to do with designing the Loadmaster.

[rwilson452]

Would you be willing to bet the farm on that, assuming you have a farm.

I guarantee you that no real engineer who attended and graduated from an accredited school of engineering ever had anything to do with designing the Loadmaster.

[Foxbat]

I strongly disagree, being a degreed engineer with decades of experience in product design.

Designing for low cost is extremely challenging. More so than designing cost-no-object things.

Lee actually amazes me with some of its design decisions, they are effective. Like I said before - I DO see the value in Load Master.

[Alleykat]

Youse guys must be from one of dem non-accredited northern trade schools! The Loadmaster's design is child-like. (Meaning it looks and performs as if it were designed by a child.)

[Foxbat]

Youse guys must be from one of dem non-accredited northern trade schools! The Loadmaster's design is child-like. (Meaning it looks and performs as if it were designed by a child.)

There's plenty of buck out there in that racket. All you need to do is design your own that sells for $215 in complete kit form and still makes money, works 95% of time and looks like it was designed by a real man.

I will buy one... no... make it - several - in a heartbeat.

Until you do that, the Load Master remains one of the leaders (perhaps THE leader) in the price/performance category.

[WyrTwister]

I received a .38 Special / .357 Mag LM late last Wednesday . I had watched a bunch of videos and read a lot .

Been tinkering with it ever since .

Truth is , if I had left it as assembled by the factory , it might have run OK out of the box , I will never no . It is running pretty good now if you tap on the primer tray every 3 - 4 rounds .

Now the case feeder ! Worked for hours on it until I figured the case slider was not right . Turns out they make a tall one and a short one . For .38 Special / .357 Mag I need the tall one . It was shipped with the short one !

Well , after some measure of frustration , Lee is sending the one I need .

I have used all my .38 brass and bullets ( need to cast some more bullets ) . Used up over 300 SP primers , so that will tell you approximately I loaded , intermixed with tinkering .

Ordered the conversion parts to start .45 ACP , next . Hope they arrive by later in the week .

I knew this was going to be a learning curve . Lot of things going on at the same time , lot of things to keep up with . But , when you get going , you can crank out a lot of ammo .

God bless
Wyr

[Apache6]

I had a LoadMaster, and never got the primer feed to work reliably. After a year, it's gone and I now have a Hornady LnL AP progressive. I refer to the LoadMaster as the CrapMaster. I do have a Lee Classic 4-hole turret press and a bunch of Lee die sets and 2 hand primers, so I do like and use Lee products, just not the cluster-f**k that is the LoadMaster.

[Luciano]

It all depends how much you believe in the old line: "for the money..."

Yeah for the money Lee loads ammo, but to load progressively, get any other brand.
I for one run away from anything described as above. I have loaded more ammo in one afternoon on my new Dillon 650 than in 4 years of owning a Lee.

[WyrTwister]

Follow up on my LM . Have had it a little over a month .

After using up all my .38 & .357 Mag brass , I ordered conversion parts for .45 ACP .

By an large , it has run the .45's very well , IF I watch and pay attention to what is going on .

Had a failure to de-prime a stubborn brass . Pushed up the de-priming rod on the universal de-priming die in station # 1 .

If I had been paying attention , spotted the end of the rod sticking up , I would / could have stopped right there , corrected the issue and then continued .

Instead , I let that brass transfer to station # 2 . At that point , the press tried to install a new primer in the primer pocket that was still occupied with the original spent primer . It went from bad to worse from that point on . Damaged some primer parts . Which I had to order . Not expensive , but I had to and wait for them to arrive .

All this is not the fault of the press . It is my fault .

I must CAREFULLY sort the empty brass and put " NT " brass and any with crimped primer pockets aside , for latter processing . If I let one slip through , it will go bad on me and the LM . :-(

I have to remember to keep an eye on the primer tray & trough and tap them if primers need a little help feeding .

I need to periodically check to see if the " screw " holding the turret and knurl nut holding the shell plate are tight .

If I do my part and pay attention , it has performed even better with .45 ACP than .38 / .357 .

That is probably because I have a better knowledge base than when I was doing .38 / .357 . .

All in all , I probably have at least 2,500 rounds on the LM .

Had to take some time out to cast some bullets , a couple of weekends ago . :-)

I can not comment on any other caliber than the ones I have mentioned .

The online documentation has been irreplaceable . :-)

God bless
Wyr

[jhenshey]

I've had a LM for about 9 years now and will say that when it runs well, it is a great machine. But if it has an achilies heel, it is the priming system. I have been so frustrated with the small priming system that I wanted to get rid of it all together. But I have found that the large primer feeder works much more reliably. This is because the large primer slider has a much sturdier triangle to hold the primer in the correct place, unlike the small primer slider which has a VERY thin finger that is easily bent and once it is bent, it WILL NOT correctly feed a small primer.

I have since purchased a Dillon XL650 which loads all small primer cartridges and the LM is used for large primer rounds only. However, it does, every once in a while, flip a primer on edge (they get crushed) or flips them completely over (they get pressed out and reused). I now leave the power station retainer arm loose so I can check the primer on every case before powder is put in. If it is wrong, I put the case back in the case feed tube to be re-run.

So, would I recommend the LM? Probably not for someone who is just starting out and maybe not at all if you can afford one of the nicer presses that have a better, more positive primer feed system. But, if you can put up with the primer issues, all other functions of the LM are outstanding (powder feed, bullet seating and factory crimp). BUT, DO NOT plan on using it for small primer feeding, unless you are the Pope, because you will lose your mind.

Disclaimer: I am not brand loyal, I buy what meets my needs. My XL 650 stays set up for 5.56, I use a Redding T7 for all my precision long range cartridges and the LM loads large primer handgun only.

Respectfully,

Jon Henshey

[WyrTwister]

Lee is making changes ( for the better , I think ) in the priming system .

I have the second generation systems ( red & black ) .

Last week I loaded ~ 250 .45 ACP . Has 4 primer failures . All 4 were due to me allowing SPP bras to sneek past the sorting process . :-(

No other primer issues .

Did have to stop & clean the lube out of the seating die . Again not a failure of the press .

For now , the press is running well . Next batch will be SRP's ( .30 Carbine ) .

God bless
wyr

[David Bachelder]

I'm new to reloading. It was tough deciding which press I wanted to buy. I do have to admit I never entertained the thought of buying Lee. Not because of any bad experience I had, but because I read so many bad reviews. I depend on reviews for most anything I buy. It doesn't always shield me from bad products, but most of the time it works well. I decided to buy RCBS. Actually it was a toss up between RCBS and Hornady. The only reason I chose RCBS was that I found a press kit here in a local gunshop at a reduced price. The kit contained the RCBS Special five press. I had it about four weeks when I came across a sweet deal on a RCBS RockChucker. It was then then I sold the Spec Five and bought the RockChucker. I liked the design of the RockChucker much better. It has a 1" ram whaere the Spec five has a 3/4" ram. I found that the RockChucker was better suited for my needs. After using the RockChucker four or five weeks I decided I wanted a RCBS Turret Press and the Turret has been a very good investment. I really like it.

So .... I put the RockChucker up and will keep it until I need it. I doubt that I'll ever get rid of it.

I have had three or four oppertunities to contact RCBS about spare parts and things I have managed to break or misplace. The customer service guys have always sent me new replacements at no cost. Even after I tell them I broke or lost it ..... I actually feel a little guilty at times. I have offered to pay, but they refuse.

Anyway I am a strong supporter of RCBS equipment and the outstanding customer service.

I have never owned any Lee, Hornady or Dillon equipment to amount to much so I can't speak about them. I'm sure they all have a place on someones bench. I have to admit, I love the Hornady Lock and Load press and die bushings. Those things are great, a real time saver.

[WyrTwister]

I have loaded .38 / .357 , .45 ACP , .45 LC , .44 Mag , .30 Carbine , .223 , .30-30 & 9 x 19 mm on the Lee LoadMaster .

I am using the second generation primer assemblies . Both had a few hiccups with the first few primers . I guess they needed breaking in . After that , both have worked well .

This is a great improvement , to me . I crunched more than my share of generation one primer sliders .

Some calibers have their quirks . Mostly the taller brass . We field engineered an extension , from a small block of wood , to raise the height of the tall case slider , for .223 . Be sure & use the short case slider for the short calibers , like 9mm . The case sliders are $ 8.00 retail , I think , cheap enough that you could make a custom slider for each caliber you use .

I hate to take the chance on bragging on something . Do not want to tempt Murphy . But six months down the road , I an very happy with the LoadMaster . :-)

God bless
Wyr