Giving up on Loadmaster altogether

frumious · March 20, 2010, 11:27 PM

It appears I posted too soon. About a week ago I was going through my "new" procedure of:

1. Run cases through loadmaster to decap
2. Hand prime cases
3. Run cases through loadmaster to neck flare, powder drop, bullet seat, crimp.

I had gone through steps 1 and 2 for a few hundred each of 9mm, .38spl, and .45ACP. I had completed step 3 for 50 9mm cartridges and was in the middle of 50 .38spl's when the press officially gave up the ghost. The carrier became loose on top of the ram. Now when the shell plate indexes, the carrier twists a little bit in the same direction. This causes the flipper to miss the little ridge on the frame the next time the ram is lowered, so the indexer bar doesn't pull out and the press won't index any more. Also, if it twists far enough, the case slider track gets pushed against the case feed rod, and the crank slide hangs up. It is a real mess. If you have used a Loadmaster before you know which parts I am talking about. Otherwise, suffice to say it is FUBAR.

I tried to get through the rest of my .38's and my .45's by grabbing the carrier behind the case slider and twisting the carrier back around the other way a little each time I indexed the shell plate. This did the trick, as long as I didn't twist it too far, which was easy to do. So I gave up and manually indexed for the rest of the evening. This was tricky also, for different reasons. But I got through it.

The next day I had planned to go to the range, but I also wanted to see what local options there were for press replacement, so I ended up going shopping for a press all day. Turned out there was a store that had a Dillon 550b, and one that had an RCBS Pro2000. I know about Dillon's reputation (good to great) but went with the RCBS because it seemed like it would be easier to change out calibers/primer sizes, and during operation your right hand stays on the lever the entire time, despite having to manually index the thing and manually insert new cases and place bullets.

So here is both the old

and the new

I have run a whopping 2 cartridges through the RCBS at this time so no real comment on function yet. I will say that it appears to be better-built than the Lee, and it weighs at least 4 times as much. I am using my Lee dies, except I am using my neck-expander die without the powder-through option. I am using the powder drop that came with the RCBS. More on operation after I run a few cartridges through it.

In the meantime I have contacted Lee via email ([email protected]) and have not heard back from them yet. It has been 3 whole business days. I will contact them by phone if I do not hear back from them by Monday next week. I hope to have them repair or replace my Loadmaster (I have had it for less than 2 years, which is their stated warranty period) so I can maybe sell it to someone who wants to get their feet wet in reloading. More on that as it develops too.

-cls

Ed_ · March 21, 2010, 06:49 AM

Looks like a nice press! Please post a review after you have used it awhile.
How much did it cost? How does the priming system work? I went to the RCBS site and it looks like you may be able to upgrade to auto index.

I started reloading in November of 2008 with a lee single stage which worked fine but it was very slow. Next I purchased the Lee 4-hole turret with auto-index feature. I am pleased with the turret press except for the priming system. You have to prime on the up stroke and I have a hard time getting the feel of that, which has left me with some high primers.

Ed

Nate1778 · March 22, 2010, 07:19 AM

Did you try to tighten the carrier bolt at the bottom of the ram? Sounds to me like it may have worked itself loose. Might give it a try and see if it fixes the carrier rotating issue. If you follow the directions on re-aligning the carrier it should be good to go.

frumious · March 22, 2010, 09:57 AM

LOL is that all it is? If that's the case then I'm an IDIOT!! I will check it out tonight.

Probably not going to try to return the RCBS, though, I ran 450 or so of my already-primed .45ACP cases through it last night, doing only the expand, powder-drop, bullet-seat, and crimp steps and it was rock-solid. The manual index takes some getting used to but other than that the new press is fine.

-cls

Nate1778 · March 22, 2010, 10:15 AM

Sounds to me like that is what is going on. Remember though even if it is loose you will still need to align it when tightening it up, otherwise it will not index right, still leaving you sore. Follow the instructions with the press, if there is still questions to be had post it over at Loadmaster Zone. I am sure it is something fairly simple, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with owning two presses. Good Luck....

frumious · March 22, 2010, 10:32 AM

Y'know, Nate...I noticed that even though the carrier is loose, it has some "grit" when it moves, like there are indentations that mesh together on the top side of the ram and the underside of the carrier. This made it easier to line back up while I was trying to still use the auto-index and manually compensate for the carrier twisting.

As to owning two presses...no shame there, no. But I still feel pretty dumb. And I'll probably get the LoadMaster running again and then just sell it to someone with more patience than me :-)

-cls

Nate1778 · March 22, 2010, 10:49 AM

Let me know what you want for it and I may be interested in it.

Jerry11826 · March 22, 2010, 01:45 PM

If you decide to sell the Load Master please send me a PM - I like Load Masters and would be interested in buying yours.

Sounds to me like the carrier nut is loose.

Thanks,

Jerry

mrayw · March 23, 2010, 07:46 AM

I love my Lee classic cast turret press but have Hornady lock n load and RCBS PRO 2000 for progressive presses. You will absolutely enjoy your pro 2000, a very simple solid press!!!

frumious · March 23, 2010, 08:45 PM

I tightened the carrier bolt a little and now I can no longer twist the carrier around. So looks like that was the whole problem

Well I now have a LoadMaster for sale; I will PM the posters who indicated interest and then post in the "gun show" section. Thanks for the help, everyone.

-cls

March 20, 2010, 11:27 PM	#1
frumious Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2009 Location: Carrollton TX Posts: 521	Giving up on Loadmaster altogether It appears I posted too soon. About a week ago I was going through my "new" procedure of: 1. Run cases through loadmaster to decap 2. Hand prime cases 3. Run cases through loadmaster to neck flare, powder drop, bullet seat, crimp. I had gone through steps 1 and 2 for a few hundred each of 9mm, .38spl, and .45ACP. I had completed step 3 for 50 9mm cartridges and was in the middle of 50 .38spl's when the press officially gave up the ghost. The carrier became loose on top of the ram. Now when the shell plate indexes, the carrier twists a little bit in the same direction. This causes the flipper to miss the little ridge on the frame the next time the ram is lowered, so the indexer bar doesn't pull out and the press won't index any more. Also, if it twists far enough, the case slider track gets pushed against the case feed rod, and the crank slide hangs up. It is a real mess. If you have used a Loadmaster before you know which parts I am talking about. Otherwise, suffice to say it is FUBAR. I tried to get through the rest of my .38's and my .45's by grabbing the carrier behind the case slider and twisting the carrier back around the other way a little each time I indexed the shell plate. This did the trick, as long as I didn't twist it too far, which was easy to do. So I gave up and manually indexed for the rest of the evening. This was tricky also, for different reasons. But I got through it. The next day I had planned to go to the range, but I also wanted to see what local options there were for press replacement, so I ended up going shopping for a press all day. Turned out there was a store that had a Dillon 550b, and one that had an RCBS Pro2000. I know about Dillon's reputation (good to great) but went with the RCBS because it seemed like it would be easier to change out calibers/primer sizes, and during operation your right hand stays on the lever the entire time, despite having to manually index the thing and manually insert new cases and place bullets. So here is both the old and the new I have run a whopping 2 cartridges through the RCBS at this time so no real comment on function yet. I will say that it appears to be better-built than the Lee, and it weighs at least 4 times as much. I am using my Lee dies, except I am using my neck-expander die without the powder-through option. I am using the powder drop that came with the RCBS. More on operation after I run a few cartridges through it. In the meantime I have contacted Lee via email ([email protected]) and have not heard back from them yet. It has been 3 whole business days. I will contact them by phone if I do not hear back from them by Monday next week. I hope to have them repair or replace my Loadmaster (I have had it for less than 2 years, which is their stated warranty period) so I can maybe sell it to someone who wants to get their feet wet in reloading. More on that as it develops too. -cls

March 22, 2010, 07:19 AM	#3
Nate1778 Senior Member Join Date: January 21, 2009 Location: Louisville Ky Posts: 312	Did you try to tighten the carrier bolt at the bottom of the ram? Sounds to me like it may have worked itself loose. Might give it a try and see if it fixes the carrier rotating issue. If you follow the directions on re-aligning the carrier it should be good to go. __________________ "And finally, the Baby Bear looked and he said, "Somebody's sleeping in my bed, and the bastard's still there!" But Goldylocks had a Remington semi-automatic, with a scope and a hair-trigger!"

March 22, 2010, 10:15 AM	#5
Nate1778 Senior Member Join Date: January 21, 2009 Location: Louisville Ky Posts: 312	Sounds to me like that is what is going on. Remember though even if it is loose you will still need to align it when tightening it up, otherwise it will not index right, still leaving you sore. Follow the instructions with the press, if there is still questions to be had post it over at Loadmaster Zone. I am sure it is something fairly simple, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with owning two presses. Good Luck.... __________________ "And finally, the Baby Bear looked and he said, "Somebody's sleeping in my bed, and the bastard's still there!" But Goldylocks had a Remington semi-automatic, with a scope and a hair-trigger!"

March 22, 2010, 10:49 AM	#7
Nate1778 Senior Member Join Date: January 21, 2009 Location: Louisville Ky Posts: 312	Let me know what you want for it and I may be interested in it. __________________ "And finally, the Baby Bear looked and he said, "Somebody's sleeping in my bed, and the bastard's still there!" But Goldylocks had a Remington semi-automatic, with a scope and a hair-trigger!"

March 23, 2010, 07:46 AM	#9
mrayw Member Join Date: May 15, 2007 Posts: 62	Rcbs pro 2000 I love my Lee classic cast turret press but have Hornady lock n load and RCBS PRO 2000 for progressive presses. You will absolutely enjoy your pro 2000, a very simple solid press!!!

March 21, 2010, 06:49 AM	#2
Ed_ Member Join Date: January 27, 2009 Location: Southwest Missouri Posts: 96	Looks like a nice press! Please post a review after you have used it awhile. How much did it cost? How does the priming system work? I went to the RCBS site and it looks like you may be able to upgrade to auto index. I started reloading in November of 2008 with a lee single stage which worked fine but it was very slow. Next I purchased the Lee 4-hole turret with auto-index feature. I am pleased with the turret press except for the priming system. You have to prime on the up stroke and I have a hard time getting the feel of that, which has left me with some high primers. Ed

March 22, 2010, 09:57 AM	#4
frumious Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2009 Location: Carrollton TX Posts: 521	LOL is that all it is? If that's the case then I'm an IDIOT!! I will check it out tonight. Probably not going to try to return the RCBS, though, I ran 450 or so of my already-primed .45ACP cases through it last night, doing only the expand, powder-drop, bullet-seat, and crimp steps and it was rock-solid. The manual index takes some getting used to but other than that the new press is fine. -cls

March 22, 2010, 10:32 AM	#6
frumious Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2009 Location: Carrollton TX Posts: 521	Y'know, Nate...I noticed that even though the carrier is loose, it has some "grit" when it moves, like there are indentations that mesh together on the top side of the ram and the underside of the carrier. This made it easier to line back up while I was trying to still use the auto-index and manually compensate for the carrier twisting. As to owning two presses...no shame there, no. But I still feel pretty dumb. And I'll probably get the LoadMaster running again and then just sell it to someone with more patience than me :-) -cls

March 22, 2010, 01:45 PM	#8
Jerry11826 Member Join Date: July 12, 2009 Posts: 76	If you decide to sell the Load Master please send me a PM - I like Load Masters and would be interested in buying yours. Sounds to me like the carrier nut is loose. Thanks, Jerry

March 23, 2010, 08:45 PM	#10
frumious Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2009 Location: Carrollton TX Posts: 521	I tightened the carrier bolt a little and now I can no longer twist the carrier around. So looks like that was the whole problem Well I now have a LoadMaster for sale; I will PM the posters who indicated interest and then post in the "gun show" section. Thanks for the help, everyone. -cls Last edited by frumious; March 23, 2010 at 08:52 PM.