Loadmaster users, question.

[BBQJOE]

I've had mine for about 6 years. After my first primer slider dealie messed up, I purchased a handful of both large and small replacements.
I just inserted my last small feeder and went online to buy more.
I see they upgraded, or made design changes, and that I need to replace the whole primer feed. You can't buy the sliders seperately any more.
They claim they eliminated the "annoying" operating problems that obviously we had earlier.

My question is this, did they succeed?

 

[rodregier]

+1

My stores of old sliders is shrinking, and I have new priming system inhand, but haven't tried it yet...

The new system is supposed to avoid slider crunching.

 

[BBQJOE]

I'm hoping the lack of primer crunching is included.

 

[CatPuke]

I'm hoping the lack of primer crunching is included.

I've got a couple loadmasters of recent vintage (march/april build dates).. not sure what was "fixed", but out of 100 rounds of 9mm, I got half-a-dozen sideways/crunched primers.. didnt feel like cussing at the primer setup, so I'm resizing & priming on a single stage & just using the loadmasters to drop powder, seat a bullet & crimp..

 

[44vaquero]

You have got to open the slide/chute flip it over and remove the mold flash where the primer and pin passes through and up into the shell plate! A little camphor goes a long way.

I am still running my original 20 year old units and have no priming issues what so ever! After my initial growing pains 19+ years back and much tinkering I settled on the modifications.

 

[BBQJOE]

You have got to open the slide/chute flip it over and remove the mold flash where the primer and pin passes through and up into the shell plate! A little camphor goes a long way.

I am still running my original 20 year old units and have no priming issues what so ever! After my initial growing pains 19+ years back and much tinkering I settled on the modifications.

I think I need a picture.

 

[ljnowell]

I've got a couple loadmasters of recent vintage (march/april build dates).. not sure what was "fixed", but out of 100 rounds of 9mm, I got half-a-dozen sideways/crunched primers.. didnt feel like cussing at the primer setup, so I'm resizing & priming on a single stage & just using the loadmasters to drop powder, seat a bullet & crimp..

What die are you running in station 2?

 

[BBQJOE]

I just found what looks like possibly necessary mods needed for the new one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPGgz6qWTvs

 

[44vaquero]

BBQJOE, It looks like RJ's mods are the way to go for Gen 3 primer systems. I had not realized how extensive the changes were between Gen 1 and 3! Since I am still using Gen 1's only the tape and the over travel stop still apply.

I am going to have to order new primer feeds at some point because my parts supply for the Gen 1's running low. I can see it will the same old learning curve all over again!

One thing that RJ did not mention that I found important the press has to be solidly mounted to a sturdy base so it does not rattle or vibrate.

 

[BBQJOE]

looking at your pics, I don't see the mod.

 

[44vaquero]

Since the Gen 3's are different I elected not to disassemble the primer feeder. All I did was camphor/re-leave the under side of the top opening so if a primer started off center it will not catch on the edge of the hole. The added tape is also not visible.

Lee's solution was to remove that portion of the cover altogether.

I will post another picture to night.

 

[BBQJOE]

Lee's solution was to remove that portion of the cover altogether.

As in just cut it off?

 

[44vaquero]

BBQJOE, That made me laugh out loud! Yup, that's about what they did. Here is a Gen 3 pic from the net:

Look closely and you will see that's pretty much what they did.

 

[BBQJOE]

Well since I'm on my last small slider, and I'll probably have no choice but to purchase the gen 3's, and being that I have 2 primer assemblies, I might just sacrifice one for the "cut it off" mod.
I suppose drilling out the top to a larger diameter might achieve the same results.

 

[44vaquero]

Why not just get a piece of nylon/plastic and make your own new slider. I am actually thinking about doing that myself. I am in the same boat as you parts wise.

It may or may not work but, what hell it might be interesting.

 

[rodregier]

Find someone with a 3-D printer, give them your last good slider as a template
to be copied

Makes a lot more sense to me than making receivers with a 3D printer...

 

[BBQJOE]

Hmmmmmm......
Maybe a guy could make a mold with a new one in plaster or something, and fill it with hot glue?
My shop is not very extensive.

 

[44vaquero]

BBQJOE, I like where this thread is now headed. Do not let the limitations of your shop stop you.

I have seen pictures of people in Afghanistan and Pakistan building guns with foot powered lathes and hand files!

Rodregier, that is a pretty good suggestion!

 

[BBQJOE]

I just don't see why they can't continue to make the part.
Yeah, I know.
Plus they get another $25 out of me for a new large and small.

 

[CatPuke]

What die are you running in station 2?

Universal decapping die in station 1, lee sizing die with decapper pin pulled in station two, powder in station 3, bullet seating in station 4, and taper crimp (not factory crimp) in station 5.

My primer setups are gen 3, as pictured.. and they suck.

 

[BBQJOE]

My primer setups are gen 3, as pictured.. and they suck.

Did you do the mods from the youtube link on them?
They look rather helpful if not critical.

 

[jfh]

I just used my L-M for the first time in two years--

I have mine set up to do my 38/357 "replica reloads" for my carry gun practice. I built nominally 350 rounds after doing no more than confirming smooth operation and slowly getting up to full progressive operation as I set up the powder amount. I had NO primer misfeeds of any sort.

Quite frankly that surprised me, as I thought even dust might contribute to various operation issues.

My L-M is a early one, purchased about a year after they came out--maybe 1990, 92? At any rate, I went through a massive primer debugging process several years among the things I did then was to

1. disassemble all primer feed components, including the insertion pin
2. thoroughly clean all components
3. polished the insertion pin slightly
4. minimally oiled the primer lever assembly
5. deburred all parts of the feed--the base, the cover, the slider
6. lightly lubricated the plastic parts with graphite
7. use the primer wire doohickey that 'tightens' the tray to the trough
8. confirmed ram orientation to the press
9. confirm proper primer slider size for the primer size

Probably the single most important thing I did to ensure few issues was to use the (Lee) sizer die at station 2, without the decapping pin and use the universal decapper in station one.

Every several hundred rounds--i.e., if 'errors' start to show up--I disassemble and thoroughly clean the machine.

My apologies for the rather vague descriptions; it has been so long since I systematically debugged the primer setup that I probably do not recall all modifications.

Jim H.

 

[SomethingLessCrude]

I own a loadmaster kit for 223. It came with the Gen 3 setup. Priming was still an issue even with the sizing die in station 2. I just could not get consistent results. Depth would vary, crushed, etc :banghead:

Switched to hand priming. Problem solved.

It was definitely the weak link in the process.
Otherwise I am very happy with the LM. Keeps the AR fed well.

 

[CatPuke]

Did you do the mods from the youtube link on them?
They look rather helpful if not critical.

No, I didn't do any mods - not trying to be a wet towel here, but the original question was if the redesigned parts worked better than the old parts - my answer, based on my experience so far, is that they don't.

Not bashing Lee, except to the extent that the redesigned part still needs work if you want to make ammo with it. Not sure why Lee can't hire some high-school kids to polish/trim/deburr/lube these things before they ship them out. Other companies actually test their products before shipping them.

 

[BBQJOE]

Not bashing Lee, except to the extent that the redesigned part still needs work if you want to make ammo with it. Not sure why Lee can't hire some high-school kids to polish/trim/deburr/lube these things before they ship them out. Other companies actually test their products before shipping them.

I agree. I guess I'd prefer to buy the old sliders until they have the bugs worked out on the new ones, if I could, but I find none anywhere.
I've still got a few of the large primer sliders. I might have to see if I can mod them to work with small primers.