Lee Loadmaster Kit

[FullEffect1911]

If I was to get the Lee Loadmaster kit from say, Midway, what does it come with specifically? I want to get into the wide world of progressives and I want to make sure I get everything I need for a good progressive setup.

I can't seem to find mention of it if comes with the actually priming tool or not. Any info as to the extra parts/accessories that i would need would be greatly appreciated.

Here is an example of what I am looking at.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=765660&t=11082005

 

[jfh]

from the details on your link: "Includes Carbide Dies, Pro Auto-Disk Powder Measure and case feeder."

Part of this will depend on how you order the package--i.e., with or without dies, and which die set type you order.

It does come with the (small) or (large) primer subsystem. So, I would get an additional / alternative size primer "package."

I don't know if the Pro Auto Disk setup includes a swivel adapter and a riser. You will surely want those two items. And, if it is available, I would get the "deluxe" Pro Auto upgrade--e.g., the one with the plated body; I think it will last longer for you, and you will probably get the Adjustable Charge bar and the alternative spring return items.

You can order some more ball chain with the press, or buy it with spare parts from lee--or buy it at your hardware store / steal it from your bank and get better quality.

It has the case feeder assembly, and you (again, depending on caliber / die set ordered with it) may want to get the alternative large (or small) pusher assembly as well.

As for options: I find the case feeder tubes and case feeder collator to be worthwhile additions--so get those. Do NOT buy the BULLET feeder assembly.

Depending on how you have your bench set up, you will probably want to buy more (Akro-type) bins for catching the finished cartridge. However, buy these off a google--instead of $9.00 or so (discount price), you can get them for about 12/30.00 off the net / google.

About die setup--personally, I recommend a new user set up the press with a five-die configuration, not with a minimal 3-die. (Others will say it will work just fine without it, but this configuration guarantees less frustration.) To do that you need to get a (Lee) universal decapping die, and make sure you get a die package that includes the 4th FCD die.

Finally, you will want to order some spare parts from Lee--not much, but the parts you want to have on hand. This is easiest, I think, to do on the Lee site, and they are reasonably priced. These parts include

1. Extra indexer "knob"
2. small and / or large primer sliders (these are VERY important.
3. Extra primer anvil springs,
3. Extra "standard" primer trays (not the new Safety Prime type)
4. The chain,
5. possibly, spare powder disks / kits for the type of reloading you are doing.

And finally, Use the Load-Master videos by Chris and Darwin from the beginning--in fact, I would use those over the written instructions.

Tell us a bit more about what you currently own for reloading, what calibers you will be reloading for, and we'll help you build the list.

FWIW, you will probably find more attractive pricing from another reseller, like Graf & Sons--their stock is low, but they sell the LM for roughly 213-218.00 shipped, with a die set. Kempf's would also be a logical place to price check.

Jim H.

 

[FullEffect1911]

first off thank you very much for the quick and very imformative post. I've been reload for about 3 years.

Tell us a bit more about what you currently own for reloading, what calibers you will be reloading for, and we'll help you build the list.

I own a lee classic turret press (with a broken auto advance), a pro auto disk measure with double disk and micrometer adjust, safety prime, RCBS uniflo, a retired challenger single stage, 505 scale, and some other odds and ends.

I reload currently for .38 special, .357 mag, .45 auto, .40 S&W, .44 special, .44 Magnum and .223 Rem (for an AR) and have dies and FCD for all of the listed calibers.

The reason why I was looking at the kit, it because I figured that by the time i was done getting the shell plate and other stuff I would need, I would already be up around the price of the kit. It wouldn't kill me to have a backup pro auto disk.

Anyway that's what i am looking at here. If you have more guru advice for me I'm all ears, I can never have enough advice from those who have already been down the road.

Thanks again.

 

[FieroCDSP]

When I picked up my LM from Midway in 9mm, it came with the following:

Press
Case feeder assembly (small pistol)
Priming assembly (small pistol primer)
Pro-Auto Disk measure
powder measure link chain
3-die set 9mm.
#19 shell-plate
Bin and holder
Additionals I ordered included:
Bullet feeder 40cal
Large blast deflector
Spare parts in tube

The idea was that I already had my 40cal dies and since I eventually wanted to shoot 9mm also, I got the press in 9mm to get the dies also.
The problem I encountered was that the small case feeder isn't compatible with larger cases than 9mm due to the bushing. I would also doubt the priming parts are compatible with large primers.

So...I ended up ordering the large case-feeder (which I don't use because I drilled out the 9mm bushing to fit 40's, I don't use the bullet feeder at all due to it's temper, and if I ever load 45ACP, I'll need to get the LP primer assembly. Not to mention changing the shellplates. The 9mm plate also fits the 40.

The bright side is tha once you have the press accessories (feeders and priming gear) all you need are dies and shell-plate and you're go.

 

[FieroCDSP]

As a side note, If yo ustop using your turret in favor of the LM almost full-time, you can just mount that extra dispenser on the dies in an extra turret to eliminate teh need to adjust the flare. It's a real pain when you have to pull the dispenser off to adjust the flare then put it back on to check.
Buy a few extra turrets if they're in-stock. The Case Collator is nice to have but isn't necessary. I spend nearly as much time loading with it as not, plus I have to watch for inverted cases. It does save the hands some, though.
You might also pick up a Universal Decapping Die. One of the problematic issue fixes in the priming system is to remove the decapper from your sizing die and mount it in station two, so when you're priming, the case cannot shift to any side since it's being sized at the same time. Obviously you'll still decap in station one with the Uni Decapper. It's not essential, but it seems to help. You can just pop it out and put it into the next turret because it doesn't care about the case size, just that it's popping out a primer.

 

[FullEffect1911]

Press
Case feeder assembly (small pistol)
Priming assembly (small pistol primer)
Pro-Auto Disk measure
powder measure link chain
3-die set 9mm.
#19 shell-plate
Bin and holder

Thank you very much for listing exactly what is in the kit, that is one of the things i was looking for.


Anyway as a bit of an aside, do cross bolt die locking rings work with the LM's die turret? And if they do which ones are they? I really don't care for the o ring locking ones, and i don't really like using them without the o-ring as a jam nut.

also by chance are the mounting holes for the LM in the same location as the classic turret? That would make my life that much easier.

 

[jfh]

It really sounds like you have most of the equipment on hand--Lee die sets, etc., and you can then transfer your 'orientation' to Lee-style configurations to the Load-Master pretty easily.

Somebody else will have to tell you about the cross-bolt die locking rings--I stumble along with the standard Lee rings; they generally work fine for me. But, I can say that the pressing mounting bolt pattern is the same for both presses--so that is good news. TIP: You might want to elongate the mounting holes slightly, to allow tweaking the exact location so the ram travels freely.

You need to get the additional shell plates for the Load-Master.

Although you don't mention it (presumably because you have a Uniflo), I assume you have a riser for mounting the Auto Disk measure. If you don't, get one riser and one swivel adapter for each Lee measure you have. The swivel adapter is really mandatory; without it, you have to change the belling on the PTDE to put the measure in the right location. (These parts are cheapest from the online resellers.) The Lee measure you got with the Turret Kit did NOT come with the manual-pull back (chain), so get one of those conversion kits (I think that will be cheapest from Lee parts direct).

I' assume you have more than one Classic Cast Turret turret--i.e., that each of your die sets are installed in a turret. I would do the same for the Load-Master turret--install each die set in a turret, set it up, and then forget it unless they need adjusting. Since you already have the complete die sets, you really only need to order the universal decapping die(s) to make each die set into a Load-Master 5-die configuration. I'd start with two of them, and see if you want to set up all the turrets that way.

And, you will need both primer sizes. The online reseller will be cheapest for that, I think, but the spare parts for the primer subsystem are going to still be needed. Another spare part to order is the Load-Master shell plate nut O-ring; they are a size not readily available in hardware stores, I've found.

See my original post about what spare parts to get--and at the same time you order those, put a comment in the order to please send you some spare Turret ratchets and a ram ratchet assembly under warranty.

FWIW, my current bench consists of the updated standard Turret press and the Load-Master: both are set up, about two feet apart. I use the Turret for load development and for learning Rifle reloading. Once I have the recipe sorted out, I set up a die set in the Load-Master to churn out the recipes.

When people first set up Load-Masters they seem to have trouble with

1) Getting the Case Feeder set up properly. The YouTube videos are invaluable for doing this properly--the STP lube trick is the key, BTW.

2) Getting the priming system running right. I found that is best-solved with the five die configuration, which will virtually eliminate misalignment for primer insertion. If the primer slider gets damaged, install a replacement part, and clean the subsystem--including the housing. Again, see the videos. There is an excellent video on YouTube (Chris's, IIRC--e.g., shadowdog500) about tweaking the primer subsystem.

3) Getting a really good die setup done. Do this the best you can the first time, starting with the proper installation of the #1 / sizer-or-decapper die, and 'key off that' for the others. I found the most consistent LOAs come from the 5-die configuration and going through the setup process a second time to fine-tune adjustments. Again, the videos are invaluable.

Finally--if you want to post your final orders list, we can double check it for you. Break it out into two groups--one from the online reseller, the other from Lee parts.

Jim H.

 

[Rustynuts]

I just went through the locking ring musical chairs with the Loadmaster. Do yourself a favor and get the Redding ones. I tried the Lyman and Hornady, and they ALL do not work well with the Loadmaster. The outer diameters are too large and they bind up on the adjacent lock ring. The Redding seems the perfect size. The only downside to them is they are the ring stlye, not a split nut, so you can't crank them down easily with a wrench. Here's a comparison pic. L to R - Redding, Lyman, Hornady, Stock. The turret pic you can see there's not a whole lot of play between nuts. The Lyman & Hornady are just fractions bigger than the Redding, but enough to make a diff. Haven't tried an RCBS, but their set screw is at the peak of the nut edge which is the worst possible spot, spacing wise. The set screws on some of the Lymans also stuck out more than other Lymans (bad QC?) which also made them jam more easily.

 

[FullEffect1911]

I just went through the locking ring musical chairs with the Loadmaster.

Thank you for the reply, I've been searched for a good explanation on what locking rings work for the Lee turret stuff and haven't found the information at all summarized. And the pictures really do speak a thousand words on that one. With that I will be able to determine which rout I want to take.

Finally--if you want to post your final orders list, we can double check it for you. Break it out into two groups--one from the online reseller, the other from Lee parts.

I think I'm gonna take you up on the offer.... more to come.

P.S. Also, when i ordered my classic turret I happened to order the pro auto disk separate, so i am pretty positive that i do have an extra chain and link arm.

And i do have the riser, swivel, and a powder through rifle charging die should i be doing rifle rounds.

 

[FieroCDSP]

I made a mistake i nmy earlier post. I put in that I ordered the spare-parts in tube additionally. They came with the press automaticly.

These parts included:
-Chain repair link (if the chain snaps, you can link it back together and re-adjust it a the bottom)
-replacement priming arm
-replacement primer slider
-spare priming spring
-spare indexing flipper

On a side note, one of the first things I did when my chain snapped was grab one of the steel ones from the pen-on-lanyard things that are stuck on store counters. My store uses them, but the pens always come up missing. When we get another one, it comes with the chain, so I just grab the old one and bring it home. You can also get 3feet of pull-chain from hardwares stores for a few bucks.