Load Master videos

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darwin-t

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It has been brought to my attention that I made two mistakes in my video on how to set up a Load Master

1)The expander plug and the powder measure or funnel adaptor must be in the die to set the proper flare.

2) I had the Factory Crimp die in station 4 and the bullet seating die in station 5. Adjustment is made the way I did it in the video. I was just demonstrating the right way to do it with the wrong dies! <g>

Here is the way I think the press should be set up:
You should adjust the primer depth, install the dies, one at a time in order and adjust each one with a case you cycle through the press. Install the powder measure BEFORE you adjust the expanding die. Do this without any primers or powder in the press.

The good news is that these mistakes were pointed out to me by John Lee, president of Lee Precision. It sounds like he may put a video posting section on their website.
 
+1 John Lee news--

Great news, darwin! I sincerely hope John Lee will let that happen.

You and shadow are real assets to all of us who use and appreciate Lee gear, especially the Load Master.

Soldier on!
 
I don't have a Loadmaster, but I admire those that put out good technical information. Great job. I was thinking today Lee ought to put those on their website.

Dave
 
Great videos, thanks for sharing your LM experiences. I love your bullet collator, that's a great job of turning a concept into reality.

My only real problem with my LM in 6 months and about 8 thousand rounds has been feeding .40 cases. I've had no problems with any other pistol case, just the .40 S&W. With .40 you have to use a combination of the large case feeder with the small case slider, and to be perfectly honest, it doesn't work very well together, or at least certainly hasn't worked well for me.

What happens is that the weight of the cases in the tube put just enough pressure on the case being fed to cause some drag, and since the small slider is only half the height of the case the bottom winds up being pushed forward while the top is held, this results in a tipped over case, bottom towards the shell plate.

I solved the problem by using the large slider, but it can't be used as is, it's about 1/8" taller than a .40 case. My first thought was just to shave the top surface down squarely till it was 1/8" shorter than a .40 case, but after looking at it for a few minutes I realized that if I shaved a gentle bevel in it from the face to about a half inch back, and made the face about 1/16" shorter than a .40 case I'd be doing even better. What this does is as the bottommost case starts sliding forward, the new slope on the upper surface of the slider that's directly under the cases in the tube becomes taller than the .40 case being moved and actually lifts the cases in the tube off the mouth of the case being slid forward. This makes for a very smooth feed and no more tipped .40 cases.

My next attempt is going to be doing the same thing for .223 cases, which I've totally given up using the case feeder as the tall and narrow cases tip over with ease.
 
I enjoyed the LoadMaster videos. Thanks. I sent the links to a couple of friends, one just starting to reload, and one about to buy the stuff to get started.

I made a couple of new reloading videos:

Reloading .223 ammo with the Lee LoadMaster sequentially, like a turret press (20 seconds per round)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4yBha0LPws

Reloading .223 ammo with the Lee LoadMaster as a fully parallel operation progressive press (10 seconds per round)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWF5_ZAWL_E

These are probably most suited to someone interested in starting to reload and is looking for some background info and some simple introductory videos so they can see what it's like, what to expect, etc.

I also have a Lee Zip Trim video, showing how to use it to trim the case, chamfer inside and outside the case, and polish and debur the case.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW0VCej_nz8
 
OK. One more. I just uploaded a video of the easiest way I've found to load a Lee primer tray. It uses no tools, and there is no fumbling around trying to insert the primer tray into the primer feed trough while hoping the primers won't run down into the trough before the tray is fully inserted, flip upside down or sideways, etc. Inserting the tray is easy and very low stress. There are lots more details in the text description of the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP3_4O98adI
 
That is really slick, I like it. I did a video reply of my priming video - it shows how I do it along with some other tips I came up with and how priming is done on the LM. I think I'm going to incorporate your method!
 
I will have to try that trick of making the primers bridge across the outlet like that. I have been using a paper clip or thin blade to hold them in place while putting the primer assembly in place. Maybe this week end.

By the way - you may all congratulate me. Last night I found several hundred once fired 38 special cases at the range.
 
Does anyone here use the Lee 1000 with the bullet feeder? Maybe a video? I am thinking of getting some upgrade parts so a bullet feeder would work with my ancient 1000 and wonder if it is that much faster.

One other minor nuisance with my 1000 that I have lived with all these years and wonder if there is an answer. The completed rounds don't always eject, sometimes they don't ride down the chute all the way, and I have not come up with any good way to direct them into a container that works real well. I use an adhesive label right now to make the chute taller. Any ideas?
 
The logjam that intentionally bridges the primer tray works best with 100 primers. When the tray is half full, it's a lot harder to get it to jam. There's some funky physics going on, but a lot of primers jam better than a few. If I need to load a half full primer tray, I revert to my previous method. I poke something small up the primer tray outlet to hold the primers in the tray, tip the tray and let the primers settle until they logjam at the outlet. With fewer primers, that logjam breaks free more easily, but it's still plenty stable enough to load the priming tray into the primer trough. I just need to be careful not to shake the tray sideways a lot while loading it.

It's been 12 years since I used my Pro-1000, but I remember having the ejected rounds stick on the chute. i think it was worse with lead rounds with the bullets covered in sticky Lee AlOx Bullet Lube. I did a fluff & buff on my Pro-1000. I used 600 sandpaper to polish the chute (rub in the same direction the cartridge slides down the chute). Then I waxed it until it was very smooth. Today, I'd probably wipe on some RemOil with Teflon and wipe off the excess. It's slick stuff. Don't forget the sides of the chute. I think I had a problem where the cartridge was riding the side of the chute and the extra friction caused it to stop on the ramp. It was an aggravating problem, that seemed to happen just as I was getting into a groove. I upgraded to the LoadMaster, mostly to get a station for the Factory Crimp die, but I don't miss those exit chute jams, now that you mention it. Otherwise, it's a good little press.
 
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