Inebriated
Member
So, as many of you guys know, the Loadmaster is a topic of rather hot debate. I read a lot of information before I bought one, and used a friend's. It seemed like a good enough deal... $200 (what I paid for the .45 ACP kit) for everything needed to reload .45 was better than any other deal I could find, so I went with it. I also bought an RCBS single stage because 1, I wanted it to reload rifle cartridges, and 2, I was still a little iffy on the Loadmaster.
When I got the press, I took probably two hours getting everything set up. The case-feeder, priming system, got the right disk in the auto disk powder measure, got all the dies adjusted, etc. It's a finicky system, that is for sure.
The case-feeder works excellent, when everything is tight. But over about 1000 rounds, it loosened, and the piece that pushes the case in to the shell holder prevented the ram from moving up all the way. Not a big deal, but it did get annoying. If you bump it, be prepared to adjust it.
The auto disk powder measure is... ok. After throwing a few charges, I was getting charges within just about .2 grains of each other. The chain that controls it is vital to getting a consistent charge, though. So if you keep an eye on it, you'll be ok. I broke the chain three times, so some extras wouldn't be a bad move.
The quick-change turret system works beautifully. $20 for a turret, and you can just keep one die set in its own turret. That's what I do, and it cuts down on the time for adjustments.
Now, the absolute worst part of this whole thing.... the priming system. It is it incredibly unreliable and unsafe. Lee advises a blast shield. They don't include it, they don't design it in, they merely advise you buy it. They also say to use it if you plan to use anything but CCI or Remington primers. I'm sorry, but if anything regarding blast safety is "recommended", you need to include the damn thing. I got about three crushed primers so far, one upside down, and NUMEROUS that just flipped or got jammed up in the raceway from the tray. The tray is stupidly designed... Primers come in square boxes, not circular boxes. Why make the primer tray circular? Come on Lee, step up your game. WHEN the system worked, it worked consistently. But it just is unreliable.
So what is my conclusion? It's an ok press if you don't expect to be cranking out massive numbers. Be prepared to take some time, and understand how it works. Due to priming system problems, I decided to remove it and buy an RCBS hand-primer. I de-prime all the brass at once. The case feeder and progressive action make this incredibly fast. I then prime them by hand, which I like much much better than on even the single-stage. It's quicker, 100% reliable so far, I can feel if there's an issue, and I feel it's safer. I can knock out 100 cases in about 5 minutes. Then, I remove the de-capping die from the turret, put the cases in the case feeder, and then do the final expanding/charging and seating stages. So overall it's more work than it should be, but I can still turn out a lot of ammo, and I can do it with a higher degree of safety than with the press working as Lee intended.
So that's just my opinion. I know there's a ton of back-and-forth on this press, and I wanted to offer my experience.
When I got the press, I took probably two hours getting everything set up. The case-feeder, priming system, got the right disk in the auto disk powder measure, got all the dies adjusted, etc. It's a finicky system, that is for sure.
The case-feeder works excellent, when everything is tight. But over about 1000 rounds, it loosened, and the piece that pushes the case in to the shell holder prevented the ram from moving up all the way. Not a big deal, but it did get annoying. If you bump it, be prepared to adjust it.
The auto disk powder measure is... ok. After throwing a few charges, I was getting charges within just about .2 grains of each other. The chain that controls it is vital to getting a consistent charge, though. So if you keep an eye on it, you'll be ok. I broke the chain three times, so some extras wouldn't be a bad move.
The quick-change turret system works beautifully. $20 for a turret, and you can just keep one die set in its own turret. That's what I do, and it cuts down on the time for adjustments.
Now, the absolute worst part of this whole thing.... the priming system. It is it incredibly unreliable and unsafe. Lee advises a blast shield. They don't include it, they don't design it in, they merely advise you buy it. They also say to use it if you plan to use anything but CCI or Remington primers. I'm sorry, but if anything regarding blast safety is "recommended", you need to include the damn thing. I got about three crushed primers so far, one upside down, and NUMEROUS that just flipped or got jammed up in the raceway from the tray. The tray is stupidly designed... Primers come in square boxes, not circular boxes. Why make the primer tray circular? Come on Lee, step up your game. WHEN the system worked, it worked consistently. But it just is unreliable.
So what is my conclusion? It's an ok press if you don't expect to be cranking out massive numbers. Be prepared to take some time, and understand how it works. Due to priming system problems, I decided to remove it and buy an RCBS hand-primer. I de-prime all the brass at once. The case feeder and progressive action make this incredibly fast. I then prime them by hand, which I like much much better than on even the single-stage. It's quicker, 100% reliable so far, I can feel if there's an issue, and I feel it's safer. I can knock out 100 cases in about 5 minutes. Then, I remove the de-capping die from the turret, put the cases in the case feeder, and then do the final expanding/charging and seating stages. So overall it's more work than it should be, but I can still turn out a lot of ammo, and I can do it with a higher degree of safety than with the press working as Lee intended.
So that's just my opinion. I know there's a ton of back-and-forth on this press, and I wanted to offer my experience.
Looks like it was designed by a child...and not a smart child.
