Should I Sell/Trade My Loadmaster?
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I absolutely love the priming system on the loadmaster! I have found it to be perfectly reliable as long as you don't run brass with crimped primer pockets through the case feeder, run filthy brass through the case feeder, put too much grease in the hole of the shellplate (i use a dab of t/c anti seize here) or let the case retainer at the priming station get out of adjustment. I can't imagine a more reliable system to prime cases with the exception that it is mostly plastic and parts will need to be replaced every now and then.
OP
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Olympus
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I think you might be in the minority on that opinion.
I thought I would give the Load Master one last try tonight loading some .38s. I got three rounds completed before I crunched my last remaining primer slider. That's enough for me. I'm wiping my hands of this contraption.
I thought I would give the Load Master one last try tonight loading some .38s. I got three rounds completed before I crunched my last remaining primer slider. That's enough for me. I'm wiping my hands of this contraption.
OP
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Olympus
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Well I pulled the trigger on the Classic Turret this morning! I was able to get the press, Pro auto disk, safety prime system, 4 turrets, the powder riser, and a Lee shell holder set for $220 all from Cabela's using my coupon and the fact that they already had the press on sale for $89.99. I'm grinning a pig in crap.
I couldn't wait to get started, so I dug right in. The press was about 10 times easier to mount than the Load Master was. It only about 5 parts to assembly. I got the first turret set up for .38s and I tore right in to loading. I had everything adjusted and tuned in about 10 minutes and I'm cranking out the rounds now! It's like night and day difference to me. The Safety Prime system works like a charm. I will admit that you sacrifice on speed, but I think once I get a rhythm, I will still be able turn out rounds just as quick as I was on the Load Master considering I wasn't using the case feeder and considering all the little jams I would have.
The Classic Turret has a completely different feel than the Load Master. I can actually feel what I'm doing on each stage and I have the option of pulling the case to make sure a step got completed. That was a lot more time consuming on the Load Master. All in all, I'm totally, 100% more happy with the Classic Turret than I am with the Load Master. I will try to keep an update after I get a few more rounds cranked out on the Classic though. Thanks to everyone for their input!
I couldn't wait to get started, so I dug right in. The press was about 10 times easier to mount than the Load Master was. It only about 5 parts to assembly. I got the first turret set up for .38s and I tore right in to loading. I had everything adjusted and tuned in about 10 minutes and I'm cranking out the rounds now! It's like night and day difference to me. The Safety Prime system works like a charm. I will admit that you sacrifice on speed, but I think once I get a rhythm, I will still be able turn out rounds just as quick as I was on the Load Master considering I wasn't using the case feeder and considering all the little jams I would have.
The Classic Turret has a completely different feel than the Load Master. I can actually feel what I'm doing on each stage and I have the option of pulling the case to make sure a step got completed. That was a lot more time consuming on the Load Master. All in all, I'm totally, 100% more happy with the Classic Turret than I am with the Load Master. I will try to keep an update after I get a few more rounds cranked out on the Classic though. Thanks to everyone for their input!
Seedtick
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I really enjoy happy endings. 
Seedtick
Seedtick
Hondo 60
Member
I have or had
1 Lee Challenger Breech Lock
2 Lee Deluxe 4 hole Turret Press
3 Lee Pro-1000
4 Dillon RL550B
I sold the turret & Pro 1000
They'll pry the Dillon from my cold dead fingers!
Ya, they're expensive, but they're honestly worth it.
1 Lee Challenger Breech Lock
2 Lee Deluxe 4 hole Turret Press
3 Lee Pro-1000
4 Dillon RL550B
I sold the turret & Pro 1000
They'll pry the Dillon from my cold dead fingers!
Ya, they're expensive, but they're honestly worth it.
OP
OP
Olympus
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It's official. The Load Master is packed away in a box and the Classic Turret has officially taken it's place. I spent a lot of time loading on the Classic today and I really couldn't be happier. I loaded 500 rounds of .38 without a single hiccup. No crunched primer sliders, no bound up indexing, no primers halfway punched through the shell plate, nothing! It was completely smooth operation. I learned that the Safety Prime works flawlessly if I back the handle down just a fraction before inserting the primer in the pocket. Once I learned that, not a single dropped primer on the floor. No more headaches!
On a side note, the additional handle pulls have rubbed my thumb raw. I thought I saw a thread a while back where someone made a new knob out of an old billiard ball and replaced the rough wood knob. Anyone know where that's at or how a guy would go about doing that? A smoother knob would go a long way in comfort I think.
On a side note, the additional handle pulls have rubbed my thumb raw. I thought I saw a thread a while back where someone made a new knob out of an old billiard ball and replaced the rough wood knob. Anyone know where that's at or how a guy would go about doing that? A smoother knob would go a long way in comfort I think.
NuJudge
Member
Much of the time, I size on a single stage and prime using a hand tool, then put it on the Loadmaster for case neck belling & powder charging, bullet seating and finally crimp. I size & deprime during the winter when I cannot do anything else.
I have read recently that if one operates the press doing first just decap in station one, size and prime in station two, and don't do anything else, the press works much better. I have not tried it.
I have read recently that if one operates the press doing first just decap in station one, size and prime in station two, and don't do anything else, the press works much better. I have not tried it.
dickttx
Member
"On a side note, the additional handle pulls have rubbed my thumb raw. I thought I saw a thread a while back where someone made a new knob out of an old billiard ball and replaced the rough wood knob. Anyone know where that's at or how a guy would go about doing that? A smoother knob would go a long way in comfort I think."
I remember seeing the pool ball somewhere also. I have had trouble this summer reloading in the morning (too hot in the afternoon) when the sweat starts dripping on my hand. Gets raw real quick. But the finish on the ball has worn smooth pretty quickly.
You are really going to like that LCT setup.
I remember seeing the pool ball somewhere also. I have had trouble this summer reloading in the morning (too hot in the afternoon) when the sweat starts dripping on my hand. Gets raw real quick. But the finish on the ball has worn smooth pretty quickly.
You are really going to like that LCT setup.
Lost Sheep
Member
If you take off the Lee Safety Prime mount and put a washer under it to shim the height up just the right amount, you won't have to back off the handle.
I believe there is also someone marketing a roller handle. Replaces the entire handle arm.
Good luck.
Lost Sheep
texgunner
Member
I too recomend the Lee Classic Turret press. I've used one since 2006 and I'm still happy with it.
OP
OP
Olympus
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I've noticed that my primers are all seated much more uniformly since switching to the LCT. On the LM, I would get one every once in a while that wasn't fully seated. I've also noticed that my OALs on the LCT are a lot more uniform than they were on the LM too, within 2 or 3 thousandths. I had to pay close attention to OALs on my LM. Especially 10mm for some reason on the LM.
I've had my LM since '95, before all the bad press on the web, and before all the videos. I just read the limited instructions and started reloading.
I had about 7,000 rounds thru it before I had to replace the primer slider that came with the machine. And the only reason I had to replace that part, was I started running range brass and found out about crimped primers and mangled extraction grooves.
Before the range brass, I bought a box of ammo, shot that at my backyard range, and picked up the brass to run in the LM. NO crimped primers, my guns weren't worn out and didn't damage the brass. So I didn't have any of the priming issues I read about on the web; like yours.
When I did run the range brass, I got all the problems you describe. Did some research on the web and found all about crimped primers. Now all the range brass is deprimed and primer pockets reamed. I use a small 3/8" countersink in a cordless drill. EVERYTHING gets reamed. All you need is one crimped pocket to have the primer slider get trashed. The primer doesn't install in the pocket, so it's floating around down there waiting for the next primer to come along. You've been taking that apart and know there's only room for one primer at a time in there.
Once I went to the prepped brass, no more primer issues. I had to use the Auto-Prime hand tool waiting for the new sliders, now I use the LM to resize a deprimed, reamed case, then use the LM to insert the primers. Did about 500 .223 cases like that last week. Not one messed up primer with that reamed brass.
If you have some brass that you shot and picked up, try running that in the LM. Nothing that has crimped primers, nice clean, commercial stuff. I'm reading the cops are using stuff with crimped primers, just like the military. So even buying stuff off the shelf at Cabela's might not be safe....
So, are you reloading stuff you shot, or range pickup? Big difference in how it runs in a LM.
I had about 7,000 rounds thru it before I had to replace the primer slider that came with the machine. And the only reason I had to replace that part, was I started running range brass and found out about crimped primers and mangled extraction grooves.
Before the range brass, I bought a box of ammo, shot that at my backyard range, and picked up the brass to run in the LM. NO crimped primers, my guns weren't worn out and didn't damage the brass. So I didn't have any of the priming issues I read about on the web; like yours.
When I did run the range brass, I got all the problems you describe. Did some research on the web and found all about crimped primers. Now all the range brass is deprimed and primer pockets reamed. I use a small 3/8" countersink in a cordless drill. EVERYTHING gets reamed. All you need is one crimped pocket to have the primer slider get trashed. The primer doesn't install in the pocket, so it's floating around down there waiting for the next primer to come along. You've been taking that apart and know there's only room for one primer at a time in there.
Once I went to the prepped brass, no more primer issues. I had to use the Auto-Prime hand tool waiting for the new sliders, now I use the LM to resize a deprimed, reamed case, then use the LM to insert the primers. Did about 500 .223 cases like that last week. Not one messed up primer with that reamed brass.
If you have some brass that you shot and picked up, try running that in the LM. Nothing that has crimped primers, nice clean, commercial stuff. I'm reading the cops are using stuff with crimped primers, just like the military. So even buying stuff off the shelf at Cabela's might not be safe....
So, are you reloading stuff you shot, or range pickup? Big difference in how it runs in a LM.
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