Matthew T.
Member
It seems people other love the Lee Loadmaster or hate it. Does anyone have any experience with both the Loadmaster and the Pro 1000 regarding which is more reliable? Also, is the Pro 1000 just easier to use and maintain?
which is more reliable: the Lee Pro 1000 or the Loadmaster?
- Thread starter Matthew T.
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JA
Member
The question is not really which is more reliable but what do you plan to load?
The Pro 1000 only has places for 3 dies. It will load all pistol cartridges but 223 Remington is the longest rifle cartridge it will load. The LoadMaster has places for 5 dies. It will load all pistol and rifle cartridges.
I can't say that one is more reliable than the other as both of my Pro 1000's and LoadMaster work fine.
Of course having Lee tools that work I actually......
1-Read the directions first.
2-Follow the directions.
3-Refer back to the directions when problems occur.
4-Realize that the square peg goes in the square hole and not the round hole.
5-Accept responsability for problems I cause and not blame the machine,it's design,or the person that designed it.
6-Take the time to figure out why a problem occured and then figure out how to fix it.
7-Remember why the problem occured and not do that again.
The Pro 1000 only has places for 3 dies. It will load all pistol cartridges but 223 Remington is the longest rifle cartridge it will load. The LoadMaster has places for 5 dies. It will load all pistol and rifle cartridges.
I can't say that one is more reliable than the other as both of my Pro 1000's and LoadMaster work fine.
Of course having Lee tools that work I actually......
1-Read the directions first.
2-Follow the directions.
3-Refer back to the directions when problems occur.
4-Realize that the square peg goes in the square hole and not the round hole.
5-Accept responsability for problems I cause and not blame the machine,it's design,or the person that designed it.
6-Take the time to figure out why a problem occured and then figure out how to fix it.
7-Remember why the problem occured and not do that again.
Matthew T.
Member
I use and enjoy a Lee 4 Hole Turret Press currently. The Auto Prime II gets an occasional jam, though. (I use it instead of the turret's primer arm.) I average about 70 rounds in 60 minutes, taking my time and inspecting each case at the beginning and end of the loading process.
Anyway, that to say that I would like to have at least 4 stations, but if the Pro 1000 is faster and more reliable, I would go with it. I 'm thinking about running the rounds though a Lee FCD in a single stage after the Pro 1000 spits 'em out.
The Load Master has plenty of stations, but I hear more people gripe about the Load Master than the Pro 1000. Plus, the Load Master costs about $100 more at Midway.
Anyway, that to say that I would like to have at least 4 stations, but if the Pro 1000 is faster and more reliable, I would go with it. I 'm thinking about running the rounds though a Lee FCD in a single stage after the Pro 1000 spits 'em out.
The Load Master has plenty of stations, but I hear more people gripe about the Load Master than the Pro 1000. Plus, the Load Master costs about $100 more at Midway.
bfox
Member
I use the pro1000
like you said with a FCD in another press .
Sometimes Lee has reconditioned pro 1000's for $80 + $4 shipping
I had 1 from midway got the 2nd Rec. from Lee .
Looked like new works great .
Good Luck , Bill
like you said with a FCD in another press .
Sometimes Lee has reconditioned pro 1000's for $80 + $4 shipping
I had 1 from midway got the 2nd Rec. from Lee .
Looked like new works great .
Good Luck , Bill
JA
Member
I have loaded 10,000's of rounds on my Pro 1000's and have never needed to run the finished rounds through a FCD. I use my LoadMaster for loading rifle cartridges that are too long for the Pro 1000's like 7x57,8x57,308,and 30-06.
I have a 308 FCD and since I don't own any benchrest target rifles I can tell no difference between the accuracy or functioning of the cartridges loaded with or without it.
I have a 308 FCD and since I don't own any benchrest target rifles I can tell no difference between the accuracy or functioning of the cartridges loaded with or without it.
Matthew T.
Member
comparison
bfox, I would like to know how many rounds per hour you average running the cartridges through the FCD after the Pro 1000 seats the bullets.
Similarly, JA, I'd like to know your average hourly output.
Thanks
Matthew
bfox, I would like to know how many rounds per hour you average running the cartridges through the FCD after the Pro 1000 seats the bullets.
Similarly, JA, I'd like to know your average hourly output.
Thanks
Matthew
bfox
Member
I only load about 50 or so at a time .
Takes about 20 minutes to do both .
It took me a little while to get used to the pro 1000 after single stage loading.
After some help from these boards I have been Ok.
Keep the primer shoot clean and full .
Bill
Takes about 20 minutes to do both .
It took me a little while to get used to the pro 1000 after single stage loading.
After some help from these boards I have been Ok.
Keep the primer shoot clean and full .
Bill
Matthew I vote for the Pro 1000. You don't need to run them through the LEE FCD, but it is a tremendous advantage to do it. It does get tedious to spend the extra time but well worth doing it on a single stage.
What calibers are you loading for?.
I've used Lee Loader, then Anniversary kit single stage, then Pro 1000, then Hordady Projector, then Loadmaster, then Dillon 550.
In a do over I would not bother with the Loadmaster. It can be a good progressive but I had very poor experience with it. I'm very patient, read the instructions thoroughly and can fix things, but one thing after another tore my patience to threads.
I really like Lee products and they are budget friendly.
What calibers are you loading for?.
I've used Lee Loader, then Anniversary kit single stage, then Pro 1000, then Hordady Projector, then Loadmaster, then Dillon 550.
In a do over I would not bother with the Loadmaster. It can be a good progressive but I had very poor experience with it. I'm very patient, read the instructions thoroughly and can fix things, but one thing after another tore my patience to threads.
I really like Lee products and they are budget friendly.
Matthew T.
Member
calibers
I have been loading for .45 ACP for a couple of years and just started loading .38 Special. As I said, I like my Lee Turret Press, but its production rate is starting to get me down.
I have been loading for .45 ACP for a couple of years and just started loading .38 Special. As I said, I like my Lee Turret Press, but its production rate is starting to get me down.
I have both the pro1000 and the loadmaster.
I started with a used pro1000 and ran into problems immediately. MY FAULT!! or maybe the instructions?
1st) I tried to load a box of .38 special target loads. That would be 2.7 grains of bullseye and 148 grain wadcutters. I had 10 rounds with no powder in a box of 50. Lee warns that less than .4 cc of flake powders don't measure well. But I have yet to figure out how to see 2.7 grains in the bottom of a .38 case.
2nd) I tried to load some .223. I noticed some of my primers were already dented. Puzzled, I tried to figure out how I got used primers mixed with my new primers. Finally, I came to the conclusion that the deprimer pin was sticking and pulling the old primer back into the primer pocket. It would then get fully seated by the new primer.
3rd) I kept forgeting to push the handle hard enough to fully seat the primer (on the back stroke). Then the case was locked in the shell plate.
So I was getting into 9m and .45 acp anyway and dropped the .38 reloading. Item 2 (primer drawback only happens on some cases) and never happened on the batches of 9mm and .45 acp's that I have. My dremel opened up the houseing for the shellplate so the cases with a partialy inserted primer are not trapped.
So was I happy? ABSOLUTELY!!!
Then I oiled it up well and put it away for the winter. When I tried it again, the primers wouldn't feed. The oil had crept into the primer path and was sticking the primers in place in the trough. Removeing and cleaning the primer trough (I had to separate the two parts) fixed this. Now I only put a light swipe of grease on the shellplate.
Even though I had other problems, it worked great and I made the changes that I felt I needed. Such as filling the primer trough and adding 100 primers to the tray, then getting 2 boxes of cases (100). If I tryed to use bulk cases, I would run out of primers (in the tray) and have priming problems. The trough should be kept full.
I was very careful to put a light above the case so I could see the powder as I set the bullet on the case mouth. I also found I needed around 4.5 grains of bullseye for it to measure consistantly. I made an exception for my .380 by rapping the bottom of the measure with a scewdriver handle three (3) times to get consistant settleing of the 3.0 grains of bullseye.
I don't like complicated devices, so I left the case feeder off. I left the case slider off for awhile, but find it lets me drop the case while running the handle, saveing time.
I also pick the loaded rounds out of the shellplate and place them in the box as they come around. This was required because the loaded rounds won't slide down the chute and into the bulk box.
I found it worked so good that I bought a second so I could leave one for 9mm and the other for.45 acp. This even though the caliber change is very easy.
The key to easy caliber changes is leaveing the case feeder off and removeing the shellplate by turning the index rod backward to loosen the shell plate nut (oh, I don't use the case eject wire, since I pick the shells out of the shellplate by hand). The shellplate then lifts out and the primer feeder can be changed (it just lifts out, now) if desired.
The loadmaster has two items to consider.
1st) Priming. It dedicates station two to priming. This primes as the ram comes to the top of its stroke. ie. the priming gives ABSOLUTELY no feel !! On the other hand, it fixes the partialy seated primers that I had at first on the pro1000. It is also faster, as I have no feel to deal with dueing the primer seating.
This puts the powder measure at station 3, bullet seating at station 4 and station 5 is available for crimping.
Since station 5 is obstructed, bullet seating doesn't move well, and a powder check die doesn't fit.
2) The drive for the case slider is troublesome. It is friction driven (as opposed to direct linkage on the pro1000) and sometimes the slider has more friction than its drive. Also, hand feeding the cases takes some getting use to as case must be dropped over the top of the machine.
The powder measure is the same on both machines. The primer feed looks similar but really they have little in common, except for the tray to hold the primers. I have rubber bands to hold the lids on and put the repair link in so the measure can be disconnected quickly. The auto indexing of the two machine is very different, but both have worked well for me.
JerryO
I started with a used pro1000 and ran into problems immediately. MY FAULT!! or maybe the instructions?
1st) I tried to load a box of .38 special target loads. That would be 2.7 grains of bullseye and 148 grain wadcutters. I had 10 rounds with no powder in a box of 50. Lee warns that less than .4 cc of flake powders don't measure well. But I have yet to figure out how to see 2.7 grains in the bottom of a .38 case.
2nd) I tried to load some .223. I noticed some of my primers were already dented. Puzzled, I tried to figure out how I got used primers mixed with my new primers. Finally, I came to the conclusion that the deprimer pin was sticking and pulling the old primer back into the primer pocket. It would then get fully seated by the new primer.
3rd) I kept forgeting to push the handle hard enough to fully seat the primer (on the back stroke). Then the case was locked in the shell plate.
So I was getting into 9m and .45 acp anyway and dropped the .38 reloading. Item 2 (primer drawback only happens on some cases) and never happened on the batches of 9mm and .45 acp's that I have. My dremel opened up the houseing for the shellplate so the cases with a partialy inserted primer are not trapped.
So was I happy? ABSOLUTELY!!!
Then I oiled it up well and put it away for the winter. When I tried it again, the primers wouldn't feed. The oil had crept into the primer path and was sticking the primers in place in the trough. Removeing and cleaning the primer trough (I had to separate the two parts) fixed this. Now I only put a light swipe of grease on the shellplate.
Even though I had other problems, it worked great and I made the changes that I felt I needed. Such as filling the primer trough and adding 100 primers to the tray, then getting 2 boxes of cases (100). If I tryed to use bulk cases, I would run out of primers (in the tray) and have priming problems. The trough should be kept full.
I was very careful to put a light above the case so I could see the powder as I set the bullet on the case mouth. I also found I needed around 4.5 grains of bullseye for it to measure consistantly. I made an exception for my .380 by rapping the bottom of the measure with a scewdriver handle three (3) times to get consistant settleing of the 3.0 grains of bullseye.
I don't like complicated devices, so I left the case feeder off. I left the case slider off for awhile, but find it lets me drop the case while running the handle, saveing time.
I also pick the loaded rounds out of the shellplate and place them in the box as they come around. This was required because the loaded rounds won't slide down the chute and into the bulk box.
I found it worked so good that I bought a second so I could leave one for 9mm and the other for.45 acp. This even though the caliber change is very easy.
The key to easy caliber changes is leaveing the case feeder off and removeing the shellplate by turning the index rod backward to loosen the shell plate nut (oh, I don't use the case eject wire, since I pick the shells out of the shellplate by hand). The shellplate then lifts out and the primer feeder can be changed (it just lifts out, now) if desired.
The loadmaster has two items to consider.
1st) Priming. It dedicates station two to priming. This primes as the ram comes to the top of its stroke. ie. the priming gives ABSOLUTELY no feel !! On the other hand, it fixes the partialy seated primers that I had at first on the pro1000. It is also faster, as I have no feel to deal with dueing the primer seating.
This puts the powder measure at station 3, bullet seating at station 4 and station 5 is available for crimping.
Since station 5 is obstructed, bullet seating doesn't move well, and a powder check die doesn't fit.
2) The drive for the case slider is troublesome. It is friction driven (as opposed to direct linkage on the pro1000) and sometimes the slider has more friction than its drive. Also, hand feeding the cases takes some getting use to as case must be dropped over the top of the machine.
The powder measure is the same on both machines. The primer feed looks similar but really they have little in common, except for the tray to hold the primers. I have rubber bands to hold the lids on and put the repair link in so the measure can be disconnected quickly. The auto indexing of the two machine is very different, but both have worked well for me.
JerryO
JA
Member
Matthew T,
1020 rounds per hour
Well I timed myself 3 times for 1 minute loading 38 Special with a Pro 1000. The first time I loaded 8 rounds,second time 13 rounds,and the third time 17 rounds. So I guess that using the formula Rpm x H = Rph
Rpm = number of rounds loaded per minute
H = 60 minutes
Rph = number of rounds loaded per hour
So I can load 1020 rounds per hour with my Pro 1000.
BUT............The case feeder holds 66 38 Special cases so with shorter cases like 45acp it should hold about 90 and with 9mm over 100 cases. The primer feeder holds 100 primers. Filling them both and filling the powder hopper takes about 3 minutes to do. So I figure that working at a steady pace loading 400-500 rounds per hour should be more realistic for the number of rounds loaded per hour.
I have switched to using Accurate Arms powders for target loads as they are ball powders and meter exactly dead on in weight every time. The whole key to the case feeder working correctly is you have to use the right size one with the right size case slider. Notice there are 4 sizes of feeders and 2 sizes of sliders.
http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/partimage.cgi?IMAGE=2449
The one must have accessory is the case collator. It makes filling the case feeder a snap. Just dump in a handful of cases and shake they all fall into the tubes right side up.
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=244455
1020 rounds per hour
Well I timed myself 3 times for 1 minute loading 38 Special with a Pro 1000. The first time I loaded 8 rounds,second time 13 rounds,and the third time 17 rounds. So I guess that using the formula Rpm x H = Rph
Rpm = number of rounds loaded per minute
H = 60 minutes
Rph = number of rounds loaded per hour
So I can load 1020 rounds per hour with my Pro 1000.
BUT............The case feeder holds 66 38 Special cases so with shorter cases like 45acp it should hold about 90 and with 9mm over 100 cases. The primer feeder holds 100 primers. Filling them both and filling the powder hopper takes about 3 minutes to do. So I figure that working at a steady pace loading 400-500 rounds per hour should be more realistic for the number of rounds loaded per hour.
I have switched to using Accurate Arms powders for target loads as they are ball powders and meter exactly dead on in weight every time. The whole key to the case feeder working correctly is you have to use the right size one with the right size case slider. Notice there are 4 sizes of feeders and 2 sizes of sliders.
http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/partimage.cgi?IMAGE=2449
The one must have accessory is the case collator. It makes filling the case feeder a snap. Just dump in a handful of cases and shake they all fall into the tubes right side up.
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=244455
Matthew T.
Member
Accurate rocks!
JA, that's a pretty impressive load rate!
I picked up some Accurate #2 a couple of weeks ago and really like it. You're absolutely right, it meters very accurately in the Pro Auto Disk Powder Measure. The .32 cc cavity was throwing within a gnat's eyelash of 3.2 grains every time around. No. 2 is dead on with the adjustable charge bar, too (although I haven't tried it below .5 cc). There were a few grains of unburned powder hanging around my Taurus 85 and Glock 30, but I can live with that.
JA, that's a pretty impressive load rate!
I picked up some Accurate #2 a couple of weeks ago and really like it. You're absolutely right, it meters very accurately in the Pro Auto Disk Powder Measure. The .32 cc cavity was throwing within a gnat's eyelash of 3.2 grains every time around. No. 2 is dead on with the adjustable charge bar, too (although I haven't tried it below .5 cc). There were a few grains of unburned powder hanging around my Taurus 85 and Glock 30, but I can live with that.
Maxinquaye
Member
I like my Loadmaster a LOT. 600 rounds per hour is not a problem, including refilling primers and brass. I bought mine in November last year and have 14K rounds loaded thru it already; 9mm up to .500 S&W Mag and everything in between. Thinking of buying a couple more and leaving them set up for my most frequently used calibers; they're that inexpensive.
JA
Member
I bought my first Pro 1000 and it worked so well I bought another. I had one set up for small primers and the other for large primers. This worked out ok for a few years as I was only loading 32mag,38,357,9mm,and 45acp pistol cartridges. All I had to change was shellplates/turrets/powder measure to switch for loading different cartridges. After starting to load 7.62x39mm and 223 it started to become a hassle as I had to swap around case feeders,powder measures,and the disks in the powder measures also. Changing over to load a 100 or less rounds started to become more work than it was worth.
Luckly a local area gunshop closed their reloading department so I got several carriers,auto disk powder measures,case feeders,and turrets at cost. This allowed for quicker changes as I didn't have to do anything but change the carrier and turret. I could leave the case feeder on the carrier and the powder measure in the die in the turret with the correct disk in it.
Luckly a local area gunshop closed their reloading department so I got several carriers,auto disk powder measures,case feeders,and turrets at cost. This allowed for quicker changes as I didn't have to do anything but change the carrier and turret. I could leave the case feeder on the carrier and the powder measure in the die in the turret with the correct disk in it.
PowderKeg
Member
Pro 1000, an alternative view
At the risk of raising hackles with my first post here, I have to say that my experience with a Pro 1000 back in the early 90's left me less than impressed.
It was my first loading setup, for .38/.357, and while at first I was pleased, I gradually got more and more frustrated with it. I have a very low tolerance for complications and frustrations, and the Lee eventually hit my limit. Partially seated primers jamming the system, missing a primer when the auto prime system failed to drop primers into the shute, the very real risk of double charging .38's with certain powders if I wasn't absolutely focused on ONE full stroke at a time (like when a spent primer would hang in the case and needed a second tap in the sizer die to dislodge it), the lack of a good "feel" for proper primer seating (resulting in primer jams from partial seating), occasional indexing problems, the (IMHO) cheap design of the powder measure and the need to disassemble the measure to change disks for different powders (although later I did buy an adjustable charge bar for it that solved that hassle), the BIG hassle of pulling a cartridge out without a bullet seated to check the charge weight, and more. The final straw came when I noticed powder flakes (Bullseye at the time) scattered on the shellplate. Upon close inspection and no matter how fast or slow I operated the press, I found that powder was actually splashing up out of the charged cartridge on each down stroke (and I was wondering why I was having very limited success with getting a consistent shooting load). The system was just plain jerky, not smooth at all.
Now maybe I just had a bum press that wasn't a good representative of most Pro 1000's, or the lack of experience at the time resulted in more goofs than normal, but it ultimately turned me off towards progressive reloaders. I just don't like all that activity going on with each stroke of the arm. That, and I like to check 10-15% of the cartridges randomly for proper charge weight (yeah, I'm anal about that), a real hassle with a progressive (at least with the Lee). The 3 die limit also became a hassle when I sprang for a separate roll crimp die.
I did experiment briefly with an RCBS Piggyback II, but quickly found many of the same frustrations, so it's back to single stage again. I am setting the PG II up to handle initial case prep (size/deprime, flare), but priming and seating will remain single on the old reliable Pacific 00-7. I do use a Lee Auto Prime II on top of the 00-7, but it's easy to see the primer shute on top of the press and give it a light shake to get primers to slip down and keep things working smoothly.
When I first bought the Pro 1000, I was only shooting revolvers at an IHMSA range. When I moved into High Power Rifle at a local club with a club M1 Garand, I had to buy another press (the 00-7) and powder measure anyway, since the Pro 1000 won't handle rifle calibers (except a few like the .30 Carbine).
If I ever get the urge to go progressive again (which I doubt), the only loader on my short list to consider will be a Dillon 550. Alot more $$$, but alot better reputation.
Just my nickle's worth.
GP
At the risk of raising hackles with my first post here, I have to say that my experience with a Pro 1000 back in the early 90's left me less than impressed.
It was my first loading setup, for .38/.357, and while at first I was pleased, I gradually got more and more frustrated with it. I have a very low tolerance for complications and frustrations, and the Lee eventually hit my limit. Partially seated primers jamming the system, missing a primer when the auto prime system failed to drop primers into the shute, the very real risk of double charging .38's with certain powders if I wasn't absolutely focused on ONE full stroke at a time (like when a spent primer would hang in the case and needed a second tap in the sizer die to dislodge it), the lack of a good "feel" for proper primer seating (resulting in primer jams from partial seating), occasional indexing problems, the (IMHO) cheap design of the powder measure and the need to disassemble the measure to change disks for different powders (although later I did buy an adjustable charge bar for it that solved that hassle), the BIG hassle of pulling a cartridge out without a bullet seated to check the charge weight, and more. The final straw came when I noticed powder flakes (Bullseye at the time) scattered on the shellplate. Upon close inspection and no matter how fast or slow I operated the press, I found that powder was actually splashing up out of the charged cartridge on each down stroke (and I was wondering why I was having very limited success with getting a consistent shooting load). The system was just plain jerky, not smooth at all.
Now maybe I just had a bum press that wasn't a good representative of most Pro 1000's, or the lack of experience at the time resulted in more goofs than normal, but it ultimately turned me off towards progressive reloaders. I just don't like all that activity going on with each stroke of the arm. That, and I like to check 10-15% of the cartridges randomly for proper charge weight (yeah, I'm anal about that), a real hassle with a progressive (at least with the Lee). The 3 die limit also became a hassle when I sprang for a separate roll crimp die.
I did experiment briefly with an RCBS Piggyback II, but quickly found many of the same frustrations, so it's back to single stage again. I am setting the PG II up to handle initial case prep (size/deprime, flare), but priming and seating will remain single on the old reliable Pacific 00-7. I do use a Lee Auto Prime II on top of the 00-7, but it's easy to see the primer shute on top of the press and give it a light shake to get primers to slip down and keep things working smoothly.
When I first bought the Pro 1000, I was only shooting revolvers at an IHMSA range. When I moved into High Power Rifle at a local club with a club M1 Garand, I had to buy another press (the 00-7) and powder measure anyway, since the Pro 1000 won't handle rifle calibers (except a few like the .30 Carbine).
If I ever get the urge to go progressive again (which I doubt), the only loader on my short list to consider will be a Dillon 550. Alot more $$$, but alot better reputation.
Just my nickle's worth.
GP
PRO 1000
I used a pro 1000 years ago and loved it - no problems. I have been researching recently to decide which to buy, and here is what I found after lengthy hours.
Affordable Dillons are semi-auto, and has as many glitches as Lee. Reminds me of computers 30 years ago - for $800 Atari had more features than a $4000 IBM, but IBM marketed theirs better.
Loadmaster has more glitches than pro 1000, and for handguns, you don't need the extra die slots. Just causes more pulls for nothing.
Pro 1000 problems come from not understanding or following instructions during setup and/or operation. Once you're set up just watch the primer tray to keep it full, and keep it clean.
I bought a refurbished pro 1000 in 45ACP from Lee for $82.00 plus $4.00 shipping, with a 2 year warranty.
I used a pro 1000 years ago and loved it - no problems. I have been researching recently to decide which to buy, and here is what I found after lengthy hours.
Affordable Dillons are semi-auto, and has as many glitches as Lee. Reminds me of computers 30 years ago - for $800 Atari had more features than a $4000 IBM, but IBM marketed theirs better.
Loadmaster has more glitches than pro 1000, and for handguns, you don't need the extra die slots. Just causes more pulls for nothing.
Pro 1000 problems come from not understanding or following instructions during setup and/or operation. Once you're set up just watch the primer tray to keep it full, and keep it clean.
I bought a refurbished pro 1000 in 45ACP from Lee for $82.00 plus $4.00 shipping, with a 2 year warranty.
I have use a Lee challenger single stage and my loadmaster.... the loadmaster is a complete PITA when using small rifle primers. I can go 500-1000 rounds before jamming a primer, then jam 5 in a row.
I have replaced over 20 large and small primer sliders, the base casting (where the shellhold goes, both larger and small primer troughs and STILL cannot get reliabily small primers to feed.
But large primers run like a bat out of heck... I did 2K .30-06 one weekend and never missed a beat.
I have replaced over 20 large and small primer sliders, the base casting (where the shellhold goes, both larger and small primer troughs and STILL cannot get reliabily small primers to feed.
But large primers run like a bat out of heck... I did 2K .30-06 one weekend and never missed a beat.
JA
Member
Since this thread was started over a year ago I have spent quite a bit of time loading with my LoadMaster. I have used it to load 7x57,30-06,8x57,and 308 Winchester which are all to long to load on a Pro 1000. It has worked very well and I have had no problems with the primer feeder. Also by replacing the bolt that holds the case feeder tubes with a longer bolt. I was able to adjust the case feeder to feed the above listed rifle cases even though the instructions say the LoadMaster won't feed rifle cases from the case feeder tubes. Although not 100% reliable with 2-3 cases out of 100 tipping over while the case slider pushes the case into the shell plate. All it takes is one finger to push the case upright and into the shellplate. This modification and the use of a RCBS lube die in station #1 has really speeded up my loading of rifle cartridges. The RCBS lube die deprimes the case so I use a resizing die in the priming station with the depriming rod pulled up into the die so a new primer can be seated.
With my limited use of the LoadMaster to load only rifle cartridges that use large primers I can't say how it would stack up with the Pro 1000 loading pistol cartridges or shorter rifle cartridges. But I am very happy with it as it cuts the time spent loading rifle cartridges down by at least 90% over the single stage press I used till I got the LoadMaster up and running.
With my limited use of the LoadMaster to load only rifle cartridges that use large primers I can't say how it would stack up with the Pro 1000 loading pistol cartridges or shorter rifle cartridges. But I am very happy with it as it cuts the time spent loading rifle cartridges down by at least 90% over the single stage press I used till I got the LoadMaster up and running.
DaveInFloweryBranchGA
Member
Uncle Don,
I've cut and pasted your post where you described the proper setup of the Lee Loadmaster to a word doc and share it with Lee owners on various forums (giving you credit, of course). Would you be kind enough to do the same for a Lee Pro 1000? I think it would be of great benefit to owners of those presses.
Regards,
Dave
I've cut and pasted your post where you described the proper setup of the Lee Loadmaster to a word doc and share it with Lee owners on various forums (giving you credit, of course). Would you be kind enough to do the same for a Lee Pro 1000? I think it would be of great benefit to owners of those presses.
Regards,
Dave
wanderinwalker
Member
Uncle Don,
I too am curious about this proper setup. The other night I dug my pa's Pro1000 out of the dust and cobwebs for a trial run. We had given up on it with issues with the small-primer carrier. I plugged in the large primer carrier, swapped out the dies from 9mm to .45 ACP and ran. I think it took me 10-15 minutes or so of actually pulling the handle to make 60 rounds. More time spent setting the thing up!
Now I'm going to order a #11 plate so I can load my .44s on the thing. Getting kind of tired of doing it on the Turret. With the progressive I could load two or three 100-round buckets an hour, rather than 1!
I too am curious about this proper setup. The other night I dug my pa's Pro1000 out of the dust and cobwebs for a trial run. We had given up on it with issues with the small-primer carrier. I plugged in the large primer carrier, swapped out the dies from 9mm to .45 ACP and ran. I think it took me 10-15 minutes or so of actually pulling the handle to make 60 rounds. More time spent setting the thing up!
Now I'm going to order a #11 plate so I can load my .44s on the thing. Getting kind of tired of doing it on the Turret. With the progressive I could load two or three 100-round buckets an hour, rather than 1!
Thanks for the thought that I could lend such support to Pro 1000 owners, but frankly, it's been so many years since I ran one, I wouldn't feel right about it. The only thing I can now say is that if a person is having trouble with proper indexing, the method to take care of it is as follows:
Move the carrier half way up and move it with your fingers to an incorrect postion. Lower the carrier and then with a screwdriver, turn the indexing adjustment located to the front and under the carrier. Turn it only clockwise and continue to do so until it clicks into position. At this point, turn the adjustment further between a half and three quarters of a turn. This way, the carrier will go reliably into place with a full load on it.
Outside of that, be sure that you feel the primer go into the case on the carrier down position each time and that the primer tray never gets below about 20 primers.
Thanks for posting the info on the Loadmaster, I've always belived it is a great bargan for those who become aware of how to set it up properly. I hope it helps some people who own the press to make it do what it was designed to do.
JA
Member
I don't know if you guys are aware of this but Lee has added "how to" video's to their website. There are 16 video's on the Pro 1000 and LoadMaster presses. Also video's on other presses and Lee equipment.
http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1146160783.856=/html/HelpVideos/video.html
http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1146160783.856=/html/HelpVideos/video.html
Falconeer
Member
I used a Pro 1000 for 9mm & 357 Sig for about six months and was quite happy with it. The only issue I had was the three die positions (I use an FCD with 357 Sig to prevent set back issues), but I purchased an additional die plate and ran the loaded rounds through another time. Then I sold the 9mm pistol and used the money to get into a .308 rifle set up. Hmm... Pro 1000 no workie with long rifle cases. So I bought a Classic Turret press. 
LOVE IT! Four die positions, burly enough to load anything, auto-indexes but a breeze to turn off. For me it's the best combination of progressive and single stage out there. Not as fast as a pure progressive but quick enough for me.
I still have the Pro 1000, but it's sitting up on a shelf.
LOVE IT! Four die positions, burly enough to load anything, auto-indexes but a breeze to turn off. For me it's the best combination of progressive and single stage out there. Not as fast as a pure progressive but quick enough for me.
I still have the Pro 1000, but it's sitting up on a shelf.
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