New Loadmaster

To learn and introduce new loaders. Tips and tricks from old timers.

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Cloudwraith
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New Loadmaster

Post by Cloudwraith »

My loving wife got me a Lee Loadmaster for Christmas. I know it isn't blue but it fit our budget and is way faster than my old turret press. I still use the turret press for fixing ammo and doing my larger rifle rounds. It took a bit to get it set up and working ok. After a few hours of tweaking it is good to go except the bullet feeder which doesn't like the concave bases of my Precision Delta .40s.

Here is a pic of its new home:

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BobK
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Re: New Loadmaster

Post by BobK »

Good present!

I'd suggest spending some time over at the Loadmaster Videos Forums. http://forums.loadmastervideos.com/forums/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There are some interesting modifications documented for the bullet feeder that make it more reliable. After reading there a while, you will probably start thinking about how to make your press mount more beefy. The more solid the press mount, the more reliable the operation.
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Sevens
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Re: New Loadmaster

Post by Sevens »

Cloudwraith wrote:I still use the turret press for fixing ammo
...oops?! :lol:
I like to swap brass... and I'm looking for .32 H&R Mag, .327 Fed Mag, .380 Auto and 10mm. If you have some and would like to swap for something else, send me a note!
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Cloudwraith
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Re: New Loadmaster

Post by Cloudwraith »

Sevens wrote:
Cloudwraith wrote:I still use the turret press for fixing ammo
...oops?! :lol:
Well yea, learning curve and all that. Biggest mistake I made was while tightening down the bench plate I accidentally dislodged the primer container from the chute and didn't realize it. After the chute emptied no more primers were being inserted into the cases although powder and bullets continued to go in :oops: . Realized what was going on after I saw powder in the catch bin. Had about 5 rounds I have to pull the bullets out of.
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Cloudwraith
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Re: New Loadmaster

Post by Cloudwraith »

BobK wrote:Good present!

I'd suggest spending some time over at the Loadmaster Videos Forums. http://forums.loadmastervideos.com/forums/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There are some interesting modifications documented for the bullet feeder that make it more reliable. After reading there a while, you will probably start thinking about how to make your press mount more beefy. The more solid the press mount, the more reliable the operation.
i spent a lot of time perusing that forum and watching youtube videos before getting and assembling it. Even then I still had some issues getting it all working correctly. I have not had one issue seating primers except for the mistake listed above. The case feeder works about 95% of the time and I notice that my OAL is a bit off when there are only 3 rounds on the shell plate as I'm finishing up. I guess the shell plate doesn't make as good a contact without shells in the deprime and prime stations.

I think I'll be spending some cash with Magic Mike :)
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mreising
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Re: New Loadmaster

Post by mreising »

I had similar bullet feeder problems on my Pro1000 with the highly concave bases of the Precision Delta 9mms. My solution was to operate the feed fingers with my hand rather than using the auto linkage. It did not slow things down appreciably once I got into the rhythm.
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The German
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Re: New Loadmaster

Post by The German »

I got two Loadmasters in my basement and have been using them for many years, but the bullet feeder just did not work for me, no matter which bullet and caliber I tried. Feeding them with the hand also has the advantage that I can have a quick look at the powder level to find cases without powder.
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Cloudwraith
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Re: New Loadmaster

Post by Cloudwraith »

I'm considering this http://www.mrbulletfeeder.com/mini-mr-bulletfeeder/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; as an alternative but hate to give up a hole just for feeding as I have a factory crimp die in the 5th hole.

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