Lee Loadmaster reloader questions

[WBR10654]

So when I bought my Henry Rifle years ago from the Great Jeff Hall of the WBR he also gave me a Lee Loadmaster reloader..

I have never reloaded anything but a Maynard Cartridge until this.

So I decided, finally, to try to get it up and running and though I think I am close.

Who might have one of these and might be able to give me a few pointers... Maybe help me set the darn thing up...

DPB

[Tom Magno, 9269V]

Dave - go to the Lee website, they have helpful how-to videos on all their reloading presses. Also, there are gobs of "experts" on YouTube - just search for Lee Loadmaster setup, and you'll be overwhelmed with 'expert' advice....
Try here first: http://leeprecision.com/load-master-help-videos.html

[WBR10654]

Tom,,

Yep, I got as far as I did with youtube and www.loadmastervideos.com.

Mine is not operating "smoothly" like theirs are so I continue to work on it

I registered with the site and am just waiting for that registration to be completed...

Shucks, I have 1000 cases of 44-40 and plan to start shooting my Ballard in the Single Shot competition...

Maybe start shooting Henry too...

DPB

[jonk]

Well congrats. You probably have the second most finicky, difficult to set up, difficult to get running progressive loader ever made (after the Lee Pro 1000, which I own).

I don't know why, but some part of me would think twice about running black powder in a progressive reloader, the nonsense about static and plastic hoppers aside.

If I were you I would order a Lee Classic Cast single stage and either sell the Loadmaster or sit on it for a later date. You don't start reloading with a progressive, as a general rule.

That said if your heart is set on it, ignore the automatic brass feeder, bulllet feeder, etc. and do everything by hand until you get the hang of it.

Keep your primer system full. Lees work well with a full primer hopper, you get issues when it gets low.

[WBR10654]

Well congrats. You probably have the second most finicky, difficult to set up, difficult to get running progressive loader ever made (after the Lee Pro 1000, which I own).


Gee, thanks for the encouragement... HA!

Well everything I have read on the websites I have visited is they say don't use the case loader initially and load one round at a time.

Shucks, this may be good enough for me since I already own the darn thing, it did come with the rifle.

I am getting "closer" to being able to do just that... a true PROGRESSIVE reloader that doe multiple operations to multi rounds at once probably is not what I need...

I might not even use the primer tool and instead prime rounds while watching TV...

BUT we will see... I am watching videos and seeing how people have modified the loader to work better.... I mean I only want to load 44-40...

DPB

[Muley Gil]

".from the Great Jeff Hall of the WBR ..."

Now, Jeff is a really nice guy and all that, but you keep talking like that and his kepi won't fit anymore! :p

[jonk]

If you take out the drive shaft it will do just fine as single stage.

Or as an inbetween, if you want to prime on your own, set it up like such:

1st station: resize/decap die.
2nd station: bell the case mouth.
Nothing after that, just let the empties fall out. Then you can prime as you wish.

Upon going back to it, you'd just need to charge your cases (if you do it on the press you can set it up that way by putting a charging die on station 1- Lee dies are 'powder through expanders, other brands will require a universal charging die), seat, and if desired, crimp.

If you were closer I'd happily walk you through it. Feel free to PM me if you want, I can chat with you on the phone a bit too if you need to.

[Chris Sweeney]

I am a true-blue Lee customer and even I won't use my loadmaster as a progressive any more. It takes way too long to get set up right, and if it isn't set up right (we're talking millimeter size adjustments), it binds and jams if you're lucky, and blows up the primer tray if you're not. If you were only using it to reload a single caliber, and went through the trouble of getting it all perfect, and left it alone , it might could work, but even then, it's technique-sensitive; you need a smooth and consistent rhythm or it will argue with you. I only use mine in "manual" mode and have learned to never use it to prime cases!