Deciding which LEE press to buy

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ColinVk

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I bought the Lee Pro 4000 but now looking at the LEE Load Master I’m wondering if I made the wrong choice, I like the full automation of the load master especially not having to manually add the primer and I think there’s an add on that automatically adds the bullet but I’m not sure plus it’s got the 5th hole which I’ve heard can come in handy. I guess I’m asking if anyone knows anything about the two presses or has them can you give me some advice if I made the right choice or should I exchange them

If it helps I’ll be reloading a wide variety of pistol and rifle ammunition
 
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Why the focus on lee?

I'd rather buy a used hornady than a new lee progressive.
The lee fanboys will likely stop by shortly to correct me lol.
 
I have a load master and when it's working it's great, but if you don't have beat your head against the wall patience and critical thinking skills I would go the easier/smarter route and buy a Dillon. More often than not my load master is down for some reason or another and I get frustrated and walk away.

Kap
 
The loadmaster is OK if you have the patience and skills to do the tuning that it seems to need on a regular basis. I found that one of the real trouble spots is that 1/4"rod. If it is not perfectly "aligned" you are Ina world of headaches.
For the price, it is OK.
 
Take it from someone who has used both Loadmaster & Dillon 650 a lot....if you have the patience of Jobe and an infinite supply of primers ( at the price of primers these days the attrition rate of the Loadmaster may easily eat up the price savings) the Lee may suffice for you (include the price of a couple rebound bullet pullers in your calculations of savings).
To put it bluntly, the Loadmaster will load excellent ammo but at a loading rate 1/2 of a Dillon & many times over the attrition rate of a Dillon.
 
What do you mean by attrition rate the LEE press will damage the primers or something so they can’t be used
 
I've had really good success with a Lee loadmaster and for 450 bucks it's hard to beat. I made my own case feeder and next I will likely buy a Dillon bullet feeder and use a seating/crimping die

I've loaded around 30k 9mm on mine, never had a bad powder drop. Very rarely the primer feed system will go wonky and miss a case. Probably one in a thousand.


I actually bought a second one to use for processing only and since it's as simple as three m6 bolts to change it over , why not have two
 
The priming system on the loadmaster isn’t the greatest as it can tip primers and mine will sometimes spit a new primer down into the ram where the spent primers go
If you want to reload multiple calibers the Dillon machines are more expensive to buy the conversion kits, you only really need a shell holder and a new 5 hole turret on the Lee
I find my loadmaster works the best if I manually insert the case in the shell holder and manually insert the bullet after the powder has been put in the shell
The powder dispenser works ok but I use a chargemaster to dispense my powder charges as I want more accurate ammo
The 5th station on the loadmaster is nice to have if you want to use a crimp die
Dillon can make more rounds per hour with less issues but they have issues too they all do
 
.30/06 FTW said:
I've never heard of anyone being happy with a Lee progressive. Single stage sure. Get a Dillon.
Click to expand...

It depends on waht you have more of: troubleshooting ability and resourcefulness or money.

If it's more money: go Dillon. I would if I had the spare cash kicking around.
If you've got some mechanical ingenuity and/or insight - Lee works. It does for me.
 
fingers284 said:
Take it from someone who has used both Loadmaster & Dillon 650 a lot....if you have the patience of Jobe and an infinite supply of primers ( at the price of primers these days the attrition rate of the Loadmaster may easily eat up the price savings) the Lee may suffice for you (include the price of a couple rebound bullet pullers in your calculations of savings).
To put it bluntly, the Loadmaster will load excellent ammo but at a loading rate 1/2 of a Dillon & many times over the attrition rate of a Dillon.
Click to expand...

My primer attrition rate with a vintage Lee PRO 1000 typically runs about one case in every 200 or 300 rounds.
YMMV.
 
I'm a frugal reloader and as cheap as they come...I have a Lee turret press, with a half dozen pre-set turrets and a Lee classic single stage. Most of my dies are Lee as well as my molds, and I have no complaints...yes, Lee fanboy
 
I am a Lee fanboy as well for the rotary cast press but not so much for the loadmaster. I have both a Dillon 650 and a cast iron rotary, When age forces me to downsize to only one press the Dillon will go & the Lee will stay.
 
.30/06 FTW said:
I've never heard of anyone being happy with a Lee progressive. Single stage sure. Get a Dillon.
Click to expand...
Well let me be the first.:d

I've had two Loadmasters for at least 25 years. Paid $140 each for them new. I have lost track of how many tens of 1000's of rounds I have loaded with them.

I am always mystified by people who complain about the primer feeder. The secrets to the primer feeders are: 1. keep them clean 2. since they are gravity fed keep a good reserve of primers in the tray so there is adequate pressure on the primers in the chute. These two things will eliminate the vast majority of priming problems. I lose perhaps 2 or three primers every 500 rounds and the ones that are inserted upside down can even be reused.

As for the case feeder, the key is to put the correct amount of pressure on the plastic housing the guide rod fits into. Too much pressure and the housing will bind. Too little pressure and the cases will not be fed fully into the shellplate but adjustment is as simple as turning the tension screw. The case feeder funnel and tube assembly is amazing in its simplicity. For about $50 it basically does the same thing as the Dillion or Hornady case feeders that will cost you over $400.

The bullet feeder is not worth the money and you can feed bullets by hand just about as fast.

Obviously the Dillons are an upgrade from the Lee. If they weren't who would buy them? However, you're also looking at 3-4 times the cost depending on which Dillon accessories you add on. A Hornady progressive will be 2-3 times the cost, again depending on the add-ons. And please do not be misled by people who tell you that press "X" or press "Y" is trouble free compared to the Lee. Several of my friends have various models of Dillons and at one time or another all of their presses have required replacements for broken parts. No machine is infallible no matter how good it is. Even Ferraris break down from time to time.

Luckily I'm not completely mechanically illiterate and the longer I've had the Loadmasters and learned their intricacies the quicker I can fix them if something goes wrong (which to be honest isn't that often).

As OldDude noted, if you've got lots of money buy the Dillon (or the Ferrari). Who wouldn't? But if you're like a lot of people and aren't rolling in dough, with a little patience and research (YouTube if full of instructional videos) the Lee will serve you well.
 
I use an RCBS Rockchucker single stage, powder measure, scale, but use all Lee dies. I like the 4 die sets with the neck sizing collets. 1/2 Lee fan-boy
 
Lee works just fine. You don’t need to spend thousands on team blue or team red.

I scored a lee pro 1000 in 9mm this spring on Amazon for $300. Loaded about 3000 so far, works extremely well after you dial it in.
 
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