I have a hate hate relationship with my loadmaster press. If I had enough $ laying around I would use it as a boat anchor, but then I would have to buy a boat.
Initially the press worked ...... ok, as in not great, but it was ok. Then it, well, started to suck, broken carriage, shell feeder issues, broken bullet feeder, spilling powder, broken decapping pins, u name it. I have reviewed probably all the loadmaster "how to fix it" videos online that I could find (and there are a ton of them which should be reason enough not to buy one of these) and have resigned my self to the fact that IMHO it is a POS for high volume reloading and have been busy debating whether I can afford the press I really want.
While I have been saving up I started having major priming issues when loading 9mm. I have the new version primer system but was starting to get a ton of upside down and crushed primers. Inspection of the press and primer system reveals no obvious issues, other than it is a Loadmaster POS, for which there is no real cure as far as I am concerned.
So in an act of desperation and because I need to load 1k or rounds before May 1, I look online and find a new to me site devoted to fixing the many shortcomings of this POS press.
http://www.mikesreloadingbench.com
I also looked online and saw a few positive reviews of his primer fix for loading 9mm. It seems the 19s shell plate for 9mm is used for multiple calibers (including amongst others 40 cal) and as such it is out of spec for 9mm and does not line the emplty case over the primer system property. Basically, just like the press itself, the shell plate is a compromise.
Mike's fix is to either buy a 6s shell plate (I have decided I refuse to buy any more parts or invest any more money in the LL POS) and relieve it so it allows the case to sit lower, or take some thin wire (in my case I used 0.040 silver solder wire with very high silver content), and fit it into the part of the 19s shell plate that would retain the rim of the case (I hammered it in there a bit using a spent shell and rubber mallet as the solder wire looked a bit thick to me) and hold it in place with some locktite. Mike gives the proper spec for the wire but as indicated earlier, I refuse to invest any more money into this POS.
Well, it seems to be an improvement. 400 rounds later an no primer issues. I had other issues but no primer issues.
I am sure the press will have some other sort of catastrophic failure in a day or two but for now it seems to function "ok", as in not great but at least no major stoppages requiring removal of the shell plate. Only 600 rounds to go.
Hope this might help someone else that got sucked into the buy a cheap Lee progressive press and hope for the best
Initially the press worked ...... ok, as in not great, but it was ok. Then it, well, started to suck, broken carriage, shell feeder issues, broken bullet feeder, spilling powder, broken decapping pins, u name it. I have reviewed probably all the loadmaster "how to fix it" videos online that I could find (and there are a ton of them which should be reason enough not to buy one of these) and have resigned my self to the fact that IMHO it is a POS for high volume reloading and have been busy debating whether I can afford the press I really want.
While I have been saving up I started having major priming issues when loading 9mm. I have the new version primer system but was starting to get a ton of upside down and crushed primers. Inspection of the press and primer system reveals no obvious issues, other than it is a Loadmaster POS, for which there is no real cure as far as I am concerned.
So in an act of desperation and because I need to load 1k or rounds before May 1, I look online and find a new to me site devoted to fixing the many shortcomings of this POS press.
http://www.mikesreloadingbench.com
I also looked online and saw a few positive reviews of his primer fix for loading 9mm. It seems the 19s shell plate for 9mm is used for multiple calibers (including amongst others 40 cal) and as such it is out of spec for 9mm and does not line the emplty case over the primer system property. Basically, just like the press itself, the shell plate is a compromise.
Mike's fix is to either buy a 6s shell plate (I have decided I refuse to buy any more parts or invest any more money in the LL POS) and relieve it so it allows the case to sit lower, or take some thin wire (in my case I used 0.040 silver solder wire with very high silver content), and fit it into the part of the 19s shell plate that would retain the rim of the case (I hammered it in there a bit using a spent shell and rubber mallet as the solder wire looked a bit thick to me) and hold it in place with some locktite. Mike gives the proper spec for the wire but as indicated earlier, I refuse to invest any more money into this POS.
Well, it seems to be an improvement. 400 rounds later an no primer issues. I had other issues but no primer issues.
I am sure the press will have some other sort of catastrophic failure in a day or two but for now it seems to function "ok", as in not great but at least no major stoppages requiring removal of the shell plate. Only 600 rounds to go.
Hope this might help someone else that got sucked into the buy a cheap Lee progressive press and hope for the best
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