Lee Loadmaster Restoration Project

I was recently given two Lee Loadmasters. :)

Cheers Walker :thumbsup:

Both are in very good condition, however both are missing parts.
One is missing more than the other.

My intention is to restore both, and set one up for reloading 25-20wcf for my 1892 Winchester and the other for .357mag for my Revolvers.

Getting the parts is going to be the hard part, fitting the parts and tuning the press is the easy bit.

If anyone has a drawing with a parts list especially the part numbers they could share that would be much appreciated.
I have the owners manual but that does not contain a parts list

Also if anyone knows where I can purchase said parts, without being screwed with shipping, that would be great too.

Seems these parts are in short supply here in NZ as the panic buying of Firearms and Firearms related products in the U.S. continues unabated.

I'll post pics as I go and maybe a vid or two once fully operational again.

Cheers
Pete
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Hey pete,

Taieri arms in mosgiel may be a ok place to check for getting parts for the presses. They do get a lot of Lee gear in, mind you not all that cheap either

Titanreloading
Natchez shooting supplies

+1,000,000 for titan. Got my loadmaster from them for under $400nzd landed. They have a great selection of spare parts too.

For info on getting the presses up and running well, check out this site: The Load Master Zone - reloading with Lee presses - videos and forums the forum has a lot of info on tips and fixes for various bugbears.

Thanks Guys

Scaggly
Thanks for the info I've already joined up with the Loadmaster fourm.

ebf
Yes I have been looking on the Titan reloading website they do have most of what I need.
I'll take some inventory and work out the costs.

Puku
Never thought of Taieri arms will check them out.

Cheers
Pete

Reloaders Supplies in Auck have Lee stuff...

Added all the parts I needed to my shopping cart at Titan $120us ... not too bad I thought. :thumbsup:

Then I got an estimate on the shipping costs $80us :wtfsmilie::yuush:

Does anyone else think this is just robbery?

LyonRuge
I have already emailed Dan with a list ...... Hope it comes in under the Titan costs including shipping.

Haven't heard anything from Taieri Arms.... guess they are too busy to sell stuff to me. :(

Cheers
Pete

Unless things have changed a lot, I reckon titan will still work out to be 30 to 40% cheaper than any nz shop. Sounds like shipping prices have crept up a bit though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by P38

I was recently given two Lee Loadmasters. :)

Cheers Walker :thumbsup:

Both are in very good condition, however both are missing parts.
One is missing more than the other.

My intention is to restore both, and set one up for reloading 25-20wcf for my 1892 Winchester and the other for .357mag for my Revolvers.

Getting the parts is going to be the hard part, fitting the parts and tuning the press is the easy bit.

If anyone has a drawing with a parts list especially the part numbers they could share that would be much appreciated.
I have the owners manual but that does not contain a parts list

Also if anyone knows where I can purchase said parts, without being screwed with shipping, that would be great too.

Seems these parts are in short supply here in NZ as the panic buying of Firearms and Firearms related products in the U.S. continues unabated.

I'll post pics as I go and maybe a vid or two once fully operational again.

Cheers
Pete
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Hows this going?

It's going good Steven

I got a bunch of parts from Dan @ Reloaders Supplies unfortunately he didn't have all the parts I needed and he wont be able to get anymore for about four months.

However I did get enough parts for one press to begin reloading 25-20wcf.
I have not installed the case feeder because I still need a Crank Slide Assembly which is not supplied as part of the case feeder kit.

I am trying to track down the other parts in NZ failing that both Factory Sales Reloading.com and Titan Reloading.com have these parts in stock and can ship immediately.
The shipping cost is expensiveand out of proportion to the cost of the parts.

I loaded ten rounds of 25-20wcf on this Load Master yesterday manually feeding the cases.
The Press is working well and I'm very pleased with the results especially the accuracy of the Auto Disc Powder Dispenser.

Cheers
Pete
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I just looked at a second hand one that was fairly cheap, until I sat back and worked out what it would cost to get the possible bits to repair and upgrade and then compared it to new....

Im seeing pretty mixed reviews on it, some say the quality isnt there, yet others say it works well, my impression is it takes a bit of patience to make work properly/well?

Whats sort of issues (fiddly bits) have you had?

A new onLee with dies is $513 v $800 for a Dillon 550b...quite a jump...

Mine is set up for .223. Have loaded about 2k rounds with mine. No issues with it. Going at a slowish pace, verifying each load visually, sees me cranking out about 400 rounds/hr.

Go to the loadmastervideos site, follow their set up guide and you won't have any problems. Also, make sure you lube it properly, with the right oil/grease in the right places, and it will run very nicely.

The only thing requiring a bit of brain power is working out the combination of powder disks to get the load you want for rifle loads....

You can get something better if you spend more, but the extra $ you'd have to spend to get all the go fast bits (case and bullet feeders, trimmers etc.) means you REALLY have to want to go all out for the very best. If money was no object, I'd spend a few $k on a dillon 1050 with all the bits. Since that would see me lynched by SWMBO, I spent $400 and got the load master :D

Steven

The Load Masters are good to use and load quality ammo but do require paying attention to detail especially when setting it up.
I'm an Engineer by trade and love to tinker with stuff like this to improve the operation.

Priming would have to be it's weakest point but like Scaggly said go to these sites and see how others have solved their issues.

loadmastervideos.com :: Index
Lee Load Master Manual

I also agree with Scaggly lube it properly and make sure it is "Mounted Rock Solid" .... no movement or flex in the loading bench whatsoever, ensure you bottom out each up and down stroke and it will run smooth.
I have a peice of 300x300x30 mild steel plate that I will mount my press on and secure to the bench. The bench is also bolted to the floor and wall to ensure there is no movement.

I've owned a Load Master in the 90's and loaded thousands and thousands of 9mm and 38special/357mag over a five or six year period with only a few minor teething troubles when I first set it up and begun to learn how to use it.

The only downside to them is they can really crank finished rounds out fast and furious once you find your rythm.
I like to get out in the shed , switch on the sounds, kick back, relax and reload some ammo but with the Load Master you can easily load several weeks worth of ammo in the blink orf an eye.

Everyone will tell you buy a Dillion ....... All I can say is like any progressive press they also have their issues that need to be worked through too and change parts for alternative calibres are very expensive.

So far I've spent $270nz on parts and shipping with another $150ish to be spent on the remaining parts, $35 of which is the cheapest bloody shipping option. :(

This will get me two Load Masters fully kitted including Case, Primer & Bullet feeders to load .22 Hornet, 25-20wcf, 222, 223, 38special, 357mag, 44special, 44mag, 6.5x55 and 308w.

Although I will probally only load 38special/357mag & 44special/44mag on one press and 22 Hornet, 25-20wcf, 222 & 223 on the other.

Cheers
Pete

After a bit of a wait for Lee Precision to catch up on production I finally got all the parts I need to reload multiple rifle and pistol calibres with these Loadmasters and I have also mounted both presses on a purpose built bench.
The intention is to load Rifle calibres on one press and Pistol calibres on the other.
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It's all looking good so far with the next big test loading a couple of hundred .223 rounds.

Cheers
Pete

Looking good :thumbsup:

Looks good Pete. I want one for .223. Except I don't own a 223.

I've thought about buying one specifically for .223

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Originally Posted by Beavis

I've thought about buying one specifically for .223

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Having got one Im un-impressed, I only paid $200 odd so Im not so disappointed, its usable, just about. The indexing mechanism is the dodgy bit to say the least, needing frequent adjustment. It appears to be down to the upper pin clearance on the activating arm being too sloppy that allows significant movement of the pin back and forth, enough to stop the indexing after a bit, like 30 rounds or so and it needs re-adjusting, so Lee's reputation for at times awful build quality shines through. Recommendation - I wouldnt buy one again, I certianly wouldnt pay $530NZ as the list price plus a die set when I think the Dillion 550b is $799 incl a die set.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by steven

Having got one Im un-impressed, I only paid $200 odd so Im not so disappointed, its usable, just about. The indexing mechanism is the dodgy bit to say the least, needing frequent adjustment. It appears to be down to the upper pin clearance on the activating arm being too sloppy that allows significant movement of the pin back and forth, enough to stop the indexing after a bit, like 30 rounds or so and it needs re-adjusting, so Lee's reputation for at times awful build quality shines through. Recommendation - I wouldnt buy one again, I certianly wouldnt pay $530NZ as the list price plus a die set when I think the Dillion 550b is $799 incl a die set.

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Steven

Loadmasters are a complex press and can be a bit finiky to set up but my experience is once set correctly they will function reliably for many thousands of rounds.

I've not had any issues like this.

Check your main ram bolt is tight as this can allow the indexing to move if it's not tight enough.

I have found that you must also stroke the press to a positive stop at both the top and bottom of each stroke for reliable indexing.

These are not the first Loadmasters I have owned.
The previous ones I had loaded thousands of pistol rounds without adjustment.

If your thinking of selling I'd be keen for another one to dedicate to one calibre.

Cheers
Pete

I'm looking for a cheap one first P38! I'm still using the Lee Anniversary Kit, including the scales! I just don't get paid enough :(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by P38

Steven

Loadmasters are a complex press and can be a bit finiky to set up but my experience is once set correctly they will function reliably for many thousands of rounds.

I've not had any issues like this.

Check your main ram bolt is tight as this can allow the indexing to move if it's not tight enough.

I have found that you must also stroke the press to a positive stop at both the top and bottom of each stroke for reliable indexing.

These are not the first Loadmasters I have owned.
The previous ones I had loaded thousands of pistol rounds without adjustment.

If your thinking of selling I'd be keen for another one to dedicate to one calibre.

Cheers
Pete

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Yeah I suspect its mostly excessive clearance of the top bearing, I can see the assembly move side to side when I operate it, and yes Ive checked various bolts are tight.

The carrier also seems to work lose /move so Im going to loctite the carrier to the ram with some low or medium grade loctite, I dare not tighten the ram bolt anymore than I have. Next I might try shimming the top bearing to stop the sideways movement.

Finally I see the shell plate nut works lose a little after about 30~100 rounds. It seems I cant tighten the knurled nut too tight as the press jams up somehow and wont index. If I leave it too lose it undoes and once that happens the index arms just flops about. I think its just a stacking of issues, that wouldnt matter if the top bearing wasnt moving about so much, a shim there might fix it fine.

What I have seen is ppl who like them and ppl who think they are awful. Fairly sure its down to luck on getting a good one or the ability and inclination to sort out whatevers wrong, a new item shouldnt be this bad, but then it is american made.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Savage1

I'm looking for a cheap one first P38! I'm still using the Lee Anniversary Kit, including the scales! I just don't get paid enough :(

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I actually prefer this....for the money its a great buy. If you want an upgrade, what about the Lee turret press?