New Load-Master Startup

[Ranch Dog]

I am definitely going to be taking things slowly for a little while until I get the hang of things. Looking forward to the knowledge and input from everyone.

That's a good idea. Start real slow, one case through at a time until you get the hang of it.

What cartridge are you shooting?

[FFGomer]

I mainly shoot 9mm so that is what I am starting with. My wife likes her 1911G so I’m going to need to feed that as well. But for now I’m just doing 1 cartridge until I get proficient, then I’ll worry about changing over.

[Ranch Dog]

I mainly shoot 9mm so that is what I am starting with.

Ahh, straight into the small primer cup!

The main thing I can offer at this point is to follow the Lee instructions to the letter. Start by reading and rereading the instructions. As you go through the press setup, lube any point with bare metal to metal contacts like the ram and the shell plate to the carrier. Don't overdo it. I use petroleum jelly as I found the cleanup much easier. Sooner than later you will end up spilling a load of powder and it will make its way to the ram. Automotive grease will hold on to that powder like glue, and it will take a solvent to remove both from the ram. PJ will wipe off with a paper towel and take the powder with it. I bought a small grease gun at Wal-Mart and filled it with the PJ.

Your press came with the four 9mm Luger die set. I would consider buying a Universal Decapping die and running it at station #1 and the Carbide Sizing Die, with the decapping, die removed, at Station #2. This is not about filling the fifth die hole, it is about providing three solid points of contact at Station #1, #2, and #4. Stations #3 and #5 points of actuation.

No sense in beating around the bush given the volume of reloading you plan, if you want to succeed right from the get-go, condition every one of your primer pockets. Use a crimp remover to bevel the case mouth and a uniform to true the pocket. This is a one time step and something I do religiously. Here are the tools I recommend:

• RCBS Trim Mate Case Prep Center Straight Cone Military Crimp Remover Small
• RCBS Trim Mate Case Prep Center Carbide Primer Pocket Uniformer. This is beyond a hand turning operation, and the two RCBS tools are threaded for a prep center, but a power drill can be used with the following adapter, you would need two, one for each tool:
• Redding Primer Pocket Uniformer Tool Power Adapter

I would also recommend a torque wrench and another turret head which you can move the Universal Decapping Die back and forth to (or buy another). In that this is your only press, that means you will be decapping on it. I DO NOT recommend decapping brass on the production run as, without a clean, conditioned pocket, you will experience a primer jam sooner than later. I do use my Load-Master to decapp brass, I feed it with the case feeder which makes it fast, and when I'm finished, I remove the shell plate, place a kitchen garbage can under the ram, open the spent primer gate and dump them. It will take a slotted screwdriver through the gate to get them going and I use compressed air to blow out anything remaining in the ram. I flush the inside of the ram with solvent, blow it out and leave a light coat of WD-40 in the ram.

Beyond that, I would recommend having a #2 pencil handy and about six popsicle sticks. Seriously

[FFGomer]

#2 pencil and 6 popsicle sticks? I have to ask, what is that all about? And thanks for the info RD, it is very helpful! I have started out using the press just to decap right now. I figured this would serve 2 purposes. 1) I wanted to decap prior to cleaning, not on the production run. And 2) I wanted to run the press excessively in a non-production role to get a good feel for how it operates and some common issues. I have had a few cases come out of the case feeder sideways which causes it to bind up against the case currently under #1 and also drop another case out of the feeder. Any ideas what could be causing this? The directions from Lee for setting up the case feeder said to put a coin between the feeder and the slide but I found that this did not give adequate clearance so I raised the feeder up slightly.

[Ranch Dog]

Securing Case Feeder

#2 pencil and 6 popsicle sticks? I have to ask, what is that all about?

The pencil is to properly space the case slider assembly. See page 3 of the manual, middle column. The sticks, one is used to space the feeder tube height off the case mouth and five are used to space/position the multi-tube feeder off the turret head frame.

And thanks for the info RD, it is very helpful! I have started out using the press just to decap right now. I figured this would serve 2 purposes. 1) I wanted to decap prior to cleaning, not on the production run. And 2) I wanted to run the press excessively in a non-production role to get a good feel for how it operates and some common issues.

It is really smart to start with the press the way you have! That is applying the most important tool you have available to the press, your mind.

I have had a few cases come out of the case feeder sideways which causes it to bind up against the case currently under #1 and also drop another case out of the feeder. Any ideas what could be causing this? The directions from Lee for setting up the case feeder said to put a coin between the feeder and the slide but I found that this did not give adequate clearance so I raised the feeder up slightly.

I believe that the "pencil and sticks will correct the issues you are seeing.

[Ranch Dog]

Because of the 9mm Lugers tapered case, you will want a baffle inside the collator to limit the diameter of the entry hole. If not, you will end up with case upside down in the tubes. I took the top of a Cool Whip bowl and cut a disk out; I used a large coffee mug as the template. Then, with it laying in the center of the collator, I marked the center and the center of each tube hole. I believe I used a 41 Mag case as a punch. I will verify the case size I used when I wake my dog up, he will remember!



The screw in the center is a Lee screw that I had in a parts bag. Whenever I end up with unused hardware from a Lee product, I place it a bag of just the Lee stuff. It is a short, large diameter machine screw, but it threaded into the center real easy. I can verify the dimension of the screw as well. It looks like it is from a Bench Plate, the security screws.

[horseman]

To add one more thing to all that Ranch Dog has said is buy, or make some spray lube and use it on all cases you run through the LM. Especially the 9mm, ( I lube EVERY CASE I run through all my presses now-a-days) it makes sizing much easier (which makes all the other stations better as well) and reduces the amount of "shake" you'll have with the press hence helping to eliminate primer issues. Also make sure that thing is mounted really solid, no movement.

[FFGomer]

Great advice RD! I will try all of that when I get home from work tonight. Here's another one for you. I noticed watching some videos that the LM used to have a ball bearing fitting installed in the frame for oiling the ram. Why did they discontinue that? Is it worth getting a fitting and installing it myself?

[Ranch Dog]

I noticed watching some videos that the LM used to have a ball bearing fitting installed in the frame for oiling the ram. Why did they discontinue that? Is it worth getting a fitting and installing it myself?

I don't know why they discontinued it but I didn't use it as I ended up with a bunch of oil on my floor. I just lube the ram by hand with PJ. I clean it off each session and put a new coat on when I start the next.