223 on Loadmaster

[Steve]

This is how I am setup to load 223 Remington on the Loadmaster.
Keep in mind that before going to the Loadmaster all case prep is done and cases have been FL sized and primed.

Station 1. Any die that will provide shell plate contact, but not touch case.
Station 2. Lee Collet sizing die with decapping pin cut off mandrill.
Station 3. Powder measure.
Station 4. Lee dead length bullet seating die.
Station 5. Lee factory crimp die.

The green measure is there because I had it, it works really well, and the extruded powder I use wouldn’t measure consistently through the Lee double disk kit.

This setup makes running 223 Rem pretty fast and almost trouble free.

223Turret.jpg

[akuser47]

nice

[Ranch Dog]

Nice, are you priming on or off the press?

[Steve]

Nice, are you priming on or off the press?

I do all priming off the press. My grandson's single shot break open 223 chamber is apparently on the max side on head space, so for reliability it needs fire formed cases. Full length sized cases have about 10% failure to fire in that rifle, but fire formed go off every time. To reload fire formed cases for this rifle the cases are just cleaned and reprimed, then ran through the loadmaster as shown above.

[Ranch Dog]

Thanks! With the addition of the Ergo Prime, I'm going to start priming all my brass by hand for the Load Master.

[Steve]

Thanks! With the addition of the Ergo Prime, I'm going to start priming all my brass by hand for the Load Master.

You will really like running the loadmaster with already primed brass. Off press priming took all the frustration out of reloading for me. Most of the troubles I have had reloading since the 70s have been primer related. Now I really enjoy loading on the loadmaster, Makes excelent ammo, and pretty fast if you want it to be. I still ocasionally make use of my 3 hole turret press and a Rock chucker I picked up cheap.

Don't get me wroung I have had plenty of all the other reloading problems too. Practically all of those problems have been traced back to me.

[Steve]

Thanks! With the addition of the Ergo Prime, I'm going to start priming all my brass by hand for the Load Master.

What cartridges do you load on the Loadmaster?

[Ranch Dog]

What cartridges do you load on the Loadmaster?

32 ACP, 380 Auto, 9mm Luger, and 45 ACP. I'm going to pick up the volume I shoot with my 9mm Makarov this year and move that loading over to one of the Load Master as well.

[Steve]

What cartridges do you load on the Loadmaster?

32 ACP, 380 Auto, 9mm Luger, and 45 ACP. I'm going to pick up the volume I shoot with my 9mm Makarov this year and move that loading over to one of the Load Master as well.

All those cases should run well on the Loadmaster.

About 2 weeks ago do to the crappy weather keeping me couped up, I had an urge to run the Loadmaster even though I'm flush with ammo. Took a bag of 500 primed 40 s&w to the shop and got started. I milked the job for nearly 3 hours drinking coffee and stopping to talk to the war department. Had lunch, then did the same with another 500 rounds.

Had a few cases split, knocked the primers out and put them into fresh cases. So at the end of the 1,000 rounds, the count was a thousand primers used to make a thousand cartridges.

Another problem was a few didn't slide into the shell plate properly, I think it was extractor grove damage that caused that.

I'm a happy Loadmaster camper since I took up priming off the press.