Lee LoadMaster .223 Progressive Reloading

Reloading .223 ammunition using the Lee LoadMaster press in the faster fully progressive operation, where each operation takes place in parallel, and each pull of the handle results in a new round of ammunition being produced. The following actions take place at the same time.

Station 1 - Load the brass to be full length resized.

Station 2 - The primer is inserted.

Station 3 - The powder is measured and dropped into the case.

Station 4 - A bullet is placed in the case neck and the bullet is seated to the proper overall length.

Station 5 - The neck is securely crimped with the Lee Factory Crimp die.

The cycle time is about 10 seconds per round, taking my time and being thorough.

Before I start reloading rifle brass, I have already tumble cleaned the brass, applied a tiny amount of Imperial Sizing Wax to the cases one at a time on their way into a Lee Classic Cast single stage press to remove the old primer and resize the brass, then used a Lee Zip Trim to trim the case to the proper length, and chamfer the inside and outside of the neck. (Search for my Zip Trim video.) Then the cases are tumble cleaned again to remove the case sizing lube.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Lee
• LoadMaster
• .223
• Reloading

[dmesz311]

good vids liberty4ever...quick question, how many times can you reload the same casing?

[Liberty4Ever]

Straight wall pistol cases can generally be reloaded much more than bottle neck rifle cases. I usually lose 9 mm, .40 S&W, and 10 mm cases before they wear out. You'll probably get neck cracks on rifle brass, after 5-15 reloads (5 for high power loads and 15 for very low power plinking loads). Annealing the case necks (necks ONLY!) prolongs rifle brass life.

[Liberty4Ever]

Make a feeler from a bent paper clip and drag it inside the case from rim toward the shoulder to feel the annular ring that indicates incipient head separation and discard that brass. Split necks aren't usually dangerous, but case head separation can be. This is more likely to be a problem with high power loads and/or rifles with loose head space. Resizing the brass stretches it and can contribute to this problem too.

[dmesz311]

thanks for the info, ive read some bad reviews on this same press, mechanical issues and what not, how do you like it? how long have you been using it? seems to be pretty straight forward.

[Liberty4Ever]

I've been using the LoadMaster press for a bit less than four years. I like it quite a bit. I think it's probably the best value in a progressive loading press. As I've said in the other comments, Lee uses a primer tray for safety, instead of a primer tube, and I think the reliability of the priming system is the weak point in the design. I need to futz with it every now and then. The rest is rock solid and overbuilt, however, progressive press designs are much better for pistol ammo.

[smttysmth02gt]

Why do you remove the primers before you put them on the progressive, rather than let a deprimer die do that?

Have you had any problems out of yours? I was told the Lee progressives are "crap". Trying to stay on the "cheap" as much as possible getting started on reloading.

[Liberty4Ever]

If you want low volume, high accuracy, and reliability, get a Lee Classic Cast single stage press.

If you want a good reliable progressive press on a budget, get a Lee LoadMaster and be prepared to futz with the priming system a little.

If you don't want to futz with the priming system, spend 4X as much for a Dillon press. Yes, you pay a good chunk of change for their "No BS warranty", and even at that, all mechanical devices fail from time to time.

Don't fall prey to blue press snobbery! :^)

[EnforceLaw]

Why don't you use the .223 case feeder? They are cheap and it makes it a lot faster.

[parrott15]

It seems like you can load faster using it single stage then you can using progressive

[DobermansRock]

Dang and I am only looking for th single stage kit. A lot of argueing in here..

[cfiber]

@smttysmth02gt I haven't used the Lee, but I own a Dillon XL650 and have used a Hornady progressive. I don't think you can go wrong with any of those three just be prepared to tinker. Having owned the Dillon, and living a few miles from the Dillon factory, I would never buy anything else. I just walk into the store with the broken part, they run into th eback and bring me a new one. And IMHO the quality of the Dillon is better.