Looking for a Reloader in DFW using a Loadmaster

[DFWBioFuels]

This is my first post to THR. Great information here for sure.

If you are reloading with a Lee Loadmaster and you live near the DFW area, and you wouldn't mind showing me your setup, please send me a PM.

Currently I'm loading volume 223 and volume 45 for target shooting but I'm using a friend's Dillon RL550B. I'm probably going to be saying goodbye to that loaner 550 soon so I'm trying to find other guys in my area who are currently using the equipment that I'm considering.

I could certainly fork over the Benjamins to buy a Dillon for myself but after working with it for a few months, I'm grumbling about a few things. First off the shellplate holds really tight to some brass and loose on others. This makes mounting empty cases and dismounting loaded rounds from the shellplate an intense function. Second, the 550 requires indexing manually. I'd really like to upgrade to an auto indexing progressive reloader.

I'm really looking hard at the Lee Loadmaster. The auto indexing feature is big. I've read that many Loadmaster owners have improved the functioning of the reloader by setting it up right. Depriming in station 1. Resizing (no decapping pin) in station 2 and priming while the die holds the case in place. If you're a loadmaster guy, you probably know what I'm talking about.

I'm send this out there to any Lee Loadmaster reloaders in the Dallas area. If you're using one of these presses in the prescribed way that loadmastervideos.com shows, I'd really like to see it in action. If you could do it all over again, would you go the Loadmaster route?

Brand snobbery is rampant on the internet and I'm hoping to avoid some of that usual banter.

I can buy two Loadmasters for the price of one Dillon 550. Which would be fine because I don't intent to progressively reload anything other than 45 and 223.

Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from some of my fellow Texan reloaders.

 

[tooltech]

I just sold My Load Master after using it for a year and a half, and 11,500 rounds. I wore out 2 shellplate carriers, and rebuilt the priming system several times.

The press made very good, accurate ammo. But I never did get comfortable with the priming system. Too many primers randomly flipping upside down. (15-20 per thousand doesn't sound like much, but when primers are hard to find...) The auto-indexing works well, but is kind of "Rube Goldberg" in execution. Make sure the carrier is properly aligned, and that will increase the reliability greatly. A great source of info/help is available at: http://forums.loadmastervideos.com/forums/ These guys can help you make that press sing!

Or do what I just did, get a Hornady LnL instead. Almost 2 months, and 4000 rounds, I have yet to ruin a primer. The 1/2 step indexing is incredibly smooth, and My Lee dies still work great!