Load-Master Problems with Switch to 9mm Luger

[rp2pilot]

I'm about ready to chuck my Loadmaster. I purchased it back in '93 or so, loaded quite a lot of .45 ACP over a couple of years,and then got too busy in "life" to do much shooting. It sat for about 25 years. I'm finally have time to enjoy shooting sports again, and have been struggling with this thing for weeks. I purchased the parts to switch it over to 9mm (dies, shell plate, small primer / primer assembly), but I just can't get it to run smoothly. The 9mm shell plate was binding (it's the newer "star pattern" instead of the posts on the bottom), so I polished the center post on the carrier as well as the shell plate. It spins easier now, but still seems to be binding a bit. I finally got it to index, and it indexes smoothly/gently through 3 of the 5 stations. At the same two stations, each time, the indexing rod jams and doesn't want to retract as I cycle the press. In one of the stations, the indexing rod gets jammed so tight that I need to use a pair of pliers to retract it. I'm guessing there's something slightly out of tolerance on the the star pattern on the bottom of the shell plate, but I really don't now where/what to hit with my dremel.

[Ranch Dog]

At the same two stations, each time, the indexing rod jams and doesn't want to retract as I cycle the press. In one of the stations, the indexing rod gets jammed so tight that I need to use a pair of pliers to retract it. I'm guessing there's something slightly out of tolerance on the the star pattern on the bottom of the shell plate, but I really don't now where/what to hit with my dremel.

So as not to focus just not on the shell plate, tell us how you have your press set up; dies at which station, which power measure, yeh or neh with the bullet feeder, same with Carbide factory crimp die.

Are you sending a single case all the way through the stations before I would send a stream of cases through the press? I'm also curious if there is case to die contact when it jams?

In that you cannot put metal back, I'd really look at the shell plate closely. I had a new one where the cases were getting stuck in two specific slots of the shell holder. It would lock the press up tight. This can be examined easily with the plate off the press. That shell plate went back to Lee and they corrected it.

I would also mark the plate and send a single case through the press to the point of the jam. I would add a mark to the plate, remove it, change the position by a station worth of rotation, and send another single case through the press. That would deteremine which lug of the shell plate might need work.

What I might also be inclined to do is put the 45 Auto plate back on and cycle the press with no cases just to see if it has the same issue. If it does, you could return the plate to Lee with a simple letter stating there is an issue with the plate that you cannot figure out. I would not chunk the press with a history of working well, even if it was working well, over a $25 shell plate.

[horseman]

Try turning the index rod "flipper" in (clockwise) on the index rod and see if that helps. May take more than one full turn. Start with some simple things first before getting out the dremel........another thing, take the index rod out, check the bevel on the end and make sure it is going in the the square hole of shell plate carrier with that bevel facing to the right. You can also "break" the other edges with a fine file and that will generally smooth the indexing up a bit. Doesn't take much. I'm sure you did but I'll ask anyway, did you clean the press up and re-lube it?

[rp2pilot]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I did shorten the index rod by turning the flipper a revolution or two, and that did help with the indexing. I had ordered a few spare indexer rods so I tried beveling the other 3 sides but I think I gave it "too much" dressing and that just exacerbated the problem .. fresh rod and back to indexing okay. The press still wants to bind at the same spot; I put a dot on the top of the shell plate so I could keep track of when it was struggling to index, and it's the same location each time. Three of the stations index smoothly, no force or jerking required. I ordered a new carrier from Lee. Perhaps it will solve the problem.

In the interim, I ordered a Breech Lock Pro and set that up tonight. Not much fiddling to get things dialed in on it. It's slower than a fully operational LoadMaster because you can't rush the Safety Prime operation, but it runs well so far.

[rp2pilot]

Just an update .. I installed a new carrier on the Loadmaster Press and it fixed the binding issues I was having with the new style plate. Not sure why it worked, but perhaps the specs have drifted a little since I purchased my Loadmaster 25 years ago.

[Ranch Dog]

Great to hear that it smoothed out.