Lee Loadmaster or Dillon Square Deal B?

StripesDude,

Can you say how old your Loadmaster is and what chamberings you load on it? We had a lot of posts over time from folks who said they had to stop about every 250 rounds to adjust or tighten something on theirs, but it doesn't sound like yours is requiring that. If Lee has upped their game on this beast, it would be useful to others to know. But if yours is the same vintage as the troublesome ones, that is worth knowing, too.

Lee has always been one of the most inventive companies and a lot of their products are unique and good values. But their progressive presses have seemed to be their one sore point. I have a couple of their progressive shotshell loaders (now discontinued) that always had interruption problems, too.
 
Lee Loadmaster or Dillon Square Deal B?
I am loading a lot of 9mm ,38 sp and .40 s&w

The options of the loadmaster ie bullet and case feeder have me most interested in it.

Any reason to get the square deal b over the loadmaster?
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Ask me in a couple months.

I just got a Loadmaster for free. This was a straight up trade, my Pro 1000 and associated bits (that I had given up on) for his Loadmaster (that he had given up on).

We shall see.
 
There may be a lemon in the bunch, but those who struggle with and complain about the Loadmaster may not have the mechanical inclination of those who operate it successfully.
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I suppose I can agree with that. The LM I wound up loading 100 rounds in less than 4 minutes on was "a basket case" to quote the previous owner. It only took me a few days to get it sorted out and working well. However, I had already been loading on progressives for more than 30 years and thought I had already seen just about all there was to see.

I can see why some reloaders lean towards less problematic machines despite the greater costs. These days people don't even want to have to fill ice trays and expect the ice bucket to always be full. Much less learn the things that make some presses "tick". They just want to open a box, screw it down and start loading. Like my Brother and I did back when we started with the SD.
 
I load 9mm, 45 acp, 40 s&w. I have the shellplate to load 357 but don't shoot enough to require a progressive so I load that on my Classic Turret. The only time I stop loading in the middle of a session is to refill primers (ones I don't have to load into a tube).

Look, my post may have come across as crass with my comment about mechanical ability. But I've seen a lot of Loadmasters goobered up by people who didn't set them up correctly or forced something too hard. Of course then they claim it's the fault of the press. My press was bought new in 2013, so it's a newer press.

I'll admit Dillon is a superior machine....with a superior price tag. There's no reason the Loadmaster can't work though. It just takes some patience and mechanical ability.
 
I have three Loadmasters, a Pro 1000, a Lee Classic Turret, a Breechlock Challenger, and an RCBS RS. The RS was my first and only press for several years. I got it in 1980.

I then went to the Turret. I picked the whole kit up out of Cabela's Bargain Cave for $49. Got the Breechlock Challenger kit the same way for $29. The Turret really speeded up my loading as compared to loading on a single stage press.

After my wife and daughter joined me in shooting Cowboy Action, I needed to load 3x the rounds that I had been loading for just myself. A friend of mine had a Lee Loadmaster. He showed me some about it and offered to help me if I got one. Using some gift cards and Cabela's points, I got a Loadmaster kit in .38 Special for very little money out of my pocket. My friend helped me get it adjusted. So I have one Loadmaster for small pistol primers that I primarily load .38 Special and .357 Magnum on.

I then got another Loadmaster kit in .45 ACP so that I could keep up with my Wild Bunch shooting. Since I had already had a Loadmaster it didn't take much to get it running. I have a second Loadmaster for large pistol primers that primarily loads .45 ACP, .44 Special, and .44 Magnum. These are my Wild Bunch calibers.


My daughter started shooting 3 Gun on the Junior Shooter's team. So that meant more time on the reloading bench for me.

A friend had a brand new in the box Pro 1000 that he had won in a drawing. He told me he would let me have it for $75. I set it up for loading 9mm.

Another guy I knew had a Loadmaster that he said that he hated. He said he kept it in a box under his bench and that he would kick the box every time he thought about it. He let me have it and a whole bunch of other stuff for $50. I ordered a few parts and set it up to load .223. So I have a third Loadmaster for small rifle primers that does mostly .223 and .30 Carbine.

I have turret plates set up for each caliber and it only takes about a minute to swap them out. Each one has a dedicated powder measure on it. After I adjust the case feeder which takes about another minute, I'm ready to go.

I use the single stages for decapping, load development, and hunting loads.

For calibers that I shoot smaller volumes of, I generally load them on the Turret.

I really don't have a problem with Lee equipment at all. I load a lot of rounds on my Loadmasters.
 
The description for the Lee Loadmaster has this caveat:

Lee warns that only CCI or Remington brand primers should be used with this reloading press. If you plan on reloading with any other brand of primers you must purchase the explosion shield (part# 533-868)
 
I only used Winchester in my LM. If you look in he manual for any firearm you own, it will tell you to only use factory ammunition.

Like page 5 #26 of your Rossi M92 manual for example.
 
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Stripesdude you bring up a solid point. People mucking stuff up and all. Heck I got a year old motorcycle for pennies on the dollar that didnt ryn because the chuckle head that owned it tried to do a vavle job on it. Wouldnt start. An hour of tinkering found the cam was off a tooth.
Perhaps the lee is just a little less idiot proof or perhaps the price tag just draws more idiots?? Who knows. Ive liked all of my lee stuff thus far but decided to jump in the cool blue water.
 
There may be a lemon in the bunch, but those who struggle with and complain about the Loadmaster may not have the mechanical inclination of those who operate it successfully.
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That's pretty far reaching, since I own both,
And,
I build complicated products/machines routinely...

The Lee Load Master is a design nightmare, barely on the edge of function at the best of times...
The design is the least of the issues, execution was beyond pitiful to the point where taking a hammer to it is a mercy killing...
Mercy for the unfortunate owners out several hundred bucks for little or nothing.

Since my loadmaster is bolted to the same bench as my Dillons, once someone pulls the handle on the Dillon, I can't even sell it for half what I've got in it,
Not to mention its never thrown consistant rounds, sometimes you can get it working well enough to throw rounds that fire for a short period...

I can't imagine trying to load 20k or 30k rounds on that piece of crap after owning a 650 that can do it effortlessly, and have consistant rounds all the way through.
 
The LM I got was a "basket case" and given to me from the frustrated previous owner. I ordered the parts that it needed and spent a few days learning about it and adding to it.

When I was done with it 99% of all Dillon machines couldn't keep up with it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9pjmuHAkBU

And it still wasn't worth as much as an SD.
 
After selling a few guns I never shoot I ended up getting a Dillon xl650 with 9mm shell plate last Sat. I set it up today with 3 of my Lee dies. I used the 3 extra die nuts that came with the Press. I messed around with it for a while dialing the powder measure in. Seems to be kinda accurate with Titegroup.


After fiddling with it for a little while I cranked out 200 rounds. I really need a case feeder. And more die heads.. And more powder measures..
 
To the OP, too many Lee haters here, go over to the load master site. Had my load master for about 2 years. Been reloading since about 1970, I load 06,270,223,9,40 and 38.
Being capable of rebuilding transmissions, engines, carbs, boat drives etc. I'm pretty mechanically inclined. That said, the LM does require some set up time. I love it, a good saying is;" I didn't want to spend the green for blue, so I went red"!
Good info at the load master site, but sometimes goes a bit too far, like the shake break, just bolt it down solid and your good.
Some guys say to just
use it for pistol, but i use it for everything. Good enough that 06/270 hit clays at 500 yards.
 
Demolition Man,

More details, please. I don't have any of the Lee progressives except the discontinued shotshell ones. Mainly I want to know how much adjusting and referring to the Load Master site have you had to do? Since you mentioned it, is the fact you are mechanically inclined an important help with keeping it running? If so, that may indicate it is not be as good a choice for persons who don't have much ability with machinery. Since I get everything about the Lee progressives second hand, can you confirm or deny the idea they need regular readjustment? We've had one owner in this thread say no, his has just kept running, and several folks in the past say they've had to adjust theirs every 250 rounds or so.

I don't consider any of this to be Lee "hating", but just observations about the nature of the equipment that indicate its a better match to some folks than to others.
 
Guess all of this is mute as since post #52 bryco32 has stated he's gone from looking at a Loadmaster or Square Deal to buying a Dillon 650.

Quite a step up from the original query as to which press to get. Two completely different games in my mind. Would be like asking should I buy a S&W or Ruger and coming home with a Colt Python.

What I still find amazing in all these threads is the 2 groups. The bash Lee at every opportunity and start a Dillon Love fest and then those that use Lee products and try to do their best to defend them.

A press is only a tool. Not everyone needs the most expensive top of the line tools to get a job done. If one is using that tool every day then yes the best tool available is the way to go. The person who's only changing the spark plug in their lawn mower twice a year doesn't need a $150.00 Snap-On ratchet to get the job done.
 
bryco32, good for you!

From your very 1st post I was under the impression that you really wanted a 650 to begin with and were looking to save some money. I have found in life that it's best to get what you truly want and not settle for something less if at all feasible..

I don't ever see myself getting to the point that I would load enough to justify to myself the expense of having a Dillon 650. It's just way more tool then I need. I may at times only load 3 or 4 times a year.

I do not own a Classic Turret but from everything I've read they are terrific presses and will handle rifle cals. just fine.

Best of wishes on your new press and if you can afford a second press then go for it!
 
I sold off some guns (which I hate doing more than anything) to afford the 650.

Lucky all my Lee dies will work with it or it would have been a pretty blue boat anchor for a while.

Everything is a investment...if something comes up....it'll be on eBay and I'll go back to my single stage. Thankfully these hold their value very well. It didn't even matter much to look for used ones.


I don't miss the guns yet......much.
 
A second press is nice to have, but I usually find single-stage presses adequate. I have, for example, a Lee Challenger press set up on a plastic portable stand with a Lee Universal Depriming/Decapping Die in it, and most of the time that's all it does: decap rifle cases before cleaning, which I do before sizing them. I have a Lee Classic Cast press that does long case loading and precision second operations like separate neck sizing with a Lee Collet Die. But if you have lower volume handgun rounds that don't justify a 650 changeover setup, I can see where the turret press might be just the ticket.
 
What I still find amazing in all these threads is the 2 groups. The bash Lee at every opportunity and start a Dillon Love fest and then those that use Lee products and try to do their best to defend them.
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I guess I am the third group that will try them all out just to have an informed opinion on all of them. I can find something I like about them all blue, green red or red. However, I can also find something I dislike about them all.


Mainly I want to know how much adjusting and referring to the Load Master site have you had to do? Since you mentioned it, is the fact you are mechanically inclined an important help with keeping it running?
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It took me a few hours over a few days to get my "box of parts" Loadmaster running like a top. Once you have it running right, you have proven that you are somewhat mechanically inclined and unless you just happened to be lottery winning lucky, are now armed with the necessary knowledge to keep it running.

There were some "ah ha" moments that made things "click". If you own one there are a few plastic parts you will want to keep on hand to swap out as they wear out.
 
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