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I know someone just asked a similar question about the Loadmaster vs the Hornady LNL; but I have a more specific question between the Pro 100 vs Loadmaster, which do you recommend for those who have the knowledge about these two presses?

I only reload 9mm, no other caliber and no rifles. I have a Lee Classic Turret and it works fine. But I've thought about upgrading to a progressive press for the greater production speed. And so I'm exploring the two possible Lee options.

I do have concerns since I keep hearing about how much problems both presses have regarding priming and other issues. I don't mind tinkering to maintain, but I do want the press to function properly.

I cannot afford a Dillon, Hornady, or other presses, no matter how much they eventually pay for themselves. And so I'm exploring these two options. Any answers by all of you will be appreciated.
 
1000 is a POS.

Why? More moving parts, more finicky to dial in especially priming. I had one and had to hand prime before running through the press because it was such a PITA.

I now have the Loadmaster for bulk runs of 9mm and .40 since they use the same shell plate.

My Classic Cast Turret through sees more action than the Loadmaster. Anything under 500 is done on the turret.

So I hope this helps.

One trick to the Loadmaster is to run a universal deprimer die first to center the brass, second is the sizer, then continue. It lets it run smooth. Good adjustment on the case feeder is a must but once set it's good.

I have no issues with mine when cranking out rounds. 600/hr easy if I can keep primers full and powder full and not run out of brass.
 
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I've had both and have a blue press for that reason. That being said the pro 1000 is a great little entry level progressive the loadmaster on the other hand sold me on Dillon.
 
There are actually three options from Lee just in case you haven't seen the latest:

Lee Breech Lock Pro
I just bought this press and set it up for 9mm.
My background....been reloading several rifles and lots of handgun stuff on an old school rock chucker for for 40 years...until now.

the breech lock pro... I feed my cases and bullets by hand and it has a nice flow to it, good rhythm.
The priming system isnt really finicky but takes some getting used to. You miss on every now and then BUT, if you are watching your process, like you should be, you will see it. merely place on by hand into the arm.

I am right at 1200 on this run on my original setup and have less than 20 prime issues. OH ya....the error is on the operator, not the device.
Like great shooting, its all about repeatability. same thing same steps, same order, time and again!

for the money, I will be buying another one.
 
I just bought this press and set it up for 9mm.
My background....been reloading several rifles and lots of handgun stuff on an old school rock chucker for for 40 years...until now.

the breech lock pro... I feed my cases and bullets by hand and it has a nice flow to it, good rhythm.
The priming system isnt really finicky but takes some getting used to. You miss on every now and then BUT, if you are watching your process, like you should be, you will see it. merely place on by hand into the arm.

I am right at 1200 on this run on my original setup and have less than 20 prime issues. OH ya....the error is on the operator, not the device.
Like great shooting, its all about repeatability. same thing same steps, same order, time and again!

for the money, I will be buying another one.
Yeah if you are already used to the priming system via using a classic turret it comes pretty naturally. I've done about 1000 .38 .40 and .357 on mine and it works quite well. Most issues I've had have been inexperience with progressives on my part for sure.
 
There are actually three options from Lee just in case you haven't seen the latest:

Lee Breech Lock Pro

What??!! I had no idea this came out. When did this new press come out? I've been out of keeping up on this stuff for just over a year.

It sounds like possibly exactly what I've been looking for. I'm guessing I can use some of my Lee Classic Turret parts such as the Lee Pro Auto Disk Powder Measure and my 9mm dies. I'm guessing this Breech Lock Pro has (hopefully) fixed all the problems that I've heard about? Thanks again to all of you.
 
What??!! I had no idea this came out. When did this new press come out? I've been out of keeping up on this stuff for just over a year.

It sounds like possibly exactly what I've been looking for. I'm guessing I can use some of my Lee Classic Turret parts such as the Lee Pro Auto Disk Powder Measure and my 9mm dies. I'm guessing this Breech Lock Pro has (hopefully) fixed all the problems that I've heard about? Thanks again to all of you.
I think it came out last April. Dies and powder measure are compatible with lct, primer arms are not. I found that the old round style saftey prime will work but the new triangular sp works much better and aligns much easier. Wish the new saftey prime had the old round reservior, I like that style tray much better.

Just realize that the blp uses the breach lock system and not a tool head. It comes with 1 set of bushings so if you're just going to load 9mm you're in cheap. Just need to order a 9mm shell plate.
 
It sounds like possibly exactly what I've been looking for. I'm guessing I can use some of my Lee Classic Turret parts such as the Lee Pro Auto Disk Powder Measure and my 9mm dies. I'm guessing this Breech Lock Pro has (hopefully) fixed all the problems that I've heard about? Thanks again to all of you.
About a year ago I had a fancy and interest in buying one. I may end up at some point doing it, the bushings though will kill me to convert some pistol dies over.

I can see where this would be a benefit. I am one that has a complete toolhead for every caliber for the turret and progressive press so I have multiple powder drops etc...

Had this came out before I went Gung-ho on the approx $120/head, this would be a good way if you want to adjust the powder drop between calibers. Buy a set of dies, a couple bushings and then visit EntirelyCrimson for some die holders to put on the wall and keep them organized. It still is tempting and I may pick one up just for giggles to play with it, I just dislike adjusting my powder drops between caliber changes.

May be an option for my bulk .223 loads....
 
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I know someone just asked a similar question about the Loadmaster vs the Hornady LNL; but I have a more specific question between the Pro 100 vs Loadmaster, which do you recommend for those who have the knowledge about these two presses?

I only reload 9mm, no other caliber and no rifles. I have a Lee Classic Turret and it works fine. But I've thought about upgrading to a progressive press for the greater production speed. And so I'm exploring the two possible Lee options.

I do have concerns since I keep hearing about how much problems both presses have regarding priming and other issues. I don't mind tinkering to maintain, but I do want the press to function properly.

I cannot afford a Dillon, Hornady, or other presses, no matter how much they eventually pay for themselves. And so I'm exploring these two options. Any answers by all of you will be appreciated.

You need to go take another look at the Pro1000 and Loadmaster because both have had major redesigns in the last 2 years.
The Pro 1000 now has an index locating pin, among other changes.
The old Pro 1000 was prone to indexing drift that led to priming problems but owners never related priming problems with the index/timing adjustment, even though Lee has a Vid about it.
So they gave up on priming on the press, and posted about their frustration all over the 'net.
I suggest you checkout the new designs and read the reviews from people who own them, and not rely on opinions of people whose experience is with the older designs.
Link to reviews/vids of the Pro 1000 on this page:
Lee Pro 1000
Links to reviews/vids of the Load Master:
Lee Load Master
fyi: I own both a loadmaster (9mm) and Pro 1000 (45ACP), older models, and have loaded a lot of ammo with them.
More vids:
Titan Reloading
:D
 
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That reminds me..

The Pro 1000 is still a 3 station press.

(1)Deprime/size up stroke (also aligns)
Prime on down stroke
(2)Flare and charge on upstroke
(3)Seat bullet & crimp on next upstroke.

Missing is the 4th stage:
Being able to factory size the cases for perfect dimensions.

Sorry, not a fan of 3 station presses
 
That reminds me..

The Pro 1000 is still a 3 station press.

(1)Deprime/size up stroke (also aligns)
Prime on down stroke
(2)Flare and charge on upstroke
(3)Seat bullet & crimp on next upstroke.

Missing is the 4th stage:
Being able to factory size the cases for perfect dimensions.

Sorry, not a fan of 3 station presses
Do you think that Lee thought thru that Factory Crimp Die that they convinced/marketed as something every re-loader needed a fourth die, because it pretty much made all their 3 station/progressive/turret presses "obsolete".

No other company that sells dies sell a comparable die because they don't think it's needed.
Many re-loaders have loaded lots of ammo before Lee created the factory crimp die and many still do, without one.
I agree that more is better and own several 5 station presses, but you can reload quality ammo with "only" 3 dies/3 stations.

What really speeds up the loading process on a Pro 1000 is the case feeder, it limits what your left hand does to placing the bullet in the case and your right works the lever.
So it's place a bullet, pull the lever down/push it up-repeat for the Pro 1000.

For the Breech Lock Pro it's place a bullet, pull the lever down, load a primer via the pez dispenser, load one case into the hole in the die plate, push the lever up- repeat.
That's operator input at 2 different points in a single cycle and would be an opportunity for me to forget the primer and have powder leaking out, just me though.

Yes, you can ADD a case feeder to a Breech Lock Pro but you have to buy it, even the pez dispenser (safety prime) costs an additional $22 for small or large, not to mention a powder measure cost.
A Pro 1000 comes with all the bits you need to load that other presses don't, and is something that works for me,
:D
edited because I can:p
 
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Do you think that Lee thought thru that Factory Crimp Die that they convinced/marketed as something every re-loader needed a fourth die, because it pretty much made all their 3 station/progressive/turret presses "obsolete".

No other company that sells dies sell a comparable die because they don't think it's needed.
Many re-loaders have loaded lots of ammo before Lee created the factory crimp die and many still do, without one.
I agree that more is better and own several 5 station presses, but you can reload quality ammo with "only" 3 dies/3 stations.
What really speeds up the loading process on a Pro 1000 is the case feeder, it limits what your left hand does to placing the bullet in the case and your right works the lever.
So it's place a bullet, pull the lever down/push it up-repeat for the Pro 1000.
Not, place a bullet, pull the lever down, load a primer via the pez dispenser, load a case, push the lever up- repeat, for the Breech Lock Pro.
Yes, you can ADD a case feeder to a Breech Lock Pro but you have to buy it, even the pez dispenser (safety prime) costs an additional $22 for small or large, not to mention a powder measure.
A Pro 1000 comes with all the bits you need to load that other presses don't, and is something that works for me,
:D
Wow, this is the exact kind of info that I was hoping to get. Thank you, not too many people talk about specific issues like this that matter to me too. I think you've changed my mind to go buy the Lee Pro1000 rather than the Breech Lock Pro. I don't want to be load primer via pez dispenser in between my lever pulls. If so, I might as well keep my current turret press.

Can I ask you what you do NOT like about the Pro1000? What downsides are there to the Pro1000 that I should be aware of before spending my money and time on it?

Also am I correct in saying that for the Pro1000, I need to seat the bullet with my hand? Are there options for automatic bullet seating for the Pro1000?
 
Lee sells the most equipment to re-loading newbs, and I believe that Lee sells more multiple stationed presses (turret/progressive) than ALL the other mfg.'ers combined ( read that someplace).
Because of this, Lee gets way more bad experiences posted all over the net, the plus of this is there are many "how-to" vids on Youtube.

You only have to place the bullet in the case and the 3rd die will seat it, and remove the flare.
With 3 stations the Pro 1000 doesn't have an empty station to add a collet type bullet feeder die (what I use) but Lee sells a bullet feeder used at the seat/crimp station.
I've never used a Lee Bullet Feeder, it gets mixed reviews (check youtube), and I don't find it necessary on the Pro 1000 because it has a case feeder.

Here's a thread about Lee Pro 1000, keep in mind most posts are before the redesign:
Lee Pro 1000 Solutions < No Bashing >
Lots of other threads at THR about the Pro 1000, sign up so you can do a search for them:
Here's a search I did, you might not "see it" though:
Search Results for Query: pro 1000 | The High Road
Pro 1000 cons, it should be 4 stations to use the Breech Lock Pro shell plates and the 4 station turret's die plate...or just Breech Lock bushings, jmo
:D
 
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I don't want to be load primer via pez dispenser in between my lever pulls. If so, I might as well keep my current turret press.

"Pez dispenser" or not the blp is nothing like the turret press (which I also have and really like). Blp is a fully progressive press with or without pez dispenser. 1 pull equals 1 finised round. It's much faster than the turret even when going slow. Use the 4th hole for a separate crimp or don't and skip it. I do kind of wish it had some kind of automatic priming system, but the pez primer works for me I never had an issue with it.
 
Get some pull time on them before you settle if you are too indecisive.

Find what works.
 

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