An inexpensive way to get into reloading

Woodsman

Woodsman

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Here's something I have been using for years and years whenever I decide to do more shooting and want to save a few bucks in the process.

http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1199311980.4153=/html/catalog/cleeloader.html

This little unit, with the addition of a powder scale and maybe an eventual case trimmer, has worked marvelously for me. It isn't near as fast as having a fancy press, but it will allow you to get into reloading and save you wads of cash.

Anybody else use these?
 
Lee loaders

Woodsman said:
Here's something I have been using for years and years whenever I decide to do more shooting and want to save a few bucks in the process.

http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1199311980.4153=/html/catalog/cleeloader.html

This little unit, with the addition of a powder scale and maybe an eventual case trimmer, has worked marvelously for me. It isn't near as fast as having a fancy press, but it will allow you to get into reloading and save you wads of cash.

Anybody else use these?
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I started loading with them and I still occasionally take one to the range for load development. I size and prime the cases at home with a press then load them one to three at a time to check for pressure signs and to test accuracy at the range.

When I was re-loading with them I found that eventually the brass got too tight in the chamber with no cartridge body resizing being done. I also found that bashing them with a mallet got tiresome. So, good place to start but most will want to move up to a press.
 
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I have a couple in my gun room (30-06,.444) I don't use them any more as I bought a lee press it has served me well for over 25 years. The little loaders work OK but I did manage to set off a few primers hammering them in. Sure gets your heart thumping when that happens. LOL
 
Big Guy said:
I have a couple in my gun room (30-06,.444) I don't use them any more as I bought a lee press it has served me well for over 25 years. The little loaders work OK but I did manage to set off a few primers hammering them in. Sure gets your heart thumping when that happens. LOL
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you too, huh? i used to have one for each caliber i reloaded, but i started to get "deals" on things like powder and bullets- using a scoop in a 25 lb keg can be FUN- and graduated from the tapping school
a couple of provisos for any newbies reading
1 the lee tool NECK SIZES only- you can't use it for autos or anything other than BOLTS
2 FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS EXACTLY- NO IMPROVISATION with BULLET WEIGHT OR POWDER charge- if it calls for ww 748 or 150 grain bullets, that's what you use- period- BUT STILL GET A MANUAL SO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING
 
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For slightly more $ you can get the Lee Hand Press and a three die set in a kit. I picked one up for the cottage and it works great. You don't need a dedicated bench with the hand press.
 
Lots of shooters started with a Lee Loader. Slow, but they work. Pitch the scoop and use a scale. The scoops are calibrated in CC's for some odd reason and can vary the charge plus or minus a full grain. Also the die neck sizes only, so it's not good for a semi-auto or lever action. Works just fine for a bolt action or single shot though.
 
Wild_Thing said:
For slightly more $ you can get the Lee Hand Press and a three die set in a kit. I picked one up for the cottage and it works great. You don't need a dedicated bench with the hand press.
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What he said. Even a simple hand press is *much* faster than a lee loader
 
That's what I started with.

I have a nice collection of mostly obsolete ones that I don't use anymore, but I do keep a decapper, primer rod and priming and seating base around for when I want to just prime or deprime a couple, or stuff for which I don't have dies.

It won't be long before you graduate from it, but the Lee Loader has started many a gunnut into reloading.
 
About 40 years ago I shot one of my best groups ever using a Lee loader for a 30-06 in a Husquvarna . My buddy was watching me shoot off of sandbags at a paper target 100 yds. away . After four shots he said that I was missing the paper as he could only see 2 bullet holes . He was using a set of 7 power binos. , I was using a 4 power Bushnell scope . We walked up to the target to confirm that I was indeed putting all four shots into one ragged hole. It did look like only 2 bullet holes and they were cutting each other...you could easily cover the group with a dime .
I went back to the bench and fired the final shot(for a five shot group) but in my excitement placed my hand between the forestock and the sandbag, resulting in a 1 1/2 inch flier .
You can get good results using one of these (slow) hand loaders . I've shot a lot of moose and deer using the reloads out of that old Husqvarna .
 
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