Help Using A Lee Whack A Mole

[s1mp13m4n]

Hello everyone. I have a Lee Loader in 38/357. I used it to deprime some 38 special brass. Now I am on to the next step of resizing the brass. The brass will not hammer into the sizing end of the tool. What is going on here? Is this a case lubing issue? I do not have any case lube. Thank you for the help. Oh by the way, the tool is clean, shiny, and not gunked up.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Yes, you must lube the cases. Cases shot in revolvers with very loose chambers will be a little more difficult.

For improvised lubes. Do not use WD-40 or other oily lubricants, unless you use soap and water to clean them afterward.

Break Free CLP will not harm or contaminate primers.

KY Jelly works too, but you NEVER want to tell anyone!

Any "Wax" based spray lube.

Ivan

 

[s1mp13m4n]

Yes, you must lube the cases. Cases shot in revolvers with very loose chambers will be a little more difficult.

For improvised lubes. Do not use WD-40 or other oily lubricants, unless you use soap and water to clean them afterward.

Break Free CLP will not harm or contaminate primers.

KY Jelly works too, but you NEVER want to tell anyone!

Any "Wax" based spray lube.

Ivan

Furnature polish? Lemon scented brass.

 

[rockquarry]

Lube is cheap, but vaseline or Vick's VapoRub will work about as well.

 

[22shtur]

I have used STP Oil Treatment, read that in Basic Handloading written in the 1960's by Major Nolte.

If you are reloading your own brass fired in either a S&W or Colt revolver, you should see if the empties fall back in the chambers. Ammo fired in my revolver doesn't need resizing - wish I would have checked that a long time ago.

 

[MyDads38]

Just make sure it's the sizing end of the die, and not the funnel/crimping end of the die. I've never needed to lube my 38 Special brass when using my Lee Loader.

 

[s1mp13m4n]

Just make sure it's the sizing end of the die, and not the funnel/crimping end of the die. I've never needed to lube my 38 Special brass when using my Lee Loader.

It is the flat sizing end and not the funnel. This was donated brass and not fired from my gun. Some of it I could push in by hand. Others I played whack a mole. I did fifty cases and stopped. For now anywho.

 

[gwpercle]

A tiny smear of STP oil treatment is a great case lube .
Vaseline , Mink Oil boot waterproofing from the shoe polish section and Lanolin will all serve in a pinch , even Vick's Vapor Rub .
You have to lube the case . Lee case lube is great , mix as much as will dissolve in denatured alcohol , strain into a spray bottle and spray lightly on cases , let dry a minute and size. Not greasy and wipes off with a damp rag.
Gary

 

[MyDads38]

It is the flat sizing end and not the funnel. This was donated brass and not fired from my gun. Some of it I could push in by hand. Others I played whack a mole. I did fifty cases and stopped. For now anywho.

Since the brass wasn't fired in your gun, that would be the issue. The gun it was shot in has larger chambers than your particular revolver. The Lee kit only neck sizes the brass and that is why the info/instructions say to use brass that was fired in your particular firearm. If the brass won't fit into the sizing die, it probably won't fit the chambers of your revolver.

Someone who has a full length resizing die could size them for you, and then when loaded/fired from your gun; they should work/reload as normal. For what it's worth, Lee used to offer full length sizing dies as an option for these kits (years ago). I know this, because I ordered one for mine. Sadly, my original kit got sold years ago-with both sizing dies included.

 

[6string]

I always use proper case lube. There's so many good ones!
If you can get primers, powder, and bullets, you should be able to get case lube.
The Lee stuff is great if you are doing things simply. Just rub it on with you fingers, easy to clean off.

The great thing about the Lee Loader is that it only partially resizes the case. All other things being equal, you can load some of the most accurate ammo with a Lee Loader!

Jim

 

[s1mp13m4n]

Since the brass wasn't fired in your gun, that would be the issue. The gun it was shot in has larger chambers than your particular revolver. The Lee kit only neck sizes the brass and that is why the info/instructions say to use brass that was fired in your particular firearm. If the brass won't fit into the sizing die, it probably won't fit the chambers of your revolver.

Someone who has a full length resizing die could size them for you, and then when loaded/fired from your gun; they should work/reload as normal. For what it's worth, Lee used to offer full length sizing dies as an option for these kits (years ago). I know this, because I ordered one for mine. Sadly, my original kit got sold years ago-with both sizing dies included.

Interesting. The Lee Loader is a very neat idea and neat system. I do not know anyone who reloads or has the equipment. We live in the boonies in a town of about 350 people out in the country. I need to come up with something to make the job easier. Something with mechanical advantage. Something that could help push the brass in to a die. The mechanical advantage could come from some sort of handle or lever, hmmmmm. So, let me get this straight. Some wonderful people have been helping me out. I havevreceived the Lee loader, various 38 special brass, etc. None of this brass was fired from my gun. Does that mean that it needs to be full lenth resized? The Lee loader neck sizes only. Is this my problem and not case lube? In other words the Lee loader is a great tool, but maybe the wrong tool for resizing this batch of brass?

 

[arjay]

See if a piece of brass will chamber and then use some lube (anything will work including wd-40) and see if the die will work, then see if it will chamber.If you're lucky,the brass was used in a gun with smaller chambers than yours has.If not,they probably need to be full length resized in a press

 

[s1mp13m4n]

See if a piece of brass will chamber and then use some lube (anything will work including wd-40) and see if the die will work, then see if it will chamber.If you're lucky,the brass was used in a gun with smaller chambers than yours has.If not,they probably need to be full length resized in a press[/QUOTE

Some of the brass slides right in, some is tight like an ejected case might be, some does not fit my revolver cylinder. Does this mean I need a press and a die set in reality? By the way, I am enjoying the learning process. I can keep ticking off mental boxes. I am gaining knowledge through this.

 

[gwpercle]

Lube the cases and using a plastic or rubber mallet , pound them all the way into the die.. Lube it well and whack it till it goes all the way in flush . Knock it out , as per directions and see if it will chamber , it should...If not time to look at a Lee Hand Press and a set of standard dies...
The hand press will give you the mechanical advantage and it doesn't require bolting to a bench or pounding on the case with a mallet .
I have two and reload all my handgun ammo and 30-30 rifle with them .

I don't understand why yours isn't working , I used one in 38 special for a couple years to reload brass I picked up at the range.
I have a feeling you aren't hammering them all the way in...but you need to lube the case to do it.
Double check the instructions and see if you are doing it all correctly...
I reloaded hundreds with the Whack-A-Mole .
Gary

 

[mikld]

I started reloading with a Lee Loader and still have 7 kits. Yep, lube is necessary for sizing and some cartridges are harder to size, like 44 Magnum. I have 5, 44 Magnum guns and when I use a Lee Loader (whenever I feel "retro" or just wanna play) the Magnum cases regardless of the gun used in, are much harder to size than other hand gun cases, even with lube.

I tried STP once. It was really difficult to handle a case with STP on it no matter how little I used and it took a solvent to get it off. There are good lube substitutes available at the local drug store. In the shoe polish department, Mink Oil Boot Dressing Cream works very well, just a dab on a finger and roll a case then clean up is just a wipe with a paper towel. "Nipple cream" is pretty good too, but I was too embarrassed to buy any, same with KY jelly, works good and is water soluble. Any hand cream with lanolin will work and not too difficult to remove and Vaseline works quite well, but kinda hard to clean up...

 

[Twoboxer]

I used 5W30 (any weight would work) Synthetic Motor Oil as a case lube for 223 in my ARs for a couple of years. Poured a tiny amount in the bottle cap . . . deep enough so that the case neck could be dipped in leaving maybe an 1/8th of an inch trace on the case mouth. That was enough lube to work well for full length sizing of a bottle-neck case.

Worked great as a full length sizing lube and was removed by either dry tumbling or washing with any grease cutter. Never harmed the powder in reloaded cases over the reasonably short term (around a year storage), but I never did a long-term trial.

Not recommending it as a lube . . . there are cheap, better, proven-safe-for-powder alternatives (like lanolin and 99% alcohol mix) . . . but it WILL work as an immediate fix if you have some.

We tried to tell you a press was a superior and in any case a likely inevitable option . . . but it looks like starting with the whack-a-mole is giving you experiences that will serve you well later on too lol.

Keep on plugging lol !!!

 

[s1mp13m4n]

I used 5W30 (any weight would work) Synthetic Motor Oil as a case lube for 223 in my ARs for a couple of years. Poured a tiny amount in the bottle cap . . . deep enough so that the case neck could be dipped in leaving maybe an 1/8th of an inch trace on the case mouth. That was enough lube to work well for full length sizing of a bottle-neck case.

Worked great as a full length sizing lube and was removed by either dry tumbling or washing with any grease cutter. Never harmed the powder in reloaded cases over the reasonably short term (around a year storage), but I never did a long-term trial.

Not recommending it as a lube . . . there are cheap, better, proven-safe-for-powder alternatives (like lanolin and 99% alcohol mix) . . . but it WILL work as an immediate fix if you have some.

We tried to tell you a press was a superior and in any case a likely inevitable option . . . but it looks like starting with the whack-a-mole is giving you experiences that will serve you well later on too lol.

Keep on plugging lol !!!

You did tell me and you are right. The whack a mole was a nice gift by a forum member. I had to try it and still will. I am learning and stuff like this is helping me grow. It is one thing to read the reloading manual so you can see how things work in a perfect world. The book does not tell you what to do when things do not work as planned. Now I would not do this but my Bugs Bunny mind goes there. Put the whack a mole sizing tool in a C clamp on bench vise. That will make the brass fit. LOL

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Lee Loaders are usually used with a mallet, but you can use your large C-Clamp. It would be quicker if you used a Arbor Press or a light duty hydraulic press, that they press bearings in with.

38 Special is about as easy as it gets, wait 'til you try 45-70 without lube!

Ivan

 

[s1mp13m4n]

Lee Loaders are usually used with a mallet, but you can use your large C-Clamp. It would be quicker if you used a Arbor Press or a light duty hydraulic press, that they press bearings in with.

38 Special is about as easy as it gets, wait 'til you try 45-70 without lube!

Ivan

Not sure why but this made me smile. I love the over engineering solution. The idea of putting a Lee loader in a press gives me Looney Tunes images in my head, love it. Instead of seeking out a hydrolic press, I should probably get a Lee or something. Thanks for the smile, I needed that.

 

[Bib]

I used Crisco when I got my Lee Loader...it works just fine. Wash & make sure to get it all off of your fingers before you use the restroom. (It's shortening)