Lee Loader... As Backup?

[brokenprism]

I mentioned the Lee Loader here and was advised to look at the Turret press. Good advice; especially if one always has a garage or work table and a place to store things, but what about the unthinkable reloading-on-the-run scenario? Our great grand-dads poured lead by campfires and the quest for powder and ball was as much a part of life as the hunt for food. It wouldn't be that simple in the modern age of course.

I ask because I see a couple of Lee Loaders in my caliber for sale pretty cheap. Like $25 cheap. Is it worth it, or are they just hellishly slow and cumbersome? (This could be why the kit is for sale.) I see that the mfg's website says the caliber, .44 magnum, requires "considerable force for sizing." Maybe this is what limits its usefulness.

 

[cp1969]

Of course it's clumsy and slow, that's why it's $25. But it's a damn sight better than being held hostage to buying only factory ammo.

 

[smitty_bs]

I've used one in 30/06 and it worked fine. Not the fastest thing, but it works. It has provided me with loads that are at least as accurate as the ones developed on a press. I bought mine for $16 when I was a newlywed and living in an apartment and had severe space restrictions.

I've never handloaded for revolvers, but I don't know why it would be any different. Just follow the directions and it will turn out quality handloads.

 

[Superflywimpy]

A lee loader was my first hand load in 30-06

When your out in the stix and you know you will be shooting a bit more,lee loaders work pretty good. It's a pain but it works. You will need a good nylon non marring hammer when you use your kit. I still have mine although I have not used it in 10 years.

 

[blastfact]

I have one in .45 acp. It wont be going anywhere soon.

 

[Jellybean]

I mentioned the Lee Loader here and was advised to look at the Turret press. Good advice; especially if one always has a garage or work table and a place to store things, but what about the unthinkable reloading-on-the-run scenario? Our great grand-dads poured lead by campfires and the quest for powder and ball was as much a part of life as the hunt for food. It wouldn't be that simple in the modern age of course.

I'm not sure what kind of a scenario you are thinking about where you would be "reloading on the run", but I'd highly suggest actually trying it first. I've seen a lot of "scenario" based training that was absolutely worthless due to the simple fact that their designer had no real experience to even think about what could happen in a given situation. Egotistical fantasies have no place in reality.

Lee loaders in rifles only neck size and aren't quite the same as for a straight walled pistol cartridge. There are better ways to go, such as the Lyman hand held press. Lee makes one too but it's a real pain to use.

Edit: After reading my post over I wanted to clarify I'm not accusing your thoughts to be an egotistical fantasy or that you have no experience, that was in reference to training I had to endure in the past. How it relates to your post is that you should always test your thoughts by actually working through them, not just thinking about it.

 

[canoe on the yukon]

I echo Jellybean's sentiment.I'm not sure what you invision in reference to reloading on the run.

Handtools are cheap and take up very little space.Aside from being slow and tedious,you can only necksize the brass(which may or may not be okay).A small single stage press can take up only a little more room but yet be far more efficient.Also,pretty cheap too.A C clamp can be used to set it up on a bench,table,etc.Setting it up and taking it down only takes moments.

 

[canoeguy]

I think the Lee hand loading tools would be "sufficient" in an emergency, that's what got me started handloading .38 Special in 1983, I loaded so much ammo with that tool that I got a "reptetive shoulder injury" from pounding brass through the die with a rubber mallet.

Then I got an RCBS "Rockchucker" press and all bets were off! I have and still load probaly 300-500 rounds a month through that press, and if I remember correctly, I bought the Rockchucker in 1984.

If an emergency arises that the only reloading tools I could carry would be on my person say in a back pack, then the Lee Loader would be sufficient. If I was bugging out in a vehicle, I'd take the Rockchucker...

A Lee Loader with all tools and components (powder, primer, brass and bullets), hidden in a safe place, cached somewhere, would be a good choice. These could all be stored in waterproof ammo box, somewhere only you know about....

 

[Plain Old Dave]

For bottleneck rifle calibers, like .30-06 or .30-40 Krag, a Lee Loader is really all you need. BUT for straight cases like most pistol calibers or .30 Carbine or .45-70, it takes a LOT of whack to resize.

AO1

 

[epj]

Lee makes a very plain vanilla single stage press that could be mounted almost anywhere. Costs around $25. You already have the dies.

 

[Erich]

Why not? I've got one in one of my bug-out bags . . . depends on the scenario which bag I'd grab, but the Lee Loader works well with this one. I was encouraging my brother to get a similar set-up for his all-around needs.

But whatever works for you . . .

 

[semperfi71]

Sorry, the hand-driven Lee Loaders suck. Period. My opinion [worth nothing to others].

You cannot full length size cartridge cases.

Seating primers with the hammer and primer seater will set off primers.

BUT...Lee used to make a "Hand Press" that worked in a scissors fashion, it held standard dies. That item I have and use to de-cap black powder rifle cartridges at the range before I dump them into a canister of cleaning solution.

There may be other similar tools out there as well.

The older Lyman tong tools [I never used one] MIGHT also work well enough for loading pistol rounds other than magnums.

 

[Erich]

I've got and use the Lee Hand Press (bought it in the '80s to replace the Lee Loaders that I started out using), but schlepping the hand press and four-die sets in my "run up the mountain on foot" bag isn't the best use of space or weight. In my experience, the Lee Loader absolutely can make good ammo (I've set of a couple of primers over the couple thousand rounds I loaded with them) even if it only neck-sizes bottlenecked rounds, and they have a place with me.

 

[semperfi71]

Erich, you're a lawyer, you've got to have the money to hire a "gun-bearer", make him schlepp your "stuff" up the mountain.

Besides, it's illegal to take guns into the Sandias!!

Just kidding neighbor.

I started with a .357 Lee Loader kit and when I set off a few primers I got so shell-shocked I needed a shrink!!

 

[Erich]

Yeah, there's something exciting about having a primer go off right in front of your face in a 10'x12'x8' cinderblock room! But I am a lowly public servant - no extra money here.

 

[buckbeans]

There are tons of cheap single stage presses out there for home backup use.
If you are really concerned about having one with you in Armageddon like situations, get a Lyman 310 nutcracker loading tool and die set. It is a nifty setup that is very very portable.

 

[tulsamal]

I bought my first handgun on my 21st birthday. Ruger Security Six, six inch, stainless. I also bought one box of .38 Special wadcutters and one box of the "police load" at the time, Federal 125 grain JHP. And that was the last two boxes of factory ammo I bought for several years. When I bought the revolver, I also bought a .357 Lee Loader. Still have it. I used to sit on the kitchen floor pounding away and reloading. Once I developed a technique to ensure I put powder in each one (!) I never had another problem. I never could have mastered that gun back then with my lack of any real money plus the cost of factory ammo.

You will need a good nylon non marring hammer when you use your kit.

I'm sure that is a good idea but back when I bought mine (1982) I just used a regular hardware store hammer. It's all I had and it worked.

Seating primers with the hammer and primer seater will set off primers.

I don't think you can just "state that as a given." I used mine for years and never had a primer "go off." I cleaned my primer pockets each time but that's about the only thing I did other than seat them.

Would it be a better idea to get one of the little Lee hand primers? Absolutely. But the Lee Loader CAN do it safely if that's all you've got.

One last thing. The OP mentioned the Lee Turret Press. That's what I bought back in 1986-87 when I was buying more guns in more calibers. And at the time I didn't have the space for a dedicated bench to mount a press. Lee used to make a maple storage box for the Turret Press. (The old style, don't think the Classic would fit.) It was convenient for storing the press but more importantly you could drill holes in it and then set it on its side partially open and mount the press right there on the box. You used a C clamp to attach the maple box to a table. Reload for a couple hours, then take everything apart and store it. Very slick and very convenient. I've still got my maple box although I haven't had the need to actually use it for years. Now I've got multiple benches with five mounted presses. Two Dillons and three Lees.

Gregg

 

[brokenprism]

There are tons of cheap single stage presses out there for home backup use.
If you are really concerned about having one with you in Armageddon like situations, get a Lyman 310 nutcracker loading tool and die set. It is a nifty setup that is very very portable.

I didn't mean to be cryptic, but that's what I meant: Bug out bag, apocalypse resource, one more year of this administration, etc. I'm glad I asked, though, because I got enough advice to make an informed decision.

I'm buying a single stage Rockchucker for the house. Read enough complaints about the Turret to steer around it.

Thanks everybody!

 

[David LaPell]

I had a couple of Lee Loaders as back up, until I got the Lee Hand Press. I still do alot of work with it as opposed to my full size single stage. The Lee Loader was nice but can be a bit noisy with a sleeping baby in the house. The Hand Press to me is good as long as you have the dies.

 

[Rule3]

I guess I do not grasp the "backup" scenario or just in case or out in the field?

It's not just the loading tool one would need but all the components. One would need to carry powder, primers, projectiles and brass unless one plans on reusing the brass on hand. Would it not be easier to just carry some boxes of already loaded ammo?? The loader, be it a small Lee loader or small single stage plus dies would weigh almost as much if not more. If things get that bad, one is not going to find projectiles, primers and powder along the "trail"

I'm thinking a Blunderbuss type rifle, then rocks and nails can be used a extra flint and a horn of powder, all set!.

 

[tulsamal]

If things get that bad, one is not going to find projectiles, primers and powder along the "trail"

I'm sure you would be totally right in 98% of the cases. But TEOTWAWKI planning is usually all about that 2%! In my case, if things got sufficiently "primitive," I could make my projectiles. I have written documentation on how to make black powder. The real "missing link" would be primers. And that's a real pain in the butt issue IMO because I consider them both dangerous to store in bulk and possibly sensitive to environmental conditions.

If I got to stay right here on my own property, I could be all right for the rest of my life. It isn't that hard to buy a few thousand primers here and there, package them in a USGI ammo can with some O2 absorbers, and bury them on the property. That should take care of temperature extremes and, with luck, the rubber seal on the ammo can will last for decades. Of course you have to remember where you buried the darn things.

Even if you had to "bug out," you could carry 5000 primers a lot more easily than 5000 rounds of assorted ammo. Otherwise you have to go back to the last suggestion: flintlock! And believe me, I've considered getting a couple of those several times. If nothing else, for the sheer fun of it.

Gregg

 

[Raider]

For a small, portable reloading tool that can be used anywhere, anytime I use the HDS Compac press. Its really handy at the range when I'm working up loads.

Bottom of the page:

HDS | Reloading Presses & Accessories

Charlie

 

[Erich]

50 rounds of loaded .357 ammo, 500 assorted bullets (9 lbs if 125-grains), 500 primers, a Lee Loader and a small container with 1/2 pound of Unique. Is a lot less bulky and weighs a lot less than 550 rounds of loaded ammo, easily fits in a pack, and would keep my revolver, levergun and me fed all year.

Like I said, though - whatever works for you. Odds are really good that I'll never have to use this set-up.

 

[Rule3]

50 rounds of loaded .357 ammo, 500 assorted bullets (9 lbs if 125-grains), 500 primers, a Lee Loader and a small container with 1/2 pound of Unique. Is a lot less bulky and weighs a lot less than 550 rounds of loaded ammo, easily fits in a pack, and would keep my revolver, levergun and me fed all year.

Like I said, though - whatever works for you. Odds are really good that I'll never have to use this set-up.

So you are saying the weight differential of 500 empty brass cases is more than the weight of a Lee Loader and dies? You will not lose any brass or split any? Not having a Lee Loader I can not weigh it.
I would think in a survival situation a 22lr would be better. I'll take my Nylon 66 and 500 rounds. Plus my wrist Rocket sling shot.

 

[semperfi71]

tulsamal said, "Once I developed a technique to ensure I put powder in each one (!) I never had another problem."

And brought back memories of my SECOND box of reloaded .357 magnums.

I too was using the Lee Loader, and watching TV. I loaded two boxes. The first one all went bang at the range. The second one, several did not. So I went to the gunshop and asked if they had a bullet puller. It was "Frank's Gunshop" in Yuma, Arizona.

They said yes. I said my reloads didn't go bang and maybe I have a problem. He said did you add powder. I said of course. He pulled every one and every one had no powder.

I went back to my Sierra Loading Manual Number One and one of the first admonitions in it was to, "pay attention while reloading and do not be distracted."

I have to add this one as well. Both me and my wife-then-not-now were smokers. I never smoked while reloading. If she smoked while I was reloading she kept a bit of a distance as I had told her smoking and reloading was not a good idea.

One day she was holding a freshly lit Salem and as she was talking to me [friendly conversation] she laid her cigarette down on the closed can of Unique to use her hands to talk as well.

My friend Lonnie was there too. He gently picked up the cigarette and then asked her softly, "You tryin' to blow all of us up...or just him?".

 

[Erich]

Yikes! (Though it probably would have just started a fire . . . )

 

[brokenprism]

50 rounds of loaded .357 ammo, 500 assorted bullets (9 lbs if 125-grains), 500 primers, a Lee Loader and a small container with 1/2 pound of Unique. Is a lot less bulky and weighs a lot less than 550 rounds of loaded ammo, easily fits in a pack, and would keep my revolver, levergun and me fed all year.

Like I said, though - whatever works for you. Odds are really good that I'll never have to use this set-up.

That's great math, and makes perfect sense.

The more I think about apocalyptic scenarios, the more sure I am that (1) game would dry up fast under the surge of hunting pressure put on it, and (2) announcing one's presence with a firearm might be dangerous. A good bow, and arrow-making skill might be in order too.

 

[Rule3]

That's great math, and makes perfect sense.

The more I think about apocalyptic scenarios, the more sure I am that (1) game would dry up fast under the surge of hunting pressure put on it, and (2) announcing one's presence with a firearm might be dangerous. A good bow, and arrow-making skill might be in order too.

No it's not. As our teachers always preached he did not show his work and the calculation is not complete.

In order to evaluate this, we need the weight of 500 loaded rounds, plus the weight of the reloader and the dies. We then must find a break even point. Who picked 500 rounds why not 200, 300 or 400?? I am going to take a wild ass guess and say the reloader and dies will be almost the same weight as the empty brass or at lease find how many (x) loaded rounds equal the weight of loader and dies.

I agree with the non gun weapons also. Bow Arrow, sling shots. Stock up on pellets for air rifles and pistols. My Gammo is like a silenced 22 rifle.

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