Thinking of getting into reloading with Lee hand press

[Rule3]

Well if you want to hassle with a hand press and get a work out and produce a couple of rounds then why bother? I showed you the picture a simple single stage press that takes all of 12 inches. Buy some more dies and reload whatever caliber you want. Load 10 boxes of 357 Mag and it's pretty much payed off.

 

[Gorenut]

Well if you want to hassle with a hand press and get a work out and produce a couple of rounds then why bother? I showed you the picture a simple single stage press that takes all of 12 inches. Buy some more dies and reload whatever caliber you want. Load 10 boxes of 357 Mag and it's pretty much payed off.

I'm definitely still looking at my options. I've been looking up plans to build a stand that can fold up into my closet.

 

[walnutred]

The first house I rented had and old Model A type garage and my wife at the time insisted on using it. This meant that there was absolutely no room for a regular bench and her car. I built a bench out of a piece of scrap 2x10 that folded UP against the wall. I made a hinged leg that when the "bench" was flat would go down at an angle to the intersection of the floor and the wall. This gave triangular bracing that rested against the bottom plate of the wall. By making it 20" or so wide you would have enough width to attach it to two studs for strength. Folded up it was only 3" thick. You will not be able to do heavy case forming with this set up but for 38/357 it should work fine.

Otherwise I'd hit the online auctions and look for a Lyman 310 tool in the caliber you want. 310's have been reloading ammo for over 100 years, that has to say something.

 

[blujax01]

The whole shebang costs what - $50? Worth a shot, IMO. If you hate it, put it in the Forum Classified. Me, I have plenty of room and too little ambition for such an adventure.

But if we're all thrown into the wilderness during the 'Pocky-Lypse you'll have the advantage now won't you?!

 

[Gorenut]

The whole shebang costs what - $50? Worth a shot, IMO. If you hate it, put it in the Forum Classified. Me, I have plenty of room and too little ambition for such an adventure.

But if we're all thrown into the wilderness during the 'Pocky-Lypse you'll have the advantage now won't you?!

Haha, thats one way to look at it. You're right, though about the cost. Even though its not really about the money and moreso about the space, having the money factor is a bonus.

 

[Prof_Fate]

Savings depends on a lot of things - mostly bullets and brass.

Lead bullets are cheapest, maybe 7c each. Plated a bit more and jacketd are more yet. 500 will fit in a 5" square box (but are heavy). Buy 500 or 1000 at a time, don't do 100.

Powder is cheaper in larger quantites but you won't buy larger till you know what powder you want.

primers are $30/1000 many places or 145 for 5000 - not a tremendous savings

you may have brass, great. I had to buy 357 brass - it's expensive.
I shoot IDPA with my 9mm and around here all the matches are 'lost brass' (the guy that volunteers to run the stage gets all the brass shot on his stage).

Get a lee breechlock challenger and mount it to a board and mount that to your table or perhaps a bracket on the wall like a shelf type deal. It won't take up any more space than the hand press. The tumbler will take up the most space, then the media for it.

 

[Gorenut]

For those who use the Lee hand reloader.. do you prefer to use the Ram Prime attachment or a hand primer tool? and why?

 

[SMSgt]

I haven't used a ram primer since I got my Lee hand primer years ago, in fact it's beginning to show wear and is due for replacement soon.

It's easier to "feel" worn primer pockets with the hand primer, and a good one is fast. The newer ones with the primer tray attached (Mine's the old style that you load singlely) are very efficient.

 

[varmint243]

Why not try to find some place at your gun club or range where you can reload ?
Make a setup you can take down and put in a box easily ?
There is a building at the rifle range where people cast bullets and reload sometimes.
I think someone even has an old press bolted to the bench in there.

 

[Gorenut]

Why not try to find some place at your gun club or range where you can reload ?
Make a setup you can take down and put in a box easily ?
There is a building at the rifle range where people cast bullets and reload sometimes.
I think someone even has an old press bolted to the bench in there.

Wish it were that easy. I'm already rather limited on ranges alone. Part of why I never shoot rifles anymore is because the closest range that allows rifles is only 25 yards.. so I definitely won't be getting the most out of reloading rifle ammo. Right now, I'm mostly just going to start with 38/357 since I already have a lot of brass.

 

[Rule3]

Based on this video, he will load maybe 30 rounds in 1 hour.
ZZZZZZZZZZ

Reloading with the LEE Hand Press - YouTube

 

[mstuhr]

priming tool

For those who use the Lee hand reloader.. do you prefer to use the Ram Prime attachment or a hand primer tool? and why?

I use a tray feed priming tool. That saves quite a bit of time.
Just me, but I prefer the RCBS to the newer Lee autoprime.
I am a Lee fan. I still use an old Lee autoprime tool. I can't get parts for them anymore and the replacement tool does not suit me as well as the old one. The RCBS is not that much more and seems as good as any.( I have both)
Hope this helps
Mike

 

[Engineer1911]

Just to CLARIFY: You do not save money reloading ammunition because you shoot a whole lot more ammo. To really save money, you need to cast your own bullets. That is so you can buy 8# jugs of powder and 5,000 primers in a case -- sometimes 3 or 4 cases at a time to reduce the Haz Mat fee effect on your order.

Ooooooooh don't get me started again on saving money.

 

[Gorenut]

Just to CLARIFY: You do not save money reloading ammunition because you shoot a whole lot more ammo. To really save money, you need to cast your own bullets. That is so you can buy 8# jugs of powder and 5,000 primers in a case -- sometimes 3 or 4 cases at a time to reduce the Haz Mat fee on effect on your order.

Ooooooooh don't get me started again on saving money.

Gotcha. Thats the plan anyways, to shoot more. As mentioned before, I realized I simply don't shoo 357 as much as I used to because cost of ammo is catching up. 9mm I have no problems with since I get factory reloads for really cheap. I know once I get reloading going, i'll most likely get a 44mag next. Thanks for the tips.

 

[Skip Sackett]

Of course, you will not be able to shoot more because all of your time will be spent reloading. Get a press that will speed the process up a bit and you will have saved the cost on the ammo and gained time to shoot it.

Of course, I didn't read all of the posts in this thread, the last one I read you were still trying to justify buying the Lee hand held apparatus. So, do what you want to do.

 

[BobB257]

Go for it.
You are going to go slow and it will work.
If you dont have a workshop or a big table you will make do with the hand press and the ammo will shoot.
I like the Lee hand primer a lot. The lee powder dippers work well.
I like a beam scale (RCBS 505)but a flat digital will store away smaller.
I load on a single stage press with a loading block 50 at a time and do all cases at each step. I like this as a last check of powder since all can be viewed before bullet seating and any powder charge height variation is very easy to see.
A funnel can be made with a square of paper and piece of tape to get the cone needed for pouring the powder into the case. This came from an article that John Barsness wrote on basic handloading.
I dont tumble cases but twist shine real issues away with steel wool.
I like the loads I make for 357 and they are less money than factory stuff here. I can load plinkers that my kids shoot that I cant buy.
Worth it to me.
I load shotgun with a progressive press and shoot a lot of rounds in a year. My pistols and rifles do fine with the single stage loading, just less.

Have fun

 

[gwpercle]

Just for the record....you don't need a lot of hand strength to use the Lee Hand Press. It has a compound linkage which helps ( not so with a Lyman Tong Tool , they require a good grip ) . You place one lever in the palm of each hand and press them together, I'm 62 with the upper body strength of an Oscar- Meyer weiner and I have no trouble resizing rifle ammo. This is one tool that you will find uses for even after you graduate to a bench mounted. I had one and bought another even though I have two bench presses. And I like the Lee hand priming tool. The ram prime works but you have to handle each primer. But that's how most simple press mounted priming arms work.

gary

 

[jkc]

I don't understand the numerous objections to the Lee hand press --- I'm happy to use mine for handgun ammo. It's not as slow as some have suggested, and is the practical answer for those of us with limited space. Use an Autoprime type tool vs. the ram to seat primers. Find a powder and charge weight that can be measured volumetricaly with the Lee dippers to save the space/hassle necessary to meter/weigh powder. An unmentioned advantage of the hand press is the ability to use it almost anywhere --- picnic table, motel desk, etc., and even around the house, you can work in front of the TV, or wherever, and are not tied to a fixed workstation. The nuisance of adjusting the dies is ameliorated by processing large batches...

 

[YARDDOG]

Just for the record....you don't need a lot of hand strength to use the Lee Hand Press. It has a compound linkage which helps ( not so with a Lyman Tong Tool , they require a good grip ) . You place one lever in the palm of each hand and press them together, I'm 62 with the upper body strength of an Oscar- Meyer weiner and I have no trouble resizing rifle ammo. This is one tool that you will find uses for even after you graduate to a bench mounted. I had one and bought another even though I have two bench presses. And I like the Lee hand priming tool. The ram prime works but you have to handle each primer. But that's how most simple press mounted priming arms work.

gary

+1 On the Lee Hand Primer, Works great while watching TV or sitting on porch ; )

Y/D

 

[M3Stuart]

I mount my Lee single stage press by bolting it on to a 2' piece of 2X4 and then clamping that onto a desk.

The Challenger or Anniversary kit costs $100 plus you'll need a set of dies ($30ish as I recall) and a caliper (also $30ish as I recall). Powder, primers and some lead bullets - less than $200 total for your first 500 - that means you'll about break even at 500, you're saving money above that.

If you want to keep it cheaper; then go with the hand press you're considering or even the 'Classic Lee Loader' for about $40ish. It'll take you less than a minute per bullet with either. An hour of loading (50 to 75 rounds) will save you $10 to $15. (That assumes you've been saving your brass).

Oh, I picked up a Hornaday 3rd edition at half-price books for $7.

Whatever you choose, feel good about yourself. It's a big step and you'll build a lot of confidence over time. I personally think you're on the right track - start small and your reloading will evolve over time. I think that's perfectly normal and that is what I did.