Lee Classic Loader .38 Special

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CornCod

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After about 28 or so years of shooting I have finally decided to try handloading. With the price of ammo these days and a strong desire to shoot more often, it seems a natural decision.

I bought a Lee Loader Classic in .38 Special. I am extremely anxious about buying some huge, expensive reloading outfit only to find that I won't be able to figure it out. I have almost no mechanical ability at all. My best guess is that most people who handload are from the skilled trades; auto mechanics, machinists and technicians of various kinds. All my training is in History and the Social Sciences. I can't work on my car and I can't do home improvement projects. Probably a lack of what the psychometricians call visio-spatial intelligence.

The instructions that come with the Lee Classic Loader are as clear as mud. There is no complete step-by-step guidance, just an assumption that the reader will "get it." I am not angry at Lee, the description probably works well for their traditional clientele from the skilled trades, engineers ect.

Is there some better description out there about how to use this tool? Or am I stuck? Its not a big deal because I bought the thing for 13 bucks. Another impression I have from hanging around the range is that most people get started in reloading by someone else that helps them step-by-step. Problem is, I don't know anyone that does it. Can I pay a gunsmith or local gun repairman to teach me? Opinions?
 
I have never tried that reloader, but they do look to be a pain to use. They are not meant for any kind of volume reloading!! I think you need a hammer to use the kit? You would be much better served with their basic hand press or even the Challenger "O" style press. They at least allow you to use standard sized dies.

I went to the Lee site and probably saw the same instruction sheet you had included with your reloader. It does look like a pain to use, but the directions seem pretty straightforward. What part is confusing you?? Are these the directions you got with the reloader??

http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi-data/instruct/RE1422.pdf
 
The first handgun reloading I did was using a Lee Loader in .38 Sp. Slow but it does produce servicable ammo. If a person wanted to get by only spending a very modest amount of money, the little Lee Reloader C press and a set of dies would work very well if using the loads listed with the dipper that comes with the dies and by adding a set of dippers it would give you more loads with different powders to choose from. Whatever you do though get at least one, or better yet, two manuals.
 
I, too, started with that loader and it works but it is slow. +1 on a couple of reloading manuals, they are more important that the hardware. If you have specific questions about usint=g that tool, ask them here.
 
Thanks

Thanks for the tips. I will check them out. Funny, I picked up that ABC's of reloading book today at the library. IT seems a little clearer now.
 
OK

OK, here's a question. They give you this little plastic dipper and each load on their load table says .5 but then there is a measurement in grains that is different. How do you use the little platic scoop?

For a 90 grain jacketed bullet they have listed Lee Dipper .5 and under grains they have 5.4. Does that mean 5.4 dippers or something else?
 
The dipper you have corresponds with only the powders listed under a specific bullet weight. In other words, choose the bullet weight first, then, you'll see that there are onlly a few powders listed on your card - these powders can be used with your .5 dipper to produce the ammo. Lee doesn't work in grains with their measuring equipment, they work in cubic centemeter. There is a easy calculation to determine the amount of grains you want and it will tell you what cavity to use on an auto disk, or what spoon to use. In your case with the single spoon, you are limited to the powders listed for the bullet weight you have.

There - if that isn't clear, I don't know what is. :)
 
Does that mean 5.4 dippers or something else?
Click to expand...

The 5.4 means 5.4 grains, which is a unit of weight. There are 7000 grains in a pound, so for instance your 90 grain bullet weighs 90/7000 pounds. Seperate from the mechanical aspects of reloading, you really need to understand the basics before you try it. Putting the wrong amount of, or using the wrong powder are the best ways of making dangerous ammo. I hope this doesn't sound overly critical, but your eyes and fingers are very valuable.
 
Lee loaders

These are great tools and a lot of us got a start with them. You need to buy a set of scoops as well, they are cheap. You also need a plastic/rubber hammer. I was young and foolish when i started and used dad's claw hammer. Set about one in five primers off! No wonder I've got a bad heart now!:eek:

After you set few primers off you will see the advantages in getting a Lee auto prime, top bit of gear, also cheap.

Do not get discouraged, the Lee loader is a bit more difficult to use for pistol cases. They really shine with rifle cases.

Good luck, Mick.

PS, heaps of guys will blast you for using Lee products, the rest of us use them without problem year after year after year! I still have a lot of these and use them every now and then. I actually bought an old 12Ga Lee Loader recently! I haven't had a chance to try it out yet.
 
The small pistol primers going off got my attention but when the large pistol primers started going off on my .44mags it convinced me to get a single stage press. The lee hand-priming tool is a great tool. The classic loader is fine to learn the process on but like the rest of us you will probably soon want something a step up. The only down side is there seems to be an endless string of gadgets that you will need.:rolleyes:
RJ
 
Read a lot.

You probably have to do a lot of reading anyway, so make some of it about reloading. You've got "ABC's" from the library, that will answer some questions for you. The other thing to look at is LEE's "Modern Relading" for two reasons. First, it has some good info in the first part of it, in front of the "load data" section. The second reason is that it comes with a free press. Yep, free reloading press. Mess with the kit you've got now, figure out if reloading is something you want to do, and buy dies and stuff a littlwe at a time.

BTW, handloading isn't limited to just us "skilled trades" types. I happen to be a machinist, but my cousin started reloading at about 12 years of age. The difference is instruction. It's not that it's beyond you, you just need to ask questions and find someone to show you the ropes. We all started somewhere.
 
I still have my 38 special classic loader. I guess its around 28 years old now give or take a bit and gets used occasionally.

Some tips:
1) Get a railroad tie plate and use it as an anvil. Works perfectly and provides a nice working surface.
2) Rubber mallet from sears is nice but one of the "dead blow" ones works better.
3) A hand priming press will save you a lot of grief when you blow a primer tapping it in. You will blow one, so wear some ear muffs. They are quite loud when you are that close and tend to burn the fingers holding the rod.
4) Don't drop the depriming punch. The punch pin will break on a hard floor.
5) One scoop of the powder ONLY.
6) Just expand enough to let the bullet seat. Any more is a waste of effort.


Finally have fun and welcome to the world of reloading.
 
Thanks

Thanks everyone. I think the instructions are getting a lot clearer. A half hour playing around with the set and an empty case, that ABC book and your assistance helped to put things in perspective.

It will be nice to shoot .38 Special again without paying 12 bucks a box!
 
I will be honest with you, I think that I would purchase a Lee hand loader and a set of .38 caliber dies from eBay. They can be had for under $30.00 if puchased on eBay, and you will be able to use these in the future if you decide to expand your hand loading hobby. A good powder scale, and set of check weights, then a powder drop, and a good single stage press like the Lee Classic press would be good tools should you wish to load more conveniently/accurately.
 
I started with a "Lee Loader"...

When I started, they weren't the 'classic' loader, they were 'the' loader.

I loaded many rounds in the barracks at MCAS El Toro, all in .38 Special. I still have the plastic hammer, but the loader was stolen some years ago.

It's slow, primers do get popped from time to time - but I must say it's an excellent bio-feedback training device to learn just exactly how hard to tap in a primer.

Finally, once you learn to load with a that Classic Loader, you will know the mechanics of reloading in a manner that is basic and ground level.

Welcome to the reloading brotherhood. (By the way, I'm a sucker for History and I have an AS degree in Social Sciences. You'll be fine.)
 
I started out reloading with a (used!) Lee Loader in .30-30 more than 30 years ago. If you have questions about the process, make sure you check in with knowledgeable people and get answers because if you foul up reloading you could damage your gun and/or injure yourself. Although the Lee Loader does things differently than a single-stage reloading press, or a turret press or a progressive press, the individual steps are ultimately the same even though the process of getting them done is different. This is a good time to make sure you've got a solid understanding of what the steps are before investing money and taking chances on more expensive and complicated equipment. Good luck...there is nothing wrong with the Lee Loader other than that it's slow. Mine made the most accurate .30-30 loads I ever shot. (And, by the way, I never set any primers off reloading with the LL, but wear safety glassess all the same.) Be safe...
 
Try
http://www.beartoothbullets.com/
Then search for Lee Classic Loader, the first article is "Handloading on a Shoestring" and gives full instructions with color pictures for the Lee Classic Loader. I didn't know anything about reloading and this article got me through it. The first 3 bullets took me an hour, but I kept at it and can keep up a slow & steady pace now.
 
I bought one in 30/30 about 25 years ago, but from memory it had a red plastic tool similiar to the Lee auto prime, only you had to put a primer in each time.
 
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