Lee hand press...

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David4516

David4516

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A while ago back I had this crazy idea that I wanted to be able to reload on the go. I put together a kit using a 50 cal ammo can and a Lee hand-held press. Everything I need to reload fits in the can, except for the components themselves. Probably would need a second can for powder/primers/cases/etc to be truly portable...

Anyway I finally got around to testing out the hand press last night. It was pretty warm where I live and my garage (where my bench mounted press is located) was especially hot. Inside the house was more comfortable, so it seemed like a good time to "go mobile" with the ammo-can set and reload in the relative comfort of the dining room.

I loaded up about 250 rounds of .380 ACP and everything went great. Actually it went better than I thought it would, it didn't take much work to use that press. I'm sure with rifle rounds it would take more muscle, but for a straight walled pistol cartridge it was really easy.

I think this setup would be good as a "loaner" as well, I have a few friends I'm trying to convince them to start reloading. If I could loan them my portable set to get them started, they might just get hooked.

Anyway, the real reason I'm starting this thread: Anybody else use this press, and if so, do you ever take it on the road? What have your experiences been? What does your portable/mobile setup look like? I've only used mine a little but so far I am happy with it...
 

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Used a lyman hand press for years as a back-up/portable press. Absolutely works fine although a bit slow. Biggest headache I recall when traveling was setting up the scale and getting it level. At the outdoor range any wind will blow around the scale and powder. Ended up with simple lee powder scoops and load by volume instead to save my sanity. Shocking the loaded ammo was just as accurate. Hmmm...
 
I take my LHP to the living room in front of the TV and turn on the AC. Rifle rounds (.223 and .30-06) are easy if you use enough lube. I have found no disadvantages to the LHP when comparing to a single stage mounted press.
 
Before I had a dedicated reloading area, I used a Lee Hand Press. Powder and primers stayed in my closet and press tools, dippers, etc. lived in a plastic shoe box under my bed. I still have it and on occasion will use it for a short run so I won't have to set up one of my bench presses. The ammo I made then is just as good as the stuff I assemble on one of my bench presses...
 
I have been tuning ammo at the range for quite some time. I do it a bit differently though. This is for bottle neck loading though, I don't usually bother going to all this trouble for handgun loads.

What I do is make up a variety of powder charges. Like maybe 12 at one charge, 12 at another, and so on.

Then I seat them all to the lands, zero.

I use a C clamp and mount my little press (RCBS RS2) to a small portable table, or to the bench if I'm at the public range. I make small oal adjustments with the powder charge that produced the best group.

I have tried using the scale to do all out loading, but it's pretty cumbersome with trying to get a level surface, and dealing with wind and all. I made a cover out of Plexiglas to block the wind, but it's still too much of a pain.

GS
 
Yup ... it might be my most rarely used press, but it does a thing or two no other press can.
Ive done some away from bench load development with it, but most of its brilliance comes through when watching TV with the wife, where I can size and bell case mouths without the constant "you never spend time with me" drama.
Lee hand press ... makes marriage work like no other
 
I got mine for building loads at the range - nice to bring prepped brass, powder, and bullets to the range for load tuning. As it has been said, wind makes this challenging many days.

With that said, most of my rifle loading gets done on the hand press - it is easy to work with anywhere, and 30-06 gives you a good chest workout as well. I hardly use the single stage anymore.
 
I assembled a portable reloading kit for my LHP that fits in an repurposed hard side test set case from work. It includes everything except a reloading manual, and that data I can get online with my phone.

My Lee powder scale fits in the lid using slots in the foam that once protected a now obsolete piece of electronics. The LHP fits length-wise on the back wall, my caliper in its case in front of that. Dies go in the left front corner on top of the calipers. A scoop is included in the die set. I put the powder in a reused plastic jar with a tight fitting screw toplid in the right front corner. Priming tool breaks down and fits in between the dies, as does a tube of shell lube, a small funnel, and a tray of primers fit into another slot. I can squeeze a baggie of a few dozen rifle bullets or nearly a box of pistol bullets lays flat on top of the whole bunch, with barely enough room to close the lid. The tool box is only 12 1/2" X 10" X 5 3/4".

Oh yeah, I even have the keys to the case latches.
 
I use mine all the time. My setup is out in the garage, which is only comfortable about 5 - 6 months out of the year. The rest of the time I use the hand press in the house. Works great as long as you don't have to resize a bunch of heavy stuff or are not desperate to get several hundred loaded in a hurry.
 
I used to take a RCBS full sized press to the range but the Lee hand press is what I use there these days. The propellant/scale issue is not a problem due to the fact that we have an indoor meeting house and I use it if the scale acts up outdoors. Less than 100 FT from the rifle range and 15 steps to the 50 foot indoor pistol range. I made a kit in an old tackle/tool box that holds spare set of scales, Lee hand press, and spare sets of dies along with other needed stuff. It works just as well as the full sized press but might be a slight bit slower to use if I bothered to pay enough attention.;)
 
I have the breech lock hand press. I use a tall 50cal ammo can as the range trip kit. I can get the dies, press, bullets, and powder I need for the trip to work up loads, all into this 1 can. I have a hundred plastic tubes with snap on lids. Smaller than a test tube.

They fit in a 30-06 20 round ammo tray, to stand up as I load them with weighed powder charges at home. Then all 100 fit in an MTM 100 round box for the 30-06.

This saves having to weigh loads at the range. I load 5 per test when working up loads with a several grain spread between start and max. And 10 per test for smaller gran spread.

This is just for the test tubes. I load the first 100 series of test loads at home. These are the ones that get reloaded once fired at the range. They go into standard 50 round plastic reload boxes.
 
@Frogo207

Thanks again for that IMR4320, just finished it off last week. Turned out to produce the best loads, now I need more and nobody has it in stock around here, but there's a gun show coming up, and maybe at some point i can get down to KTP. But anyways, thank you again for your help and generosity. TD
 
^^ Not a problem at all.:) Glad I could help you a bit. If I see any more around here I'll shoot you a pm. There was some at the Newport trading post this spring---probably still there, but for that price I figure nobody really wants to buy it.
 
I put my dillon resizing die in this press. I now resize with it indoors, and prime with a lee hand primer. Then I head outside to the dillon 550 when I have the time. It puts less stress on my press and actually gives me a more consistant OAL while giving me less things to monitor while loading.
 
My portable press is also my primary.

Folding workbench.
3 plastic toolboxes contain
1 Press and accessories
2 several sets of dies
3 all powder handling (scale, dippers, auto-disk measure) gear.

The largest of the toolboxes is 23" x 10" x 10"

Lost Sheep
 

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An interesting reflection on my current state of mind - the first thing I immediately noticed in David4516's picture was that plastic container of Bullseye smokeless powder. It took me a short while to move my focus off the Bullseye and look at the rest of the photo.

A Lee Hand Press, for all the reasons previously sited, is on my buying list the next time I find one on sale somewhere.
 
That's funny, that's what I look at most in all of these pics, especially in the "show us your reloading bench" thread. For some reason all i can check out are the components.
Even the fella that had all the "stuffed animals" the other day, all I really noticed was his pile of bullets.
 
I've made the mistake of investing too much money in various hobbies only to end up becoming disinterested in them later. Wanting to avoid that mistake (and not having much of a choice either as a heavily indebted med school grad) I started off in reloading with this very press. I loved it. With a set of Lee dies, powder scoops, scrounged range brass, and components I was able to get into reloading for very little money. And it allowed me to go shooting far more often than I'd otherwise be able to do. Loaded countless 45ACP with it- at least a few thousand before deciding I kind of like this reloading thing and graduated to a single stage.
 
Great little press. I have mine with all I need in a large lock top shoe box. I can do most anything I can at my reloading bench but not in the basement. Heck I've even reloaded a box or two of ammo at the inlaws after Sunday dinner.
 
When working up loads for a new rifle, I take primed cases, bullets, powders, the Lee handpress, the RCBS Chargemaster and the crony to the range. Makes load development easy.


Drue
 
Back when.... I used a heavy green GI radio bag, rubber lined, for my 'take it along' kit. I was mostly working on a .222 Rem load at the time and it worked great.
I found that neck sizing worked very well (bolt action rifle) and full length sizing was done at home.
But alas, I moved and I now load in the house and walk 40 feet to my shooting table.

Still have all of the stuff... someplace.... a very useful and functional press.
 
I created the same type of kit that nestled neatly into a 50 cal can for 3006 and 45auto. I used the lee hand press, which was new at the time, and loaded about 10,000 rds on it. I gave it to a friend who is still using it. Worked good for the loading conditions I had at that time. I never dreamed it would last that long. Keep it clean and lube the linkage once in a while.

I used scoops, and never looked back. Used a small lee hand trimmer too. It was slow and tedious at times but always had ammo on hand as long as I had time to make it. :D
 
I started reloading with a Lee hand press. It seemed easy at the time. At the time I was also pursuing Power Lifting as a hobby and I hit the gym lifting weights at least 5 days a week. Nowadays, I think the hand press would be a little more challenging especially for rifle cartridges.

I think it's a great tool for a physically fit 20-30 something. Just don't try to start someone with one of these if they are challenged for either grip strength or grip endurance.
 
Used mine to load several hundred more rounds of .380 ACP since my original post. I really like this thing. I don't think I'd want it as my ONLY press (unless I had some serious space limitations) but I think it is a very valuable addition to my reloading gear.

So far I've only used it for .38 special and .380 ACP though, I keep meaning to try .223 Rem but I always end up using my turret press instead...
 
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