Handheld Rifle Brass Reloading

[hang fire]

A Lee hand press doesn't have enough leverage to resize bottleneck rifle brass.

Unless you are the Incredible Hulk.

I'd use the Dillon.

Even if you stick a case & pull the rim off, that ain't that hard to get out.

All you need to do is drill & tap the primer pocket (#7 drill - 1/4"-20 tap), drop a socket over it, and screw it out with a bolt.

rc

Odd, my 71 year old wife has reloaded .243 on her Lee hand press for years.

 

[jcwit]

I still prefer the Lee Loaders where one uses a mallet or arbor press to reload with, actually the same principal as the Wilson dies.

 

[SHR970]

rcmodel said: A Lee hand press doesn't have enough leverage to resize bottleneck rifle brass.

Unless you are the Incredible Hulk.

I only stand 5'4" and am not in great physical shape....unless you consider round to be a great shape.

For 18 years my ONLY press was a Lee Hand Press. During that time I have loaded thousands of bottle neck cases: 223, 6.5x55, 280 Rem., 308, 30-06, 300 Win. Mag., and 375 RUM.

Just make sure you lube your cases well. Stuck cases are a bear. I finally broke that press trying to get a 6.5 brass unstuck. That same brass had the handle of a RCBS Rockchucker Two bowing before it finally popped out. I bought a replacement hand press because I found over the years that they can be quite handy....especially for in the field load development.