Lee Breech lock for 5.56

[CptnAwesome]

A friend of mine is getting into reloading and recently went to buy a Lee Breechlock press. Guy in a local gunshop told him that if he were gonna be loading 5.56 or any military round that breech lock press wasn't the press to buy. Mentioned it would crush a lot of cases.
I own a breech lock but never tried 5.56, anyone got any input on this?

 

[hdwhit]

Guy in a local gunshop told him that if he were gonna be loading 5.56 or any military round that breech lock press wasn't the press to buy.

Consider the seller's financial interest in influencing your decision.

I have reloaded thousands of rounds, including .223 Remington/5.56 x 45, on an RCBS Reloader Special (i.e. doesn't have compound leverage) press that dates from the 1970s and I haven't had any problems - beyond those associated with learning how to operate the equipment.

 

[Fire_Moose]

Crush when sizing?

I'm about 3k cases in on my Lee challenger with no issues.

Alternatively, I would recommend a turret to help with the quantity that tends to go with 223. So I can see that side of it not being the press for that.

 

[kingmt]

Which press are you referring to? Lee has three presses that use the BL system. Although it should work I wouldn't suggest the hand press but I would suggest the Classic Cast BL. I use a Classic Cast BL myself for 223.

 

[CptnAwesome]

Which press are you referring to? Lee has three presses that use the BL system. Although it should work I wouldn't suggest the hand press but I would suggest the Classic Cast BL. I use a Classic Cast BL myself for 223.

I'm sorry it's the Challenger BL press

 

[berettaprofessor]

Ridiculous. The Challenger BL will crush no more cases than any other press. I load small batches on mine for workups. In fact, the only cases I ever crushed were when I accidently put the case on top of the case holder instead of inside it. However, for a few bucks more, Fire Moose is right, a Lee Classic Turret is the better choice for production of groups of 50 and above. That's what I use and have zero issues. You can also use it single mode by removing the arm.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I agree, ridiculous!

However, if he is only looking to load the .223 Rem he might be happier with a Lee Classic Turret Press instead. I use a single stage and the turret for loading .223 ammo and the turret is faster. You need a lot of ammo to feed an AR style rifle lol.

 

[CZ9shooter]

I load 223 on the Challenger. No troubles. However, I have the BL bushing JB-welded in, but I cant see what possible difference it would make.

One of the "classic" presses would be an upgrade, but by no means necessary.

 

[kingmt]

A Pro1000 which is a progressive will do 223 if he's interested. I don't think the seller has a clue. I prefer my Classic Cast BL to do 223 in 200 round batches.

 

[morcey2]

Have him ask the same question but say that he's reloading .223 Remington. What he said made no sense to me. I've done close to 1000 on my Lee press and haven't had an issue. I'm not sure what he even means when he talks about crushing cases. There's zero difference between 223 and 5.56 or 308 and 7.62x51 or 30-06 and, um, 30-06 when it comes to reloading.

Matt

 

[RussellC]

Anyone who would tell you that is either incompetent to advise on a press, or being dishonest.. In either case, I would be done with that source, or proceed knowing what you are dealing with and bargain accordingly.

 

[CptnAwesome]

Thanx for the response fellas. He actually bought a Lee pro 1000 on eBay. Well he be able to do larger rifles with that press like 270 and 7stw?

 

[Wreck-n-Crew]

Thanx for the response fellas. He actually bought a Lee pro 1000 on eBay. Well he be able to do larger rifles with that press like 270 and 7stw?

I will say i would prefer the turret or another press for 270. Especially if your not loading a lot of them and are looking for precision loads. I load 270 on a single stage and i have a loadmaster.

Sometimes those big cases put a lot of pressure on the press in ways that may not be good for it. I think the pro 1000 is built for less stress associated with large rifle cartridges.

 

[kingmt]

Out of the box it won't do 270 but if you still a hole in the middle of the turret for the indexing rod to pass through then it will work. I did this with mine & loads 30-06 on it. However I'd suggest a Classic Cast BL as a companion.

The Pro1000 seems to be a learning curve for some so I'd also suggest you get them over here for an interdiction so we can help through the learning process. bds has a great thread on tips for the Pro1000. We could have probably suggested somewhere for a better deal then eBay also if this was in a new unit.

 

[jmorris]

Guy in a local gunshop told him that if he were gonna be loading 5.56 or any military round that breech lock press wasn't the press to buy. Mentioned it would crush a lot of cases.

Hmm, a guy that works at a gun shop that doesn't know what he is talking about, interesting...

Smile, nod, thank them for their time and walk away.

 

[kingmt]

From manging a automotive retail parts store I can tell you it is hard enough to find someone that can just count money but alone know anything about the product. It seems everyone expects them to tho. When people go to Wal-Mart do they expect the person stocking the shelves to know anything about the blender they just put there?

It would be so nice if they did but the reality is that they don't. But what would be even better is that they didn't act like they did when they have no clue.

 

[Varminterror]

I have never had a problem doing this:

 

[RussellC]

Out of the box it won't do 270 but if you still a hole in the middle of the turret for the indexing rod to pass through then it will work. I did this with mine & loads 30-06 on it. However I'd suggest a Classic Cast BL as a companion.

The Pro1000 seems to be a learning curve for some so I'd also suggest you get them over here for an interdiction so we can help through the learning process. bds has a great thread on tips for the Pro1000. We could have probably suggested somewhere for a better deal then eBay also if this was in a new unit.

Ditto. I keep a Lee Classic BL for all heavy duty jobs, recently it sits fitted with a universal decapper, great for 1,000 batches of LC .223 military crimped brass...will be adding .308.

Regular loading is usually done on the Lee Classic Turret Press, which If I remember, has the same mechanicals underneath. Maybe I will have to rethink this, but this is the setup I intend to do .308 with......but that Dillon 650 keeps calling, but that has to wait and I'm doing OK with what I have.

Oh, and if Bds thinks it is worth toying with, then it is as far as I am concerned. Lee stuff can be a little "fiddly" but if you dont mind figuring out what works for you, it can do a fine job for a very reasonable price. All the thousands of 9mm, .45ACP, and .223 I have loaded have been on Lee equipment. I do own a Redding die or two, (Small base full length, but havent really needed it.)

Russellc

 

[CoalTrain49]

That press will do .223 all day long and all night too. Probably a good press to start reloading with. I have a BL Classic Cast which is functionally the same press, just heavier. I load a lot of .223 with it. Progressives are better if you are going to load 5000 rds a year or more. I'm at that point right now and looking at maybe buying a progressive to speed things up a little. All single stage presses do about the same thing. Progressives, not so much.