Lee Bullet Feed Kit on RCBS Loader

[Mac Attack]

Hypothetical question -
I have a RCBS RockChucker reloader with a Piggyback II progressive kit. I have had this set up since the 90's and it has served me well over the years. The two things which I really wish could be improved on my reloader is the addition of a case feeder and bullet feeder.

I was looking through a catalog from Lee Precision and noticed their bullet loader kit. From the looks of it, it just attaches to the bullet seating die. I have never seen one of these kits up close and am not sure how the bullet feeder feeds the bullets but do not think it requires anything mechanical related to the shell plate.

Do you think it woud be possible to add this kit onto my reloader set up? I know that it isn't made for a RCBS loader but if it works it works regardless if it is red or green. Heck, the Lee website states that the feeder kit was designed for Lee presses but may be altered to work on other reloaders.

I found a great video on how to install the lee bullet feeder kit on a lee reloaded. It looks like it would be possible with the addition of a set plate to actuate the feeder.

Here is the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlgqMQGht9w&feature=related

Sounds like a lot of effort but RCBS doesn't have one and I don't want to drop a wad on a new reloader when I have one that works.

 

[evan price]

I looked into getting a bullet feeder for my Lee progressive.
Problem is you have to individually set each bullet into the feeder's magazine, the right way up, to feed them. You can't just dump a fistful of bullets in there, the way you can with shell cases and a Pro-1K case collator.
If I have to individually handle the bullets anyway, might as well just put them on the cases and load them.

 

[jfh]

...and I actually tried out the bullet feeder kit on my Load-Master. It's finicky, at best--I got one setup to work pretty smoothly with 10mm and 180FMJs, but I could never get another setup to work with .38/.357 and 140-gr. bullets.

But, the real problem is as evan points out: You have to load the bullets individually into the tubes, so there really is no time-saving.

Finally, I found that the standard procedures I use with manual bullet placement reinforce a powder check--and the feeder gets in the way--so I'd rather do my loading that way.

Jim H.

 

[Griz44]

Same here. I have a bullet feeder kit, and would let you have it at a bargain price if you want to try it. It works good with non-lubricated bullets. A sticky lube like LLA is a no go. A hard wax is OK. I wound up using it in semi-auto mode by removing the wire link to the shell plate, since it is not case sensitive. That way it does not feed a bullet when there is not a case present. You have to use the LEE tapered die to keep from crushing the fingers. It does keep the bullet nice and straight going in, helps eliminate the lube, lead shaving that can happen when a bullet gets a little tilted going in.