Lee hand press for first time reloader?

[Pete D.]

Press

50 rounds per hour with the Lee Hand Press? Yeah, you can do that no problem and without rushing.
Batch loading. Get a loading block or two and do each operation for 50 cases (or more). Your efficiency will be much improved by purchasing a hand priming tool, not the ram prime, like the one offered by Lee (I have three of them. Have used them for a couple of decades). As well, a complete set of Lee powder dippers is invaluable but...a small powder hand held powder measure like those offered by Hornady, RCBS, Lyman will be even more efficient.
Pete

 

[FROGO207]

Well I just have to weigh in on this one. Around here we are MUCH luckier than RC et all. The wind does not always blow a gale here and I have spent many lazy afternoons at the local range shooting a handfull of brass over and over using that Lee handheld press to develop loads. As a side benefit I have contact with many curious shooters that find reloading is not a "dangerous" thing to do. Several have tried out the gear under my supervision and then been allowed to shoot what they made. Instant smile and future reloader. It is slower and a bit harder to do than using a bench mounted press IMHO but for a load workup away from the bench--great fun.

The new press will have the breach lock fitting on top unlike mine or the one pictured but that is no big deal. Either buy more bushings for your other dies or just screw multiple dies in and out of the bushing anyway. I like the separate handheld primer tool as well but the Ram Prime is an inexpensive way to get started for sure. The important thing is that you did buy a press and are trying out reloading. Others forget that we all had to start somewhere and you chose what you feel is best for that.

 

[SuperNaut]

I have a Dillon 550, an RCBS RC, and the Lee Hand Press. Why in the world would I get a Lee Hand Press when I have a Dillon 550? For portability and to work up loads in the field and it works great for that purpose. I put together a kit for field reloading that contains:

Lee Hand Press
RCBS hand primer
Frankford Arsenal de-capper
Lyman E-Zee Trim
Hand-Made Dippers
Mini Tube Cutter
.357/.38 and .300 BLK dies

I had another more esoteric goal in mind for this portable kit. It started with a thought experiment: What if I needed ammo but I was stranded and/or miles away from civilization? Could I scrounge brass and make ammo in the field? With this kit I can, and more importantly - I have. I have gone to my shooting spot with no ammo, then scrounged .38/.357 brass, .223/5.56 brass, de-capped, cut/trimmed, re-sized, primed, charged, seated, and then shot all in the field.

The next step for me is to get some bullet molds and make bullets in the field too.

Why am I doing all this? Why not?

 

[SuperNaut]

Here's a video of me and my son using the Lee Hand Press to re-load .458 SOCOM in the field. It was a pretty windy day but there are ways to deal with the wind. This was before I had made dippers, and with dippers the wind becomes a non-issue.

Reloading in the Field

 

[420Stainless]

I use one to load a few thousand rounds a year and like it. I wouldn't expect benchrest accuracy with the loose linkages, but it works very well for .45 Colt and everything else I shoot. I do tend to agree with RC in that I don't really like the idea of loading in the great outdoors or at the range. But if you don't have much space, or if you've relegated your bench press to the garage like I have where it is too hot to use in the summer, then it is nice to sit at the kitchen table and load a couple hundred at a time. I've actually put my hand primers away and use the hand press and ram prime for all of my priming now. And I resize brass and prime while watching TV. Not good for high volume operations, but I'm not really a high volume shooter. Been using it steadily for 3 years and am kind of surprised it hasn't broke yet. Beware when de-priming. The little hole where the spent primers accumulate fills up fast and you'll bend the pin if you let it fill up too much - dump it every 10 or so. It is a time consuming way to load, but if you have more time then space, and don't shoot more than a couple thousand rounds a year it will do the job.

 

[hamp sandwich]

Here's another option. You could buy one of these, or build something like it..

http://www.thec4m3ron.com/mainstore

 

[boom boom]

Have one, slow but usable. Does a good job depriming and sizing straight cased brass. Useful if you are working up small batch loads. You can use the same cases: trim using lee trimmer with case gauge, neck size, prime, add powder using scoops or scale, add the bullet, crimp, and shoot. Eliminates some of the variables such as temperature, wind, and brass, in the elusive search for most accurate load. The newer hand press is more useful given the breech lock system is faster at switching dies than the older one.

Like the Lee Loader which can also be useful, it can make fine ammunition but just not a lot of it fast.

 

[Manny]

Here's another option. You could buy one of these, or build something like it..

http://www.thec4m3ron.com/mainstore

Thanks for the link, I love simple & elegant solutions, and this certainly appears to meet that criteria.

 

[David4516]

I've been using one for about a year now. I like it. I'm surprised by all the "hand press hate". Here is my setup:

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=201114&d=1406749075

I'm storing everything in a .50 cal ammo can, and have a lee powder measure bolted to the top of the can (can be removed with a wrench and stored inside the can with everything else when not in use)

I have not attempted to use with for rifle cartridges but I have used it for .380 ACP and .38 Special and it works just fine. Don't listen to the nay-sayers

Here is a thread I started on the topic last summer:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=757981