Lee hand press question

[Jeffery8mm]

Does anyone care to give an opinion on the Lee hand press? this is the one that you can carry anywhere with no mounting. It just seems that it would be nice to sit in the comfort of the recliner and size/bell revolver cases. Can you prime with this press. Will standard dies fit??
Thanks for any and all info/opinions!!
Jeff

 

[Seafarer12]

I use one all the time uses standard dies and shell plates. I load up to 45-70 with it. The larger cases can be a little hard to resize but pistol rounds are easy.

 

[sniper5]

Got one, use it, love it. I can keep all my reloading tools in a 3 drawer tool box and sit and load wherever I please. Garage, range, living room, kitchen table, tailgate of my truck, etc. A little slower, but just as accurate, and I like the feel of hands on stuff. I use a scale and weigh out each load. I'm more interested in accuracy than speed.

You can prime with it (they include a priming die), but I prefer to use a hand priming tool for better feel.

Here's the trick: When you are applying pressure, hold the press between your knees and use your legs to help out your hands. . . a LOT less workout on the arms. Sounds weird, but it will come naturally.

 

[Timmer]

i have one. its great to sit out by the fire with a few buds and deprime a bunch of brass's. iv been necksizing some 30-06 brass as of late. i bought rcbs dies, just cuse i like green

 

[Dean Williams]

I'm still using the same one I've had for nearly 20 years. Haven't worn it out yet! I use it mainly for decapping and resizing 30-06, 45LC, and 38 while sitting watching the TV. It's very handy for me, and with '06 it's good exersise.

I have used it for the complete loading process, and still do now and then, (but I don't drop powder or seat bullets with the TV on, of course). Priming with the hand press can be a little awkward, for me, at least, and I use a hand priming tool, like the Lee Auto Prime. It will do everything you need for most cartridges, though, performing the same function as a regular bench mounted press, and it uses standard dies.

 

[BHP FAN]

I have and use one.My brother calls it the ''knee knocker''.

 

[MMCSRET]

Been using mine since 1991, good tool.

 

[Kernel]

Great tool, get one. I use a Lee Hand Press for almost all my reloading. Sitting on a couch in the TV room, all my stuff on the coffee table, kicking back. It's great for pistol cartridges.

About the only thing it's not ideal for is full size case resizing on bottle neck cartridges. For that I still use a bench mounted "O" style press.

My kids like it too. Give them a Lee Hand Press, thread in a RSCB Universal Decapping die, a bucket of brass, and away they go.

 

[BigJakeJ1s]

I started out on a Lee hand press. Mine was not well made, visibly out of alignment between the die hole and the ram. Lots of spring to it too. But it is the cat's meow for depriming brass with it's hollow ram to catch all of the stuff. Just be careful to empty the ram before it get's so crammed full that you can't get the shell holder off to empty it. Don't ask me how I know that...

I upgraded to a Huntington Compac hand press for sizing, expanding and seating/crimping. It is actually smaller, but has better leverage, and is much more rigid and accurate.

I finally built a bench in the house so I could have a bench mounted press in air-conditioned comfort, and my wife bought me a Forster co-ax press to bolt on top of it. Haven't used the hand presses much since then, but if I did, I'd reach for the Compac every time.

Andy

 

[janobles14]

have one and use it exclusivly to deprime. i also have it in my #2 range reload bag so i can tweak loads at the range.