Lee Loader and the 30-06 Springfield

[jcwit]

A lot of us started with this kit. I would not recommend it today. For just a little more you can get into a Lee press. The Lee Loader kit has several limitations, it only neck sizes the brass. After several firings your brass will need to be full length sized in order to chamber correctly. The dipper that comes with your kit will only work with certain powders, and there is no adjustment. Seating primers can be hmmm, entertaining with a hammer. Buy the Lee press kit and you can use it the rest of your life, add dies for more calibers as you need to and truly reload ammo to maximize your rifle's capabilities.

I reload .223 for shooting off the bench with a Remington 700VLS. I have cases that have been reloaded 70+ times now with only neck sizing. No need yet to bump the shoulders back, AKA full length resizing.

Millions of rounds have been reloaded using only the dipper system. Many of them loaded for accuracy only.

With a hand primer you can feel the primer seat and no chance of it going off. Believe me a lr primer is nothing to fool around with as they are very powerful.

After the initial learning curve having a primer go off will likely really be the exception. As far as how powerful the LR primer is, ya, it'll go BANG, but that's all that will happen. No it will not blow the primer setting rod out of your fingers or destroy your reloading area.

If they were as dangerous as some let on they would have been out of production years ago.

I only wish I could get Lee Loaders in all the calibers I reload for.

 

[ontarget]

I picked up the same loader last week. Can't wait to try it. Does anyone know a good recipe to start off with? I will be looking for something to go with a FMJ bullet.

 

[blarby]

My first loader was in .410

I have one in 44 mag now, and I'm looking to expand the collection.

GO FOR IT

I only wish I could get Lee Loaders in all the calibers I reload for.

I'm starting to have the same feeling !

Believe me a lr primer is nothing to fool around with as they are very powerful.

Not when it has a steel rod over it, with a hammer on top

I tried to get one to go off. It did. I was not impressed- and it was an Evil Magnum primer, too.

 

[jcwit]

I picked up the same loader last week. Can't wait to try it. Does anyone know a good recipe to start off with? I will be looking for something to go with a FMJ bullet.

While I doubt anyone here would lead you astray, you never know.

For safety sake check out the powder manufactures web sites or better yet buy a reloading manual. My suggestion would be the Lyman manual.

 

[sixgunner455]

Started reloading with a Lee Loader in .38 Special. I loaded hundreds and hundreds of loads on that thing, and never set off a primer except in the revolver. It works, works well, and is portable.

 

[PJSprog]

I've always used Lee products, since about 1990. They are a great value and their quality is just fine. That said, I've never used the Lee Loaders. It is interesting to read the responses you've gotten from this question, though.

As for powders, I've used Hodgdon H4350 and H4895 in my .30-06 loads. The H4350 will give you stout loads, while the H4895 can be tailored down to loads that don't feel like a mule kick. I use H4895 for my minimal loads for my low-serial number '03 Springfield, and it works great.

Definitely get a manual before you do any loading. And, it never hurts to check alternate sources to confirm loads (powder mfr websites, other manuals, etc.).

 

[sappyg]

I picked up the same loader last week. Can't wait to try it. Does anyone know a good recipe to start off with? I will be looking for something to go with a FMJ bullet.

4895's post #14 in this thread has a link with very good load references.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

The reason I stated that lr primers are very powerful is because they are. I set one off when I was a kid. I pulled the bullet from a .243, emptied the powder and commenced to see if I could melt the case with my Dad's butane torch. Once the heat reached the primer there was an explosion that temporarily blinded me, drove the primer thru 1" of ysp and landed in my top drawer, sent the shell casing into the ceiling which was plaster (it stuck). My ears never did stop ringing from the event and when Mom heard the blast as she tore my behind up and told me "wait until your Father gets home.
All this from 1 primer.

 

[jcwit]

What the heck is YSP?

Something sound funny here tho.

I've set off primers, both large and small, some on purpose, some by accident, never ever have I had an experience such as that in my 50+ years of reloading.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

Sorry, yellow southern pine, guess I should have said syp, but ysp is how I learned it.

 

[mtrmn]

The Lee Loader in 30-06 is what I started with. Bought a lb of IMR4350, 100 primers, a box of Sierra bullets, and a Lyman 45th edition manual.

It works well as long as you're using brass that was fired in your gun. My loader came with a hand priming tool--I don't know if they quit putting that in the box or what. And to set off a primer it has to be hit hard and fast. I have had primers turn sideways while priming on my press and they were completely crushed and FUBAR. Never had one go off unless I intended for it to.