Lee Loader Fun

[Uncle Chan]

Posted this on another forum. Thought I'd share here as well.


Been reloading for decades. First loader purchased was a Dillon 550. Added a Lee Classic Cast Turret. Added a Lee Challenger Single Stage. Added an RCBS bench primer. Added a Dillon 600 Super Swage. Added a Lee Hand Press. Sold the Lee Classic Cast Turret. Purchased a second Dillon 550.

I've loaded more rounds than I can count on the machines listed above. All the while, as a hobby, I've been collecting Lee Loaders. At last count, I had 21. Never used any of them, I just collected them. Some are OLD OLD OLD.

Last night, I found a piece of 38spl brass and 5 pieces of 357Mag brass. I thought, what the heck! Let's give it a try. So, this morning, after the Mrs got out of bed (reloading room next to the bedroom), I tried my hand. What hoot! Followed the instructions. Took my time. Loaded the 38spl. Perfect. Grabbed my Win 94 in 38/357, chambered the round, stepped out my back door and fired it. Went boom! That was wonderful. Brought the brass back in, wiped it down, and loaded it again. Then, found my Lee Loader for the 357 and loaded the 5 357mag (and before you say it, the Lee Loaders I have are so old that they are specific to the 38 and 357). Got my wife and son to watch me. Wanted to show-off a bit. They were none too impressed (HEATHENS!). But, they also turned out perfect (the bullets, not so much the wife and son).

Anyway, long story short, what a fun thing to do. A bit noisy yes, but fun. Been reloading for decades. But the rush of doing it with the Lee Loader was more than I could have expected.

AND, they are small (the Lee Loaders, again not the wife and son). Add a couple small containers of power, primers, bullets, a small hammer, and you have a wonderful small range bag setup.

Great Saturday Fun!!!!

 

[FROGO207]

I own IIRC 12 of them myself. I have tried them all out to make sure they all worked as designed and all parts were there. They are slow but will work for single caliber minimal portable reloading if need be. They do only neck size the bottle neck brass though so they are limited in use IMHO. Oddly enough the most used one is my 410 three inch magnum reloader. Saves changing the MEC to three inch. Going to the range and reloading the same six 45 Colt brass over and over while other shooters watch and learn how easy it is really is itself rewarding.

 

[Newtosavage]

You are absolutely right. In today's modern age of "buy everything and see if you need it all later" the Lee Loader stands as one of the most economical, efficient machines I've ever seen.

I started reloading with a .308 Lee Loader. Very straightforward, simple stepwise linear process. It's such a great way to get started.

The only gripe I have about it is the priming tool. I blew up too many primers for my taste, so I finally bought a Lee hand primer tool and it is the perfect compliment to the Lee loader. I still load and shoot sub-MOA rounds for my .308 with the tidy little Lee Loader.

 

[FROGO207]

Yeah I use the Lee hand primer to prime all my brass as I am too cheap to waste primers using the Lee loader setup. BUT when I tried them out I DID use the whole tool. I did not manage to set any primers off either but qualify that by pointing out that I have only seated 25 or so total that way though.

 

[mdi]

Yep, great tool. I started reloading with one in '69 and even though I have 4 presses, 14 die sets, 3 scales, 3 powder measures and a half ton of assorted tools, I still pull out a Lee Loader once in a while. I use a lead ingot (2"x4"x12") as an anvil which quietens the hammering a lot and I have tried a dead blow hammer which is even quieter. In Mr. Lee's youtube video he uses a pad of some sort and it's really quiet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeEl9wZyabc Of my 4 Lee Loader only one will pop a primer and that's my .44 Magnum set, so if I use that set, I'll prime on my arbor press. All the ammo I produce with my Lee Loaders work just as good as any I assemble with any bench press...

 

[SVTOhio]

Love loading my 25-06 with my lee loader. It has paid for its self many times by now. I picked it up off eBay as they don't make them anymore. Came in a little cardboard box in stead of the plastic box.

 

[deadeye dick]

Started out with a Lee hand loader for 12 Ga. in 1965. $15.00 plus tax. Still have it. They were paper back than. It had the dipper and adjustable shot dipper and all you needed was a bathroom scale for wad pressure. Perfect crimps all the time.

 

[GBExpat]

This is how Dad got us started in this hobby in the late '60s:



It is a photo that I took in the last couple of years. The mushroom on the resizer rod should give an idea about how much it was used. I was whacking that (everything that needed whacking) with a piece of oak.

Dad also taught me to take proper care of equipment.

 

[crest117]

I have been using the Lee Loader for 45-70 and .308. It works very well but using a hammer to prime and seat bullets worried me. I found I could use my drill press as an arbor press to press in primers and bullets without using a hammer. The process is a bit slow but produces perfect reloads. I have produced many hundreds of reloads in this manner and never had a primer go off.

 

[Average Joe]

I bought a Lee loader for 12 ga. back in the 60's. Loaded a ton of shells as a teenager. I still have it, and it works like the day it I got it.

 

[PapaG]

I had a lee target model for 308. Just like the originals but with a neck reamer and and a precision micrometer seating stem. Shot some tight groups out of an old 788 with stuff I cooked up.

 

[Reloadron]

Lee Whack-A-Mole Classic Loader.

My dearly departed friend Herman of West Virginia loved the things. He loved to demonstrate them too. He would carefully load one round of 45 Colt (he loved to demonstrate 45 Colt) then run out on the back porch and fire that one round towards the river. Then repeat till his audience was bored.

When you actually think about it the tool is a real piece of work and gets things done. Not exactly high speed and high volume they do work and work quite well. Two things Herman did well was make one round at a time on the Lee Whack A Mole and consume Lord Calvert cheap whiskey. The latter finally killed him but every time a Lee Classic Loader comes up I think about Herman.

Ron

 

[smitty_bs]

I've had a lee loader for my 30/06 for many years. I actually experimented weighing different charges using the scoop on a real scale. Once you get the hang of it they are pretty accurate. I killed a nice 5x5 buck with a 150gr Hornady Interlock at nearly 200 yards. Couldn't complain about that. Don't use it much anymore, but once in while I do load up a box of lower power loads. No complaints, although once in while I had a primer go off - bit of a surprise!

 

[PapaG]

I loaded my first few hundred, or maybe a thousand, shotshells with the OLD Lee. Moved up to a Lee press, then a MEC 600 and finally a Grabber.
Been playing around with Lyman 310 tools for a while. Not for any volume, just for fun. Have 38/357, 222, 45 Colt and 30-30. Always watching for more. 44 Special is on the hunt list now.
Always wanted to try one of those Lee "hand" presses but just never pulled the string on that one.

 

[merrill]

There have been records set in bench rest competition at 1k yds. using a Lee loader.

 

[farside]

Lee Loader in .303B

I have been reloading for a few years now, starting on an RCBS Junior, and then getting a Lee Classic Turret. I recently purchased a Lee Loader for my Enfield, mainly as I wanted to ensure I am neck sizing my brass. I am suitably impressed, comparing rounds completed on the turret press and the Lee Loader, I find them to be equally acceptable, and as was previously stated, the Lee Loader is just FUN to use! I now have one on order for my 7.62x54r loads. The only thing missing from my kit is the flaring tool that makes loading cast bullets easier. Right now, I'm using FMJ or CMJ purchased bullets.

 

[jolly roger]

I too have a Lee Loader for 303 British to play with. I love it. I also have a Lee hand press I use at WORK when slow...country 911 dispatcher...nights can get slow but just use it to size brass and expand. They might frown on powder and primers in the office...got a little bit of sense

 

[Archie]

Me, too!

My first actual reloading experience was a Lee Loader (Hammer operated version) in .38 Special.

A friend and I had a couple of revolvers (mine in .38 Spl, his in .357 Magnum) and he had a rifle in .357 Magnum; I had a rifle in .30-06.

Since we had more time than money, the Lee loader was just dandy.

Yes, they are a bit slow - especially for handgun - but after working with the device one learns pretty much everything about the reloading process. And I find loading some rifles with them can be quite accurate.

 

[midland man]

I own several lee whack a moles loaders and they are great plus are great survival tools as well! lets see 30-30, 45 colt, 357mag and a 12 gauge loader now want a 410 loader!!

 

[rsrocket1]

I would hate to break this to you but Cabelas has these loaders on sale for $25.19.

I know you don't need anyone encouraging you to separate yourself from your money but if you want to, this will make it a little less painful.

I got one for 7.62x54R a few years back and had a lot of fun with it. I usually crank out 100 rounds of pistol ammo in about 15 minutes but there is a certain sense of gratification you get from loading slow and easy, just like muzzleloading.

 

[BullRunBear]

I've got about 15 of the little buggers and they are great. Besides enjoying them, my wife insisted we should have one for each center fire caliber we shoot. (Yeah, I really lucked out when I married her over thirty years ago.) I like the pace, the effectiveness for so little cash, and they suit the bit of prepper in me. So far I haven't set off any primers.

I don't use them most of the time but they are a fun change of pace and handy when working up loads at the range.

Jeff

 

[fulingyu]

With cool tools like this, who needs a press? Actually, I hear people talk about the Lee loader but have never seen it. After watching the short video I appreciate the ingenuity of simple tools that work.

 

[BullRunBear]

If you want some fun reading about the Lee Loaders, check out the Cast Boolits site. There is a sticky titled Lee Loader under the Casting and Reloading Hand Tools category with about 12 pages of thoughts about them.

Jeff

 

[fulingyu]

If you want some fun reading about the Lee Loaders, check out the Cast Boolits site. There is a sticky titled Lee Loader under the Casting and Reloading Hand Tools category with about 12 pages of thoughts about them.

Jeff

I will have to check that out.
Aloha

 

[Archie]

Just wanted to add this bit of trivia:

If taking the loader to the range to do 'on site' work-ups', the bulkiest bit of reloading material is the powder container and the heaviest single piece seems to be the box of bullets.

Perhaps the scale if one is being really, really OCD.