Lee Precision History?

[ObsidianOne]

I'm doing a project and the basis of it is about Lee Precision and their products. However, I'm kinda hitting a wall as far as references and sources.
Their website has limited information, but nothing extreme:
http://leeprecision.com/history.html

I also have Modern Reloading Second Edition and there are bits and pieces of information, but not much in the way of timelines or dates or information that has a source.
Anyone know anywhere I can find more information on the their history?

 

[LiveLife]

How about contacting Lee Precision?

John Lee, president of Lee Precision has responded to my emails regarding THR thread discussions in the past.

He can probably provide all the company/patent information with dates you need regarding Lee Precision and Richard Lee.

[email protected]

Lee Precision, Inc.
4275 Hwy U
Hartford, WI 53027
Phone: (262) 673-3075

Hours of operation: Monday through Friday 7:30am-3:45pm Central Standard Time (CST)

 

[kingmt]

What he said.

 

[rcmodel]

It is necessary to know there have been two Richard Lee owned reloading companies.

It's too late at night for me to recall, or convey all the details.

But the first company, Lee Engineering, didn't end well.

And the second one, Lee Precision, is still in business.

More research to do before you get the paper done grasshopper.

rc

 

[GW Staar]

It is necessary to know there have been two Richard Lee owned reloading companies.

It's too late at night for me to recall, or convey all the details.

But the first company, Lee Engineering, didn't end well.

And the second one, Lee Precision, is still in business.

More research to do before you get the paper done grasshopper.

rc

rc....(grasshopper?) He may be too young to have heard of David Carradine and his series Kung Fu!

Here's a Lee Precision tool I still have that few people today know about as well. And in the upper corner another tool...Lee Target Model Loader...that I still have.



One more picture....the Target Model Lee Loader in .243. Notice Lee's original hand primer.....no primer trays in those days.

 

[rcmodel]

Dang!

I done forgot all about that Yankee Screwdriver inspired primer pocket cleaner deally-bob there!!
Or whatever it was??

It was a good'n though, until I wore mine out years ago.

rc

 

[GW Staar]

You answered before I got the second picture out. I wore out the big one too. The one for small primers still works. I dearly loved that original hand primer. Okay, until the tray fed one came out. Used that model for 40 years before I retired it....reincarnated several times.

 

[ObsidianOne]

The project is actually creating a Wikipedia page, as I noticed there wasn't one on either Richard Lee or Lee Precision :O A crime, right?!

How about contacting Lee Precision?

John Lee, president of Lee Precision has responded to my emails regarding THR thread discussions in the past.

He can probably provide all the company/patent information with dates you need regarding Lee Precision and Richard Lee.

[email protected]

Lee Precision, Inc.
4275 Hwy U
Hartford, WI 53027
Phone: (262) 673-3075

Hours of operation: Monday through Friday 7:30am-3:45pm Central Standard Time (CST)

I was thinking of that, but the problem is getting it as a reference that can be linked to a publication

It is necessary to know there have been two Richard Lee owned reloading companies.

It's too late at night for me to recall, or convey all the details.

But the first company, Lee Engineering, didn't end well.

And the second one, Lee Precision, is still in business.

More research to do before you get the paper done grasshopper.

rc

I recall reading something about that in the Modern Reloading book I believe?

rc....(grasshopper?) He may be too young to have heard of David Carradine and his series Kung Fu!

Here's a Lee Precision tool I still have that few people today know about as well. And in the upper corner another tool...Lee Target Model Loader...that I still have.



One more picture....the Target Model Lee Loader in .243. Notice Lee's original hand primer.....no primer trays in those days.

Very nice! What was the difference between the regular Lee Loader and the Lee Target Model Loader?

 

[243winxb]

30-06 Lee Target Model

What was the difference between the regular Lee Loader and the Lee Target Model Loader?

Inside neck reaming. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?7764-Lee-Loader

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More than just adding a neck reamer.

The seater has a mic.
It came with a hand primer tool.
A case trimmer.
A primer pocket cleaner
A neck chamfer tool
and of course the inside neck reamer.

I am lazy, so i didnt bother. I would have saved a lot of money if i had just bought real loading equipment to start.

 

[joecil]

I have a set of dippers that are red in color as well as some 12 ga and 20 ga shot shell loaders like the Lee Loaders. These where made by the original Lee Engineering and they still have the patent on them as far as I know hence Lee Precision doesn't make them now. However Lee Precision does make a new dipper system marked in cc rather than the older system used by Lee Eng. Both still work well for what they are.

 

[GW Staar]

Very nice! What was the difference between the regular Lee Loader and the Lee Target Model Loader?

More than just adding a neck reamer.

The seater has a mic.
It came with a hand primer tool.
A case trimmer.
A primer pocket cleaner
A neck chamfer tool
and of course the inside neck reamer.

Mine could and did make my .243 Remington Mohawk 600 carbine shoot one holers at 100 yards with Federal primers and the dipper full of Win 760 powder. In fact my shooting companions at the range that first day, accused me of missing all but the first shot of five. I was upset with myself, the gun and the damned reloader until we walked out and looked at the target and saw that ragged 1/2" diameter hole. True story not repeated with the Rock Chucker I had on the way. Never used it again after the R.C came. Impatient 21 year old kid....what can I say.

 

[david_r]

Obsidian,
self publish your link backs for your Wiki page.

 

[floydster]

I sure would like to know how many LoadMaster presses they have sold over the years--being they seem to be so troublesome for some folks.

 

[GT1]

Thanks for sharing those pics of the target loader kits and tools, very cool.

 

[ObsidianOne]

Very cool information guys
Seems there isn't much out there on Lee Precision or Richard Lee himself, in the way of published information.

Obsidian,
self publish your link backs for your Wiki page.

I'm not sure what you mean?

I sure would like to know how many LoadMaster presses they have sold over the years--being they seem to be so troublesome for some folks.

There was mention of this in Modern Reloading.

When finally introduced, it was an immediate success with thousands sold worldwide. Then the complaints started. We made many repairs and replaced parts, but were were unable to find the problem's source for several months. By then the damage had been done and this truly great press has not yet reached its full potential. The problem was due to the chrome plating on the ram. The preproduction samples were not plated. The hard chrome made the surface that clamps against the carrier too slippery. Rough handling would move the carrier and cause problems with alignment, priming and indexing. We corrected the problem with a knurl on the ends of the ram. We also updated all that we could of those in use. Slowly the press is becoming accepted as the premium press that it is

Not sure on the numbers though.

 

[Ken70]

Definitive article on Lee is in the 17th Handloader's Digest, 1997. Written by Richard Lee, so it's from the horse's mouth. Google 17th Handloader's Digest and you'll come up with some vendors that have it. It's some story to go from nowhere in 1958 to the biggest vendor in '97. You'll always have those peeps that equate high prices with high quality, I wish I had that much money to piss away....

 

[hdbiker]

I have and still use an original Lee Engr. priming tool with the screw in shell holders.Works great, but shell holders are hard to come buy.I did manage to find another reloader that had one he diden't use and bought it from him,I got several shell holders I diden't have with it.I still have an original powder scoop set too. hdbiker

 

[Uniquedot]

It is necessary to know there have been two Richard Lee owned reloading companies.

Lee precision is not the second, but the third company. The first was Lee custom engineering, second was Meqoun reloading corp. and of course finally Lee precision Inc.

 

[jcwit]

I have and still use an original Lee Engr. priming tool with the screw in shell holders.Works great, but shell holders are hard to come buy.I did manage to find another reloader that had one he diden't use and bought it from him,I got several shell holders I diden't have with it.I still have an original powder scoop set too. hdbiker

I've been able to pick up a few here and their on E-Bay, both the tools and the shell holders, one of my favorite ways to prime. Was not one of Lees problems years ago over nothing more than the color of his products? Seems like I remember reading that in an advertisement in The American Rifleman.

 

[floydster]

I believe Lee Precision is going to be the company to watch in the future in the reloading industry, they are a very innovative co.