44and45
Member In Memoriam
Have had the Lee Classic press couple of weeks now, and it is a total delight to operate.
Many of you know I am a total guncrank on swaging bullets, and bought this Classic as a hopeful modern made reloading press that can load ammunition as well as swage bullets too.
Swaging bullets takes a toll on cast iron presses, especially in the ram link pin...which is prone to bending and eventually breaking after a few hundred bullet have been run through it.
The only problem I had with the Classic is seating depth of the swaging dies in the presses frame. Lee didn't think to really use this press as a swaging machine, but I only had to look at its picture and conclude it had great possiblities for that operation.
To be able to seat the swaging die more deeply into the presses frame required the top of the ram (the shellholder) had to be cut on my lathe and shortened about 3/8 to 1/2 inch in its overall length.
This 2 1/2 inches in length shellholder portion is cleverely designed by Lee to be unscrewed and removed from the bottom ram piston. I merely had to remove 1/2 inch on my lathe and sleave the top portion into the cut bottom portion...which it did nicely. The two halves were like two walls side by side that needed drilling/tapping holes (2) one on each side of the shellholder then fixing them with appropriate hex screws.
I,m happy to report that this all worked out quite well and is sturdy and rugged to the point of any ram stresses imposed upon it from bullet swaging.
Lee was able to supply me with the extra 2 1/2 inch shellholder when I told them what I was attempting to do with their new model Classic Press.
They have been dully informed of the success of this venture and potitioned to please begin making swaging equipment to be available to the reloading public.
You can help by writing to Lee if you are interested in swaging.
Regards, Jim
Many of you know I am a total guncrank on swaging bullets, and bought this Classic as a hopeful modern made reloading press that can load ammunition as well as swage bullets too.
Swaging bullets takes a toll on cast iron presses, especially in the ram link pin...which is prone to bending and eventually breaking after a few hundred bullet have been run through it.
The only problem I had with the Classic is seating depth of the swaging dies in the presses frame. Lee didn't think to really use this press as a swaging machine, but I only had to look at its picture and conclude it had great possiblities for that operation.
To be able to seat the swaging die more deeply into the presses frame required the top of the ram (the shellholder) had to be cut on my lathe and shortened about 3/8 to 1/2 inch in its overall length.
This 2 1/2 inches in length shellholder portion is cleverely designed by Lee to be unscrewed and removed from the bottom ram piston. I merely had to remove 1/2 inch on my lathe and sleave the top portion into the cut bottom portion...which it did nicely. The two halves were like two walls side by side that needed drilling/tapping holes (2) one on each side of the shellholder then fixing them with appropriate hex screws.
I,m happy to report that this all worked out quite well and is sturdy and rugged to the point of any ram stresses imposed upon it from bullet swaging.
Lee was able to supply me with the extra 2 1/2 inch shellholder when I told them what I was attempting to do with their new model Classic Press.
They have been dully informed of the success of this venture and potitioned to please begin making swaging equipment to be available to the reloading public.
You can help by writing to Lee if you are interested in swaging.
Regards, Jim
