just because it is a reminder to the good old days
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just because it is a reminder to the good old days
Not just because it's a reminder . Normally I'm trying something different and the other equipment is set up for something else .
Jack
I use handheld deprimer and primer tools still. I also have some Lee loaders Wilson dies and homemade. I use these with a small ahrbor press. Ive wanted a 310 lymann for awhile haven't got around to it yet.
I use a Lee hand press. I am busy and work long hours and keep a portable bag next to the recliner for reloading before bed.
I have Frankford arsenal Hand depriming unit which I love. All brass now gets deprimed, citric acid washed, rinsed, primer pockets brushed. Before they ever see my dies.
Lee hand press is still my main squeeze. I also have a classic cast mounted inverted for gas checks and sizing work. And one of the newer stronger lee presses is setup for primer pocket swaging.
And I still prime with an RCBS hand tool.
Mostly because of flexibility. Tool can be upstairs, used in front of the TV. Downstairs, at the range. Wherever it is needed.
If I was willing to limit myself to one or two calibers I could probably get all the tools I needed for it in a good sized shoebox. Powder, primer, casting tools would eat more space.
I use at time to reload 3" 410 because i get it better with the Lee hand loader. That is what I started on and one for 12ga also.
Since I retired, I no longer have time to do all the things I had hoped and planned to do. If that statement sounds strange to you, you probably aren't retired. I have a pile of reloading equipment in the basement and whenever I get a little time to reload, I don't want to spend a lot of time on setup, so I keep a few presses set for what I use the most and use hand tools (especially my 310 tools) for the short runs of lesser used calibers at those times when I need to load them. I find that my time is more valuable to me than the money I could get for my "unused" equipment, so I keep it all and add more. [smilie=2:
BTW, hand priming has been mentioned a time or two in this thread. Other than when I go full progressive, priming is done almost 100% with hand tools, especially my Simmons Tool for rifles and my first model Lee priming tool with screw in shell holders for everything else. Like others have said, this can be done while watching TV or at the kitchen table. :D
I may have to go back to work so I'll have time for my hobbies! :kidding:
Froggie
Lee rd tray hand primer on all loads other than shotgun.
Have not found a better way
Harvey Hand Deprimer
Old Stlye Lee Precision round tray primer
Really want to try Frankford deprimer and primer just to see how they compare
Hand Presses from Lee and Buchanan for sizing and sometimes batch reloading
No dirty brass ever gets near my presses. Also like to keep sizing lube away as well
Also use Lee Precision Powder Dippers and home-made dippers. No moving parts, I like that.
I mostly use my bench preesses but for sure deprime and prime off the press
Sometimes I will use a powder measure on or off the press
So if the brass is sized, primed, and charged, I just flair, seat, and crimp. Otherwise I may flair, charge, seat and crimp. Works for me. I really like to control primers and powder and eliminate problems that occur with presses, primers and powder.
I like to have complete control over the part that causes Kabooms
I have 6 Lee Loaders (I kinda like 'em). I started with one in '69 and like to keep them "handy" just because. I sometimes feel "retro" and get one out and pound out a box of reloads and sometimes I don't want to re-setup one of my bench presses. I believe I've mastered the occasional "Oh sh*!" moments when a primer pops and haven't had one in years. My favorite is my 38 Special kit.
I also have a Lyman 310 ton gool and dies for the 44 Special, but I'm still working (learning) that one...
The only hand held stuff I have are priming tools but after getting tge RCBS bench prime they never get used.
It is more a case of moving to hand tools for flexibility and something new to try, for me, than of getting back to them, since I was all in from the start with a pretty full RCBS bench-top setup, as a kid, for my loading startup. My parents were paying - bigger combo gifts being the sole perk of a birthday too close to Christmas. Thanks Mom and Dad, even as I near the edge of getting old, that setup still serves me very well.
Hand tools have, too, been invaluable, as my only way to load, while I've been away from home for quite a protracted period to care for those generous parents as they've aged and ailed.
Well, I went back and read what I wrote earlier and said to myself, "That really sounds kinda strange." So, I've been pondering, and as I got a couple of texts from BrassMagnet about things 310, I'm starting to think about things in a slightly different light. For instance, I rarely shoot 38 Special these days, but when I do, I usually shoot a bunch (a la some PPC-style event.) I've got a perfectly good Star Progressive that stands patiently in its place waiting for me to add components and start cranking out target grade ammo about as fast as I can pull the lever. This makes me wonder whether I need the 2 Lee Loaders, steel handle 310 set, TruLine Jr set of dies, and probably others I'm forgetting, all in 38 Special. I have dies and duplicate dies in several other calibers for the 310/TL Jr family. There are also Lee Loaders in at least a half dozen rifle and pistol calibers and even one for 2 1/2" shotshells in 410 bore! If and when I want, I can do a lot of truly hand loading.
My Dad left me a Dillon press upgraded with the changeable die plate along with auto powder and primer feed... it is equipped to handle about 4 pistol calibers, and hasn't loaded a round in several years! My 32 cal loading is taken care of with a dedicated TruLine Jr press for the 32 S&W L, while the 32 H&R and 327 FM rounds go on the Lyman All American. All of this neglects to mention the three single stage presses and of course the 12 and 20 gauge shotgun presses (Bair and MEC respectively) and there is more still, so I'm beginning to wonder whether I need some sort of intervention. Maybe I should have the Mother of all Reloading Sales and use the proceeds to pay off the house, or more likely buy another gun or still more reloading gear I've had my eye on.
Since this started out as a discussion of reloading tools, we won't even get into the 30 or 40 sets of bullet moulds, the 3 Lyman/Ideal lubri-sizers, and the two electric and one gas (plumber's) pot sitting around too. It looks like every time I decide I have a while to use some of this stuff, by the time I can decide which I want to do, I've used up the available time. This isn't the way it was supposed to work!
+1 on the Harvey Deprimer. I don't want the junk on my Dillon.
I use hand tools because I like Wilson tools a lot.
Right now is the good old days for me.
Just about all of the handgun and 30-30 loading I do now is with a Lee Hand Press.
I can reload in the heated and air conditioned house or take a gym bag to work with everything in it to reload and do it at my desk. Reloading is important work in my book...and I enjoy doing it there.
The Lee Hand Press , I have two of them because they are so " Handy" , are one of the better Lee products , perfect for those who don't/can't have a bench mounted press.
I have 4 bench mounted presses, but prefer the portability and convenience of the hand press.
Gary
It's the Lee hand press for me too. I've used nothing else for years now for the convenience and portability.
I still have my old rcbs rock chuck bench press, but never or very very rarely use it anymore.
To me, its more ‘satisfying’ to use either my 310’s or my Lee hand press.
That said, I only load rifle calibres (4) and usually only 20-30 rounds at a time.
Its not a ‘chore’, its an enjoyable ‘downtime’, something to be appreciated.
Yes, I know, weird huh ?
Still use my 310's when watching tv.
I use the Lee hand press. I have 4 bench mounted presses along with a Rock Chucker that is still sealed up NIB, but they really are just to hold powder measures and a couple of sizing dies. I'd say that 98% of my stuff gets reloaded using the hand presses.
I use the Lee hand primer while I watch tv I still recall my dad coming home and yelling at me "is that all you are gonna do is sit and watch tv?" I get a big smile every time I think back on those days.
There are a lot more " Hand Tool Loaders" out there than I thought.
Now that I think about it, besides using the Lee Hand Press for the standard sizing , decapping and boolit seating, I also use it to deprime cases with crimped in military primers , belling case mouths , seating primers and sizing boolits. That little hand press can do a lot .
Gary
I’m on vacation at the coast, with my portable reloading kit, I’m working on 38, I’m using my 310 tools.
I use the lee hand press sometimes. I aint old though, and aint been loading for years. I just like the idea of it.
For those of you using or considering the “hybrid” method of handloading with a portable press like the Lee, I would suggest you might want to look at Randy Buchanan’s fine press or it’s conceptual ancestor, the HDS Compac. Both do much the same as the Lee, but they have a little more style and should last just about forever.
All of the hand presses have one common characteristic though... you must develop a technique that keeps your fingers out of the way! Truth to tell though, I’ve pinched my fingers with a 310 tool, and who among us hasn’t smashed a finger with a hammer or mallet such as would be used with the old Lee Loader?
Froggie
Frog,keep meaning to get over to your place....it's what,1/2 hr drive?
I'll shoot you a note or call next week.BW
I have been reloading just about all of my ammo for the last 2 years using my Hand Press. I can do it at the kitchen table and watch TV instead of the cold shop.
This tool produces ammo as good or better than any bolted down tool. It takes up little space and is a joy to use. All my Reloading Kit fits in a small duffel bag.
People tend to think of portable reloading tools as something only people who can't afford the real thing get. I'm here to tell you that the only thing you give up buy converting to this method is the need for a permanent bench for your hobby. The benefit of being able to do it anywhere, is a pretty big advantage.
The precision and hi end materials used in the manufacture are second to none and the tool will last for a really long time. Probably outlast the original buyer easily, so it can be passed from generation to generation, kind of like you would do with Cherished Guns or other precious things.
There is one other factor here that is peculiar to my Tool. That is the joy you get from using a quality tool for doing something you like to do. It is called "Tactile Gratification." Same as driving a nice car or Motorcycle, or running a nice machine like a Bridgeport. It feels good to use it, and as a result you are more likely to use it more.
I'm going to go use my Bridgeport right now.
Randy
I prime every cartridge I load with a RCBS hand priming tool. For a better seat of the primer. Plus pushing on the press handle to prime aggravates my tennis elbow.
I also neck size almost all bottleneck cases to be shot in a boltgun with a LYMAN 310 tool.
not sure this qualifies but use the hand primer to deal with high primers on my 38s and 45s
I use a Lee hand press for resizing cases when I am out of town for work and have some time to kill. I also use the RCBS hand primer. When I get back home, I'm all ready to drop the powder in the cases and seat the bullets. It saves time doing it this way and is much better than staring at the tv in a motel room.
.308: But you can stare at the TV in your Motel Room and run the tool if you choose. That's because it gives you the choice. Bolted down tools don't, you are tied to a bench no matter what.
This is why this method of reloading should be part of everyone's Kit, no matter how many more sophisticated machines you have at home. It doesn't matter if you use a Lee Classic Loader or Hand Press or one of mine, you always can reload ammo no matter where you are.
If you have to bug out from your home base, or get run out by a Hurricane, or Floods or a Tornado, you won't be taking the D550B with you. How about if you have to live in a Tent or Camper or RV?, or you just need to work up loads at the range, or you only bought one box of cartridges when you bought the gun and don't want to buy more cuz they were $120 a box. You have tools that can be carried in a tool bag or at the very most a Milk Crate,,,, You can do !
No matter what you think of UFO's The fact that there are other beings in this Universe is pretty much a done deal. The problem arises when they come here, because chances are they aren't going to be your Drinkin' Buddies just stopping by for a Beer. They will come looking for Resources or to just take the place over. If they got here in the first place, they are probably better armed than we are. But if they bleed, we can kill them. But you aren't going to kill much of anything if you don't have ammo, and if you can't reload ammo, you won't have ammo for long.
I don't care if you think I'm Nutz for talking about UFO's and Reloading Ammo in the same sentence. There are literally millions of Scenarios which are just as dire right here at home, and don't include moon men!
Point being,,, Maybe you should be prepared? Just in case?
You know what they say.... Ship Happens!
Randy
I use a hand primer for precision rifle ammo and that's about it.
You lost me with the ufo stuff, I will try to find any reason to reload, but a ufo isn’t one of them.
You got the idea. Here's a new video on my tool. getting lots of views on Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnVUXKdqHcs&t=43s
Randy
310 sets and a old Lee tool also . I love my old presses but you cant beat portable loading .
Eddie
I look for any reason to justify reloading. If not aliens or zombies, then why not consider any man made or natural disaster. Hand tools are our only way in such scenarios.
I use the Ideal tong tools to seat primers in a lot of cases 'cause I can do it while watching TV. I used to use a Ideal 310 for seating Krag bullets before I determined that the bullet lube made a mess of the die interior and had to clean it too often.I like to own/use them just for the nostalgia, and as a bonus some of the come with a bullet mold, like the one I have for loading 303 Savage.
I have 43 Lee Loaders and 8 Lyman/Ideal 310's. I especially like the Lee Loaders. I normally will grab a Lee Loader and knock out 60-100 rds while my wife is "getting ready" to go out.
Always use the old Lee Auto Prime primer seater. I have planned for a while to get a Lee Hand Press, and I will eventually, mainly for use at the range. I just have to get the money saved up to buy one, but it'll happen.