I have seen roomers of Lee coming out with an inverted Lee sizing press. Does anyone have any info or updates? Any and all information would be greatly appreciated.
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I have seen roomers of Lee coming out with an inverted Lee sizing press. Does anyone have any info or updates? Any and all information would be greatly appreciated.
use the search box in the upper right corner, lots and lots of threads on using the lee upside down.
I have. I am working on mounting a Lee handheld which I feel will work upside down better. I read Lee was possibly making a specific inverted sizing press, reason I asked. I don't reload ammunition. I only cast lead for my high powered Airguns and size for a more uniform pellet. Something heavy duty is unnecessary for me. Plus I was hoping to find one that was intended to be operated in that position
I use a lee single stage mounted upside down for boolit sizing. Right side up for de-capping. If I remember that little press cost $30.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-boolit-sizing
you can mount it to a board and flip the board over
build a stand to mount it upside down or
https://i.imgur.com/g21wsxf.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/kFed2xH.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/dZDjmbm.jpg
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...t-for-lee-dies
The OP here was thinking of building his last version of this sizer for sale. I don't know where he is on that, though.
The Lee version was mentioned I think, but no recents news.
I found that press in my search. Would jump all over one of them.Quote:
Originally Posted by kevin c
Then let me PM him and see if he is still planning to sell them.
ETA: He responded. Basically he told me that he wasn't satisfied with the second version and has been busy with higher priority projects, but is still hoping to work on better version once he gets some CAD kinks worked out.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...t-for-lee-dies
The one press I envisioned working perfectly upside down was the Lee Hand Press. My only issue was I was over thinking on how to mount it. A piece of wood ripped, slotted, and bolted and in business. Only negative is my NOE dies don't allow press to work normally. It is usable, the handle just doesn't come down much. Short stroke.
Nice mountQuote:
Originally Posted by Hammer0419
It looks like making some longer link arms would get you full stroke with the NOE dies.
:popcorn:
I'm going to make a few this week to test out
I don't understand my Lee hand press work upside down just fine with NOE size dies as long as you put them in the press the correct way.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hammer0419
https://i.imgur.com/xhdciFX.jpg
I didn't say it would not work at all. Just not as the press was intended. It does work fine but the arm DOES NOT come down to normal position. With the NOE dies you will always be using the press with arm in upper position. The NOE dies shorten the stroke. End of the world? Definitely not. It's just my OCD!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by TCFAN
I am definitely liking the hand press upside down. Very fast sizing.
I took the idea from someone here and just use a spring. Just as fast and no messing around with an upside down press.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...3eeffb6f0c.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...645fb71819.jpg
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
This guy uses a Lee bullet feeding die to feed bullets into a single stage press with a push thru Lee sizing die.
Yes, he's using a Mr. BF collator to load the feeding die but you could use longer tubes or the Lee rotary thingy with 4 tubes.
It runs really fast:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8VB7mw1Qwc
This guy's using a turret press and not indexing it, for the same results:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLu0mnsqf4g
I thought about doing this but with having a tube on top of the sizer to accept the sized bullet, as I use tubes to feed bullets when reloading.
So I'd be feeding from a tube, sizing, and feeding back into a tube :Bright idea:
:smile:
I was inspired by the first video to mount a Lee bullet feeder to my Hornady Classic press. I had to 3d print some new parts because it's thicker and well.. totally different. I hadn't seen that second video. That is really pretty cool and should be a go to video for those wanting to get into using a lee sizer and being shown all this upside down business.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenstone
Attachment 239554
Nice...Quote:
Originally Posted by AR-Bossman
Thanks for reading and responding to my post.
Yes, Lee has added a hair pin spring to the bullet feeder for positive/complete forward movement of the fingers to under the seat/crimp die, before the fingers/bullet begin to move upward.
Prior DIY'ers would add a weight to the die to accomplish/overcome that hiccup before Lee offered that spring as an update and added it to all the bullet feeder kits.
Have you experienced the fingers loosing their tension and ability to "pinch" a bullet over time?
That is something I've read about around the net and the reason I haven't bought a Lee bullet feeder die (yet).
Although I have an idea/design to add a hair pin spring to the fingers if loss of tension were to become a problem for me.
:smile:
Edit: just thought to ask, did you need to grind an angle onto the bottom of the sizing die, similar to the angle on the seating/crimping die?
Ok alot there to discuss. So first of all I seen on that second video the guy who made that also said in a reply it was a major pain to set up, so maybe it's not something to recommend to people looking to automate their sizing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenstone
Onto my gadget. I printed my own bullet feed die (the center part where the bullet drops) , the feeder link, the feed fingers. My stock one was just not working well so I had to print my own parts to get the movement I needed. I wouldn't worry about finger tension, you can buy new ones in packs or I actually heat mine up and pinch them together to get the tension to hold the bullet. These powder coated bullets are super slick so having one drop out or fly out isn't a big surprise. I almost ground an angle when I first designed my setup, but it turned out the fingers have enough flex in them that they just move outta the way. They don't NEED that angle to help them release, at least on this cobbled together thing I made.
Doing the sizing by hand is actually pretty fast.
I just use my Lee hand press held upside down in my bench vise with a couple chunks of tomato stake. Works great!
The advantage to the upside down press is batch management. They drop out the bottom into a vinyl tube (or a chute, or whatever you finagle) into a bucket, and you don't have to periodically empty the lee canister or whatever. You can do 1000's of bullets in a shot.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kpj313
OP, check out the LEE classic cast formounting upside down. It has a large throw, good leverage, low price, and is ideal for bullet sizing. Much more IMO than a hand press which I would worry about breaking (maybe an unfounded worry, but the classic cast will not break)
I think a Lee Bulge Buster die might work pretty well upside down. Something I may try at some point.
Sizing for many of us has gone through a metamorphosis...searching for the easy way to get the monotonous sizing chore done quickly. Here's the rest of the story...
‘SIZING CAST PROJECTILES’ . . . From Lube-Sizing to Lee push through to an Upside Down Press . . . “What?”
https://thereloadersnetwork.com/2018...wn-press-what/
https://i.imgur.com/wUoucEF.jpg
Is 'upside down' sizing really worth the effort to build a press for it and is it really faster?
MONOTONOUS DUTY _ WANNA RACE?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcvhKHVn7gU
.
With lee sizing dies, I can do way faster with my press upside down. With small 22 caliber, I can usually drop two into the press and easily push through. (all powder coated and not much over sized)
with my 9mm and 38/357, it is way easier to drop into the die rather than to hold it on. Whether it is worth it to do more, it is up to you.... Mine cost me a piece of scrap plywood and 3 extra nuts and bolts.
I have added a vinyl tube, arched back down to the bench, to an up-right/not upside down press and the bullet column from the die pushes sized bullets over the arc in the tube and into a bucket too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Whiterabbit
So no emptying the red canister :drinks:
And as mentioned before, I use long tubes to feed bullets into bullet feeder dies, so I can put those tubes on top of the sizing die for filling, an operation than can then be skipped
:Bright idea:
:-P
Sizing on the downstroke is what I think would be easiest as far as mechanical advantage, but placing the boolit on the ram, even with the spring hack, is for me much slower than dropping it directly into the die with the upside down setup.
Since I need to size thousands of boolits to feed my shooting habit, I look forward to buying (very mechanically inept, here) a feed down, size on the downstroke set up.
Having two Lee hand presses mounted upside down I would never think yo go right side up. Drop a bullet in, press, falls down, repeat. Super fast and easy!! I only wish rcbs sold the green press pictured above still. Perfect for this task
Lee is working away at an upside down shotshell reloader, it will be the first in the industry, it takes better advantage of gravity when spilling shot and powder on the floor. It is rumored to work on the same principle as their classic "Lee Zip Trim", pull the string and it all empties onto the floor. Early attempts to base it on the Lee Drip-o-matic failed due the shot emptying on the floor too slowly.
I have one I made a mount for on my bench for sizing bullets. It has a clear rubber hose that fits over the top of the sizing die and dumps into a coffee can under the bench. Works much better then a conventional press and one of those red plastic lee containers on top. Much faster because your just dropping the bullet into the die vs trying to line it up on that punch to push up. Wish I was as talented as some here and had a bullet feeder for it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hammer0419