Anatomy of the LEE Loader Kit:
The caliber selection for LEE Loaders today is a fraction of the numerous calibers once listed. And if your caliber wasn’t listed, LEE would gladly build you a custom set. LEE Loaders were offered for shotgun as well. Shotgun LEE Loaders were also available in a deluxe set, and they made loading less of a chore. The deluxe set was a good upgrade. The instruction sheet with my 458 Win Mag kit listed 110 available sizes. Today, the list is fairly short:
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The extensive list tells me, in its heyday, these were a popular loading tool. The LEE Loader was in direct competition with the Lyman (Ideal) 310 tool. I’ve used both, they both do the job, and for me, personal preference is the determining factor as to which works better. They both neck size only (there are exceptions), the LEE Loader has a powder measure and load table which the 310 lacks, and the LEE Loader was a bunch cheaper. I classify the LEE Loader as a gateway tool, using it will inevitably leads to buying a press, and a bunch of other reloading equipment. As evidence of this, a lot of the tables at gun shows have a small or fairly large stack of used LEE Loaders in one corner. There is usually someone looking at or in one of the kits, sometimes shaking their heads and putting them back in the pile. The odd one gets sold. For a while $12 would buy any set, and lately I've seen them listed even cheaper.
At the last gun show I attended, I noticed a stack on one table. I recognized the vendor, I try not to miss any of our local shows and I rent a table every couple of years to de-clutter the safe and reloading room. In the pile I spied a LEE Loader shotgun kit, but upon opening it, I noticed mostly mismatched tools, 410, 12 and some other not easily identifiable pieces. I opened another box and it also had a few blank slots. I looked up and started chatting with the vendor. A little friendly banter, "most of the sets were incomplete", "he used to have about 80 for sale", and "these were the last of them". Then he looks at me and says, I’m getting sick and tired of lugging these from show to show, do you want the bunch, they’re all yours for $20. Hard to say no, so I walked out with a bag of LEE Loaders, most in cardboard boxes, but some in plastic as well.
They were an eclectic mix of various kits, with a lot of missing pieces. The shotgun box had the 12 gauge decapper that my set was missing. I didn’t have a box for my kit, this box was in decent shape, and the paperwork was intact, including the load chart. I completed the kit, listed it on our local boards and sold it within days. I've seen these kits go for $100 +, but to me that’s just silly, so I put it at $45, and it was sold.
The leftovers needed some sorting, to see what I had, and to see what was missing. My discontinued calibers included a 244 Rem/6 mm kit, a 222 kit, a 300 Weatherby kit and 2 kits for 220 Swift. I also have a 458 Win Mag kit, left over from the sale of my rifle, about 30 years ago. The current kits were in 308 Win, 223, 38 Spl/357 Mag. I also had a pair of 45 ACP kits that I’ll make into one complete kit. I used one of the 220 Swift kits to make a second 308 Win kit.
LEE sells parts for the current kits, but parts for discontinued kits, not so much. The critical caliber specific parts are the “body” and the decapping chamber. The engineering behind the LEE Loader is interesting; I made a spreadsheet of the major parts for the rifle kits and for the pistol kits. The body is a 2 piece assembly, and they are not made to come apart. I’ve taken one apart by heating to break the bonding compound first. I examined the parts and re-assembled them with loctite. I was in touch with LEE, asking if there was any adjustment or if the were assembled tight. The answer I got back was that the threaded piece is solidly seated on the shoulder machined in the die body, and that the assembly is permanent. Therefore no adjustment is needed for proper sizing. I usually place a nice piece of hardwood on the case head and hammer in the case until flush. The decapping chamber has to be matched to the body. The depth of the decapping chamber is roughly equal to the length of the neck on the cartridge case. This is by design, so when you fill the case with powder, it all ends up in the case. There is some part sharing with the decapping chambers, for example the 270 and 30-06 share the same decapping chamber. Following the instructions is important, it all works better when you do.
Knowing that the decapping chamber is made to match certain calibers is handy to know, it gives me a way to measure the decapping chamber and confirm the one in the kit is the one that belongs there. The decap chamber in the 220 Swift kit is app 0.30” deep, and doesn’t match any of the current parts. LEE uses 2 numbers to reference their decapping chambers, xx-xx, the first xx is the group code or base diameter family, and the second xx is the depth. LEE now lists 13 different decap chambers for LEE Loader kits.
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As you can see from the chart, there are 5 groups; 71, 72, 73, 74, and 76. Group 71 includes the 30-06 family, cartridges with a base diameter close to .473”. Group 72 applies to calibers with a base diameter similar to the 223, 22 Hornet and 30 M1 Carbine. Group 73 applies to calibers with a base diameter similar to the 7mm Rem Mag and 303 British. Group 74 applies to calibers with a base diameter similar to the 30/30, 44 Mag and 45 ACP. Group 76 applies to calibers with a base diameter similar to the 7.62x54R and 45/70. There is some depth selection amongst the groups.
Is it possible to make yourself a LEE Loader kit for a wildcat or discontinued caliber? Yes and No. There is some flexibility, options in parts, but unless you can locate the correct “body” and its decap chamber, it’s better left to a custom order from LEE.
I’ve owned more than a dozen LEE Loaders, I believe only one of the sets was new, and about half were complete. New LEE Loader kits are still cheap; I’d recommend staying away from the used kits. The used kits may be incomplete, may contain the incorrect pieces, the pieces may be damaged and the load chart may be obsolete. If you have an old kit, and it needs a few things, the good news is LEE sell parts, and most of the parts are inexpensive. For a bit over $2 plus shipping you can have a new powder measure and load chart for your old set. A new decapper is $4, (this part can break) and a bullet seater is $3 (this part can get damaged).
On the other hand, buying and collecting these old sets is a pretty cheap hobby, and fun. I sell the odd set so I can buy more, such is the collecting habit. I load a shell with the kit before I sell it to make sure all is good. I don't use any of my kits for loading ammunition, I have presses and dies, nuff said. I also have a drawer full of 310 dies, a tong tool and a Tru-Line Jr press that I don't use for loading.
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lots of information sharing
I found a new one from a member here
