Anybody use the Lee handpress loader or the Lee classic reloader

[huntersdog]

Was interested in looking into trying one of the Lee hand presses and one of the Lee classic loaders. Any feedback on them would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[jcren]

I have the Lee classic cast and love it. I have never had a problem with anything from lee, as long as it is used within reason. Want to full length resize 338 Lapua for 1000 yard? Might wanna shop around.

[Beagle333]

I have two of the hand presses. I love them! And I have a few Lee loaders.... they are really handy as well. I have paid for the .38 special Lee Loader about 1000 times over in savings over factory loads.

[chsparkman]

I often use the Lee hand press for sizing or expanding cases while watching TV in my easy chair. I've never used it for seating and crimping, but it should work very well for that.

[jmort]

I have/use both. The Breechlock Handpress is most useful and I occasionally break out the Lee Loaders.

[dead dog]

If you get classic loader you are stuck with one caliber. The hand press is okay if space is a big problem. If you are starting out the breech lock kit has most of what you need. It will all fit in 5 gallon bucket.

[Bayou52]

I use the Lee hand press when I want to work from the couch rather than the bench. I only use it for those few functions that don't require much force - decapping and flaring mostly. Would work for FL sizing but given the exta force required, the hand press would get tiresome to use especially if sizing numerous cases.

Bayou52

[duckey]

My first ever press was the lee hand press. Reloaded a it 3000 rounds with it, from .38, .40, 9mm and 30-30. I used the Lee hand primer instead of the priming arm that comes with it. I would reload in stages of 100....resize/deprime, then hand prime, then fill with powder with the cases on a tray then seat/crimp bullets. I got pretty fast with it. I now had a lee classic press the $75 one. Bought the classic cast one but thought it was over kill and a bit more than I wanted to spend.

[Bjornb]

The hand press is very practical if you're experimenting with seating depths and your range (like mine) doesn't allow for mounting a press to the loading bench. Load long at home, then seat to various depths at the range.

[kenyerian]

I use the hand press for developing new loads and for fine tuning. Also it's handy for taking camping, using for depriming, etc.

[GhostHawk]

I currently have 3 press's, my favorite by far is the Lee Breechlock hand press. You will spend some money getting bushings for all your dies, but in my opinion it is way way worth it.

I also have a C shaped press with a tapered alum handle and a round ball on the end. I suspect it is cast aluminum. It is mounted upside down and pretty much all it does is size boolits and crimp on gas checks. Which is why it is upside down. Let go of the boolit, it falls into the sizing die, gravity holds check in place till the arm comes down. Ice cream pail underneath to catch.

The last is a newer sort of a squared D shape with a fancy linkage. Handle is a round steel shaft.
It is not a breech lock, but appears to be newer. Is missing the aluminum plate that is supposed to catch primers.
That doesn't bother me. Mostly my Lee Flare tool lives there, but I do sometimes do large bottle necked brass sizing in it.
(7.62x54r)

Frankly I like all 3.

The hand press is nice in that I can sit in my computer chair and size brass, or load boolits into charged cases while I watch a Youtube video. I also have a RCBS Hand primer (Off all the hand primer units this one got the fewest negative reviews)

If you have cleaned, sized, primed cases you can take the hand press to the range, and load and shoot on the fly.
That to me is a nice option to have, can be a real time saver if you have far to go to a range. Biggest hurdle to that is
finding a way to have premeasured powder charges labeled, and safe for transport. I have been saving all our medicine bottles. One of the drugs my wife and I are both on is a blood pressure med called Bystolic, price is through the roof and insurance declines to cover it, so we have been getting mostly samples for the last 2 years. Each bottle has a weeks worth, so we have a few bottles to play with. Was thinking those nickle sized stick on labels would be perfect to stick on the cap to record charges.

Sorry I slid off topic there.

I love all 3 of my Lee Presses, but the last one I'd let go of would be the hand press. It will do it all, just need some good sizing lube for larger bottle neck rifle cases.

[opos]

I've got both the breechlock model of handpress and also the breech lock model of the classic cast press...use them both ...sometimes it's too warm to load in the garage where my press is so I can do case prep, etc in the house...I have not tried to use the hand press for rifle rounds as i think sizing could be a problem but I've loaded a ton of 45 Colt and 38 and 357 mag with it...one thing...the breech lock adapters make it easy to change dies but they do not allow you to move dies from the hand press to the classic cast press and have the settings be correct...you can take the dies out of either one and put them back in that same press and all is good..but if you would move the dies from the hand press to the classic cast you have to set it up again....not a big deal but be aware....The hand press has allowed me to do load development, take it to the range on occasion and generally is one of those tools that sits a lot and then all of a sudden it's time to get it out and use it.

[opos]

If you get classic loader you are stuck with one caliber. The hand press is okay if space is a big problem. If you are starting out the breech lock kit has most of what you need. It will all fit in 5 gallon bucket.

Think the OP does not mean the "Lee Loader" (whack a mole) but the Lee hand press which uses standard dies, etc. and works for all calibers, not just one like the whack a mole tool....here is a link to the hand press:

http://leeprecision.com/breech-lock-hand-press.html

[35 shooter]

I've used nothing but a lee hand press for years now for both rifle and pistol. Love the freedom of a kit i can load anywhere anytime with.

[rockrat]

When I was single and loaded while in my comfy chair, I usually used handpresses. Would take a 50 cal ammo can with the press/dies/bullets/lee primer tool and powder/lil dandy measure in it, to my IHMSA matches and reload while waiting for shoot again. You get some pretty good muscles using the things if you load alot.

[2wheelDuke]

I have a Lee hand press that I use occasionally. Like the others said, I use mine when I want to do some case prep away from my regular loading bench. I use it mostly for decapping or flaring cases, but I'll also use it to size boolits. It's easy to turn the hand press upside down to drop boolits into the die and punch them thru.

[besk]

I've used nothing but a lee hand press for years now for both rifle and pistol. Love the freedom of a kit i can load anywhere anytime with.

Same here! Even sold my RCBS Rockchucker years ago.

[pworley1]

I use the Lee hand press to de-prime and expand my brass.

[Green Frog]

I used one of the basic Lee hand presses for loading at the range for a year or two and if I hadn't found one of the now-discontinues Huntington Die Specialties Compac presses, I'd probably still be using it... I'm not sure the HDS was enough of an upgrade to merit looking for one, but it is a little bit nicer finished. For individual loading for a single caliber, it's still pretty hard to beat the old "Whack-a-Mole" Lee Loader, if that was indeed part of your question, but buying separate complete kits for each caliber is a little strange.


Froggie

[knfmn]

The first reloading I ever did was .308 with the Lee loader. I had an absolute blast doing it. You'll never set any speed records, but it sure is fun.