Mounting a press upside down for boolit sizing

[dikman]

Hmmm. For all you guys that want your bullet sizing easier and faster; you can buy bullets already sized! Now that's pretty fast...

Now where's the fun in that?

MyFlatline, you could probably double those costs down here!! Anyhow, even if I wanted to automate my processes I have nowhere near the room required to do that. My hat's off to those who can do it.

[mdi]

I guess I just ain't in no hurry. I enjoy my hobbies so why rush through them? I can size 200 bullets just as fast as I can set a bullet on the stem and pull the handle, a couple hundred and empty the container, and fill it up again. But my entire shooting/reloading/casting set up is designed for quality over quantity, so faster, more, more ain't better. I have no quota and if I don't have plenty of time, I won't start a project. But there are those that don't have time, are rushed and have to squeeze a few sized bullets in whenever they can, just glad I'm not there...

[OS OK]

I guess I just ain't in no hurry. I enjoy my hobbies so why rush through them? I can size 200 bullets just as fast as I can set a bullet on the stem and pull the handle, a couple hundred and empty the container, and fill it up again. But my entire shooting/reloading/casting set up is designed for quality over quantity, so faster, more, more ain't better. I have no quota and if I don't have plenty of time, I won't start a project. But there are those that don't have time, are rushed and have to squeeze a few sized bullets in whenever they can, just glad I'm not there...

Maybe you'll allow us to PM you for advise whenever we are having 'quantity and quality' control problems since your methodology is so superior?

[JBinMN]

My reloading setup is for quality over quantity & I rigged up an upside down, inexpensive Lee C-style press that is convertible to be right side up or upside down using a DIY "receiver hitch" type setup, so I can use it as a separate station for any of the press tasks like ram priming or depriming, etc, while it also hold the RCBS powder measure as well as the same time. Then, should I need to size any amount of boolits, I just remove the powder measure & whatever die I have in it, put a Lee sizing die into it & turn it upside down, add a ice cream bucket with handle underneath for lightweight boolits,or for heavier boolits, I put a garden hose on it that runs down to the bucket on the floor so the boolits slide into the bucket rather than drop. The advantage is that it is faster than doing it right side up. Win- win several times over, the way I see it....

There is no loss of quality, no matter the quantity.

IMO, Quality is in the " how the reloader does the reloading" & not necessarily "just in the equipment used" by the reloader. A reloader can have the best & most expensive equipment in the world, or the cheapest setup ever & it still comes down to the person doing the reloading, that decides on the quality of the resulting product.

I also think that it being convertible to either up or down, & not just upside down all the time, makes for a more versatile tool, but some might disagree of course.

I am not trying to start any argument either, I am just stating "my" opinion based on some posts I have read & "my" experience(s) in using a convertible press..

P.S. - Had I thought of , or read about putting a hand press in a vice before making the setup I have, I likely would have done it, so I think that is a great idea for some, although I am quite happy to have made up the setup I use now & still have the hand press for the portability. Great idea there! & kudos to the ones who thought it up! Sometimes we can't see the whole forest, for the trees right in front of us, eh?


Good reason to have a forum like this.

[OS OK]

Nice try there JB...but don't waste your breath. We have already devoted a couple of pages to him trying to explain our reasoning but to no avail.
As it turns out, and in his view...we are missing quality in our efforts to size quickly...
I think the 'operative word' here in this instance is...'obstinate'.

[mdi]

Maybe you'll allow us to PM you for advise whenever we are having 'quantity and quality' control problems since your methodology is so superior?

Well, I guess I could impart my wisdom and knowledge to those deficient in these areas via a PM. I was taught long ago to share knowledge with those cognitively challenged. But waiting for my answer would slow down those in need of more ammo, faster, more, more, more. You can PM me, just don't hold yer breath waiting for an answer...

[OS OK]

[dikman]

[6bg6ga]

You folks realize you can have both quantity and quality? I have both.

[Lloyd Smale]

first they don't give auto feeders for stars away. I wish I could afford one but that isn't happening. Ive got 25 bucks into a lee press, a free piece of plastic hose and a coffee can. Its just as fast as doing it on my star and I don't have to disconnect anything. Screw a die in and snap on the right bullet punch and go to town. Now I do only use this setup for pc bullets. I'm not into tumble lube so the star gets used for conventionaly lubing and is even used to put gas checks on the pc bullets when I use them. Plus it saves wear and tear on my expensive star sizer when its just as easy to wear out a 25 dollar press.

I'm kinda curious as to why one would buy a Lee and secondly why one attempt to size in a somewhat unusual un-productive way. I guess I'm different. If I'm going to size bullets I will buy something that will do it fast and efficiently. Want to size powder coted bullets fast? The Star / Magma is still the way to go. Fit one with a collator to drop the bullets in nose first, disconnect the lube arm and size the hell out of them.

I'm still lubing my bullets (haven't gottten into Powder coat yet) I can size them and have them in a tube ready to go into my 650 press's bullet dropper in the blink of an eye. No extra handling now for me. Its size it invert the tube and install on the bullet dropper.

[Lloyd Smale]

yup making something eaiser and faster doesn't decrease quality. A sized bullet is a sized bullet no matter how slowly or fast you punch it through a size die.

You folks realize you can have both quantity and quality? I have both.

[6bg6ga]

first they don't give auto feeders for stars away. I wish I could afford one but that isn't happening. Ive got 25 bucks into a lee press, a free piece of plastic hose and a coffee can. Its just as fast as doing it on my star and I don't have to disconnect anything. Screw a die in and snap on the right bullet punch and go to town. Now I do only use this setup for pc bullets. I'm not into tumble lube so the star gets used for conventionaly lubing and is even used to put gas checks on the pc bullets when I use them. Plus it saves wear and tear on my expensive star sizer when its just as easy to wear out a 25 dollar press.

All good point Lloyd.

I still use what I acquired over a few years. Some here are using multiple presses to size and some aren't. I managed to get some mill time on a friends mill and made my collator and my tube collection setup. The two sizers one Star and one Magma I purchased a few years ago.
To me time will still be money for a few more months. Unfortunately my past has me trying to maximize efficiency and production its a hard habbit to try to break. Honestly I enjoy the task of making things work faster and better.

When I move to powder coating this spring I will simply take the lube lever off the star and Magma and they will size powdercoated bullets perfectly. Yes the bullet feeder is costly and I had a time trying to justify the price but I bought it anyway.

[Casting_40S&W]

Saw it on the LEE Reloading & Casting Equipment Group page...

[Kenstone]

Saw it on the LEE Reloading & Casting Equipment Group page...

OK, way to revive an old thread.
There are other threads more current on this subject but I'll add my non-upside-down method.
I bought a Lee bullet feeder, modified it, and adapted it to a up-right press.
By adding a spring to the jaws bullets are no longer dropped, and I feed/size bullets fed from a long tube into another tube that's loaded over an inline Hornady bullet feeding die on a progressive loader.
Added spring to fingers and stiffer spring on the actuating rod:
I'm sure I posted this in other sizing threads...

[Burnt Fingers]

Saw it on the LEE Reloading & Casting Equipment Group page...

If Lee would release that I'd buy one, and I own a Star.

[Conditor22]

NEW lee BL BULLET SIZER KIT

https://leeprecision.com/bl-bullet-sizer-kit.html

[OS OK]

NEW lee BL BULLET SIZER KIT

https://leeprecision.com/bl-bullet-sizer-kit.html

Jim, I noticed a link ( http://leeprecision.com/cgi-data/instruct/91505.pdf ) in the bottom of that link you give to a press that I've never seen before...couldn't find it on the web? Have you seen this?

[Mollyboy]

Looks like a automated co ax. Think it’s time for a new thread from someone with inside info on this press

[Conditor22]

Welcome to CB Mollyboy

Jim, I noticed a link ( http://leeprecision.com/cgi-data/instruct/91505.pdf ) in the bottom of that link you give to a press that I've never seen before...couldn't find it on the web? Have you seen this?

I saw that Charley figured folks would se it if they followed my link

[jmort]

I spoke with Lee 18 months ago and they told me that a dedicated bottom dump sizer was in the works
Something like this