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Thread: Lee Hand Press - a pain

  1. #41
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    W.R.Buchanan's Avatar
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    You probably would NOT want to do that with one of mine. My warrantee doesn't cover "Vise Use."

    These tools are useful for a lot of people, and whether it is one of mine or a Lee tool (which I also have) you can make ammo that is just as good as any other press out there, with a lot less commitment to space.

    You can easily assemble a Kit that lives in a box or tool bag and have everything you need to load ammo in one place.

    This works for lots of people,,, just sold one yesterday to a guy who lives in his Motorhome at the beach because his house was burned to the ground in the Thomas Fire a year ago..

    Randy
    "It's not how well you do what you know how to do,,,It's how well you do what you DON'T know how to do!"
    www.buchananprecisionmachine.com

  2. #42
    Boolit Bub
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    I just received a couple Lee hand presses. I like them but definitely not the most comfortable. Going to try some shrink tubing.

    Just updated picture with rubber handle. MUCH BETTER!!
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 2520191977.jpg   232019182145.jpg  
    Last edited by Hammer0419; 03-05-2019 at 09:14 PM.

  3. #43
    Boolit Grand Master GhostHawk's Avatar
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    I noticed while using mine today, that there is one spot, on the side the die goes into which likes to push on the web between thumb and finger on my left hand. I think a little pipe insulation and a few wraps of tape will fix it. Or possibly wrap a bit of leather around it and sew it on snug so it stays put.

    But I have no real complaints with mine. It does what I need it to do.

  4. #44
    Boolit Grand Master Bazoo's Avatar
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    I think the lee hand press is almost perfect. If the handles were slightly different and the primer catch was a deeper it would get a lot more followers. I love mine and use it more often than my bench mounted press.

  5. #45
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    Well I don't have a hand press yet. A Lee hand press is on my wish list for the near future. That being said, I do like the way you designed your hand press, Randy. My main concern is out of pocket cost, then functionality. So I'll have to go with the Lee, and most of my equipment is Lee. I'm pretty happy with my Lee equipment. But I do appreciate this thread, now when I get my hand press I'll already have a little modification in mind.

  6. #46
    Boolit Bub
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    A little rubber on handle and mounted upside down I'm really liking this press. Perfect for sizing

  7. #47
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    Tankgunner; My tool is not for everybody. It is 5x the cost of the Lee Tool. But it is hand made out of Precision Machined Parts. Just the cost of the parts for one of my tools is twice as much as a finished Lee Press.

    But the price is what a quality tool costs to make. You won't see anything comparable for less $, in fact you won't see anything like it period.

    I don't think anyone is dumb enough to go down the road I did by making this tool.

    It is definitely not something I am getting rich producing. That's for sure!

    Randy
    "It's not how well you do what you know how to do,,,It's how well you do what you DON'T know how to do!"
    www.buchananprecisionmachine.com

  8. #48
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    I never meant to insinuate it isn't worth the price, but we all tend to buy what we can afford. And being on a very limited income for me that isn't a lot. I recently had to sell one of my guns to get some work done on our home, and I'm hoping it will be enough money. Here's hoping you sell so many of these that you get busier than a one legged man in a butt kickin contest!

  9. #49
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    fiberoptik's Avatar
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    I for one with very limited income do plan on getting one of these fine presses someday when I have more $$ than month!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  10. #50
    Boolit Buddy Hi-Speed's Avatar
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    Mine doesn’t have sharp edges, one from the 1980s and one from 2017. Love the press when at my range when developing loads at the bench.

  11. #51
    Boolit Grand Master uscra112's Avatar
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    Best solution to all the problems with the Lee hand press is to throw it away and buy one of Randy's.

    (Pulls on Nomex fire suit.)

    I've had two of the predecessor H.D.S. hand presses for a good many years, (20+?). Will FL size .30-06 with no strain. One is always in my range kit, the other is a "spare" that I've never needed.
    Cognitive Dissident

  12. #52
    Boolit Grand Master
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    If you look at Randy’s offering it is understandable why it is not inexpensive. Well designed and executed.
    Don Verna


  13. #53
    Boolit Grand Master Bazoo's Avatar
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    The lee doesn't have any problems that need solutions. It's not perfect but nothing is. Fact is, price not a consideration, the lee hand press is very well thoughtout and quality made.

    I'd like to try one of Randy's presses but I expect it would fall short in the way I use my hand presses; without a table. Set outside on the ground, or on the couch. One hand on the press and one puts in and removes the casings. Because both handles of the BPM press move I can imagine it would be a little more awkward. Obviously it's of superior quality and strength. But that's not to say lee isn't strong enough, or made well enough.

  14. #54
    Boolit Grand Master Bazoo's Avatar
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    I'd like to see a comparison of the decker, Huntington, and Buchanan presses. The pictures I've seen of the decker it looks smaller and lighter.

  15. #55
    Boolit Grand Master
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    This thread has experienced not only thread drift but Forum drift as well. I have brought up this point repeatedly in a gentle and polite manner and been ignored, and a couple of times more stridently and been chastised for being so rude, but let me say again... IF IT’S BOLTED TO THE BENCH, IT PROBABLY DOESN’T BELONG ON THE “CASTING AND RELOADING HAND TOOLS” FORUM!

    There, now that I have that out of my system, back to our regularly scheduled thread. I have owned and used an early 2000s Lee hand press as well as a HDS Compac Hand Press. I had a specific (in-the-field) use for them and was perfectly satisfied to use the Lee for its intended purpose. I was careful to keep tender and cherished portions of my highly valued hands and fingers from interfering with the movements of the press... and got highly acceptable results. Was it perfect? No. Did it do the job it was intended to do? Yes. Was it cheap and affordable? Yes. Like the song says, “...and two out of three ain’t bad!”

    A couple of years later I was at a gun show and a vendor I’d dealt with often had a like-new Compac Press in a scruffy box with a low price on it. After I talked him down another $5 or so, IIRC I took it home, not because I really needed it, but because it was nicer and more refined than the Lee. After a short period of side-by-side comparison, I sold the Lee for nearly what I had in it, and have used the HDS ever since. Can you still be careless enough to pinch yourself with one of these tools? Of course you can... it’s a tool! Does it do any better than the Lee? That’s debatable. But I like it!

    The HDS unit was based on (some think a direct copy) of the Decker, and the Buchanan unit is a spiritual descendant of them both, with slight improvements and adaptations. I have not had the opportunity to put the three side by side and compare them, but this is the summary of my research. Whether the Decker, HDS, or the Buchanan unit is “worth” enough more to justify the additional cost over the Lee unit to do about the same job can only be decided by the purchaser/user. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

    Respectfully submitted,
    Froggie
    "It aint easy being green!"

  16. #56
    Boolit Buddy Hi-Speed's Avatar
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    Randy’s press is one great press and worth the coin...I only use my Lee hand press for 38/357 and it works just fine for these cartridges.

  17. #57
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    Does anyone here own a Decker press? If so could you post a picture, please.

  18. #58
    Boolit Grand Master Bazoo's Avatar
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    Here there is a picture of the decker. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...nd-Press/page2

  19. #59
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bazoo View Post
    Here there is a picture of the decker. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...nd-Press/page2
    Odd... all I see is pictures of the HDS Compac. Then again, is it correct to say that the HDS was simply a continuation of production of the Decker by Huntington? I had heard that Roy just bought what was left of Decker's stock and took up where he left off. If so, other than the label, the press would be the same. Randy has said repeatedly that his product is different from the HDS/Decker unit, at least in certain details but it appears that the operating principles remain the same. Am I seeing it right, or am I missing something?

    Froggie
    "It aint easy being green!"

  20. #60
    Boolit Grand Master Bazoo's Avatar
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    In the commentary they said it was actually a picture of a decker not the compac.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check