Lee Load All

[DHurtig]

Wife and I were out hitting the yard sales today and I picked up a Lee Load All for $20.
The thing looks like it's brand new. Shows a little wear on the paint at each station, but the rest of the machine is spotless. Is this a good price? Hopper is about half full of shot, small size, so I'm guessing #7or 8. The powder hopper is almost full. The powder is a flake type powder with red flakes in it. Could this be Red Dot? What else might it be? Thanks for your help.....Dale

[dbosman]

Great find at a great price.
I'd use the powder for lawn fertilizer.
Shot shell reloading is a matter of following recipes. There is less room for experimentation. Pick a hull you want to reload, pick a weight of shot you wish to use in that hull then look up the the recommended powder brand and weight and wad for that hull. Assemble. Shoot.

If you need help finding components, or just want to browse, check out http://www.ballisticproducts.com/

[somdgunner]

The shot alone is worth $20.00 Excellent price. I have two of those, both 20 and 12 gauge presses. I have reloaded hundred of shells on both. Shotshell reloading is very simple and fun. Not to mention the components are cheap and saves a ton of funds on shotshells. What gauge is your press for ?

[DHurtig]

It's for a 12 gauge.

[dverna]

I would never buy one - but I am a tool junkie and shoot a lot of shotshells for trap. For hunting loads I did not even consider a Lee. I got a MEC 600 JR for $50 and sold it after I got a PW375 for $100. There is no comparison.

There may be a really good reason your "find" looks like new. Load some shells and post pictures. That is the real test - not what we think.

Dump the powder immediately. Measure the shot. Subtract your measurement from .017 and that is your shot size. If you measure the shot as .009, it is #8 shot. If it measures .095 it is #7 1/2. If .110 it is #6 etc

[DHurtig]

Thanks for your help guys. I've never loaded for shotgun and I rarely shoot one. Don't really plan on getting into loading, but it was just one of those things. I was there, it was there, it looked lonely, I had money. You know how it works, kinda like a stray puppy. Sometimes you just can't resist. For you older guys, it was what I call a Flip Wilson moment. You know, " The Devil made me do it".

[newcastter]

The shot alone is worth $20.00 Excellent price. I have two of those, both 20 and 12 gauge presses. I have reloaded hundred of shells on both. Shotshell reloading is very simple and fun. Not to mention the components are cheap and saves a ton of funds on shotshells. What gauge is your press for ?
Not sure where your getting your lead shot from but the components are not cheap unless you are dropping your own shot thats why it is so hard to make up the start up cost of shotshell reloading...
Great find DHurtig I feel you will be shooting your shotgun a little more often.

[fcvan]

Did the loader come with all of the bushings? If not I'm sure you could get some new ones and the loading chart. I bought one back in the 1980s just for the heck of it and it works great. I grew up using dads Pacific press and my uncle used a MEC. The Lee makes shells that work for me so I've got no complaints.

Is it the Load All II? If so, the charge bar and bushings are only 5 bucks from Lee

http://leeprecision.com/chrg-bar-bushings.html

The instructions are here

http://leeprecision.com/cgi-data/instruct/LA1088.pdf

[DHurtig]

It does not say Load All II so I assume it is not. Does not look like extra bushings are available for this.

[bikerbeans]

+1 on the size ring being a PIA. Not enough stroke on the press to remove the ring on a tall brass hull without putting a spacer under the ring.

BB

[LET-CA]

The easy way to remove the ring from tall brass is to run it through the primer station with the primer plug removed. Then there's plenty of travel. It adds one step to the process because you have to remove the sizing ring, and then run them through again to prime them.

[UNIQUEDOT]

The easy way to remove the ring from tall brass is to run it through the primer station with the primer plug removed.

You can't remove the primer post on the load all as it's attached to the metal base, but it is also not hindered with the problems of the load all 2's high brass problem as it does have sufficient space to remove the ring.

[Tonto]

Use a MEC for 12 and the Lee for the less volume 20 and it works great....sure slower but for the money, a great value. Sounds like you found treasure....

[DHurtig]

I now have a new slide bar and a full set of bushings from Lee for about $9.50 delivered.

[TonyfromItaly]

In europe the lee load all for its low price is good for resizing, depriming, priming, pre crimping and crimping. We then run a spool to make the shell to exact lenght and perfect roundness. However, using often different size shot then n.8 and not having american gunpowders available, the charge bar is pretty much useless.

But we made a universal charge bar (powder and shot) and it looks like this! 76734

[DHurtig]

Nice job of engineering Tony. Are you required to use "non-toxic shot" such as steel or bismuth for any hunting?

[TonyfromItaly]

Nice job of engineering Tony. Are you required to use "non-toxic shot" such as steel or bismuth for any hunting?

Hello, in italy each region (like each state in the USA) has its own rules. In Toscany where i live, they just passed a law the prohibits the use and "posession" of lead shot within 150 meters from lakes, ponds, swamps or still water! another erosion of hunter's rights!

And soon they might pass a rule that prohibits the use of lead bullets for deer and wild hog hunting. Whoever hunts with rifles can easily buy Barnes Bullets. Who instead uses 12 ga, will have more problems finding all copper slugs (however we have made an all copper slug, and a zinc one, that seem to be acceptable in target pratice, but this year we try them hunting)

[TonyfromItaly]

Nice job of engineering Tony. Are you required to use "non-toxic shot" such as steel or bismuth for any hunting?

Hello, in italy each region (like each state in the USA) has its own rules. In Toscany where i live, they just passed a law the prohibits the use and "posession" of lead shot within 150 meters from lakes, ponds, swamps or still water! another erosion of hunter's rights!

And soon they might pass a rule that prohibits the use of lead bullets for deer and wild hog hunting. Whoever hunts with rifles can easily buy Barnes Bullets. Who instead uses 12 ga, will have more problems finding all copper slugs (however we have made an all copper slug, and a zinc one, that seem to be acceptable in target pratice, but this year we try them hunting)