Lee Loader in .351 WSL

[richhodg66]

Been gradually getting stuff together to load for my brother's 1907 Winchester. Found the appropriate mold and cast some up the other day. As luck would have it, I won this Lee Loader for it pretty cheap on Ebay.

Never used a metallic cartridge one before. I've checked some tutorials and it seems straightforward enough.

Any pointers or words of wisdom? I'll probably use this in conjunction with a press, pretty sure I can seat bullets with a .357 die set in my press and may be able to prime with it too.

[725]

Only suggestion I would give is to ensure the empty overall case length is correct and the FOLLOW ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS THAT COME IN THE LEE LOADER KIT. Follow them step by step. By itself, it makes great ammo.

[richhodg66]

Following the instructions is good advice, not that I always follow it, LOL.

These are pretty neat little tools. I've toyed with shotgun ones a bit, but never one of these. Seems like I'm gonna have a good time messing with it.

[OuchHot!]

At one time, the instructions showed using a mallet to seat primers. Every now and then a bang results. Please wear safety glasses.

[Dave Bulla]

Yup, they're good kits if used as intended.

The primary upgrade is a powder scale so you can weigh each charge. With practice, after dipping a bunch of rounds and weighing them all, you will develop a technique of dipping each dipper the same way. With most powders, you can get quite consistent results. The exceptions would be the longer extruded powders. They don't dip all that bad but the consistency is definitely less than with fine grained ball powders. It's pretty easy to dip a tad light then trickle up to the desired weight using a second dip only partially full.

Also, I think there is a sticky in this forum that has a ton of info and opinion.

There are a lot of people out there who simply refuse to believe these kits can be a valid loading tool and a lot more who are scared to death of a primer detonation. Popping a primer will make you jump, that's for sure, but it's just a "bang". As noted though, safety glasses should be worn just in case of a freak particle gets loose.

There are a bunch of videos on youtube but you have to be a little careful there. As a fairly experienced loader with the Lee kits, I often see things that just make me shake my head but I've also picked up a couple good ideas. With a little common sense, you can usually tell who is knowledgeable and who is not. There is a video of Mr Dick Lee himself on youtube loading a round of (I think) 270 in about 40-45 seconds. Granted he doesn't weigh the charge so that speeds up the time a bunch but still, you can get the idea of how simple it really is.

Initial setup is easy if you already have a loaded factory round with the same type and weight bullet. Use it as a measuring stick to adjust the die length and bullet seater stem. Once you actually start to load, it's a good idea to make a dummy round for each bullet you use with no primer to keep with your kit. That way, if you ever switch bullets you can just use the dummy round to set your overall length with no tools needed. Just be sure to use a sharpie or some other method to label the round that ID's the exact bullet.

[firefly1957]

Good luck with your adventure you can make great ammo with those tools , However i have also loaded 351 WSL with regular 357 mag dies . I have some RCBS 351 dies and they over expand the case neck as the bullets seat very shallow only .2" inch i use a Lee factory Crimp die to keep bullets in place with out the need of a channalure in the bullet.
My one note to you is not so over expand you shells for bullet seating.

[richhodg66]

Will a .standard .357 die size down those cases enough to provide sufficient neck tension on that undersized bullet?

[firefly1957]

They do for me as the 351 brass is a bit thicker then .357 brass there is a thread on it somewhere here do a search for .351 and see what pops up.

[Scharfschuetze]

You might be able to find an Arbor press at a gun show or perhaps at one of the auction sites. They are often used by bench rest shooters right at the range. They will get you away from the mallet for seating the primer, expanding the neck and seating the bullet with the Lee Loader.

Still, in all reality, the mallet works just fine for every step. Fact is, I still have the mallet that I bought for my first Lee Loader something like 45 years ago. I generally use a hand priming tool for seating the primers with any press other than with the Lyman 310 tool.

I've always wanted to shoot a .351 Winchester. Lucky you getting to load for one too.