Advise for starting with a 3030 lee loader

[Elbow]

I am just starting out so far I have about 100 wheel weight ingots and a Model 94 winchester made in 1939. Now I want to cast my own 170 grain gas check bullets and load them with a Lee LoAder. My wife is getting the mold for me for Christmas and I will get the lee loader. Any tips? Any other items or tool I need besides powder and primers?

[Wayne Smith]

Get a powder scale. You can pick up a used Lyman or RCBS from eBay but get one. You will need one to verify the consistency of your scooping if nothing else. Get at least two good reloading manuals, I would suggest the Lyman and the Sierra, but I'm prejudiced. If you are like most of us you will want the flexibility of different boolits and loads, the manuals and the scale give you that. get a kinetic bullet puller, you will eventually put a boolit on one and forget the powder!

With those four additions you are set for the slow but thorough loading of one caliber. If you substitute a simple Lee press and set of dies you are set for starting other calibers. Your choice. I started with a 30-30 Lee Loader and a 16ga Lee Loader.

[rking22]

You are on the track to a great new hobby! I have several presses but still enjoy loading on the LEE sets.
You will want something to chambfer the inside of the case mouths ,I use a scrap centerdrill ,Lee ,RCBS and Lyman sell a tool for the job also. Also need a tool to flare the case mouth slightly ,again Lee has a hand tool , I use a scrap pulled 7.62x39 bullet epoxied into an old file handle. It was free :p and the steel jacket has lasted a long time. Set it in the handle so that when pressed completly into the case it stops short of the canular (sp) A loading block can be nade from a scrap of hardwood and you will want a plastic faced hammer for the motivating force for the Lee kit. A Lee hand priming tool is a nice to have and really inexpensive. A short piece of 2x6 with some holes drilled for the Lee tools keeps things from rolling around and sorta quites the banging.
As stated a scale and published data is needed. There are PDF files of the Lyman manual on the web ,as well as some NRA publications to enrich your knowledge and experience. Sounds like a buncha suff but you probably have most of it and the rest is inexpensive.
What mold are you getting ? There are gas chek making dies available too! Long term will need calipers ,or at least a max case length gage, don't know if they still make those. Then a cast trimmer ,lee has them as hand tools and they work fine .

[Le Loup Solitaire]

The Lee Loader in 30-30 will make ammo that is just as good in every way as any press although it is a lot slower. Lee loaders neck size only but that isn't too important if you are using the same and only gun and the fired cases fit (re-enter) the chamber without any problem. I used a couple of Lee Loaders in the early years and they worked well for me. The only thing I didn't like was Lee's idea of priming by hammering the case down on a new primer...especially when (and a couple of them did) it went off. Get yourself a Lee (or other brand) hand primer...it is a lot quicker and safer. LLS

[Dave Bulla]

Yup, what they said.

Also, if you have never cast before, I would suggest picking up a book or three about how to cast. The Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook is pretty standard reading.

Also, slug the bore on your 30-30 to determine the best size for your finished boolit.

If the boolit you end up using does not drop cleanly through the top of the die, don't force it or it will be resized smaller. The Lee Loaders are designed for jacketed bullets and have the throat that you drop the bullet through sized to just let a jacketed bullet slip through. Most times, a cast boolit will be 1 to 2 thousandths bigger and will not just drop through. I made the mistake of pushing them through the first time I ran into the problem but then figured out that all you have to do is lift the die body up, sit the boolit on top of the case mouth, sit the die back down over it then seat the boolit normally. If you look at the instructions, you will see what I mean when they show the stop where you pour in the powder and insert the bullet. Instructions for the Lee kits are posted here on this forum if you need to see them.

[Dave Bulla]

Yup, what they said.

Also, if you have never cast before, I would suggest picking up a book or three about how to cast. The Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook is pretty standard reading.

Also, slug the bore on your 30-30 to determine the best size for your finished boolit.

If the boolit you end up using does not drop cleanly through the top of the die, don't force it or it will be resized smaller. The Lee Loaders are designed for jacketed bullets and have the throat that you drop the bullet through sized to just let a jacketed bullet slip through. Most times, a cast boolit will be 1 to 2 thousandths bigger and will not just drop through. I made the mistake of pushing them through the first time I ran into the problem but then figured out that all you have to do is lift the die body up, sit the boolit on top of the case mouth, sit the die back down over it then seat the boolit normally. If you look at the instructions, you will see what I mean when they show the stop where you pour in the powder and insert the bullet. Instructions for the Lee kits are posted here on this forum if you need to see them.

[john hayslip]

I have never been comfortable using a hammer to seat a primer. Had a couple go off in the die when doing it and didn't like the experience. I'd recommend adding a hand primer seater.

[Green Frog]

+1 to all of the above! The 30/30 is one of the easiest cartridges to load for, as long as you are reusing brass in the same gun (lever action) Be sure to get a round nose bullet pattern for the time the bullet is against the primer of its neighbor in the tube. Use one of the powders on the card that comes with your Lee Loader set... they all recommend charges that are way below max so inherently safe. Pay attention and follow directions and it will be hard not to be successful! :D

Regards,
Froggie

PS If you want to skip over the casting part and start shooting right away, the Lee Loader works perfectly fine with J-word bullets too, and some will probably be recommended on that same card.

[TNsailorman]

If you have a lever action rifle, you might want to check some cases that are sized with you Lee Loader in your rifle. Lee does not recommend the 30-30 Loader for automatics or lever actions. Some rifles will feed and function just fine with cases sized on the LL but some will not. My buddies Marlin 336 will not but I know of at least one other(my latest 336) that will. james

[Larry Gibson]

Elbow

Excellent way to start reloading, I started that way myself in the early ‘60s.

A couple tips;

Read the instructions that come with the Lee Loader carefully and understand them before use. The Lee Loader is a simple tool to use but it can, like anything else, be used wrong.

Get;
One of the larger MTM storage boxes, one with an internal tray, as it will hold all your reloading stuff.

A plastic headed mallet. These are available at most hardware/lumber yards.

Some 0000 steel wool to clean the outside of the neck. A small tuft wrapped around the neck and twisted does a quick job. May also be used with discretion to clean the outside of the cases.

A clean bore brush one size larger than the caliber you are loading for on a small pistol rod to clean the inside of the necks. Push it straight in and slightly twist pulling it out. Usually one pass cleans the carbon and debris out pretty well.

A small screw driver to clean the primer pocket but the Lee primer pocket cleaner is inexpensive and works well.

The Lee chamfer tool to chamfering the inside of the case mouth and the outside if necessary. A small knife blade will do also for the inside.

The Lee hand priming tool is almost a must unless you want the be-jesus scared out of you when a primer pops tapping them in.

A Lee powder funnel, works much better than pouring through the sizer.

A tapered punch or needle nosed pliers can be used to flair the case mouth if you are loading cast bullets. Best is to order the case mouth flaring tool from lee for the Lee Loader.

A loading block to hold the cases that you’ve put powder into.

Nice, or next to have;

Lee’s powder dippers.
A good powder scale.
A powder trickler.
At least one good reloading manual, Lyman’s is recommended.
A dial caliper.

All the above will fit into the MTM box.

Most of the above will also be required or useful when you advance to a single or progressive press.

Get some tin to add to the WWs. it will make a much better alloy for your rifle loads. You can order pure tin from a vendor here or locate bar 50/50 (or 60/40) solder from a plumbing supply house or scrounge it. You'll want to add 2%. Seems expensive at the time but it only take 1.6 oz of tin for 5 lbs of WW alloy (3.2 oz for 10 lbs).

You'll need the Lee size/lube kit. If the mould is the Lee one I suggest the .310 sizer. Follow the directions for lubing with the LLA. There is a tendency to use too much lube and it can be messy. Use just a little as per the instructions.

Standard Large rifle primers will be needed. any of the LR CCI, Federal, Winchester or Remington primers will do fine. Your 30-30 Lee Loader should come with a 2.2 CC powder scoop. That is going to through top end loads with powders such as 3031, 4064 or 4895 for use with 170 gr bullets. I suggest cutting 3 tight fitting disks from the cardboard of a soda or beer case. Press them into the bottom of the 2.2 CC dipper. That will reduce capacity down for a better load with those powders. I recommend any of the 3 but prefer H4895. My 2.2 CC dipper with the 3 disks of cardboard pressed in the bottom throws 28 gr of H4895 which is an excellent load under a 165 - 180 gr cast bullet in the 30-30.

The Lee Loader neck sizes the cases only so use cases that have been fired in your rifle or that will chamber before loading. Everyone, including Lee, says cases for the lever action must be full length resized. Well, that is partially a myth. Almost all of my cast bullet loads for my two M94s and numerous others I've had over the years have been just neck sized with the Lee Loader or a standard neck size die in a press. Rounds loaded with your Lee Loader will do just fine.

Lastly, check out used book stores for a used copy of Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbook #3. It is the best basic instruction book for casting bullets for the beginner. If you can't find that book most any older Lyman reloading manual will have a good section on how to cast bullets. Best to have the reference handy when learning how.

Larry Gibson

[prsman23]

As always listen to Larry. He is in the know. And will not lead you astray. Good luck sir. Your due diligence will pay off.

[Wayne Smith]

If you have access to some wood and a drill press a loading block is easy to make. Larry is right, in most lever actions Lee Loaders work well. In fact, I have two Marlin 336 actions that Lee Loader loaded cartridges work well and fit. I haven't even segregated cases, cartridges fired in one fit the other.

[jcwit]

While I like to use a hand priming tool to seat primers, I find no issues to using the Lee Loader set up to do the same. Use one of the following, a small rubber mallet, a small plastic dead blow hammer, or if money is available an arbor press as is available from Sinclair, K & M or other suppliers.

I use the dipper system for measuring the powder however I am loading plinking loads using a 113 grain gas checked bullet with 12 grains of Trail Boss behind it, works very well, its accurate, and has little recoil, about the same as a 30 cal. carbine.

Made my dipper from an 7.62 x 54 empty case cut down, bunches of those available in steel.

This load is mild enough to cause little if any stretching of the case which would require full length resizing.

[mdi]

I've been reloading for a bunch of years, own three bench presses, two hand presses and still use my Lee Loader for 30-30 (and when I feel "retro", I use my Lee Loader for .38 or .44 Specials). I have had to change my panties a couple times when priming with a Lee Loader, and I've found checking the priming part of the kit helps. Just make sure the "pin" doesn't protrude too far and the "washer" is free to move up and down, smoothly, over the pin. I like a heavier mallet over a light one because it "pushes" rather than "taps, taps, taps". Also I have used an arbor press and with that set-up made some really good reloads, priming easy too.

I'd recommend a scale as soon as you can, to double check your dipped powder charges. And while the instruction from the Lee Loader will get you started, start your reloading library ASAP. The ABCs of Reloading, Lyman's 49th, Lee Modern Reloading, etc., will get you started right...