Lee load all ii

[salpal48]

Anyone on the forum use them . i was planning to buy a 16 and 20 gage . . There cheap enough . any Response. don't plan on loading a lot
Sal

[jmort]

I have two, an old aluminum base and a newer plastic base they work just fine. No worries there. an excellent choice if you are wanting to see if shot-shell reloading is for you. I added a MEC Sizemaster which I highly recommend as well. Most will say go for an MEC first, but it is not their money and, again, for a starter press, the Lee press work well. I still have mine and I am keeping them. If you stick with it and like shotgun reloading you will be upgrading.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I've got two, a 12 Ga. and a 16 Ga. Both work as advertised and are kind of fun to use. Can't go wrong for the price. Be sure to get a manual, maybe Lyman 5th Edition.

[mac60]

The Load all II can and will load a good shell. I have one with conversion units for 12 and 20. My main problems with them are 1. The sizing ring that must be pressed on the shell and then removed. 2. the fact that the crimp is not preset - you control it by how hard you push the final crimp over the shell. I eventually found a few used MEC 600 jr's which I prefer by far (they're just a better machine). With all that said - if you're on a budget (who isn't?) and don't intend on loading many shells you could certainly get by with one - no doubt. Here is a pic of some 1 oz. 20 ga. shells loaded on a Load all II. They shoot great.

154502

[bstone5]

The Lee Loag All works for me.
Have the MEC machines but for the slugs and buck shot the Load All is quick to set up.
Use a regular powder measure with the Lee Load All most of the time to get accurate powder weights.

[dudel]

They work. The trick for me was learning how to get the crimp started on the original fold lines.

[mac266]

I had an older one with an aluminum base, and a newer one with a plastic base. They only make the plastic version these days, and you do NOT want one. When you pull downward on the handle, the base flexes and causes the dies to strike the shotshell at an angle. It doesn't crimp properly, and sometimes the angled strike leaves marks on the side of the shotshell.

If you can find one of the older ones, great. It will get the job done (not my favorite, but it will work). Do NOT bother buying a new one. I think you're better off finding a used MEC 600 Jr.

[toallmy]

I have used one for years , if you want to load 1or2 hundred shells thay are fine . A box or 2 at a time not a problem plus thay have the shot and powder bushings with them. I have progresive reloaders as well , but when I want to load a box for hunting I pull out my lee . But thay dont put a taperd crimp on the shell witch might give you trubel in auto. If you take your time on the precrimp ,by turning the hull to the old crimp thay make a good crimp . And then if you enjoy loading shells you have the experince and the understanding . No mater witch loader you pick the lyman shotshell handbook is a must have . Heck get the handbook first it has a lot of info. On the presses.

[mdatlanta]

I really like Load Alls....they work fine. As a couple of other folks mentioned, I also have MEC loaders but have kept, and still use, my Load Alls quite a bit.

Take a look at these unbiased links--one is 'Pros & Cons' and the other is how to set up and use a Load All:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz4sIo1lWL4

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rgA4i9l_QCE

[Lance Boyle]

I had an older one with an aluminum base, and a newer one with a plastic base. They only make the plastic version these days, and you do NOT want one. When you pull downward on the handle, the base flexes and causes the dies to strike the shotshell at an angle. It doesn't crimp properly, and sometimes the angled strike leaves marks on the side of the shotshell.

If you can find one of the older ones, great. It will get the job done (not my favorite, but it will work). Do NOT bother buying a new one. I think you're better off finding a used MEC 600 Jr.


I had trouble too. In the 80's I was a young pup shooting a lot of skeet with a LT20 1100. I loaded my ammo on the LLA2. The plastic bases were kind of new then. It worked fine for a while then plastic base broke where the metal arms linked in. I got another couple months on a replacement base and it too broke. I called again and the rep said they'd send one more base but that was it.

I was loading a straight AA replacement loading with 700 or 800X with AA wads. Only thing I an think of is I had too tall of a powder/wad/shot column and was trying to get a good crimp. Some of them would unwind on me.

I ended up sticking the last new base on it and never used it again and just recently sold it.

If I knew more then I might have been able to change wad or powder to fix the issue.

The MEC is much more press. You can pick up a used jr. or sizemaster pretty easily off the bulletin boards of most clubs around here.

[will52100]

Been using one for years. The one with the plastic base. I'll say I've never reloaded smokeless shotgun shells before though. I got into the CAS game and since I was shooting in the black powder category I needed black powder shotgun shells. I don't use the powder hopper, that's where I store all the spare parts, but do use the shot hopper. I have used the crimper, and roll crimped, for roll crimped since I trimmed the cases I used a wood shim under the case to raise it enough to use the wad fingers and dump the shot in. I hand dipped the powder, used the fingers to insert an over powder card, lubed felt wad, over shot card, shot charge, over short card. Then I'd either use an antique roll crimper or if I was loading a lot, I've got a new one that mounts in the drill press. I did notice that if you tried to crimp hard you would kink the shells, but most times it wasn't an issue. If I was loading a lot of shot shells I'd invest in a mec. I've been keeping my eye out for a used mec at pawn shops and such, but haven't found one yet cheap enough.