Lee Classic Loader for handgun caliber question.

[Bazoo]

I've not had much experience with the lee classic. I have one for 30-30. It only sizes the neck. Does the pistol caliber, and specifically, 357 caliber loaders size the whole case or just the neck?

[Cowboy_Dan]

The Lee Classics are all neck only to my knowledge except the shotgun ones which size the base only. I think it is because it would be too difficult to remove a case that is being full-length sized from the die.

[mdi]

Yep "straight walled" cases are full length sized with a Lee Loader. I have 5 Lee Loaders including 2, 38/357 Magnum, and one in .44 Special/Magnum. Sometimes it's best to lightly lube the cases when sizing because they can be a bit hard to drive in the die, especially the .44 Magnum...

I really like my LLs and sometimes I'll feel "retro" and get one out and pound out a few rounds (.38 Special and 30-30 are my favorite) even though I have 3 presses and 1 3/8 tons of dies and assorted reloading tools.. I have used my 38 LL with an arbor press at times any found it really easy and fun...:D

[Bazoo]

Thank you mdl. I had suspected as much, But havent had the change to pick up any of the pistol caliber sets. I will definitely be getting a 357 set though.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

And Harbor Freight sells a really inexpensive Arbor press that'll work well with those....

[singleshot]

I have one for 44 mag and one for 45 acp...the 45 acp takes more force than the 44 mag for me. I would suspect the 38 spec would take significantly less force. Lubing for the straight-walled cases is advised and IIRC advised in the Lee instructions.

[Bazoo]

Does the 45-70 loader full length size or neck size only?

[S. Galbraith]

I might have to get a LL and try it out. I suppose that you are limited to one seating depth for the bullet?

[Bazoo]

I might have to get a LL and try it out. I suppose that you are limited to one seating depth for the bullet?
No, the seating depth is fully adjustable.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Using an Arbor Press to push the cases into the sizing die is a good way to do that operation. If you don't have an Arbor Press a Drill Press works just fine.

Lee Loaders are basically less expensive versions of Wilson Hand Dies. This method of loading cartridges is as old as reloading itself. Wilson Dies are designed to be used with and arbor Press.

I was reading an article about the .400 Whelen. The guy had actually gotten Col Whelen's Loading Dies loaned to him for the article. They were essentially very early versions like Wilson dies.

They were designed to be used with a small Arbor Press. Not beat with a hammer.

I just scored an older .30-06 kit today for $20 at a gun show. First thing I did when I got home was to push a few cases into the die with my Sinclair Arbor Press. Virtually effortless!

Try it.

Randy

[Retumbo]

I got one for 38S&W. It didn't like plated cases, some of the plating was flaking off after resizing. Took me a bit to get used to it. Had a primer go off, scared the **** out of me.

[Bazoo]

Scared me when my first primer went off. Had the occasional go off since then, no worries. Scared the wife the first time too which was funny.

[mdi]

I only have one set that will pop primers; my .44 Mag. Loader. But, I have an arbor press and using that to prime I get no surprises. I also noticed a heavier mallet (or dead blow hammer) works better to give a "push" rather than a "tap, tap, tap", especially for priming...

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I cut my reloading teeth on Lee Loaders back in the mid '60s. They're a great tool, but the occasional primer explosion was unnerving. Sometimes it would result in powder burned thumb and forefinger and expel the seating rod from the die hard enough to dent the ceiling. Definitely made me a believer in wearing safety glasses while using them. After enough sessions with the Lee priming system I bought an RCBS "squeezer" priming tool and found it to be a great improvement in both speed and safety. Also, it's hard to beat the Lee Ram Prime System as used in their hand press. The occasional primer explosion was the only criticism I ever had of the basic Lee Loader.

[wingspar]

I started my reloading with a Lee Loader (Whack-a Mole) in .308. Seating primers with a hammer made me nervous. It only took a month of using it before I bought a single stage press. It was like stepping up from a Ford Pinto to a Rolls Royce.

Actually, 20/20 hindsight tells me that I could not have picked a better way to get into reloading. I’m super glad I did it and would recommend it to any new reloader.

[Bazoo]

I like the idea of throwing the loader, powder, primer, and bullets into a pack and going off into the wilderness for a while.

[MarkP]

I started on a 410 LEE loader, I loaded hundreds of them with it, also bought one for 44 mag. I loaded probably 1,500 44 mags before I bought the hand press and dies when they first came out. I never had a shotgun primer go off but did have some large pistol primers go off. Always had glasses on but just reinforces not to prime or load without them.

[Bazoo]

I also figured it was a good idea to not have an open powder container anywhere near when priming.

[725]

I've used the LL's for years and have never thought of, or heard about using an arbor press. What a great idea.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

I had a LL for 45 ACP and used it for a few years. It worked just fine;was kind if slow but produced good ammo. The one step that I could not deal with was the priming. I never could get used to the idea of hammering on primers and having a couple go off on me put an end to it; I got a lee hand priming tool pronto and then lived happily after. its a good tool just find another way to prime your cases. LLS

[Wolfer]

I started with a LL in 30-30 After several primer mishaps I got a Lee hand priming tool. Not the one with the tray. You put each primer in by hand.

The whole setup fit in an army shell can.

Even today when someone asks about getting into reloading I tell them to start with a LL. Cheap to get into and you can always upgrade if it works for you.
I can't hardly fathom it but reloading doesn't seem to be for everyone.

[W.R.Buchanan]

When I got my first Lee Loader I saw how the primer worked and bought a Lee Priming tool the same day.

Never have used the LL priming function.

The following payday I bought a Redding #1 Powder Scale.

I was good to go for years with that setup.

Then I bought S&W M29 and immediately bought a LL for it as well. Then I bought a Lee Bullet Mould,,, and so on.

Randy

[mdi]

Actually, 20/20 hindsight tells me that I could not have picked a better way to get into reloading. I’m super glad I did it and would recommend it to any new reloader.

I agree 100%. I learned reloading with a Lee Loader, not how to operate a machine that makes ammo...

[W.R.Buchanan]

IN any new discipline it is most prudent to learn and actually understand the Basics or Fundamentals. After you understand them you can branch out and find other ways to accomplish those things.

In reloading there are a bout 15 different ways to do every single operation. There are also "Basic Operations" and "Extra Operations."

Basic Operations are Deprime/Resize, Prime, Charge, Seat Bullet, and Crimp. A Lee Loader does all these operations.

Extra Operations are Case Trimming, Case Mouth Flaring, Primer Pocket Reaming or Swaging, Flash Hole Deburring, Case Cleaning etc.

Learning all these different functions and when to use them is key to being a "Competent Reloader."

The Lee Classic Loader is the perfect way to accomplish this as it does all the basic functions in the simplest way possible.

This how I teach this stuff.

Randy

[TNsailorman]

I started out using Lee Loaders in the early 60's and a local oldtimer told me never use a metal object to seat primers or to size(damages the chamber). Instead he recommend as piece of wooden 2x4 laid on a flat surface and then use a wooden mallet or hard rubber mallet or leather mallet to prime or size cases. I used his method for years and only had 1 maybe 2 primers go off and that was my fault. Got in too big of a hurry and struck the primer rod too hard. I never used an arbor press but I did try a shop vice, but gave it up as too slow and more added effort. The arbor press does sound good if it doesn't put a financial hardship on one. I started out using Lee Loaders to save the cost of presses and dies as I really didn't make enough money in those days to afford them. Worked out great for me. Learned a lot about reloading and was affordable. As the old guy told me, if you set off a primer with a Lee, your doing something wrong. Stop and think what you just did and don't repeat it. works for me anyway, james

[Bazoo]

Very neat stories and posts.

[W.R.Buchanan]

One thing most people overlook is that a Drill Press is in fact an Arbor Press with a rotating spindle.

If you Chuck Up a short piece of rod with a square end on it they make good presses for pressing in small pins and the like. Lots of times you can just close the chuck all the way and the ends of the jaws are square enough to suffice.

Once you see how little pressure is required to push a case into a Lee Die I think you'll be sold on doing it that way. You will still need to knock the case back out and using the plastic hammer and long rod is the way to do that.

If you deprime first and then size the case, then free the case with the punch and then insert a Primer and seat it, it all goes pretty fast.

So you don't need a Specialized little Sinclair Arbor Press, you probably already have a drill press in your garage.

Randy

[Bazoo]

I never thought of using the drill press. I will give it a try sometime.

[loveruger]

It seems to me that using a drill press or arbor press defeats the purpose of the loader . If you can afford a drill press you should be able to buy a reloading press,

[Bazoo]

It seems to me that using a drill press or arbor press defeats the purpose of the loader . If you can afford a drill press you should be able to buy a reloading press,

I agree. The reason I own this loader is because my house burned down and a member here bought it for me to get me started again. But I've always wanted one so that I could reload in the back country with minimal equipment.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Harbor Freight has really nice small Dead Blow Hammers for cheap and I have one in my Portable Reloading Bag. Just in case I don't have an Arbor Press or Drill Press handy.

The Lee Loader was an offshoot of Wilson Hand Dies or more properly the dies that preceded the Wilson Dies. These dies work exactly the same as the Lee Sizing Die as far as sizing the case goes. However they were never intended to be used with a hammer. They were intended to be used with an Arbor Press.

Drill Presses are just more common than Arbor Presses.

Here is an excerpt from an article by Michael Petrov about using Whelen's dies to load for his .400 Whelen.

The icing on the cake was when friends Mark Benenson and Russell Gilmore of The Rifled Arms Historical Association sent me Townsend Whelen's case-forming and loading tools for his .400 to use and take measurements from. These early loading dies are sometimes mistakenly referred to as "Pound Dies". Nothing could be further from the truth. They are not meant to be hit with anything, but instead are to be used in an arbor press.

Lee simply promoted the use of a plastic mallet to push the case into the dies.

Randy