Lee Loader in 44-40?

[Green Frog]

Although I've seen them listed from Lee (on an old list) I'm not sure I've ever actually seen a 44-40 Lee Loader? Are they pretty rare, or am I just not looking in the right places? I sold/swapped my 44-40 dies for the 310 Tool and never owned a set of 7/8 X 14 dies in that caliber, so I'm exploring my options now that I have bought a Henry repro in this old caliber.

Froggie

[frankenfab]

I would bet they are around, but yes, rare. I just bought a 38-40 Lee Loader off this site.

[Rebel Dave]

I think you will have a hard time finding a Lee Loader in .44/40. I have never heard of a Lee loader in that caliber. I load .44/40 with either my Lee dies, or my RCBS dies. Either of these will work well for you. Lee has a 4 (four) die set, pretty resonable. .44/40 can be a little quirky to reload, but its not hard. Take your time, and learn the quirks, of this great ole caliber.

Rebel Dave

[frankenfab]

They used to make them in over 70 calibers. I have one in 224 Weatherby.

[Kosh75287]

I've never reloaded for the .38-40 nor the .44-40, but some serious SASS shooters I know are quick to tell beginners that the case necks are quite prone to damage if not handled very carefully. The Lee Loader might not have been "gentle" enough to give good results with these calibers.

[Eddie Southgate]

If you have the right 310 tool buy a new 310 die set . I have the 38-40 and 32-20 in 310 .

Eddie

[TNsailorman]

The older Lee Loader sets show up every so often on Ebey but they are usually more expensive than normal. I have loaded for the .44-40 and had no trouble with thin necks but I loaded one case at a time on a single stage press and took my time doing so. I would say that you could load .44-40 with the Lee set but I would make certain to lube the cases with Imperial Wax before trying to size them. The .38-40 and .44-40 requires a more patient and slower pace to load than most other cases but I don't know a pistol cartridge that I have more fun shooting than a .44-40. my experience anyway, james

[Landy]

Check here: http://leeloaderdata.com/index.htm

They list, sell, and archive data and instructions for the Lee Loaders old and new.

[Green Frog]

Landy,

Thanks for that link... I've wondered whether such a company existed. This may be my best Christmas present so far! Most of my "classic" stuff is Ideal and Lyman, but I have managed to acquire several key calibers (and gauges) of the Lee and Mequon hand loading sets. I even got the Mequon sets in 25-35, 32-40 and 38-55 back when Dixie Gun Works catalogued them. Oddly enough, I don't load with any of them very much, but I had really good luck helping friends get started for the limited loading they wanted to do for 45-70 (with BP) and 222 Mag (for groundhogs.) I don't know whether I will want to do the volume of rounds I'll need with the Lee unit, but I'd like to have the option available if I decide to do so. Thanks again, and Merry Christmas to all!

Froggie

[shooterg]

New(plastic box) in .44-40 on EvilBay right this minute .

[Landy]

Froggie,

You are very welcome, and merry Christmas to you and yours.

I started with mentors that were RCBS diehards, and soon having a bench and its drawers full of it used nothing else until sticker shock on the HDS (RCBS neighbor and linked company) hand press pushed me to Lee. Somehow, that expansion of my perspective bred a fascination with the assorted hand tools / kits.

I'm very happy to have been able to return a bit of info, here.

[Green Frog]

Landy,

If you like that Lee hand press, I'd bet that getting hold of the old discontinued HDS or the new unit from Buckingham would be a joy for you. I used the Lee for loading the few cartridges I was using in North-South Skirmish Association events, but stumbled on a like-new HDS unit at a gun show at what I found out later was a very favorable price. I bought that and never looked back, using it for its dedicated purpose even though I have at least a half dozen bench presses and a goodly selection of hand tools. It's worth your while to take time and look for a bargain when you can find one!

That hand press concept really bridges a gap that most folks don't even notice is there! I guess the number of interesting and specialized tools we acquire is directly related to the kind and amount of reloading we do, or in my case my infatuation with gadgets! I'm like a robber jay and easily distracted by shiny objects. I'm not sure I will make a huge effort to chase after the Lee Loader in 44-40, but I'm sure a set of 7/8 X 14 dies will be here soon and that HDS
Compac Press will certainly handle them whether they also make it to one of the bench presses or not. Thanks again for your input.

Merry Christmas!
Froggie

[W.R.Buchanan]

Landy,

If you like that Lee hand press, I'd bet that getting hold of the old discontinued HDS or the new unit from Buckingham would be a joy for you. I used the Lee for loading the few cartridges I was using in North-South Skirmish Association events, but stumbled on a like-new HDS unit at a gun show at what I found out later was a very favorable price. I bought that and never looked back, using it for its dedicated purpose even though I have at least a half dozen bench presses and a goodly selection of hand tools. It's worth your while to take time and look for a bargain when you can find one!

That hand press concept really bridges a gap that most folks don't even notice is there! I guess the number of interesting and specialized tools we acquire is directly related to the kind and amount of reloading we do, or in my case my infatuation with gadgets! I'm like a robber jay and easily distracted by shiny objects. I'm not sure I will make a huge effort to chase after the Lee Loader in 44-40, but I'm sure a set of 7/8 X 14 dies will be here soon and that HDS
Compac Press will certainly handle them whether they also make it to one of the bench presses or not. Thanks again for your input.

Merry Christmas!
Froggie

Froggie: Buckingjammen here: Yes the Buchanan Precision Machine Hand Reloading Press was designed to circumvent all of the shortcomings of the previous attempts at a portable reloading press. And what you would find is that it has the "necessary feel" to handle fragile .44-40 cases without damaging them.

People discount the need for finesse when reloading ammo, and tend to just jam cases into dies and cram boolits into cases with little regard for what is happening to the cases or the boolits. The .44-40 is NOT one of the rounds you can be like that with.

If you clamped my press to a table in front of you,,, you could have it nearly at eye level and watch the boolits as they are seated. Also hand holding it for resizing would give you a good feel for what the case is doing as it enters the die.

Most of those cases get gooned when people are trying to jam them into the resizing die and don't have the case all the way into the case holder. Thus the case mouth hits the edge of the die instead of going into the hole and this folds the case mouth shut, ruining the case. Heavier cases like .44 Mags can take a bit more of this and still be good. .44-40's have thin case mouths and can't take much abuse at all.

Anyway,,, one of my presses and a Lee Collet Neck Sizing Die would probably be the best way to deal with this operation. With the least amount of wear and tear on the Brass.

I am also a big proponent of the Lee Classic Loader Kits and I recommend anyone who is just getting into reloading use one of them to learn the process. I used Lee Loaders for loading all my ammo for the first ten years in the hobby. If you work out the process it is possible to load 20-50 rounds of ammo just about as fast as you can do it with any Single Stage Press. I have never seen a Lee Loader in .44-40 and I think the reason why is due to the fragility of the cases.

Randy

[9.3X62AL]

Anyone setting out to refill 44/40 WCF cases would do well to start fresh with Starline brass. It is noticeably more substantial in the case mouth area than either WW or RP cases, though is only a few ten-thousandths thicker than their classic-maker counterparts. MUCH better brass, IME. I have stopped using the WW/RP bras entirely.

[Green Frog]

Apologies Randy. I know how to spell your name but apparently my spell checker didn't like it! :roll: I've heard nothing but good things about your new press (now in at least its second production run?) and if I hadn't virtually stolen my HDS unit you can be sure I would have one of yours by now. The concept is hard to beat and it's something every well equipped reloader should have.

Happy New Year,
Green Frog

[W.R.Buchanan]

Froggie: they're on sale right now. Randy