Opinions on Lee hand press please

[Jeffery8mm]

Does anyone care to give an opinion on the Lee hand press? this is the one that you can carry anywhere with no mounting. It just seems that it would be nice to sit in the comfort of the recliner and size/bell revolver cases. Can you prime with this press. Will standard dies fit??
Thanks for any and all info/opinions!!
Jeff

[docone31]

I have had a few. I really like them. For the larger cartridges, .375 H&H, you absolutely must lube the necks, same with the -06 length cartridges. I can get away with everyother with the .308s.
I always had the Lee Prime tool. You can use the priming attachment, but, I feel the primer gets handled too much. It is effective though. I have used it in the press.
I have probably done more reloading on that rig than any other. Once in a while, oil the ram. Extend it all the way up, put some gun oil on the lower exposed end, let it sit for a tad, then work it some.
Remember, the ram fills up with primers. Every now and then, dump it. The expended primers will lock the case in if you forget. I have done that. About every 30, dump it. I got into a rythym. First time it was a shock though.
In my opinion, it is a daggoned good transportable rig. It takes the majoy die sets. 310s are too fine a thread, and too small.
In a pinch, I have sized with it.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Hi, The Lee Hand press has worked very well for me. Its good points have already been pointed out, as well as a few managements tips for keeping it running efficiently. It is compact and has sufficient mechanical advantage for full length resizing rifle cases altho some of them would require a bit more force on the part of the operator to get the job done. I have a couple of them around and use them for odd jobs or filling in when I don't want to disturb an existing setup. Takes standard 7/8 X 14 reloading dies and primes with the lee priming tool. LLS

[Shiloh]

It's an inexpensive tool that works remarkably well. I have loaded .223 and .30-30 rounds on mine. I currently use it strictly for the .223 varmint rifle with a neck size die.

Shiloh

[freedom475]

It's NO Dillon 550... but I can say I Waited WAY too long to buy mine....I use it mostly for pistol cases and 45-70 BP.... it is just right.

The kit comes with a primer ram which uses the same shell holder...Handy

Real nice for the easy chair and extended camping trips.:Fire:

[dromia]

I've got to concur, a surprisingly useful tool.

I wouldn't want to load and size a wheen of rifle cartridges on one.

Mine is currently getting a lot of use decapping fired .577" Snider and .577/450" BP cases on the range after firing for dropping into a flask of soapy water.

Point well made about the spent primers being held in the ram.

[cajun shooter]

A handy tool to have. I sat and watched tv while de priming BP cases. I also have used it when I need to do just one thing, say re-bell a case while loading on my 550. Also could be thrown in a bag with a few other items and you could load rounds anywhere.

[Kraschenbirn]

As several have already said; the Lee Hand Press is great for neck-sizing, belling cases, seating boolits, and crimping (using the Lee collet dies) but, IMHO, not too practical for full-length resizing of the larger rifle calibers.

That said, I've got two of the little rascals and, other than seating primers, use them for everything when reloading my .38-55s and .47-70s. Both calibers are shot exclusively in SS rifles at BP pressures so I don't resize. Also use them, once in a while, just for decapping and belling of case mouths on other calibers, as well.

Bill

[JeffinNZ]

All I used for the first many years. Hornet was easy. 8x57 was a bit of effort. Worked great though and now my Lee hardness tester lives in the hand press permanently.

[DLCTEX]

Great little tool. I don't use mine a lot, but it works just fine. I bought it to take to the range when working up loads. It came in handy when I loaded a few hundred rounds of 45 ACP to a too long OAL. I seated them deeper while watching TV.

[MtGun44]

OK, I give up.

What's a wheen?

Bill

[dromia]

Its between a puckle and a muckle.

They are all intuitive Scottish measures.

Hope this helps. :-D

[DLCTEX]

I'm glad he asked, I wanted to know. It wasn't in my Websters.

[Pavogrande]

While I prefer the 310 tool myself, todays price of 310's make the lee a prefered alternative -

[Bret4207]

Its between a puckle and a muckle.

They are all intuitive Scottish measures.

Hope this helps. :-D

Somehow that all makes perfect sense. I guess it's the Scot in my background showing through!:mrgreen:

[NSP64]

Its between a puckle and a muckle.

They are all intuitive Scottish measures.

Hope this helps. :-D

Ohhhhhhh! Scottish as in ancestry. I thought he meant Scotch as in whiskey[smilie=p:

[Junior1942]

Like several other Lee items, it's worth twice its price.

[montana_charlie]

From freedictionary.com ...

Wheen a few; not many; a division; a group; a small amount; a fair number.
Examples: wheen of Amazons, 1340; of knaves, 1680; of canny wise professors, 1680.

Unfortunately, we are not told how many rifle cases it takes to make a wheen. Perhaps that could be derived by dividing a wheen of knaves by a wheen of Amazons.

I wonder if a wheen consists of fewer professors, if some of them are not canny wise...

CM

[dromia]

Ohhhhhhh! Scottish as in ancestry. I thought he meant Scotch as in whiskey[smilie=p:

Thats a Dram.

Also its Whisky not whiskey.

[Bent Ramrod]

In the book "Kidnapped," by R. L. Stevenson, Alan Breck Stuart and David Balfour (of Shaws, presently shanghaied and in service as cabin boy) prepare to take on a whole ship's crew:

"...next he set me down to the table with a powder-horn, a bag of bullets and all the pistols, which he bade me charge. 'And that will be better work, let me tell you,' said he, 'for a gentleman of decent birth, than scraping plates and raxing drams to a wheen tarry sailors.'"

Although it is a great practical compromise between handiness and effectiveness, loading 50 cartridges at a sitting on the Lee Hand Press would probably be better than pushups for strengthening your arms. "And it will be better work, let me tell you, for a gentleman of decent birth, than any low-impact workout.":mrgreen:

[35remington]

I find sizing effort is dependent upon the size of the cartridge.

.222's, no problem to full length size. 35 Remingtons, especially at the moderate pressures they develop, also no problem.

30-06 starts getting a bit difficult. But full length sizing can be accomplished, which isn't necessarily possible with their C frame Reloader press. It springs a bit much compared to the hand press.

So, yeah, I find the hand press useful. Just don't ask me to size a bunch of .270's with it. Neck sizing the larger cased rounds is, of course, easy. As is anything else you ask it to do save holding the cases when charging. A loading block is better for that.

[Jeffery8mm]

Thanks so much for the responses guys. I have one on my wish list for Christmas. My wife will appreciate it as much as I do, since I wont always be out in the reload room sitting in front of the RCBS. I hope to prep alot of 38/357 and 44 with it while in the house with the family. The prep work, like depriming, sizing and belling is what seems to take the longest time for me. Powder charging and bullet seating will still be done on the rcbs out in the quiet of my getaway room.
Thanks again.
Jeff

[mdi]

Just last night I sat in the den with my wife and sized/decapped about 100 45ACP cases. TV in the background. Don't know exactly how long it took 'cause I was enjoying the company and a cup 'o joe.:coffee: Of course any reloading proceedure that needs my full attention gets done in my "reloading room", alone (powder measure/charging, priming)

[Lloyd Smale]

i wore out two of them. Dont use them hardly at all anymoe since i started loading on dillons. before that the only way i could keep up was to size and flare while watching tv at night. I wouldnt recomend them for full lenght sizing. theres to much spring in them. I once loaded 500 223s like a dummy without checking and they wouldnt chamber. that was sure alot of work for nothing!

[superior]

I've been using my Lyman Accu-press for over 20 years now. 1/2 moa accuracy with my savage110gv. The handle can be reversed to convert to bench mounting, but I've always loaded by hand in front of the tv. I load for 7mm rem mag, 223,9mm,40sw,338,and 7.62x39.
Works great !