lee hand loading press

[flounderman]

I just found an item I had lost and thought maybe I had sold. Does anybody know anything about a lee loading tool that is hand held, has a lever and ram and uses regular lee shell holders and dies. priming, it mentions a ram prime, but doesn't include one or show one on the papers with it. probably could use an empty case filled with lead or a rod the right size, or make one. or, use a hand primer, which I prefer. does anybody know what these sold for or what it should be worth? I never used it but the toggle set up should give it pretty good leverage. it would be handy as a portable loader or in a survival kit. this is the only one I ever saw.

[WILCO]

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp;jsessionid=52FMBI0AFECJRLAQBBJCCN3MCAEFGI WE?id=0032406215925a&type=product&cmCat=froogle&cm_ven=data_feed&cm_cat=froogle&cm_pla=1230301&cm_ite=0032406215925a&_requestid=17750

[1hole]

"I never used it but the toggle set up should give it pretty good leverage. it would be handy as a portable loader or in a survival kit."

I have one. Got it for doing seating tests at the range and, for that, it's very good. I would not want to load much on it, just too clumsy to do all that's needed while holding it all in my hands, but it sure works. Value? Well, I think it's worth what it costs...it doesn't cost much.

For survival, if SHTF I'd much rather carry several boxes of loaded ammo than fooling with a batch of components and powder in the woods.

[jlchucker]

I have had one for over 20 years. I got it when I was between houses, renting an apartment. It was a little slow to use, but I full-length sized and loaded all of my rifle cases with it. Then only annoying thing about it was that spent primers are caught in the ram--requiring you to remove your shell holder and dump them out after sizing about 20 or so cases. I keep one of these on my loading bench still, to take care of any one-time issues that may come up where I don't want to tear down a setup. These are still sold, and are a bargain worth having around for any handloader. When matched up with a Lee Speed Die, you've got a pretty portable tool to take on trips to (slowly) reload pistol and revolver ammo.

[1Shirt]

They are sort of odd looking things, but they do work and will full length resize which says something for them. I started with a Lyman 310 tool in 222, and still have a few 310 tools and dies around. More compact, but slower than the lee, but occaisionally will run a few loads just to remind me that I have not always had it so good or so easy.
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[tward]

I've had a Lee hand press for 8-10 years. I use it either to put up small test batches or sometimes I'll do batches, you know, resize deprime 100 cases, prime using the Lee Priming tool and then when I'm ready to load get out the manual, scale, measure and boolits. Tim

[tward]

I've had a Lee hand press for 8-10 years. I use it either to put up small test batches or sometimes I'll do batches, you know, resize deprime 100 cases, prime using the Lee Priming tool and then when I'm ready to load get out the manual, scale, measure and boolits. Tim
"He who would have the perfect servant serves himself " Ben Franklin

[MT Gianni]

I use it for reloading when stuck in a motel.

[cajun shooter]

They are also very handy if shooting BPCR and using it to deprime your brass before throwing them into the cleaning bucket.

[DLCTEX]

The Lee Ram Prime die is what is used with the hand press. A little slow, but it works. I prefer to use the Auto Prime hand held priming tool.

[jonk]

I use one for case flaring, bullet seating, depriming, whatever my need might be at the moment. It WILL resize, but I'd not want to do many that way.

Good exercise for the hands though.

[Coffeecup]

Back in early '90 my real press got totaled in a moving accident (FIL thought the box was heavy enough it wouldn't fall off the trailer, he was wrong). I picked up one of these to use until I could replace my bench press. Wound up using it as my only press for 5 years, loaded a truckload of pistol ammo on it, as well as a few thousand rounds of rifle ammo.

Slow. Awkward. As JLchucker says, the ram filling up with spent primers is annoying. Not the tool for serious case forming, though if you are determined you can form 8x57 from '06 on it. Never used the primer attachment as I had a separate priming tool. The nice thing was that I could take it with me anywhere, so I resized and expanded tons of brass on breaks at work or while sitting in front of the idiot box.

Great tool.

[Hang Fire]

I have two Dillon's and a couple of single stage presses, but the wife still will only use her Lee Hand Press for loading. And, I am not about to talk her out of it, was what she learned on and she ain't changing.

Hmm, maybe I should be thankful for her mindset, perhaps that is why she has put up with me for near 50 years.

[Eagles6]

Can't go wrong. Easy to carry and always work.

[AZ-Stew]

I have one of the Lees and one made by Lyman, though somehow it missed the move when I finished my shop and moved all the loading stuff out of the garage and house. It's still on the missing list, but it's around somewhere. I believe the Lyman also has a couple of lugs that would allow its being attached to a bench. I loaded several thousand handgun and rifle rounds on them during the time my shop was under construction. Great tools, but not terrifically speedy. Good exercise, too.

Regards,

Stew

[Le Loup Solitaire]

It is a handy and totally portable gadget that is reasonably priced and is a good way to produce limited quantities of ammo. I've had a couple of then for quite a while and they have served me well. The one nuisance is the ram building up a number of spent primers and having to be emptied often. With a pre set dipper, a quantity of presized and lubed bullets, a pound of powder, one can put the whole kit into a shoebox and load anywhere. Ok it is a bit slow compared to presses on a bench and doing a lot of rounds might prove tedious, but it works well and anywhere. You also get to develop a much respected handshake. The Lyman unit is also good, but a lot rougher on the hands as it has a few sharper corners; it can however be attached to a benchtop if needed. Both are good for doing any number of operations without disturbing set-ups already on the bench. LLS

[Crash_Corrigan]

It is a great tool for experimenting with different loads at the range. With a suitable cardboard box to act as a shield from the wind an electronic scale will measure your powder and you can play with the charge to find the sweet spot.

I usually bring a bunch of primed cases to the range along with my Chrony, scale, dies, boolits and powder. It is slow but when you are developing new loadings it is a very handy and comact tool to seat and crimp rounds.

Once I find the loading I like a shoot off a few more to get a good grouping and write everything down and take it all home. Then I set up my Dillon 550B and make some serious rounds.

For testing at the range it is a very valuable tool. For full length resizing of rifle rounds not so much. It also goes with me when I am shooting BPCR. It is great for decapping primers and then dumping the cases into soapy water in a gallon jug to neutralize the black powder and **** that ruins those expensive cases.

[Bill*]

if you're talking about the press Wilco linked to in post#2, It's real handy to put a lee hardness tester in and then take it along with you

[John 242]

I bought mine as a kid some time around 1987 for twenty or thirty bucks (can't remember... it's been a while).
I've used mine to load .303 British and .223 Rem, seat primers and it works fairly well at resizing boolits through a Lee push through sizing die (.452 pistol boolits- no gas checks).
I've sat in my pick-up during lunch sizing boolits and I've seated primers while waiting in the laundramat parking lot. Neat tool.