Anyone use a lee portable hand press?

[Hi-Speed]

I use my Lee Hand Press exclusively for 38/357 loads along with RCBS and Redding dies. I use L. E. Wilson for rifle cartridges. I enjoy the whole process using these single stage tools…tight extremes over the chronograph prove their value and usefulness.

[Magnum0710]

Magnum0710, Going from the whack a moles to a single stage press or hand press will be a big step up in user friendlyness. I'm not bashing whack a mole sets as I have and use them, it's just a standard press is much faster with less steps. I used my first single stage O-frame press mounted to two pieces of 3/4 plywood and c-clamped to the counter when needed for a couple years before being able to mount it to a reloading bench. Overall it's a nicer setup as you can get a couple of reloading blocks and load in steps. I like using a Lee pro disc powder measure on pistol ammo and you can mount it directly to the Lee powder through die if it's in a mounted style press. You can also just mount a powder measure to a board/box if using the hand press like in my pic on the previous page.

I'm really looking forward to moving to a press, mostly because of my issues with 357 magnum and high primers. The brass from my Security Six never sizes down right, they'll fit some chambers but not others. The brass from my other revolvers is just fine though so I'm guessing the chambers were reamed on the Security Six. I have a bunch of brass I can't use until I'm able to fully size it. Also, wether I use a priming tool or ram prime that's another thing that will make life easier. 99% of the time the whack a mole works but I still get the occasional high primer. It's rare but every once in a while I'll have to strike one again. The powder measure would be cool but that's way down the list for me, I don't mind weighing charges individually and I'm pretty good with getting consistent charges from the scoops too.

[racepres]

I'm really looking forward to moving to a press, mostly because of my issues with 357 magnum and high primers. The brass from my Security Six never sizes down right, they'll fit some chambers but not others. The brass from my other revolvers is just fine though so I'm guessing the chambers were reamed on the Security Six. I have a bunch of brass I can't use until I'm able to fully size it. Also, wether I use a priming tool or ram prime that's another thing that will make life easier. 99% of the time the whack a mole works but I still get the occasional high primer. It's rare but every once in a while I'll have to strike one again. The powder measure would be cool but that's way down the list for me, I don't mind weighing charges individually and I'm pretty good with getting consistent charges from the scoops too.

An Ongoing Problem using the Original Lee Loader..."Whack a Mole".. no reason Not to full length resize with the Hand Press!!
BTW, I am of the Opinion (correct or not), that the Original Lee Loader, was intended for economy loading for a Single Weapon!!

[Green Frog]

A full length sizing die, whether used in a Lee hand press or Buchanan’s, gives the reloader the best starting point for nearly all reloading, especially if brass has been previously used in a variety of chambers.

The plastic or aluminum hand primer tools that started coming in Lee Loader kits took care of the problem with “whack-a-mole” priming and variations on that theme still work perfectly well. In fact, my priming tool of preference still tends to be the old Lee hand primer with aluminum body and screw in shell holders. Some hand held presses also do priming but I’ve never seen the need to even try them, so can’t comment.

Bullet seating and crimping are the steps where the hand press can really come into its own, and as I mentioned a page or two ago on this thread, I really like to use one to taper crimp.

Bottom line though, is that reloading is a personal process and each of us will eventually find the method that works best for ourselves.

Froggie

[popper]

Go straight to the Lee or RCBS single stage. I have the Lee hand press that gets used when I have to do something to a case while seating bullets. I only have two hands. Try to pick up a charged 40sw case, put in press and place bullet on top - without spilling or dropping something.

[walnut1704]

I have one that's part of a kit I take with us if we're in the RV. Lee Hand press, RCBS Little Dandy and a few rotors, Lee Ergo Prime, die set, small electronic scale and a couple of other misc. items. Along with a can of powder and a brick of primers it all fits in a large plastic Plano ammo can. That and a box of 500 cast bullets kept separately keeps me shooting on the road.

[Stew]

I do a lot of my small batch loading with my Lee Hand Press because it takes no set up time.

[SavageKustoms]

I like the Lee hand press for working up loads at the range. Way better than, "well that didn't work, next time I'll try..."
Perfect for seating depth testing, while every other variable is consistent. Seat long on the bench, and then adjust for each group at the range.

[Rockindaddy]

When I only had a few cartridges for a particular rifle like my 11mm Mauser 1871/84, I could take my jar of boolits, a powder measure, some primers and powder to the bench and do a little shooting. I could partially resize the empties and hand prime with an RCBS hand primer. A scoop of propellant I could seat a presized and lubed boolit. My 9 Mauser cases got a workout. Still use my Lee hand tool for working up pistol loads. The Lee hand tool was a gift from a guy that bought a bench press and did not want to use a hand press anymore. I'll bet Mathew Quigley would have liked a Lee Hand Press !!!!!

[Magnum0710]

An Ongoing Problem using the Original Lee Loader..."Whack a Mole".. no reason Not to full length resize with the Hand Press!!
BTW, I am of the Opinion (correct or not), that the Original Lee Loader, was intended for economy loading for a Single Weapon!!

I think that's a fair assumption, especially with the rifle calibers. What makes zero sense to me is that the 9mm and 45 kits full length resize but not the revolver calibers. Especially the magnum calibers, 38s you can get away with.
I might only use the whack a mole for plinking until I get a press.

[Magnum0710]

I definitely want one of the hand primers too, might just go with the ram prime I'm not totally sure yet.

[racepres]

I think that's a fair assumption, especially with the rifle calibers. What makes zero sense to me is that the 9mm and 45 kits full length resize but not the revolver calibers. Especially the magnum calibers, 38s you can get away with.
I might only use the whack a mole for plinking until I get a press.

Match Grade Ammo has been assembled by Knowledgeable folks working Carefully, with original Lee Loading kits..
Not unusual in any way that semi auto ammo should be Full Length resized...yer Revolver loads do just fine Neck (partial) resized.. Any Reloading Publication calls this out... Mine do anyway!!
When it comes to Semi auto Rifle.. that is why Small Base Dies were Invented!! Not something the Lee Loader kit, can deal with!!

[K43]

Match Grade Ammo has been assembled by Knowledgeable folks working Carefully, with original Lee Loading kits....

I think there was a young girl a couple of decades ago that set a 1,000 yard record reloading the same case between shots using a Whack-a-Mole.

[cstrickland]

I did for a few years. I liked it for working up 10 or so rounds , or for use decapping oddball brass I would pick up at the range before processing. I liked it a lot but did not find my self using it as much as I thought, so I sold it. Still wish I had one occasionally, but not enough to buy one

[W.R.Buchanan]

One of the things that gets talked about a lot is How Hard Sizing Big Rifle Cases with a Hand Press can be?.

When I designed mine I had my new Lee Hand Press in hand, and I analyzed the Ratio between the Pivot Point of the handle and the Pivot Point of the Drive Links that push the Shuttle up and down. I was able to increase that by about 25%, and in addition my tool was using 2 sets of Drive Links to push the Shuttle up, so the Force was doubled and side thrust was eliminated. The result is that when sizing cases the force required is divided between both handles, or in fact cut in half.

If you go to YouTube and search my videos you'll see one by Ultimate Reloader (Gavin Gear) where he is sizing .308 Machine Gun Brass in one stroke! (Blew me away!!!) That stuff is some of the hardest brass to size there is, and it takes me Three pushes to get one into a sizing die on my Bench Mounted Rock Chucker !

I have sold many of these tools (Now up to #427) to people loading .338 Lapua and other large cartridges. Had one guy on a "Depredation Hunt" in Namibia, that loaded for his .577 NE Double Rifle and Sharps .45-110 every night at the Camp Fire. He was there for 6 weeks and fired 250 rounds thru he .577, and another 150 thru the Sharps. (@10 rounds a Day) He had put a piece of Velcro on the bottom of the press and made a strap with Velcro that wrapped around his leg. On that hunt they shot everything that moved for 6 weeks !!!! I have pics he sent me !!!

So far in the 8 years this tool has been on the market, NO one has worn one out! I did get one back (the only one back!) that had sheared the Roll Pins that connect the top and bottom plates to the guide rods. I asked the guy how many rounds he had loaded and he told me between 10,000 and 20,000? (That's dedication!!!) The tool didn't have one mark on it so I knew he took care of it, and after I got the Roll Pins out, I went to the hardware store and bought 4 Hardened Steel Roll Pins to reassemble it with. Turns out the guy lived in his motorhome most of the time as he worked construction away from home and liked to shoot on the weekends. He was loading for 9 or 10 rifles In his spare time in the evenings.

I just saw #101, which was the first LNL version of the tool, for sale on Ebay. It looked to be unused and the guy who was selling it (a garage sale seller) was asking $225 for it, so there's a deal for someone? It originally was sold to a guy from Here named Mark Kilgore .

My tool is not for everyone. And whereas the Lee Tool is around $75 now and mine is more like $275, do understand the Lee Tool was built around a "Price Point."

Mine was designed to be the best there is, and it is in fact the finest example of any Portable Reloading Tool ever made. And I do hope you don't think I'm bragging about it.

It is just a simple fact. CNC Machined Parts, made from the Highest Quality Materials available, are just better than Die Cast and Stamped Metal Parts.

Another fact is that nobody has sent one back for a Refund yet!

If you want to enjoy Reloading at your Dining Room Table maybe try one of mine? You guys around Denver will note that it has been snowing for most of last week, so it might be preferable to load indoors instead of in your freezing garage? Also all my reloading gear fits into a LAPG Jumbo Bailout Bag so the whole Kit and Kaboodle doesn't take up much room in the house, or Motorhome, or Camper, or Tent? If taken care of it is a tool that will outlast you and your heirs.

Just sent one to Scotland last week, and many others have gone to the UK, SA, AUS and Europe.
Sent one last year to a guy on the Farthest North Island in Norway (Spitsbergen/Svalbard) to the town of Longyearbyen, farthest North inhabited town on the planet!!! Guess he was shooting lots of Polar Bears? But I don't think you walk anywhere outdoors up there without a Rifle, as Humans are NOT the top of the food chain in that part of the world !

This is one tool where you get what you paid for.

Available at www.buchananprecisionmachine.com

Randy

[Tripplebeards]

That’s sexy!!!

[Moleman-]

When not using a progressive press I generally use a Lee auto hand priming tool (the old round discontinued one) as they're much faster than a ram prime but lack the seating ability of the ram prime. Both of my hand prime's have a decent amount of wear from 35+ years of reloading and occasionally leave a high primer. After the cases are all primed I put them in a reloading block upside down and run my finger over the primers. They may look the same, but you can feel any primer that is higher. From there I'll generally use a Lee Ram Prime or one of the fixed primer arms on the RCBS press to fully seat any high primers. 357 is also a favorite of mine.

[lightload]

Worth every penny! I plan to buy one.

[Magnum0710]

Match Grade Ammo has been assembled by Knowledgeable folks working Carefully, with original Lee Loading kits..
Not unusual in any way that semi auto ammo should be Full Length resized...yer Revolver loads do just fine Neck (partial) resized.. Any Reloading Publication calls this out... Mine do anyway!!
When it comes to Semi auto Rifle.. that is why Small Base Dies were Invented!! Not something the Lee Loader kit, can deal with!!

The issue I have with only neck sizing my revolver cases is I'm pretty sure the chambers were reamed on my Security Six. The cases don't size down enough and won't even rechamber in the Security Six after sizing. Brass from my other revolvers is no issue and I can even use brass from the others in the Security Six but any 357 brass that comes from that gun is done for until I can fully resize it. 38 specials generally aren't an issue and I can use 38 brass from any of my revolvers.

For now I'm only using the Security Six for plinking with 38s and if I really need to test out a load in it. If it weren't for the chamber issue I would be just fine with neck sizing since it isn't as hard on the brass.

[Magnum0710]

When not using a progressive press I generally use a Lee auto hand priming tool (the old round discontinued one) as they're much faster than a ram prime but lack the seating ability of the ram prime. Both of my hand prime's have a decent amount of wear from 35+ years of reloading and occasionally leave a high primer. After the cases are all primed I put them in a reloading block upside down and run my finger over the primers. They may look the same, but you can feel any primer that is higher. From there I'll generally use a Lee Ram Prime or one of the fixed primer arms on the RCBS press to fully seat any high primers. 357 is also a favorite of mine.

I love the 357 too, it's truly my favorite and preferred caliber. If I could only have one gun it would be a 3 inch 357, easier to carry concealed than a 4 inch but also enough barrel to get good velocity.