Lee Loader Reprise Reprise.

[kennyc]

[zeroveez]

Great video of the Lee, perhaps the best kit Lee make. Accompanying this video is a very sensible introduction to hand loading, again on U-Tube.

[ovenpaa]

There was a brilliant Youtube video of a young Aussie lad using a Lee Loader a few years ago. He was loading 30-06 from memory on a bench outside and it was great to watch.

[Dougan]

One of the problems I've had working up loads, is that I generally only make 20 or 30 rounds at a time to try - usually 5 of each type (varied powder, bullet and seating depth) - sometimes if one particular type is not right, I'll not even try another...so have in the past come back from the range without shooting all the loads....then have to wait weeks to try again...

...with this loader, you could (?) take some cases (already prepped and primed), powder and bullets (and a bullet-puller) to the range and experiment all day...

Some questions if I may: Are there any rules against taking loading kit to the range (MOD)? And, do you have any control over seating depth with these kits?

Also another (possibly daft) question: Is there a hand-loading kit that will full-length size...or is it simply impossible to get the case back out of the die without the leverage of a press?

[ovenpaa]

The Lee hand press is as good a way as any to do final tuning of your bullet seating and they are as cheap as chips to buy, I have recently been modifying Lee RGB dies for use with high BC bullets for just this purpose and the whole press/dies package is probably under forty quid. I know of many people who tune loads at Bisley in this manner however as to the legality... Personally I am not aware of any issues with it.

The accepted manner is to long seat the bullets prior to heading off to the range so no chance of loosing powder and then seat down in steps as required. What the Lee RGB lacks is a micrometer head however it is easy enough to add your own scale with some tape so you can control changes of seating depth.

[dromia]

John I am not aware of any range restrictions on hand load for development on the range.

Yes bullet seating is fully adjustable, on the target versions you even have a micro adjust facility.

There are plenty of hand loading tools, I have and use ones from Wamadet, Lyman 310, Huntington Compac, Lee Hand press. They are all fine tools with the Lee being readily available, using standard dies and not expensive.

Arbor presses are reasonably portable too but need specialist dies and only neck size.

Of the ones I have the Wamadet, Huntington and the Lee all use standard dies so F/L resizing is possible with them. I have a great fondness for the Lyman 310 tongs and dies but they need their own dies and only neck size bottleneck cases.

Unfortunately the Wamadet is longer in production.

Plenty of choices, all good products so you just pays your money and away you go

[Dougan]

This is all very interesting...I didn't really get it the first time it was posted, as had only recently started loading for rifle calibers...but can see now that this could be a very useful bit of kit right from the start...

...thanks guys

[Dombo63]

Dromia, thank you for that, an extremely helpful set of pictures and instructions. I have the Lee hand-loader set for .303 but missing the priming rod so can only pop out the primers at this stage. Any idea where I might be able to get one? Another question, in the third picture what is the 4th tool on the right, looks like a countersink? I have one of those as well but with what looks like another decapper screwed into it. My set also has the little red scoop, No. 167.
And finally, how do you know at what depth to seat the bullets, ie how far do you screw together the two dies?
Thanks again for a very informative post.

[Sandgroper]

And finally, how do you know at what depth to seat the bullets, ie how far do you screw together the two dies?

Seat them long and slowly adjust down until you get to the desired COAL. I have a dummy round/s set up so I can adjust and return to different COALs.

HTH.

[dromia]

Any suitable length/diameter of steel rod will do for the priming rod.

The 4th item from the left in picture three is a standard Lyman/RCBS and others case mouth deburring tool that nicely radiuses the primer pocket and removes any primer crimp.

Grant has answered your third question.