Used Lee Single Stage Presses

[Paladin UK]

What a booootiful Store!!!

Thanks BC fer postin 



Paladin (Whats Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeel JEALOUS  ) UK

[Will Ketchum]

Wadd & Major2, I have been reloading for about 40 years.  I have 2 Dillon 550s, 1 RCBS Rock Chucker, 1 Texan 5 hole turret, 2 Lee c-presses and 1 Lee hand press.   I would suggest any of the Lee Turrets.  They are inexpensive and can be used as a single press if needed.

You both have my e-mail address so if you need some advice or some help feel free to ask.  I also recommend the Lyman Reloading Handbook, I believe it's on the 49th edition.  It is a wealth of information as is Lee's "Modern Reloading"


Will Ketchum

[fourfingersofdeath]

he has also been kind enough to offeer to le t me watch him reload

Since I am a mostly visual learner, if I watch it enough times the reloading manuals will make sense ... right now reading something like that would be akin to taking a sleeping pill ... LOL

I used to reload for a lot of fellow shooters (both pistol and rifle, but no BP at that stage) and I made good pocket money at it.

When i moved to the country in 1991 however, I found a different mindset. Guys at work and the range would come around and say, 'I hear you do reloading?' When I started talking about it to them and quoted a fee (costs plus a moderate profit, way less than I was earning at work), they would say, 'I got these bullets and powder when I was in Sydney, I'll bring them around and get you to load them for me.'

I would say, 'welll it doesn't work that way, I have all of the equipment which I bought and if I reload for you, that is less time I have for my family and myself. If you come around, you can use my equipment and I will show you how to reload. Only two took me up on it, the rest grumbled and moved on. One guy got very angry when I declined and I said well, I got a lawn mower and an edger and a heap of fuel, how about you mow my lawn for me. That got rid of him.

Rather than watch him, why not ask if you can do it while he suoervises you. It will sink in then.

[Wagon Box Willy]

I'm pretty new at this and I haven't used any of the more expensive presses but I bought the single stage Lee Anniversary set 2 years ago ($119 locally) and loaded about 1500 rounds of 45Colt with it.  It works like a champ and have not had one malfunction with it.  Then at Christmas I bought a Lee Load Master progressive press for about $215 with discount at Midway.  I've got about 500 rounds through it without any problems either.  It primes new brass or cleaned primer pockets perfectly.  In a couple of hundred rounds I didn't clean the pockets so it left maybe 10 or 15 a little high but I just put those in the single stage press and finished them off.

At this point I'm really happy with Lee though I don't know how they'll still be performing after many thousands of rounds.

For anyone thinking about a Load Master press there's a web site dedicated to it, http://www.loadmastervideos.com/
It has some good info on setting up the press. 

-Willy

[john boy]

Ellis, if you are looking a 'used' Lee Single Stage Press, take a look at Lee's Closeouts ...
http://leeprecision.com/xcart/Closeouts/

As for the quality and durability of Lee presses, I work to death 2 of the Lee 3 Hole Turret presses loading BPCR reloads ... and they have not had one broken part.  I also use these presses to reform various different caliber brass.  Many folks say use a Rockchucker because of it's strength.  But my Lee's have not failed me. 

[fourfingersofdeath]

I'm pretty new at this and I haven't used any of the more expensive presses but I bought the single stage Lee Anniversary set 2 years ago ($119 locally) and loaded about 1500 rounds of 45Colt with it.  It works like a champ and have not had one malfunction with it.  Then at Christmas I bought a Lee Load Master progressive press for about $215 with discount at Midway.  I've got about 500 rounds through it without any problems either.  It primes new brass or cleaned primer pockets perfectly.  In a couple of hundred rounds I didn't clean the pockets so it left maybe 10 or 15 a little high but I just put those in the single stage press and finished them off.

At this point I'm really happy with Lee though I don't know how they'll still be performing after many thousands of rounds.

For anyone thinking about a Load Master press there's a web site dedicated to it, http://www.loadmastervideos.com/
It has some good info on setting up the press. 

-Willy

I'd be reallllll leery about having a second go at seating primers after powder and boolit have been added. Could end up with a nasty surprise.

More likely you are not pressing the handle hard enough to seat the primers properly than dirty primer pockets stopping them going all the way in. I've never cleaned a primer pocket on a pistol round and have never had a high primer problem. I load for 20+ pistols and 9 pistol calibre rifles for many years.

I'd be single loading them in a rifle or using a kinetic hammer to pull them apart. Way too dangerous doing it on the press..

[john boy]

4Fingers, you might want to try the Lee Auto Primer.  The shell holder and plastic cover are in perfect alignment.  If you have a high primer, the Lee does not allow the primed case to be removed from the shell holder - dirty or clean primer pocket.
Word of caution:  don't try to load primers using Remington primers with the Lee.  The primers are a tad higher than others and no cases can be removed from Auto Primer

[Will Ketchum]

4Fingers, you might want to try the Lee Auto Primer.  The shell holder and plastic cover are in perfect alignment.  If you have a high primer, the Lee does not allow the primed case to be removed from the shell holder - dirty or clean primer pocket.
Word of caution:  don't try to load primers using Remington primers with the Lee.  The primers are a tad higher than others and no cases can be removed from Auto Primer

And Lee warns about using Federal primers in their auto prime or in the priming tools on their presses.  They feel that Federal are too sensitive and more prone to detonation on the priming stroke.   I believe the only primer tube incident I have had in over 40 years of hand loading was with a Federal primer.  I now only use CCIs

Will Ketchum

[Wagon Box Willy]

fourfingersofdeath, Thanks for the caution, that's why I come here   I think I can modify my process so I check for the primer when I'm putting the bullet on.  I really do think it has to do with the unclean primer pockets because it hasn[t happened with new brass.  I'm going to give the press a little more adjustment and see if that helps

Thanks
  -Willy

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

I don't have a progressive and still use the "batch" process.  if I were to upgrade I think I would still process cases completely before loading. That would be to deprime, check primer pockets, and tumble.  Then cases would be like-new when you started to reload them.  I realize it would be hard to keep production up but the quality/proof would be found in the puddin'.

[fourfingersofdeath]

And Lee warns about using Federal primers in their auto prime or in the priming tools on their presses.  They feel that Federal are too sensitive and more prone to detonation on the priming stroke.   I believe the only primer tube incident I have had in over 40 years of hand loading was with a Federal primer.  I now only use CCIs

Will Ketchum

I'll watch that, I have many thousand Remington primers and all in the Lee auto prime  (All rifle primers I think, small and large).

The Winchesters are what I like to use, work well and suitable for magnum or normal use. I really dislike Federals with their silly 'guaranteed to drop a few out of each packet' packaging, but picked up a huge amount cheap when the local gunshop came unstuck, so I'll be using them as well as the Winchesters and I have a few thousand CCIs as well from memory.

[rickk]

Always remember that if a primer magazine holds the supply of primers next to the primer being inserted, that the whole supply will explode if the one being inserted goes off... chain fire style.

There is no way around that happening.

It's not a fun thing... been there... done that.... I don't do that any more.

I only use primer feeds that separate the primer supply from the primer being worked on, or I feed them in one at a time by hand.

Scared I am... yup... terrified.... big time.

[rickk]

Stu Kettle, who wondered what the forth die hole is for...

45 Colt with black powder is new to me... I am probably going overboard a little, but a 10 or 12 hole turret would not be out of the question right now. I say this a little bit in jest, but not totally.

- Universal depriming die
- Resizing die (I have one, but a different one is on the way to hopefully fix an issue that I am seeing with the first one)
- Expander die ... playing with two different styles.. LEE and RCBS do it totally different, and RCBS has two different expander sizes... playing with both of them this weekend.
- Powder Compression die
- Seating die
- Crimping Die
-sizing die (I size with LEE sizing dies that go in a press) .



I am counting 9 so far... for something that is so "primitive" as the 45 colt.

I expect (hope) to reduce the number needed after playing with it all.

Ya, going overboard a little, but it all adds up to three x 3 hole LEE turrets atm.

Rick

[Stu Kettle]

I use Lee dies, the first one resizes & deprimes, the return stroke reprimes with the primer arm that came with the press, second die expands & drops the charge from the autodisc measure (on the rare occasions that I load black powder I drop it through this die with a dipper & funnel that fits the die because its too much hassle setting up the double disc thing), third die seats the bullet & puts a nice crimp in the crimp groove.

I bought one of them factory crimp dies, still got it, never used it, can't figure out why I would need it.

[Will Ketchum]

Rick, with the 45 Colt I doubt you would need a compression die.  That is for long range cartridges.  You can compress enough while seating the ullet.

Stu, what I like about the factory crimp die is that it desn't depend on case length to give a perfect crimp every time.  I really dislike trimming cases, so in straight walled pistol cartridges I seldom do.

Will Ketchum

[rickk]

Prolly Will.. prolly...

Started loading some last weekend and saw issues I am not used to dealing with, so I ordered "one of each" of everything to be better prepared next session.

One thing I ran into was that, using LEE dies at least, I had a heck of a time sizing brand new Star brass far enough down near the rim. When the die was set up to just touch the shell holder (like a carbide die is supposed to be), the brass wont quite chamber in either of two revolvers. I screwed it down a bit further... probably further than one is supposed to screw in a carbide die, and it chambered...

I modified a shell holder a bit (ground the top down) and things got a bit less bad, but still was not happy... I am hard to make happy some times.

So I spent some time on the phone with RCBS and a few other people and have a whole bunch more stuff coming.... one of everything I guess. Somewhere in the confusion I ordered a compression die as well. I can see a possible use for it and I don't want to be interrupted next session for lack of somethin. I just wanna make bullets and shoot.

As far as the LEE factory Crimp Die, we all have our hard fast opinions, but I won't load a handgun round without using one myself any more.  It makes for a much nicer crimp, with no lead shaving no matter what the crimp looks like.