Lee Loader

Hello everyone, and Happy New Year!

I have a quick and somewhat naïve question: my .38 Special Lee Loader is marked 38/357. Given that I'm using a powder measure (Lee Perfect Powder Measure) and scale (Lee Safety Balance Beam) for charging the case instead of the dippers, is there any difference in loading the two cartridges with the same die other than seating depth?

Thanks,
-Drew

No difference, bang away.

Ranch Dog wrote:No difference, bang away.

You can get a .135 spacer to use your 38/357 dies without adjusting every time you change between cartridges.

As fellow farmerjim tells you, with one washer or any separator that I have the measures of the difference from one brass to another will be enough.

I have the book "René Malfatti recharge manual", very good book, and there they comment that in the past there was a set of dies that already included this separator.

Nothing you can't make on an afternoon of entertainment.

The older Lee Loaders even used the same die body for the 9mm. The 9mm had a different decapping base to raise the case up and it used the same seating stem. This would have been the older style in the paper box. The powder dippers used back then would have been: 38 spl - 020 dipper, 9mm - 039 dipper and the 357 - 052 dipper. I suspect that you have a newer kit with the yellow dipper that is in CCs, more than likely the .5cc.

It might be a good idea to research what a "Lee Classic Loader" is.

Commonly known as the "Whack-a-Mole" re-loading kit. It's NOT standard press type dies.

The regular 38/357 LEE Classic Loader (used by the basic included instructions) is totally capable of producing very good cartridges as is. It may be a bit slow and noisy .... but dang sure effective.


jd

and fun

cj8281 wrote:and fun

Oh, yes, load ammo and vent at the same time.

Make smoke,