Lee Loader

I've been pondering it, now I am. What I come to realize is that the press will speed up the work that I push through my Challenger Press, decapping, bullet sizing, Bulge Busting. I have added the primer pocket swaging in the hopes that it will eliminate the work I've been doing on the Lyman Prep Center with the pockets heading to the Load-Master.

I've got everything coming or pre-ordered to include 15 custom bullet sizing dies from Lee.

Yep, going to hit it whole hog.

Mine has been on order since Dec 2. It looks like it will speed up some of my bulk brass prep.

farmerjim wrote:Mine has been on order since Dec 2. It looks like it will speed up some of my bulk brass prep.

Yep, that and bullet sizing if you are a caster.

I want one

Hmmmm, thinking about ordering this also. From Titan I can get the "deluxe" shipped for right at 100 bucks. Just not to sure what else I'd want to go with it. Like RD I'm thinking case prep mostly but another capable SS press with what this offers would be a good thing. Just not sure what all I would want to use it for. I've never bulge busted a case so not sure that would be something I'd need. I've never been a fan of LLA and I don't "coat" bullets so I'm also not sure about the sizing dies. I've had several of the "old" style sizing setups and ended up giving them to a friend. I like the idea of the cool shell holder and it maybe could take the place of the LM for depriming 9mm. Need to do a bit more checking as to what this little guy will do. I do like what I see so far.

Your thoughts were the same as mine shortly after the excitement of a new press wore down a bit. I just wasn't sure how I would use it as everything that I plan on using it for is already being done with the Challenger. The turning point for me was through the Lee videos on their product page. Everything I'm doing is done much faster, and that is a thing for me if I can automate bullet and case feed. The Load-Masters have caused me to realize just how much time that manipulation takes.

The big switch for me last year was powder coating my bullets. The bottom line is I don't know why it took me so long. Pushing those bullets through the present Lee sizers takes a long time. The press strokes will remain the same, and the bullets will still need to go into the tubes, which should be more straightforward than balancing them on the punch. I tried to go to a Lyman 4500 years ago; I bought the heated version of it, and about $500 worth of custom sizing dies. It has sat on the bench unused for about six months less than I owned it. It was the slowest process I've ever experienced.

The Bulge Busting is a semi-auto thing. The only wear that I've lost pistol cases to is from the bulge that forms as a result of the unsupported chamber, a common thing with most semi-auto pistols. This bulge occurs in the area a full-length sizing die cannot size. Sooner or later, you have loaded ammunition that will fail to chamber on account of it. The real problem with it is that you generally don't experience it until a certain percentage of the ammo you have already reloaded is experiencing it. I'm not shooting as much as I once did, but everything I reload and shoot could end up defending me, so every case is BB before it revisits the Load-Master.

Has anyone gotten one yet? I see they are on backourder until late February on the one website I was looking at.

Yeah, I think it will be a while. Lee had a notice on their website about it, they were correcting a part.

Ranch Dog wrote:Yeah, I think it will be a while. Lee had a notice on their website about it, they were correcting a part.

Here is the 12/13/19 update from Lee. I do notice that the presses have an expected shipping date on the Lee site of 1/24/20.

The million-cycle fatigue test is complete, and I am delighted to report it was a complete success. There were no failures of any component, and normal wear at the lever pivot points. The wear on the linkage does not affect the function of the press in any way. Simply adjusting the die into the press a little further to allow for the “slop” in the linkage restores the press to perfect operation. Had we lubricated the pivot points more often, the wear likely would have been reduced. We lubed the press when it began “talking” the proverbial squeaking wheel needing grease.

With the exception of large primer pocket swaging, no one will apply the amount of pressure that we applied during the fatigue test, and it is highly unlikely any reloader would cycle the lever a million times in a lifetime.

I have a little bad news to report, and that is, we are likely going to miss the end of year ship date that I originally predicted. Two components on the automation package required tool modifications and a material change that has pushed us into the holiday season, and progress grinds to a halt during these festive days."

Does the new press offer any other method of lubing the cast bullets being resized than using ALOX? I too have a Lyman 450 seldom used and am intrigued by the convenience and speed of the new App Press. Thanks