Lee Loader

I got a new Breach Lock Hand Press (kit) delivered a few days ago .... I think it was $77, shipped. It's still in the box, safely stored away unless or until it may be needed. After 10 years of loading on nothing but a hand press (originally intended to be only one year before moving up a notch), I just can't give it up. I load .38spl, .357 mag, .44 mag, 9mm, .45 auto and 30-30 win on the hand press and have lost count of how many rounds have been squeezed out on that thing ... somewhere between 13k and 15k. I am a "frequent shooter", but am no longer a "volume shooter", so the hand press completely fill my needs.

It feels a lot better to have at least that much back-up equipment stashed back


jd

Nuttin' wrong wih hand press reloading. I have one but when I feel "retro" I normally grab a Lee Loader. Even though I have an excellent Co-Ax press my Handloader and Lee Loaders still have a place in my shop...

mikld wrote:Nuttin' wrong wih hand press reloading. I have one but when I feel "retro" I normally grab a Lee Loader. Even though I have an excellent Co-Ax press my Handloader and Lee Loaders still have a place in my shop...

"Retro" to me now has a different meaning. I did use the Classic Loaders (9mm and 38/357) for the first full year ... and had to force myself to stay with them for a full year. I started using the Breach Lock Hand Press in January of 2012, and according to the original plan it was only to be a full year before moving to a bench mounted single stage for a year. Then up to a turret press ....

I got so comfortable using the Hand Press that I decided to wait another year. Then recognized I was able to load just as fast and certainly as good as my few local reloading buddies. So, unless it suddenly rains primers and bullets, and reloading is affordable on my now meager budget, I'll stay with the hand press.

Oh, I didn't finish the "retro" thing. To me, having to buy factory ammo is about as retro as I can imagine


jd

mr surveyor wrote:To me, having to buy factory ammo is about as retro as I can imagine

Yeah what I did was buy a giant pile of OEM to sit on then started reloading and component collecting for future sustainability.

The hand press was my first press, too. But more because I was at my local gun shop, and they had a new old stock version sitting there for close to nothing. I still use it occationaly. A surprisingly usable press.

yep, it's so "surprising useable" that I bought a spare (just in case I might ever need it). Stashed it back ... somewhere. It's amusing that so many people of gun boards have absolutely no idea what a Lee Hand Press is. They always think it's referring to the "Classic Loader" (aka "whack-a-mole"), and users of the Hand Press are working with Stone Age (relative to reloading technology) tools to throw together ammunition that may, or may not go bang. It's not always easy, but I refrain from bringing notice to their ignorance


jd



jd

A few days ago I needed to prime 10-12 38 cases and didn't want to get my bench prime out so I tried to used the stock priming arm on my old Pacific "C" press. It took me over an hour to get things working (slot in ram needed deburring, arm needed straightening, cup needed cleaning/polishing). Finally I primed the brass and when I was putting stuff away I saw my hand press in the cabinet. FACE PALM! I could have used my ram prime in my hand press and done a better job in 5 minutes...