Gotta love hitting bullets with a hammer.

[pgdion]

Thought I'd post this for anyone who thinks reloading is to expensive to get into. It can be done quite effectively on a budget. I have a Lee press but I still find myself doing many reloads with those little Lee Classic reloading kits. It's always the first thing I buy for a new caliber and always reload the first cartridges on these little kits. Personally I think they're kind of fun to work with and you gotta love hitting bullets with a hammer.

Here's a picture of all that is needed to get you started in reloading (please excuse my cluttered bench).

If you factor in time, you don't really save any money this way but the bullets are cheaper and if you enjoy doing it, then the time is sort of free.

What's even cooler is you can quickly set up shop anywhere and reload some cartridges, out in the garage on a nice day, up north in the barn, out in a field, anywhere at all.
Anyone else use these little kits a lot?

[sob (sweet ole bill)]

have eight Lee kits. Gave up the hammer for a bottle capper press. Quieter, the wife doesn't complain when I want to reload in the evening.
4x4 block @ about 6 inches raises the throw on the lever.

SOB

[farmerboy]

I could see where this would be rewarding, even though I reload on a single stage myself however its done its got to be fun.

[pgdion]

Gave up the hammer for a bottle capper press.

Hey, that's not a bad idea. And then my wife won't think I'm so crazy ... bullets, hammer, what? But ... it's a rubber hammer.

[old roper]

I've used a mallet or arbor press for the Wilson neck/seater

Here a picture I go from step two down to seating
http://www.lapua.com/en/products/rel...reloading-data

[jimbob86]

What's even cooler is you can quickly set up shop anywhere and reload some cartridges, out in the garage on a nice day, up north in the barn, out in a field, anywhere at all.

I have used a hand press as my "Mobile Reloading Bench" ...... a pair of them, one for the Lee Collet die (no lube necessary) and one for the seating die, would be just about the ultimate for load development at the shooting bench......

[7.62 Nato]

I couldn't stand all the pounding and replaced the Lee loaders with a Lee Hand Press http://www.loadnbench.com/index.php?...ench&Itemid=53.

[rdsii64]

I do my loading on a forster coax. I am currently saving for a progressive so I can spend more time on the gun line and less time at the bench.

[Mike40-11]

My favorite comment on this was when I saw someone refer to is as the "Lee Whack-a-Mole Kit".

Love it. Got a friend that reloads for his Mosin this way, exclusively. Something seems very right about making ammo for a Russian gun with a hammer.

[pgdion]

Mike, I like that! Thanks for the chuckle.

phil

[k4swb]

I've never used one of these. You don't actually hit the bullets do you? Wouldn't that mess them up?

[Acerdog]

I have 4 lee loaders, They are a good way to learn. Fun to use, but the wife likes to press better. (Less noise.) The last straw was when i set a primer to hard (loud & burns the finger a little)

[Ideal Tool]

Hello, everyone. I started handloading with the Lee..a 12ga. kit my grandfather gave me along with an old double hammer Barker..Used to load those old paper shells over and over so often..the mouths were blowing off & pin-holes in case walls.
Next was an 8mm Mauser..then .30-40 Krag.
In the mid 70's, I bought my first press..a used C-H O frame..still use this heavy beast every day for loading & bullet swaging chores.
I now use the Wilson chamber type seaters..with a Sinclair micrometer top, for .22 Hornet & .222 Rem. I find I can seat using only palm of hand.
When I feel I need an arm workout..I break out the original nickle plated Ideal tong tools...Now these things are fun!

[Don P]

Oh boy, I just love anything that has to do with Smackers and the bigger the smacker the better. As they say if it doesn't fit, hit it with a smacker, if it breaks, it needed replacing anyway

[pgdion]

I've never used one of these. You don't actually hit the bullets do you?

Yep, you actually hit the bullet with the hammer.

Not directly but you do whack it. In the second picture, the cartridge (with primer and powder in it) goes in the bottom of the silver cylinder (on the right), then you drop the bullet in the top, next you take the part that looks like a T and insert the long thin rod down the shaft of the cylinder (on top of the bullet), The rod is adjustable in length to control the seating depth of the bullet.

Next you take the hammer on the left and give the top of it a decent wack. I use one firm hit to start seating the bullet properly and then a series of smaller taps until it is fully seated. The hard rubber end is good for seating bullets and I like the plastic end for seating the primers. The shaft of the driving rod is cupped on the end to fit round nose bullets and not deform them. However I have been loading flat point bullets lately and haven't had any issues despite the imperfect match between the driving rod and the bullet tip.

You you don't mind the slow process, these little kits actually do a really good job.

[Sevens]

I do my loading on a forster coax. I am currently saving for a progressive so I can spend more time on the gun line and less time at the bench.

If you are interesting is selling your used Co-Ax, please send me a PM!

[k4swb]

Quote:
I've never used one of these. You don't actually hit the bullets do you?
Yep, you actually hit the bullet with the hammer.

Not directly but you do whack it. In the second picture, the cartridge (with primer and powder in it) goes in the bottom of the silver cylinder (on the right), then you drop the bullet in the top, next you take the part that looks like a T and insert the long thin rod down the shaft of the cylinder (on top of the bullet), The rod is adjustable in length to control the seating depth of the bullet.

Next you take the hammer on the left and give the top of it a decent wack. I use one firm hit to start seating the bullet properly and then a series of smaller taps until it is fully seated. The hard rubber end is good for seating bullets and I like the plastic end for seating the primers. The shaft of the driving rod is cupped on the end to fit round nose bullets and not deform them. However I have been loading flat point bullets lately and haven't had any issues despite the imperfect match between the driving rod and the bullet tip.

You you don't mind the slow process, these little kits actually do a really good job.

I've seen the kits advertised and have a cousin that used one years ago but I never looked at how they were used.
Thanks for the explanation.

[serf 'rett]

Humming .. "Those were the days my friend..."

Saw dad's old Lee whack a mole ..er.. whack a bullet the other day when I was plundering throught some of stuff in his gun cabinet.

Sure enough Old School!

[jimbob86]

This is how it's done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeEl9wZyabc