Lee loader die sets

Blair · March 11, 2009, 09:31 PM

What's your opinion on these reloading tools? Besides being slooow. What's the quality of the rounds produced?

Sevens · March 11, 2009, 10:00 PM

I can't comment on the quality of the rounds produced as I haven't done it or seen the product.

I think, if it's like 1950, it's one heckuva cool thing to have. As a relic or for goofing with today, or a conversation piece, pretty neat.

As a serious device to make your own ammo, I think they are beyond insane.

And you have to pound it with a mallet. Every time someone reminisces about when they were younger and used one, they always get a chuckle out of the primers that exploded on them and nearly made them fill their drawers.

If it's all about saving money and reloading on a shoe string budget, I say go with a Lee hand press or even their cheapest "c" frame bench mounted press. But a killer press in the Lee Classic Cast is like $80. Carbide die sets for $25-$30 each.

I really think anyone who wants to get in to reloading needs to avoid this relic. It's going too far back to basics.

Gatofeo · March 11, 2009, 10:04 PM

Quality is high. I started on a Lee Loader back in 1971, cranking out .32 Winchester Special rounds for a 1941 Winchester carbine.
Still have that carbine, but gave up the Lee Loader long ago. Wish I'd saved it, purely for sentimental reasons.
There are only two dicey operations about the Lee Loader: priiming and criimping. Guaranteed you'll pop a primer now and then, trying to tap it into the case, but it's no big deal -- just disconcerting.
Crimp is not precisely applied, as in a press, because you have to tap the cartridge against shoulder.
Still, you can assemble some good ammo.
Rather slow going but if you're only going to shoot a box or two per year, it's just fine.
Some folks get hung up on the powder measure but it can measure accurately. At 100 yards, with iron sights, I could keep reloaded rounds in a 4" circle. Factory ammo did no better.

tiberius10721 · March 11, 2009, 11:00 PM

ive never used them either but i can see how they could be considered useful in the field if u knew how to use them which i dont!

Prof Young · March 11, 2009, 11:47 PM

Loaders:
I started with a Lee loader and yea, I popped a few primers. The best thing about these kits is that they are for the guy who is just thinking about handloading and wants to try it out. That's where I was. Loaded a bunch of 44 mags with a lee loader and then finally bought a press and dies etc.

I still have it but don't use it anymore.

Live well be safe.
Prof Young

Dr. Strangelove · March 12, 2009, 12:07 AM

I have my grandfather's old Lee Loader in 9mm Luger; we produced many a cartridge when I was a kid as well as some great memories along the way. I still load a few with it now and then for sentimental reasons.

It's a great tool and capable of producing some very accurate ammunition, there was a slightly different model produced some years ago that was very popular with the bench-rest crowd, but is no longer produced. You certainly wouldn't be limiting yourself accuracy wise with a Lee Loader.

You could get into reloading for a minimal cost, $20.00 - $30.00 for the loader, $18.00 - $25.00 for a pound of powder, $3.00 or so for 100 primers, $13.00 - $20.00 for 50 jacketed bullets, less if you can shoot cast lead bullets in your firearm. (I'm assuming you have fired cases) For about $55.00 -$80.00, you can be pounding away happily.

I used mine extensively when I was in college and had no room to set up my press, which was in storage; also when I was married and living in an apartment where the wife was not about to allow my loading equipment to be set up. It's not as slow a process as you might think, once you get a rhythm down it's not that much slower than a single stage press, at least in my experience. You should be able to load 50 rounds (of 9mm, anyway) in 30-45 minutes, certainly no more than an hour. Simplicity is it's greatest feature,no fiddling with powder measures, scales, die settings, etc. Just get some fired casings and bang away with your mallet. It's surprisingly relaxing and weirdly cathartic.

Interestingly, I've never had the primer problems others experience, yes; I've popped a few over the years, but it's really not that big a deal. (safety glasses) I use Winchester brass normally, and don't know that I've ever popped one with that brass. Some of the import brass with really tight primer pockets have caused me a few explosions over the years.

To sum it up, the Lee Loader is a great little tool that does exactly what it was designed to do anywhere you have a mallet and components. It's not a replacement for a regular loading setup, but it will do the job.

Lost Sheep · March 12, 2009, 01:33 AM

They can produce ammo that goes BANG. They can produce accurate ammo with care. I prefer to use a press for full-length sizing, but I have made a few rounds in .357 and .44 magnum. I have never set off a primer in mine. I suggest you wear a heavy glove when seating primers, eye protections and earplugs. You also do not HAVE to use a mallet (rawhide, wood, plastic or hard rubber - metal is not advised). You can use an arbor press or you could even make something akin to a log-splitter to provide the pressure the hammer usually provides, but more gently. I have never done it, but heard of those who have.

I like the Lee powder scoops, but I don't depend on the table they provide for weights. I check with a scale. I find the scoops to be very precise (throw the same amount every time) but understand they can be a little on the light side in the amount of powder they throw. Consisten (precise), but light (inaccurate). I never bothered to check the table. I use my scale.

If you don't hold the die straight up and down, I can make cartridges a little "off" and won't chamber easily. But then, I was using a Dan Wesson at the time, and they have notoriously tight chambers. It is easier to inadvertently be inconsistent with the Lee Loader.

Some benchrest shooters swear by them. Some people think they are crazy (the Lee Loaders being crazy, the benchresters are a foregone conclusion; it is a fine madness that compells one to shoot at targets too far away to see.)

While I had a loading "bench" that would fit in a footlocker, including press, dies, scale, scoops loading blocks and all, the Lee "bench" can by dispensing with the press can fit in a desk drawer-maybe even a shoebox.

Biggest drawbacks: The low speed of output. The extra care you have to take to ensure consistent quality. The wierd looks you get smackin' bullets with a hammer. Using a hammer is noisier than a press.

Advantages: They are marginally faster than a muzzleloader. (I think; I never timed it, but you get the point). Inexpensive and compact.

Bottom line (opinion, and also my experience). If your budget has you counting spare change every day, you can really appreciate the Lee, but if you shoot much, you will eventually get a press. You will also never sell your Lee. Before you do that, you will give it away to a friend or a protege.

Lost Sheep

Remember, only believe half of what you see and one quarter of what you hear. That goes double for what you get from the internet. Even this post. Maybe especially this post.

Do your own research when ANYONE gives you new facts on the web.

Also remember, even the idiotic stuff might have a kernel of truth buried in there somewhere.

Blair · March 12, 2009, 06:45 AM

Thanks all.

I would be using it for a .308 Win in a bolt action so no worries on the crimp. What I saw in the product description said it only neck sized which is what I want.

WESHOOT2 · March 12, 2009, 06:51 AM

Wear safety glasses.
Wear a thick glove on the hand holding the rod when pounding in primers.

Sevens · March 12, 2009, 07:24 AM

My argument against them is for what you'd spend on a Lee Loader, you could buy a set of reloading dies for about the same price.

If you simply buy one Lee Loader, you are reloading for one caliber with only $30 invested in tools. (components are a whole other ball of wax, obviously)

If you want another caliber, you buy another Lee Loader.

If you had instead bought a press, even a cheap one, you'd buy a different die set each time, for similar money to a Lee Loader.

You'd end up with a much more powerful and flexible (and proper!) tool for only the few bucks a press cost.

roy reali · March 12, 2009, 07:44 AM

When I was 15, my parents gave me a Marlin .30-30 for a present. My oldest brother gave me a couple of boxes of factory ammo for his contribution. The day after I purchased a scope and mounts with summer money that I had saved up. To say I was disappointed with my first range trip with this rifle woud be an understatement. The groups at one hundred yards were so bad that I could hardly sight the thing in.

I had been reading gun rags for years up to that point. I read many an article about reloading. So a few weeks later I decided to take the plunge. I remember this like it was yesterday. I purchased a .30-30 LeeLoader, a can of IMR3031, a box of Sierra 170 grain flat tips, and a tin of CCI 200's. I saved the factory brass that I had shot.

I reloaded 20 rounds and then went to the range to try the rifle again. I could not believe my eyes. I was actually shooting pretty good groups at one hundred yards. Way better then the factory stuff did. That hooked me on reloading and I have never looked back.

LeeLoaders do bring back many fond memeories for many reloaders.

wncchester · March 12, 2009, 08:51 AM

Besides speed, the only thing "missing" from the Lee Loaders is the ability to full length resize, IF it's needed.

If you try chambering cases other than your own before you load them you will quickly learn which ones you can use and which actually need to be FL sized. Many won't, no matter what arm they were fire from.

I would prefer to have a powder scale (Lee's is fine and quite inexpensive too) so I could experiment with charges other than what the dipper gives but even that's not a neccesity.

In real life, crimping is rarely needed.

March 11, 2009, 09:31 PM	#1
Blair Member Join Date: November 18, 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 36	Lee loader die sets What's your opinion on these reloading tools? Besides being slooow. What's the quality of the rounds produced?

March 11, 2009, 10:00 PM	#2
Sevens Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 11,756	I can't comment on the quality of the rounds produced as I haven't done it or seen the product. I think, if it's like 1950, it's one heckuva cool thing to have. As a relic or for goofing with today, or a conversation piece, pretty neat. As a serious device to make your own ammo, I think they are beyond insane. And you have to pound it with a mallet. Every time someone reminisces about when they were younger and used one, they always get a chuckle out of the primers that exploded on them and nearly made them fill their drawers. If it's all about saving money and reloading on a shoe string budget, I say go with a Lee hand press or even their cheapest "c" frame bench mounted press. But a killer press in the Lee Classic Cast is like $80. Carbide die sets for $25-$30 each. I really think anyone who wants to get in to reloading needs to avoid this relic. It's going too far back to basics. __________________ *Attention Brass rats and other reloaders:* I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.

March 11, 2009, 10:04 PM	#3
Gatofeo Senior Member Join Date: October 1, 2004 Location: Remote Utah desert Posts: 224	Quality is high. I started on a Lee Loader back in 1971, cranking out .32 Winchester Special rounds for a 1941 Winchester carbine. Still have that carbine, but gave up the Lee Loader long ago. Wish I'd saved it, purely for sentimental reasons. There are only two dicey operations about the Lee Loader: priiming and criimping. Guaranteed you'll pop a primer now and then, trying to tap it into the case, but it's no big deal -- just disconcerting. Crimp is not precisely applied, as in a press, because you have to tap the cartridge against shoulder. Still, you can assemble some good ammo. Rather slow going but if you're only going to shoot a box or two per year, it's just fine. Some folks get hung up on the powder measure but it can measure accurately. At 100 yards, with iron sights, I could keep reloaded rounds in a 4" circle. Factory ammo did no better. __________________ "And lo, did I see an ugly cat. Smoke. Brimstone. Holes in parchment. And this ugly cat was much amused." --- The Prophesies of Gatodamus (1503 - 1566)

March 11, 2009, 11:47 PM	#5
Prof Young Senior Member Join Date: August 21, 2007 Location: Illinois - down state Posts: 2,404	Lee loader Loaders: I started with a Lee loader and yea, I popped a few primers. The best thing about these kits is that they are for the guy who is just thinking about handloading and wants to try it out. That's where I was. Loaded a bunch of 44 mags with a lee loader and then finally bought a press and dies etc. I still have it but don't use it anymore. Live well be safe. Prof Young

March 12, 2009, 01:33 AM	#7
Lost Sheep Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2009 Location: Anchorage Alaska Posts: 3,341	Lee Loaders They can produce ammo that goes BANG. They can produce accurate ammo with care. I prefer to use a press for full-length sizing, but I have made a few rounds in .357 and .44 magnum. I have never set off a primer in mine. I suggest you wear a heavy glove when seating primers, eye protections and earplugs. You also do not HAVE to use a mallet (rawhide, wood, plastic or hard rubber - metal is not advised). You can use an arbor press or you could even make something akin to a log-splitter to provide the pressure the hammer usually provides, but more gently. I have never done it, but heard of those who have. I like the Lee powder scoops, but I don't depend on the table they provide for weights. I check with a scale. I find the scoops to be very precise (throw the same amount every time) but understand they can be a little on the light side in the amount of powder they throw. Consisten (precise), but light (inaccurate). I never bothered to check the table. I use my scale. If you don't hold the die straight up and down, I can make cartridges a little "off" and won't chamber easily. But then, I was using a Dan Wesson at the time, and they have notoriously tight chambers. It is easier to inadvertently be inconsistent with the Lee Loader. Some benchrest shooters swear by them. Some people think they are crazy (the Lee Loaders being crazy, the benchresters are a foregone conclusion; it is a fine madness that compells one to shoot at targets too far away to see.) While I had a loading "bench" that would fit in a footlocker, including press, dies, scale, scoops loading blocks and all, the Lee "bench" can by dispensing with the press can fit in a desk drawer-maybe even a shoebox. Biggest drawbacks: The low speed of output. The extra care you have to take to ensure consistent quality. The wierd looks you get smackin' bullets with a hammer. Using a hammer is noisier than a press. Advantages: They are marginally faster than a muzzleloader. (I think; I never timed it, but you get the point). Inexpensive and compact. Bottom line (opinion, and also my experience). If your budget has you counting spare change every day, you can really appreciate the Lee, but if you shoot much, you will eventually get a press. You will also never sell your Lee. Before you do that, you will give it away to a friend or a protege. Lost Sheep Remember, only believe half of what you see and one quarter of what you hear. That goes double for what you get from the internet. Even this post. Maybe especially this post. Do your own research when ANYONE gives you new facts on the web. Also remember, even the idiotic stuff might have a kernel of truth buried in there somewhere.

March 11, 2009, 11:00 PM	#4
tiberius10721 Junior member Join Date: December 22, 2008 Posts: 228	ive never used them either but i can see how they could be considered useful in the field if u knew how to use them which i dont!

March 12, 2009, 12:07 AM	#6
Dr. Strangelove Senior Member Join Date: August 1, 2008 Location: Athens, GA Posts: 1,436	I have my grandfather's old Lee Loader in 9mm Luger; we produced many a cartridge when I was a kid as well as some great memories along the way. I still load a few with it now and then for sentimental reasons. It's a great tool and capable of producing some very accurate ammunition, there was a slightly different model produced some years ago that was very popular with the bench-rest crowd, but is no longer produced. You certainly wouldn't be limiting yourself accuracy wise with a Lee Loader. You could get into reloading for a minimal cost, $20.00 - $30.00 for the loader, $18.00 - $25.00 for a pound of powder, $3.00 or so for 100 primers, $13.00 - $20.00 for 50 jacketed bullets, less if you can shoot cast lead bullets in your firearm. (I'm assuming you have fired cases) For about $55.00 -$80.00, you can be pounding away happily. I used mine extensively when I was in college and had no room to set up my press, which was in storage; also when I was married and living in an apartment where the wife was not about to allow my loading equipment to be set up. It's not as slow a process as you might think, once you get a rhythm down it's not that much slower than a single stage press, at least in my experience. You should be able to load 50 rounds (of 9mm, anyway) in 30-45 minutes, certainly no more than an hour. Simplicity is it's greatest feature,no fiddling with powder measures, scales, die settings, etc. Just get some fired casings and bang away with your mallet. It's surprisingly relaxing and weirdly cathartic. Interestingly, I've never had the primer problems others experience, yes; I've popped a few over the years, but it's really not that big a deal. (safety glasses) I use Winchester brass normally, and don't know that I've ever popped one with that brass. Some of the import brass with really tight primer pockets have caused me a few explosions over the years. To sum it up, the Lee Loader is a great little tool that does exactly what it was designed to do anywhere you have a mallet and components. It's not a replacement for a regular loading setup, but it will do the job.

March 12, 2009, 06:45 AM	#8
Blair Member Join Date: November 18, 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 36	Thanks all. I would be using it for a .308 Win in a bolt action so no worries on the crimp. What I saw in the product description said it only neck sized which is what I want.

March 12, 2009, 06:51 AM	#9
WESHOOT2 Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 1999 Location: home on the range; Vermont (Caspian country) Posts: 14,324	quality can be high Wear safety glasses. Wear a thick glove on the hand holding the rod when pounding in primers. __________________ . "all my ammo is mostly retired factory ammo"

March 12, 2009, 07:24 AM	#10
Sevens Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 11,756	My argument against them is for what you'd spend on a Lee Loader, you could buy a set of reloading dies for about the same price. If you simply buy one Lee Loader, you are reloading for one caliber with only $30 invested in tools. (components are a whole other ball of wax, obviously) If you want another caliber, you buy another Lee Loader. If you had instead bought a press, even a cheap one, you'd buy a different die set each time, for similar money to a Lee Loader. You'd end up with a much more powerful and flexible (and proper!) tool for only the few bucks a press cost. __________________ *Attention Brass rats and other reloaders:* I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.

March 12, 2009, 07:44 AM	#11
roy reali Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2005 Posts: 3,248	My Start When I was 15, my parents gave me a Marlin .30-30 for a present. My oldest brother gave me a couple of boxes of factory ammo for his contribution. The day after I purchased a scope and mounts with summer money that I had saved up. To say I was disappointed with my first range trip with this rifle woud be an understatement. The groups at one hundred yards were so bad that I could hardly sight the thing in. I had been reading gun rags for years up to that point. I read many an article about reloading. So a few weeks later I decided to take the plunge. I remember this like it was yesterday. I purchased a .30-30 LeeLoader, a can of IMR3031, a box of Sierra 170 grain flat tips, and a tin of CCI 200's. I saved the factory brass that I had shot. I reloaded 20 rounds and then went to the range to try the rifle again. I could not believe my eyes. I was actually shooting pretty good groups at one hundred yards. Way better then the factory stuff did. That hooked me on reloading and I have never looked back. LeeLoaders do bring back many fond memeories for many reloaders.

March 12, 2009, 08:51 AM	#12
wncchester Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2002 Posts: 2,832	Besides speed, the only thing "missing" from the Lee Loaders is the ability to full length resize, IF it's needed. If you try chambering cases other than your own before you load them you will quickly learn which ones you can use and which actually need to be FL sized. Many won't, no matter what arm they were fire from. I would prefer to have a powder scale (Lee's is fine and quite inexpensive too) so I could experiment with charges other than what the dipper gives but even that's not a neccesity. In real life, crimping is rarely needed.