The Lee Hand Press, a 1/2 review.

The Terminator · December 3, 2008, 10:52 AM

My hand press arrived a few days ago. The press is light, 24 oz shipping weight, it is made of aluminum. It is really stronger than it feels, at least it handled the resizing with no problem.

I got it out and tried it today. The 45/70 dies are here. First, I put the factory crimp die in and crimped the 5 loads that I made with the Lee Loader last week. I could see a faint, shiny ring around the rim of the cartridge. I was satisfied with that.

Next, I put the full length resizer die, with the depriming pin in the little press. Use was quite easy, with no leverage problem at all. I had only 8 extra brass on hand, so I resized and deprimed them with the hand press. The shaft of the ram is hollow, and solid at the bottom. The spent primers collect in there until you dump them out. Be careful to keep from dumping them out if you lay the press in your lap, while getting another brass to cycle.

You cannot prime with this press, you have to use a priming tool. Lee recommends the Lee Auto Hand Priming Tool. It only runs $12 and change at Midway, however, I would not buy it because it does not use standard shell holders. I have the RCBS hand primer on hand, standard #14 shell holder in place, so that is what I used.

I didn't charge and seat the bullets, so that is why this is only a 1/2 review. I can see that it would take some good coordination to charge the brass while holding the loader. That is probably not the easiest way to do this. It would probably be a good idea to charge the brass while in a tray before putting it into the press and seating the bullet.

I did like the way that it performed its tasks today. What I liked best is that I could sit at my computer desk, listen to a talk show, and work everything without being in my cold garage, at a bench. The little press only cost $21 and change. if you have one around, I'm sure that you will find something to do with it.

vranasaurus · December 3, 2008, 01:18 PM

I used to prime using my hand press.

I thought it came with the primer punch that went on the piston and then it had a screw in shell holder holder that went where the dies usually go.

I no longer have the hand press but I still think I have the pieces that allow you to prime with it.

When I get home I will post a picture.

noelf2 · December 3, 2008, 01:51 PM

I use mine a lot for pistol cartridges. Been contemplating getting some rifle dies for it soon. My kit did come with a primer die, but I got a lee hand primer instead, no problems with it as it came with a full array of pistol and rifle shell holders (not standard) and is a lot quicker. The hand press does a very good job with charging and seating as well.

wncchester · December 3, 2008, 07:27 PM

"It would probably be a good idea to charge the brass while in a tray before putting it into the press and seating the bullet."

Correct. And that's the best way to charge cases in any press but a full progressive too.

That little "Aluminum" (hard alloy) press is surprisingly powerful isn't it? Certainly good for those with little space. And for anyone who wants to load a few experimental rounds at the range.

I prefer the Lee Auto Prime. I appreciate it's large tray capacity and no handling of the primers but if I already had that RCBS tool I'd probably not change.

The Terminator · December 3, 2008, 10:30 PM

It looks like Lee quit offering anything to prime with when selling this press. I did not buy mine as part of a kit. I don't know if the kits come with priming accessories or not. I had to read the instructions when I got ready to prime, as I didn't see anything else in the box. That is when I found out that you could not prime with it, as sent.

If I could find a Lee Automatic Hand Prime, with all of the shell holders included, I'd buy it, I believe. Best - Ted

cgaengineer · December 4, 2008, 08:32 AM

That looks like a great setup to take with you to the range.

grymster2007 · December 4, 2008, 10:47 AM

The Lee hand press was my first press and I like it. Haven't used it much since I got the turret press, but I still like having it. My first 50 or 100 loads were done on it and I considered it a good learning tool as it is conducive to slow and careful operation, promoting a good understanding of what's required to properly load cartridges.

Hook686 · December 4, 2008, 02:59 PM

I started reloading a long time ago using a Lyman 310 Tong Tool. I moved up to a Lee Hand Press and their Carbide Speed Die. The Tong Tool was very useful for priming.

When I started loading .357 and .44 magnum rounds, I bought a Lee Factory Crimp Die (LFCD). I do things different than most folks and clean, deprime, prime, and neck expand my cases before charging and bullet seating. I then one at a time charge (Lee powder drop), seat the bullet, then crimp each round. I just feel safer this way ... no relying upon memory what I did in the past.

To speed this process along, I bought a 2nd Hand Press to hold just the LFCD. This worked really well for my .357 and .44 magnum needs.

I now have the Lee Classic Turret Press, which puts out about 3 times what the Hand Press yield for me. However I notice that I always seem to find a good use for past reloading tools. If I'm set up cranking out a few hundred .357 magnum rounds and want to load a box of .44 magnums, or 9mm, I pull out the Hand Press and put together a box, or two. I find it easier than changing out powder, turret head and shell holder.

Over the years I've found the Lee Hand Press more useful than any of the other reloading tools I've tried.

vranasaurus · December 4, 2008, 04:53 PM

This is what you need. The lee ram prime.

I no longer have the hand press I'll sell it to you for $5 shipped to your door. They run about $8-9 brand new plus shipping.

gb_in_ga · December 4, 2008, 05:55 PM

As has been pointed out, you can prime using the Lee Hand Press if you have the Ram prime attachment. I have one, it came as part of the kit when I bought my hand press. FWIW, I later bought a Lee Auto-Prime tool. It worked well for several thousand rounds, and then it broke. Part of the linkage just snapped. Now I'm back to the Ram Prime until I get around to getting a higher end priming tool.

Back to the Lee Hand Press -- I find that it is a pretty good little press for those like me who don't have a whole lot of extra space to set up a "full size" loading bench.

The Terminator · December 4, 2008, 06:56 PM

Vrannosausrus,
Hay, I think I'd like that. PM sent. - Ted,

lee n. field · December 4, 2008, 10:19 PM

Quote:

You cannot prime with this press, you have to use a priming tool

You can if you have a priming die. When you buy the Lee Hand Press as a kit, it comes with Lee's priming die, which I don't like. RCBS' and Lyman's are much better.

December 3, 2008, 01:51 PM	#3
noelf2 Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2008 Location: Stuart, VA Posts: 2,473	I use mine a lot for pistol cartridges. Been contemplating getting some rifle dies for it soon. My kit did come with a primer die, but I got a lee hand primer instead, no problems with it as it came with a full array of pistol and rifle shell holders (not standard) and is a lot quicker. The hand press does a very good job with charging and seating as well. __________________ Liberty and freedom often offends those who understand neither.

December 3, 2008, 07:27 PM	#4
wncchester Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2002 Posts: 2,832	"It would probably be a good idea to charge the brass while in a tray before putting it into the press and seating the bullet." Correct. And that's the best way to charge cases in any press but a full progressive too. That little "Aluminum" (hard alloy) press is surprisingly powerful isn't it? Certainly good for those with little space. And for anyone who wants to load a few experimental rounds at the range. I prefer the Lee Auto Prime. I appreciate it's large tray capacity and no handling of the primers but if I already had that RCBS tool I'd probably not change. Last edited by wncchester; December 3, 2008 at 07:32 PM.

December 3, 2008, 10:30 PM	#5
The Terminator Senior Member Join Date: February 3, 2002 Location: Georgia, 35 miles Northwest of the armpit Posts: 946	It looks like Lee quit offering anything to prime with when selling this press. I did not buy mine as part of a kit. I don't know if the kits come with priming accessories or not. I had to read the instructions when I got ready to prime, as I didn't see anything else in the box. That is when I found out that you could not prime with it, as sent. If I could find a Lee Automatic Hand Prime, with all of the shell holders included, I'd buy it, I believe. Best - Ted __________________ The Terminator John 3:16 (I hope to see You over there.)

December 4, 2008, 10:47 AM	#7
grymster2007 Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2007 Location: In the oak studded hills near Napa Posts: 2,203	The Lee hand press was my first press and I like it. Haven't used it much since I got the turret press, but I still like having it. My first 50 or 100 loads were done on it and I considered it a good learning tool as it is conducive to slow and careful operation, promoting a good understanding of what's required to properly load cartridges. __________________ grym

December 4, 2008, 02:59 PM	#8
Hook686 Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2005 Location: USA The Great State of California Posts: 2,090	I started reloading a long time ago using a Lyman 310 Tong Tool. I moved up to a Lee Hand Press and their Carbide Speed Die. The Tong Tool was very useful for priming. When I started loading .357 and .44 magnum rounds, I bought a Lee Factory Crimp Die (LFCD). I do things different than most folks and clean, deprime, prime, and neck expand my cases before charging and bullet seating. I then one at a time charge (Lee powder drop), seat the bullet, then crimp each round. I just feel safer this way ... no relying upon memory what I did in the past. To speed this process along, I bought a 2nd Hand Press to hold just the LFCD. This worked really well for my .357 and .44 magnum needs. I now have the Lee Classic Turret Press, which puts out about 3 times what the Hand Press yield for me. However I notice that I always seem to find a good use for past reloading tools. If I'm set up cranking out a few hundred .357 magnum rounds and want to load a box of .44 magnums, or 9mm, I pull out the Hand Press and put together a box, or two. I find it easier than changing out powder, turret head and shell holder. Over the years I've found the Lee Hand Press more useful than any of the other reloading tools I've tried. __________________ Hook686 When the number of people in institutions reaches 51%, we change sides.

December 3, 2008, 10:52 AM	#1
The Terminator Senior Member Join Date: February 3, 2002 Location: Georgia, 35 miles Northwest of the armpit Posts: 946	The Lee Hand Press, a 1/2 review. My hand press arrived a few days ago. The press is light, 24 oz shipping weight, it is made of aluminum. It is really stronger than it feels, at least it handled the resizing with no problem. I got it out and tried it today. The 45/70 dies are here. First, I put the factory crimp die in and crimped the 5 loads that I made with the Lee Loader last week. I could see a faint, shiny ring around the rim of the cartridge. I was satisfied with that. Next, I put the full length resizer die, with the depriming pin in the little press. Use was quite easy, with no leverage problem at all. I had only 8 extra brass on hand, so I resized and deprimed them with the hand press. The shaft of the ram is hollow, and solid at the bottom. The spent primers collect in there until you dump them out. Be careful to keep from dumping them out if you lay the press in your lap, while getting another brass to cycle. You cannot prime with this press, you have to use a priming tool. Lee recommends the Lee Auto Hand Priming Tool. It only runs $12 and change at Midway, however, I would not buy it because it does not use standard shell holders. I have the RCBS hand primer on hand, standard #14 shell holder in place, so that is what I used. I didn't charge and seat the bullets, so that is why this is only a 1/2 review. I can see that it would take some good coordination to charge the brass while holding the loader. That is probably not the easiest way to do this. It would probably be a good idea to charge the brass while in a tray before putting it into the press and seating the bullet. I did like the way that it performed its tasks today. What I liked best is that I could sit at my computer desk, listen to a talk show, and work everything without being in my cold garage, at a bench. The little press only cost $21 and change. if you have one around, I'm sure that you will find something to do with it. __________________ The Terminator John 3:16 (I hope to see You over there.)

December 3, 2008, 01:18 PM	#2
vranasaurus Senior Member Join Date: November 16, 2008 Posts: 1,184	I used to prime using my hand press. I thought it came with the primer punch that went on the piston and then it had a screw in shell holder holder that went where the dies usually go. I no longer have the hand press but I still think I have the pieces that allow you to prime with it. When I get home I will post a picture.

December 4, 2008, 08:32 AM	#6
cgaengineer Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 2008 Posts: 264	That looks like a great setup to take with you to the range.

December 4, 2008, 04:53 PM	#9
vranasaurus Senior Member Join Date: November 16, 2008 Posts: 1,184	This is what you need. The lee ram prime. I no longer have the hand press I'll sell it to you for $5 shipped to your door. They run about $8-9 brand new plus shipping.

December 4, 2008, 05:55 PM	#10
gb_in_ga Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 2005 Location: Pensacola, Fl Posts: 3,092	As has been pointed out, you can prime using the Lee Hand Press if you have the Ram prime attachment. I have one, it came as part of the kit when I bought my hand press. FWIW, I later bought a Lee Auto-Prime tool. It worked well for several thousand rounds, and then it broke. Part of the linkage just snapped. Now I'm back to the Ram Prime until I get around to getting a higher end priming tool. Back to the Lee Hand Press -- I find that it is a pretty good little press for those like me who don't have a whole lot of extra space to set up a "full size" loading bench. __________________ COME AND TAKE IT http://www.tamu.edu/ccbn/dewitt/batgon.htm Formerly lived in Ga, but now I'm back in Tx! Aaaand, now I'm off to Fla...

December 4, 2008, 06:56 PM	#11
The Terminator Senior Member Join Date: February 3, 2002 Location: Georgia, 35 miles Northwest of the armpit Posts: 946	Vrannosausrus, Hay, I think I'd like that. PM sent. - Ted, __________________ The Terminator John 3:16 (I hope to see You over there.)