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Old August 28, 2014, 07:02 AM   #1
tobnpr
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Lee Portable?

Tired of multiple range trips wasted on load development...the light bulb has finally gone off...I want to take prepped, primed cases to the range and be able to load them with powder and seat the bullets on-site.

All I can find (for a reasonable cost) is the Lee portable hand press. Sinclair has a clamp-on bench mount for the cost of a new rifle...

For bullet seating only, will this get the job done accurately?
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Old August 28, 2014, 08:58 AM   #2
jmorris
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If you have a bench, just mount the press to a board and C clamp the board to the bench.

I have made a few press mounts that slide into 2" receivers on autos, used for towing too.

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Old August 28, 2014, 09:04 AM   #3
oldpapps
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I see two options.

Not know what you are loading make it a little more troublesome but...

To just seat bullets in preprocessed cases, the LEE Wack-a-Mole is fully adjustable and works quite well.

Next option and a better one in my opinion, would be the LEE Breech Lock Hand Press. LEE has them listed as in stock on line. Or check Titan Reloading (they are just down the road from LEE).

Your local GS can place an order for you if you prefer to keep the mark-up local. I think that is a good thing to do. Shipping and taxes as they apply must be figured in. Building a good rep-or with your local GS has great value.

Good luck and load safe,

OSOK

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JMORRIS got in with some great ideas. Makes mine look stupid. Oh well, that's normal for me

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Old August 28, 2014, 09:56 AM   #4
lee n. field
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Lee's hand press should be fine for bullet seating. It needs more leverage (IMHO, YMMV) for full length resizing rifle cases. Back before I got my Classic Turret, I did a lot of my loading on the Lee Hand Press. Very handy.

Huntington lists a hand press that looks interesting. Albeit pricey. And backordered.

Lyman's old Acculine press could be reconfigured as a hand press. Not recommended.
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Old August 28, 2014, 10:32 AM   #5
tobnpr
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Not interested in a "full blown" reloading station...Lee even makes a stand for this.

This is for OCW load "tweaking". When working up a new rifle- or trying a new bullet, I'll load up all the increasing charges that are needed. Sometimes, two or even three look promising- then I'd like to be able to load them up, and chrono them right there, instead of needing to go home, and plan another trip back to test them further. Just having the flexibility to be able to try something else, right then and there...

Time for range trips are precious- one is a senior in college, it's the only way I get him home! And, while we have a 100 yard range about 40 minutes away, it's nearly two hours each way to the 1000 yard range- so whatever we can get done there is a big plus.

I'm ordering an RCBS Chargemaster- might even rig this up to a battery and inverter to be able to use it in the field
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Old August 28, 2014, 11:11 AM   #6
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You can make very accurate ammo with the Lee hand press. I can't tell the difference between rounds loaded with my Lee hand press and RCBS Rockchucker when it comes to accuracy.
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Old August 28, 2014, 12:14 PM   #7
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I've used the Lee Hand Press for load development at the range for over eight years with excellent results. All of my experience has been with handgun cartridges and I have used the Lee Hand Press for all steps (size, prime, seat, crimp).

The hardest part for me when reloading at the range is finding a location that is wind free to use my beam balance powder scale. Perhaps a digital scale would ameliorate the wind problem, but I have yet to try one.
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Old August 28, 2014, 01:58 PM   #8
Pond, James Pond
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Hand Press, Hand Press!!

I've fallen in love with mine. I loaded for about 5 hours flat yesterday, indoors, with the hand press: about 160 .44Spl and about 75 .44 Mags.

I actually bought the Lee Hand Press for precisely the reason described in the OP: rustling up some more cartridges at the range when I want to try some charges there and then and don't want to waste the visit by having to return.

Include in the package sized and primed cases, some bullets, your powder(s) of choice, a Safety Scale, a Trickler and your data, and you are good to go: I can't believe I hadn't thought of it sooner.

If I don't soon find a powder that meters well, so that turret reloading can be made smooth and rhythmic, I can see myself shifting to the hand press almost exclusively.
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Old August 28, 2014, 02:04 PM   #9
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Tobnpr, if you are driving 2 hrs to a 1000 yd range then it sounds like you are going to Manatee. If so, I'm pretty sure that they have some kind of reloading setup in one of those out buildings. You might want to speak with Gene to see if they could accomodate you.
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Old August 28, 2014, 04:22 PM   #10
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No problems with the hand press here. Should work well for what you want to do.
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Old August 28, 2014, 04:52 PM   #11
tobnpr
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Quote:
Tobnpr, if you are driving 2 hrs to a 1000 yd range then it sounds like you are going to Manatee. If so, I'm pretty sure that they have some kind of reloading setup in one of those out buildings. You might want to speak with Gene to see if they could accomodate you.
Yep- and thanks, I'll ask him when we go in a couple of weeks.

Good thing it's not closer... awesome range... I'd be there every weekend
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Old August 28, 2014, 05:55 PM   #12
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These are examples of presses mounted to something so they can be moved and clamped to anything quickly.

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Old August 28, 2014, 07:58 PM   #13
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I bought a hand press to use during the years I lived in an apartment and couldn't bolt down my Rockchucker. I've loading hundreds if not thousands of rounds with it and it's still working.

I later on epoxied on some handle extensions and that's made it easier to use but they're not required.

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Old August 29, 2014, 11:13 AM   #14
g.willikers
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This is what I use for a portable press.
Much easier to use than the hand press and costs less, too.
Mounted to a short piece of wood and c-clamped to a bench.
About $30 from the usual sources.
http://leeprecision.com/reloader-press.html
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Old August 30, 2014, 04:43 AM   #15
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I also have a couple of the smaller presses I use both at the range and at the house. I set them up on pieces of scrap flat bar and aluminum. Throw in a few C-clamps form the local Harbor Freight and they are good about anywhere.
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Old August 30, 2014, 08:11 AM   #16
tobnpr
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Quote:
This is what I use for a portable press.
I like that idea. No risk of a powder spill jiggling around a case in a hand press.

Think I'll make up a small, clamp-on "bench" from some plate for the press, along with a small work area for the scale, bullets, etc.
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Old August 30, 2014, 10:58 AM   #17
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Quote:
This is what I use for a portable press.

I also use the Lee C- Press for many different reloading steps. I have it mounted on a plate that can be C-clamped on any flat surface. With it open in the front and clamped down you have both hands to do the work with.

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Old August 30, 2014, 02:51 PM   #18
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Quote:
The hardest part for me when reloading at the range is finding a location that is wind free to use my beam balance powder scale. Perhaps a digital scale would ameliorate the wind problem, but I have yet to try one.
Get one, Even the cheap ones work well if you deal with the drift right and its pretty easy.

This is the process. (zero per mfgs instructions )


Weigh pan, note pan weight (I put that on the pan in felt tip pen)
Zero pan.

lift pan, the weight shown with no pan on scale should be within a tench of the pan weight.

pan on, load powder, lift off and check the scale weight.

It should read within a tenth of the original pan weight .

If it moves 2/10, re-zero with the pan on it no powder (put in a case) , check and it should be back to pan weight.

Pour case charge back into pan and adjust if needed.

check the last charge, likely off a tenth at most.

Do that process and while it will drift, you catch it, get it back and even a cheap Frankfurt will stay within a tenth and that is as good as the big name scale like RCBS do, they generally are more stable. Get a good one if you can afford it, but its not a have to and they have to be zeroed and checked as well.

I have to re-zero mine every 8 or 15 rounds. If its each round then it’s a bad scale.

I do cross check to a beam occasionally and its more accurate than I can see on the beam.
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Old September 1, 2014, 01:10 PM   #19
SHR970
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The Lee Hand Press works. I had loaded thousands of rifle rounds on my first one before I broke it trying to unstick a 6.5x55 that had the handle on my Rockchucker bending quite a bit when it finally came out. That is from sizing the brass to pressing the bullets. The largest rounds I assembled with mine was a batch of (200) 375 Remington Ultra Mag. That press ran for 20 years and was quickly replaced.

For what the OP wants to do the hand press will work just fine. None of the deer dropped to ammo made on that press ever complained about poor accuracy either!
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Old September 1, 2014, 06:16 PM   #20
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Years ago, the Lee Turret had a wooden box available. The advertisement showed the press clamped to the box and used portably. Don't know if those Lee boxes are still available, but call Lee and ask. You'll probably speak to Richard or John Lee and will learn everything you need to know about loading at the range. Lee is simply a great company to deal with.

By the way, as far as my equipment goes, I have a Lee Turret, a Lyman single stage and a Redding Big Boss II, as well as a Versamec and Lyman casting outfit. I have all brands of loading dies, but in recent years have leaned more and more towards Lee products.
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