opinion on Lee Hand Press

FISHNFRANK · August 17, 2009, 08:52 PM

Folks

I am considering doing some reloading for .357, 10mm, .44mag - not high volume (I'm mainly a shotgunner/hunter and shoot handguns maybe once a month) and I don't have a lot of space since I have so many other things going on in that garage. One of the issues I have is that I really don't have a great place to mount a bench press. One thing I like about my shotgun loaders is that they are desktop and can be put away.

What are your opinions of the Lee Hand Press?

Frank

darkgael · August 17, 2009, 08:59 PM

Very convenient little press. I have had at least one since I started loading my own, lo, these many years ago. Before I had any progressives I had a lee hand press. I'd go to the beach on a Sunday with my gal and sit with a couple of hundred .45 ACP cases. Between swims, I'd size, decap, and bell the cases. Try doing that at the beach with your Rockchucker or Dillon.
You can keep everything that you need for a caliber or two in a small toolbox.
Nice.
Pete

Hook686 · August 17, 2009, 09:46 PM

I use a Lee Hand Press for .357 magnum and .44 magnum. I have the Lee Carbide Speed Dies, which I think Carbide Dies essential for the Hand Press. I have an old Lyman Tong Tool I use to seat primers, and a Lee Perfect Powder Measure to drop the charge.

I find this a nice leasurely way to crank out 50, or so rounds an hour. A nice compact, portable setup.

vanilla_gorilla · August 18, 2009, 01:47 AM

Not that I have much time for reloading right now, but when I do get a chance, I use my hand press for brass prep, and my Lee bench press for seating bullets. It's great for the task. My wife watches TV while I'm sitting by her doing brass prep, and she's happy that we're in the same room together and I'm not sequestered off in the reloading room.

HiBC · August 18, 2009, 02:00 AM

I haven't used mine for complete reloading,I have a couple of presses mounted to the bench.
When I do load development for rifles,I take primed brass to the range,scales,triclkler,etc,and seat bullets with the Lee Press.It works good.

A buddy of mine mounts all his presses to small.maybe 10" by 6" plates.They have a couple holes to match holes in his bench.He uses 1/2in bolts and wing nuts to hold down the press(shotgun,dillon progressive,etc).

CajunBass · August 18, 2009, 07:09 AM

You mean one like this? It does a fine job with 9mm so I don't see any reason it won't with 38/357. As a matter of fact I plan to pick up the stuff I need to start doing 38/357 myself.

sheepman · August 18, 2009, 07:34 AM

The past 6 winters we have been going south in an RV and the hand press was the only way to take reloading equipment in the limited space of the RV. The hand press works great, not as handy as a bench press but will load any thing including rifle shells (no 50 cal browning though) I have loaded 4 or 5 thousand rounds on mine. The hand press is also handy to take to the range when working up new loads. Good luck : Bill

FISHNFRANK · August 18, 2009, 09:58 PM

I think this might be a start.

Frank

flyboy14 · August 18, 2009, 10:00 PM

I would love to get mine back. My neighbor shoots benchrest competition, had trouble getting his new gun to group. I loaned him mine, thinking he could load a bunch, seat em long, and play with seating depth. That was 3 months ago. Haven't seen it since. Handy little buggers. Might have to go buy another. flyboy

fast-eddie · August 18, 2009, 10:46 PM

Or you can make your neighbor buy one and get yours back.

**44 AMP** · August 18, 2009, 11:14 PM

moving to the reloading forum

fast-eddie · August 19, 2009, 03:43 AM

I have a 300 savage and a 357 sig. Will the hand press be able to reload these cartridges?

**Bud Helms** · August 19, 2009, 04:50 AM

Yes.

wncchester · August 19, 2009, 09:06 PM

I have one, like it, rarely use it because I also have four bench presses. The handpress is mostly used to change bullet seating on pre-loaded test ammo at the range.

My strong suggestion to you is to get a little Lee "Reloader" bench press, bolt it to a 10" piece of 2x4 and "C" clamp that to your work bench. It's suprizingly sturdy and will be MUCH easier to load on and can be set up and taken down in seconds.

You will need a Lee hand priming tool for either of those presses, they don't have a provision for capping on them.

studman5578 · August 19, 2009, 09:28 PM

I recently looked like an idiot in front of a guy who works a cableas because he was convinced that those things u speak of don't exist, but if you go to page 84 (and unfortunately I didn't have this book with me at the time) of lee's 2nd edition of reloading, the autoprime 2 is pictured on a challenger press. judging by the way it looks to operate, it should work on the hand press. i just bought a hand press so I can load while i'm away from home (I am for most of the year) and am looking for something that can do that.

BigJakeJ1s · August 19, 2009, 09:41 PM

I started out with a Lee hand press. Mine was not well built, with the ram visibly, grossly misaligned to the die hole. There is also a lot of spring to the lightweight aluminum frame.

Later on I purchased a Huntington Compac hand press, and it is much better. It uses twin, opposing handles with a "W" linkage. The "ram" rides up and down on two parallel guide rods, and is very well aligned to the die hole. The steel guide rods and thicker-sectioned aluminum parts are much stiffer; there is virtually no spring to it. It comes with a template for a base that can be used to mount it to a bench. I just cut a 4" circle of hardwood and bolted it to that. It is still very portable, but will stand up on its own if you need both hands for something else for a minute. Handling brass and bullets in between the guide rod takes some getting used to, but is plenty easy once you get used to it. It has a built in priming punch, which the LHP lacks. But the LHP has a hollow ram which makes it excellent for decapping fired brass (that's all I used the LHP for after I got the Compac.)

The Compac is more expensive than the LHP, but is well worth it if you need or want a first rate hand press. I have since gotten a Forster Co-Ax bench mounted press, so I seldom use either hand press anymore.

You mentioned that your shotgun presses are desktop affairs that can be put away when not being used. You can also mount a metallic reloading press to a heavy board, and clamp that to your bench when you need it, then put it away when finished. If you can swing it, a good, bench-mounted press will always be easier to use than a hand press.

Andy

dwhite · August 21, 2009, 11:35 AM

Get one. You'll love it. I do 38/357 and 40 S&W on mine. I'm not a high volume shooter so it fills my needs. I can do 50 rounds per hour on it with ease. Probably 60 if I really push myself.

I've loaded thousands of rounds on mine with no issues. I got mine because I'm in a small house and don't have anywhere to bolt a press. This tool has easily exceeded my expectations.

All the Best,
D. White

kron · August 21, 2009, 07:05 PM

Given any thought to the Lee Loader series of loading tools? They work great if you aren't in a hurry. I use them for rifle loads all the time. Not sure if I'd want to for pistol loads if you plan to load more than 50 rounds per session, but for $15 per caliber or so, they work great.

Just need that and a hammer, and you're good to go.

Regards
Kron

wncchester · August 21, 2009, 10:07 PM

"the autoprime 2 is pictured on a challenger press. judging by the way it looks to operate, it should work on the hand press. "

Yeah, it's physically possible. But, it would be a real chore to do in real life.

My two Reloader presses are dedicated to depriming on one and repriming with an AutoPrice 2 on the other. THAT works fine!

I don't think "spring" in either the Lee hand press or Reloader is as great as some seem to think. FL sizing 30-06 in my Rock Chucker II springs the head 2-4 thou, depending on brass brand; that's not much but it's NOT rigid. But, I get NO spring doing the same thing on either of the little Lee Reloaders! Can't figger out how to measure press spring with the hand press but it shouldn't be any worse than the Reloaders, right?

lee n. field · August 21, 2009, 10:15 PM

Quote:

What are your opinions of the Lee Hand Press?

Sucky ergonomics. More useful than I thought it would be. For the price you can't beat it.

August 17, 2009, 08:52 PM	#1
FISHNFRANK Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2005 Location: Laguna Niguel CA Posts: 168	opinion on Lee Hand Press Folks I am considering doing some reloading for .357, 10mm, .44mag - not high volume (I'm mainly a shotgunner/hunter and shoot handguns maybe once a month) and I don't have a lot of space since I have so many other things going on in that garage. One of the issues I have is that I really don't have a great place to mount a bench press. One thing I like about my shotgun loaders is that they are desktop and can be put away. What are your opinions of the Lee Hand Press? Frank

August 17, 2009, 08:59 PM	#2
darkgael Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2006 Location: Homes in Brooklyn, NY and in Pennsylvania. Posts: 5,473	Lee Very convenient little press. I have had at least one since I started loading my own, lo, these many years ago. Before I had any progressives I had a lee hand press. I'd go to the beach on a Sunday with my gal and sit with a couple of hundred .45 ACP cases. Between swims, I'd size, decap, and bell the cases. Try doing that at the beach with your Rockchucker or Dillon. You can keep everything that you need for a caliber or two in a small toolbox. Nice. Pete __________________ “Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games.” Ernest Hemingway ... NRA Life Member

August 17, 2009, 09:46 PM	#3
Hook686 Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2005 Location: USA The Great State of California Posts: 2,090	I use a Lee Hand Press for .357 magnum and .44 magnum. I have the Lee Carbide Speed Dies, which I think Carbide Dies essential for the Hand Press. I have an old Lyman Tong Tool I use to seat primers, and a Lee Perfect Powder Measure to drop the charge. I find this a nice leasurely way to crank out 50, or so rounds an hour. A nice compact, portable setup. __________________ Hook686 When the number of people in institutions reaches 51%, we change sides.

August 18, 2009, 01:47 AM	#4
vanilla_gorilla Senior Member Join Date: December 13, 2006 Location: Tallahassee, FL Posts: 272	Not that I have much time for reloading right now, but when I do get a chance, I use my hand press for brass prep, and my Lee bench press for seating bullets. It's great for the task. My wife watches TV while I'm sitting by her doing brass prep, and she's happy that we're in the same room together and I'm not sequestered off in the reloading room. __________________ A gun is just a tool, the real weapon lies behind the face in the mirror.

August 18, 2009, 07:09 AM	#6
CajunBass Senior Member Join Date: May 6, 2005 Location: North Chesterfield, Virginia Posts: 4,767	You mean one like this? It does a fine job with 9mm so I don't see any reason it won't with 38/357. As a matter of fact I plan to pick up the stuff I need to start doing 38/357 myself. __________________ For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (NKJV)

August 18, 2009, 02:00 AM	#5
HiBC Senior Member Join Date: November 13, 2006 Posts: 8,283	I haven't used mine for complete reloading,I have a couple of presses mounted to the bench. When I do load development for rifles,I take primed brass to the range,scales,triclkler,etc,and seat bullets with the Lee Press.It works good. A buddy of mine mounts all his presses to small.maybe 10" by 6" plates.They have a couple holes to match holes in his bench.He uses 1/2in bolts and wing nuts to hold down the press(shotgun,dillon progressive,etc).

August 18, 2009, 07:34 AM	#7
sheepman Senior Member Join Date: November 26, 2007 Location: Moses Lake WA Posts: 395	The past 6 winters we have been going south in an RV and the hand press was the only way to take reloading equipment in the limited space of the RV. The hand press works great, not as handy as a bench press but will load any thing including rifle shells (no 50 cal browning though) I have loaded 4 or 5 thousand rounds on mine. The hand press is also handy to take to the range when working up new loads. Good luck : Bill __________________ The best gun is the one you have when you really need one

August 18, 2009, 09:58 PM	#8
FISHNFRANK Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2005 Location: Laguna Niguel CA Posts: 168	thanks I think this might be a start. Frank

August 18, 2009, 10:00 PM	#9
flyboy14 Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2008 Location: south dakota Posts: 175	I would love to get mine back. My neighbor shoots benchrest competition, had trouble getting his new gun to group. I loaned him mine, thinking he could load a bunch, seat em long, and play with seating depth. That was 3 months ago. Haven't seen it since. Handy little buggers. Might have to go buy another. flyboy

August 18, 2009, 10:46 PM	#10
fast-eddie Senior Member Join Date: March 10, 2009 Location: Tigard Or, Posts: 342	Or Or you can make your neighbor buy one and get yours back.

August 18, 2009, 11:14 PM	#11
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,820	moving to the reloading forum __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

August 19, 2009, 03:43 AM	#12
fast-eddie Senior Member Join Date: March 10, 2009 Location: Tigard Or, Posts: 342	Hand press I have a 300 savage and a 357 sig. Will the hand press be able to reload these cartridges?

August 19, 2009, 04:50 AM	#13
Bud Helms Senior Member Join Date: December 31, 1999 Location: Middle Georgia, USA Posts: 13,198	Yes.

August 19, 2009, 09:06 PM	#14
wncchester Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2002 Posts: 2,832	I have one, like it, rarely use it because I also have four bench presses. The handpress is mostly used to change bullet seating on pre-loaded test ammo at the range. My strong suggestion to you is to get a little Lee "Reloader" bench press, bolt it to a 10" piece of 2x4 and "C" clamp that to your work bench. It's suprizingly sturdy and will be MUCH easier to load on and can be set up and taken down in seconds. You will need a Lee hand priming tool for either of those presses, they don't have a provision for capping on them.

August 19, 2009, 09:28 PM	#15
studman5578 Senior Member Join Date: March 4, 2009 Location: Varying between 1 and 3 hours from Chicago Posts: 152	I recently looked like an idiot in front of a guy who works a cableas because he was convinced that those things u speak of don't exist, but if you go to page 84 (and unfortunately I didn't have this book with me at the time) of lee's 2nd edition of reloading, the autoprime 2 is pictured on a challenger press. judging by the way it looks to operate, it should work on the hand press. i just bought a hand press so I can load while i'm away from home (I am for most of the year) and am looking for something that can do that. __________________ Rev 5:13 "To him who sits on the throne and the Lamb be praise honor and glory and power, for ever and ever"

August 19, 2009, 09:41 PM	#16
BigJakeJ1s Senior Member Join Date: August 8, 2005 Location: Arlington TX Posts: 663	I started out with a Lee hand press. Mine was not well built, with the ram visibly, grossly misaligned to the die hole. There is also a lot of spring to the lightweight aluminum frame. Later on I purchased a Huntington Compac hand press, and it is much better. It uses twin, opposing handles with a "W" linkage. The "ram" rides up and down on two parallel guide rods, and is very well aligned to the die hole. The steel guide rods and thicker-sectioned aluminum parts are much stiffer; there is virtually no spring to it. It comes with a template for a base that can be used to mount it to a bench. I just cut a 4" circle of hardwood and bolted it to that. It is still very portable, but will stand up on its own if you need both hands for something else for a minute. Handling brass and bullets in between the guide rod takes some getting used to, but is plenty easy once you get used to it. It has a built in priming punch, which the LHP lacks. But the LHP has a hollow ram which makes it excellent for decapping fired brass (that's all I used the LHP for after I got the Compac.) The Compac is more expensive than the LHP, but is well worth it if you need or want a first rate hand press. I have since gotten a Forster Co-Ax bench mounted press, so I seldom use either hand press anymore. You mentioned that your shotgun presses are desktop affairs that can be put away when not being used. You can also mount a metallic reloading press to a heavy board, and clamp that to your bench when you need it, then put it away when finished. If you can swing it, a good, bench-mounted press will always be easier to use than a hand press. Andy

August 21, 2009, 11:35 AM	#17
dwhite Senior Member Join Date: September 2, 2007 Location: Wake County, N. Carolina Posts: 379	Lee Hand Press Get one. You'll love it. I do 38/357 and 40 S&W on mine. I'm not a high volume shooter so it fills my needs. I can do 50 rounds per hour on it with ease. Probably 60 if I really push myself. I've loaded thousands of rounds on mine with no issues. I got mine because I'm in a small house and don't have anywhere to bolt a press. This tool has easily exceeded my expectations. All the Best, D. White

August 21, 2009, 07:05 PM	#18
kron Member Join Date: November 9, 2008 Posts: 36	Given any thought to the Lee Loader series of loading tools? They work great if you aren't in a hurry. I use them for rifle loads all the time. Not sure if I'd want to for pistol loads if you plan to load more than 50 rounds per session, but for $15 per caliber or so, they work great. Just need that and a hammer, and you're good to go. Regards Kron

August 21, 2009, 10:07 PM	#19
wncchester Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2002 Posts: 2,832	"the autoprime 2 is pictured on a challenger press. judging by the way it looks to operate, it should work on the hand press. " Yeah, it's physically possible. But, it would be a real chore to do in real life. My two Reloader presses are dedicated to depriming on one and repriming with an AutoPrice 2 on the other. THAT works fine! I don't think "spring" in either the Lee hand press or Reloader is as great as some seem to think. FL sizing 30-06 in my Rock Chucker II springs the head 2-4 thou, depending on brass brand; that's not much but it's NOT rigid. But, I get NO spring doing the same thing on either of the little Lee Reloaders! Can't figger out how to measure press spring with the hand press but it shouldn't be any worse than the Reloaders, right?