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Old December 23, 2002, 11:26 AM   #1
WhoKnowsWho
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Hand Press

I don't really have a work or shop area so a whole reloading setup isn't really a viable option right now. But what about a hand press? Would 100 reloads a month be too much to do on one? I only really want to reload .45 ACP right now, 9mm is still cheap enough to afford! Any ideas of opinions?
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Old December 23, 2002, 11:54 AM   #2
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The Lee hand press is very good and will meet your needs. It looks like an oversized nutcracker. I have full length resized 375 H&H and 458 Magnum with mine. 45 ACP is a piece of cake. HTH
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Old December 23, 2002, 03:26 PM   #3
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Cool, sounds good! Thanks!
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Old December 23, 2002, 09:37 PM   #4
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I also have the Lee Hand press. You can't beat it for the price and it sounds like it is perfect for someone like you. I would also buy the Lee hand priming tool. That is a lot easier and faster than priming on the press. Sizing large cartidge cases takes some effort, but .45 ACP and 9mm are a piece of cake. Buy good dies and you can use them later with any other conventional press.
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Old December 24, 2002, 12:55 AM   #5
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I have also used a Lee hand press with good results.

Take a look at the Lyman first though. I don't know if they still make it, but at one time Lyman made a press that could be used as a hand press or bench mounted. it would be more versatile than the Lee.

another option, if you can find one, is the Lyman 310 tool. (The so-called tong tool) VERY HANDY and very small. works great for handgun rounds.
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Old December 24, 2002, 01:28 AM   #6
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Please correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't the Lyman 310 take special dies ? One thing about the Lee is that you can start with it, and expand your reloading operation with many items that you will use for life. The Lee takes standard dies. Buy good ones and if you decide later to buy a regular press, you can still use the dies. Buy the primer tool, if you later buy a single stage press, the priming tool will still be are great way to prime brass. Buy a scale, get a good one and you can use it for life. Dial calipers..................... I really feel this is a good way to begin the reloading hobby.
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Old December 24, 2002, 09:46 PM   #7
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444,

You're correct that the Lyman 310 takes special dies. However its's much smaller and handier than the Lee tool and probably just a tiny bit faster. At least, I'm faster with it. If space is at a premium, IMHO the 310 is a good way to go. You also won't need a separate priming tool with the 310.
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Old December 25, 2002, 01:34 AM   #8
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Is this the Lyman 310 tool?
http://www.midwayusa.com/rewriteaproduct/891431

It would be more expensive than the Lee setup, but it looks handier.

I used a priming tool a while back, I think I would get one of those either way.

A bare minimum list of stuff I need would be good too, and a list of things I should get to make things easier like the primer tool and digital calipers.

And just for reference, here is the Lee setup.
http://www.midwayusa.com/rewriteaproduct/666984
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Old December 25, 2002, 05:07 PM   #9
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you might also want to consider the RCBS Partner press http://www.midwayusa.com/rewriteaproduct/140616
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Old December 26, 2002, 06:32 PM   #10
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Who,

yep, that's the 310. A separate priming tool would be a waste of money with this tool.

You need a GOOD reloading manual! IMHO, the Lyman manual is head and shoulders above the rest for the beginner. The Hodgdon, Speer, Hornady and Sierra are also excellent.

You will need a powder scale. There are many excellent ones on the market. Regardless of the brand you buy, just make sure that it is manufactured by Ohaus Scale Co. (Lyman, RCBS, and perhaps others are made by Ohaus.)

RCBS makes a pistol powder measure that can be hand held rather than mounted. It's quality is excellent.

My advice would be to get a Lyman 310, or a Lyman or Lee hand press, a powder scale, the RCBS pistol powder measure and at least one good manual. You're good to go at that point.

You will eventually want many more accessories, but the above will get you started.

Read the manual, and always bear in mind: economy, velocity and accuracy are important, but SAFETY is mandatory!
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Old December 26, 2002, 07:44 PM   #11
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The Lyman 310 has been around a long time, and I always though they were neat. However I can't get past the fact that they take non-standard dies. If you are starting out in the reloading hobby, why limit yourself to a die that won't work in any other press when you can buy a small hand press that uses standard dies that can be used in just about every other press made ? I guess if you were only going to load one caliber and you turned out to be the only person in history that actually did only load one caliber, it wouldn't matter much if you never bought another press. Most people that begin loading on simple equipment, especially for handguns, upgrade to a press that allows a little more speed. With the Lee press, you can upgrade to a single stage bench mounted press, a turret press, or a progressive and still use the same set of dies you bought for the hand press. That seems a little more practical to me, but I have often thought about buying the Lyman just because it is cool. You don't need a seperate priming tool for the Lee handpress either. But it speeds up the operation and only costs about $20. I began loading with a Lee Loader back in the late seventies. My first upgrade was a Lee priming tool. Later I bought a RCBS Rockchucker and the priming tool speeded up that operation also. Now some 20+ years later, I still have that priming tool and it still works great for those occasions when I use the single stage press such as when I am loading rifle cartridges.
If you are really trying to save space, consider using a scoop powder measure. Lee offers a set of them for a few bucks, I mean less than $10. It includes a sliding card thing where you select your powder and it tells you the charge each scoop will throw. I tested my scoops using an electronic scale that was calibrated with test weights. I filled a salad bowl with powder. I made every effort to use the scoop the same way each time. I leveled off the scoop with a business card. I dipped 100 charges and only one varied by greater than 1/10 grain. That is every bit as good as my RCBS powder measure or my Dillon powder measures. The disadvantage is that you don't have a lot of latitude in charge weights for pistol cartridges. Odds are that you will only find one charge that is appropriate for each caliber/bullet weight/powder. If for some reason this particular powder charge doesn't satisfy you, you can make your own scoop to throw the charge you want, but you will have to have a scale to make it (maybe borrow one). You can take an expended cartridge and cut it off and file it until it throws the charge you want. Then solder a piece of coat hanger wire onto it for a handle. With a hand press and a scoop, you can have a practial loading set-up that will fit anywhere.
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Old December 27, 2002, 12:59 PM   #12
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444,

Good advice on the scoop powder measures! Come to think of it, that's the way I started out way back in 1965. I had forgotten about them over the years, but you're absolutely correct about their utility and accuracy.

I would still recommend an econmical scale though, just to be doubly sure and safe. My motto is still: Safety is mandatory!

P.S. I still have my 310 tool, even though I haven't used it for 20 or more years. You're right! It's way cool!
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