Lee Hand Press

[JimJD]

Hi there,

Once again, I'm looking at reloading. Bought two books on the subject, one of which is the "Lee 40th Anniversary Pack" that comes with a book and that neat little "reloader press".
I still have space issues though and might not be able to set up a bench mounted press. So, I'm looking at the Lee Hand Press again.
To start, I would be loading two calibers. .45 ACP and 5.56/.223. I've read that .45 ACP is no problem in the Lee, but how about 5.56/.223? I imagine it would take a little more effort and that's it. I'm looking at lee dies (carbide) for both, but is there anything I should know about the ones for rifle? BTW, I'm going with Lee for most everything.

If I go this route, I'm thinking I would need / could use:

A press (in this case, the hand press)

Dies (Lee carbide)

Hand priming tool and shell holders

Powder scoops / Powder measure kit

Digital scale (to double check charge weight and finished cartridge weight?)

Case tumbler (with media separation doo-dad, I have a lot of saved brass)

Primer pocket cleaner/tool

chamfering tool

Bullet puller

Digital Caliper (to check OAL of a finished round?)

Reloading tray/block

Safety glasses

Is there anything that I'm missing here? Things I should know, other uses or the proper use of tools listed?
Besides powder, primers, and bullets...
Please let me know, I'm dying to get into reloading!

[Lavid2002]

looking good mah man....besides a sturdy workbench you need all that and a reloading manual : D
Have fun, b safe

[Rimrod]

I didn't know Lee, or anybody else, made carbide dies for bottleneck cases.

[moose fat]

Case trimmer and shell holder?

And I wish I had a bar stool.

[rwilson452]

Even with carbide dies you will still need to lube the bottleneck case to resize it.

If you mount the little reloader press to a lenght of 2X10 you can c-clamp it to a table or some such. Just mount it with recessed flat head bolts and put a towel or blanket between the board and the table surface. you don't need to clamp it real tight just enough so it doesn't slide around.

Make the 2X10 as long as the long way on the table your mounting it to and clamp in on the far end from the press

[Peter M. Eick]

Dillon makes Carbide 7.62 Nato and 5.56 Nato dies. They also make carbide 357 sig dies.

Like most things that are nice, they are not cheap, but to those of us with the money, they are sure worth it!

[Rimrod]

"Dillon makes Carbide 7.62 Nato and 5.56 Nato dies."

Thanks for the info Peter.

[ATCDoktor]

I have used a Lee hand press on everything from 9mm to 500 S&W Magnum in handgun calibers and 22 hornet on up to 45/70 in rifle calibers. If you are short on space and not a high volume shooter it will do fine.

A case trimmer would be necessary for you to get the optimal life out of your rifle cases but not having one isn't a deal breaker. Depending on how hot you load your 223 ammo it may take a few loadings before they stretch to a point of concern.

[glockopop]

I have used a Lee Hand Press to load about 750 rounds of .45ACP so far. I also just loaded my first 50 rounds of .38SPL on it as well. I highly recommend it for someone with limited space. I started with just the Lee Carbide Speed Die, but it lacks adjustability in important areas. I still use it, but I needed to get a Lee Factory Crimp Die for my loads to feed consistently. Now that I have an FCD, it works great.

I would also suggest the Lee Perfect Powder Measure. It's dirt cheap, and I have mine mounted on a 2x4 that I clamp to the coffee table. Works great, very consistent even with charges as small as 3.9grs. I found that the dipper that came with my dies was not the right size for the load I wanted to use, and the powder measure greatly increased my productivity.

[CrustyFN]

What are you going to shoot the 223 in. If you are going to shoot them in a bolt gun then you only have to neck size them and won't need lube. If you shoot them in a semi-auto then you will have to full length resize them and lube the cases. You can also use a RCBS X-die and only have to trim the cases one time. You will also want to buy a funnel to pour the powder into the case. I would upgrade to a single stage or better yet the classic turret press and you still won't need a bench. I also think Lee is a good choice. My classic turret is an awesome press at a great price.
Rusty

[skeeter1]

I've been using a Lee hand press for a couple of years now for reloading my .38Spls, and I have no complaints. I opted for the carbide die set, and they came with the appropriate-size shell holder, powder dipper, and powder funnel. At least for striaght-sided handgun cartridges, it's everything you need, and fits easily on a closet shelf.

I've never tried it with bottle-necked rifle cases, so I can't advise you there.

[JimJD]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

In regard to the rifle ammo, it would be used in a AR carbine / "Mforgery".
And I just have to ask, as I am a babe in the woods on this...
I've been putting both .223 and 5.56 through my rifle (5.56 chamber). I know about some of the differences, but all of the Lee dies state .223. Can the same die be used for 5.56, or am I looking at a totally diffrent die from another company?

[moose fat]

Same die. You have almost, or are getting almost the same set up that I have.

The difference I believe is in the internal thickness of the 5.56mm case, which is thicker than commercial .223 Rem. The chambers of .223 are also cut to SAMI specs, may be tighter, and the round needs to fit in the magazine so the nessecity for trimming, somebody correct me if I'm wrong. That is my info so far and I am a new reloader too.

[Unclenick]

.223 chamber reamers are about .004" shorter in headspace than the 5.56 mm NATO chambers, and have 0.025" freebore to the rifling, while the NATO reamer has 0.050" freebore (at least, Clymer's reamers have these dimensional differences). The .223's will shoot fine in the NATO chamber, but NATO rounds may be unsafe in .223 chambers because some of the NATO bullets are long enough to jam into the rifling of the .223 chambers. .223 in a NATO chamber will have shorter case life, due to the extra stretching, so you will want to set up the .223 dies to only push the should back a couple of thousandth on sizing to compensate. That way you will have converted the .223 cases to near NATO dimensions.

The Dillon dies are good. I have a case stuck in one now that missed its lube step somehow. Have to freeze it and knock it out. You don't need these expensive dies unless you shoot a lot. Their main virtue is their resistance to scoring by dirt and grit, which is especially important in progressive loaders running high volumes.

The Lee hand tool is very good and will resize and load the little .223 cases just fine. Use a good lube, like Imperial Sizing Wax. The Lee lube doesn't slick it up as well. You will find the hand tool has a permanent home in your range box when you get a larger press. It is great at the range for load development, even if all you do with it is seat bullets into pre-prepped cases.

If you are getting an electronic scale, I recommend the CED pocket scale. Very accurate and repeatable. It costs a little more than the plastic load cell scales, but works better and has less hysteresis than most. The 500 grain weight limit is a drawback if you want to weigh cast .458 bullets, but for most reloaders, that limit is fine. The whole thing packs up into a little pouch for going to the range, and includes a collapsing wind screen and a check weight.

Nick

[AFshooter]

I use a hand press for everything. It's great if you can't have a dedicated work station for reloading. I use it for 9mm, 38/357, .45ACP, .223 and 9x18 Mak.

[moose fat]

Thank you UncleNick.