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Considering presses and dies for reloading my .38 special ammo. Having never used a press before (always used a Lee Classic for my rifles), I'm wondering if dies and presses are standardized. For instance, can a lee press be used with RCBS dies or vice versa? Not sure which way to go.....I'll be lookiing for used.....money is scarce.

Since I'll be reloading only one cartridge (.38 Sp.) maybe a Lee hand press would suffice. I know it is slow, but I have lots of time and it would be nice to sit at the coffee table instead of out in the cold shop. Does anyone have experience with the Lee hand press?

Suggestions?

Thanks

for the most part yes dies/presses are interchangable....99% of them are standard size thread..... never used the hand press before but it sure should improve your grip strength...

The reloading dies are mainly standardized, 7/8" - ? tpi. There were a few odd balls along the years but the most are interchangeable. I would stay away from the Hand loaders. But there more work than you want. If your not in a hurry most any single stage press will work just fine. I sold my rcbs press to my neighbor when I bought my Hornady LNL-AP. With the understanding if I needed to use it I can. I have been tutoring him on reloading. Most of the RCBS presses will last a several life times, not likely to ever wear one out. Some of the Lee presses are not built to last with Al frames cracking. And most can be picked up at a reasonable price. One should not to cheap on is the scales, a balance beam works just fine. If these have any rust (on the pivot knife edges) they may not work correctly, if you looking at used equipment.

lot's of old "C" presses out there you can pick up cheap. They will take any of the 7/8 x 14 tpi dies you will pick up. Make sure you grab a set that has the carbide sizing die. lubricating pistol cases is the pits...

One at a time is not problem as long as you have the time. I always liked putting the cases in a loading block anyway when I drop the powder with an old lyman #55 meter. You can see the powder level that way..

Oh, wait! The Lee Classic IS a "C" Press, right?? just go on using that one...

and a c-clamp and padding for your coffee table....

Good to know most are interchangeable. Now I need to do my research so I know a bargain when I see one.

Oh, wait! The Lee Classic IS a "C" Press, right??

The "Classic" I'm referring to is this one.
http://www.leeprecision.com/html/catalo ... oader.html
I have many years loading wildcat (6.5x.257 Roberts) rifle cartridges with this one. Very slow. I could load about 20 rounds/hour.

I appreciate the input. Thanks

you could try this instead.....http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?p ... ber=155024

I have a couple of the hand loader for 12 and 20 ga shotgun shells. They work but are slow.

blue68f100 wrote:I have a couple of the hand loader for 12 and 20 ga shotgun shells. They work but are slow.

This is the hand press that has me interested. Have you tried it? I'm reading the reviews and they are all singing its praises. Interesting. And it takes standard dies.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... stid=47128

Not the one I have, that is probably 20+ yrs newer. I have seen Lee C frame press sell used for the same press and have dies with it. The RCBS Jr press is selling for around $25 on ebay. The work horse RockCrusher seams to be selling around $80.

Ask around your shooting range or where reloading supplies are sold. You should be able to get a the RCBS press locally for maybe a lower price. A lot of times reloaders just upgrade and sell their old equipment. And some times that no longer have the time and sell them. You should be able to get one in good condition for 50% of selling price.

This press is good for pistol but takes a HD bench to size bottle neck brass. I had this one for loading pistol ammo and worked very well for my 357mag.
http://cgi.ebay.com/RCBS-JR-RELOADING-P ... 3efce9fd21

This Lee press here work fine for pistol ammo but made of cast AL where the RCBS Jr is Cast iron.


http://cgi.ebay.com/LEE-RELOADER-PRESS- ... 2558c0c432

Personally if your want to load rifle rounds I would hold out for a RCBS Rock Crusher if you can find one for $75.

I have used the Lee hand press. It was 30 years ago and I made some .38 Spl rounds with it. I did not consider it a press that I would want to make a whole lot of rounds with but they were effective cartridges. It was as they claim - portable.

I have to agree with a previous poster that a Lee Single Stage Press might be a better investment. http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?p ... ber=807734 or http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?p ... ber=480380

I still have one of these little Lee presses mounted on my reloading bench for utility work like pulling bullets with a collet puller. I have made lots of ammo with it and those rounds turned out very effective rounds.

R,
Bullseye

I turned to eBay and sold a bunch of stuff to buy a turret model. It's all Lee, Lee Classic 4 hole Turret, Carbide Dies, with powder dispenser and primer feeder. On the way. My son has one of these and it is impressive. A finished round with each pull of the handle.

A finished round with every pull sounds more like a Lee 1,000 progressive press instead of a Classic Turret.

R,
Bullseye

You're correct, Bullseye. It is the Classic Turret, but it doesn't do a complete round with each pull of the handle. But that's what's coming....it is what it is and I'll soon see what it is.

There's a distinct advantage with the turret press over a single stage, in that you can adjust all the dies to the turret plate. Then to change dies, simply rotate the turret plate to the next index point. With a single stage press, you have to remove and reinstall the next die, then go through the process of readjusting the die's position each time it's changed.

R,
Bullseye

I use the Lee Classic Cast single stage press with Lee carbide dies and use Hornady locking rings after initial adjustment and don't have to readjust. Just remove and replace.
Works great for me. Seems like I have more time than money.