Hand held portable press

[LoneWolf]

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/31/c0a9deae8dc32a6a2594eaffeedd109c.jpg

Just got this little gem for playing with seating depth at the range. Cost all of $30 and uses the same set up as my table mounted Lee press.

[Robinhood]

I thought I was eat up with it...:(

[Rick_W]

That's what I started with.

And still have it.

[LoneWolf]

Figured it would be easy to use at the range. This way I can load up 100rds .010 off the lands. Walk them out to what works best fix what's left and continue with practice.

[FW Conch]

I seat all of my pills with one of those. Gives the best feel for neck tension.

[Taz575]

I just got one yesterday! I use it to deprime my brass before tumbling with a Lee Universal De Priming Die. I may use it to start to reload, but a friend of mine has some extra presses he has that I can borrow, too.

[big honkin jeep]

Great for use in front of the TV if doing repetitive menial tasks too.

[Bolthead]

As an absolute newbie to reloading, I was looking at getting a Lee Loader kit to try it out, but these caught my eye. Something about loading with a mallet didn't appeal to me. Is there an advantage to the "Breech lock" version of the hand press? I would be loading primarily 30-06 at first, and 308 later on. Can these be used from start to finish?

[LoneWolf]

Get the Lee 50th Anniversary kit. That's what I turn out my match ammo with in combination of a few items I upgraded along the way. The hand press is much slower than a bench mounted press, but is perfect for at the range adjustments if needed.

[big honkin jeep]

As an absolute newbie to reloading, I was looking at getting a Lee Loader kit to try it out, but these caught my eye. Something about loading with a mallet didn't appeal to me. Is there an advantage to the "Breech lock" version of the hand press? I would be loading primarily 30-06 at first, and 308 later on. Can these be used from start to finish?

The breech lock makes switching out dies easier as long as you have enough bushings.
Yes they can be used from start to finish.
A couple of more caliber specific tools that you will need are a will need a case length gauge and a case cutter with lock stud in order to make sure your brass is the proper length and dies to resize the brass.
You're also gonna need a scale (not too many folks load by volume but it can be done)
The Lee hand priming tool sure does make things easier.

By the time you get all this and a loading manual you might as well buy the Lee Anniversary kit as LoneWolf suggested.
Right around a hundred bucks and it comes with everything you need except caliber specific items like a case length gauge and dies and your consumables (powder bullets, primers)
The lee manual (modern reloading by Richard Lee) is also very good place to start.
I taught myself how to hand load several decades ago by reading it through to the load data, setting up an anniversary kit I received for a present, and keeping the manual handy for reference.
Easy as falling off a log if you follow the instructions. Darn thing has paid for itself over and over again through the years and is the biggest accuracy improvement you can make to any rifle for the money spent period.
The Anniversary kit is such a great value because it comes as a very serviceable and complete kit missing only a few caliber specific items and consumables. You can certainly spend a lot more and get a lot less.

Good luck and have fun.

[Bolthead]

I like that kit too. Not looking for speed or mass production, just something I can do in the evening at the kitchen table, and upgrade as I go along. Coming up on retirement in the near future, so more time to shoot, and less money for ammunition. The idea of being able to customize my loads is something that I know I will enjoy.

[LoneWolf]

I would still go with the kit over the hand press. it comes with everything you need accept for a trimmer. I eventually went with the RCBS Trim Pro 2 and a Chargemaster. Other than that I just got the dies I needed and that's what I use to make all my sub 1/2 MOA loads.

[Bolthead]

Makes sense to me. Sure do appreciate all of the information.

[DrThunder88]

I never liked full length sizing rifle cases with a hand press, especially if there were a lot of them! A bench-mounted press makes life easier in that regard, but FL sizing is one of the hardest operations done on a press. Neck sizing could be a different story, but I think I'd still prefer to do it on my turret or O press.

[Rick_W]

I would still go with the kit over the hand press.

I agree with this. The only way I would advocate the hand press over a bench press is if you are in a unique situation that won't allow allow you to set up the bench press (live in a military barracks or on a ship:anonymous:).

[orcldba]

I have a maple box that I made years ago for a turret press. I bolt the turret press to the maple box, then c-clamp the box to my portable shooting bench. I have done bullet changes, seating depth changes, powder changes, primer changes, etc., all from my shooting bench. It really comes in handy when working on 2 or more calibers, as the dies are 'pre-set' in the head of the turret, ready for rapid changes.
The only thing that's touchy is powder charges, but even that's not bad as I can isolate the RCBS scale from the wind by putting it in the '^' shape made by the wooden box & press.
The entire configuration will fit in a 20mm ammo can, complete with weather stripping. Then, I use the 20mm can as a seat (with a cushion! :cool:).

[BillyTee]

I have one of those too.
It is very handy for kitchen table reloading.

[tufrthnails]

I got one as well it is great for taking to the hunting camp and punching out some rounds while killing time between hunts.

[Bolthead]

Got kind of sidetracked from my quest for reloading, but did get a chance to read almost everything on the internet about presses, and look at what was available for what price and what would suit my needs. Ended up winning a bidding war on eBay for an RCBS Rock Chucker 2 that appears to have never been used. Now I am really getting excited. Next step is hunting down all of the required dies, trimmers, and supplies that I will need to get started. In the mean time, I need to get to the range to empty some 308 brass.