Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada Some Lee Loader fun

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With a 223 Remington Lee Loader and the scoop included in the box, I loaded up 10 cartridges. I used a plastic card to level the top of the powder scoop.



For those who have never used a Lee Loader, the principle is simple. We'll not bother talking too much about priming for this exercise. If you prime the way Richard Lee did when he created the tool, you place a primer on the priming chamber. Next, you fully seat the new case into the die, so that the base of the case is fully inside the die (flush). Then you take the die with the case in it and place it over the new primer. Slide the black priming rod into the die and tap the rod with your nylon or wooden hammer to seat the new primer. Done!



Pick a powder from the list included with your LL. For this test I used Win 748.

Using a new, primed case, dump a level scoop of powder into the case. The case is still inside the reloading die (the shiny steel tube) - third pic below.. You dump the powder into the top. The scoop is dipped into the 748 and leveled using a paper or plastic card. In this case, I used my PAL. Finally, a good use for it!!



You seat the bullet by dropping it into the top of the die. The same place where you dumped the powder. Then gently tap the bullet to seat it. Seating depth is determined by adjusting the knurled, black knob on the loading die.



I put powder in ten cases. After I was done, I weighed the powder from each case just for fun. This is what I got.

1. 24.7
2. 24.8
3. 24.4
4. 24.8
5. 24.5
6. 24.4
7. 24.5
8. 24.5
9. 24.8
10. 24.8

24.4 to 24.8 grains of powder.

Average - 24.6 grains of powder.

I ran it through the computer and it told me that the cases were approximately 89% full. Average pressure would be about 37,750 PSI. Highest pressure - 24.8 gr - 38,600 PSI. With the 55 gr. Campro bullet, shot from my rifle with a 24 inch barrel, the velocity should be about 3000 fps. Safe. With the scope adjusted so that bullets will hit about 1 inch high at 100 yards, this load has a 200 yard zero.

Certainly, 748 may not be the most accurate powder, but the list included in the box has a lot of others to try.