Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles The Awesome Lee Loader

Well, Gavin and I did it again. Writing this article and doing the video with Gavin took me back several decades to a time when I owned one rifle and loaded for it on a Lee Loader. It's still a great, and inexpensive, way to handload:

Please read the article as well as viewing the video:

https://ultimatereloader.com/2022/01/10/caveman-reloading-no-press-required/

Thank you, Guy

Still have mine, a complete set in .30-06. How it manage to survive all these decades is a minor miracle...

Understand. Apparently mine made it from the west coast, to the east coast, and then back to California, and is now here in Washington, 40+ years later. Good piece of gear, I could never bring myself to get rid of it.

Regards, Guy

Enjoyed you video, Ultimate Reloader is one of my favorite channels.
I have Lee Loaders in .223, .270, .380, and 9mm although I've never used them other than to see how they worked.

I enjoyed the video 👍.....Thanks for posting...Hb

Loaded a bunch of 243's on one. Have a 35 Rem Lee Loader, just in case.

Very cool Guy. That's some cool stuff!

Good review of the Lee Loader, thanks. The only thing I do different is use an arbor press.

Could never quite get good at cleanly dumping powder with that itty bitty powder cup - always a grain or two spilt on the table.

So part of the standard "kit" was a sheet of school paper (NOT college ruled) rolled into a funnel and taped to hold its shape. That worked pretty good.

Then I got all sophisticated when my dad took pity on me and a proper plastic powder funnel showed up on Christmas....

In the 80s I had less than zero money. My brother and I and another gentleman would go prairie dog hunting in Montana. I only had about 100 misc brass for my 22-250. After shooting those up I would sit with the Lee Loader and do them up again. Actually a fine little system. Still have both of mine. Edk

This is how I started handholding 30-06 back in the 80's.

Instead of an arbor press I rigged up a big c-clamp, positioned vertically, on a home-made stand for the neck sizing and bullet seating. Didn't like the little dipper so got a balance beam scale and powder trickier. Also got a RCBS priming tool.

I could easily get better accuracy than store bought ammo with my set-up.

Got my reloading start with one in 30/06 back in the mid 60’s.....

It’s a pretty cool and fun way to roll some practical ammo.
The only thing I didn’t really like was the way you had to seat the primer - thought it looked like a good way to set one off! I still use the plastic powder dips for some reloading chores.

Pretty cool video. Might have to go buy one of those...

I just did!!

Bought one today for a 250-3000 for $10.

Got my start with one on a 6mm Rem in 1963. I could consistently nail golf balls at 100 yds and nailed many a woodchuck. Still have the rifle but the shop said I'd get a full refund when trading up to better gear.

I started reloading in the early 80's with the lee loader in .30-30. I couldn't count the number of deer I killed with my Marlin 336C using ammo loaded from a lee loader with 150 gr noslers.

My only gripe about the little Lee Loaders was the powder scoop. After I started to really get into reloading, and bought a press, dies, and a powder measure, I found out that the plastic scoop that I'd been using to load my 243's with on the Lee, was giving me a powder charge that was actually below the starting weight that was listed for that powder. The ammo I was turning out was accurate, but then again, the Remington 788 I was shooting was also super accurate, so it's hard to say which was responsible for the rig shooting so well. Still, those little Lee Loaders filled a niche and did a good job.

Great video. I always wondered how they worked. Thanks for sharing.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UeEl9wZyabc

This is the inventor using it.