User Panel
User Panel
User Panel
|
Posted: 2/19/2014 4:00:58 AM EDT
[#1]
it works, I did destroy the handle mech resizing m2hb brass, but a quick call and lee sent two of them next day air.
the press is not as tall as dedicated 50 presses so you have to "tip in" the bullet into the seater die, then insert into the base. No biggy it slows you down a little but your nor going that fast anyways. Ive loaded mostely api but Ive done some boreriders as well as amax |
|
|
|
Posted: 2/19/2014 9:04:47 AM EDT
[#2]
What is the "SS" part?
I use the Lee Classic 50 BMG kit and it works great-no issues.I deprime my brass first before re-sizing it (I figure it helps that you're not trying to punch the primer while you are sizing)and use Imperial to lube my cases.I have other presses for other calibers,so only load 50's on this one. I have loaded mostly API,with some ball and AP. No complaints whatsoever-can't see how you can go wrong for the price. |
|
|
|
Posted: 2/19/2014 10:52:33 AM EDT
[#3]
SS = single stage.
I just picked one of these up about a month or two ago. Just got into the bmg game. It is really no diffrent then any other single stage press, such as the rcbs rock chucker, othen then it is taller to accomodate the bmg round. It comes with a 7/8 thread adapter for using regular dies.. I would see no issues with reloading 308 or 223 etc. with it. Just pull the handle further down is all. |
|
|
|
Posted: 2/19/2014 11:49:33 AM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
SS = single stage. . 
I even googled it and came up with nothing!The Classic was all I knew. Damn good set up for the money. |
|
|
|
Posted: 2/19/2014 12:25:53 PM EDT
[#5]
I use it with success. It does have a weak handle but a piece of round stock from home depot takes care of that. It's a PIA to use it for smaller calibers so I just use it for .50.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 2/19/2014 2:49:20 PM EDT
[#6]
I'll be adding this to my list of stuff to get.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 2/19/2014 2:55:45 PM EDT
[#7]
If you need any tips, ask MrBen. He's loaded thousands of rounds on his, I think he owns two or three to keep from changing the press around. Don't use a cheater bar on the handle, a lot of guys have broken the handle off doing this.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 2/19/2014 6:03:53 PM EDT
[#8]
I have used it for 50, 223, 9mm and 45. I went from an old herters press to this. One of the first things i loved about this press is that it has spent primer management. I mounted a can below the bench so that the spent primers would drop into it for later dumping in the trash.
Great little press for the money and does what I need to reload my 50 BMG rounds. I also use the imperial wax resizing lube. And if you feel that the sizing is getting tight. just back off and then push a little further. kind of like sex. 
|
|
|
|
Posted: 2/20/2014 3:24:42 AM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted: One of the first things i loved about this press is that it has spent primer management. I mounted a can below the bench so that the spent primers would drop into it for later dumping in the trash. |
|
|
|
Posted: 3/8/2014 7:38:38 AM EDT
[#10]
I have mostly loaded the s. african 647 gr as well as the 750 amax. I actually have three of the Lee presses, with two mounted next to my redding big boss ii and the recently purchased 3rd one ($80 shipped used) on the garage floor ATM. I'm debating whether to sell the redding and just load ALL my hunting and target rounds on the Lee presses. Three would be great as I'd decap on one, prime on one, seat on one - my own assembly line!
That would be much faster than changing out the dies for every round.
As far as it taking a long time to recoup the costs for reloading for the 50, if you plan to own it for any length of time and shoot it at all - its a no brainer to get "at least" the Lee setup. |
|
|
|
Posted: 3/8/2014 9:49:19 AM EDT
[#11]
I've been happy with my Lee CC. I bought it solely to load .50bmg on. The ram priming setup is capable of awesome precision and repeatability with the addition of a couple of shaft collars to the ram. Uniform your primer pockets first, and you're good to go. I have mine set to give .050" of 'crush' to the CCI primers.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/8/2014 11:38:25 AM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I've been happy with my Lee CC. I bought it solely to load .50bmg on. The ram priming setup is capable of awesome precision and repeatability with the addition of a couple of shaft collars to the ram. Uniform your primer pockets first, and you're good to go. I have mine set to give .050" of 'crush' to the CCI primers. What? Can you elaborate on the priming method? It sounds awesome and I'm having problems with inconsistencies. |
|
|
|
Posted: 3/11/2014 7:43:06 PM EDT
[#13]
Really like mine. Now use it for all my reloading. Have a Lee Classic Turret Press but don;t use it anymore.
The hole placement for both presses are the same so one could switch back and forth. |
|
|
|
Posted: 3/15/2014 4:01:51 PM EDT
[#14]
I bought mine probably 8 years ago and I've loaded a couple thousand rounds on it, I use an 1/8 inch punch, hammer and a metal block with a hole for the spent primers to drop into, which saves a lot of stress on the press handle. I then use home made dillon lube to lube the cases, usually get about half of the casing on the first stroke and then the whole case on the second stroke. its a lotta work but I hate breaking my tools.
This is the first weekend I spent loading 50 BMG, Thats 200 rds BTW. When Dillon came out with thier Primer pocket swage/primer installer last year I bought it. It makes my life a whole lot easier. 
The other thing I've done is to make a wet/stainless media tumbler big enough to handle about 150 pcs of 50 BMG. Yeah I said 150 pieces. 
the big drum on the ground is 8" in diameter and about 2 1/2 feet long. 
dirty nasty 50 brass 
shiney, this is a small batch that I just wanted to try out Jason |
|
|
|
Posted: 3/18/2014 6:46:34 PM EDT
[#15]
I started reloading 50 BMG with a borrowed RCBS loader. It was great but after 3 years the owner decided to start reloading his own 50 BMG. When I priced all of them I ended up purchasing the Lee 50 BMG loader and I'm tickled pink with it. As far as people having trouble getting enough leverage I found that using Imperial sizing wax made all the difference. It even works great for sizing 50 BMG API rounds that have been pulled. At first I was worried that it was made from aluminum but soon found out that it's good cast iron. You will like it.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/20/2014 7:22:02 AM EDT
[#16]
Quoted:
I was kind of against reloading for 50 due to the cost of having a dedicated press. The RCBS 50BMG press can also load smaller rounds as well. They come with a shell holder adapter and bushing for regular size dies. There are also non-BMG rounds that can't be reloaded on a regular press, ie .450 Nitro, due to their excessive length. After 35 years of reloading, I would never buy anything made by Lee. Tony |
|
|
|
Posted: 3/20/2014 4:52:53 PM EDT
[#17]
After just over 45 years of reloading, I can say I've been very happy with my Lee 50bmg setup. It also came with adapters for regular dies and shellholders. Lee doesn't hit every one over the fence, but neither does anyone else. Past experience with Dillon, Hornady, and RCBS has shown me nobody has perfect products.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 4/5/2014 8:19:06 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
It's a PIA to use it for smaller calibers so I just use it for .50. Wait... wat? 
I use mine single stage (with Hornady quick change bushings) to load .375H&H and .45-70 as well as my 'pseudo-match' .308 loads... (I don't shoot .308 in any matches at this time... but they are very nice loads none the less). I think that press is one of the best bang-for-the-buck presses available. |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/23/2014 4:49:09 PM EDT
[#19]
I bought one, loaded ~100 rounds with it, got out of .50 and traded it off to a friend, and after acquiring another .50 it's back.
Thoroughly coat the cases with lube, if they don't want to go, don't force it; Reloaders are a notoriously cheap bunch of bastards wanting to squeeze every case to the very last shot, but I've figured it's easier to toss a seriously oversized case than frog around trying to get a stuck case out or waiting on replacement parts that I broke trying to force a case stretched beyond usable limits. 
About the only problem I ever had was a stuck case (see above) destroyed the de-capping rod in the die, Lee sent a new one free of charge. 
I've got a pretty fair amount of reloading equipment (Lee, RCBS, Lyman, Redding, Hornady, Dillon, etc.) and for the money Lee has always served me well. If you're into Bench or wringing out that last 1/2moa at a thousand yards, then go with Redding, else it's the same as the Ford-Chevy-Dodge argument; in the end they're all trucks. |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/23/2014 6:06:48 PM EDT
[#20]
Even with a good lubed case, I have found that a few cases needed to be short stroked and then restroked to get a full stroke on the press. You just have to learn that forcing a resizing in one stroke is not a good idea. If it feels harder to resize , then back off and take it in several partial strokes.
And I love using this press for several smaller calibers too. if I am making a short run this press is great for this too. |
|
|
|
Posted: 4/24/2014 2:27:02 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Even with a good lubed case, I have found that a few cases needed to be short stroked and then restroked to get a full stroke on the press. You just have to learn that forcing a resizing in one stroke is not a good idea. If it feels harder to resize , then back off and take it in several partial strokes. And I love using this press for several smaller calibers too. if I am making a short run this press is great for this too. I'll go along with that as that's what I do too. Reloading is really a spatial exercise where after a short while you know when something isn't right, and unless you're hard-headed or in too big a hurry, you'll stop and figure out why before that "oh shit" moment arrives.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 4/25/2014 3:57:52 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I'll go along with that as that's what I do too. Reloading is really a spatial exercise where after a short while you know when something isn't right, and unless you're hard-headed or in too big a hurry, you'll stop and figure out why before that "oh shit" moment arrives. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Even with a good lubed case, I have found that a few cases needed to be short stroked and then restroked to get a full stroke on the press. You just have to learn that forcing a resizing in one stroke is not a good idea. If it feels harder to resize , then back off and take it in several partial strokes. And I love using this press for several smaller calibers too. if I am making a short run this press is great for this too. I'll go along with that as that's what I do too. Reloading is really a spatial exercise where after a short while you know when something isn't right, and unless you're hard-headed or in too big a hurry, you'll stop and figure out why before that "oh shit" moment arrives. Ya, did that once with a small little old .223 case. got in a hurry and got hard headed. Found a case that was over looked. Didn't bother with lubing it. Figured that there was enough residual lube in the die. Yep, seized the case in the die. Spent hours getting that darn case back out. I learned my lesson to take a few extra seconds to lube the case next time. |
|
|
Win a FREE Membership!
Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!
You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.
AR15.COM is the world's largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of all types.
From hunters and military members, to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiasts, we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm.
Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to receive firearm news, product discounts from your favorite Industry Partners, and more.
Copyright © 1996-2024 AR15.COM LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.
AR15.Com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate, commercial, or monetizable links, posted by users, with our own.
