Reloading with the Lee Loader

This is all I need to reload 100 rounds of .303 British rifle ammunition.  I am really impressed with my Lee Loader, it came with very good instructions and a load chart that made getting into reloading easy. I think they must have invented the K.I.S.S. principle (Keep It Simple Stupid) because this loading system works. Another thing I like about it is that it is very portable, you could take it to the field with you and reload anywhere. The initial cost (Bullets, Powder, Primers, Loader and accessories) is about the same as buying 5  twenty round boxes of commerial ammunition, but it has a plus.  The rest of the 100 round batches you make will only cost you about what you would pay for 2 boxes.

The first thing you need is the Lee Classic Loader in your rifle caliber. 

Here are a few interesting sites:

http://leeprecision.com/xcart/home.php

http://www.midwayusa.com/browse/BrowseProducts.aspx?brandId=1262

http://www.madcommando.com/eStore/
http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/deptsearch1x.asp?dept=Reloading

If you order it through http://www.midwayusa.com/browse/BrowseProducts.aspx?brandId=1262

it will cost you about $24.99.

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Now the advertisement says "everything you need but a hammer" but I soon realised that I would also need the following to trim the cases before loading. You see in the act if firing the cases tend to expand and if they expand too much it can cause dangerous pressures to build.  So just go ahead and order the following also.

Lee Case Length Gage and Shellholder in your caliber $4.49   This is used in combination with this:



Lee case trimmer cutter and locking stud $5.99



  Lee Chamfer and Deburring Tool $2.79

  

Lee Primer Pocket Cleaner $2.09  




 


Lee Powder Funnel 22 to 45 Caliber  $3.29



The funnel may not be necessary but it sure makes it easier to add the powder, especially since it is made to fit into the top of the tool.  And it is nice to have something to store all of your reloading supplies in such as  Military Surplus Ammo Cans.   I own several in different sizes and use them to store all sorts of stuff.  I like them because they are usually air tight and will keep moisture out of the powder and primers. I usually pick them up at flea markets or Army Surplus stores but they are getting harder to find and more expensive all of the time.



Surplus Ammunition Can 50 Caliber 11" x 5-1/2" x 7" - $11.99

You can also order bullets, powder and primers from this same site but I normally get them from local stores such as Gander Mountain, also you need the loader first to find out what type of these items you need.  You will also need a mallet or non metalic hammer to load with.  Oh and I almost forgot, you need a bunch of used brass shell cases to reload.  Clean them up (minor corrosion can be buffed away with a little 0000 steel wool and make sure the cases are empty inside too), sort out any corroded, dented or cracked cases and dispose of them.



I am sorry for the poor quality of the following photos but I shake too much to get very many good ones.

From the left a case with the primer removed, the depriming base, a Berdan primed case (usually only found on military rounds, sometimes having a colored primer, and cannot be reloaded), and the depriming rod.  To deprime the case you stand it up in the base, insert the rod and tap it with a mallet.

clean out the primer pocket

Put the case into the shell holder and tighten the locking stud.

Screw the case length gage into the cutter/trimmer and insert it into the case.

give it a couple turns with gentle downwards pressure

Deburr the inside of the case wit a gentle turn or two.

and chamfer the ouside edge the same way.



insert the shell into the resizing chamber 

it will only fit part way, stand the tool up and tap the case in flush with a mallet



put a new primer (cup side up) into the priming base

Stand the tool into the base

insert the priming rod and tap it with the mallet until the case frees and the primer seats

a perfect seated primer

stand the primed case in the depriming base

slide the tool over the top

insert the funnel

pour some powder into a non plastic container it need to be big enough to drag the measre through and deep enough to fill the measure. tap to level

pour into then remove funnel

drop in a bullet

insert the bullet seater and tap with mallet until flush

remove the tool

a perfectly seated bullet

to crimp the shell to the bullet stand it in the top of the tool place the depriming chamber over it and tap with a mallet

And there you have it a perfect round to rival any factory load. Total loading time, about 2 minutes



Ok, so I did leave out the instructions for adjusting the tool to the proper bullet seating depth, but it is well covered in the loader instructions, as is most of what I showed here.  

Also I suppose I had better add that reloading can be dangerous and should only be done with proper adult supervision. Make sure to follow all saftey precausions when handling or storing gun powder or primers and loaded ammunition.

And remember: Treat all guns and their owners as if they are loaded.







On A Morning Such As This.....

Last night we had a fresh snow. This morning the wind is calm, the temperature is 40 degrees.
All is quiet in the house. The wife is asleep, as are all of the pets. While I sat here at my computer waiting for my S - L - O - W internet server to respond and allow me access to the internet at a crippled snails pace, I gazed out the window and was drawn back to my youth.

On any given weekend 40 years ago, I would not have been found in the house on a morning like this. My favorite gun, knife and I would have been out in the woods. Hunting was a reason I frequently used to escape to the solitude of the woods. The crunch of the wet snow under my uninsulated green rubber hunting boots, could be felt by my wool stocking covered feet. The whisper of the wool of my WWI calvary riding pants made at each step. I would be over warm in the Navy Pea Coat and Black Watch Cap given by and old family friend Harry Ross, who was a Submariner in WWI & II. My Marlin .22 caliber model 150M semi-automatic rifle loaded up road lightly in my Jersey gloved hand, and a few extra shells in my pocket, I was ready if I chose to use it.

On a morning such as this, I would forgo the cedar swamp and head down the old railroad bedding and back towards the river. My destination about a mile and a half away. Along the trail I might spot rabbits or partridge or ringneck pheasant or maybe even deer. But my quarry for today would be squirrels. I would follow the riverbank back towards the direction of home. Stopping along the way to sit and listen for the sound of rustling branches, and watching for fast flitting movements both on the ground and in the branches overhead. This area was my home and I knew every tree and rock and trail. I probably spent more time here than at the trailer house we lived in. An 8 x 36 foot box to contain the 6 of us. Along with my parents, I had an older brother and 2 younger sisters. The box was a madhouse. Here I had all of the room and peace and quiet I could ask for. The serenity to dream my dreams.....what was that?

Movement .....and the sound of claws scurrying on bark.

There.....a squirrel scampering around a tree. It's a big Fox Squirrel in range of an easy shot, I slowly raise my gun. I sight on his head and ......"BANG"!!!

The squirrel jumps as if hit by lightning.....

and runs flying off the branch it was on to another tree, and another and another.

I am laughing at the sight......No, I did not miss or even wound it.

As a matter of fact I did not even shoot.

My yell of "BANG" was more satisfying than any squirrel dinner.

Today I was not hunting for food.

I was hunting for something else. And I found it.

My peace and solitude over, I head back home.... to reality.

Nature Can Be Cruel

I was a funeral for a childhood friend today. We grew up together along with his younger brothers. I hadn't seen him in over 34 years, so came to pay my last respects. As I pulled up to the funeral home I noticed this strange hearse. Luckily I had my old camera in the car. Unluckily I suck at taking pictures with it.

The 3 wheeled motorcycle that pulles it was really sharp as was the carriage it towed. The brass lanterns and hardware and the clear glass made it look like the old horse drawn hearses.

On my drive home I spotted this and had to investigate it further.

The tree was in the ditch of an old gravel road, not another tree for 1/2 mile in any direction.

This poor young raccon must have been chased up this tree probably by coyotes, lost it's footing, and got wedged into spot in the tree where it couldn't get purchase to get out. This probably happened a couple of nights ago during the snowstorm. Or maybe just last night, the crows and hawks had not gotten to it yet.

Even though I was a hunter, or maybe because of it, I HATE to see an animal suffer. And to think of how long this poor guy suffered just makes me sick. Mother Nature can be as cruel as she is beautiful.

I have always believed in the one shot, one kill, principal and if for some reason the animal didn't expire immediatly, I was fast with the mercy shot. And I would rather let an amimal get away than to take a chance of only wounding it. And that is one of the reasons I no longer hunt. The muscle spasms in my arms and hands make accurate shooting a thing of the past. Oh, I'm still good with a snap shot and on a good day I am ALMOST as accurate as I used to be. But to me almost isn't good enough. And my last deer hunt left me with a bad enough experience to sour me from doing it again. But that's another story.

Road Kill

Well it was more like suicide on his part. While driving into town the other day on an errand, I was passing by a corn field near our house, when suddenly this large Fox Squirrel came running out of it right in front of me. I swerved to avoid it, but it was determined. I felt the crunch under my rear tire. I looked in the rear view mirror, and there it laid. I backed up to assess the situation an remove it from the road. Mr. Squirrel's poor little head was crushed. It couldn't have been a quicker kill if I had used a shotgun. But the rest of him looked alright so I took it home and skinned it and all was well, no bruising or broken bones in the rest of it's body. So tonight I put him in the slow cooker to cook until tomorrow when he will end up as a fine stew.
My wife has been kidding me about eating ROAD KILL, but it was fresh, because my car killed it. I was brought up with a "waste not want not" point of view and to hunt by the theory of "you kill it, you eat it" philosophy (with a few minor exceptions, like varmints, etc.).
I am sure my daughters will cringe while reading this, but it is local food and organic to a point. It is also healthy food.
Today was the opening day of gun deer season and last night I had the "FEVER" bad. This was the first time that I really wanted to go deer hunting in many years. Even before the Post Polio Syndrome slapped me down. I had planned on building a heated blind on our property and hoping for a chance encounter, but just couldn't find the time or ambition to make it. Maybe next year. I did go out with my cross-bow a couple of times but since the limb had cracked during pre-season target practice, I didn't have much faith in anything but a real close shot. My conscious got the best of me, I hated the thought of only wounding an animal and not having a quick, clean kill. So until I get a new bow for my cross-bow I won't use it. After all, I do have my own set of hunting ethics instilled by my Great-Uncle Joe Baker who was a mentor to many of my hunting and fishing skills. And of course Ol' Fred Bear. But those are stories for another time.