Single Stage Press

[Come On Christmas]

I know.  I know.  Spend the time practicing.  Not all of us are J Swartz New York.
 

Even then it’s handy to be able to some procedures on a single stage press.

 

Ya have to recess the bolt/screw heads.  Those are 1/4” bolt/screws.  I whittled a bit.

 

Besides if you Shoot Frontiersman you actually only HAVE to load one bullet.  44/40 is what I recommend for lotsa reasons.

 

Shotgun Shell reloading?  see the Lee Load All below.  On the Shotgun recipe I was pleased to see a lot of shooters using the Lee Load All.  There are faster more expensive options, but (Shhh ya don’t have to go to a Match every month.)

 

I been away from all this for 4 years.  Shot at least once a month for 10+ years.

 

 

 

 

[Come On Christmas]

Not recommending 2 Lee Load Alls.  Ahem the site software is a challenge.

[Blackwater 53393]

I recently picked up a kit that lets me load my 2 7/8” 10ga shells on a Load All 2!

 

It’s a useful little press!

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

I hate very little, but when I do, it's a Load All.   No stops, all by feel, plastic all over.   Ugh.   Get a Mec 600 Jr at least if you bother to load. 

 

JMO, and YMMV.  GJ

[Come On Christmas]

Hmm I have 250 12 gauge blackpowder shells loaded as we speak.  I guess I have the feel.  Also not a hater.

[The Rainmaker, SASS #11631]

Um... What?

[High Spade Mikey Wilson]

I started with a Lee Load All shotgun press. I didn't like it at all. It's inexpensive for a reason. It would be fine if you were going to load a box or two of shells once in a while. I went to a MEC 600 Jr and never looked back. Believe me, if you go with the Lee you will eventually go to a MEC.

[Shawnee Hills]

11 minutes ago, High Spade Mikey Wilson said:

you will eventually go to a MEC.

 

And, perhaps, beyond that 600.  I started with a 600 Jr., went to a Sizemaster, and recently switched to a 9000GN and am wondering why I didn't start out with the 9000.    Even though it took some tweaking and has its quirks, it's a fantastic machine.

[Captain Bill Burt]

On the other end of the spectrum I'm fond of my Ponsness Warren 800+.  I flip a switch, insert a wad, repeat.

[Shawnee Hills]

34 minutes ago, Captain Bill Burt said:

On the other end of the spectrum I'm fond of my Ponsness Warren 800+.  I flip a switch, insert a wad, repeat.

 

Show off!  

[Griff]

35 minutes ago, Captain Bill Burt said:

On the other end of the spectrum I'm fond of my Ponsness Warren 800+.  I flip a switch, insert a wad, repeat.

Aye, but you're loading more'n a box or two occasionally...   I ain't sure I upgraded my 600 Jr., but I've finally gotten my Hornady 366 working for my BP rounds!

[Eyesa Horg]

Mec Grabber

[Buckshot Bear]

I use the shelf at the LGS. 

[Captain Bill Burt]

37 minutes ago, Griff said:

Aye, but you're loading more'n a box or two occasionally...   I ain't sure I upgraded my 600 Jr., but I've finally gotten my Hornady 366 working for my BP rounds!

Very true.

[Blackwater 53393]

My sister-in-law gave me a Load All for Christmas!  It is perfect for what I’m going to use it for.  I found a guy in Scotland that makes a kit to load 10ga 2 7/8” shells.  I can load them smokeless. I can load them BP. I can load 12ga Black Powder 2 3/4” shells. I can load the 3” 12ga shells for my AR12 on it too!

 

This lets me leave my 60 year old Deitemeyer set for all those smokeless 2 3/4”  12ga shells that I and everyone else in the family use the most of.

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

I have been using a Lee load all for about 30 years loading BP shotgun loads .

It works just fine .

 

I have been loading Cartridges  on a Lee single stage press for over 30 years .

I moved up to a Lee three hole single stage Turret press about 10 or 12 years ago and also still use the single stage press regularly for all different kinds of things .

 

I have a Mec-jr  I load smokeless shotgun on .

With zero issues .

 

Lee products are great stuff to start with and or stay with .

 

I have nothing bad to say about Lee products. 

 

Not everyone need a 73 rifle to enjoy this game .

Many of us started out with a 92 .

And It works just fine. 

No need to upgrade when what you have works for you .

 

So if your Lee equipment works for you .

Run with what you brung to the dance .

No upgrade needed here !

 

So Saith The Rooster 

[Come On Christmas]

Yep mines pushing 20 years old.

[Come On Christmas]

11 hours ago, Shawnee Hills said:

 

And, perhaps, beyond that 600.  I started with a 600 Jr., went to a Sizemaster, and recently switched to a 9000GN and am wondering why I didn't start out with the 9000.    Even though it took some tweaking and has its quirks, it's a fantastic machine.

Huh? Slow process must be.  Haven’t changed in 15 years.

[Go West]

I started reloading with a Lee Pro 1000 and switched to a Dillon 650 over 20 years ago and never regretted it. I do use Lee dies with a Factory Crimp Die and like them. I used to buy Remington Game loads when I started since they were under $2.75/box when you bought them by the case. They definitely aren't that price anymore and use a MEC Sizemaster now. I'm happy for those folks that like their reloading gear. Me? I enjoy using mine. I wouldn't mind a nice progressive shotshell press, but can't justify the price.

[High Spade Mikey Wilson]

17 hours ago, Shawnee Hills said:

 

And, perhaps, beyond that 600.  I started with a 600 Jr., went to a Sizemaster, and recently switched to a 9000GN and am wondering why I didn't start out with the 9000.    Even though it took some tweaking and has its quirks, it's a fantastic machine.

Both the Sizemaster and the 9000G are great presses, and when they are working correctly they can't be beat. If they are not working correctly they can be a big PITA. I've owned both of those models over the last 35 years when me, the wife, and son were sporting clay shooting every weekend back in the '90's. 400 rounds a week was the norm so I had a lot of reloading to do each week. Today it's just me doing cowboy shooting with either 20 or 12 gauge, and the simple MEC 600jr works just fine for me these days.

[Shawnee Hills]

19 hours ago, Come On Christmas said:

Huh? Slow process must be.  Haven’t changed in 15 years.

More like an evolution of need progressing from hunting, to a large amount of hunting (including reloading steel shot), and then competition.  Reloading is typically done in bulk when there’s time available.  Single stages were no longer meeting the need given the time.

[Cyrus Cassidy #45437]

On 1/3/2024 at 10:45 AM, The Rainmaker, SASS #11631 said:

Um... What?

Seriously, it looks like the rambling of a severely mentally ill person.

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

Huh? Is there a point or story the OP is trying to tell?

[Phantom, SASS #54973]

3 minutes ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

Huh? Is there a point or story the OP is trying to tell?

Careful or he'll send you a bizarre PM accusing you of weird stuff

 

Phantom

[watab kid]

i went from a 366 to a mec ss , now im going to use a poncess warn for shot shells , only because thats what i have not what i need , unless i start shooting sporting clays a lot more i wont need the production level but i can easily put in the stock i need in a single trip to the reload room , 

 

ill stick with my ss turret for the rifle/revolver and the rock chucker for the long range , i can keep up with the needed rounds because i have a backlog , 

[Sgt. Hochbauer, SASS #64409]

I am using a Mec 9000 for all of my smokeless sg shells and a Mec Jr for my bp sg shells....although I sometimes use the 9000 to resize and prime my bp hulls then do the rest on the 600jr. I also have a pw 375 that periodically gets used for bp shells. I did begin reloading sg shells on a Lee Loadall then fell into a used 600 jr as a freebie...I added the primer feeder to it and cannot recall what became of the Lee press.

 

Hochbauer