Tips to Optimize Your Lee Load All. - Better ammo, faster. 

Thanks for the feedback. I always like to help people. I also transitioned to a MEC 600 series progressive probably made in the 1960s. I wish I had kept the Lee press though, as the Mec doesn't have practical shell sizing. The newer models with inline collet sizing are the clear way to go. I wish more NRA instructors were like you. The one in my area basically teaches everyone how to do everything in the slowest stodgiest way, as though nothing has improved since 1970 and people's time is not important. We are in an era where we all have access to the solutions other people have found, and the best practices are readily available. For example:1) No one should be taught to use a lubersizer for anything other than nostalgic purposes now that powder coating has been worked out. 2) No one should associate the necessary alloy with velocity, instead of pressure. That's just bad info that Lyman continues to publish, even though their own data contradicts it. 3) I think it is malpractice to tell new metallic reloaders to buy a single stage to start, when there are excellent turret presses which can operate as a single stage simply by removing the indexing rod, and those presses cost a lot less than most of the old single stages. That's wasting your pupil's money and teaching him that reloading is needlessly time consuming.

I've recently done a couple videos on reloading buckshot, that you might like, along with a write up on The Reloader's Network.

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that you found it helpful! I am really trying to put out content that will help people like yourself. Take care and if you have any ideas on a video that I could make that will be helpful please let me know! Take care.

I have nicer loaders now, but it certainly is a capable tool if you know how to use it. The fact that it comes with a full set of bushings is a big deal too. And that you can get another full set for like $5. So it's even cheap to modify bushings for a perfect dialed load.

I tap on the powder hopper a few times then check the first few drops, or when I add a new can of powder. I know the volume isn't changing that much. Plus there's the fact that with the RCBS manual, for many of my loads, there is often a load a few pages later that has the identical components, but a few grains more powder, or a few grains less a page or two back. That means while fluctuations would be sub optimal, they would still be in safe published ranges.

reply #2 -- when I try a new powder and bushing combo, I insist on variances less than +/- 0.1 or maybe 0.2 grains for shotgun shells. If that bushing and powder don't give consistent drops, I will either fix what's wrong or use a different recipe. However, since I made this video, I've been using an old MEC machine with an adjustable charge bar, which I prefer.

Grejam53 Thanks for watching it. I put a lot of work into that, and mostly got crickets chirping and tumbleweeds. I hope you get good results in the ammo you make. Now I need to do a big run of shotgun ammo too. I used up just about everything I didn't give away on the 4th.

Yes. Thanks. I think Lee should also cast a couple rings around the crimp starter positions to make centering the hull quicker. There isn't much use in making a poor quality video explaining how to use a LLA or the pros/cons when there is already an excellent video on the topic.

Thanks. I'm Flattered. New shotgun content coming out soon. I just got Svarog Paradox mold, and am a beta tester for a new loading tool.

We're all learning. Pass on what you learn to someone else too.

buckling close to the brass, or up at the crimp?

Leonard Urban l don't think that was an issue. I had that setup temporarily for the benefit of the camera. My general setup definitely had full travel.

Leonard Urban Yes Sir... Lee Instructions state: "Mount press no more than ½” from edge of bench for handle clearance."

dustoff499 even bottoming the handle against the unmounted press, stroke was insufficient. The length of the die indicated in the vid was the limiting factor.

GunFun ZS Thanks. I do not own the Lee press. I'm considering one though. Downloaded manual to study (sharing what I read previous post) but have no experience in this. These videos are a treasure of helpful information.

dustoff499 they are decent. I appreciate they they include sizing ring. Verify the charge weights. They tend to be light.

I've done that. I don't like it as much because 1) it's a bit fiddly. 2) 90% of what I have loaded needs more than what a nickel would do. I'd rather have my press set for how I actually use it, with repeatable stops, or at least witness marks for the unusual case. Thanks for the reply though.

When?

Yes that video is actually already done and it is one of my most popular old videos . If you search through my reloading videos there is about a 16 minute video on shotgun reloading diagnostics . That will tell you exactly the things you were asking.

And for what it's worth you're asking exactly the right kind of questions.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lu9mB-hH1Rc.html If you have any questions that the video in the link doesn't answer, I will be happy to answer them directly.

Everything i read says that when using the modern shotcups no extra pressure is needed. Press the shotcup down to meet the powder solidly, but not to the point of compressing the cup. Old way was compress fiber wads to 40 pounds. No pressure needed with shotcups. I think the 40 lbs compression may have transitioned from the Blackpowder days and proper ignition required compressing the powder. Not necessary with smokeless. Progressive burning powders build the pressure in a confined enclosure when ignited. Blackpowder explodes when fired up and if there is an air pocket, boom goes the gun, barrel, and maybe the shooter. BP required compression for safety but also to eliminate air pockets, which ensured proper ignition, same as BP muzzleloaders today. But it is still necessary to NOT leave an air pocket between powder and shotcup. Just don't compress it heavily.

It has been a few years since I made this video. Unfortunately, I sold the Loader just before making this video, and shipped it just before I uploaded the video and discovered that I had it partly out of frame. I may reshoot the video if I get one again. I'll try and answer your question based on what I recall. There were two modifications that substantially improve the capability to make quality ammo. 1) I painted the drop tube white and put colored markings at different levels so that I could seat the wads to a consistent depth. That is in shot, as can be seen even in the thumbnail for the video. This is probably what you are asking about. 2)The second modification increases the range of travel of the whole press, which gives the option of seating wads a little deeper too, and also solves the shallow crimps issue. You will notice that one of the dies on the right side hits the press base before the others. IIRC it was the final crimp die. The mod is easy. File about 1/8" off of the bottom of that die. Now the press can go deeper. My observation is that most Lee Loaders need about 1/8" more travel to get good crimps with most shells. Yours may be a little more or less, but there's no serious harm caused by going too far. If I were to make it even nicer, I would shave a lot more off, and add a bolt to make an adjustable travel stop. I do think these are good presses, but those simple changes make them a lot better.

GunFun ZS thank you for the info. I will start at an 1/8 inch and try it from there.

I wish that too but I couldn't do a retake because I had already shipped the press to its new owner before I started editing.

Thanks for the comment. That sounds like a lot of work.

Expecting my Lee Load-All to be delivered in the next few days. I will try your method of dried soapy water.

I can't remember for sure, but that might be what I used.

That is only the case where the press was set up for the camera. When I was using it, it was mounted appropriately. The dies bottomed out about an eighth of an inch before the crimp was complete prior to the modification.

Thank you for the kind words. RU-vid hasn't been telling me when people comment on my videos lately. It's frustrating.

That's not what is the issue in this demo. The video is addressing when the crimp die bottoms out on the press before the shell has a full crimp. That's not even close to possible if the handle is hitting your bench.

I'll take a look.

@@GunFunZS thank you! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I found that out while editing. At that point, the press was already in the mail. I had sold it before making this video, and the buyer was nice enough to let me film before shipping. I still think it is a great press. Hopefully you got useful information anyway.

They are gauging several things, all related to how far you run the press down. First, they tell you how deeply you are setting the wad, and allowing you to hit the same mark every time. Then same for the pre-crimp. Then same for the final crimp. Going to the right level, and returning to the same spot makes turning out good ammo much easier, and more consistent.

Did you learn anything from the video?

Don't worry. That was years ago, and it hasn't improved any so far as I can tell.

Joking aside though, I knew it was rough, but this video took me a ton of time to make. Did it actually teach you anything useful, because that was the main thing I wanted to achieve. Basically help others with the things that I needed help with.

@@GunFunZS I have yet to use mine so have little clue of the potential issues one way or the other, but am just watching others succeed or fail so I will not be totally lost (my hope anyway) when I do start loading the slugs and buck shot shells. I ordered 500 shells and wads along with the lyman 5th edition shotshell handbook. The place I ordered from used that book to verify my wads would work with the shells I ordered, and I'm thinking of looking up and ordering the correct primer for that shell tonight. BYW, my experience as a mechanic says I think I'd use powdered graphite rather than sizing wax for a lube as it's dry and the same coating used on gunpowder to keep it from sticking, and is a perfect key hole lubricant.

@@archangel20031 unlike metallic cartridge you basically do not need to lubricate shotgun shells . Unless you were using a roll crimper...

GunFun ZS I meant graphite lubricant for the powder/shot slide thingie that you said gets sticky, or hangs up.