Reloading lefties

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preacherJohn

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Looking back through my notes, I've noticed I haven't really reloaded much since the winter. Between health conditions and other projects my time has been limited on the bench. I still have plenty of bullets, powders, etc and bought a new ammo can at Rural King this week and decided to start filling it up with some target loads. Here's the problem; after running off several hundred my right shoulder was hurting pretty good. Seeing how I tore my rotator cuff already several times over the years with the last one about 8 yrs ago, it doesn't take much to get my attention. I'm right handed and my LNL and Lee Classic turret both have their ram rods on the right side of the press, and it's my right shoulder that is giving me problems. I'm curious how you lefties reload with this gear? Did you just adapt to placing the case in the press with your left hand, and use the ram with your right? Or is there another way I haven't thought about?
 
I'm left handed. It doesn't mean I have to do every primary task with that hand. Certain things (like reloading presses) are set up to run primarily with the right hand.
 
Not sure about the Hornady, but the Lee turret press handle is easy enough to reverse
 
Being LH means I do it no different than anyone else on my LnL - If your shoulder is hurting, perhaps you are not sitting at he proper height - you do NOT want your hand/arm to be above your shoulder at any time.
 
Or is there another way I haven't thought about?

Money is, of course, no object of worry, correct?:)

https://spolargold.com/hydraulic-system
rs=h:650,cg:true.jpg

There's a reason it's gold colored...:D

http://www.corbins.com/prices.htm#csp-2

I believe this one is made of Iridium, Unobtanium and Adamantium. And lubricated with the tears of white Russian minks...




Oh, man, finally! You don't need to sell a child to fund this one.

https://www.reloaders.com/collections/auto-drive-electric-system
AUTODRIVE__49169.1407861461.640.640_1024x1024.jpg

@jmorris may have some ideas...:cool:


perhaps you are not sitting at he proper height

Sitting? That never occurred to me.
 
Its a right handed world. Anybody who is left handed has learned to adapt to a degree. I'm left handed and have never considered moving the handle. In fact, it allows me to handle the cases and bullets with my left hand.
 
OH boy, I like these :what:

https://spolargold.com/hydraulic-system
index.php


There's a reason it's gold colored...:D

http://www.corbins.com/prices.htm#csp-2
 
I'm ambidextrous. I run the progressive with my right hand and the turret with my left. Lyman's All American presses are typically configured so that the handle can go on either side.

IMG_0342 (1).jpg

.40
 
Getting the ergonomics setup up right is the key to having minimal problems. This is one reason I have the ball handle and not the aftermarket handles. With your press you want the natural full stroke up position of the handle inline with you shoulder. I had shoulder surgery about a year ago to reattach the tendon/muscle that's used to lift you arm out and rotator cuff damage. I have 2 stations setup up, one for standing and the other sitting. The one for standing I can still sit with the use of my adj lab stool. Makes a huge difference in how your body works when things are setup at properly.
 
Pro 4000 (ABLP).jpg
I use a Hornady LNL-AP also and have this Auto Breech Lock Pro sitting beside it. I did rotate the handle around so I could set bullets with my right hand and operate with my left. Felt strange to begin with but it allows me to use an M-die and makes keeping my bullets straight a lot easier.
I really like it set up this way. These are for .357 target loads, just mid-range loads with plated bullets, so I am also using a taper crimp seating die in station 4.
 
There are a number of ways to automate the stroke of a press but I don’t on any my hands are doing to be involved in the process.

Lee seems to make their products symmetrical so there are ridges etc on both the right and left side.

ED4EEC00-706F-49D3-BCF1-A6135B1571AA.jpeg

So you remove the bolt, swap sides, tighten and just like that, you have a left handed press.

4EBA7583-13F4-4353-8053-A9D2E93C98FF.jpeg

I can only think this is intentional because on some they are even setup so you can move the front vertical support to the right or left side depending on what arm you are going to use to stroke the press/hold the bullet.

B90B0C96-4E60-4F77-846D-92BAE99CBABA.jpeg

The are so versatile that you can do things, without modification to the press, that they never even thought of.



Of course the obvious would be that you are going to have to do 3-4 times the work, left handed on the turret than you would be doing with your right on the LNL.

I would suggest that you lube ALL cases, yes even pistol. Just try it once, that’s all it took be to become a believer and I don’t even have a hurt shoulder.
 
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Looking back through my notes, I've noticed I haven't really reloaded much since the winter. Between health conditions and other projects my time has been limited on the bench. I still have plenty of bullets, powders, etc and bought a new ammo can at Rural King this week and decided to start filling it up with some target loads. Here's the problem; after running off several hundred my right shoulder was hurting pretty good. Seeing how I tore my rotator cuff already several times over the years with the last one about 8 yrs ago, it doesn't take much to get my attention. I'm right handed and my LNL and Lee Classic turret both have their ram rods on the right side of the press, and it's my right shoulder that is giving me problems. I'm curious how you lefties reload with this gear? Did you just adapt to placing the case in the press with your left hand, and use the ram with your right? Or is there another way I haven't thought about?
Run in small batches, and be sure you're using enough lube. Try standing.
The other physical changes were suggested already.
 
All good suggestions. My shoulder started bothering me again a little over a month ago. Even sleeping can be difficult with a constant nagging ache. I've added an Mdie to my LNL here recently so I've been resizing on the Lee, then after several hundred cases or so I run the LNL with the sized cases. The Lee's handle isn't quite as long as the LNL, hence less leverage, plus the sizing die stiffness while using the Lee's ram has more resistance. When I start running the LNL, it's like butter after sizing on the Lee.
 
I'm very new to all this, but I just tried lube for the first time on my LNL the other night (I only load 9mm so far, and the consensus seemed to be it wasn't necessary). I was blown away by how much easier it was. For me, I find seating the primer on the LNL to be the most "awkward" from an ergonomics perspective. I've found that placing my left hand behind the top of the casting makes a big difference - you're basically pushing your right hand against your left (pulling), instead of trying to get leverage from your feet on the floor - I like it better that way. I pick up a case with my left hand while my right is on the down stroke, bring left hand back (with case in it) to brace the press for seating the primer, then I have already have the next case ready to go. Grab and place a bullet while starting the downstroke, and go grab the next case once the seating die takes over for you... Rinse and repeat.

I also Highly recommend making or buying a riser block to bring the press to the height you like if you haven't already. I had to bend kinda funny to complete the downstroke before I built mine. A bracket for bins to hold the bullets/cases is very handy as well.

20190810_141301.jpg

20190810_141249.jpg
 
OP's question struck me because I've never thought about it. I'm left-handed, but I considered the handle to be to the "front" and mounted the presses off the sides of the bench....so I mounted my Breechlock Challenger with the handle on the left hand side of the loading bench and use my left hand to operate it, right hand to load cases (which makes sense because the loading blocks are on the bench to the right of the press. But my LCT is mounted on the right side of the loading bench and I use my right hand to operate the lever and load cases with my left..loading blocks are on the bench to the left....and never really thought either way was more difficult.
 
You could always lay down on the bench. Then you could push with your left arm. o_O

With carbide dies, you may not need to lube, but lubrication always helps everything. I guarantee your OALs will be more consistent with lube.
 
I also Highly recommend making or buying a riser block

I have an inline fabrication riser on my LNL and I normally prime my cases off press with an RCBS bench primer tool. I just got a little lazy resizing on the Lee yesterday and was sitting in a desk chair instead of on my bar stool in front of the bench. I just ran 300 more rounds to finish off the 9mm lot of bullets I have, and so far I'm alright. I never used lube on my pistol bullets, but if it goes easier, I might try it. I'm to the point now where I'm ready to clean the press and dies and set up for a run of 45acp. Thanks for all the replies. I never thought about left handed people or how the reloaded until my right shoulder started hurting yesterday.
 
I never thought about left handed people or how the reloaded until my right shoulder started hurting yesterday.

I don't know about all lefties, but I know that I (and many of the others I've talked to), just learn to do a lot of things right handed. Which isn't as bad as it sounds. It often leads to increased competence with the right hand, and that can be advantageous at times.
 
I have an inline fabrication riser on my LNL and I normally prime my cases off press with an RCBS bench primer tool. I just got a little lazy resizing on the Lee yesterday and was sitting in a desk chair instead of on my bar stool in front of the bench. I just ran 300 more rounds to finish off the 9mm lot of bullets I have, and so far I'm alright. I never used lube on my pistol bullets, but if it goes easier, I might try it. I'm to the point now where I'm ready to clean the press and dies and set up for a run of 45acp. Thanks for all the replies. I never thought about left handed people or how the reloaded until my right shoulder started hurting yesterday.
Me too; Inline makes an AWESOME product. I have 3 of their risers
 
I too have right shoulder problems. I sit at a 45 degree angle to the press, sliding my hand up and down the handle as needed to apply only the needed force.
I size/decap cases on my RockChucker first and hand primer left-handed while watching TV. Since I also have Tennis Elbow in my Right Arm. Pushing in with the handle to prime will really aggravate it.

I use a Hornady L-N-L to expand, powder, bullet, crimp of most Handgun Ammo.

My bench was built at a height to accommodate 24" stools, with presses mounted at bench height.
This was long before I ever saw anyone standing at a press to load ammo on a riser.
Which is a blessing for my old broken knees.

And I'm ambidextrous which helps.
 
I'm left handed too, but I still use my right hand on the handle. That leaves the left hand for handling the brass and bullets. Works for me.
 
My bench was built at a height to accommodate 24" stools,

It's been so long since I've built my bench I don't exactly remember the height of it; but since I was a cabinet builder and trim carpenter before retirement I'd say it's probably kitchen cabinet height around 36". I use a bar stool to sit on. I add the riser a few years years ago so the ram rod wouldn't go so low I couldn't reach it at it's lowest part of the stroke.

and hand primer left-handed while watching TV

I used to hand prime watching football games. Then the arthritis and the carpal tunnel in my wrist started acting up after 70 cases or so. I finally broke down and bought the RCBS bench prime and a Frankfort Arsenal Vibra prime to load the tube. That works really good too.
 
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