Lee Loader for 7.62x54r?

[BridgeWalker]

I'm planning to set up mostly for pistol loading, and I'm already loading 9mm. on a friend's equipment, but I really want to keep around a couple of 7.62x54r.

I've only got forty pieces of brass right now, and I don't really see myself shooting it in large quantities at all, at least not without just buying a case of surplus ammo.

Would it be wiser to just pick up a Lee Loader for under $20, rather than a regular die set?

I haven't done any rifle reloading at all--do I need to resize if it's all going through the same rifle? Obviously, resizing is my biggest concern with the Lee Loader--that's a lot of force to exert without a lever!

 

[scrat]

If these cases came from your rifle then you dont have to worry. A lee loader would be a good idea. Im sure you will hear a lot of flack from others trying to make you dump in as much money as they do. Here is the deal

You can use a lee loader when

you have cases that have been fired from your rifle

you are tight on a budget

Does a lee loader work

Heck ya. it works very very good. As when you are using fire formed cases. you are only neck sizing the cases. This increases the case life. As full length sizing will result in more trimming of the cases. You will get a load data card that will show you what loads you can use with the given dipper. If you want to increase the types of loads you can do then you can use a scale or get more dippers and load data. What else is needed. Maybe nothing i would recomend later on getting a lock stud and case trimmer. Thats it though. some people will want to get a hand type primer installer. however the kit works fine. Its very very accurate. You would need one important thing though and thats a caliper to measure your overall case length. If you do not have cases fired from your rifle you have choices. First take the cases and see if they fit in your rifle if they do then your set. if they dont then you could buy some more rifle rounds shoot them from your rifle and keep those cases.

 

[BridgeWalker]

I can use my friend's hand primer, if he's got a shell holder that will fit. He probably does.

Yeah, it's all going through my 91/30. My husband is probably getting an M44 carbine, but we'll just mark our cases so they stay with the correct gun.

 

[res45]

One thing of note the Lee die set neck expander is for .308 bullets I'm not sure what the Lee loader neck sizes to but if you get the Lee dies you will need to get a .303 expander rod about $3 so you can use .311 or .312 bullets which are the most common used in most Mosin rifles. As far as OVL case length goes get a Lee cutter and lock stud for $5 and the case length guage and shell holder for another $5 and your set.

 

[rcmodel]

If you gotta go over to your friends to use his priming tool, and you already use his press for loading your 9mm ammo, I'd strongly suggest you just buy a set of Lee reloading dies for his press!

You can certainly do it with the Lee-Loader hand tool, but you can do it much easier & faster on a press!
And some might even have the gall to say, better!


rcmodel

 

[Cosmoline]

I've fooled around with the loader but honestly unless you need one to take on a long backcountry trip I'd get the Lee HAND PRESS and dies instead. The press costs about $20 or less on sale and you can get x54R dies for about the same price. The hand press is what I use almost exclusively for rifles now. I started using it for space but I find it gives me enormous control that I just can't get with the bench models. I can "feel" where the bullet is and if there are any neck problems. This is particularly important given all the weird combinations I come up with and the sometimes variable dimensions of 54R brass.

The loader is kinda cool and retro, but noisy and laborious.

 

[kennedy]

I reload for 7.62x54 on my lee turret press, only needed a set of dies, only problem is on my press the primer does not work, and had to buy a lee auto prime, the problem is the set of shell holders do not include one for 7.62x54, had to buy one from lee direct.