Will classic lee loader be good enough for my 45-70 simple needs

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Sheepdog1968

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I want to shoot my 1895 Marlin 45-70 a lot more say 300 rounds a month. I can't afford new ammo prices for that and I have about 200 45-70 brass cases I've saved. I don't have any reloading equipment and outside of this cartridge I don't plan to do any reloading.

All I'm looking to do is practice more for hunting type shooting positions not on a bench with accuracy around 3" at 50 yards. Mostly shooting paper or 2 L bottles at 50 yards.

Will the classic lee loader be good enough and safe for this purpose? Will the powder scooper be adequate? When it comes to real hunting I will just buy factory loads. Many thanks.
 
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The only downside to the classic lee loader is that it's LABOR INTENSIVE. 300 rounds of "whacking" doesn't appeal to me (far too much work). But I know people who love it. And the ammunition so produced is excellent. on the other hand you can probably find a used single stage press and a sets of dies fairly cheaply.
 
It will work fine. I've loaded thousands of various rounds with the Lee whack a mole loaders with great success, and made my dog terrified of hammers in the process (occasional primer detonation when seating with a hammer..)

Were I you, I'd go to Ebay, Craigslist, or Lee Precision, Grab a "Lee reloader press" for around $40, and get a set of Lee dies from Ebay for $30 and have it the easy way.

The whack a mole set IS on ebay for $26 though, but like I said, for a bit more (still under $100), I'd save myself a ton of labor.
 
Sheepbog1968: It will work just fine. But just like the other guys told You it will be alot of work. But it should make You seriously start looking for a single stage reloading press and a set of reloading dies. My Son and I both shoot 1895 Marlin CB models, quite a bit and they are IMHO great Rifles and the 45-70 is just an excelent caliber. For about anything You want to use it for, or hunt with it.
ken
 
I used a classic loader for a couple of years until I got a turret press. If you go with it I have two recommendations:
Get a scale instead of relying on the powder dipper.
Get a hand priming tool, detonating primers while hammering a case down onto them is very annoying.
 
Nuttin' wrong with a Lee Loader. I used one exclusively, for mebbe 11 months, and a whole lotta 38 Specials, before I moved up to a hand press. Now this was "pre-web" and didn't know a Lee Loader was a bad choice :what:. I used that Lee Loader with confidence, loading some safe accurate ammo, and learning a lot as I went along (I found my 1 ton arbor press works great with a Lee Loader). Fast forward 28 years and I still have 5 Lee Loaders along with 4 presses, 12 sets of dies, 3 powder measures, and unknown number of assorted tools and equipment, and occasionally I'll feel "retro" or don't want to re-set a press, I'll grab a Lee Loader and pound out a box or so of quality ammo...

I've never been in a hurry, or had a quota for my reloads so speed wasn't a concern (but there's a video on youtube that shows a feller reloading a bottle necked case in about 47 seconds). I found tools that made the Lee Loader more "pleasant", like using a large lead ingot for an anvil and a "dead blow" hammer in place of a plastic mallet. Much, much quieter. I checked all the dippers against a scale for known charges and even customized the dippers for my loads (either enlarged the cavities or made them smaller to customize the powder charges). Of my 5 Lee Loaders the only one to "pop" primers was my .44 Mag./Special kit. I believe if the spring loaded plate on the priming tool needs to be lined up properly or you'll get an occasional surprise. But with an arbor press or dead blow hammer I haven't had that problem.

Nope, nuttin' wrong with Lee Loaders...:D
 
Thanks all for the feedback. Right now looking to keep it simple. The downside to a single stage press is then I have to arrange a place to set it up. If I get a press then in inclined to get something very nice that would be useful for long range shooting. It just starts to tumble from there. The lee thing forces me to keep it simple. I did take a reloading class last year. I may end up with a hand primer. I'm a chemist by training and have had enough things go mildly wrong over the years where is a primer detonates while I'm hammering it in it would really bother me even though there is low chance for injury. I know chemists who are blind in one eye, partially deaf, or missing body parts from things going boom so I really tend to avoid booms. Sounds like a dead blow hammer may help. And yes, I will wear PPEs when doing this.
 
I've timed myself with the Lee classic loader, and I can load 50 rounds in about 30 minutes. This is loading .38 spl, but my guess is that .45-70 would be similar.

I found that I quickly figured out how much force to apply to the hammer, and loading a round was a simple series of taps. A good upgrade is a simple arbor press. With the right powder, the dippers work great, but a cheap powder measure from eBay is a big upgrade.

Get the classic loader, it's a great way to start and learn.

FWIW, I can load 50 rounds of .38 spl in 20 minutes using a Lyman 310 tong tool. But they're a lot more money these days.
 
Yes, a hand priming tool is a big step up. Buy one used, use it for s box or two, and if you don't like it, you can sell it for what you paid for it.
 
Get a Lee hand press, a set of dies and a few accessories. It will be a lot easier and you can store it all away in a shoe box. Nothing wrong with the dippers. I use them all the time but it does benefit you to have a scale and know how much powder you are dumping into the case.
 
I have a Lee Clasic O frame press. when the OP asked about the lee classic I supposed it to be O framed press not the wack type. But the classic press will work just fine.
 
I have a Lee hand press, and find it difficult to use. The leverage is awkward, especially when trying to full length resize pistol cases. I can't imagine how it would be to resize a .45-70 case. It does fit in a shoebox, though.
 
The Lee classic loader only neck sizes brass. After a number of loadings, your brass will be difficult to chamber. Set it aside, and when you visit a buddy with a press, you can full length resize and trim it.
 
I have a pile of Lee Loaders and have used them all to make ammo. I also have several single stage presses, a Lee hand press, and a couple turret presses. For 300 rounds a month a hand press would be my lowest speed recommendation. Clamping an inexpensive press to a tabletop or mounting to a 2X6 that is then clamped to a table/bench/step would make the process MUCH faster and more pleasant. I second getting a scale to measure charges. The scoops work well but you are pretty much limited to what the published scoop/propellant combo provides. With the limited propellant selections these days this limits your loading unless you have a good scale. YMMV
 
From personal experience with that Lee Classic, all I can say, is do yourself a favor and buy the least expensive press possible, a die set, scale, Harbor frieght caliper, some powder, primers, and projectiles, and do it the right way, the easy way, used is fine BTW.

Seriously, you'll regret going with the Classic. A friend of mine bought one thinking he could do exactly what your doing, and he rolled about 4 or 5 cartridges before he threw the towel in. And for an individual who wants to shoot 300+ rounds per month, that my friend is a lot of tedious, hair pulling, and time consuming work.

IMHO, the Classic is for someone who lives in a cave, and even then it's hardly worth the effort.

GS
 
Lee hand press, set of dies and go to town. I use a hand press for all my reloading. It's slow and gets tiring when processing 1000 rds of 223, but a few hundred rounds of 45-70 should be no issue. Easy to store when not needed. Also, sit in front of the TV for most of the steps since it's very portable.
 
I started reloading way back when with a Lee Loader, I've been reloading for 50+ years, maybe longer. I still get one of my Lee loaders out and use it. I reload for 40 different calibers, I wish I could get a Lee Loader for each and every caliber.

For the cost of less than $30.00 and only reloading 300 cartridges a month I'd say go for it. With regards to using a scale over a dipper, millions of perfectly good rounds have been loaded using only a dipper, I still do for some loads. But a scale WOULD be better.

One important thing, if you get a Lee Loader, DO NOT use a hammer, get a mallet. Actually I usually use a broken hammer handle or a Sinclair Arbor Press.

To those who look down to the Lee Loader, it is essentially the same as a Wilson die. An expensive set up used by those wishing the ultimate in accuracy.
 
Close to 6 times the money ~$160 but more flexible.
You may decide you like reloading and want to load something else.
Powder measure and scale and hand primer.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/12...k-single-stage-press-kit?cm_vc=ProductFinding

same price but on the press priming
81/lee-challenger-breech-lock-single-stage-press-anniversary-kit?cm_vc=ProductFinding
(I like to hand prime)

Dies
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/818681/lee-steel-3-die-set-45-70-government?cm_vc=ProductFinding

http://www.missouribullet.com/results.php?pageNum_rsCWResults=2&category=6&secondary=36
$42-$45 for 200 bullets
Never used the rifle bullets they have but really like their pistol bullets, probably shot 10000+ of different flavors.
 
I think it comes down to what kind of reloader you are. If you're a patient, go slow and meticulous sort of fellow, get the Lee Classic. If you're at all impatient, you'll hate it. For $30, you'll break even in a box or two of ammo, and then decide if you're going to keep it.

Another tip is to run your brass through the process in batches, rather than making one complete round at a time.
 
Also, if you go with a Lee hand press, I recommend getting a neck sizing die rather than a full length sizing die. It will be much less effort on the handle, you can skip the case lube, and you'll have to trim much less often, if at all.
 
Sheepdog, you have touched on a subject that generates a lot of interest.

To your questions.
45-70 is very do-a-ble with the 'wack-a-mole' tool. If it were a bottle necked case I wouldn't us one for long term. But straight walled cases do very well.
The dumb dippers are just that, dumb. In this case 'dumb' is good. After finding the right dipper/powder/charge combination, they 'Keep It Simple Stupid' :) and are hard to beat for general loading use.
As stated above, several times, this type of tool is labor intensive. 300 loading per month.... I don't know if I would want to pound that much but I'm old and cranky.

Look at the bright side, when you get tire of the 'wack-a-mole' tool and move on to bigger better tools, you will still have a back-up, portable tool if the need hits you.

Load with care,
 
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