Lee Loader

All that makes it sound like you're longing for the days of yore or you just want others to know you've been doing it a long time. I guess that's fair.

Reminds me of people telling me they used to fix their own vehicles back when each was a good mechanic when what they mean is "I haven't kept up with technology" and everyone used to fix their own vehicles.

BTW, I know what you mean maybe. I still frequent laymen vehicle forums to help them with tech, diag, repair. They ask "dumb" questions too.

Wait...no such thing.

GasGuzzler wrote:BTW, I know what you mean maybe. I still frequent laymen vehicle forums to help them with tech, diag, repair. They ask "dumb" questions too.

Wait...no such thing.

LOL all you had to do was buy a Chilton's repair manual and that would explain how all the emissions worked. Then a code reader and you're good to go.

A VERY long time ago I had a 1943 Willys. Now that was a car I could actually fix and maintain as that old 4 banger flat head rust bucket require a lot of it. At the time it was a love hate relationship but the nice thing was I could do it and afford it.

I wonder what that jeep would be worth today?

I was an Auto Electrician/Heavy Equipment mechanic/electrician for a city with a very large fleet of autos, pick-up, light and heavy trucks and every kind of construction equipment possible (ever see a "fly by wire" street sweeper?). The days of the back yard mechanic started dying in '85 or so with the introduction of computer controlled carburetors (but with a bent paper clip one could still pull codes and do some repairs). It isn't so much not keeping up with technology as the manuals alone, with all the electronics data, would be more than the average home mechanic could afford. Can't get by with a test light either. A good DVOM along with scan tools and special test equipment is essential (and laptop computers were needed on some of the equipment when I retired).

My original post pointed out how many new reloaders think there is something magical about troubleshooting their ammo, when in fact 99% of all they need to know is in most reloading manuals, and plain old common sense. Because of possible disastrous results many won't bother to think, and just ask a question on a forum (and the answer is usually in his reloading manual). I pointed out how many are easily overwhelmed/frightened to work out a problem with their ammo (how many posts have been posted "my rounds won't chamber" without any real research or experimentation?). Of course many new reloaders don't fall into the "panic first" category, but I'm seeing many that are easily confused with basic reloading methods.

Again, not criticizing, not bragging, not trying to impress anyone with my "many, many" years of reloading, just pointing out a fact I have become aware of...

62chevy wrote:

GasGuzzler wrote:BTW, I know what you mean maybe. I still frequent laymen vehicle forums to help them with tech, diag, repair. They ask "dumb" questions too.

Wait...no such thing.

LOL all you had to do was buy a Chilton's repair manual and that would explain how all the emissions worked. Then a code reader and you're good to go.

Maybe there's a really good correlation here 62chevy. Consider a reloading manual today as to a Chilton repair manual from the 60"s....because reloading is still the same. As an aside (the drift is already here) I have a couple code readers and still do most of my own wrenching. At least all the external stuff. I suppose there's probably reloaders out there that don't know where to find the dip stick. How's it go, necessity is the mother of invention. Oh well, things change.

Well, let me re-chime in here. I was looking thru this thread sitting on the sidelines after having made a post or two (yah, I'm the newbie), waiting to see if any other newbies would chime in... lesson in patience ... no takers.
So. I've read all of your great entries here - lots of info, good historical perspectives from some of you and that got me to retrace my steps to me being overwhelmed, sometimes confused...

Before purchasing any equippment I've watched about half of the videoes on u-tube and read a bunch of articles and reloading manual.
What was my objective, I asked myself? What could cause me to loose interest?
"Time and speed" were the primary culprits.
And there were several videos showing how you can get a loaded bullet with every pull of the lever at blazing speeds of 1 bullet / second on progressive presses.

I knew that there would be a steep learning curve but I was game for it.
So I purchased Load Master for starters.
You can just imagine what happened next.... I won't get into the details.

Recently I've decided to get the single stage press and to break the process down into individual stages.

I agree that is what I should have done in first place. There should be a prerequisite or at least a warning not to use progressive press unless you've loaded at least a thousand rounds on the single stage.

jloader wrote:<snip>

Recently I've decided to get the single stage press and to break the process down into individual stages.

I agree that is what I should have done in first place. There should be a prerequisite or at least a warning not to use progressive press unless you've loaded at least a thousand rounds on the single stage.

Backing up one step further, I've pointed any number of reloading wantabees to the Lee Loader and not because that's where I started. It's because if you by the LL for whatever caliber you want to start, read the instructions, pick a powder and bullet, get a box of primers and load 50 or 100 rounds you'll know if you want to pursue the hobby and you learn and understand the steps involved in getting usable reloads. Oh, forgot one other essential, a funnel it's hell to pour powder into all but the biggest mouth cases straight from the dipper.

Make smoke,

You know what still gets me to laugh out loud every time I do it?
Using the Powder thru expanding die to drop in the powder from the scale tray (with funnel on top)- and forgetting to raise the case into the die first... the powder drops, as designed, thru the die and gets all over the press while the case is just sitting pretty at the bottom of ram stroke waiting to be raised... I've done this at least a dozen times... while fully focused on getting the correct measure on the scale.
I don't even get upset over it anymore.

jloader wrote:You know what still gets me to laugh out loud every time I do it?
Using the Powder thru expanding die to drop in the powder from the scale tray (with funnel on top)- and forgetting to raise the case into the die first... the powder drops, as designed, thru the die and gets all over the press while the case is just sitting pretty at the bottom of ram stroke waiting to be raised... I've done this at least a dozen times... while fully focused on getting the correct measure on the scale.
I don't even get upset over it anymore.

I've been reloading a long time and still do that!

As the saying go, "been there and done that" and one to many times. That's just one of the many mistakes I've accomplished going down this path. But is it a mistake if you correct it? Is it a mistake if you learn a better way before is is a painful mistake? We are responcible. We are the ones who need to check and recheck. Sometimes it is our doubts that are our biggest assets.

Maybe it's good thing to be overly cautious as we undertake the learning curve of handloading. Maybe us "oldtimers " need to remember how easy it was and will be to make more mistakes.


BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY