Lee Loader for 9mm.

[arakboss]

I bought a Lee Loader kit for 9mm from @Lilhigbee a year or two ago. I am going to give it a whirl for the first time this weekend. It's an older kit so the load data card that came with it was very limited. I looked through my Lee book and found a load using the .5cc dipper that comes in the kit. The powder called for is VV N340 and I will be using a 124gr plated round nose bullet with Fed small pistol primers. Besides the lee loader kit, I will have a set of calipers and the HF mallet/hammer I used with my 30-06 Lee Loader kit. Any tips on the 9mm kit I should be aware of. I am going to be showing the neighbor lady how this kit works so she might buy one and start loading 38spl for herself?

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[Rlynn]

Great idea. I used a Lee Loader when I first started reloading 222 Remington Magnum and 30-06 Ackley. It is a great way to learn the fundamentals.

 

[Throckmorton]

eyes and ears. !! you may have never had a primer pop with a whackamole ,but it does happen, I've read many reports of it, on gun boards.One thing I might do ....I could be off base here....is size the brass and then plunk it in the gun barrel to detect any 'bulged' brass that may not feed. Make sense? it's a 'thing' with loading 9mm ammo, the 'Glock bulge' .

 

[P7M13]

Good on ya for teaching her!
Coupla things:

• Presuming you have N340, as that's one that I almost never see. Power Pistol / HS-6 and Autocomp are powders in that same burn range, but with different dipper volume amounts.
• She will really come to appreciate the simplicity of 'over the counter' ammo.
• Show her how and emphasize "slow, steady, precise" in the use of it. I don't think there is a simpler method to load than these. Over hundreds of 270 rounds that I loaded with mine, never had a primer pop or a bad load.
• Make sure she has a good funnel. I vaguely remember getting the dipper to pour properly was a PITA. A 3x5 index card curled into a funnel shape works nicely.
• One thing I've done in the past with specific powder loads (ball powder only) that never changed, was to take a brass pistol case, use a micro tubing cutter to cut it so the volume of the case is at that level perfectly, glue the case to a wooden tongue depressor and use it as a powder dipper. I hold onto a complete set of Lee powder dippers "just in case", but IMO, they suck.
• Edit to add: the right hammer for the individual for the job matters here. All I had when I used one was a 24oz ball peen -- overkill. Still have it. Funny to think that hammer is almost 50 years old.

 

[RVTECH]

you may have never had a primer pop with a whackamole ,but it does happen, I've read many reports of it,

And you have one more.....

Lee loaders have their place but if one is interested in traditional, consistent and safe reloading - even in the most basic sense - then a move to a SS press and 'minimal' accessories is in order.

 

[Throckmorton]

• She will really come to appreciate the simplicity of 'over the counter' ammo.

LOL !!!!!