Troubleshooting Excess Headspace

[Enginerd]

I would advise people to only use it for straight wall. These are the two that I used. The bench one I used was mounted to a bench. The hand held one can't be mounted to a bench.

Lee Precision, Inc.. Reloader Press

Lee Reloader Press features a cast aluminum C-Frame press, useful for decapping, bullet seating or bullet sizing. Accepts standard 7/8x14 thread dies and standard shell holders

leeprecision.com

Lee Breech Lock Hand Press

The Lee Breech Lock Hand Press takes all of the great features of the Lee Hand Held Press and adds Lee's convenient Breech Lock System that allows...

www.midwayusa.com

 

[Member 5605]

Running theory is that because hinge location is in front of the piston rather than off to either side the press does not preform the camming action required to make the necessary short hard pressure to bump the shoulder down. I could be wrong

You aren't too far off.
the last little bit is crucial for sizing. I wouldn't trust those hand presses to do bottleneck bases for a full size without checking every one of them or doing them a couple times to ensure they are sized right.

Straight wall pistol cases or neck sizing is great, not a lot of force needed.

 

[Mikej]

Is that hand press mainly for straight walled cartridges? I know that the cam action is helpful for sizing brass and usually it's fixed to a bench for leverage.

It's not the "Lee breech block Hand press. It's the Lee Breach Lock Press...



I don't understand why that Lee press wouldn't do the job? Granted, it's mounted on a wood platform that clamps in a vise, and we didn't have a vice. Holding it as solid as possible. With die adjusted to touch the shell holder. Raising the ram, the lubed shell sized and decapped quite easy. Much easier that a .30-06 or the 6.5x55 brass I've done. When it stopped moving upward you could see a gap between the shell holder and bottom of the die. Putting as much pressure as I could had very little affect on bumping the shoulder.

IMO Lee is doing a disservice to new reloaders by marketing a press like this without some mention of it's limitations.

 

[Grizzly_A]

Something isn't right then. Lee support should be called. It shouldn't be doing that.