Lee Precision Load All II Shotshell Reloader

[mjrodney]

This press is on my bench and I can provide a few observations about it's use and effectiveness.

The good:

- It works.
- It's inexpensive
- It takes up little space

The "less than good":

- Powder/Shot changes, or powder/shot bar insert changes, require you to invert the press and dump out any powder/shot in the hoppers first. You can also remove the powder/shot by operating the charge bar repeatedly, but that takes a good while to do.
- Powder/shot bar inserts are fixed in size and do not allow "in between" amounts of powder or shot (fine tuning).
- Fold crimps require the operator to develop "a feel" for how much pressure to apply to the final crimp. You can over crimp and expand the diameter of the hull mouth if your load stack isn't perfect.
- Powder/shot bar removal to change inserts requires the removal and re-installation of two small "sheet metal" type screws that won't stand a lot of torque. Use a light touch.
- Mounting screws are a bit light and the plastic mount they pass thru is equally as light. You can't tighten the screws too much without risking cracking the plastic base. Tighten moderately and screw down a wood block behind and in front of the press to prevent it from sliding around. My press is fastened to a separate piece of wood that is later attached to my bench. This allows quick removal and re-installation to facilitate powder/shot changes.
- Spent primers can build up under the base to the point where attention is needed. Make it a habit to regularly empty the spent primer bin, or drill a good size hole below it for the primers to fall through.

In general, if you are not going to reload a lot, this press will work fine and likely last you a good many years.

[Sudden Impact]

Vitaly, I was taking my son's girlfriend home a couple weeks ago and her grandmother had a TON of stuff set out for the trash.
She had cleaned out here garage and on the very top was a Lee Load-All press with a bunch of "stuff."
Turns out it is a 20 ga. setup and appears to be complete.
I'm going to try to find out information related to it so I can try to load some shells.
I'll be watching this post to see how it works out for you.
I have a friend who's son shoots skeet with a 20 so I'm going to get him to save his hulls for me.
I hope your experience turns out okay so I will feel more comfortable with mine.
(New to this forum.)
Thanks.

ETA: mjrodney, Thanks for the tips!

[novaz]

I recently bought a Lee Loadall 2 and now have all my reloading supplies
one of the tricks I saw on you tube is to drill a small hole in the bushing container lid and place that over the hoppers when you want to empty them
I did this and after filling both hoppers I emptied the shot first which then made it much lighter to empty the powder hopper
I also copied the empty shell case trick which involves drilling out the table and pushing the shell up to where the primers fall out and then have a box for them to fall into I am going to save them and use them in some hot glue slug loads later .
I like the Loadall and as I am retired and off grid I can take my time and make as many loads as I want when I want and not worry about being fast.
Thanks to Synchroniser for all his help.

[Synchronizor]

I also copied the empty shell case trick which involves drilling out the table and pushing the shell up to where the primers fall out and then have a box for them to fall into I am going to save them and use them in some hot glue slug loads later .

Most shotgun primers are steel, or have steel parts in them. Probably not great filler for hot glue slugs due to both very low density, and potential damage to your barrel.

A Lee slug mold is fairly inexpensive, and makes much better projectiles.

[BlueSmoke]

Nice...

I have used one for 38 years. No exaggeration.

It is a nice utility shotshell loader.

Once you get the hang of the shell movement its pretty fast. A box of shells in 15 minutes.

I always verify my bushing powder throws with a scale and adjust bushing size if necessary.

Once set..... I usually load hundreds of shells.... over a long period before I change settings. Typically only when I change components.

[Scorpion8]

I just got a superb deal on one of these today, in 20-GA. 12-GA wasn't available, but my "other" shotgun is a 20-GA. I was interested in the primer feed system, but it seems like it is no longer available from Lee. I do see that MidwaysUSA has the conversion kits for 12-, 20- and 16-GA available. Anybody use those, or are the machines just cheap enough in price to have one for each gauge?