Lee Bullet Feeder Question on 40 S&W - The Firearms Forum

blahd1 · 05-15-2009, 10:28 PM

Hi, I am a newbie on this forum and pretty much to reloading, although I did reload 30-30 for my Marlin way back when.

I have read and re-read about progressive loaders and do not want this to be a Ford vs Chevy. I have settled on a Lee Pro 1000 due to expense and only loading 40 S&W, although that Hornady Lock-n-Load with the bullet rebate is very tempting.

My question has to do with the Lee Bullet feeder, there are 2 options for the 40 caliber.

40 cal through .44 cal up to .65 long
40 cal through .44 cal .65 to .80 long

I have check and re-checked and can not find where the length of the 40 caliber is documented. I am sure that the length has to do with the weight of the bullet, the heavier the longer?

Am I correct in assuming that a 165 gr 40 caliber bullet would be .65 long and that a 180 gr 40 caliber bullet would be .80 long?

It is quite possible that I might pick up a cowboy rifle that shoots 44 mag, so getting one bullet feeder that would handle both would be good. Also, I plan on reloading mostly for target shooting using FMJ and saving the factory hollow points for the zombie encounters!

I appreciate some help on this. Thanks

The_Vigilante · 05-15-2009, 11:55 PM

From doing a lot of reading on the various forums regarding the Lee Bullet Feeder, I would say don't waste your money on it-more trouble than it is worth. Fingers on the bullet feeder aren't strong enough to hold the .40 bullets.

gdmoody · 05-16-2009, 01:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Vigilante

From doing a lot of reading on the various forums regarding the Lee Bullet Feeder, I would say don't waste your money on it-more trouble than it is worth. Fingers on the bullet feeder aren't strong enough to hold the .40 bullets.

DITTO!! When I was using a Lee Loadmaster, I bought the .40 caliber bullet feeder and The Vigilante is perfectly correct. The fingers that hold the bullet are plastic and are too flimsy for the job. The bullets kept just falling out of the fingers. Then the times that it did work, the fingers would rub against the bottom of the bullet seat die and get deformed. If you decide to buy one anyway, just be sure to buy a dozen or so of the fingers to have them on hand to replace every 100 or so bullets. As for the length of the .40 cal bullet, what I did was just measure the ones I was using with a caliper and you will know exactly how long they are.

blahd1 · 05-16-2009, 06:54 AM

Than You. I did not have any bullets to measure and no one seems to have them locally. I guess I will forget about the bullet feeder and use the ones that God gave me. I appreciate the input, that saves me $23.

Chuckelz · 03-13-2012, 05:57 PM

180 gr JHP is only .635 long, so it should work with the shorter bullet feed.
I just bought the same thing.

05-15-2009, 10:28 PM	#1
blahd1 Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 2	Lee Bullet Feeder Question on 40 S&W Hi, I am a newbie on this forum and pretty much to reloading, although I did reload 30-30 for my Marlin way back when. I have read and re-read about progressive loaders and do not want this to be a Ford vs Chevy. I have settled on a Lee Pro 1000 due to expense and only loading 40 S&W, although that Hornady Lock-n-Load with the bullet rebate is very tempting. My question has to do with the Lee Bullet feeder, there are 2 options for the 40 caliber. 40 cal through .44 cal up to .65 long 40 cal through .44 cal .65 to .80 long I have check and re-checked and can not find where the length of the 40 caliber is documented. I am sure that the length has to do with the weight of the bullet, the heavier the longer? Am I correct in assuming that a 165 gr 40 caliber bullet would be .65 long and that a 180 gr 40 caliber bullet would be .80 long? It is quite possible that I might pick up a cowboy rifle that shoots 44 mag, so getting one bullet feeder that would handle both would be good. Also, I plan on reloading mostly for target shooting using FMJ and saving the factory hollow points for the zombie encounters! I appreciate some help on this. Thanks -->

05-15-2009, 11:55 PM	#2
The_Vigilante V.I.P. Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: El Paso, Texas Posts: 123	Re: Lee Bullet Feeder Question on 40 S&W From doing a lot of reading on the various forums regarding the Lee Bullet Feeder, I would say don't waste your money on it-more trouble than it is worth. Fingers on the bullet feeder aren't strong enough to hold the .40 bullets. __________________ The_Vigilante "Keeping the streets safe." "A man can never own enough guns."

05-16-2009, 06:54 AM	#4
blahd1 Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 2	Re: Lee Bullet Feeder Question on 40 S&W Than You. I did not have any bullets to measure and no one seems to have them locally. I guess I will forget about the bullet feeder and use the ones that God gave me. I appreciate the input, that saves me $23.

03-13-2012, 05:57 PM	#5
Chuckelz Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 1	Re: Lee Bullet Feeder Question on 40 S&W 180 gr JHP is only .635 long, so it should work with the shorter bullet feed. I just bought the same thing.