LEE HP2520 Breech Lock Hand Press Instruction Manual
- June 9, 2024
- LEE
Table of Contents
LEE HP2520 Breech Lock Hand Press
BEFORE YOU START RELOADING
LEE BREECH LOCK HAND PRESS
is ideally suited for use while seated. A right handed person should hold the tool in his left hand and let the lever rest against the left leg. By pushing the tool against your leg, you can move the lever and raise the ram, freeing your right hand to insert the case, primers or bullets. You will shortly find that you can quite comfortably sit in your favorite chair with your left elbow resting on the arm for lengthy loading without tiring.
Insert bushing into the press, turn clockwise 1/6 turn to secure. Adjust die in or out for proper operation.
PREPARE YOUR CASES
Inspect your cases while lubricating them. Discard all cases with split
necks, indications of head separation or other defects. Wipe on a thin film of
Lee Case Lubricant with your fingers. Fingers are the best way of lubing a case
as any grit that could damage the die is wiped away. The case may be
immediately sized or you can let the lube dry.
Lee Smart Lock Bushings
Insert Smart Lock bushing into press frame; rotate 1/6 turn to secure. Adjust
for proper depth when removing the die grasp the bushing and rotate 1/6 turn
counterclockwise. Using the die-wrench works well. Thread your die into
bushing. If cost is more important than convenience, you can leave Smart Lock
bushing permanently installed. Remove the O-ring and the dies will freely
thread in and out as in any conventional press. Be sure to use a lock ring on
die to maintain the setting.
Remove by rotating the die 1/6 of a turn counterclockwise. Lift out and change to your next die.
Be sure to lube the inside of the case neck with a cotton swab.
CAUTION
If for any reason you do not use Lee Resizing Lubricant, be very careful
not to contaminate the powder or primers. All other brands are oil based and
have serious, detrimental effects on powder and primers. Because of the
stickiness, they also attract grit that can damage the die. Lee Resizing
Lubricant costs less and is so superior that it is worth the effort to insist
upon it or order direct from the factory.
YOU CAN NOW BEGIN RELOADING
INSTALL UNIVERSAL SHELLHOLDER
Pistol/carbide dies Screw sizing die in until it touches the shell holder. Rifle Screw sizing die in until it pushes lever off the stop 1 ⁄4”.
NOTE
Using a 1/2″ (13mm) wrench on the decapper clamp makes adjustment easy.
PLACE THE LUBRICATED CASE
in the shell holder and squeeze the levers together. Open the levers and
remove the case. Do this with all of the cases before proceeding to the next
step.
CAUTION After every box of 20 rounds, remove the shell holder and dump
out spent primers.
LEAD WARNING
Primers contain lead: a substance known to cause birth defects, reproductive
harm, and other serious physical injury. Wash hands after exposure.
Breech Lock Ram Prime
Safe with all brands of primers.
NEW AUTO PRIME Hand held, with folding tray—built-in primer flipping feature allows direct filling from large primer boxes. Requires special, but inexpensive shell holders.
PRIME your case with one of the optional priming tools.
Screw the Expanding Die one turn short of touching the shell holder. This die flares the case mouth for easy bullet insertion. Turn deeper to increase flare. Adjust to minimum flare needed to start the bullet. Powder may be added through Lee Expanding Die.
Charge the Case Regardless of how you charge the case, be absolutely certain you have the correct amount and type of powder for the bullet you have selected.
NEVER try to seat the primer deeper after the powder has been added
.
Screw bullet seating
die in until it touches the shell holder — then back out three full turns.
SEAT THE BULLET
Place a bullet on the case mouth andguide into the die. Raise ram to the top
and withdraw. The adjusting screw controls the bullet seating depth. Adjust to
suit. Usually, seating to the same depth as a factory round works fine. If you
desire to crimp, be sure the bullet crimp groove isalmost completely in the
case. Then screw die in just enough to apply a good crimp. Attempts to apply
excessive crimp will crush the case. For proper crimp, all cases must be
trimmed to the same length. For best utility and accuracy, consider the Lee
Factory Crimp Die. You will never crush a case; no crimp groove is required
and trim length is not critical.
PRE-ADJUST AND COLOR CODE YOUR DIES WITH SMART LOCK BUSHINGS
FACTORY CRIMP
IF LOADING maximum loads, it is a good practice to remove all traces of case lubricant with detergent and water. This reduces pressure against the bolt.
IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF YOUR LOADS
THE FOLLOWING ARE FACTORS THAT WILL INCREASE PRESSURES. SOME WILL BE DANGEROUS.
- DO NOT USE more powder than recommended
- DO NOT USE a heavier bullet than recommended
- DO NOT SEAT the bullet deeper than normal
- DO NOT USE magnum primers unless using a slow burning ball powder
- Greatly oversize bullets, excessively hard bullets or cases that are too long will cause higher pressures
- High temperatures, or cartridges stored in a hot car or car trunk will produce higher pressures
RELOADING SAFETY
- Keep powder away from heat and open flames — Don’t smoke
- Store powder and primers in their original containers in a cool, dry place
- Read and follow instructions exactly
- Be sure you have the correct powder, measure and bullet of the correct weight. Any mixup can be dangerous
- Exercise care and common sense at all times
RELOADING IS QUITE A SIMPLE PROCESS
- Case is sized to original dimensions and the spent primer is removed
- Install a new primer
- Add a charge of powder
- Seat a new bullet and crimp if desired
WEAR SAFETY GLASSES WHEN RELOADING OR SHOOTING
CASES
The easiest and best way of getting cases is to simply save those from your
factory loaded rounds. New and used cases can also be purchased. Cases must be
clean and safe. Do not use cases that have cracks or splits. If they have been
used more than twice, they should be checked to see that none of them have
become too long for safe use. The easiest way is to trim them with a Lee Case
Trimmer. This automatically cuts them to the cor-rect length and no gauging or
measuring is needed. After trimming, be sure to chamfer both the inside and
outside of the case. A Lee Chamfer Tool works best, but it can be done with a
pocket knife.
Straight sided cases, such as those used by most handguns, are loaded with a
3–die set.
MILITARY CASES
Used military cases are readily available at low cost. Usually, these have
primers that are crimped in place. This is to prevent the primer from coming
loose in auto-matic weapons and jamming the action at an inoppor-tune time.
The crimp must be removed before repriming. This can be done with a primer
pocket reamer or swaging tool. Even a Lee Chamfer Tool can be used to ream the
crimp.
POWDER
Powder is usually classified as smokeless and black powder. There is also
Pyrodex, which is a substitue for black powder. We will be using only
smokeless powder for reloading. Each set of Lee Dies is supplied with powder
measure and charge table with a generous selection of loads. Additional load
data is available from all the powder manufacturers and bullet makers. This is
excellent information and should be followed exactly. Different powders are
available to do different jobs. Bullets having a high sectional density ( long
length in relation to their diameter) require a slow burning pow-der. This
permits sustained peak pressure to gain maxi-mum acceleration within working
pressure limits. Short, light bullets use quicker burning powder for complete
combustion within the barrel. A wide selection of pow-der is readily
available. Powders should always be stored in their original containers. While
smokeless powder is not an explosive and not as dangerous to handle as
gasoline, it would be foolish to handle it care-lessly and store excessive
amounts. Follow the powder manufacturers’ recommendations for storage and use.
PRIMERS
Rifle and pistol cartridges require different primers. Rifle primers have a
thick and stronger cup to withstand the higher pressure. Pistol primers have a
thinner cup for easy detonation with a lighter hammer blow. Both rifle and
pistol primers are available in regular and mag-num. Use regular for all loads
except if the load data specifies magnum primers.
Primers must always be stored in their original con-tainers. It is always a
wise idea to wear safety or shoot-ing glasses when shooting or reloading.
BULLETS
Commercial rifle bullets usually have a soft lead core with a copper jacket.
Point shapes come in a variety of styles, but usually have some soft lead
exposed to prop-erly mushroom on impact. The jackets serve a dual purpose: to
control the bullet expansion and act as a bearing surface for its high speed
travel down the bore. Some bullets have a crimping groove called a cannelure.
This groove must be seated almost entirely in the case when crimping the case.
The very end of the case mouth is turned into this groove by the bullet
seating die used in a tubular magazine gun and most revolver ammunition. Cast
bullets are very popular with the handloader. They are very economical to use
and can be as accurate as jacketed bullets. They do not normally expand as
well as soft lead jacketed bullets on game. Therefore, it is poor economy to
use them for hunting.
CRIMPING
Ammunition loaded for hunting should always have the bullets crimped in place,
as should ammunition used in tubular magazine and auto-loading rifles. It
could ruin your hunt if a bullet wedged in the chamber or pushed back into the
case. Best accuracy is usually obtained with crimped ammo as the crimp has an
effect on igni-tion, velocity, pressure and ballistic consistency. No die does
a better job crimping than the patented Lee Factory Crimp Die.
ACCESSORIES
Smart Lock Bushings 91933 4-Pack
Lee Case Trimmer
Simplest and safest way to check the case and trim to the correct length.
After a few loadings, cases tend to get longer. This could be dangerous if the
case were so long that it would pinch the bullet in the end of the chamber.
Pressure high enough to damage the gun could result. Notice how the case
length gauge passes through the case and stops against the lock stud and trims
every case to the cor-rect length.
Primer Pocket Cleaner 90101
Enhances accuracy and assures full depth primer seating.
Lee Safety Powder Scale 90681
It is the easiest to use, most accurate and sensitive powder scale made exclusively to weigh gunpowder. The Lee Safety Scale has magnetic dampening and an approach to weight lifter enclosed within its heavy metal base. The exclusive safety beam has a stainless steel razor edge for maximum sensitivity. You can be sure that the Lee Safety Scale will retain its original factory accuracy for as long as it is not physically broken.
Lee Value Turret Press 90932
Proven design with compound leverage. No spring in this turret design. The
turret is locked into a solid steel ring with big rifle bolt-type lugs. The
exclusive design puts the lugs on the circumference so there can be no
tipping. The linkage is so powerful that the largest magnum cases are sized
with ease. Effort required is so small that the usual heavy bench is not
essential. The Lee Turret Press has a built-in primer catcher and a
comfortable roller handle. Even if you do not need all of these features, why
pay more for anything less?
BREECH LOCK HAND PRESS
THE LEE GUARANTEE
Lee Reloading products are guaranteed not to wear out or break from normal use for two full years, or they will be repaired or replaced at no charge if returned to the factory. Any Lee product of currentmanufacture, regardless of age or condition, will be reconditioned to new, including a new guarantee, if returned to the factory with payment equal to half the current retail price.
DANGER
Ammunition reloading can be dangerous if done improperly and can result in
serious injury or death. Selecting and charging powder is the most important
thing you can do for both the safety and accuracy for your reloads. Be
absolutely certain you have the correct type and amount of powder before you
attempt to reload any cartridge.
CAUTION
2 Ammunition reloading can be dangerous if done improperly and should not be
attempted by persons not willing and able to read and follow instructions
exactly. 2 Children should not be permitted to reload ammunition without
strict parental supervision. 2Always wear safety glasses and hearing
protection when reloading and shooting. 2 Ammunition loaded with these tools
and data should only be used in modern guns in good condition. 2 We do not
accept responsibility for ammunition loaded with these tools or data as we
have no control over the manufacture and storage of components or the loading
procedure and techniques. 2 Primers and gun powders, like gasoline and
matches, can be dangerous if improperly handled or misused.
- WARNING Handling live primers and spent primers may expose you to lead or other chemicals, which are known to the State of California to cause reproductive harm and cancer. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.
- WARNING Steel parts in this product may be alloyed with trace amounts of lead and other elements which are known to the State of California to cause reproductive harm and cancer. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov. To prevent exposure, do not alter the product by welding, grinding, etc.
LEE PRECISION, INC.
4275 Hwy. U · Hartford WI 53027
www.leeprecision.com