The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

I am getting into reloading for my mosin, and i figured why spend a bunch of money just to test the waters so i bought the lee classic reloader. On the instructions it says to use .310 bullet, then goes on to say I can use any 30 cal bullet. Now my question is, will .308 work with whatever sizer comes with this thing?

It only size's the neck of the case, not the bullet. For starters get the Lee load book and read it cover to cover so you have a clear understanding of what you are doing. This is no place for guesswork or flying blind, make a mistake here and it could be death.

I've always been of the opinion that Lee Loaders aren't the best way to learn reloading. A good single stage press is the best way. A Lee Loader, or Lee 310, is a good thing to have available if you need to leave your bench set behind, or a 310 is nice to develop and test loads right on the firing line at the range. The only KA-BOOMS I've experienced were from 9mm ammo I loaded on a Lee Loader. (Disclosure. They were steel-cased reloads, and shot from a gun that recommended not using steel cased in it. When I fired the factory Wolf (the first time) it was fine, but it KA-BOOMED twice on me and once on my son with my reloads. The 4th KA-BOOM was when a friend was shooting it with his Chinese steel cased surplus. I sold it at a gun show with the disclosure and a warning not to fire steel cased ammo through it.)

I learned on a lee classic. Best $30 I ever spent. I never tried using it on steel cases though. I later upgraded to a single stage press. I don't think I'll ever need a fancier rig than that.

OP: After doing what JYD said, find the bore slugging tutorial at
www.7.62x54r.net

Slug your barrel if you haven't already. That will give you a better idea of what bullet diameter you need. I believe Lee sells different diameter decappers or you can get a tool that expands the neck a smidge to aid in bullet seating.

The classic loader can be a good kit if you are just doing small batches of ammunition. I usually only load 25 - 30 rds at a time. Beware of the primers going off when you insert them as directed. The 54r is the only round I've had that problem with so I just use their auto-prime.