If your on a budget, the Lee equipment is probably a reasonable choice. I'm still using a turret press that I bought decades ago. I loaded handgun on it and with an autopowder dump it was certainly usable. I now use it to reload rifle cartridges,(single stage style) and I like the removable turrets for maintaining the dies in the position I left them. The biggest factor in reloading is your own quality control / attention to details. Better equipment like a Dillon press however will make doing it with speed and efficiency so much easier, but you still need to pay careful attention to what is doing on. With a faster setup you can make great ammo or dud ammo even faster.
Lee reloading eqpmnt?
- Thread starter chaslavk
- Start date
You need to backup a statement like that with facts and observations.
Here are mine. Many thousands of rounds through one, no problems. The autodisk measuring system, if it works for you (if you can find a charge you like in the selection of charge cavities, which anyone certainly can for most handgun work), is the most repeatable commonly-available system, and the only one with no chance of being knocked out of adjustment during use. At the lower charge weights it fills more reliably than the sliding-bar type adjustable measures because of the round cavities (sliding-bar takes on a clam-shaped cavity at low charge weights).
Also, the polymer wiper system leaks less than sliding-bar systems with fine-grained powder.
The chain-return system reduces the chance of a double charge, because the system resets near the bottom of the ram stroke.
The operator can clumsily break the chain - but I never did. Clumsy and reloading shouldn't be in the same room anyway.
1000$ startup price for a Dillon? I paid less than 500$ for a 550B set up for 40 S&W shipped to Canada from eguns.com in the states... Pays to shop around..
Anyways, there are lots of companies that make reloading gear, all of them have their pros and cons. Lee is on the low end of the scale in terms of cost. Cost isn't everything though, remember that
I personally use only use the Lee hand priming tool now, and their shell holders... Redding dies, RCBS RC press, and a Dillon 550B. That works for me, but you have to find out what works for you. I am sure if you start out on with the Lee stuff you will be able to make great ammo.
Anyways, there are lots of companies that make reloading gear, all of them have their pros and cons. Lee is on the low end of the scale in terms of cost. Cost isn't everything though, remember that
I personally use only use the Lee hand priming tool now, and their shell holders... Redding dies, RCBS RC press, and a Dillon 550B. That works for me, but you have to find out what works for you. I am sure if you start out on with the Lee stuff you will be able to make great ammo.1000$ startup price for a Dillon? I paid less than 500$ for a 550B set up for 40 S&W shipped to Canada from eguns.com in the states... Pays to shop around..
Anyways, there are lots of companies that make reloading gear, all of them have their pros and cons. Lee is on the low end of the scale in terms of cost. Cost isn't everything though, remember that
And I paid $200 for a Lee Loadmaster with dies and shellplate.
Sure it took a little work and a bit of polishing at a couple of points, but now works smoothly and flawlessly (if the primer path is kept clean and oil/grease free)
- Location
- Winnipeg,Man.
From a guy that has only been reloading 2 years....The lee anniversary kit is sufficient til it breaks, mine has not even after multi thousands of reloads. I also have the Lee c press that I use in conjunction with the other press. One sizes and deprimes and the c does the insTallation of the bullet and crimping ( with a change of dies). I enjoy the "one at a time" loading as I have caught many cracked necks and damaged casings while loading. The powder cannot be double loaded . Hand priming removes all doubt of proper installation of the primer and less chance of accidental discharge (which I have read about on this sight with auto primes) . I would get a digital scale as the bar scale is hard to get really accurate.
IMO....Safty is most important over speed. I have seen Lee presses that are upteen years old and still operating at top form. Yes there are supposed better presses out there, but try not to discourage someone from starting the reload journey over a preference. I have what I have and am very content with my product and my speed. Would I buy "better" ..Not til this stuff breaks.
IMO....Safty is most important over speed. I have seen Lee presses that are upteen years old and still operating at top form. Yes there are supposed better presses out there, but try not to discourage someone from starting the reload journey over a preference. I have what I have and am very content with my product and my speed. Would I buy "better" ..Not til this stuff breaks.
Wow, what a difference in opinions.......
here's my 2 cents.
I started reloading again 6-7 yrs ago. I bought the "KIT" and found I got my "moneys worth" (i didn't spend much) The press (4 stage) was ok if your loading pistol type loads and some smaller rifle. The press is anything but SOLID but it works ok.
I took the stick out of it so it was no longer progressive. Priming with the press is for people with more patience and smaller hands. I bought a $23.00 Lee Auto prime (hand primer) it is the most usefull tool in my reloading room and have loaded over 10-12000 rounds with it.
The powder measure/dispenser is pretty miserable but will work on coarser powders it won't work on fine powders because the powder binds between the press and the plastic measure disk,,,,, if you loosen it off it works but half the powder lands on the bench and you end up upgrading to the round pro measure which does work well.
The scale that came with it got recycled into the garbage but i kept the ball bearing that it came with for the cat to play with.
I have a good digital powder measure/dispenser now (RCBS)
The Lee carbide dies are fantastic pistol dies and to solve the lock ring problem (RCBS and a few others were smarter) I tightened the dies down at the proper place and havn't moved them since, I have a turret to mount my dies in for EACH CALIBER, that way my dies are always set the same.
You couldn't pay me to use the LEE press for my precision rifle ammo I have a newer RockChucker and Redding dies for that purpose, also a RCBS for my 50 cal.
If your only into hit the page type plinking than the Lee will be fine if you want to get into really decent accuracy then avoid the Lee "KIT" and buy your parts one at a time and buy quality.
That way a year from now you won't be tossing the Lee aside because you bought the quality piece anyways but a year too late, laff.
M.
here's my 2 cents.
I started reloading again 6-7 yrs ago. I bought the "KIT" and found I got my "moneys worth" (i didn't spend much) The press (4 stage) was ok if your loading pistol type loads and some smaller rifle. The press is anything but SOLID but it works ok.
I took the stick out of it so it was no longer progressive. Priming with the press is for people with more patience and smaller hands. I bought a $23.00 Lee Auto prime (hand primer) it is the most usefull tool in my reloading room and have loaded over 10-12000 rounds with it.
The powder measure/dispenser is pretty miserable but will work on coarser powders it won't work on fine powders because the powder binds between the press and the plastic measure disk,,,,, if you loosen it off it works but half the powder lands on the bench and you end up upgrading to the round pro measure which does work well.
The scale that came with it got recycled into the garbage but i kept the ball bearing that it came with for the cat to play with.
I have a good digital powder measure/dispenser now (RCBS)
The Lee carbide dies are fantastic pistol dies and to solve the lock ring problem (RCBS and a few others were smarter) I tightened the dies down at the proper place and havn't moved them since, I have a turret to mount my dies in for EACH CALIBER, that way my dies are always set the same.
You couldn't pay me to use the LEE press for my precision rifle ammo I have a newer RockChucker and Redding dies for that purpose, also a RCBS for my 50 cal.
If your only into hit the page type plinking than the Lee will be fine if you want to get into really decent accuracy then avoid the Lee "KIT" and buy your parts one at a time and buy quality.
That way a year from now you won't be tossing the Lee aside because you bought the quality piece anyways but a year too late, laff.
M.
Wow, hot thread for such a calm indevor...
Perhaps the OP needs to clean his gun, just a thought.
The problem with Lee is they build some really good stuff and some complete crap, and a little bit of both combined IMO. It's your job to decide which is which and what you can afford to live with.
What I cannot afford to live with is an accurate rifle that will not group due to poor ammo, be it factory or handloads. For me this is the point of the excercise, having the best possible ammo for the lowest realistic cost. Lee can do this with some items and not with others IMO.
The other thing I feel that is important is what type of shooting are you doing and what type of personality are you, this affects your perception of everything in life, again IMO.
I feel I'm fairly new to reloading, I've been doing it for about 5-6 years on pistol and rifle with limited exposure to all the brands available, this is my take;
-Lee auto prime is a great product, has great feel, its simple and cheap.
-Lee single stage presses, the cheap ones use aluminum linkages that are junk and aluminum frames that eventually can become scared where the lock rings tighten down. their cast iron presses are way heavy duty, my cousin just got one and I upgraded to a rock chucker comparing them side by side its a dead heat in everyway except I'm out another $100.00 to have a green press.
-Lee Pro 1000, I've got two and had one other and farted around with a few more. They are a good product for the money IF you understand you will need to spend time tweeking the damn thing. Once tweeked I've had no problem cranking out 250 to 300 rounds an hour that work perfectly for my purpose. If you get agrivated easily, don't buy one, if you have money go Dillon.
-Lee chamfer tool will not work on the outer chamfer on a WSM cartridge- RCBS will.
-Lee case length gages are a two way street, they are as simple as a rock so thats good but you are stuck to their rod length only... Personally I like them.
-Lee Dies, I don't see whats all the fuss is about. I put the dies in the press, properly adjust them and make excellent ammo. Am I to assume the other high end dies get adjusted once and are forever trusted to be proper? Interesting... I didn't know that.
-Lee powder dispenser, works for me. I put powder in, adjust it very close and then trickle it up to weight. What I noticed is if I throw it at a different speed or tap it I can vary the charge by up to 2 grains, again I've always assumed any volume measure would vary with these external forces applied. Perhaps I'm wrong.
-Lee powder scale, IMO theirs nothing wrong with it. I have one and a Dillon plus I had a cheaper (smart reloader) electronic that promised to be acurate to the 1/10 of a grain. What I learned is the Lee works as good as the Dillon IF you use the lock and that the electronic scale was acurate to 3/10 of a grain most times... It's gone now.
So take it for what its worth, I've used and still use some of it with great success. I have a old 6.5 that gets 3/4" 5 shot groups with it (3/8 best) regularly. The best factory ammo I could find was 2" and up. I've also had great success with about three other rifle calibers and my pistol (IPSC) seems to find most of the A zones and rarely jams up.
Would more expensive tools have made better results or saved time, perhaps...
Flame suit on. Have at her...
Perhaps the OP needs to clean his gun, just a thought.
The problem with Lee is they build some really good stuff and some complete crap, and a little bit of both combined IMO. It's your job to decide which is which and what you can afford to live with.
What I cannot afford to live with is an accurate rifle that will not group due to poor ammo, be it factory or handloads. For me this is the point of the excercise, having the best possible ammo for the lowest realistic cost. Lee can do this with some items and not with others IMO.
The other thing I feel that is important is what type of shooting are you doing and what type of personality are you, this affects your perception of everything in life, again IMO.
I feel I'm fairly new to reloading, I've been doing it for about 5-6 years on pistol and rifle with limited exposure to all the brands available, this is my take;
-Lee auto prime is a great product, has great feel, its simple and cheap.
-Lee single stage presses, the cheap ones use aluminum linkages that are junk and aluminum frames that eventually can become scared where the lock rings tighten down. their cast iron presses are way heavy duty, my cousin just got one and I upgraded to a rock chucker comparing them side by side its a dead heat in everyway except I'm out another $100.00 to have a green press.
-Lee Pro 1000, I've got two and had one other and farted around with a few more. They are a good product for the money IF you understand you will need to spend time tweeking the damn thing. Once tweeked I've had no problem cranking out 250 to 300 rounds an hour that work perfectly for my purpose. If you get agrivated easily, don't buy one, if you have money go Dillon.
-Lee chamfer tool will not work on the outer chamfer on a WSM cartridge- RCBS will.
-Lee case length gages are a two way street, they are as simple as a rock so thats good but you are stuck to their rod length only... Personally I like them.
-Lee Dies, I don't see whats all the fuss is about. I put the dies in the press, properly adjust them and make excellent ammo. Am I to assume the other high end dies get adjusted once and are forever trusted to be proper? Interesting... I didn't know that.
-Lee powder dispenser, works for me. I put powder in, adjust it very close and then trickle it up to weight. What I noticed is if I throw it at a different speed or tap it I can vary the charge by up to 2 grains, again I've always assumed any volume measure would vary with these external forces applied. Perhaps I'm wrong.
-Lee powder scale, IMO theirs nothing wrong with it. I have one and a Dillon plus I had a cheaper (smart reloader) electronic that promised to be acurate to the 1/10 of a grain. What I learned is the Lee works as good as the Dillon IF you use the lock and that the electronic scale was acurate to 3/10 of a grain most times... It's gone now.
So take it for what its worth, I've used and still use some of it with great success. I have a old 6.5 that gets 3/4" 5 shot groups with it (3/8 best) regularly. The best factory ammo I could find was 2" and up. I've also had great success with about three other rifle calibers and my pistol (IPSC) seems to find most of the A zones and rarely jams up.
Would more expensive tools have made better results or saved time, perhaps...
Flame suit on. Have at her...
Bahahahahaaha!!!!!!
I think I found a new GunNutz Sig.
"Lee...they make s**tty presses...but great cat toys"
look at this fine gentlemen...
he gave us more than enough proof, that his reloading knowledge is very limited...
now he is trying to deflect and wants to show off his English language skills...
a real Pro!
Bravo...
saskgunowner101
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- near Prince Albert
You read my mind.
My humble opion
Nothing takes the fun out of the shooting sports faster than something that doesn't work right (gun or press)
If I were looking to buy something on a specific budget...I would by the most expensive piece (within my budget) with the fewest "Features" That way you're less apt to end up with an over engineered piece of junk.
Nothing takes the fun out of the shooting sports faster than something that doesn't work right (gun or press)
If I were looking to buy something on a specific budget...I would by the most expensive piece (within my budget) with the fewest "Features" That way you're less apt to end up with an over engineered piece of junk.
- Location
- Niagara Region, Ontario. For now
Do you have any helpful input for the OP? Your loading knowledge may be greater than mine, but your people skills leave something to be desired. I guess you know everything though, and your opinion is better than anybody elses. You would probably make some friends with the anti's in your area. They think the same way. Give that a try, and let me know how it works out for ya. Get a life. Im done with this childishness. Sorry Currtton.
Thank you for your responses and few private messages I got, after reading your responses. I guess you get what you pay for, considerng I don't have $700 to start reloading, i will have to try Lee.
Somebody asked what was the exact problem with extraction? Spent case stays in the barrel, I would then have to cycle gun manually to get the case out. extractor on P944 would get loose so I would have to return it manually. Said reloads were with lead bullets wich causes lot of fouling. Maybe that is the problem. I shot around 1000 rnds of new ammo and around 500 wolfbullets with no problem, problems started after I started shooting Beckett-Colonial reloads.
Maybe I should start thinking of changing the gun as well, for one that is more reliable.
Somebody asked what was the exact problem with extraction? Spent case stays in the barrel, I would then have to cycle gun manually to get the case out. extractor on P944 would get loose so I would have to return it manually. Said reloads were with lead bullets wich causes lot of fouling. Maybe that is the problem. I shot around 1000 rnds of new ammo and around 500 wolfbullets with no problem, problems started after I started shooting Beckett-Colonial reloads.
Maybe I should start thinking of changing the gun as well, for one that is more reliable.
Mount Sweetness
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Ontario
You will be happy with Lee. I am more of a hunter than a shooter, Lee is ideal!
Both a Honda and a BMW will get you to your destination. If you are not concerned about what people see you arriving in the Honda will get you there as reliably as the BMW. Yes, both will require maintenance and the BMW may last longer but when you need to fix it you will have been able to repair the Honda three times.
They both work. Get what will work for you!!
They both work. Get what will work for you!!
Did you clean the gun somewhere in this 1500 rounds or did you just shoot it from brand to brand until it jammed up ?
If you never cleaned it, its kinda hard to blame the ammo or the gun IMO.
A lot of gunk can get built up over time.
