info on lee 50th anniversary kit

I have been using Lee stuff for a very long time and competed with ammo made from that stuff.

I have changed a number of items that came with my orig kit but the basics can work.

I recommend the Breech lock Challenger kit over the anniversary one. I am not a fan of press priming and much prefer the hand primer (auto prime). I would say the auto prime hand primer is the most popular hand primer on the market by a country mile.

yes, you will see these at SR BR matches.

I simply love the challenger breech lock press. Those inserts are a godsend for those who load for a bunch of cals.

the scale I have had worked very well and typical tolerance of any other scale offered by reloading companies. I now use a more precise digi scale.

The case prep tools are poor. The neck deburring tool is really junky and I upgraded that quickly to an RCBS unit.

the primer pocket cleaner is made from mild steel and you will wear it out with a lot of use.

The dead length case trimmer does work surprisingly well and if you only want min spec length, dead simple.

the powder measure actually works well. The adj. is silly but when it settles down, not really that bad with extruded and pretty good with ball powder.

so for the money, you have a most useable set (I still use the Breech lock challenger press and see no point in changing). Add some quality dies and you will be making very nice ammo.

For the high volume loader or someone that needs to size alot, the Classic Cast Breech lock press is a steal.

If you would like to see a list of the gear I use now, just send me a pm or email with your email addy.

the most important thing, get a set and get reloading. Not only is it a super rewarding part of the sport, you will quickly make much more accurate and effective ammo for any rifle.

Jerry
 
Scale is rubbish, deburring tool is too, but the rest of the kit is just fine. The quick-change bushings work very well and saves quite a bit of time and effort that can be used for making more rounds.

Case trimming tool makes sizing a breeze, powder measure is finicky at first but does a decent job after awhile. Perfectly acceptable for hunting loads but if one wants to do some precision loading, a digital scale and powder trickler are needed. I also rather like the on-press priming system, just be sure not to use Remington primers is all.

I've done about a thousand reloads so far on my press, both the little 7.62x39mm and the big 7.62x54mmR heavies, never ran into any difficulties that were not my own fault. Attached one of those big Arizona iced tea cans to the spent primer catch, and on Reloading Day my housemates complain about the constant 'Clink! Clink! Clink!' from a smooth-working press punching primers. :D

Don't get me wrong, the RCBS is a superb piece of machinery, but if one is just starting, burning $500 bones just to see isn't bloody worth it... The LEE is a fine learning machine at a good price, and it can handle professional-level work.

Also; Lee's customer service is top end.
 
I have the 50th kit.

Priming on the press is a bit ankward, but it works fine for me. If that thing ever breaks I'll prolly go auto prime.


The only thing I regret is not getting a tower press. I reload for 9mm, 300 win mag and 308 norma mag. So that means I unscrew dies even if I have breech lock. Im not going to buy 15 breech lock things, thats retarded.

Id rather have 1 tower per caliber, already setup, and just switch towers. No mess playing with dies, etc.

Maybe one day I'll get the classic cast tower, but for now, it works fine.

I have reloaded 600 rounds last fall and I have nothing to complain about.
 
The only Lee press i had was a load all for 12 ga. Didn`t keep that to long, i have two of the old style of priming tool and use them for priming. Don`t like priming on the press, but then i tend to run stuff through in batches. May do 60-100 rounds just size and then prime have them ready for loading when i need em. To each there own when it comes to equipment kind of a chev dodge thing.
 
I have found the Lee deburring tool works great on spinning cases either in a drill or Lee zip trim. It doesnt work well when turning the cases by hand.
 
I agree with spinning cases in a cordless screwdriver. The deburring tool works much better that way. And I case length trim that way too. Way quicker and easier. I now use an electronic scale good to two decimal places because its quicker but that Lee scale is as accurate as Lee claims. I never use only the powder measure but trickle up to the weight on the digital scale using a spent casing 3/4 full of powder. While working up incremental loads this is way quicker. If I were just loading 100 of the same thing I would still do it this way. And Lee does have great customer service if you need something that is out of stock locally. If you are going to stick to a single stage press like that I would get a Lee decapping die if you prefer to tumble cases without primers. Then the cases can be resized afterwards when they are clean. Also great if for some reason you need to deprime unloaded cases. And I don't mind priming on the press at all, it works fine and you still have a feel for it. Just observe the handling recommendations for primers and primer types. Jerry's comments are bang on. I'm about 750 reloads into it and happy with it.
 
i reloaded so far 550 round of 300 ultra, 200 of 260 rem. and 380 of 7mm wsm
i just changed the scale after using the lee for the first year. now use Ohaust 5-0-5
i always full lenght resize and it handled even the big case very well
 
I started with this kit.

I will say that the included instructions were nearly useless.

However, a bit of googling and visiting youtube resulted in some pretty good results.

The scale is actually quite accurate but difficult to use.

I purchase a digital scale for $49 and it agrees with both the Lee scale and my father's much more expensive scale. The best thing about a digital scale that you can 'tare' (zero) the casing and then use the powder thrower to put a charge in it. Then you simply put the case back on the scale and it will tell you exactly how much powder is in it. If it's what you expect, seat the bullet and you're done. No moving powder around between the scale and case. This is a huge time saver and I would highly recommend this addition.

I find the press quite satisfactory. I think the priming system is great and I love how it collects your spent primers for you.

The trimmer is okay although you obviously have to purchase the length gauge for your particular cartridge(s) that you're reloading for.

I find the chamfer/deburring tool to be functional but hard to use. I also find it leaves a ring around the case if you don't hold it just right. You can easily buy a nice replacement tool for about $12 though. It's a place to start.

I have no issues with the funnel. It works and it works well.

So far, the primer pocket tool is working well.

I find the powder thrower to be VERY accurate with easily metered powder such as H335. Powder with a longer extrusion such as IMR4350 tend to be a bit less consistent but that's to be expected of virtually any thrower.

Oh yeah, and buy a reloading block.

If you have any questions about the kit, feel free to drop me a line.

edit: Oh yeah, buy a digital caliper for $25 and a Cabela's Tumbler with sifter, polish, and media for $59. This one is made by Berry's and it's an excellent unit.
 
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To trim cases: I place the cutter on a press drill, and I hand hold the case in its shell holder. I push the case up on the cutter. takes 2 seconds per case.

I personally hand debur. It takes only a quarter turn and approx 2-3 seconds per case....
 
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