Lee $120 starter kit?

canadian hunter312

canadian hunter312

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this seems quite a bit cheaper than other kits out there. does it come with EVERYTHING (besides dies) that i will need to start loading my own? if not, what is a good kit that come with everything.

are there any brands i should stay away from? speed is not a concern as i have no problem with doing a few here and there.
 
The anniversary reloading kit right?

You're going to be missing the the case length gauge and shell holder. Lucky for you, they come packaged together and cost all of $6 for a specific caliber. Getting the feel for priming with the safety prime is different then with a hand primer, but despite what a lot of folks say you CAN get a feel for how the primer seats with the longer lever. I actually find it easier to feel how the primer seats on the safety prime then the auto prime.... I got the palm of my hand feeling resistance as opposed to just the tip of my thumb.
 
LEE 50th Anniversary Kit

Includes the new Breech Lock Challenger Press and three Breech Lock quick-change bushings. You get a complete powder handling system, with the most convenient and repeatable Perfect Powder Measure. Plus the Lee Safety Scale, the most sensitive and safest of all powder scales and fill your case with the included Powder Funnel. A $157.00 value.
Case Preparation Tools include a cutter and lock stud to trim your cases. Order the correct case length gauge for the calibers you will be loading, it’s only $5.50 extra. An included Lee chamfer tool chamfers the inside and outside of the case mouth and a tube of premium sizing lube is included. A small and large primer pocket-cleaning tool completes the case preparation package. $13.92 value.
But that’s not all! You get the Large and small Safety Prime. Prime with push button convenience and is safe with all brands of primers. Never touch the primer from box to the case. $30.00 value.
Compare it to others priced at hundreds of dollars more. Reloading saves money and you save right from the start with Lee equipment.

Purchased separately, it's a $200 value!

IT's ALL YOU NEED
 
x-Hare said:
LEE 50th Anniversary Kit

Includes the new Breech Lock Challenger Press and three Breech Lock quick-change bushings. You get a complete powder handling system, with the most convenient and repeatable Perfect Powder Measure. Plus the Lee Safety Scale, the most sensitive and safest of all powder scales and fill your case with the included Powder Funnel. A $157.00 value.
Case Preparation Tools include a cutter and lock stud to trim your cases. Order the correct case length gauge for the calibers you will be loading, it’s only $5.50 extra. An included Lee chamfer tool chamfers the inside and outside of the case mouth and a tube of premium sizing lube is included. A small and large primer pocket-cleaning tool completes the case preparation package. $13.92 value.
But that’s not all! You get the Large and small Safety Prime. Prime with push button convenience and is safe with all brands of primers. Never touch the primer from box to the case. $30.00 value.
Compare it to others priced at hundreds of dollars more. Reloading saves money and you save right from the start with Lee equipment.

Purchased separately, it's a $200 value!

IT's ALL YOU NEED
Click to expand...


Well, you need dies and shell holders for the calibres you are reloading.

I have that kit and have loaded 3500 9mm in the last year as well as a bunch of .38 special and .303.
Great to start.
Going to upgrade to some kind of progressive or the Turret pres for pistol as I shoot so much.
 
I bought the same kit when I started reloading. Excellent value and everything works very well. Now it's a few years later and I load a lot more. I've replaced most of what came in that kit, a lot of it with more Lee product.

T answer your question, yes everything you need is in there. Of course there are many things that aren't absolutely necessary that you will buy along the way (I saw the case length gauge mentioned). One thing I would recommend is a vernier caliper. Canadian Tire often has digital models on sale for about $15.
 
I used to defend my purchase of the Anniversary Kit, but have since changed my mind.

It was awesome at first, but later caused troubles.

1: The powder chucker was always spilling fine ball powder like H110. I adjusted the #### out of it, but it still caused me to lose powder. On the up side, It was okay with extruded.

2: I used to like the scale until I tried a better one. But that's a minor issue as lots of guys like the scale.

3: I broke the press at the handle, right where the teeth meet. While the main part of the press is solid, the handle related parts are made of much weaker stuff. I deprimed a lot of brass (thousands) and the poor thing came apart so bad that I can't even repair it.

So I went out and bought used equipment. I'm pretty sure if you look around you can get a used press somewhere. There are also plenty of used scales and such around too (ebay?, EE?). Lots of guys just upgrade and part with really great presses and related equipment. Seriously how long will a good press last (RCBS, Hornady, etc), years?

All that said, buy the kit, and use it until it breaks, you might get years out of it, and find yourself upgrading to a fancy preogressive anyways. :)

I have to add that I love the Lee collet dies. These things rock!
 
I bought the kit that included the reloading book and found it a great starter.
All it needed was the dies and case length gauge and shellholders.
All in all an excellent value to get you into the hobby.
I have since replaced everything but the Lee Auto Prime, and the Lee Modern Reloading book. KD
 
Get a Lee kit for $120. Find your feet. Your feet might be exactly where you want them. Its in my opinion a great place to start.

un caveat (one caveat :)) the scale has a fantastic setting mechanism. However sometimes the balance can stick. Give it a flick to ensure it settles back at the same place.

Happy reloading.
 
Other things you may want after purchase

1) A decent chamfer/deburring tool (RCBS is great)
2) A tumbler (Frankfurt Arsenal is around $50)
3) A digital caliper ($15 from CDN Tire on sale)
4) A digital scale (personal preference though)
5) Case length gauge/shellholder (very cheap)

Its a decent press for rifle, I upgraded shortly after getting one though because most of my reloading is for pistol.
 
If there is any brand you should stay away from, this is it! :p

having said that, i have the same kit of the brand. i reload all the heavy calibers, like 308, 303, etc, etc.

as schick says, the handle related parts are made of weaker stuff. just lube your cases well for bigger calibers. don't force the press if it stucks; instead, step back and inspect what's wrong. because if you force your press and with the weaker link, the press is likely to break. it doesn't mean this can't happen to other press. i know someone who broke his RCBS rockchucker by forcing it! anyway, know the limit of your press.

powder chucker/measure is accurate, even for the rifle powder i use (H-4895), but i do have problem with spilling fine ball powder as well.

scale is accurate as well. just a bit annoying to use.

like the hand prime. can do priming away from my reloading station...and yes, you can 'feel' how deep the primer goes into the pocket!

all in all, i'm happy with it. i don't reload that much; so, a cheaper press makes more sense to me.
 
There is nothing wrong with the Challanger press. In fact if you take a look at the article below, you will see that Mysticplayer is using one, and he shoots itty bitty groups way far away.

http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek075.html

If you want a better quality press, then the Lee Classic Cast is a great, low cost choice.
 
SandRoad said:
There is nothing wrong with the Challanger press. In fact if you take a look at the article below, you will see that Mysticplayer is using one, and he shoots itty bitty groups way far away.

http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek075.html

If you want a better quality press, then the Lee Classic Cast is a great, low cost choice.
Click to expand...

x2, I have the classic turret and the construction is much more rigid.
 
i bought the 50th anniversary kit a few months ago
so far i'm satisfied

i want to upgrade the scale to digital but the one that came with the kit works

the cheapest i found was 135$ from a dealer here on CGN
 
I like the Turret press because it allow you to leave all the dies set up and just put them back in the box without losing the settings. Its also reasonable for reloading handgun cartridges faster than a single stage press. But, that kit does sound like an inexpensive way to get most of what you need.
 
I've used this Lee Anniversary kit with Lee's die set for the first time with the good results. You may need to upgrade the powder scale in the future for Lee's scale is a bit difficult to set (read) at 1/10 grain scale.
 
Andrewe said:
I did upgrade my Lee press to the turret press. I would highly recommend it. I believe it also comes in a complee kit. I really like this press.
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Whats the difference between the "LEE Deluxe Turret Press Kit" which sells for ~ $165 for the whole kit and the "LEE Classic Turret Press" which sells for ~$159 for just the press?

I must have read the descriptions a dozen times and still don't get it... for $5 more I get all the added stuff...the presses themselves must be different?
 
I bought the deluxe kit and have only loaded rifle with it and have been happy the turret are a nice option, set the dies and forget about them.

What is the difference? really the only diffance is that the Classic turret press is a little more beefier. The description is the same but you can see in the picture the classic is a little more heavy duty
 
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