Personalty, I don't care what people use...as long as it produces safe ammo.
There's another point I consider...and that's my free time (which seems to be scarce this time of year)
On my current setup I can load about 1,700 rounds per hour. 3 or 4 Sunday afternoons in the basement and I'm good for the year. Less time at the bench means more time on the range.
...I can't put a price on that free time...but I know it's far more valuable to me than what I have invested in my equipment...
That is always a factor. Before I had kids, spending a weekend or two a month reloading was easy. Since then, a free weekend every month or two is now a godsend
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I had 3 years of using a Lee-1000 (I actually had 3 of them in three different calibres at one time). Used the shoestring primer enhancement and kept the primer tray loaded = no issues. I even did as many here did and pre-primed brass (removing the decapping portion in the lee dies) just to not bother with that step in the 1000.
Hell. I bought a Lee-1000 after loading 1000 .40 S&W on a SINGLE STAGE.
RCBS Rockchucker (inherited), Lee Dies, and Lee Perfect Powder measure with a RCBS 5-10 to set it to the correct charge weight).
1000 rounds of .40 S&W in roughly 20 hours on a single stage, I went to the Lee-1000 and that number dropped that down to 6 hours my first time using the press. That included 2 primer installation failures and powder cleanup. These were due to having the primer tray run low on primers after the first 100 and second 100 primers. I learned myself to keep it topped up. No issues.
My second & third Lee-1000 were bought used and by then I had needed to add in the shoestring upgrade to ensure priming agitation.
I made many thousands of .40 S&W and .38 Special with those Lee-1000's over several years. 250 rounds an hour was an easy pace with them.
As I said, the ONLY reason I switched from the Lee's was due to free time. I didn't have 4-5 hours a session anymore to relax and make ammo, more like 2-3 hours at a time.
So from 8 hours a month and $300 investment to 6 hours every two months and $1200...
What many people seem to forget is that a good portion of people do not shoot competitively and could care less about doing so at the start of their firearms enthusiasm. If someone was to come to me and recommend a press for guys shooting 10K+ rounds a year of any single calibre? I'd definitely recommend Dillon or Hornady.
For someone who wants to use maybe 2K a year? Or who loves the meditative factor for reloading? Maybe the Lee is good enough. Reloading is an escape from all outside responsibilities to me (Welcome to The Reloading Zone, leave all distractions behind...)
Enjoy the Lee Loadmaster for all you can. Should you decide to upgrade, great. That should be YOUR choice.
It's like cars. Everyone has a favourite brand.
Found On Road Dead
Drips Oil, Drops Grease Everywhere
Cheap, Hardly Efficient, Virtually Runs On Luck Every Time
