Lee precision presses

[Freedom Ventures]

you're always going to hear from some in the "BIGSHOT" crowd

Apparently, relevant experience makes you a bigshot, so...Bigshot here...lots of experience on a Loadmaster and Pro 1000. Embarassed to admit that I loaded...err...more like forced... over 100k rounds out of 'em.

My advice; if you're getting a Lee, get a Turret. If your needs exceed it and you need a progressive. RUN to Hornady or Dillon. You shouldn't have to fix your press while making ammo to produce ammo & you shouldn't need to watch 20 youtube videos on how to "tune" your press in order to get the first 100 rounds out of it. Dillon and Hornady owners never say "I think I'll get a Lee", but plenty of ex-Lee owners make the decision to go Hornady or Dillon.

,,not sure i would be 100% on their progressive stuff,,,

Best comment in that post.

 

[krprice84]

Not exactly the Forster has a spent primer cup integrated into the press..

Why hasn't anyone mentioned Redding? I got the t7 turret a while ago and it is great ! It send the primers straight down through the ram and into a tube, put the tube into a water bottle and i haven't had more than one or three spent primers on the floor.

I can also put seven (yes, 7) dies in the turret. Yes the turrets are a bit more money, but not horrible either.

As for priming, i hate on press priming. Far too inexact. You can feel it much better using a hand primer. I like the rcbs universal hand primer, as I don't need extra shell holders for priming (or special ones like the Lee hand primer, which sucks big-time)

 

[krprice84]

I previously loaded 50 BMG with my Classic Cast. It's not as heavily built as other presses specifically made for 50 BMG, but those other presses are $400+. Compared to 50 BMG, everything else requires almost no force.


There are all colours of equipment on my bench. They are there for different reasons. Not every company makes the best product, or the best value product in every category. Pick and chose.

This is it.

I'd never buy the cheap Lee presses, but the classic cast are decent (not quite as precise as some other presses, but that's being pretty picky...). Lee dies are decent, again unless you want perfection. Some of the Lee hand tools, they're decent for sure. Bullet casting stuff, Lee is great. I've heard their progressives are crap to though.

All in all, i have more rcbs and Redding stuff I'd say, though pistol dies are Lee. Forstner stuff is wicked and reasonably priced compared to Redding, which I consider to be the other major high end company. Wilson makes wicked dies bit those aren't for everyone. Redding and forstner would be my first choice for most stuff if money wasn't an issue

 

[Plinky]

I recently got into reloading. I got into it based on my volume, so I didn't even really consider a single stage press, I wanted progressive to punch out thousands of rounds I need. I now have experience setting up and running the Lee Pro 1000, Loadmaster, Dillon 550 and 1050.

Lee in general is about 1/3 to 1/4 the price of comparable progressive Dillon. Let's keep that in mind for a second. It's like comparing a Corvette to a Ferrari California. The Ferrari is roughly 3-4 times the price. Is it nicer? Sure. Is it 3-4 times better than the Vette? One's snobbery may very well determine this.

If Dillon made a press for 1/3-1/4 the price to actually compete apples to apples with a comparable progressive Lee, then we'd be talking. It's like a bunch of rich snobs saying, Corvettes are crap, only Ferraris are worth driving.

And sadly, the final product, the bullet itself is no better out of the Dillon than in a Lee. If we're talking about the final product, the bullet, its OAL, powder accuracy, priming, sizing, etc, I dare anyone to argue that a Dillon that costs 3 times more makes a better bullet, because it doesn't. You can easily make better than factory grade ammo with either Lee or Dillon.

Yes as a result the tolerances, the setup, is easier on the Dillon. Considering you set it up pretty much once, and then never again, is that worth 3-4 times the price? Basically is it worth $500-750 to make the setup easier? Because that's roughly the price difference. Do you wanna spend around $250, or $800-1000 to have an easier setup?

I read all these stories about people breaking parts on their Lee press like the ball chain for the powder dispenser. Seriously? That's the complaint?! Maybe if you didn't forcefully break it pulling on the handle when it was set up incorrectly. Honestly in cases like this, I just hope that person realizes their inability to make the press work hopefully also saved them from personal injury as lacking the ability setup a Lee probably correlates pretty well with one's ability to reload bullets safely/accurately from beginning to end.

If you're the kind of person that doesn't want to tinker, is not mechanically inclined (i.e. you don't work on your own car because you don't know how to), maybe you shouldn't be reloading regardless of the manufacturer. Buying the Dillon over the Lee because you do not have the ability to setup the Lee properly, probably means you'll have difficulty producing quality ammo on any press.

Yes if money/value had no value, than ya I'd get a Dillon over a Lee. But all those snobs that say Dillon or nothing sound a heck of a lot like snobs that look down on Corvettes, GT40s, etc because they are not Ferraris.

If you are serious about reloading, don't dismiss Lee, Dillon, Hornady, RCBS, etc. There are many more Lee presses sold, and in use than there are Dillon. There are pros and cons for both. And the setup problem is not with the press, it's with the operator.

 

[babo_al]

I find your comparison to cars completely out of touch but that just me , I hope to hear back from you in few months so you can tell us the rest of the story it will look so different when the excitement of the new purchase is gone and reality hits you.
Ask me how I know about the Lee products ....I do feel mechanically inclined and have an engineering background that probably explain the reason I kept the press for more than 2 years but you need the patience of a saint to push beyond that.

 

[Plinky]

I find your comparison to cars completely out of touch but that just me , I hope to hear back from you in few months so you can tell us the rest of the story it will look so different when the excitement of the new purchase is gone and reality hits you.
Ask me how I know about the Lee products ....I do feel mechanically inclined and have an engineering background that probably explain the reason I kept the press for more than 2 years but you need the patience of a saint to push beyond that.

You don't have to wait a few months and you don't have to believe me. There are many happy Lee customers out there with many positive reviews from people that have produced many thousands of rounds on their Lee progressive press. Many have bought a second and a third for different calibers. Imagine 3-4 Dillon presses in cost, lol.

And ya, I do expect a Lee press to have more problems after 2 years than a Dillon. It better, the Dillon costs freakin' 4 times more than the Lee! You're comparing something that costs 4 times more and saying it's better, well duh. I'm just trying to provide the pros and cons of both and being fair in my comparisons of presses where one is 4 times the price of the other. For some people, they'll get a Lee up and running without much issue. Some people will never get one running. If that's you, you're #### out of luck, and it's either pay for the "blue kool aid" or buy ammo.

But if you have the ability to get a Lee humming along smoothly are you really better off spending 4 times as much? I would argue that for some people the Lee is the better choice (because they can get it running no problem and spend 1/4 the money), just like for some the Dillon is the better choice (because they couldn't get something mechanical working to save their lives, even if it costs 4 times more so at least they get a working press they can actually setup themselves). Just like for some even if they could get the Lee running, they couldn't care less about how much they are spending, and want "the very best" regardless. If that's you, get the Dillon.

Heck I even said I'd take a Dillon myself if money were no object as it is a better press. But that's not taking into account the massive price difference.

Basically don't dismiss all Lee progressive presses. For some people it is a better choice than the Dillon, and vice versa. Get the press that meets your needs, and don't just dismiss an entire brand because some reloading snobs want to show how superior they are to you by how much they (over)spent.

 

[AlexPdHJ]

I have the lee precision classic cast turret press. Works great for my 30-06 and .45 ACP. No issues. Easy to use. Not sure why I would spend more money for other brands when this one works fine.

 

[silverfoxdj]

Why hasn't anyone mentioned Redding? I got the t7 turret a while ago and it is great ! It send the primers straight down through the ram and into a tube, put the tube into a water bottle and i haven't had more than one or three spent primers on the floor.

I can also put seven (yes, 7) dies in the turret. Yes the turrets are a bit more money, but not horrible either.

As for priming, i hate on press priming. Far too inexact. You can feel it much better using a hand primer. I like the rcbs universal hand primer, as I don't need extra shell holders for priming (or special ones like the Lee hand primer, which sucks big-time)

Have a look at the Forster hand primer works very well.. just saying..

 

[rookie wildcat]

It wasn't the frame that broke, it was that the bottom end toggles wore out and broke. No warranty.

On a CLASSIC CAST PRESS? I could see that on a challenger, but not on a Classic cast. That thing is bullet-proof. AND it has always cost close to the same price as a RockChucker (a little less, but within $50). Heavier, beefier, larger than a RockChucker.
Now the Challenger, I started with one that was second hand and broken, and STILL loaded on it for 10years. It is just too easy for what I wanted. I needed to build "precision" rounds for Lee Enfields and Mausers. They were my hunting rifles. So, precision enough for 3" iron sighted groups at 100. Would I recommend a Lee economy press for bench rest shooting? Nope, but hunting? Absolutely! I have loaded '06 rounds by the thousand to feed my "factory" rifles (a 100ATR and an M77) getting scoped groups down to 3/4" or sometimes a little less. This on a Challenger or on a turret. I now have both classic cast presses and I know that they will easily outlast me and my son.

As for the warranty, I got no complaints. Only time I needed them, I got the same service as I got from RCBS. Although I had to pay shipping there, they paid shipping back, even though I broke the turret and the die (and told them so) and once they saw the damage, they sent along a new shell holder and a de-capping rod to make up for the shipping I paid.

OP: there is nothing wrong with Lee equipment unless you want to brag about the money you spent on equipment. If you can swing it, get the Classic Cast Turret and you will have a lifetime of fun.

 

[babo_al]

I will pick up where you left “some reloading snobs want to show how superior they are”

The way I have understood the reloading is the following :

-You don’t care about it:
you are so rich can’t be bothered or so new into the sport don’t know nothing .

-You start thinking about it and get your first single stage press:
you have started to hang around the range with some old farts who told you all they know , you are not rich really, and you may also have a rifle you want to experiment with and at this point your grandpa rock chucker may get you the snob / big shot license free of charge. You also may be the old fart and very happy with your 50 years old machine which is all you need really.

-You got your first self indexing multi station press is always a Lee :
You have started to go to the range every weekend you bring with you 100 round you proudly reloaded all by yourself and you are proud your tinkering abilitys, you also now have the chance to get back to the old farts who started you and show them what you can do, you are certainly not rich, but you feel others need to know how far you have gone.

-You finally got you Dillon
You are probably a pistol shooter involved with some sort of practical shooting you go the range 2-3 times a week you belong to at least 2 clubs and bring 400 rounds with you every time , you hate reloading because it take so much time from your actual goal of getting better in the sport and most likely you are already thinking of spending some more in bullet feeders case feeders or any other gadget to speed up this stupid process, you are not rich but the sport have consumed you and your priorities some time are on the wrong place , { if you are rich you have already hired the guy with the Dillon to make your ammo because you can’t be bothered }.
You hear about Lee some time and it reminds yourself and you can't stop yourself from not letting this happened to another person.

You are one step away from the last one congrats …

 

[blauber]

Have to say I agree with this. I've got many thousands of pistols and rifle rounds through my Classic Cast turret and it is like new. It is hard to beat the flexibility of the Classic turret regarding switching between setups for various calibres and/or loads. I'm the type of guy who likes nice equipment and am surprised at how much I am enjoying the Lee.

If you have the cash, a Dillon 550 or 650 is nicer. You get greater production volume (3-4x) in progressive mode than the Lee turret, but you will also pay 3 to 4 times as much. I like the way that the Dillon can be accesorized with case and bullet feeders to get even greater production. This is great if you shoot that much.

There are only 2 critiques I have of the Lee turret press. One is that when reloading 223 cartidges with very low neck tension, the pressure to seat bullets in these cases is so low that it does not take the slack out of the turret head and this results in inconsistent seating depth. The second critique is the the primer feeding me mechanism takes some technique and tweaks to get working but works quite well once sorted.

I'm thinking of a Classic Cast for loading some 223 rifle cartridges to avoid the neck tension issue and also for some specialty case forming.

I noticed this slack in the head as well - I didn't experience seating depth problems however (using Lee Collet neck sizer at .001" neck tension). The 4 hole was my first press in 2010 but I wanted to try the Rock Chucker. I found a used RCBS II, and am happy with a single stage. I'm not adverse to setting my dies up each time (takes seconds) as the lock rings do that for you-the 4 hole Lee may be beneficial for bumping shoulder's .002" and keeping those dies set just so.

My brother has the Lee turret now and he's loading some accurate rounds - for me I liked the toggle over feel of the RCBS but the modification suggested here is something I'll pass along..

 

[Mystic Precision]

Lee challenger breech lock press. Works for me and I make ALOT of rifle ammo. Got one when they first came out so that is a number of years and thousands and thousands of match ammo.

Lever toggles eventually break. Lee covered them. New ones seem more durable.. maybe they are figuring out their alloy/

Love the inserts. precise, fast, simple.

Not ideal for big magnums but for standard chamberings, the opening is plenty big and saves me having to move a ram further then necessary.

YMMV.

Jerry

 

[terry_g]

I have a Lee Classic cast press and I really like it. I have loaded a couple thousand rounds of
.223 at least a thousand rounds of 9mm hundreds of .243 and 30-06. A couple drops of oil on
the moving parts every once in a while and I'm sure it will outlast me.
I use a Lee hand priming tool for priming I have never tried the priming attachment that came with the press
it looked like a pain in the butt.

Terry

 

[Tinman204]

My first press was a lee classic turret press. Thousands of rounds (18 rifle calibers total) and she's still like brand new!!

Only thing I hate on my lee press is the priming system. Mine was fussy so I removed it and I now prime with a lee hand primer.

 

[kennymo]

My first press was a lee classic turret press. Thousands of rounds (18 rifle calibers total) and she's still like brand new!!

Only thing I hate on my lee press is the priming system. Mine was fussy so I removed it and I now prime with a lee hand primer.

I'm not overly fond of the priming setup on my Lee press either. Hand primers rule! That said my Lee single stage doesn't look quite as nice as my RCBS Special #5, but you can't really tell the difference between finished cartridges. I use Lee dies too, not as pretty, but perfectly serviceable and half the price.
And for what it's worth the primer catching system on the #5 works pretty well. Must be a better setup than the chucker. Not sure if they still make the 5, haven't seen one on the shelves for a while.