Press Kit Advice

novega

novega

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Hey guys, I'm looking for a little advice:

I want to get into reloading, I have nothing already so I'm looking at the "kits" from Lee. I figure this would give me most of what I need and then I'll just get the other little bits and pieces seperately.

I plan on loading 357 SIG and .40s&w for right now and .308 later on. I guess I'm probably going to shoot around 2-3,000 rounds total this year (I'll only be shooting once a week) and I'm looking at the "50th Anniversary Kit" and the "Lee Deluxe Turret Kit".

Is there a big difference between these two designs? I realize one is single and ones a turret but which would you recommend for my application (considering I'm going to learn on it and I don't shoot all that much)? Is one style "better" than the other to learn on? Does either have any inherent flaws I should be aware of?

Thanks Guys
 
Start by buying a copy of The ABC's of Reloading.
"...would give me most of what I need..." Yep. No dies or shell holder. No case trimmer with the turret kit. That's not a terribly big deal for handgun ammo. It is for .308. Case trimmers aren't expensive. Neither comes with a manual either. A manual is essential. Buy a Lyman book(it's extremely versatile).
Lee's warrantee(2 years) isn't as good as RCBS' warrantee(Forever. Even if you caused the damage or buy used kit. No questions asked other than your mailing address.) Have any issues with a Lee press and they want you to send it to them. RCBS just sends you whatever you need, including decapping pins. You will pay more for an RCBS Beginner's Kit(comes with a Speer manual. No dies or shell holder or trimmer) though.
 
I just went through the researching and buying a press thing. I ended up going for the Lee deluxe kit. I spoke with a really nice older guy at Lee that helped me make the decision. Finding one is another story I ended up ordering mine from Cabelas in the states for $109.99 on sale phone 1-800-237-4444. What you will also need that you don't get in the kit is some kind of a priming system which you can do it by hand or get yourself a Lee Safety Prime for the press like I did. If you go with the Safety Prime you will also need to order a Auto Disk Riser for the auto powder measurer that comes with the kit and other than that you will be set. Oh... don't forget to order a couple extra die plates for quick change of calibers their cheap.

Hope this helps!
 
my advise to you is to go with dillion you pay a bit more, pull 2 pins and you can change calibers in about 1-2 min's and load from 500 to a 1000 rounds in an hour.........I had lee and got ride of it ........just remember once your dies are set up and locked in place, check the first 5 - 10 rounds ......just pull the handle and go ............
 
The Lee Deluxe turret press with the extra die plates is a 60 second change to another caliber and if you buy the four hole plate you can add the crimp die to the process. If you buy die sets just buy the Lee Deluxe handgun die sets and you get the crimp die included not much more for price like $8.
 
Of the two, the turret press would be the better choice, given that you would be shooting primarily handguns. You don't want to be spending all your spare time making ammo, after all. Single stage presses are better suited for rifle reloading, where you would be likely loading smaller quantities of ammunition, and speed is less of a handicap.

You may also want to consider the Dillon 550. They are pretty straightforward to operate one you get the hang of it and you can still do one case at a time, like a turret press. Without a case feeder, I can get about 400 rounds/hour out of mine, compared with about 150-200 rounds/hour that the turret press is capable of. In the long run, the equipment cost is small compared to what you will spend on components.
 
Thanks guys. I'm going to place my order and round up supplies tomorrow.

-Lee Deluxe Turret kit
-Safety Prime and Auto Disk riser
-Steel 3 die set
-Bottle Neck Pistol Factory Crimp die
-Case Lubricant and pad
-Hand Case trimmer
-Powder, Primers, Brass and bullets

I grabbed another reloading manual today and a set of digital calipers...I should be set, right? Or did I miss anything?
 
If you go with the deluxe Lee pistol die set you get the crimp die with it, four dies total. You should get carbide not steel dies and you won't need case lubricant for doing pistol.
 
Oh sorry, yeah that was my list for 357sig reloading, not .40 s&w. I guess I'll have to add another turret plate and the .40 cal dies to the list.

No deluxe 4 pcs set available for 357sig and no carbide dies either. Case lubricant was suggested since 357 is a bottlenecked case (like a little rifle cartridge)

Thanks Plasma, I'll definately follow your advice and pick up a 4pcs Deluxe Carbide set for .40 sw (no lube on these right? b/c they're straight walled cases?)
 
Make sure you order the 4 hole deluxe press kit not the 3 hole. Same price and the extra turrets are $10.99.
 
If you want a carbide sizing die for .357 SIG, I believe Dillon is the only source. This is a standard 7/8"-14 die and should work in any press. You may still need to lube the case lightly for smooth sizing with this calibre.
 
Thanks for the heads up guys

Dillon Carbide 3 die set= $128.95 (Dillon website) Lee Steel 3 die set= $34.98 (Lee Website)

Carbide vs. Steel- I think I should stick to steel considering the price difference
 
Yeah.. I would do the same as I know what it costs to get setup loading. I think I'm at around $800 with press and fair amount of supplies for a couple of calibers.
 
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