seriously though, what are ya'lls thoughts on LEE presses? ive wanted to get into reloading just about since i started shooting. i had my heart set on the RCBS rock chucker supreme kit but at a wallet crunching $300 i just wont be able to get it, and the consumables within any reasonable amount of time. ive been taking a serious look at the Lee Challenger kit. and at a more college student friendly price of $90 it keeps looking better and better. my concern is that in buying this kit its gonna break. or that the scale and other accesories are gonna be cheap. thats expected for not paying a premium price tag.
are the pieces in this kit sturdy enough to last me long enough so i can buy bigger and better things later on? although it will cost more in the long run to buy stuff piece meal will the Lee pieces get me to that point? all i really ask is my stuff be reliable.
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I use a Lee turret press and Lee dies and they work great for me. I also use Lee molds for casting bullets. If it weren't for Lee I would not be able to reload. I can not afford the other brands. I reload and cast 2 calipers.
Bob T
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Honestly its because they are quite awesome and last a lifetime. My entry was the RCBS supreme kit the exact one you are looking at. I still use the scale and the press and the powder measure and the book and the hand primer. The only thing from the kit that has gone by the way side is the is a couple of the ancillary pieces like the funnel and the brass holder. Honestly its worth the 300 bucks IMO. Wait a bit longer cabelas is does a 30 off 150 promotion this weekend. Before X-mas they will probably do a 50 off 300 deal with like 5 dollar shipping.
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twitch go on and buy you a LEE Classic Cast press. The reviews are excellent.
I can buy one at cost new for $77.94...retail is $155.88. I've seen them as little as about $90.00 on the internet. New.
JimKim another fine member here posted reviews on LEE Press's that were beyond impressive.
I was going to buy one until Mooseman and I worked up a trade for his Lyman and a bubba'ed Mauser I've got.
LOL...He's waiting for me to ship the rifle ...A.H
Save some money and get The Classic Cast Press but shop for the best price
There is no other press to buy aside from a Lee Classic Cast or a Lee Classic Turret. None. Will they hold up? None are made beefier, but ALL are more expensive. Why? Lifetime insurance.
Will the breechlock challenger hold up? Absolutely. As well as a Classic? Maybe not, there's no comparison between the two.
Yes, the Lee advertises only a 2-year warranty. Some day 10 or 13 years from now, you might need a circlip for the shellholder and you might have to pay Lee $2.39 and $1.63 shipping. Maybe. The others will send you one for free. You already bought it, 100 times over...they better send it free! Someone might tell you you can drop their press off the Empire State buiolding, and the company will ship one out free the next day. Lee will probably laugh and politely imply you're an idiot, and offer to sell you a new one. But..... I would too.
All of them will load your ammo accurately and for the rest of your life. THe difference is in cost. Don;t be fooled by Lee's lower prices. They're a stand-up American company with a solid product.
Yes, they're worth it.
When I want a progressive press, I'll get a Dillon or RCBS. Otherwise, take them all out of the picture until they're worth their price......
This. It could use a better scale, but the rest is great for your average reloader, especially a beginner. Now, if you're wanting to make thousands at a time, that's another story. This will do hundreds with no sweat. I prefer to buy a new turret ring for every set of dies, you can change between calibers very quickly that way.
i bought the same lee kit when i got into reloading and personaly dont use anything that came with the kit other than the press, powder funnel and the cutter and lock stud everything else i have replaced not necessarily because there is somthing wrong with the other stuff just because i didnt feel 100 percent safe using the scale and the powder thrower was not very consistent now i use the same press and a rcbs chargemaster that i saved up for. In my opinion i think RCBS is a little better quality.
G
I wouldnt use a Lee press if it was given to me...RCBS , Lyman, Texas turret, etc. are my favorites...I have had too much trouble with Lee stuff in the past, and their presses have cracked..
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The RCBS Partner Press (I've got one) is very nice, if what you want is a single-stage unit to get started, and might be more within your price bracket than a Rockchucker. I know plenty of people have used Lee with no problems, but everyone I ever spoke to personally swore at it, not by it. You might have troubles with linkages breaking, I was told, or you might not. Because I'm half a world away from the factory, I decided better not to chance it.
That being said, I did go to Lee for my dies and they do at least as fine a job as I can when I pull the trigger.
I've been loading on Lee presses for fifteen years - haven't broken anything, after many thousands of rounds. Love the Turret Press - it's the only way to go if you plan on loading for a lot of different calibers!
I use the Lee Perfect Powder Measure and Lee beam scale with no problems. They work very well together. The PPM does get a bit cranky using stick powders, but works quite well with flake and ball powders.
Most of my handgun dies are Lee, but I do prefer the RCBS rifle dies.
You are really good!I have broken about everything I can think of,including crushing thumb and finger numerous times.That isn't too bad tho,as body parts grow back to almost normal all by themselves.The metal parts fail to regenerate and must be replaced. ,,,sam.
I want a Lee Classic Cast and when I can spare the money I'm buying me one.
Then I'll have 2 press's. the one Mooseman is tradeing me for a rifle, plus other stuff he's throwning in...A.H
Twitch,
Billy is right. They all load the same ammunition.
I agree with StretchNM , there is no better value out there.
The strategy that I recommend is to start with the Lee Challenger Breechlock Kit. You will be able to make good ammunition and you can upgrade from there.
The Perfect Powder measure works best with spherical powder, but there are enough spherical powders out there that you can cover just about any caliber that you desire to load.
The scale is a little difficult to read (I am 64) but is accurate- I would upgrade this first.
I have the Lee Classic Cast Turret and I don't think there is a better machine for the average loader on the market. It does everything well. I love being able to leave the dies set up on the turret head and just change shell holders and turret head.
DocAitch
I wouldnt use a Lee press if it was given to me...RCBS , Lyman, Texas turret, etc. are my favorites...I have had too much trouble with Lee stuff in the past, and their presses have cracked..
Yet my Lee Classsic Cast is about 25 years old and is still chunking them out.
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