Posted: 7/5/2008 3:26:28 PM EDT
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Hi all, Just a quick question really. I asked it on the BBS in the reload section and got differing answer's. Just thought I would get your opinions. I was thinking about buying a reloading press. I looked at the Lee 1000 Pro and the Lee Loadmaster. They see good value. However people have told me lee gear is not good quality. Do you think I should just save for a Dillon and were is the best place to order one from in the UK? Regards Chris |
The good thing about reloading kit is that it is about the only thing in our hobby that isn't regulated to bollocks. You can order it freely from the US. Whether this is cost-effective or not is up to you. The Lee progressives need regular maintenance. I'd go for the Pro 1000 between the two. If you're not mechanically inclined, get a Dillon or stick to Lee turrets. However, if your are loading for rifle (and I presume you are), case prep means you don't get huge gains from a progressive compared to a turret or single stage like you do when loading pistol rounds. |
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There is nothing wrong with Lee reloading gear. It may look a bit crude but it works perfectly well. I have a progressive turret press that is well over 20 years old, I use it in single stage mode for .223 and .243 and win competitions and shoot deer cleanly with the results. I have a number of turrets and just swap between them as required. As pointed out above, the case preparation required of rifle reloading does undermine the benefit of a progressive press to an extent, but everyone evolves their own process and some prefer the progressive. If you are looking for your first press, get a Lee with a turret for each calibre. They are inexpensive and will get you up and running with your own ammunition rather than buying commercially. If you are not satisfied you can always upgrade later, but the price difference at this stage will buy your cases and dies. Lee dies are OK, I use a combination of Lee, Forster and RCBS and have good results from them all. Cheers Martin |
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Cheers for the info. I was going to be loading .44sp , .44mag in pistol cals and 6.5 and .223 in rifle. I think I might just get a lee Loadmaster with all the extras and give it a go. If I dont like it I can always buy a dillon at a later date I guess Regards Chris |
Have you reloaded before? A Classic Turret might be easier to start out with and can still load 200 rounds per hour. |
| Yes, I tried a friends single press. It just seemed a little slow to be turning 1000 rounds out on. Both me and the girlfriend have tickets with guns in the same cals. I was rather more looking for somthing I can site down once every few weeks and reload in bulk. |
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I'd have to say get a Dillon 550B. Buy it direct from the states. Even with duty and VAT it will still be cheaper than buying one here. You will very ( very very ) quickly outgrow a single stage press as it is a royal pain in the ass having to change dies two to four times to finish reloading. Don't do it! You can just load one round at a time on the progressive until you get the hang of it without having to change dies ( and set them up again ) for each step in the process. I had a Lee which was ok but the dillon is a far superior product and will churn out better quality ammo at a faster rate, changing caliber takes about two minutes. You will need decent dies and the right size insert for the powder through die for each caliber. Buy a separate toolhead ( about $10) for each caliber so you can leave the dies set up in it and just swap toolheads to change calibers. |
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For pistol calibre rounds, I would advise that you get a Lee Pro 1000. They are a very good value for money press, and will last a life-time if you take care of them. The only extra you need with them is an adjustable charge bar for the powder, and then you will easily shell out 1000+ rounds an hour. The Dillon is slightly faster, but I don't think its worth it for the extra money. Rifle calibre rounds are a different story. The Pro 1000 isn't up to it, and the Loadmaster is a pile of ****. We normally advise people to get a Lee Turret with auto index, as it allows you to take more time and care over the rounds, while still loading them at a reasonable rate, and they are good value for money at about £70. If you want to shell them out as quickly as possibly, get the Dillon though... |
Having had a Lee 1000 for 45 ACP I disagree with that. There's nothing 'wrong' with the Lee - you more than get what you pay for - but my example (and a few others I knew that had them) were no way capable of 1000+ rounds per hour. |
I agree that you can do 100 pistol rounds an hour on a progressive press, although you cannot sustain that rate for long. 1,000 rds an hour or 16.6 rds/minute: never! Is that a typo with an extra 0? |
Did you think to ask on arfcom's reloading forum BBS? Nothing wrong with starting with a Lee turret press and dies, just because it's cheaper doesn't make it poor quality. And there are tutorials on the Lee website |
The only proble with the Lee Turret and rifle rounds is that anything much bigger than 223, such as the 308 family or bigger can often mean the auto index cannot work or you need to slide the finished round out as it's too long. What 6.5 are you loading? 260, Grendel, 284, x55? 223 will be OK, but some of the longer 6.5s might struggle with the index gear fitted on the Lee turret (unless they've changed the height since I bought mine 20 years ago). ETA: The Lee Turret is still a good value reloader. I use it as a single stage for decapping and resizing, and for all my pistol cal ammo, oh and in full auto-index mode for 30-30 as I ran out of turrets for the dillon. |