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Posted: 11/19/2001 1:45:48 PM EDT
I'm looking at buying some Lee reloading gear.  Does anyone here have any experience with Lee reloading equipment.
Link Posted: 11/19/2001 1:47:35 PM EDT
[#1]
I'll be the first to say

be more specific

What gear?  I use Lee dies and they work great!  I have a hand press, since I live in an apartment, that works fine.  a few other little odds and ends, and it's good stuff, IMHO
Link Posted: 11/19/2001 1:55:13 PM EDT
[#2]
I'm looking at the die's, press, powder dispencer, and a few other small things
Link Posted: 11/19/2001 1:57:46 PM EDT
[#3]
Link Posted: 11/19/2001 1:59:07 PM EDT
[#4]
Their dies are great... I've used the 3 die rifle and pistol sets, and the rifle collet die set, and have had great luck with them.  Don't know much about their other stuff, but they're a good company, so it seems.

I hope you know about Midway USA... a reloaders' heaven
[url]www.midwayusa.com[/url]
Link Posted: 11/19/2001 2:05:14 PM EDT
[#5]
I've been reloading using the Aniversary kit for about a year now. Works great for me. For a low-cost kit to get you started in reloading, it is hard to beat.
Link Posted: 11/19/2001 2:08:54 PM EDT
[#6]
You haven't had the traditional "New Reloader" experience till you have made some ammo on the Lee Loader, and hammered too hard during the primer seating operation.

I prefer RCBS dies, all the way around.  My .30/06 Lee dies use friction(for Pete's sake) to secure the decapping rod.

Everything LEE makes works, but RCBS is worth the xtra $, to me.

LEE bullet moulds? "Mikey Likes It."
Link Posted: 11/19/2001 2:27:29 PM EDT
[#7]
Link Posted: 11/19/2001 2:37:57 PM EDT
[#8]
How does the Lyman stuff compare to Lee and RCBS?
Link Posted: 11/19/2001 2:38:28 PM EDT
[#9]
Ok, before the "Lee is crap" people start weighing in...

I have Challenger press and several Lee dies along with Hornady and RCBS.  I also have a Lee Autoprime.  I bought the press in an "Anniversary" kit back about 1987 or so.  I managed to finally break it about 1999.  The cheap pot-metal casting used to connect the steel lever to the press ram failed during full-length resizing of .303 British brass.  Apparently a common failure, that part has been redesigned.  And apparently it still occasionally fails.

My opinion of the Challenger press?  For about $35.00 it can't be beat, but if you've got about $100, get something better.  Mine still works, and I still use it.  

For priming, I haven't seen anything I like better than the Autoprime.  

For neck-sizing, I'll take Lee's collet dies hands-down over anything else.

For standard sizing & seating dies I haven't found Hornady or RCBS to be significantly better than Lee.  Others might.  Especially if those others are precision benchrest shooters (which I am not) and in which case they would stay away from Lee anything anyway.  

If you're a first-time reloader, or on a tight budget (or both) a Lee Anniversary kit is a helluva deal.

Oh, and I have no personal experience, but I've been told the "Perfect Powder Measure" ain't.
Link Posted: 11/19/2001 2:42:47 PM EDT
[#10]
My Bro. has a Lyman O-frame press, and some dies.  It looks like good quality to me. I like Lyman, RCBS and LEE bullet moulds.

My 32 year old RCBS O-frame press just keeps cranking along.
Thank you, American Quality.
Link Posted: 11/19/2001 2:53:26 PM EDT
[#11]
I will just say Ditto to everything The Beer Slayer had to say.

I use their Kit for .308 and using IMR4064 was a pain....One load right one and dump the next 5 due to the powder measure.

A lot ov value to that package deal however.

Karsten
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