Lee Anniversary Kit?

Whiskey Tango · April 9, 2005, 01:27 PM

Hello all, I work at Bass Pro in Dania, FL.

I've been looking at getting a beginner reloading kit for myself, since I get 15% off of the items (except live ammo

) for a few reasons.

1. Since I can legally own my pistols (given to me as gifts) at 19, I still can't buy handgun ammo at 19, even arguing having a 9mm carbine etc. (which I don't, but no one at these stores knows that, and probably most cashiers couldn't fathom ::begin sarcasm:: hangdun ammo in a rifle, and since a .50BMG is a rifle caliber, and muss be less lethal than a 45ACP because an 18 year old can buy it. ::end sarcasm::

2. I expect it will save me more money in the long run.

3. It seems like an addictive, fun way to augment my appreciation for marksmanship.

So it brings me to this, since I don't want to start with a progressive loader, my dilema is choosing between an RCBS Reloading Kit (I forget the proper name on the box) and the Lee Anniversary Kit. Does anyone have any beginner's experience on ease of use, ability to learn and adapt to different calibers? I'd like to load .45ACP and .223.

Any input, biased or unbiased is appreciated.

Robert M Boren Sr · April 9, 2005, 01:34 PM

I bought the kit not as a beginner though. It's a very basic kit, you would still need the trimmer tool. I ended up getting the Zip trim they make. I have loaded thousands of rounds with mine from 45acp to 300 win mag, the only thing I would suggest is to get a different scale. The one put out by hornady is very simple and accurate to use. You might should look into the rcbs rockchucker also. It's more money but better built.

tjhands · April 9, 2005, 06:40 PM

That's the kit I bought, and it's my first. I have enjoyed it and wouldn't do anything differently. Strong press and works great. For the $$$, it's a good bet in my opinion. Their carbide dies are a good deal, too.

FP-74 · April 9, 2005, 07:43 PM

I bought the anniversary kit to reload .38 spec. ammo as a beginner and I almost immediatly bought the lee 4 hole turret. i'm going to keep the single press to work up different loads and perhaps to load some rifle ammo (which i don't shoot alot of). The .38s are easy to load and the turret is much faster!
just my opinion, of course.

willsjeep · April 9, 2005, 09:54 PM

I bought the Lee kit about 3 months ago. It works great for me, I started with 45ACP and 38/357. I just bought a die set for 223 this week.
It all works fine to me. If anything I might would try a different scale.
Good Luck.

donkee · April 9, 2005, 10:22 PM

My LEE kit got me started almost 2 years ago. I just got a classic cast press since the Challenger press was maybe a little too flimsy for the amount I load now. Other than that, I thing the kit is a great way to start. You won't have to invest much to see if you want to continue doing it. You can upgrade parts later on as necessary.

Selfdfenz · April 10, 2005, 09:49 PM

I started with that kit 20 yrs ago IIRC. Long time anyway. Got a decent Hornady scale, a Lyman powder measure, Lee hand primeing outfit and some extra stuff during year 1 but you can get into reloading with that outfit, a few books and some carefully selected components.

Still use it all the time. It's still mounted on the same plank I originally put it on way back during grad school.

After rounds w/o counting it still works fine and is tight.

I have a Lee progressive and one of their new big single stations now but that little Challenger still gets a workout pretty often.

S-

April 9, 2005, 01:27 PM	#1
Whiskey Tango Junior member Join Date: April 8, 2005 Posts: 58	Lee Anniversary Kit? Hello all, I work at Bass Pro in Dania, FL. I've been looking at getting a beginner reloading kit for myself, since I get 15% off of the items (except live ammo ) for a few reasons. 1. Since I can legally own my pistols (given to me as gifts) at 19, I still can't buy handgun ammo at 19, even arguing having a 9mm carbine etc. (which I don't, but no one at these stores knows that, and probably most cashiers couldn't fathom ::begin sarcasm:: hangdun ammo in a rifle, and since a .50BMG is a rifle caliber, and muss be less lethal than a 45ACP because an 18 year old can buy it. ::end sarcasm:: 2. I expect it will save me more money in the long run. 3. It seems like an addictive, fun way to augment my appreciation for marksmanship. So it brings me to this, since I don't want to start with a progressive loader, my dilema is choosing between an RCBS Reloading Kit (I forget the proper name on the box) and the Lee Anniversary Kit. Does anyone have any beginner's experience on ease of use, ability to learn and adapt to different calibers? I'd like to load .45ACP and .223. Any input, biased or unbiased is appreciated.

April 9, 2005, 07:43 PM	#4
FP-74 Member Join Date: November 10, 2004 Location: northeast Posts: 21	annniversary kit I bought the anniversary kit to reload .38 spec. ammo as a beginner and I almost immediatly bought the lee 4 hole turret. i'm going to keep the single press to work up different loads and perhaps to load some rifle ammo (which i don't shoot alot of). The .38s are easy to load and the turret is much faster! just my opinion, of course.

April 10, 2005, 09:49 PM	#7
Selfdfenz Senior Member Join Date: December 7, 2001 Location: The Gas Tax State Posts: 949	I started with that kit 20 yrs ago IIRC. Long time anyway. Got a decent Hornady scale, a Lyman powder measure, Lee hand primeing outfit and some extra stuff during year 1 but you can get into reloading with that outfit, a few books and some carefully selected components. Still use it all the time. It's still mounted on the same plank I originally put it on way back during grad school. After rounds w/o counting it still works fine and is tight. I have a Lee progressive and one of their new big single stations now but that little Challenger still gets a workout pretty often. S- __________________ Selfdfenz

April 9, 2005, 01:34 PM	#2
Robert M Boren Sr Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2004 Location: NW Montana Posts: 269	I bought the kit not as a beginner though. It's a very basic kit, you would still need the trimmer tool. I ended up getting the Zip trim they make. I have loaded thousands of rounds with mine from 45acp to 300 win mag, the only thing I would suggest is to get a different scale. The one put out by hornady is very simple and accurate to use. You might should look into the rcbs rockchucker also. It's more money but better built.

April 9, 2005, 06:40 PM	#3
tjhands Senior Member Join Date: January 20, 2005 Posts: 1,718	That's the kit I bought, and it's my first. I have enjoyed it and wouldn't do anything differently. Strong press and works great. For the $$$, it's a good bet in my opinion. Their carbide dies are a good deal, too.

April 9, 2005, 09:54 PM	#5
willsjeep Senior Member Join Date: February 8, 2005 Posts: 180	I bought the Lee kit about 3 months ago. It works great for me, I started with 45ACP and 38/357. I just bought a die set for 223 this week. It all works fine to me. If anything I might would try a different scale. Good Luck.

April 9, 2005, 10:22 PM	#6
donkee Junior member Join Date: November 7, 2004 Location: Mid-Michigan Posts: 449	My LEE kit got me started almost 2 years ago. I just got a classic cast press since the Challenger press was maybe a little too flimsy for the amount I load now. Other than that, I thing the kit is a great way to start. You won't have to invest much to see if you want to continue doing it. You can upgrade parts later on as necessary.