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Old March 26, 2014, 05:15 PM   #1
kilotanker22
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lee reloading gear???

i was thinking of adding a second press and some extra equipment to my supply.

i am looking for my extra stuff to be a bit cheaper so the lee kit kinda caught my eye. at 128 dollars seems great.

who here has had any experience with lee equipment? and are they worth having?

i am not looking for suggestions on other gear simply a sort of review of the lee single stage presses and the scale mainly. maybe also lee dies.


my current setup is a rock chucker from rcbs.
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Old March 26, 2014, 05:27 PM   #2
Blindstitch
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I use Lee presses, scales and dies and they work just fine for me. And I use the single stage and hand press.
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Old March 26, 2014, 05:37 PM   #3
Gster
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I use all Lee equipment and have loaded 1000s of rnds. In 9mm, .40s/w, .45acp, .45 colt and .243 win. Iv'e never had any issues.
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Old March 26, 2014, 05:44 PM   #4
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Every Lee product I have ever used worked exactly as it should. Lee dies are excellent. I don't understand why so many people question Lee products. I suspect that if they cost more people would feel confident that they must be good. Lee would not be one of the biggest manufacturer of reloading equipment if they made junk. The market place would see to that.
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Old March 26, 2014, 05:54 PM   #5
Qtiphky
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Get it

I have used Lee shotgun equipment for over 20 years and they still work fine. Back in '08 I started loading pistol and rifle rounds and bought Lee gear. Lee everything. I have over 15,000 rounds loaded in pistol and rifle and it is still working absolutely fine. The only thing that broke was the auto advance bar, but they are cheap to replace, even though I didn't, I just rotate it by hand. I would not hesitate to buy anything from Lee.
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Old March 26, 2014, 06:08 PM   #6
lee n. field
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Quote:
who here has had any experience with lee equipment? and are they worth having?
Lee die sets are fine.

Lee Safety Scale is dead on accurate when tested with check weights, but maxes out at 100 grains.

Lee Loader kits work, but are very slow and only make sense for someone with modest reloading needs and severe space restrictions.

Lee Hand Press has "suboptimal" ergonomics, but is very handy.

Lee Pro 1000 progressive press is "finicky". Takes tinkering to keep running.

Lee Classic Turret is robust and works well. Recommended.
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Old March 26, 2014, 06:23 PM   #7
surveyor
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lee

I have a classic cast turret, pro disk powder measure perfect powder measure, turrets and dies that I use..no complaints with it. Works fine for pistol and rifle..

I haven't used the perfect powder measure yet.. still using a lyman 55..

The scale, while it works, I find a 505 easier to read the tenths and set charges by.
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Old March 26, 2014, 06:32 PM   #8
Brian Pfleuger
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All my equipment is Lee, except for a few Redding body dies and an RCBS Chargemaster.

My press is a classic turret and it's fantastic. No trouble at all, 3-4 times faster than a single stage and well capable of loading (at least) sub-1/2" MOA rifle ammo.

The dies, are for guys who don't need glitz and glamour and, frankly, don't mind paying a lower price but having to do some finish work now and then to make things right. I love the collet dies but I have not a single one (not one) that didn't require some sanding and polishing at the very minimum to work right. More than one has required significant refitting of the internals and as recieved would not even come apart without a hammer. Still, when I look at the performance and function, compared to the cost, a few minutes work is a small additional price to pay and I use them for every rifle caliber I load for.
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Old March 26, 2014, 06:54 PM   #9
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No regrets...good stuff for the money...maybe the best for dollars invested.
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Old March 26, 2014, 07:13 PM   #10
mikejonestkd
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I am another happy Lee customer. I have been using their products since I started reloading a few years ago and have yet to have a single issue with their presses or dies.

The lee classic turret press that I use has to be one of the best values for the buck on the reloading market.
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Old March 26, 2014, 07:29 PM   #11
jrinne0430
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I like lee dies. Unlike my rcbs dies, you don't have to replace the decaping pins. Only item I don't care for of lee's products is the safety primer feeder system for their presses, they are a bit flimsy and fickle.
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Old March 26, 2014, 07:29 PM   #12
chiefr
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Lee makes great dies. The TCD, Collet dies, FCDs are a must haves.
The classic turret press is an outstanding bargain. Nothing come close.

I am no fan of any of Lee progressives. If you like to constantly adjust, tinker, manipulate during the reload process and produce maybe 100 in an hour, they are OK.
I expect to be able to feed a case or a bullet only with a progressive; that is unless you have a case or bullet feeder. With Lee, not so. Check to make sure a primer feeds right, or powder dumps.
IMHO they are junk. Spend the extra bucks and get a Dillon or HDY.

The autoprime is another big disappointment.
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Old March 26, 2014, 07:41 PM   #13
Lunicy
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I have a ton of lee stuff..
Here is my synopsis in a nutshell:

Technical stuff, Dillon

Dies, molds, little stuff, Lee is fine.

Lee has a tendency to use plastic where metal should be on some products.
If a specific piece seems lie it should be made of metal, but Lee's version is plastic, chances are, you will be disappointed.

Simple machines, Lee is efficient and cheap
Lee dies are good

Progressive press.... Go with a Dillon or Hornady
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Old March 26, 2014, 09:07 PM   #14
Cowboy_mo
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I started with a Lee reloading press kit.

I replaced the scales because I had trouble reading the Lee scale and getting them set where I wanted them. The scale was accurate, I just didn't find it user friendly to me.

I did not buy Lee dies because with a little searching I was able to purchase "used" (sure looked new to me) RCBS dies for almost the same price as new Lee dies.

I really like the Lee press and equipment (except as previously noted). There was a part on my press that cracked but when I contacted Lee, they sent a replacement part immediately. Great customer service.
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Old March 26, 2014, 09:18 PM   #15
kilotanker22
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wow seems relatively unanimous thanks all
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Old March 26, 2014, 10:03 PM   #16
Jay24bal
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Here is what I use from Lee: my press, all my handgun dies (4 die carbide sets), perfect powder measure X7 (I have one for each load I make in rifles), auto disk, crimp die for .223, and auto prime XR.

Every one of those products has worked well and I am 100% happy with them except for one thing, the lock rings on their dies. They use a rubber washer. My press is a single stage, so I am constantly swapping dies out. With their lock rings, I found it nearly impossible to reset them to the same exact settings every time they were screwed back in since the lock ring was not secured to the die body. To solve that I have replaced every single lock ring with Hornady's lock ring. I also did this to every lock ring on my rifles dies (all RCBS) as their brass set screw does not always stay tight for repeated installations. The Hornady lock rings work GREAT.
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Old March 26, 2014, 10:14 PM   #17
GP100man
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Look for reviews , some praise Lee equipment ,some swear at it

But truth is if Lee was`nt in business ,there`d be less reloaders now !!

I`ll agree on 1 thing though , why build a cheap scale that works so good but limit it to 100grs.??? I know why , the knives or pivot is/was a thin peice of abs plastic of sorts , very sharp ,just not very load bearing.

Thinkin of ordering 1 of those new trimm set ups ???
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Old March 26, 2014, 10:15 PM   #18
jersurf101
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I use an old Lee D press and a new breech lock with the Lee dies and scale. While I have a back up scale and their powder measures are not the greatest I will not knock Lee at all. You make great ammo with their single stages.
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Old March 26, 2014, 10:41 PM   #19
Gadawg88
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I have been very happy with my Lee classic turret press and Lee dies. I have 3 pistol and 3 rifle die sets and haven't had any problems. For single stage look at the classic cast. Very solid and you can use the Hornady LNL die bushings.
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Old March 26, 2014, 11:19 PM   #20
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I don't care much for Lee dies. They are ok, but I don't much like them. Never used any of their presses or scales.

One product of Lee that I do use and use a lot is the decapping punches and bases. Excellent tools.
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Old March 27, 2014, 07:36 AM   #21
kilotanker22
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thanks every one i am slo thinking about their progressive press for an addition.

by the way i have always weighed every single powder charge to within .1 grain. how accurate are powder measures? i understand that they will be more accurate with say ball or flake powders.

my question is would it shorten my time with consistent drops? or should i drop the powder right to the scale anyway?
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Old March 27, 2014, 09:00 AM   #22
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I too don’t care for their dies.
One thing, if you can find an old Lee auto prime get it, one of the best hand primers every made.
The new ones are junk including the XR and the Ergo. I have both.
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Old March 27, 2014, 09:06 AM   #23
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If you are adding a press, look at the classic turret as others have mentioned here. The scale is accurate, but finicky, and takes too long to stop oscillating. I picked up a rcbs 1010 on ebay, and it is way faster and less touchy. The powder measure with the turret kit is very accurate. The classic turret is one step below a progressive, but way faster than single stage. Also leaving dies set up on a plate makes caliber changes a breeze.
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Old March 27, 2014, 11:00 AM   #24
howlnmad
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I have 3 Lee presses, the Challenger, the Classic Cast and the Classic Cast Turret. I enjoy all of them. I'm not real crazy on the dies hut I do own several sets. I do like the rifle crimp dies. Powder measures are okay. Safety scale SUCKS.
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Old March 27, 2014, 11:10 AM   #25
Sure Shot Mc Gee
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Quote:
i am slo thinking about their progressive press for an addition
I happen to have a Lee Progressive 1000. But it hasn't been mounted to/on my bench in years. When it was. It was a hit or miss type of press. It either worked very well or was a pain in the keastor requiring tweaking & tinkering with its indexing plate. {A situation I experienced allot.}

I'll go out on the proverbial limb in saying this because I always say what is on my mind and up front. Frankly speaking OP __"When it comes to buying reloading equipment & its accessories You get what you pay for. Buy cheap get cheap."__

I've already wore out one single stage aluminum bodied press that I thought and was told at the time of its purchase. "Oh it will give you a lifetime of service."__ And it didn't. Even with all the care and maintenance my press received. These days my bench is covered in Green and weighed down with cast iron verses the Red aluminum it once was. All that Red I once thought was the best money could buy is now used at my cabin only a couple times a year. Probably under its now current circumstance all that Red might indeed last a lifetime after all. We'll see.
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