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wncchester · July 18, 2012, 06:40 PM

"LEE makes some pretty good stuff. They also make some pretty bad stuff (from what I hear)."

Yeah. We do hear a lot of that. It's pure BS. Choose what you buy and don't complain if you buy below your needs. Lee isn't my 'favorite' brand, I like 'em all for some things and features.

Fact is, Lee makes more presses than any other brand; they are made for different purposes and different users, from obviously very light duty to the obviously most heavy duty cast iron presses. Those few people too ignorant of simple machinery to intelligently select what they need and/or use it correctly have no justification blaming the press when they bust something. IF I had to replace my current Rock Chucker it would be with Lee's Classic Cast, it's a much better press in every respect and that's what I would have if it had been available when I got the RC.

No press maker uses 'pot metal', the high grade aluminum alloy Lee, Hornady and RCBS use for some presses is the same type stuff used to make (pot metal?) frames for many costly auto loading handguns and a lot of good shotguns too, boats and outboard motors, airplanes, auto engine blocks and pistons, rifle scopes and mounts, etc; calling that stuff 'pot metal' is stupid.

Other than the very costly Redding and Forster dies, all the rest are equal, on average, and even then the differences are too small for most reloaders to ever see. Meaning Lee's dies work as good - or better - than other brands. And I say that from owning some 55 sets of dies in 32 calibers from more than 12 makers and have owned others as well. The only real limit on what we can do with any conventional die set is the skill (or lack of it) of the user.

July 18, 2012, 06:40 PM	#15
wncchester Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2002 Posts: 2,832	"LEE makes some pretty good stuff. They also make some pretty bad stuff (from what I hear)." Yeah. We do hear a lot of that. It's pure BS. Choose what you buy and don't complain if you buy below your needs. Lee isn't my 'favorite' brand, I like 'em all for some things and features. Fact is, Lee makes more presses than any other brand; they are made for different purposes and different users, from obviously very light duty to the obviously most heavy duty cast iron presses. Those few people too ignorant of simple machinery to intelligently select what they need and/or use it correctly have no justification blaming the press when they bust something. IF I had to replace my current Rock Chucker it would be with Lee's Classic Cast, it's a much better press in every respect and that's what I would have if it had been available when I got the RC. No press maker uses 'pot metal', the high grade aluminum alloy Lee, Hornady and RCBS use for some presses is the same type stuff used to make (pot metal?) frames for many costly auto loading handguns and a lot of good shotguns too, boats and outboard motors, airplanes, auto engine blocks and pistons, rifle scopes and mounts, etc; calling that stuff 'pot metal' is stupid. Other than the very costly Redding and Forster dies, all the rest are equal, on average, and even then the differences are too small for most reloaders to ever see. Meaning Lee's dies work as good - or better - than other brands. And I say that from owning some 55 sets of dies in 32 calibers from more than 12 makers and have owned others as well. The only real limit on what we can do with any conventional die set is the skill (or lack of it) of the user. Last edited by wncchester; July 18, 2012 at 06:55 PM.