Done with Lee Products

[wncchester]

"Done with Lee Products"

Okay. Now we know.

[aerod1]

My "Lee Classic Cast Turre" has performed flawlessly! I am loading 45 acp, 44 magnum, and 223 on the LCT.
Do you want to sell yours?

[ah141nj]

Its so strange. From 1 turret to another the press stops indexing.
Took all my turrets & polished the outer edge with a dremel. Polished the inner ring of the press. Dremeled the index rod with a wire brush & polished it. Changed the ratchet strap colllar. Re-adjusted the index rod. Made sure all the bolts were tight on the press. Checked to make sure the press was balanced on the bench.

I was able to pound out 500 rounds of 9mm over the weekend. Not sure what fix did it, but it is working. Did have 3 primers flip sideways though.

I just feel that I shouldnt have to tinker with it all the time for it to work. I used it last tuesday night with NO problems, friday night was a different story. Going to call Lee again today...hopefully the person I get on the phone had a good weekend.

It really is a good press when it is fine tuned.

[FM12]

You won't be dissapointed with the blue line. Their products are excellent and their customer service is even better!!

[snuffy]

Its so strange. From 1 turret to another the press stops indexing.

I'd bet you simply grabbed the turret, twisted it to remove it, right? Doing so WITHOUT raising the ram half way to the top, the turret tries to turn the indexer square rod that's being held by the square plastic follower. Then, when the indexer rod can't turn, one of two things happen. The nut at the top of the indexer rod turns, the indexer is then out of adjustment. OR the square follower is destroyed.

Raising the ram before trying to turn the turrent--turnet, torret,---turret will cause problems. A quirk of the LCT? Yes, but all presses have rules that must be followed.

[Hook686]

Bummer your Lee turret press turn out to be such a challange. I load 9mm, .30 carbine, .357 magnum and .44 magnum on mine and never have a glitch. I can't say the same for the Pro1000, but the Classic Turrent has been a relaxing, enjoyable hobby tool.

Good luck with your blue shift.

I note you made a lot of 'modifications' to the original Lee design, then blame Lee for the problems you are having. I suugest you not do any modifications to any blue machine you acquire. I suspect these machines are intended to function well, as designed.

[sewerman]

my classic turret press has been right on!
i load 9mm, 38spl,357,30-30 & 308.
i have been very pleased with the company and products.
i keep it covered when not in use. lube it up with 10w30 synthetic auto lube and push bullets.
no, it's not tinker proof but well worth the effort!

sewerman

[ah141nj]

To Snuffy

I'd bet you simply grabbed the turret, twisted it to remove it, right?

Actually, no. The last time I used the press (tues) I removed the turret after I loaded up some test rounds for a different bullet. I put the other turret in place & after about 10-15 rounds it stopped indexing. Never had a problem before switching turrets. I do know about raising the ram upon removal. The ratchet was/is still squared when I checked it.

To Hook

I note you made a lot of 'modifications' to the original Lee design, then blam Lee for the problems you are having

If you consider polishing every metal contact area & switching the ratchet/index rod collar a modification....than yes, I am. Shouldnt have to do that to make it work. It was giving me problems until I did those "modifications"

I have been loading 9mm & 45acp with the Lee for the last 8 months. By no means am I an expert at reloading but it is a '"simple" press to work with.I have successfully loaded thousands of rounds with it.I do think there might be some QC issues at the Lee factory. With so much chatter on the internet about Lee products its hard not to see that. By no means was I trying to ruffle the feathers of the diehard Lee fans. Just saying
a lot of tinkering goes on with Lee. You can probably find 100's of "fixes" online if you looked.Fixes means that something isnt working right. Is that the norm for a worldwide product(s) that has been around for years?
Is it a good product for the price?....yes. If it works the way it should its fantastic. Regardless of the price paid, it should work fine all the time. They set the price, so cost shouldnt be an issue if they all work good or not.

Again, nothing personal at you Lee Fans.

[Hook686]

I think I understand what you were trying to do. Good luck with your blue.

[ah141nj]

I think I understand what you were trying to do.

????

[Sevens]

I have been reloading using Lee products for twenty years. Of course, the Lee products I use are pretty simple-- Lee Classic Cast and a slew of Lee dies. I've used some other products, some are better than others, all of them seem to work, just a little less "convenient" to use and handle than other, more expensive brands. That's why I use someone else's scale, powder measure and some other components.

Seems that Lee stuff is often made with some cheaper materials, and Lee products seem to find a different way to "skin the cat" than some others. One thing that almost always remains constant is that Lee products that do (or attempt to do) the same work as the other brands are always cheaper. Some times it's by a bit, sometimes it's by a freakin' heapload.

Really, I do get your frustration. Let's call it "DULY NOTED." Your experience has shown that some of the tools take some creativity to work smoothly and consistency. That seems to jive exactly with Lee's reputation, especially with their progressive presses.

But honestly... the difference in cash outlay for a LCT and the other Lee tools to produce ammo and a Dillon RL550B are so far apart that it's comical. The Dillon setup is many hundreds of dollars and caliber changes are very costly.

IMO, given the difference in the budget, it's fair to expect more from the Dillon and it's fair to expect more "tweaking" in the much cheaper Lee tools. Now you don't have to agree with this idea... but I would venture a guess that the majority of folks do agree with it.

On the bright side, reloading tools are VERY VERY popular right now. If you sell some of these Lee tools that you have (especially die sets and turrets) on Gunbroker or *gulp* Ebay, you'll probably do quite well on getting a good portion of your money back.

And you'll probably be VERY happy with the Dillon setup you buy and the customer service and warranty that comes with it. And well you should, given the price tag. But if it does what you want in the way you want it done, that price tag won't matter.

But even if some of your experiences with Lee products have been less than stellar, the reality that most folks are outrageously happy with them and their prices get a LOT of people started in the hobby. I also believe that their ingenuity and prices keep a lot of the other companies a little more honest.

[rodfac]

I like the Lee trimmers:useful in a drill press....the auto prime deal (it allows me to "feel" the primer seating, and that's worth the hassel of replacing the handles when they break at 1000 round intervals)...and their dies.

I had a turret progressive from Lee that was a constant headache...plastic parts that break...particularly the primer assembly. Yeah they'll make it good if you wait long enough...and are persistent...but I want to use it when I want to use it...not when the USPS delivers the "replacement" parts.

Lee has some good/great designs but then builds them with understrength mat'l.

Cut your losses now and save yourself the annoyance, get a Dillon 550B and be happy for the rest of your life.

Regards, Rodfac

[ah141nj]

Sevens...
Well put.
Thanks