lee reloading products

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Dave Allen

New member
hello, i am getting my feet a little wet on reloading my hunting buddy doyle recently jumped into reloads & i have helped reload 40 rounds & have put 20 thru my gun we both shoot 223 & had great results.his equipment is mostly rcbs,which is what i would prefer 'however'being on a budget i'm looking at the lee anniversary kit to get started. looking at the pictures i can tell a difference between the products.my question is would the lee kit get a guy thru for a few years reloading 200 rounds yearly ? the scale & powder measure look cheap ? maybe the press would be ok......maybe if i have to ask the question i already know ??? any suggestions are appreciated.
 
it will get you by but if you intend to get something else later i would just save a little longer and get what i wanted first
 
Some of the Lee equipment looks cheaply made but they do the job very well and will last forever. A lot of reloading equipment was pioneered by Lee. The bottom line is that they make a very good product and have been in the business for over 40 years that I know of. And they are a small company that stands behind anything they make.
 
I started off with the Lee Anniversary Kit with the intentions of getting a RCBS later but can’t see the need to at this point. I have never used a RCBS and may like it a whole lot better but for the price and the quality of the reloads that the Lee equipment turns out I can’t see spending the extra money at the time. It has done great for me for about 3 years. Just because it is cheep doesn’t mean that it will not do the job. I reload for 22-250, 30-30, 308 and getting ready to start on the 35 Rem. I saw a post on one of the reloading forums one time that Richard Lee helped to keep the price of the other reloading companies equipment down. I don’t think that is true. I think that some people will buy a more expensive product because they think that more expensive makes it better. Maybe so but I think that it is the person doing the reloading. I do know that I saw a marked improvement in my groups with the first batch of reloads that I made.

The only thing I don’t like is the Reloading Manual. If Lee would spend more time on Reloading instructions instead of bragging on his product and pointing out where his product is better, he could have a great manual.

Just my 2 cents.
 
Hello,

I'll also agree on the Lee. Some of the components of the Anniversary kit may seem cheaply built, but they work as good as some more expensive units. Such as the Powder measure: its almost completely plastic and feels like it could break at any moment, but it will throw Varget and Benchmark powders within +/-0.05 grains on each charge. Same goes for the scale, it looks a toy, but is very accurate. The case trimmer works great too, just put the shell holder in your cordless drill and use the appropriate caliber guide in the cutter and away you go. Sure beats dropping $400 on a motorized unit.

I did have one small issue with Lee dies, but I fixed it by grinding down the shell holder to set the shoulder futher back on my 22-250.

Oh, almost forgot. Get a few reloading manuals. I like the one's by Hornady and Sierra, very informative. And get a caliper, a dial caliper will do just fine and cheaper than the digital ones.

JA in SD
 
Quote:

The only thing I don’t like is the Reloading Manual. If Lee would spend more time on Reloading instructions instead of bragging on his product and pointing out where his product is better, he could have a great manual.

Just my 2 cents.

I think that Richard Lee's book "Modern Reloading (Second Addition)" is one of the best reloading manuals out. In a lot of aspects he has revolutionized the reloading industry. I don't say that because I use Lee equipment, actually I don't have any at this point but have used a lot of it over the years.
 
I started with Lee equipment a long time ago and still use some of that equipment. It still works. Currently useing their hand press (no room to set up any other press). If you are only planning on a couple of hundred rounds a year they will be fine but would produce a lot more you if you tried to. Now if I could just get one of their Target Model loaders in .222 Remington.
 
I agree 100% with Nightfisher & Bonus!

I reload about 100-200 rounds a month, and the case trimmer wasn't working for me because it hurt my hands after trimming a lot. I went and got a used Forster Appelt trimmer for $30 off eBay, including shipping, and I would recommend it. Also, the primer pocket cleaner that comes with the kit is a joke. I went to Home Depot and for about $3 got a small steel brush that fits my Dremel and it works a whole lot better, and faster. I agree with the powder measure, it seems cheap, but it does a GREAT job! The press works great, too. I would like to find an inexpensive and easy way to champfer. The little tool that came with the kit is wearing out and it makes my hands sore after doing a bunch. Overall, very recommended!
 
PD Buster, posts like yours are why I read these forums. I just bought a Dremel tool and accessory kit on sale at Wall-Mart the other day. It had the little brushes and stuff, but I never dreamed about using them to clean primer pockets. Excellent idea.
I have RCBS presses. Lee makes some that are pretty good also. One thing you might consider is getting a Rockchucker and then getting Lee dies. I bought a set of Lee dies in .223 from Midway USA on sale the other day just to get the factory crimp die. I think all 3 dies were about $18.00. E-bay has stuff all the time for reloading. I bought a set of .243 dies the other day, freight and everything, for less than $5.00. Just do a little price comparison before you bid. I see reloading stuff going for more money that you can buy it new for sometimes.
And then a guy can do stuff like PD Buster suggested. I bought a 2 gallon bucket and a wire waste basked to seperate brass and media with for $3.00. Does it fast and easy.
 
If you can't afford NEW, put the word out in an ad or at work that your looking for USED reloading equipment. There's lots of good used stuff still in great condition being stored and unused.

A fellow that I work is getting into firearms. He was talking to his neighbor and the guy gave him an old Lyman C press, as he was carrying it home, another neighbor offered him his RCBS outfit. My first equipment was used RCBS and my second unit, a Dillion, I also picked up used. And both at a savings.
 
HI i started out with the Lee kit and it will work good. I have upgradeed my stuff to RCBS over the yrs. But i still have some Collet die's from Lee. The Lee is a good starter kit. VM
 
I use mostly Lee equipment and have never found fault with it. Other stuff seems to be made stronger or with a nicer finish, but everything I have by Lee is good enough, and cheaper. Get better stuff if you want, but good enough is good enough.

The kits by Lee and RCBS seem to offer great value for the beginner to get started - just price up the items separately, if you haven't already, and you will see it makes sense. They have everything you really need, though you will sooner or later add other gadgets to do some things differently, faster, or better, just because you can. For the 200 rounds a year that you expect to do (and for the much more than 200 rounds a year that I think you will soon be doing) these kits are certainly good enough.
 
Boy oh Boy
This is on most forums. At some time this subject comes up. This is my second post on this forum. Looks like a nice place. As from my signature, you know what I use. I like Lee products and that is what most of my reloading is done on. I shoot very well with my reloads and I have no problems. What else can I say. It just works for me. I reload for 30-30, 308, 22 Hornet, and will with my next coyote rifle. All Lee dies, Lee Press and Lee case trimmers and Lee auto prime. I do have other equipment that is not Lee’s though. RCBS 505 scale and the Lyman Acculine trimmer as well.
To answer Dave Allen, Yes, Lee will load great ammo. I would get the Lee Anniversary Kit. If you load for the bigger cartridges though, like 7mm magnums and up, upgrade to the Lee classic cast press when you can afford it. The Lee Challenger press will work but that new Classic cast press is the best single stage press on the market IMHO.

Lee Reloader
 
I cut my teeth on Lee products and I'd say most of them do the job just fine. While my RCBS Rockchucker is a heck better and more expensive than my Lee press, I honestly cannot say it produces better loaded rounds.

Lee collet dies is, in my opinion, the best dies ever. It produces accurate rounds, extend case life significantly and most of all.... it requires no lube.

I load no more than 400 rifle rounds a year and the Lee press I have had for 15 years is still going strong. I use the Rockchucker mostly for forming cases.

Howard
 
Thanks loud one, for the media seperating tip. That's got to be one of the worst chores with this reloading stuff. I am doing it by hand. Couldn't justify one of those commercial seperators. I'll try the waste basket idea. I got the wire brush idea from someone else, and he told me to be careful with the brush because it's easy to make the primer pocket too big...

I also bought the lee collet die. I get more accurate rounds than full sizing and it's quicker and NO LUBE! Also a very worthwhile tool!
 
I use Lee collet dies for all of my rifle reloading on a Dillon 550B progressive press. I get excellent results and their customer service is great.
25-06TargetTwo.jpg

You can pay a lot more for dies but why? Can a $150.00 die make a round that will shoot better than this?
 
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