Now that's how you do it Lee

BC17A

BC17A

Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2018
Messages
420
Having batted around 500 with Lee products over the years, I took a chance on a set of their 30 Super Carry dies since they were about half the price of any others. My biggest gripe was the fact they over-use the tooling and the finish on their expanders and carbide inserts are less than desirable with some bordering on atrocious. Thankfully they must have used new sharp bits to produce the latest caliber dies because these are by far the best I've ever seen from Lee. This is actually the first time I won't have to do any polishing on a new die set.

dies.jpg expander.jpg
 
Glad you're happy with your new dies and I too have had good results from my Lee die purchases. FWIW; carbide is too hard to be machined and for a production part is is more than likely ground with a diamond encrusted stone. IIRC, carbide is also "machined" by an EDM process (Electrical Discharge Machining). Lee probably buys the carbide inserts and installs them themselves...
 
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Having read Lee Hater's since I started watching reloading forums in 2006. Over the first 10 or so years I would try to duplicate the complaints and found 98% were just operator error (Lifetime machinist/mechanic here and quite familiar with proper use of all kinds of hand tools). Or maybe I'm the most fortunate reloader around and have had absolute minimal problems with all the Lee tools I have purchased. Most of the Hater's complaints are like the guy that condemns their Harbor Freight blade screwdriver because it doesn't work for a prybar for removing the rusted brake shoes from his '90 Chevy. Many just parrot other complaints from forum members, to sound "experienced". I have maybe 11 Lee die sets, 5 sizing dies, Lee hand primer, a dozen bullet molds, 4 case trimmers and a dozen other Lee tools along with a metric ton of assorted tools by all manufacturers and if I need a new tool, I won't hesitate to buy Lee...

Rant over...
 
I have a mixture from Redding to Lee
Everything works just fine
My only tooling problems have been
SB dies I've bought on the advice of
"more experienced " reloaders, and
weren't needed at all. Chamber
problems with the rifles instead of
sizing problems or procedural problems
 
I'll stick with RCBS and Hornady for the most part.
I do like the Lee Bench Prime tool.
Can't go cowboy with it and you need to get the hang of it. Lots of the time the primers will not slide in to the loading shut. When you tap the plastic primer tray some of the primers want to flip on thier side on top of the seting rod.
 
I had the RCBS bench prime but didn't like the primer tube. I gave it to my son and he only used it a couple of times. Now it sits on a shelf.
 
mdi said:
Having read Lee Hater's since I started watching reloading forums in 2006. Over the first 10 or so years I would try to duplicate the complaints and found 98% were just operator error (Lifetime machinist/mechanic here and quite familiar with proper use of all kinds of hand tools). Or maybe I'm the most fortunate reloader around and have had absolute minimal problems with all the Lee tools I have purchased. Most of the Hater's complaints are like the guy that condemns their Harbor Freight blade screwdriver because it doesn't work for a prybar for removing the rusted brake shoes from his '90 Chevy. Many just parrot other complaints from forum members, to sound "experienced". I have maybe 11 Lee die sets, 5 sizing dies, Lee hand primer, a dozen bullet molds, 4 case trimmers and a dozen other Lee tools along with a metric ton of assorted tools by all manufacturers and if I need a new tool, I won't hesitate to buy Lee...

Rant over...
Click to expand...
Ditto to this and previous post. FWIW, carbide is a sintered metal. It cuts like gravel and grinds like sandstone. The biggest problem is it’s brittle. Pounding on carbide chips it and creates microfissures.
I have more Lee and RCBS than anything but Lyman runs a close third. No problems or complaints with any of the above.
 
mdi said:
Having read Lee Hater's since I started watching reloading forums in 2006. Over the first 10 or so years I would try to duplicate the complaints and found 98% were just operator error (Lifetime machinist/mechanic here and quite familiar with proper use of all kinds of hand tools). Or maybe I'm the most fortunate reloader around and have had absolute minimal problems with all the Lee tools I have purchased. Most of the Hater's complaints are like the guy that condemns their Harbor Freight blade screwdriver because it doesn't work for a prybar for removing the rusted brake shoes from his '90 Chevy. Many just parrot other complaints from forum members, to sound "experienced". I have maybe 11 Lee die sets, 5 sizing dies, Lee hand primer, a dozen bullet molds, 4 case trimmers and a dozen other Lee tools along with a metric ton of assorted tools by all manufacturers and if I need a new tool, I won't hesitate to buy Lee...

Rant over...
Click to expand...
On the upside, it tells me whose comments to ignore. Some folks are only happy being miserable. I don’t need that kind of negativity in my life.
 
mdi said:
Having read Lee Hater's since I started watching reloading forums in 2006. Over the first 10 or so years I would try to duplicate the complaints and found 98% were just operator error (Lifetime machinist/mechanic here and quite familiar with proper use of all kinds of hand tools). Or maybe I'm the most fortunate reloader around and have had absolute minimal problems with all the Lee tools I have purchased. Most of the Hater's complaints are like the guy that condemns their Harbor Freight blade screwdriver because it doesn't work for a prybar for removing the rusted brake shoes from his '90 Chevy. Many just parrot other complaints from forum members, to sound "experienced". I have maybe 11 Lee die sets, 5 sizing dies, Lee hand primer, a dozen bullet molds, 4 case trimmers and a dozen other Lee tools along with a metric ton of assorted tools by all manufacturers and if I need a new tool, I won't hesitate to buy Lee...

Rant over...
Click to expand...

It's not really about hating, it's about people paying less money for a product, such as Lee, and expecting the same quality they would get from a better-made product such as RCBS, Hornady, et al., then getting PO'ed when they get what they pay for. If less expensive Lee products were really as good as other brands, then why would handloaders pay more for other brands?

I'm fairly happy with their dies (with a couple of exceptions) and their hand primer seating tools. But if it has moving parts and it's going to be used more than just occasionally, it's best to pay a little more and get something that will last AND have resale value once a person is finished with it.

35W
 
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Yeah, offering products at half price almost guarantees sales.

Even some people that have had problems with 500 previous products will still roll the dice and buy #501.

I must be lucky and have had better success that that though.
 
35 Whelen said:
If less expensive Lee products were really as good as other brands, then why would handloaders pay more for other brands?
Click to expand...

Largely for 2 reasons:

1) Because the other products cost more, and people say “you get what you pay for,” whether you do or not.

And…

2) Features - Lee die sets aren’t particularly well featured, so if a reloader wants a spring-discharge decapper or neck bushings or micrometer seating gauges or a sliding seating collar, they aren’t getting it for $25 in a Lee 2 die set.
 
I have Lee, RCBS, and Hornady at the loading bench, and through the years, each have found a home. There are some that take alittle more money, such as some of my rifle dies, and some that work great, for less money. If set up properly, most work pretty good. I will say that after I moved to my Hornady LNL press, the Lee Pro 1000 does sit idle most times, just saying.
 
35 Whelen said:
. If less expensive Lee products were really as good as other brands, then why would handloaders pay more for other brands?
Click to expand...
Tool snobbery. Not researching. Believing "Internet Wisdom". Following what "they" said. Thinking that "if it costs more, it's better, right?" Like the many posts about the RCBS bench prime; worse tool design I've seen in a long time (cannot use right out of the box, needs riser, or handle must stick out over bench edge 6". Primer tubes wagging back and forth in front of the user's face, etc.). If the same tool was painted red with "Lee" on the side the complaints would be endless...
 
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