Positive experiences with Lee presses - No bashing!

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I have two Lee Classic Cast Turret Presses, along with Dies and extra turrets , as well as Auto Disk Pro's for 9mm, .357 Mag., .45 ACP, and for .223. This has been the best spent money in my own experience. Easy to set up and use.
 
Loadmaster

Ok I'm new to reloading and I got the lee loadmaster.
I will say it took a bit of time to set up and work out all the "Kinks". But the online vidoes were a god sent. They helped me get it up and running. About the only problem i have had so far is crushed slider on the primer system (my own fault for not paying att to what i was doing). I've only owned this press so not sure of what others are like. But for my buget i'm very happy with what i got.
 
I have a lee 4 hole turret press that I bought back in 2005, for $65. This thing has loaded well over 10,000 rounds total combined, of .223, .308, 40S&W, 38 spl, 357 mag, and soon, 9mm. Nothing has broken and I haven't had a single problem with it.

On a side note, Lee dies are my favorite, best value in my opinion.
 
Once I started using Lee Presses and dies, I have never considered any other brand. I have the 4 hole turret press and I load .223, .30 Carbine, 30-30, .38 Sp, .357 Mag, .41 Mag, .44 Mag, .460 S&W Mag, .308, 30-06, .45 ACP, .45 Colt and .454 Casull. All Lee except the .41 Mag dies that came with the S&W 657 and the 30-06 that was the first die that I bought over 40 years ago.
 
I first started reloading in the early 70's on a Lyman spartin turrent press, at the time it was high production reloading with quality results. I really love reloading, almost as much as shooting. Over the years I've bought Hornandy LNL progressive, Classic Cast single and turret. I've loaded ove 60,000 rounds on my Hornandy but the priming system requires constant cleaning and fidling to opperate smoothly, the same with the case feeding. I find reloading therapeutic after a really crappy day at work. It's my way of meditating. For me to get the best meditation benifits out of my reloading I find it needs to go smoothly without glitches. I get this with my Classic Cast turrent, it's a true pleasure to reload on and the rounds are exellent, and consistant enough that I use them in local match shoots. I like the Classic Cast single stage for De-Glocking 40 S&W brass, very easy with it.

By the way I still use that old Lyman, it's tilted turrent head is great for bullet sizing and prevents them from stacking when using the Lee bullet sizing dies, plus I can leave 6 sizing dies in it. I also really like Lee bullet molds and Lyman molds.

People who spend a fortune on anything tend to overestimate the positive qualities and abilities and to underestimate the negative qualities, relative to other brands. I believe it’s just human nature. A high price does not mean superiority or quality, nor does a low price mean inferiority or low quality.
 
I started with the Breech Lock Challenger kit, and made a few hundred rounds of 7.62mm and 9mm each. Then I got a Pro1000, which has only given me ONE flipped primer in 800 rounds of 9mm (my fault for letting the primer magazine run empty). I'm considering using it for .223 Rem soon, if finances continue to prohibit an XL650.
 
I am way impressed with the Classic Turret. For a hundred bucks you have a very easy to use press that is reliable. It has to be the best buy or close to it in reloading. I'm sure the Classic Turret had to take away significant business from the others. The auto indexing feature gives it a large advantage over the competition in my eyes because you can load faster without trying. Ammo is of good quality and the press is very easy to use as well as reliable. If there were any accuracy problems I'd get something else.
 
I`m at the bottom of the scale. I just got the classic Lee loader kit. Never loaded before but am going to give it a try.
Doing my home-work before I do much else. My brother has loaded for years so he`s a big help.
Didn`t want to go into re-loading full bore as I might not like it so hence
the "kit" route. It`s more of a learning curve than anything else.
I`m loading for my 30-30. Basic loads and see what happens.
One load at a time.......... :)
.
 
Lee was responsible for me, and probably thousands more, taking a quick deep dive into positive handloading experiences. For some time I thought I would need to drop 400 bucks to get started.

I started with a $20 Lee Loader. Loved it. Super simple gave great results.

Then a month later splurged on a 30 dollar Reloader press and 25 bucks of 30-06 dies. Awsome results.

Now I'm handloadong 357 and planning to graduate to the Classic Turret.

I supposed eventually I will go the progressive route. Here I will probably use Dillon as I have heard their stuff is absolutely the way to go.

As with many hobbies, people validate themselves by spending lots more on things and look down on others for going the budget route.

30 dollar reloader press
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I just wish I could have all the ammo that the Lee products have reloaded in just the past year alone.:D I would NEVER have to do it again.:neener:

There are a LOT of reloaders that will say that you do not have to spend megabucks to reload and Lee has helped prove it.:D
 
I have had great luck with my Lee 4 turret press, but not soo much with Lee Dies. But overall i would say its a solid company.
 
As a new reloader I was very worried about stepping right into it with a Lee 4 hole turret. But after a few setup issues I will say that that is one darn good press. Other than Lee's instructions that come with most of their products SUCK, I have had a very positive experience with all of my equipment so far.
4hole Turret, AutoDisk Pro, Safety Primer Feed, Lee .40SW dies...

Now if I just find a digital scale that was decent that comes with an antistatic metal pan I would be good to go.
 
I have been reloading for almost thirty years, and I have had four (4) presses in that time. Three of those four presses were Lee Precision products.

My first press was a Lee Challenger and I loaded close to ten thousand rounds per year on it over more than a decade before it broke. My second press was a Classic Cast single stage and that press served me well for almost ten years before I upgraded to a Classic Cast Turret. I loaded on the Classic Cast for five-six years before recently gifting it to a deserving THR member and moving into the RL-550B camp.

I think very well of the Lee presses and dies.
 
Oldreloader, thanks for the referance on the RBCS RangeMaster. It is actually the one ive been looking at, just havent gotten the money together to order it (too busy reloading the brass I have :D)
 
I started with a lee breech lock kit and the only issue I have is the button that you depress to unlock the bushing is stuck in the down position and will not come back up. Other than that it works great.
 
Ok actually here is one thing I do not like about my Lee turret. The cavity below the base of the turret where the used primers fall, its gets all jammed up with primers. I have mine mounted on two 2x8's laying flat. One cut to the shape of a triangle with the center cut out so the primers will drop out from under the press, and then mounted on top of another 2x8 with it cut down for primers. I will get a picture of it later. I really which someone made a steel riser that you could bolt this press too, and then in turn bolt the press to a bench, just enough so you could get a tube to the primer drop holes (for lack of a better work) so they would run down into a bucket.
 
How can you get used primers under the base? The primers should go thru the clear tube straight to the garbage or the tube will handle quite a few if you want to use the cap.
 
Breech Lock challenger kit. No problems or issues. I do like priming off the press with the hand prime.
 
Everyone has a favorite loader I suppose. I got a Lee Progressive loader some years back. Been long enough that I forgot when it was. Maybe ten years? Since buying it I have reloaded many, I mean MANY thousands of rounds. Mostly 9mm stuff....I shoot a lot of that in my pistols and four 9mm carbines. I also do some .380's and I do .223. I use a modified setup with the .223 where I size the brass and prime it before it goes into the progressive press. That seems to work better as the .223 brass takes some attention to details like case length and such.

I also have two other Lee single stage presses that I use for other work like small batch target loads or trying out new 9mm loads or crimping bullets, whatever.

I have had good service with my Lee equipment. Well, we won't talk about that Perfect powder measuring thing. The powder measure on my press is fine however. My progressive press does require me to pay attention at times but we are use to each other and get along just peachy.

For the money the Lee is just impossible to beat. For years I have told myself I would buy something "better" but my old Lee just keeps cranking out the ammo and I find it hard to justify spending many times its cost for another press that may not really give me any better service.

I am NOT saying the Lee is the best equipment out there. We know better. What I do say is that if you learn the product and how to keep it working (which is not difficult at all) its hard to find anything better without spending a LOT more money.
 
I don't know what "positive experiences" I can report, other than thousands of rounds of great ammo in a dozen calibers. My Classic Turret is all I need. Sure, a progressive would do more faster, but I don't really need that.
 
UniqueDot said:
The press is designed so that the primer lever has to be installed for the primers to fall through the ram into the tube.

I suppose I should try that. :eek:

I really didn't want it on there for what I typically do, but there's no harm in getting used to it.
 
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