Lee press broken

[savanahsdad]

RCBS can break but if it does you won't be on a gun forum wondering if it's covered or how to fix it. You'll be on the horn to RCBS getting a new press no charge. Buy once and done.

right , but he paid for that warranty , when he bought the press , for what the cheep Lee cost , you could stock up on parts for a few bucks and spend way less than if you got a RCBS, Redding , Hornady , ect , and for what that Lee cost 15 years ago he might have got a spare press for less

 

[JWH321]

My 1960s vintage (I think) Rock Chucker has some chips in the paint, and once a year I have to sand the rust off the handle. This year after I painted it, I popped it into some shrink wrap tubing. Probably never have to repaint it again. I replaced the bicycle grip handle once a few years back -- they come in pairs, so I still have a spare.

Its overbuilt. Simple as that.

 

[howlnmad]

Lee says i have to pay for replacement parts. Now i need to decide; fix it or upgrade to a 550B.

Fix it and upgrade. Nothing wrong with having a spare single stage on the bench.

 

[savanahsdad]

....and Hornady

and Lyman, Redding, C-H tool,

 

[GoldieMI]

That's what I would do if I were in your situation. If I decided I wanted to get a Dillon 550b I would fix the Lee also and keep it for secondary functions.

I have two Auto-progressive presses on my loading bench and would be lost without my RockChucker sitting next to them. I do all my load development on the single stage and my production on the two auto progressives.

You certainly won't hurt yourself buy having both.

+1

there's always room for a single stage on the bench and there's always a use for it.

 

[Deadeyejedi]

I had the same thing happen to mine I used some flat stock metal and built a new handle all together it's ugly as he'll but kept me going til my new one came In

 

[Palehorseman]

Pony up for a Rock Chucker.

There is something inspiring about things that are unbreakable.

No SS press can outdo the Lee Cast Iron Classic.

 

[44vaquero]

Yes, unfortunately it's a case of discontinued parts, so Lee will not replace them for free. On the up side the new parts are of a better design and somewhat stronger.

Here is what you need to order:


(1) OF3221 - Ram Pin - http://leeprecision.com/ram-pin-step.html
(1) OF3613 - Lever Clamp - http://leeprecision.com/Press-Lever-Clamp.html
(1) OF3609 - Washer - http://leeprecision.com/1-3-16-steel-washer.html
(1) FO2113 - Bolt - http://leeprecision.com/1-1-4-5-16-18-bolt.html
(2) OF2853 - Toggles - http://leeprecision.com/bl-challenger-toggle.html

Total $15.50 + shipping

I am curious to see how you are going explain the several hundred buck upgrade to a 550 vs the 15.50 repair to the wife?

 

[Magnum Shooter]

I am curious to see how you are going explain the several hundred buck upgrade to a 550 vs the 15.50 repair to the wife?

That’s easy, give the wife several hundred bucks and tell her to shut up and go to the mall.

 

[nix4me]

Waiting on Fedex - then i'll post a picture of the fix i came up with. Thanks for all the comments and suggestions!

 

[smokey262]

While we are waiting for hostjunkies to show us his new toy, here are pictures of mine. Look familiar? Its hostjunkies old press with new parts. I bought it from him so that I can get my brother in law and nephew started on this hobby. Over the past few years I have been picking up a thing or two here and there and this was the last piece of the puzzle. By the way, all of the parts were just shy of $15.00 shipped from Titan Reloading. It doesn't hurt that they are only about 35 or 40 miles from me so shipping was only a fw bucks.

This press will give my BIL and Nephew years of enjoyment. Thanks hostjunkie!

 

[savanahsdad]

looks good for another 15 years , and now we know he didn't opp to fix it

 

[howlnmad]

Looks just like mine does now except the ball is now on my Lee stud cutter. I did that before they came out with the one already on it.

 

[JWH321]

From the looks of the OP's handle, he has been loading under salt water. We need to advise him on that.

 

[JWH321]

From the looks of the handle on the OP's press, he's been loading under water -- perhaps under salt water. We need to talk to him about that.

OK, my first post didn't pop up till I sent the second one. Hmmm. must have been the smiley faced thingie.

 

[44vaquero]

Smokey,

When I got my 2nd Challenger press the handle looked rough too. So I chucked it into my drill press and hit it with a brass brush. 5 min later the handle looked like new and I coated a dab of RIG Wax. No more rust. I have also used spray on Lemon Pledge, it has a bonus feature of being anti-static (no dust).

 

[nix4me]

Well it's no secret now, i upgraded. Smokey262 offered to buy my Lee and i've been wanting to upgrade for a long time. So we both got something we wanted. Great job on the Lee Refurb smokey! Looks great! You did a fine job and i'm glad your happy. I hope you family members enjoy it.

So i bought a Dillon 550B and it's sweet. Ran a couple hundred 9mm on it already and it is one fine piece of machinery. I opted to add the strong mount and so glad i did. Its rock solid on my bench.

For those commenting on the rust, yes i know. I live in Florida and everything steel rusts. Its part of life here in the tropics. I neglected the press plain and simple because i lost the battle with the salt air and i was lazy.

Here is a picture of my new best friend.

 

[joed]

I quit buying Lee tools not long after I got in to reloading. Their tools work, are reasonably priced but just don't last.

I have a Rock Chucker bought new in 1979, hasn't needed anything. I do have a lot of RCBS tools, never had a bad product from them.

 

[jcwit]

I quit buying Lee tools not long after I got in to reloading. Their tools work, are reasonably priced but just don't last.

Here we go again with a blanket statement that means little. I have a Lee press that has been in use for over 40 years, never out of use for over a month and usually used weekly.

There are those who can break an anvil.

While I also have and use RCBS and like their products, ever wonder why they cost much more? Well that lifetime guarantee comes at a price, little is FREE in the retail business.

 

[GaryL]

So i bought a Dillon 550B and it's sweet. Ran a couple hundred 9mm on it already and it is one fine piece of machinery.

Congrats on the new toy. It will probably smooth out a little over the first couple thousand rounds. There's a few helpful hints in the "Inventions and Discoveries" thread that will improve the experience. I think the best one is to add a little weight to the top of the plastic primer rod in the form of a 45acp case. It isn't much, but it really helps those last few primers to feed properly.

 

[nix4me]

Congrats on the new toy. It will probably smooth out a little over the first couple thousand rounds. There's a few helpful hints in the "Inventions and Discoveries" thread that will improve the experience. I think the best one is to add a little weight to the top of the plastic primer rod in the form of a 45acp case. It isn't much, but it really helps those last few primers to feed properly.

Thanks

 

[smokey262]

Nice new toy host junkies. How much quicker is it than the challenger for the 9mm rounds

 

[nix4me]

Nice new toy host junkies. How much quicker is it than the challenger for the 9mm rounds

Thanks! Man i tell you, it's WAY faster. I'm going slow and i still managed to run off a couple hundred in no time at all.

 

[smokey262]

I bet. Making a couple hundred on a single stage is like work!

 

[788Ham]

^^^^ Nah, I've got an RCBS JR press I bought in '68, still works like a champ. Bought the single stage to learn how to load, they didn't have any progressives at the price I paid for this single stage.