Lee press

[doninva]

For loading 7MM-08, 204 and 223 ammo, could the Lee press and powder measure work Ok.  I used to use a RCBS rock chucker but got rid of it. I am on a tight budget right now. I don't want junk but I can't swing a RCBS right now. Thanks, Don

[briannmilewis]

I started with a Lee Breach Lock, single stage but has this real convenience where you screw your dies into a lock ring, and then just insert and twist to lock the die in place. All hand tightened. Once you have set your dies, you never have to unscrew them, just press the lock button, 1/4 turn and remove your die secured in the ring. It cost me about $50+ I think.

[cwlongshot]

I'm no fan of LEE products in general. The only LEE press I would advise is the classic cast unit.

Conserning powder measures... LEE powder measures "could" work.. but generally do not.    Sorry, I couldn't resist... 

I would look else where for a powder measure. RCBS, LYMAN and REDDING all make much better units.

CW

[beerbelly]

                                I have the lee four hole turret press, it is great for pistol ammo. I also load .270, 243, 303, AND 260 on it with no problem. I just remove the shaft that makes it rotate.
   I use the auto powder dispenser for the pistol rounds, checking every tenth round on the scale. For the rifle rounds I weigh each and every one.
  If I had more money I likely would have more expensive equipment, but this work quite nicely.
                              Beerbelly

[bobg]

  I have an old Lee three hole turret press. At one time i loaded for about 20 different calibers. Sure was a lot easier than a single stage. Never had any problems with it. Would i buy another one. Yes.
          bobg

[Savage]

doninva,
Short answer: Yes.

Any of the Lee "O" frame presses will last longer than you will. Probably the turret presses as well. And----although they're not green/orange/blue, the red powder measures work just fine.

Savage

[xit]

Being a beginner I have nothing to compare to but have loaded a couple hundred rounds with the classic Lee press and can say that any troubles have been self inflicted.  The Lee press, dies, auto-prime all seem to work fine. I have loaded hornets, 30/30 and 45/70.  All rimmed.

[wncchester]

"For loading 7MM-08, 204 and 223 ammo, could the Lee press and powder measure work Ok."

Certainly.  Since Lee makes several presses that differ widely, not sure what "the Lee press" you are looking at but they couldn't have survived so long in the market if they didn't work quite well.  I really like some of Lee's tools but no brand is my "favorite".  All makers offer some tools that meet my needs very well so I don't promote or slime any brand, it all depends on how well each item actually works  but I can use anything to succesfully make good ammo. 

I have an RCBS Rock Chucker II for my main rifle press, a Lyman turret for handguns and two of Lee's very small "Reloader" "C" presses dedicated to de- and re-priming.  That's just saying what I have, not what I would recommend to anyone.

A few years back I got a new dial indicator and magnetic base for it.  While playing around I checked the press spring of  my RC when FL sizing a few .30-06 cases.  Got about .003" average deflection and that's really not much.   Then, just for kicks, I repeated it on each of the Lee's.  To my surprise, the indicator needle didn't move enough to get a figure but it was well under .001"!  Meaning, even the smallest Lee "C" press deflected MUCH less than my much lauded RC II!  (Didn't bother to check the Lyman turret, I KNOW it springs a lot.)

If I had to replace my main press tomorrow, it would be a Lee Classic Cast single stage.  It's inexpensive, bigger than my RC II, VERY strong (cast steel, not iron), the primer catcher actually seems to work properly and the lever is fully adjustable.  And it's ALL made in the USA, not China.  That's the press I would recommend to anyone, at any price!

My powder measure is a Redding Master, forerunner of the present 3BR.   It's as good as it gets for measures of its type but still not great with coarse powders.  Lee's little plastic body "Perfect" powder measure has a reputation for "leaking" ball powders unless it's properly assembled and adjusted, but it also has the embarassing reputation of beng perhaps the most consistant measure to dispense the more coarse powders many of us prefer for rifles.

Lee's little "Safety" powder scale works, it's sensitive and accurate.  But, it's really jerky-querky!  Ain't no way I'd put up with tryng to use it long.  Get Redding or RCBS 505 scale instead.

Anyone's dies will work well fine. 

The various "quik-change" die bushing systems are a solution to a problem I don't have.  Just don't see how screwing a die in and out, hand tight as they should be, is too time consuming.  And with several set of dies, the cost of a bushing for each die can get expensive prettty quick.  But they do work, up to the owner to make that decision for himself.

[fr3db3ar]

I know I'm relatively new to reloading...but I've been using the Lee hand press to load my 223.  I can sit around the computer or TV and load 100 or more in an evening.  Of course I'm shooting a handi....not an AR...so that's more than enough for me.

[Catfish]

I would recomand that you hit a few gun shows and buy a good heavy press. If your not going to load much you can get by with Lee junk, but the volume I reload Lee just don`t hold up, I found out the hard way.

[wncchester]

"If your not going to load much you can get by with Lee junk, but the volume I reload Lee just don`t hold up, I found out the hard way."

I won't argue your point, it's your position and I wouldn't try to change it, but just have to ask, at what monthly volume do Lee tools become "junk"?  And, since Lee makes several presses, which one(s) did not "hold up" for you and how did it fail?

And, from the way this thread was opened, do you feel that your needs would likely match Mr Doninva's real needs?  Or does that matter?

[teamnelson]

Must be after several tens of thousands according to the gents who recommended I go with Lee since that's what they've done. I'm a hand press guy too, like fr3db3ar. I don't shoot more than a few hundred rounds a year though.

[quickdtoo]

Every time I see negative posts on Lee products and how they don't last, I think of this thread at MO, I haven't been reloading long enough to wear any Lee products out, doubt I or most handloaders ever will, and if they do, Lee has parts to repair them. 

Tim

http://www.marlinowners.com/forums/index.php/topic,19388.msg195341.html#msg195341

I sat down to load a few hundred 38's tonight, and my Lee Turret Press is exhibiting some wobble in the handle I've never felt before.  I'm thinking I may have finally worn it out!  It still works, but the handle swings from side to side, several inches, when it's in the lower end of its arc.

Cheap piece of junk has only loaded about 630,000 rounds in the last 20+ years, an average of 4 strokes of the handle per loaded round, a mere 2.5 Million operations performed without any problems.  I think I paid $59.00 for it back in the early 80's....well, what did I expect from cast aluminum?

Then again, it DOES still work......I guess I'll just keep cranking the handle until it falls off in a few more years!

Papajohn the Aluminum Abuser

UPDATE:  I tore it down last night, "limb from limb", and found the problem.  The H-Shaped toggle link inside the base is cracked just below the pivot pix.  Like I said, it still works, but I called Lee this morning and ordered a new part for all of $5.00, it'll be here in a few days, and my tired old press will be good as new.  I kinda think it'll outlive me, at this point!  Now if I could just order new parts for my right elbow...... :roll:

Papajohn

In the way of an update, I got the new part a couple weeks ago, had it installed in about a half hour, after I figured out the differences between the old and new parts.  The press is now much tighter, the new design is clearly better.  On top of that, mine had loosened up a tad over the years, now the stroke is a little different.  I just added another Auto-Disk powder measure for the 357, something I haven't loaded much in the last few years.  Now I have them for all four pistol calibers, 38, 40, 44, and 357.  I also cooked up a new load for my M-375, so I'm chomping at the bit to get to the range after work tomorrow morning, I also have a new AR to break in.  Busy, busy, busy.....I love this time of year!

Papajohn

[BCB]

I have all RCBS, Lyman, Forster, and some Lee equipment at my home reloading bench.  I have accumulated this equipment for nearly 40 years and to attempt to get this much equipment now—well, I couldn’t even imagine home much it would cost.

That said, I also have a small cabin near my shooting range and I have a Lee Breech Lock press and the equipment that came with that kit.  It is an inexpensive system/kit and if someone breaks into my cabin, well he can have it.  I can’t for the life of me understand the lock system.  Once you set the dies for a particular press, they remain set!  Yes, you have to make a couple of extra turns in the threads to get the die out, but I can’t imagine anymore being so lazy as to not be able to do this!  The breech lock press can be used without the locking method—that is, like the RCBS presses and others of this nature.  That is how I use it—the locking system is worthless to me…

The Lee powder measure is an acceptable method of throwing powder charges.  And with ball powders, it is quite accurate.  Once I get it set for a particular charge of ball powder, I drop the charge directly into the case and weigh every 6th or 7th charge.  I then compare the heights of the powder in the cases and if they look similar, I seat the bullet.  Stick powders are a different situation, but they can be a difficult situation in any powder thrower.  I throw the charge and then weigh it—trickling an additional amount of powder might be necessary—set the charge to throw light…

The Lee auto prime is good.  I use it always and they have worked well.  The priming system on the Lee Breech Lock press is iffy at best.  It works but one must have much patients.  I use the Lee Auto Prime instead…

 The Lee scales that come with the Breech Lock kit are, in my opinion, are just plain dangerous!  They are extremely difficult to set as the ball bearing system is, well, not so good as I have discovered.  I would damn straight have a set of know weights to check the scales each time I was setting it.  I have an older RCBS 5-10 (I think that is what it is) and I took it to the cabin.  I would highly recommend a better scale than the Lee…

And finally, although this system is inexpensive, sometimes it can be a problem for the inexperienced reloader.  The reason being that if a problem develops, sometimes the experience with the actual reloading process, when good reliable equipment has been previously used, can help with resolving this problem.  And I think you might have problems getting it set up, but with patients you will get it.  I know that I started with RCBS etc. and the Lee system was a bit of a “challenge” for me…

Just my thoughts, but I hope you get started in the reloading process regardless of which system you choice…

A good helper near by is also a very good plus…

Good-luck…BCB

[charles p]

You've gotten a lot of correct advice to your post.  I've never used Lee dies but I doubt the die is the problem.  Can't guarantee that of course.  I've reloaded for 40 years now.  Case overall length would be the first item to check, if you are setting your sizing die properly.  Either will cause problems. 

Have you crushed any cases in your press.  Have any shoulders folded back into the case body?  Improper setup will cause this.  Length might also.

The cases that chamber for you, are any of them hard to chamber?

You might also consider aggressively cleaning the interior of your die and your rifle chamber to make sure you do not have any build up.

Lee makes a great case lube.  Lee makes a good priming tool as well.  I use both, just don't have any of the dies.

When you solve your problem, let us know what the culprit was.  We are never to old to learn from someone else.

[goodconcretecolor]

I have used a Lee hand press for 22 years and a Reloader press and powder measure for 6. Love em all. Tried the powder sccale and hated it and went back to the Lyman scale I've been using  for 22 years and just recently bought a digital scale at Midway for $30, works fine. Lee dies are as good as any on the market unless your are a ham fisted mechanical klutz and/or think you have to sink the price of a new rifle and scope into yuor reloading set up for it to be any good. I fully understand the difference between value and price. But shooting and reloading can be done effectively and enjoyably for alot less money than many on this forum think.
Lee is not perfect, but most of their equipment will do it's job well for many thousands of rounds for half the price of the others.
I have always taken pleasure in showing what can be done for less money with a bit of engineering insight.

[doninva]

Thanks guys, I think I will get the Lee kit. I have a 505 RCBS scale but also have a digital scale that I will use. The primo stuff is great if you have the money but as was pointed out, you can do more sometimes, with less, if you work a little smarter. Thanks again for everyone's point of view, Don