Reloading with LEE products ??

Lightyear

Well-Known Member
Folks,

I am not anywhere near to getting set up or started with reloading just yet, just thinking out loud and doing the research etc...

So....What is really wrong with the LEE Dies, I know some on another site take a very negative view to all things LEE....But while I am have been leaning towards the Redding 3 Die Set what is wrong with the Lee Deluxe 3 Die Set ??

For that matter the LEE Breech Lock Challenger Press....Any issues ???

Cheers + ATVB

Philip
 
Whats wrong with Lee dies, in a word nothing, I have used them for years and have yet to have a single dead thing complain that I was using Lee kit. I still maintain that for someone starting out in reloading then an anniversary kit is as good a starting place as any.

John
 
I used a Lee breech lock press for two years with no problems until i tried to neck size using a Lee die, the Lee neck sizing dies are so awful that i had to put so much pressure on the press that the bottom linkage snapped, ive got a Lyman press now which along side Redding neck sizing dies does a perfect job.
 
I started out with a Lee aniversary kit. I reviewed my reloading logs and see that I loaded and fired 740 rounds using my Lee equipment. (Lots of shots of at stones on the far banking at the back of the farm)

When I started out I had no friends who were into reloading. I had neither the funds or the inclination to spend a lot of money on another hobby that may not have been for me. I remember my first homeloaded shot at a 50 yard tree stump, my friends standing fairly close by ready to call an ambulance, arguing over who was getting my dog and my jacket when it all went wrong...............It didn't and I was hooked on reloading.

There are plenty of more experienced better qualified individuals on here who are looking for far more from their reloading than I am. I am confident that my rounds will go where intended and do what they are intended to do.

I have spent a small fortune over the last couple of years upgrading my reloading bench with a mixture of RCBS and Lyman. I have no regrets on starting out with Lee equipment.

Regards
6.5
 
All things will never be the same for everyone, but as far as the lee dies are concerned I use the lee collet neck sizing dies for all my rifles, and have done for years I have loaded countless rounds so far with no problems they are excellent!!!
 
nowt wrong with Lee dies...ive used em for 5 out of 6yrs stalking reloading ..my brother still using them and hes been reloading last 16 yrs ish anyway.

i think that for general stalking and accuracy achieved 1" or therbouts or less even then fine but some of the target guys who looking to achieve at least cloverleaf or 1 hole groups prefer more expensive kit. wich apparently gives less "run out" on the reload. but thats maybe been taken out of context by likes of me and translate it as crap when they arent.....many folks achieve damn good loads with lee kit and that includes relative novices too

i had a lee 4 hole turret press and it was fine.....i think i still have a set of lee dies in .25-06 lying around in back of cupboard but they arent deluxe set.

good to get you started and then some if you ask me

sauer \paul
 
I've just started reloading and I bought the Lee Breech Lock Challenger Kit and everything in it works fine. I find the scales a bit of a faff to set up but they do work well. I have recently bought a cheap set of digital scales of ebay that are great. The Lee dies are fine to use but I have also just bought an RCBS full length sizing die and I can immediately tell a difference in quality, the RCBS is way better. All the other bits and pieces you get in the kit are spot on and I would recommend it to anyone starting off. If I was doing it again I would buy the kit, then buy RCBS dies!
 
I use Lee kit, and Lee dies. I even neck size, and have had no problems! Tremendous value for money. I think there is a "snob value" at play in disparaging Lee gear. I know two precision engineers and one gunsmith who all use Lee dies, money is not an issue with them, it was these three people who advised me to buy Lee products. I have not regretted my decision.

ft

I have the de-luxe Lee die set and a crimping die
 
I used a Lee breech lock press for two years with no problems until i tried to neck size using a Lee die, the Lee neck sizing dies are so awful that i had to put so much pressure on the press that the bottom linkage snapped, ive got a Lyman press now which along side Redding neck sizing dies does a perfect job.

I would suggest that if you were having to put that much pressure on then possibly you may have had something wrong somewhere, I am pretty sure that from memory the maximum pressure required is about 25 lbs. Don' take that figure as gospel because if I remember correctly my memory is not what it was :)

John
 
i had le dies but found some rcbs comp dies at a good price. i got them and never looked back. lee do some good stuff but for the price of the standard rcbs and redding dies i think you cant go wrong with them.

rcbs off great aftermarket service to and many times they send you parts out free if ever you need them. one thing i will say is replace the lock rings for some aftermarket hornady ones. they hold postion better. and wont go into the die thread like the normal ones do if you get heavy handed.

just keep a eye out for some secondhand stuff lightyear. then your soon find some bits and bobs at bargain prices. the only bit of reloading stuff i got new was the redding bigboss 2 press. the rcbs comp dies,rcbs505 scales, and etc etc are all secondhand
 
When I started reloading many years ago for pistol calibres I bought a Hornady/Pacific bench press kit from the States. When I started rifle shooting I added Lee die sets as and when changing calibres, (have one set of RCBS .223 that came with a rifle), and I've never had a single problem with the dies.
 
I have a mixture of different makes and most of the decision making was based on what was available to me. However, I use a Lee collet neck sizing die with what I consider to be great success. I also use LEE scales and they are a bit of a fiddle to set but work just fine and I'm not changing them too often so it is not a problem. I also use a little Lee device for trimming cases to length, it is just a shell holder that you chuck into a cordless screwdriver plus a cartridge specific pilot and a set of "jaws" to do the cutting. Although simple and inexpensive it works really well and is very efficient plus when I measure the cases I can't find any difference in length so very consistent.

My volume is pretty small - maybe 300 - 400 rounds a year (I shoot target a bit as well it isn't that I'm shooting at 400 deer in a year) and I am just a beginner but I'd certainly recommend the Lee gear I have.
 
I have about 25 sets of Lee dies, including the standard full-length die sets, the Collet die sets, and carbide pistol (caliber) die sets. I have never had a single complaint. If you cant get a Lee collet die set to work you either have it adjusted incorrectly, or -as happened to me with some .222 dies- the mandrel was mismatched to the bullet size and I had too loose a fit. The bullets were .2232" which didn't allow enough closure. Lee's instructions said to polish the mandrel which I did, using an electric hand drill in a vise and some very fine abrasive cloth. It took about 5 minutes and the dies worked perfectly afterwards, and still do.

RCBS equipment it rough and over priced if you ask me. The quality has fallen off so severely over the last 10 years that it pains me to look at them. I used to sell RCBS back in their prime: the stuff they produce now is a coarse imitation of that gear. Hornady is rough as a cob.

What I do like about Lee is their innovation. The collet die will produce very accurate ammo, especially if the reloader is skilled enough to utilize the variable neck tension available to them. The Factory Crimp is another superb bit of engineering, as is the Universal Neck Expander die... a tool who's value many shooters haven't caught onto yet. Their caliber specific case trimmers are cheap, fast, and and accurate.

I too have a mixed lot of reloading gear, but Lee equipment is pretty prevalent.~Muir
 
I rate Lee dies as being better than Lyman, the sizing dies were rough as hell last time I owned any...

Also, my preferred case trimmer is the Lee zip trim, much quicker and easier than the Wilson one I have. I had a Lyman Acculine one which was just rubbish.

I agree with Muir on the Lee factory crimp, it's far better than ANY other crimp die from anyone else.
 
Many thanks for all of the replies - I really do appreciate the time and effort.

I am looking to start soon and have just ordered a hornady comparator and digital vernier to "play" with and really hope to get into re-loading proper very soon.

I shall start with my .222 and I think a LEE Breech Lock Press Kit and Zip trim with case trimming gauge guides and 3 Die Deluxe set. I am looking forward to seeing how it goes....Slowly and carefully I think will be the order of the day. Once mastered I shall then try the same for my .243.

Once again - many thanks for your time and advice based on genuine experience in your replies.

Cheers + ATVB

Philip
 
Philip,

I have Lee kit and I think it is tops,

I had RCBS stuff and kept getting 22-250 cases stuck in them ( i was new and learning) no such problems with Lee as you can remove them in a jiffy. Had lyman 308 dies and my new rounds would not cycle properly in my new rifle so I bought new Lee dies and never looked back. Never had a problem since.
I only make maximum 200 a year in all calibres so I am happy.
I think they are great value for money for the recreational stalker.
 
I have Lee and Redding dies and I can’t get better results with one over the other, nothing wrong with Lee products, only snobbery would make you buy any thing else IMO.:stir:

ATB

Tahr
 
I also used to have an RCBS RS5 press, for years I couldn't work out why when I was using sizing dies, the cases would 'click' in the shellholder on the way out, I also had a problem with sizing 38 special cases with carbide dies, the cases would never come out smoothly. It finally dawned on me that there was something wrong with the press (dodgy alignment). To their credit, it was no problem returning it (via GMK) years later - they replaced the ram and problems went away...
 
Many thanks for all of the replies - I really do appreciate the time and effort.

I am looking to start soon and have just ordered a hornady comparator and digital vernier to "play" with and really hope to get into re-loading proper very soon.

I shall start with my .222 and I think a LEE Breech Lock Press Kit and Zip trim with case trimming gauge guides and 3 Die Deluxe set. I am looking forward to seeing how it goes....Slowly and carefully I think will be the order of the day. Once mastered I shall then try the same for my .243.

Once again - many thanks for your time and advice based on genuine experience in your replies.

Cheers + ATVB

Philip

Phillip,

Why do you want the breech-lock press it? Regardless of the brand, any time you involve a third element between the press and the ides you have a venue for misalignment. I would reconsider and buy a single hole, single stage press. Leaving your dies "set" is highly over-rated as the locking ring will do that quite nicely all by itself. JMHO, of course.~Muir
 
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