A challenge to lee precision.

[caz223]

I have to start this by saying that LEE precision has really made some strides forward in my eyes in the last year.
The biggest ones being: The classic cast press and the classic turret press. The auto disk pro powder measure. The safety prime system.
Major, major improvements.
As far as I'm concerned, there's no reason to buy a rockchucker when you could buy a classic cast press. None.
There's also no reason whatsoever to buy a turret press other than the new classic turret press.
That's genuine improvement, and that's coming from a blue kool-aid drinker.
You have indeed shown the world that you can improve on your products, listen to your customers, and make world class presses at incredible values.
I also applaud LEE for keeping die prices low, and forcing the others to do the same if they want to sell their dies. I have factory crimp dies in my dillon 550, as well as the modified U dies from EGW that started out as LEE dies.

Hornady has also shown that they can improve in the last two years, coming up with several design improvements for their LNL AP series presses, including a new case activated world class powder drop system, a new improved primer system, and several others. Hornady has in fact improved so much that dillon introduced a case feeder for their 550, trying to keep it competitive.

My challenge is this:
Using the same zeal and effectiveness that you have used to improve your turret press, and your new classic cast design, modify/improve/innovate your progressive designs. Show hornady and dillon that they have some more work to do on their designs. Take their market share. I'll be among those in the long line of customers waiting to buy your new and improved products. When I do, I'll sell my dillon 550, all my dillon die sets, and the 12 quick change kits and never buy another overpriced dillon part.
When the prices start to drop for used dillon presses and equipment on e-bay, and dillon can no longer raise their prices 10-20% a year they might be able to figure it out, but by then it may be too late.

 

[JDGray]

I own two Lee presses, and couldnt be happier. But, Lee is all ive used, so I probably dont know what im missing. As long as Lee works for me, Ill never change.

 

[Schleprok62]

I'm in the basic learning stages of rifle reloading, and I have the Lee "basic" single stage press. (it was free with the Lee Book) I did go and buy the RCBS Die set because no-one locally carries Lee. (Due to Lee's apparent "must buy so much" policy)

So, what I would like to do is ADD to your challenge, (without hijacking) To become a Lee Precision dealer, apparently, you have to buy an inordinate amount of their products. Their restrictions and policies are a bit overwhelming. There are no Lee Precision dealers in Oklahoma City (Southwest Shooters Supply went out of business). This is an issue to me... I can't go look at it before I buy it... so..

How about Lee rewrite their dealer agreement policy and be a little less stringent on the amounts of product they require be purchased?


my 0.03

 

[caz223]

I personally don't know what it's like all over the country, but in my neck of the woods, EVERY local store that carries dies carries RCBS dies. If you want LEE dies (Carbide.), they're special order, and about $25.00 or $30.00 a set.
RCBS dies vary more in price than LEE dies, but a set of RCBS dies runs about $40.00 for steel, and $60 for carbide. But they're in stock most of the time, and people who shop locally tend to be impatient. They buy what they see, so they tend to buy RCBS dies, alliant and hodgdon powders, CCI primers, etc, etc. The stuff that everybody has in stock.
I was unaware that LEE had high goals to be a stocking dealer, and I suspect if they changed that to make LEE dies present at more local shops than RCBS, they would sell more dies. A LOT more dies.
My reasoning is this:
If you are buying dies, there's prolly a 50% chance that you're first starting out.
When you're first starting out, you don't know about things like midway USA, haven't developed brand loyalty, and just generally tend to buy local, touching items BEFORE you buy them makes them more tangible, tactile, and more comforting. You tend to have more confidence in them, knowing that they're not physically broken, they won't be lost or damaged in transit, and if the local shop carries them and the shop owner tells you how many he's sold, they just have to good, right?
Once you have purchased RCBS dies, and they have worked well for you, why would you try anything else?
And lee just lost a sale.

 

[YellowLab]

Most of the lee 'dealers' seem to simply drop ship from Lee. F&M does.

 

[Schleprok62]

Every local outdoor and gun shop locally has inquired (so they say) and they have all had very similar answers when I've asked, Why do you not carry Lee Pricision. The answer is almost always the same. "They want us to buy too much of their product..."

I would have bought the Lee dies had they been available locally. But I wanted them NOW!!! So I had to get the RCBS dies. Which work just fine. But with the lack of local availability, who knows what my next purchase will be. I also had t get the RCBS hand primer, because the Lee wasn't available... Cheers to Lee.... 2 sales lost because of their own high restrictions...

 

[dakotasin]

caz- no wonder you like lee dies: for the love of all things holy, $40- 60 for rcbs dies??? unreal. they are on the shelves here for ~$23, and carbide is $5-10 more. for the kind of money you're talking about, i'll take redding's competition dies.

as long as we're issuing challenges and such, i'd like to challenge redding to get more places to stock more of their dies. far and away the best dies i've used, priced identically to rcbs, but hard to find locally, and if the local place has them, its only in a few select chamberings.

 

[antarti]

The classic cast press and the classic turret press. The auto disk pro powder measure. The safety prime system.

Love my classic cast. I've never looked at another SS press (except that neat little Forster Coax) that I would rather have because of features. The Coax is so much more expensive it's outta my league.

Pro Auto Disk has been eerily consistant, and even with the first loads right-out-of-box. Gotta like that.

Safety prime is on the to-get list, as is the Classic Turret. For now the AutoPrime II works well enough.

As for any LEE stuff, why not just order from Boses? I've never found any local LEE dealer even come close to their price, even after shipping. Everything at the local reloading shop (except primers and bullets) is way overpriced.

LEE Challenge? Keep following these great products up with more!

 

[frenchwrench]

I recieved my Classic Cast press last week and I'll never go back.Best reloading press I've seen in a long time and you can" beat the price.I only wish it was lefty friendly......

 

[quiknot]

cigar box set

i started with a lee cigar set for my 45 colt..moved up to a 3 hole turret with auto disk powder measure...now i am really happy

 

[Crosshair]

All I use now are Lee dies. (Aside from the RCBS dies I already have.) I always have to special order them at Cabelas but the wait is worth it.

 

[YellowLab]

Lee needs a swager. That would be cool.

 

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

I have a question for you guys. Why do you pay exorbitantly high prices locally for reloading equipment when you can order them from an online store for significantly lower prices, get them shipped to you door for about the cost of the tax in most cases and have the selection of anything you want.

An added benefit is you don't even have to leave your home to get them. They bring them to you. My suggestion is calm down a bit, be more patient and let the prey come to you, you'll be a more successful hunter and spend less energy getting the "grub." Think about it. If you need links to excellent online stores, I'd be happy to post several.

Hell, I work for a gunshop and I never shop locally. Of course, we don't carry reloading equipment, because the online stores are so competitive. Think on that one too. Then again, our business is gunsmithing and in that, we're quite successful.

Regards,

Dave

 

[HSMITH]

Dave, I try to support my local shops with purchases through out the year, it probably amounts to about 1/3rd of my purchases. I buy products from them that I can get a little cheaper on-line, but I really want to see them survive and be there for me when I need something RIGHT NOW, or if I want to try a pound of new powder, or run out of primers, or whatever.

caz, if Lee would FINISH the Loadmaster I would have at least 6 of them lined up on my bench. I would sell one of my 550B's and keep one.

 

[Schleprok62]

Dave,

I fully agree with HSMITH on wanting the local shops to stay around...

Powder, primers, and bullets I'll buy locally... Powder and primers carry the HazMat fee... that's also why I buy locally.

$18 for a lb of powder locally or $$38 + s/h from an online dealler.... hmmmmm

 

[trickyasafox]

i buy my powder and primers local, and my firearms. other then that the price difference is too great. lee dies go for over 30 dollars by me locally, and i just can't swing an additional 30%. thats not even at the small shops, those are the bass pro gander mt type places

 

[caz223]

I bought my pistols from a gun store that was 1/2 hour drive from my house.
He had health problems and has since retired. He was the best sort of person you'd like to meet, and has gone WAAAAAYYY above and beyond the call of duty for me and my friends.
Service like that comes at a premium, and after I started dealing with him, I didn't shop around, go to other stores, or even try to beat him up on his prices.
He had made some incredible deals for me, and got guns for me that nobody else could get.
On new guns, he was sometimes right on the money, and sometimes $100 cheaper.
On used guns, he was usually high, but you never had problems with guns you bought from him. If you did, he would take care of it, no questions asked, on his dime, if necessary.
There wasn't a printed warranty, and when you brought something back he didn't ask for a receipt. I was never told that a gun I bought was out of warranty, new, used or otherwise.
I went there once a week, and was treated like family.
I bought a gun a month from him for several years.
He sold more guns from that tiny little shop than any store I've seen, and there are some big chain stores like gander local to me here.
Often there was an hour wait to buy a gun, because there was a line of people in front of me, all buying guns.
Anyway, he has since closed his doors, and in the last year I bought 1 gun.
I still haven't shot it. It doesn't seem right.
I sure miss that little shop, and his company.
You just can't put a price on that.
I bought a used gun from him one time, and I didn't shoot it. (SIG 229 with LE guts, IIRC.)
There wasn't really anything wrong with it, it just wasn't for me.
I brought it back, and asked that he credit my account.
I didn't even look at the receipt, and just put it in my pocket.
On my next visit he handed me a receipt when I walked in the door.
He said to tear the old receipt up, I got full credit for a gun I returned.
I didn't tell him it was from him used, and he didn't remember.
He looked at the paperwork, saw I bought it from him, and credited me the full amount on the original receipt.

In case anybody's wondering that was LJ guns in Muskegon, Michigan.

 

[loadedround]

Lee Precision

With 40 years of reloading experience, I have either seen or used most every loading press ever on the market and some I'm sure you have never heard of before. Having said that, I think Lee makes an extremly good single station presse and their dies are decent for light production loading. Most of their progressive presses are horrible to use and to keep in adjustment, plus they break down frequently. I would suggest spending the little extra and get one of the Dillon Presses with the Dillon Dies. I have also found that Redding Dies are the best made dies to use in a single stage press. By the way I do have 3 sets of Lee Dies for calibers that I load infrequently and have not had any trouble with them.

 

[Kamicosmos]

I always have to special order them at Cabelas but the wait is worth it.

That's odd. My Cabela's carries all kinds of Lee stuff, including what seems to be all of the dies. (Although when I went to get .45ACP they were out...figures) They also carry RCBS, Hornaday, and a few brands I have never seen elsewhere, weird custom things.


I would imagine that with the Classic Cast Single Stage and now a Cast Turret...A Cast (and Improved) Loadmaster is in the works.

 

[YellowLab]

Support the local guy, no hazmat/shipping fee.

Lee says thier carbide dies are used by manufacturers. I believe them. Other dies have hookey do-dads that do nothing for accuracy... only to raise thier price.

Really.... a die is a die. Of course some would say that its not so.. but other than personal opinion SAAMI specs are either followed of they are not.

I pump out cartridges left and right.... and when there is a problem.. in the end (after all the cussin) its always my fault.

 

[Bronson7]

I have to agree. Lee has made some great strides recently. I'm a Dillon guy BUT, if I was in the market for a single stage or turret, the classic models would be my choice. The new cast classic turret looks to be inherently more precise than even the Redding T7 which is really a "C" press where as the Lee looks to be an "O" press.
Bronson7

 

[jmorris]

If you have to buy a Dillon part you must have lost it, they have, by far the best warranty in the reloading business. That being said, Lee dies work great in Dillon presses. I would suggest mail order for non-hazmat items. If you want big discounts go get a sales tax certificate and mail it off to the manufactures of the products you use. It will cost you a few $ and an hour or so, but will save you a bundle.

 

[1911user]

Lee says thier carbide dies are used by manufacturers. I believe them. Other dies have hookey do-dads that do nothing for accuracy... only to raise thier price.

Really.... a die is a die. Of course some would say that its not so.. but other than personal opinion SAAMI specs are either followed of they are not.

You are saying all of the target and benchrest shooters have no clue about the reloading equipment they use. SAAMI specs are just safe dimensions and pressure levels, it's not an ammo quality guideline.

Lee makes some decent reloading products (and I use some Lee items, mainly dies now), but there are better dies available if bullet runout is a concern (and it's a big concern for target shooters) among other things. Ease of use and repeatable settings are also available with better die sets.

 

[fulloflead]

Wow, guys! Thanks! I didn't know this thing existed until I read this thread. Does anyone know if it'll fit in the same bolt holes on my bench from my other Lee turret press?

I like the Turret better than any progressive. It suites my assembly-line style of reloading better. I size and prime a boat-load of cases, then drop what ever bullet & charge I want to on a whim at a later date. The turret is super for that.

.

 

[YellowLab]

"You are saying all of the target and benchrest shooters have no clue about the reloading equipment they use. SAAMI specs are just safe dimensions and pressure levels, it's not an ammo quality guideline."

I am saying that thier dies do nothing more than what my dies do.

If you think they do, please explain.

They DO take the time to measure chamber length and process brass (trim to length, ream a neck, check for true) but that has NOTHING to do with the dies on the press.