To each his own. As a money-challenged teen in 1972, Lee Loaders were a way to to address the necessity of producing my own ammunition. I simply could not afford to buy 50 round boxes of .45 Colt, .45 ACP, .455 Colt, and so on. I could afford the Lee Loaders and I didn't need a powder measure or a scale or anything other than a cheap Lee chamfer tool and primer pocket cleaner to load ammo.
Also with a Lyman 452374 mold I could use .22 range lead from the local high school indoor basement range (several clubs using it) to cast very suitable bullets for all of the .45 and .455 handguns that I owned. A cheap Lee hand sizer for .452" and unsized for .454".
But it grew tedious and time- consuming for even an energetic young man to even knock out a few boxes of ammo for a range excursion.
Buying my RCBS JR3 changed everything. It was like going from washing my clothes with a tub and washboard and clothesline to using a washer and dryer.
I think that there is vast difference from driving a classic car for fun versus using a Lee Loader. That car really isn't significantly more labor-intensive to drive than a modern car, while the Lee Loaders most assuredly are much more laborious compared to a press.
I own a Lyman 55 powder measure made in the 60's which I bought second hand at a little LGS which is highly accurate, as well as a Redding competition powder measure. Both cast iron bodies.
As well as my JR3 which is in great shape, I use a Redding Big Boss 2, which is superior to a Rock Chucker in my opinion. I have a case tumbler, Lyman beam scale, case trimmer, and so on. It's all I need.
I picked up a few Lee Loaders over the years at gun shows, but I never use them. It's pointless, unless I need to pack them in a suitcase for a trip where I need to reload, but that need just does not arise.
