lee challenger press additional parts?

[dukesbb37]

i am about to get a lee challenger press kit off midway, and i noticed that it said i need another required part thats not included... this was the case length gauge for my caliber (.308)... and when i looked at that part... it said i needed an ADDITIONAL part for the gauge/holder to work...

are these parts included in the other press kits that i see online or are they required either way.

 

[Hondo 60]

required either way, unless you order a caliber specific kit.

RCBS & Hornady have kits that come with dies, shell holder etc., but those are $400-$500 kits.

 

[ScratchnDent]

You'll need the case length gauge, but the other pieces required to make it work (cutter and lock stud) are included in the Challenger kit already.

 

[dukesbb37]

What's a good cheaper die set that you guys would reccomend?

 

[ScratchnDent]

Lee dies are the least expensive and work just fine for me. This is a nice set and includes all the little extras that everyone sells separately.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=148525

 

[dukesbb37]

thanks for all the help guys... one last question

i have a bunch of surplus military brass lying around... will it be considerably less accurate than factory ammo brass or buying brand new brass off midway?

 

[rcmodel]

No.

GI brass is as good as any other.
It helps if it is all of the same vintage & headstamp, not a mixture of several different headstamps.

It will require you to ream or swage the crimp ring out of the primer pockets before you can re-prime them.

rc

 

[dukesbb37]

thanks for the advice, i just bought some new winchester brass anyways, i dont know how hard it will be to prime the military stuff.

Trying to make sure i get everything in one order i will be buying.

Lee challenger anniversary kit
Lee case length gage and shellholder
Lee dies
Digital Calipers


i already have

Reming large rifle primer (No. 9.5 i think? does anyone know what that means?)
Winchester brass
Sierra Matchking HPBT 168gr
Varget powder

will be buying a tumbler in the near future.


THANKS SO MUCH ill let you all know how it goes (and come back for more advice) once i get going.

 

[dmazur]

No. 9.5 i think? does anyone know what that means?

9-1/2 is Remington's designation large rifle primer. The industry makes primers in standard sizes, with different labels. And, to some degree, varying performance as well. (That is, slightly "hotter", softer cup, etc.)

Here's a chart

View attachment 124883

 

[Fisherdave10]

I know I'm jumping in late, but you may want to buy a caliber specific shell holder (if your die set doesn't include one). The shell holder that comes with the case length gauge has threads on the inside. ( http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/faq/index.cgi , Click Case prep and Case length gauge.). I ordered the Anniversary kit a week ago and it should be delivered today. It would be awfully frustrating if that was the only thing you didn't have. When I figured out that the shell holder included is not a "universal" shell holder I bought the lee universal shell holder set from a friend who didn't need it. For lee it is a #2 shell holder for 308. As for dies, the only rifle die set I have used is Hornady CGND for .308. I like the set, and it has a cool little bullet sleeve that guides the bullet up. But I have heard for that reason the CGND dies are not recommended for progressive presses. It's only a few bucks more and you can get free bullets with the rebate. Good luck.

 

[ranger335v]

The only thing you might "need" for your Challanger press is some glue or Loc-Tite to put on the bolt that secures the two-part toggle link and handle together so it won't loosen.

Probably 99.9% of the brokern Lee presses occur after people allow that bolt to loosen (in spite of instructions to keep it tight) and keep using it until the poor parts break. Meaning user failure, not tool failure!