"Please don't misinterpret what I'm saying. LEE does make good equipment "for the money". But...given side by side comparision, most loaders through my shop choose to spend a bit more and get a bit more for their money."
Okay. Perhaps we should say Lee makes good equipment and their Classic Cast press is an excellant tool at any cost.
Considerations of "for the money" really shouldn't come into play if it's perceived properly. By "properly" I mean for the ammo produced. No one can tell what was used to load the ammo with by looking at targets. Good ammo comes from good practices, and good tools help. But Lee makes tools as good as need be so any more expense is wasted on irrelivants like external finishes. Pay what you will, however much it costs to make you feel good but understand as you walk out the door that it won't improve your accuracy just because you paid more than Lee would have cost you. Fact.
I own and use over thirty five sets of dies from some ten makers, serveral are longer with us, all acquired over more that 43 years of reloading. Using my micrometer, dial caliper and concentricity gage, I find more differnce between dies of the same brand than I do between brands, on average. Purchase any brand you please, spend as much as you please, but no two sets of dies will be identical to others of the same make and cartidge.
The die-to-chamber fit is the real issue anyway and that fit is pot luck, die by die, and purchase of no brand can guarentee anyone a good match to his firearm. Thus, while it may be fun or personally gratifying to do so, it's my studied opinon that only reloading tool neophytes will bother to argue automatic brand superiority, period.
I load with an RCBS Rock Chucker. It's a "good" press but my friend's Classic Cast is better in several ways. His press frame is steel (not Chinese cast iron) and his ram is larger in diameter so it will wear better over the long haul.
His lever is adjustable for either side operation, it's also adjustable for length and angle. His spent primer catcher works but mine misses a lot, a third goes on the floor. I've tried to trade presses with him, even, but he won't do it. Maybe my RC didn't cost enough?
A "tight" press ram really isn't an advantage for us. If a round case is allowed to, it will always enter a round die perfectly centered. If the press is slightly misaligned but has sufficent slop to allow it, the case will still enter perfectly centered. If the ram is tighly fitted AND slightly misaligned, or the die or shell holder is bored off center, there is no way the tightly held case can enter straight. We cannot force a perfect case to die fit but we can sure force a misfit! So some ram slop is good, there is no down side to it at all.
No matter how tight any press' linkage is when it's new, it will wear in and get a bit looser over time. That's no real concern either, it just makes better clearance for a few drops of oil to reduce further wear.
Pay what you wish but don't kid yourself that you get "more for your money" from a shiney external finish and neat knurling.
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