Lee Manual Again
Maybe I wasn't clear. I understand completely why the Lee Manual praises Lee products.
I do find, though, that for a complete newbie, the instructions are vague. I'm not about to play with primers and powder if I don't know exactly what I am doing.
I may agree with Lee that his disc system is brilliant. It probably is. But when I read his loading charts and they tell me to use a disc cavity size that doesn't exist. I begin to wonder.
Actually this site and another site helped me a lot, too. I know that I have to weigh the powder, triple check it, or use a witness scale, and then go to the range to see what happens. I would probably be best to ask a liberal to test fire a few rounds--if I could find one.
You asked which Lee I'm using: I got a Lee Pro 1000 for free--along with a pile of brass, bullets and primers-- from a friend who is leaving handguns and going into sailing as a hobby. (I know, I know.)
People learn in different ways. I'm a hands-on learner. I can read instructions over and over, but once I get my hands on the equipment and watch someone manipulate it in live 3D, I learn it forever.
The Lee stuff reminds me of my car, a Crown Vic. It's a little crude, a little rough around the edges, but it will go on forever, and, under 50mph, it feels just like my cousin's BMW Seven Series. (Flame away.) And the Crown Vic cost me one-quarter what my cousin's Bimmer cost him.
So I like it.