OK! I'm coming out

[Butch]

I know that when word of this gets out, that I will be shunned by people who used to call themselves friend. It isn't something that polite people talk about in public places. I just can't stand to bear the shame alone any longer, I have to let the world know.
I have been using Lee reloading equipment , almost exclusively ever since I started reloading back in the 60's. The early 60's, I think.

My first set up was a Lee loader in 9mm, & with hammer & board , I spent many happy hours pounding out ammo at the goshawful rate of maybe 50 an hour , on a good day.

Then Lee came out with the ultimate I thought . The Lee Chalenger 2001. It had a factory warrenty until the year 2001 & that was about 1975, how could I go wrong? I bought it, and never did collect on the warrenty. Loaded lots of ammo on it to. I still have it although I did have to buy a new link assembly last year, meanwhile I bought another challenger press just in case that one didn't hold up, it is still in the box.
Then lee came out with the Pro1000. OK , I know , I hear all the moaning but I love it. I have the setups to change to 5 different calibers, & can do it in just under 5 min. . I dont know how much ammo that thing has put out but by the round the cost of the press is somewher below the hundreths of a penny per load.
I have to admit that I did buy another Pro 1000 as well & it is stored under my reloading bench with the challenger just in case.

Now that Lee has come out withy the Classic , I just had to let someone know, but I will have to admit that I am thinking about buyiny the Classic, just in case these Challengers wont gut the mustard.

There now the whole world knows about my shame.( I dont even own a set of RCBS dies.)

 

[Sisco]

I know what you're talking about. I too load exclusively on Lee equipment.
Like you, I've never had a problem!
If the truth is ever revealed, I believe people will be shocked to find that Lee users are the silent majority!!

 

[robctwo]

My friend bought a Load Master a few months ago. He has been doing the normal tinkering with it, and we are cranking out ammo. We have been loading 9mm so far. Some 115 gr fmj and some Rainier and Berry coated in 115 & 124 gr. I like the 124 best so far. We ( I should say he mostly ) has loaded around 3,500 rounds and we have shot about 1,000. So far so good. Some minor quality control issues on loads w/o powder, but no double loads. Lee set up seems to be working.

We are set up to load .40 as weell as .243, .270, and .308. Should be fun to run some bigger rounds out.

Robctwo

 

[Mike Irwin]

I use a lot of Lee equipment.

Earlier this evening I loaded 150 rounds of .45 ACP.

Lee hand primer, Lee dies, Lee shellholder, Lee powder measure, and a Lyman T-Mag press.

 

[Paul "Fitz" Jones]

Lee Dealer

Well I was one of Lee's first dealers and sold a bunch of the pounders and have three shotgun sets left. I sorta went on to more expensive like adding a second Star Reloader to my progressive 38 model from 1964 when I became a Star dealer then added another Star, then another and since I got dealers price then another and any want to see a pic of my 9 stars?

Fitz

 

[Butch]

Well I was one of Lee's first dealers and sold a bunch of the pounders and have three shotgun sets left. I sorta went on to more expensive like adding a second Star Reloader to my progressive 38 model from 1964 when I became a Star dealer then added another Star, then another and since I got dealers price then another and any want to see a pic of my 9 stars?

Yep , I wanna see them But I'll never give up my pervision toward Lee. ( I knew somebody was gonna try to change me into something socially acceptable.)

 

[NavajoNPaleFace]

Lee makes very good products and I have the Lee Turret.

But, I must confess there is far too much play on the turret to get what I would call 'close tolerance' bullet seating on my precision rifle rounds. With the Lee the best I can seem do do is +/- .05 (hundreths)".

So I do my rifle (and precision self defense handgun) bullet seating on my RCBS Rockchucker and I can get +/-.002- .003 thousanths)" on average.

Also since I do all the individual steps of reloading all at once, i. e., size and decap all cases...then bell them all and finally bullet seat them all I don't see the turret, and setting all three pistol dies up, as advantageous as I once did.

The other thing I noticed with my Lee press is that it doesn't cam over like the RCBS when you are sizing and I like the cam over feel to know it's doing it's job.

But, as said, Lee makes great products but as with any product and the various models out there none has all the possible qualities everyone would like.

 

[The Tourist]

I never used one of their basic die sets, but I used many of their products.

I use their individual case trimmers all of the time. I use them kind of like a go/no go type gauge, but I do true up case mouths of my higher pressure varmint brass.

For a while I had no lubricizer. I bought one of their kits, melted my own lube, placed the raw castings into the flat dish, cookie-cut them out, and then pounded them through a swag die. You cannot get more primitive than that.

What this did was give me the ability to shoot at vastly reduced prices and improve my skills. It also gave me an understanding of cartridge construction. I never regret the experience.

 

[Johnny Guest]

Some of their products - -

- - Are darned good.

Can't begin to figure how many thousands of .45 ACP cases I've primed with their priming tools, both the one-at-a-time and later the tray type. I've trimmed a tremendous bunch of .257 Roberts and .30'06 cases with their hand-twirled case trimmer with guide rod and later would spin them with an electric drill.

I got soured on the Lee 1000 during several loading sessions in a friend's garage. When he disposed of his gear, I ended up with one set of his dies, and they were, well, kinda okay.

As to the indiscriminate use of the presses, dies, and other stuff:
Butch - - You've shown a lot of character by outing yourself here in front of the entire board. I'm told there's a very good twelve-step program available to help unfortunates such as yourself. Take heart! Realizing you have a problem is the first move toward recovery!





Johnny



PS: Just joking. I believe that practically ANY kind of loading gear can turn out good ammo. Some gear is just easier to use than others, is all.
Best,
JPG

 

[Black Snowman]

I have a Load Master, Aniversary Kit, and many of their dies, as well some additional accessories. I have a few RCBS dies I was given and I've used RCBS and Lyman presses that belonged to others but always seem to end but actually buying Lee except for a couple notable exceptions. I have a Cabela's digtial scale and an RCBS powder trickler.

I've loaded about 10,000 rounds on the Load Master and it could use a new carrier ($25 part) but I patched it together with some lead solder and inventive scraping. Way more work that it was worth. Should have just spent the $25, which i will once this fix wears out.

Never had a problem with the Challenger other than the nut coming loose on the link because I was too timid tightening it up, but haven't loaded as much on it. Just .50 AE and rifle loads. I would rather it had a better way of emptying primers but that's about my only complaint and really isn't that big of a deal. I might get the Classic just for it's cleaner primer handling.

That's my sordid history with Lee gear.

As an asside I was able to make my Challenger run extremely smoothly but lubing the ram with a thin coating of gear lube. It stinks something awful but works great and the stink goes away after a while. Since then I've lubed the ram on the Load Master with gear oil as well.

 

[cordex]

I started with a Lee Challenger style press. It worked for the volume I was doing at the time. Later I moved away from Lee and gave away the three Lee presses I'd accumulated, but they did what they said they'd do when I used them. Still use some Lee dies.

 

[BigG]

When I started, all they had was the "tap, tap, tap, BANG!" devices. So I bought Texan tools and RCBS dies as that was what was available in my neck of the woods. Since have bought quite a few LEE die sets and they work like a champ and about 1/2 the price of the others. What's not to like?

 

[cdbeaver]

Don't ask . . . don't tell.

 

[boing]

Finally...a good use for the "ignore" function...

I jumped right into Dillon from the get go, but it took Lee dies to make my .45 loads work.

 

[Zeke Menuar]

I'll buy another press when my Lee Challenger breaks. Five years, thousands of rounds and counting.

ZM

 

[Ed]

I had, still do somewhere, a lee progressive press. It was terible for me to use. Primers stuck, not throwing charges, the bullet feed never once worked. I Love their dies however. I have all LEE dies except one set of 30'06. I don't know about their other stuff.

 

[Butch]

Finally...a good use for the "ignore" function...

Dont be quite so drastic, I do own a Lyman case trimmer & an old RCBS balance scale.

 

[Kamicosmos]

I started with one of the RCBS beginners kits.
Still use the Special 5 single stage for most of my reloading work. Also use all the accessories still: loading block, 5-0-5 scale, primer tray, lube pad, etc.

My dies are a mix of RCBS and Lee. Loaded Ammo wise, I can't tell a difference between the two. As far as using them, and them staying 'locked in', I do prefer the RCBS dies. But the wallet prefers the Lees!!

I bought a LoadMaster progressive. I really wanted the RCBS Pro2000, but considering I could buy 2 decked out Loadmasters, and lots of loading supplies for the same price...fairly easy decision.

I'll admit, the Loadmaster does require you to watch it, and it can be a bit of a rascal. (God. I said rascal. I AM turning into my dad!)

 

[P95Carry]

Almost ''Lee everything'' for 30 yrs or so ..... only other stuff is Hornady powder measure ... RCBS Lubrisizer .... some scales from Dillon (electronic) .... Lyman 500 beam scales ........ and a few sundries.

All the hard work tho is on turrets and single stations .... and the dies are good .. and have even got better. Too late to change now .... unless I add one of the new presses .. but not gonna bother with progressives .......

 

[Khornet]

Now it won't be long 'til we hear:

LEE users should be allowed to marry just like anybody else!

 

[Lennyjoe]

I still have my Lee press, powder measure and dies hiding in the closet.........


But not for long.

Expecially now that I picked up a S&W 1006

 

[scott5]

Lee Press

I too have to confess that I have a Lee Pro 1000.
I must have loaded upwards of 100,000 rounds through it in the last fifteen years. Most of them 357 Mag. and 9mm. And just recently I've added 45ACP.

Those Dan Wessons take a likkin and keep on tikkin.

I have another closet to come out of, so please forgive me beforhand; I like long barrels. In the Taurus I have a six incher, and in the DWs I have an 8 a 10 and a 12 incher.

OK, I feel better now. Is there any help for me?