Musing about Lee Precision
- Thread starter Matt
- Start date
dannyd
Well-Known Member
With new equipment probably not. But even old guys can learn new things I 'm 62 and learn new things about Handloading and Reloading everyday. Started shotgun last year only 6500 rounds but learning all the time. Just my opinion
Started shotgun in 1963, shot ATA & NSSA Junior until I went into the Navy in 1971.
6rds of Trap & 2rds of Skeet a week. Plus Competions every month 500 a wknd.
And I loaded EVERY shell.
I DO NOT recommend it for anybody while growing up.
My Neck & Shoulders are so messed up I had to stop shotgun altogether in 2012.
Can't even shoot standing up anymore.
6rds of Trap & 2rds of Skeet a week. Plus Competions every month 500 a wknd.
And I loaded EVERY shell.
I DO NOT recommend it for anybody while growing up.
My Neck & Shoulders are so messed up I had to stop shotgun altogether in 2012.
Can't even shoot standing up anymore.
RBHarter
West Central AR
I drove a couple Chevy's that 5 gallons of gas and a match would have left me sad I wasted the gas and the match . I always wanted to be a Chrysler/Dodge guy but but Fords seem to follow me home like lost puppies to a bag of food ........
Moulds ;
I'm disappointed by the finished product from M-P , 5-6 points , it took me most of a dozen runs and 6-7 heat cycles to get a keeper ..... I only have the one in brass .
I have 8-9 NOEs 5 of them stick 1 or more cavities , 1 of them a 5c I've cast 20+ times and I'm yet to get 5 keepers in a single pour .
I have Cramers , an H&G , Lyman , RCBS , Herters , Rapine , Mountain Molds , and I've cast a Seaco , LBT .
Yep the Lee's have needed a little futzing on probably 17 of 20 or so . I've taken a bunch of shoe box of worthless moulds and most of them I believe suffered from mostly an impatient operator that expected more than the mould could produce or it just wasn't a useful combination . 2 have been/become direct candidates for something else some day just because they aren't suitable for my use .
The biggest thing is that we can a 6 C for $38 just about on demand and the only Lyman I bought new was a single , close out , discount applied at $58 .......the MSRP of the Lee 6 Cs .
Maybe it that I'm not a perfectionist but the 3 pots I have were plug melt and pour , the 20# does get temperature flakey below 15# . Not a big deal for me .
Dies ;
Yeah , not a huge fan but often in the last 15 years the only ones available when I needed them .
The 308 set promptly broke the unbreakable decapper in boxer brass .
The 6.8 & 358 gouged the necks and the 222 forget forming brass .
Just take them out of the box and completely disassemble the dies and wash them out . They're serviceable . I wouldn't use them to form anything that necks down .
I got a 380 set that almost immediately developed a radial crack in the carbide sizer ring .... I didn't throw it ....... Replaced it with a steel set of RCBS . The 45 and 460 S&W seem to be ok so far .
For social media I post ;
Lee makes a tool to do a job and it does the job .
Is this a completely new to you try it out see if it's for you thing ?
Are you seeking to start as inexpensively as possible and build on a kit ? Are you more of a buy once , cry once type ?
If you answered yes , yes , no AND you don't mind a little bit of putzing , polish , and cleaning before you use the gear and or to get started then the Lee kit is a great starter .
If you answered really any other way or you have a strong distaste for fidgeting to get things running step up to at least the RCBS Partner kit or best yet the RockChucker kit .
The RockChucker is never a mistake .
It's just how it is .
The collet FCD is one tool that works but it's a die and it needs to be pulled down lapped , washed and lubed before use .
As with anything you buy cheapest it's usually what get .
Moulds ;
I'm disappointed by the finished product from M-P , 5-6 points , it took me most of a dozen runs and 6-7 heat cycles to get a keeper ..... I only have the one in brass .
I have 8-9 NOEs 5 of them stick 1 or more cavities , 1 of them a 5c I've cast 20+ times and I'm yet to get 5 keepers in a single pour .
I have Cramers , an H&G , Lyman , RCBS , Herters , Rapine , Mountain Molds , and I've cast a Seaco , LBT .
Yep the Lee's have needed a little futzing on probably 17 of 20 or so . I've taken a bunch of shoe box of worthless moulds and most of them I believe suffered from mostly an impatient operator that expected more than the mould could produce or it just wasn't a useful combination . 2 have been/become direct candidates for something else some day just because they aren't suitable for my use .
The biggest thing is that we can a 6 C for $38 just about on demand and the only Lyman I bought new was a single , close out , discount applied at $58 .......the MSRP of the Lee 6 Cs .
Maybe it that I'm not a perfectionist but the 3 pots I have were plug melt and pour , the 20# does get temperature flakey below 15# . Not a big deal for me .
Dies ;
Yeah , not a huge fan but often in the last 15 years the only ones available when I needed them .
The 308 set promptly broke the unbreakable decapper in boxer brass .
The 6.8 & 358 gouged the necks and the 222 forget forming brass .
Just take them out of the box and completely disassemble the dies and wash them out . They're serviceable . I wouldn't use them to form anything that necks down .
I got a 380 set that almost immediately developed a radial crack in the carbide sizer ring .... I didn't throw it ....... Replaced it with a steel set of RCBS . The 45 and 460 S&W seem to be ok so far .
For social media I post ;
Lee makes a tool to do a job and it does the job .
Is this a completely new to you try it out see if it's for you thing ?
Are you seeking to start as inexpensively as possible and build on a kit ? Are you more of a buy once , cry once type ?
If you answered yes , yes , no AND you don't mind a little bit of putzing , polish , and cleaning before you use the gear and or to get started then the Lee kit is a great starter .
If you answered really any other way or you have a strong distaste for fidgeting to get things running step up to at least the RCBS Partner kit or best yet the RockChucker kit .
The RockChucker is never a mistake .
It's just how it is .
The collet FCD is one tool that works but it's a die and it needs to be pulled down lapped , washed and lubed before use .
As with anything you buy cheapest it's usually what get .
I was taught to completely disassemble every die and every mold. Clean completely and polish any sharp edges.
I consider myself blessed as far as my reloading/casting education goes.
I grew up in a Family that spent most every other wknd from November to April casting and loading. Then shooting from May thru October. With fishing, Skeet/Trap Shooting and Hunting. With Snow/Water skiing thrown in.
I was hanging on the handle of an old RCBS something press at 3yrs, priming .38Spl cases with a 310 tong tool by age 4. And dipper casting .375 balls for Dad's Colt Navy over a Coleman stove.
I remember my Dad & Uncle standing over a 100lb Plumbers Pot and filling 8-10cav H&G molds using big bottom pour ladles. Passing them back to My Older Brothers to bust the sprues, dump the bullets and pass the molds back.
I think they each worked from maybe 3-5 molds each.
We used/tried every type of mold made through the mid 1960's.
Every Reloading Manufacturers equipment.
Except Lee/Mequon?
And even though I'm the only one left of the Dozen or so Guys that worked so hard to shoot/load together ?
I still love it so.
I consider myself blessed as far as my reloading/casting education goes.
I grew up in a Family that spent most every other wknd from November to April casting and loading. Then shooting from May thru October. With fishing, Skeet/Trap Shooting and Hunting. With Snow/Water skiing thrown in.
I was hanging on the handle of an old RCBS something press at 3yrs, priming .38Spl cases with a 310 tong tool by age 4. And dipper casting .375 balls for Dad's Colt Navy over a Coleman stove.
I remember my Dad & Uncle standing over a 100lb Plumbers Pot and filling 8-10cav H&G molds using big bottom pour ladles. Passing them back to My Older Brothers to bust the sprues, dump the bullets and pass the molds back.
I think they each worked from maybe 3-5 molds each.
We used/tried every type of mold made through the mid 1960's.
Every Reloading Manufacturers equipment.
Except Lee/Mequon?
And even though I'm the only one left of the Dozen or so Guys that worked so hard to shoot/load together ?
I still love it so.
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Petrol & Powder
Well-Known Member
/\ There's a little dose of reality.
People love to bash Lee, and I'll admit to being one of those people. And yet, I own some Lee products.
Lee's claim to fame is the price. Lee products are designed to hit a price point that others can't.
While Ruger's do occasionally benefit from some additional attention after they leave the factory, I'm not sure I would lump them in with Lee.
Except for the Redding collet neck dies and their push thru case size dies, the only other Really new things I've seen in the past 20yrs are the lee push though bullet sizer dies. And they are just a different cheaper version of a Star sizer.
Just about everything is just an older idea brought forward to be made/used at a less costly alternative.
My Dad was cleaning cases in a small cement mixer in the early 1960's. just a big tumbler. Knew a guy who would bring his guns & brass into work on 2nd shift and use the ultra sonic cleaner in the lab. Just change out the solution.
Priming on the press was a big thing in the 1950's - 1960's. Then hand priming came back towards the end of the 1970's. Progressives came along in the mid-1980's, and we're back to priming on the press.
And so on. There is nothing Really new under the Sun. just another way to do it adapted from an old way.
dannyd
Well-Known Member
That is a true statement. History just goes in a circle and time in a straight line. But I do like the Redding duel ring sizers, RCBS pot with PID unit and the Lyman Mag 25 with the PID. Also cleaning cases with water and stainless pins and progressive press's have come a long way. Going to start powder coating bullets next. Don't really have any dad stories about reloading he did teach me how shoot. I have all the issues of Handloader Magazine, so I like to read about how equipment has changed over the years. It's definitely got better.
Bliksem
Active Member
If it was not for the low price point of the Lee products I would not have got into casting and reloading in the early 80's due to the cost of the "better" brands. Fast forward to today and I still have a surprising amount of Lee tools on my bench. My preferred presses are still red but from Hornady but quite a few pieces of Lee tools complete the setups. The Lee FCD for rifle cartridges are common staple as is the Pro Auto Disk powder measure.
I actually no longer use any of the Hornady powder measures on the progressive presses as they are clunky and prone to weight drifting in my opinion. I have adopted the Lee Pro Auto Disk with the addition of 3D printed parts to feed all of the rifle cartridges I load for with the exception of SR4759 which is done using an electronic dispenser as it feeds like corn flakes.
Yes, Lee molds need some tuning but they do work. I still use Lee molds for some of my favorite hunting cast bullets even though "better" molds are available. Why try and fix a working combination? Even though I have invested quite a bit in custom molds I will still look and buy Lee molds when needing to cast for a new caliber or need. Why not, as they are so economical?
As for the Lee quality control. In my opinion as long as the correct number of parts are in the box, the job is complete.
I actually no longer use any of the Hornady powder measures on the progressive presses as they are clunky and prone to weight drifting in my opinion. I have adopted the Lee Pro Auto Disk with the addition of 3D printed parts to feed all of the rifle cartridges I load for with the exception of SR4759 which is done using an electronic dispenser as it feeds like corn flakes.
Yes, Lee molds need some tuning but they do work. I still use Lee molds for some of my favorite hunting cast bullets even though "better" molds are available. Why try and fix a working combination? Even though I have invested quite a bit in custom molds I will still look and buy Lee molds when needing to cast for a new caliber or need. Why not, as they are so economical?
As for the Lee quality control. In my opinion as long as the correct number of parts are in the box, the job is complete.
I started out with LEE and have for the most part moved on as finances improved. Having said that though, whenever I get a new caliber and want to cast for it I look to LEE for a mold. I shoot a lot of cast from my pistols but not much from rifles (I'm starting to move that way though). Anyway, I've got a lot of LEE stuff on my bench (molds & dies) and like them just fine.
RBHarter
West Central AR
Lee presses .
I haven't had a single stage so maybe they are different . I have had a 3&4 hole turret and a Load Master . I might would do a 4 hole turret again if I had space to put it alone with several heads set up for the ACP families for batch prep where I could do size , decap , and flair . 2 strokes , new case , repeat . I don't care for the lack of detent/cam feel of the stop . The load master was awesome ......until it got a little dirt in it then it was like a Swiss engineered , German built , Russian tooled spring motor . (See measure with micrometer , mark in chalk , cut with an axe . ) I guess what I mean is it's a well thought out design , that has a complex lever plunger where a flat spring and drag would do nicely unfortunately it was all cut out on an O/U .05 tooling set .
The fellow that offers the one-step bullet swage dies offers a package built around the classic cast O frame so those can't be too bad and I don't recall seeing them for sale used . 50% of retail and one-way shipping isn't bad to get one replaced I guess , maybe that's what folks do .
C presses ..... I don't think I'd take one of them for scrap value .....of course I would but to buy one on purpose , not likely . Maybe if they had a structure like a Pacific Deluxe or the Lyman sister/cousin press . I've seen an awful lot of the Lee's with broken necks , handles , links and bases .
I've read a bunch on 3 forums about the Pro whatever it is , 3 different names for a basic with different setups out of the box I guess and the new sizer press that sounds a lot the Beta lots are working out to be like the spring motor above .
I run a number of the moulds , 3 pots , several handle sets , and mastered the Lee shuffle bump to close the mould dance . I've taken in a number of wanna huck it across the pasture moulds and run a stone here , a peen there , and a spring washer once and the cast fine . I have passed many along for shipping costs that worked fine and worked out on the other end .
I can't brag on their dies , I cut my teeth on chrome Lyman All American and Pacific Durachrome . I have several sets and have a certain respect for the collet FCDs . I bought die sets because they weren't available from other makers , I needed to be able to modify one or just wasn't willing to spend that much for dies that were 25% less 6 months ago . I ended up with $60 in the 380 dies anyway so I guess I should have just bought the new dies in the first place ......
Most have been replaced with better tools but the pistol dies are ok so far , except for that 380 sizer and the 308 decapping pin which needed to be bigger anyway .
I haven't had a single stage so maybe they are different . I have had a 3&4 hole turret and a Load Master . I might would do a 4 hole turret again if I had space to put it alone with several heads set up for the ACP families for batch prep where I could do size , decap , and flair . 2 strokes , new case , repeat . I don't care for the lack of detent/cam feel of the stop . The load master was awesome ......until it got a little dirt in it then it was like a Swiss engineered , German built , Russian tooled spring motor . (See measure with micrometer , mark in chalk , cut with an axe . ) I guess what I mean is it's a well thought out design , that has a complex lever plunger where a flat spring and drag would do nicely unfortunately it was all cut out on an O/U .05 tooling set .
The fellow that offers the one-step bullet swage dies offers a package built around the classic cast O frame so those can't be too bad and I don't recall seeing them for sale used . 50% of retail and one-way shipping isn't bad to get one replaced I guess , maybe that's what folks do .
C presses ..... I don't think I'd take one of them for scrap value .....of course I would but to buy one on purpose , not likely . Maybe if they had a structure like a Pacific Deluxe or the Lyman sister/cousin press . I've seen an awful lot of the Lee's with broken necks , handles , links and bases .
I've read a bunch on 3 forums about the Pro whatever it is , 3 different names for a basic with different setups out of the box I guess and the new sizer press that sounds a lot the Beta lots are working out to be like the spring motor above .
I run a number of the moulds , 3 pots , several handle sets , and mastered the Lee shuffle bump to close the mould dance . I've taken in a number of wanna huck it across the pasture moulds and run a stone here , a peen there , and a spring washer once and the cast fine . I have passed many along for shipping costs that worked fine and worked out on the other end .
I can't brag on their dies , I cut my teeth on chrome Lyman All American and Pacific Durachrome . I have several sets and have a certain respect for the collet FCDs . I bought die sets because they weren't available from other makers , I needed to be able to modify one or just wasn't willing to spend that much for dies that were 25% less 6 months ago . I ended up with $60 in the 380 dies anyway so I guess I should have just bought the new dies in the first place ......
Most have been replaced with better tools but the pistol dies are ok so far , except for that 380 sizer and the 308 decapping pin which needed to be bigger anyway .
rodmkr
Temecula California
I am 86 years old.
Started reloading at 23.
Started with Lee Loaders and still have one for every caiber I shoot
both rifle and pistol.
I have RCBS case forming Dies but everything else is Lee.
Yes you have to work a little bit different ( harder) with Lee
but the final product is the same if you take the time to do it right.
Have a shooting buddy who shot some of my 6.5 Credmoor rounds
and decided they were as good as his redding rounds so I guess
it comes down to ( Beauty is in the eye of the beholder)
rodmkr
Started reloading at 23.
Started with Lee Loaders and still have one for every caiber I shoot
both rifle and pistol.
I have RCBS case forming Dies but everything else is Lee.
Yes you have to work a little bit different ( harder) with Lee
but the final product is the same if you take the time to do it right.
Have a shooting buddy who shot some of my 6.5 Credmoor rounds
and decided they were as good as his redding rounds so I guess
it comes down to ( Beauty is in the eye of the beholder)
rodmkr