wanting to try reloading

[clay99]

has any one owned/ used a lee reloading kit i really want to start trying to reload my own ammo. the price is great Im kinda on a budget "married" lol is it wrth it or should i try to purchase one of the more expensive kits out there like a hornady or rcbs and does anybody know if the dies are interchangeable between brands

[HRL]

Buy RCBS....Lee is junk. Price difference will be felt down the road when the Lee starts to fall apart.

[Tinman]

you get what you pay for, I've had my RCBS Rock Chucker for 25 years now and it's still as solid as the day I bought it, get the good one, it's a good investment

check ebay, I've seen them in there before

[Shop Quad]

rcbs rockchucker

[punch]

go with rcbs, i have been using it for 25-30 years now and the out fit was used when i bought it. check on ebay there is usually alot of re-loading equipment on there.:cheers:

[boakley]

has any one owned/ used a lee reloading kit i really want to start trying to reload my own ammo. the price is great Im kinda on a budget "married" lol is it wrth it or should i try to purchase one of the more expensive kits out there like a hornady or rcbs and does anybody know if the dies are interchangeable between brands

RCBS are great presses. So are the Dillons like the 550's and the Hornadys. In our loading room we also have a Lee Classic Cast. First hand experience and I would say it has loaded 1,000`s of magnum rounds with no problems whatsoever over many decades. i would not be worried about a Lee "O" frame. There is nothing wrong with the "O" framed Lees.

Pay a little more and stay away from the "C" framed presses of any make and all should be fine.

Many dies are interchangable but some are not. Lee makes a good die. Some are better some are worse.

Shell holders are often unique to the press you buy.

[Toxic]

I bought my first press 20 years ago. It was a Lee Load All kit and it had everything needed to get started minus bullets, powder and primers. It did the job - I loaded hundreds of .270 win rounds with it. One thing that is a good idea is a scale to make sure you don't overload your rounds. Buy a good scale and get reliable info as to how much powder to use. Not all powder is the same so you can't use one standard measurement for all types of powder.

Now I use a Dillon 550B progressive press. This is a pretty high end press but I load thousands of round in a year. Dillon does make simpler models that are just as high quality. I personally would buy a basic Dillon if you think you are going to reload halfway seriously. Don't get a progressive press right off as it can be a dangerous tool for the newbie reloader since you can double load rounds if you lose you place in the cycle.
I know some places where you can get Dillon stuff at a good price if you're interested (I don't sell them). Dillon has the best warranty in the business. Anything that breaks they will replace even if it was your fault. Feel free to PM me for some Dillon distributers or even if you need any more reloading advice.

[boakley]

I bought my first press 20 years ago. It was a Lee Load All kit and it had everything needed to get started minus bullets, powder and primers. It did the job - I loaded hundreds of .270 win rounds with it. One thing that is a good idea is a scale to make sure you don't overload your rounds. Buy a good scale and get reliable info as to how much powder to use. Not all powder is the same so you can't use one standard measurement for all types of powder.

Now I use a Dillon 550B progressive press. This is a pretty high end press but I load thousands of round in a year. Dillon does make simpler models that are just as high quality. I personally would buy a basic Dillon if you think you are going to reload halfway seriously. Don't get a progressive press right off as it can be a dangerous tool for the newbie reloader since you can double load rounds if you lose you place in the cycle.
I know some places where you can get Dillon stuff at a good price if you're interested (I don't sell them). Dillon has the best warranty in the business. Anything that breaks they will replace even if it was your fault. Feel free to PM me for some Dillon distributers or even if you need any more reloading advice.

I would agree to avoid progressive presses. I also have a Dillon 550 and it is awsome BUT at 20+ rounds per minute when you are flying you can make serious mistakes wickedly quick.

For starting out a single stage is highly recommended as there is lots that can go wrong.

[Toxic]

Thinking about this further... case length isn't really an issue with pistol ammo but it can be with rifle rounds. A dial caliper or a hand case trimmer dealy might be a good idea too. I had a trimmer that was specifically for .270 so when you would turn it it would only trim the case if it needed it. A case that is too long can make a mess of your barrel.

[boakley]

Thinking about this further... case length isn't really an issue with pistol ammo but it can be with rifle rounds. A dial caliper or a hand case trimmer dealy might be a good idea too. I had a trimmer that was specifically for .270 so when you would turn it it would only trim the case if it needed it. A case that is too long can make a mess of your barrel.

your right not to mention ****ing up case pressures and accuracy.

[Moosehunter]

Price stuff out in the U.S. Bought a complete set up there and saved big compared with here.

[Toxic]

Price stuff out in the U.S. Bought a complete set up there and saved big compared with here.
Agreed. All my Dillon stuff came from Scheels in Fargo...

[stovepipe]

Clay99, I don't think there's anything wrong with the Lee reloading stuff. If you want the best, then pay more money. If you want to save money, buy used. Everyone has extra stuff they don't use since they bought the "bigger and better model" I can help you out if you want. Most dies use common threads.(interchangeable)