At least Lee still believes in America

[dimaprok]

No doubt! I recently purchased a Lee Production Pot because of the numerous negative consumer reviews on the Chinese RCBS pot I was comparing it to. As I said, you have to treat each purchase as a separate entity and do the homework, without any blind allegiance to any one company or place of origin. It's a complete package, and IMHO you should never have to buy a piece of casting or reloading gear twice in a lifetime, so choose carefully!

Ha! But than it would stop being fun! Maybe not twice but one of each? I want to try everything so I am always on lookout for deals especially when I can get killer deals on 2nd hand. The problem now is where do I mount all the presses I accumulated ))))

[454PB]

Lee has pulled more people into casting and reloading than any other company.

I own and use equipment from every and all reloading/casting manufacturers. In my 50+ years of reloading/casting, I've had only two instances where a tool was defective or that I broke. Lyman was the first, and did finally admit my mould was defective and replaced free. RCBS was the second, I lost a piece from a priming tool (my own fault), they graciously replaced it free of charge.

I've never had a problem with Lee equipment, and I own three of their casting pots and around 30 of their moulds, plus a half dozen die sets, and numerous other gadgets. I'm always amused when I read what junk they make......my oldest casting pot is 45 years old and has melted literally tons of lead.

[djryan13]

As crappy as the Lee pots are, I thought they were made elsewhere. Who would have thunk... sorry, I will stick to my Chinese made RCBS.

[Springfield]

There is a third choice, Magma engineering pots. Made here, great quality, but high price. But it holds more and has a higher wattage, and it can be had with 2 pour spouts. And it doesn't drip.

[djryan13]

There is a third choice, Magma engineering pots. Made here, great quality, but high price. But it holds more and has a higher wattage, and it can be had with 2 pour spouts. And it doesn't drip.

Got one on order!!!

[megasupermagnum]

As crappy as the Lee pots are, I thought they were made elsewhere. Who would have thunk... sorry, I will stick to my Chinese made RCBS.

I've Got three Lee pots, two 20lb, one 10lb. One was originally bought in the 80's and used until I inherited it. I never had a single problem with any of them.

[sgms18]

Sure have been alot of nice bullets made from them ol crappy Lee pots

[Stephen Cohen]

I feel your pain, we have the same problem in this country however we have very few manufacturing companies left now. In todays world and the profits share holders expect it is inevitable that companies will use China to cut cost. I doubt if you will find anything that is totally American made except perhaps ones own children, even the American cars would have had bolts nuts and such made in China and or Japan. My brother has 3 MK 5 Weatherby's one of which is made in Japan and of the three it is by fare the better finished rifle. I can't help but see how ironic it is that my parents generation went to war against these very nations and we now prop them up to be a world power to be worried about, how the times have changed. Regards Stephen

[solman]

Another vote her for Lee loading products.
Over 30 years ago I got into reloading on a Lee press and dies. It was affordable, especially for a newbie who did not want to spend top dollar on a hobby he may or may not end up liking. Later a Lee 10lb lead pot and Lee molds filled the casting bug. I still have those 25 years and they are fine and recently added a 20lb Lee pot. I now have some Lyman and Rcbs molds now as well. Without the affordability of Lee Products I might never have gotten into the reloading and casting part of shooting. Also I have found their customer service to be good the once or twice I needed it.
Solman

[6bg6ga]

Everyone has an opinion and they all count equally.
Personally, 95% of my gear is RCBS regardless of where it's made. I don't blindly buy patriotically...I buy based on quality, durability, customer service after the sale and willingness to back their product, and price. I can't even remember how many times RCBS has gone above and beyond for me. That last incident, my son had borrowed my 505 scale from my loading bench (yeah, he got an earful from me) to weight check his broadheads. Somewhere between that and putting it back, the powder pan vanished. After I got over being angry, I went on the RCBS website and located a replacement pan...$20-something dollars...and called customer service to make the purchase. After they took my customer/mailing info and why i needed the part, I offered them my Visa card number. "No need for that, sir. Replacement pan coming at no charge to you". What?!!! I just finished telling them it had been lost, not broken or defective!!!!
It showed up the next day, Fed Ex P1. Talk about blown away...
So, I don't just blindly buy American without doing the homework. Remember, the lion's share of your purchase goes to the company selling the product, and not the Chinese company making little bits and pieces that go into the product.

I've got a majority of my reloading dies that are RCBS (No Lee) recently had a problem with my 9mm bullet dropper setup from RCBS called them and I received free replacement parts from them with no questions asked.

Kinda wondering here how many of you hard core "Made in America" products spokespeople are driving vehicles made in Japan or vehicles whose profits are going back to Japan or how many buy from discount houses that sell cheap chinese and japaneese junk.

[sgms18]

Kinda wondering here how many of you hard core "Made in America" products spokespeople are driving vehicles made in Japan or vehicles whose profits are going back to Japan or how many buy from discount houses that sell cheap chinese and japaneese junk.

Way too many I'm sure

[porthos]

ALL Redding products are made in USA. too bad that they do not make a furnace; if they did it would be the same quality as their other products. i'm a ladle caster. my pot is a 1980s lyman 20 lb ladle pot. when that quits my next pot will be a Wagee. you get what you pay for.

[M-Tecs]

I love my Waage K4757. It is a special order item. link here https://www.shootandreload.com/2014/...nace-overview/

I love my 90 pound Magma engineering.

Both US made and the best of their class.

[sgms18]

I love my Waage K4757. It is a special order item. link here https://www.shootandreload.com/2014/...nace-overview/

I love my 90 pound Magma engineering.

Both US made and the best of their class.

Never heard of them. Looks like a good pot though. Too bad the don't offer a bottom pour model.

[M-Tecs]

Never heard of them. Looks like a good pot though. Too bad the don't offer a bottom pour model.

They are primarily an industrial supplier. Very well made.

[richhodg66]

I replaced my Lee ten pound dripomatic a few years ago with an old Lyman 61 I got. Wish like crazy I had done it years ago, I fought with that Lee thing way too long and it Is so much easier to get good bullets with a quality pot.

I'm not a Lee basher. I finally learned to get good bullets from their two cavity molds. I have come to love their six cavity molds and will always use them if possible. I have also come to prefer their dies for straight walled cartridges. I like their little case length gauge trimmers and use their hand priming tools a lot.

I'd not have one of their presses, nor another of their melters regardless of where they're made. Too many better options. I also don't care for that Lee load manual everybody else raves about. Bottom line, they make some good stuff, but I've never had a bad RCBS product. And like many others have stated, I have stuff I use from just about every manufacturer there ever was.

[Phlier]

Everyone has an opinion and they all count equally.
Personally, 95% of my gear is RCBS regardless of where it's made. I don't blindly buy patriotically...I buy based on quality, durability, customer service after the sale and willingness to back their product, and price. I can't even remember how many times RCBS has gone above and beyond for me. That last incident, my son had borrowed my 505 scale from my loading bench (yeah, he got an earful from me) to weight check his broadheads. Somewhere between that and putting it back, the powder pan vanished. After I got over being angry, I went on the RCBS website and located a replacement pan...$20-something dollars...and called customer service to make the purchase. After they took my customer/mailing info and why i needed the part, I offered them my Visa card number. "No need for that, sir. Replacement pan coming at no charge to you". What?!!! I just finished telling them it had been lost, not broken or defective!!!!
It showed up the next day, Fed Ex P1. Talk about blown away...
So, I don't just blindly buy American without doing the homework. Remember, the lion's share of your purchase goes to the company selling the product, and not the Chinese company making little bits and pieces that go into the product.

No doubt! I recently purchased a Lee Production Pot because of the numerous negative consumer reviews on the Chinese RCBS pot I was comparing it to. As I said, you have to treat each purchase as a separate entity and do the homework, without any blind allegiance to any one company or place of origin. It's a complete package, and IMHO you should never have to buy a piece of casting or reloading gear twice in a lifetime, so choose carefully!

Great posts, Cap'n, I couldn't agree more.

As crappy as the Lee pots are, I thought they were made elsewhere. Who would have thunk... sorry, I will stick to my Chinese made RCBS.

Sure have been alot of nice bullets made from them ol crappy Lee pots

I decided that I'd retire my still flawlessly working SAECO pot, and bought a new Lee 4-20 just about five years ago. I have never seen the bottom of that pot since my first melt; I just keep adding alloy to it when it gets low. I don't plan on *ever* seeing the bottom of that pot. And it has *never* dripped. IMO, the secret to getting a Lee "Drip-O-Matic" to not drip is to never see the bottom of the pot. I cast a bare minimum of 1k boolits per week, and that pot still performs like it did on the first day.

[dimaprok]

IMO, the secret to getting a Lee "Drip-O-Matic" to not drip is to never see the bottom of the pot. I cast a bare minimum of 1k boolits per week, and that pot still performs like it did on the first day.

The secret is plain and simple, use clean ingots. For the most part my Lee pot doesn't drip, I don't like leaving lead in the pot, hard to remember what alloy it was and I don't cast that often. If it drips, it needs to be cleaned. Chuck a wire cup brush and clean the pot bottom and sides, clean the drip spout. Take out the plunger, chuck it in the drill and polish the end with the fine sandpaper, this will stop the leaks and should be done when you buy the pot.

[tinsnips]

My old Lyman, an my old Rcbs should outlast me if not I build one myself. Just about all the product we buy now days are not as good as they were in the past. Sad but true.

[djryan13]

The secret is plain and simple, use clean ingots. For the most part my Lee pot doesn't drip, I don't like leaving lead in the pot, hard to remember what alloy it was and I don't cast that often. If it drips, it needs to be cleaned. Chuck a wire cup brush and clean the pot bottom and sides, clean the drip spout. Take out the plunger, chuck it in the drill and polish the end with the fine sandpaper, this will stop the leaks and should be done when you buy the pot.

I am following the same use practices with my RCBS as I did with my Lee. Lee dripped. RCBS doesn’t. Simple math to me. I shouldn’t have a list of rules to follow (don’t feed it after midnight?) in order for Lee pot to not drip. No one should be putting unclean lead in their pot anyway. I don’t. It drips. Never “cleaned” my RCBS. It’s a well built tool.