Started out on Lee equipment ? When ?

[cosmoline one]

Not 100% sure of the year I started reloading, guess 1990-91?(fall of yugoslavia cut off my supply of 6.5x55)but it was with an anniversary press kit, which I still have the press (and leaky powder dispencer) and still use it! I also have many of their dies but tend to buy better dies now

[Murphy]

It was roughly 1979-1980 when I started with a Lee Whack-A-Mole. Remington 788's with a Tasco 3X9 scope already mounted (the good ones made in Japan)were selling out of Walmart for the whopping price of $159.00 + tax out the door. Not sure what influenced me, but I chose a 22-250. Never regretted it and I'm sure I'll start saving on rollin' my own pretty soon.


Murphy

[ulav8r]

1968, Lee Loader in .308. For my HS graduation gift from my Uncle and Aunt, a Mossberg 800.

[P Flados]

In the early 70's, I got a 12 Gauge Lee Load-All. This was before it had powder bushings. I eventually reamed out the charge hole a little and made my own bushings. This thing got used a lot.

I have not loaded shotgun in a decade or so, but I would use this old press without hesitation if a need arose.

I think I then tried a 30-06 whack a mole, but I deemed it unsuitable for use. A RCBS Jr press and RCBS / Lyman dies were my early success stories for metallic reloading. The RCBS Jr got lost in a move somewhere in my late 20s and eventually was replaced with a Lee 3 hole turret.

All of my purchases of new presses and dies in the past couple of decades have been Lee.

[Texas by God]

I started in 1972 with a Lee Loader in 22-250 for my brand new $89 Remington 788. Factory shells were an astronomical $5 a box! The following summer I got another Lee Loader in .38 S&W for an Enfield revolver. Not long after, my brothers and I chipped in and bought RCBS scales and a JR press. So started the avalanche.
I use Lee dies, moulds, sizers and scoops to complement my other color stuff.

[rbuck351]

1962 with a Lee whack a mole in 12ga. I was 14 and no one I knew reloaded.

[Rapidrob]

1964 LEE Loader, 8x57 Mauser, still have it.

[schutzen-jager]

1965 with 9mm before they expanded from the original - used many of their products for years but will no longer due to poor customer service + quality control - i know others will differently , but my recent experiences with them are a total horror story -

[Wag]

About 1997 or 1998, I got the Lee Kit (I don't remember the exact name) for around $100.00 at a gun show. In California, no less! I read the Speer manual twice.

Then I bought dies for 9mm and 44 magnum and got right to work.

Since then, I was given a VERY old Lee turret press which came in handy when the original Lee press that came in the kit crapped out. All of that original Lee gear finally crapped out and I only have that press now. I also have those first two sets of dies and a couple of die sets that were given to me with the turret press. My gear is now mostly RCBS.

As bad as the quality was in that first kit, it got me started relatively cheaply so I have to be happy about that.

--Wag--

[pworley1]

1971 Lee loader 38/357. Lyman 358156 mold.

[375supermag]

Hi...
I started with a Lee C press back in the late '70s- early '80s time frame.
I soon realized that the press was flexing when resizing my .357Magnum brass. I also realized that I needed to speed up the process to keep up with the amount of shooting I was doing in competition.
I bought a Lee 1000 progressive press and that really increased my output.
Unfortunately the primer feed consistently misfed or flipped primers. Then the powder system began to malfunction and leak powder to the point that it became glaringly obvious that I needed to reevaluate my equipment and process.

My solution was to buy an RCBS RockChucker and Little Dandy powder measure. That upgrade and doing brass prep, priming and doing powder dumps and bullet seating in batches, solved every issue except loading fast enough to keep up with my shooting.

I solved that issue by purchasing a couple of Hornady LNL progressive presses. My experience with the LNL has been excellent and they have cranked out many thousands of rounds of ammunition over quite a few calibers since I acquired them.

I also bought two complete Dillon 550s at auctions to supplement the LNLs. My experience and satisfaction with the LNLs eventually convinced me that the Dillons were an unnecessary redundancy, so I sold both of them.

I have purchased another RockChucker Supreme that my son uses to load to load rifle cartridges and for load development.

The Lee presses???
Packed away in a box in the bottom shelf of a cabinet where they can do no further harm.

[Bazoo]

I started about 2010-2012 with a lyman Spartan I got for $25 bucks. Lee dipper set, funnel, whack a mole push through sizer for 358. (I’d love to find one of those in .430 and .310). Probably some other lee stuff to start. Then I got a perfect powder measure. Man what an improvement. I still use dippers occasionally though. Lost all that when my house burnt in 2015.

I was gifted 2 guitars, one a Taylor 110 that I had gifted to the owner a few years previous. I swapped it for a 30-30 rifle.

Then started back with a lee whack a mole in 30-30 and a lyman 309-150-f that was gifted to me. I swapped the whack a mole and regret that, but still have the mould! Then someone gifted me a rock chucker. So I got stupid and sold that thinking I could use the money to buy x more reloading stuff. Went with a Spartan press again on the cheap, but I found a lee challenger and got that along the way and preferred it to the Spartan and finally sold the Spartan. Wish I’d just kept the RC, but at the time I was so tight on money I though I can sell this RC for $80 and buy a $40 press, and have money for a powder measure. So that’s what I did.

[JoeJames]

About 1968 - Lee whack a moles - 7mm Mauser and 20 gauge. Still in high school then. I did not blow my fool self up either.

[Bent Ramrod]

My first centerfire, a .22 Hornet, with a Lee Loader, in 1975. IIRC, the set cost $9.95, new.

Taking 3 hours to reload 50 cartridges (I weighed my charges on a RCBS scale), and the occasional primer going off on seating finally convinced me (after over a year) to get a Pacific Super Deluxe and a used set of Lachmiller reloading dies at a gun show.

The operation was much faster, and no more exploding primers, but it took another 6 months of experimenting before the accuracy of reloads with the new setup matched that of the Lee Loader product.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the number of people that Lee started down the path of hobby reloading surpasses that of all the other manufacturers, including Winchester, Ideal and Lyman..

[nicholst55]

In 1976, I ordered a Lee Loader for 9mm Luger, along with a Lee single cavity 102 grain RN bullet mold, kake-kutter and lube pan, lead pot and ladle. I very quickly decided that my choices had been less than optimal. I purchased an RCBS press and dies just as soon as I could afford them. I loaded a few hundred rounds of 9mm for the WWII P-38 that I had at the time, and then moved on.

[jetinteriorguy]

Sometime in the early 80’s with a Lee Challenger press and a couple die sets. After a couple years the linkage on the press broke and I don’t remember if Lee warranted it or if I either tossed it or just put it away. I got a good deal on a slightly used Lyman Orange Crusher that I still use today.

[gwpercle]

1967 Lee Classic Loader (Whack-A-Mole) in 45 acp .
I asked to "borrow" $10.00 for the Lee Loader from my Dad , when I explained what I was going to do ... reload my own ammo ... he looked at me like he just realized his oldest child might be a Couyon (crazy person ) ... but he gives me $20.00 and say's some for extra's ... and
Don't Tell Your Momma I give it to you ! A lot of our conversations ended like that !
Gary

[stubshaft]

My very first reloading experience was with a Lee Loader in 30/30 waaay back in 1964. My first bullet mold was a 30 caliberLee 150 gr. single cavity flat point for the same 30/30 in 1968. I still have both of them and they still work.

[TNsailorman]

My first Lee equipment was a 30-06 Lee Loader in 1963. It had the metal powder scoop and I still have it. I bought one of the first Remington 700 ADL's made in 1962. james

[grayscale]

Lee Whack-a-mole in 20 ga. in 1970. Dad was not going to pay for factory ammo for a ten year old who was missing everything any way. When I think of some of my "experiments" its a wonder I survived. Dad wasn't big on supervision... Here's the kit, here's the components, here's the instructions, figure it out. I still have the set,
Wish I still had my dad.