If No Warranty on Presses which one would you buy?

[Wayne Smith]

Well, let's see. I bought the Hollywood Sr. without a warranty. I bought the Bair Brown Bair without a warranty. I bought the Lyman TrueLine Jr. without a warranty.

Does that answer your question?

[saz]

When you get organized and learn how to do it, a production rate of 200 to 300 rounds an hour of 45 ACP or 38 Special ammo is easy with a single stage press.

+1 here. I have loaded plenty of rounds on a single stage press. Personally I think everyone should learn to handload on a single stage instead of jumping straight into a progressive. JMHO.....

[LUBEDUDE]

Well, let's see. I bought the Hollywood Sr. without a warranty. I bought the Bair Brown Bair without a warranty. I bought the Lyman TrueLine Jr. without a warranty.

Does that answer your question?

+ 1

Just think, Old School

[1_Ogre]

If no one offered a warranty on their reloading presses and accessory equipment which one would you buy?

Current or past production models.

I'd go with a Dillon. They have a no time limit no BS warranty. I have a used one and when something breaks (not that often at all and it's usually my fault) you call Dillon and the new part/parts are on the way that day. Dillon is the way to go

[Char-Gar]

I think the question was..which press would you buy IF there was no warranty and no new parts on the way?

In light of the question, the warranty and customer service of various makers is not relevant. The guys wants to know which press to buy that won't break and need repairs.

The more moving parts a press has, the more likely it will be to break.
The more pot metal parts a press has, the more likely it will break.
The more alloy parts a press has, the more likely it will break
The more aluminum parts a press has, the more likely it will be to break.

That leaves a press with a cast iron or steel body and all steel parts otherwise. I still vote for the old single stage cast iron press.

[Moondawg]

For Rifle, my Redding Turret press, and for pistol my Dillon 550.

[geargnasher]

DO not worry wal probably I am the only one in the state who is swaging
As I said I pull the handle approx 70 000 times and it doesn't withstand and swarf started to came out

That's about how many cycles it took for me to wear out an RCBS Ammomaster doing normal single-stage reloading tasks. Got a new ram and base for free, but I could have purchased four Classic Cast presses for the money, and not have had to deal with the primer residue eating up the ram from the lousy primer dump on the RCBS. Lee really fixed a lot of common press problems when they invented the primer dump tube out the bottom of the ram so the grit doesn't contaminate the ram lubricant and become an abrasive slurry.

Gear

[Char-Gar]

That's about how many cycles it took for me to wear out an RCBS Ammomaster doing normal single-stage reloading tasks. Got a new ram and base for free, but I could have purchased four Classic Cast presses for the money, and not have had to deal with the primer residue eating up the ram from the lousy primer dump on the RCBS. Lee really fixed a lot of common press problems when they invented the primer dump tube out the bottom of the ram so the grit doesn't contaminate the ram lubricant and become an abrasive slurry.

Gear

Back in the 50's RCBS A series of presses had a hollow ram and the spent primers go into it and from thence to a bucket on the floor. So Lee didn't invent the primers going out of the bottom of the ram.

[zuke]

Lee Classic Turret for me

[sparky45]

Lee is pretty much junk, especially the lower end line of Lee presses. I have had very good service with my Dillon 650. No broken parts and no down time. Every caliber I load is preset with it's own individual toolhead so caliber changes are quick and easy. I also have two seperate primer systems. Love my Dillon, but I haven't been able to test out the warranty.

[1hole]

"Back in the 50's RCBS A series of presses had a hollow ram and the spent primers go into it and from thence to a bucket on the floor. So Lee didn't invent the primers going out of the bottom of the ram."

The question isn't 'who developed a good way to handle spent primers'; at this point that's meaningless because it's no help. The question is who has it now and that would be Lee. RCBS abandoned the good system when they abandoned the A series presses.

Lee's Classic Cast and Classic Turrets are the best presses of their types currently available. My main press is a near perfect condition 25 year old RockChucker 2 but I know it's shortcomings and have no blind loyalty to inanimate objects or colors. IF I had to replace my 'big' green press next week it would be a red Classic Cast.

Condemning Lee's small, lower cost presses as 'junk' is silly; a LOT of people use them perfectly well for decades. How likely anything is to wear out or break depends a whole lot on how mechanically adept the user is and how intelligently he choses his tools for the task they will be asked to perform. Loading smallish quanities of handgun ammo does not require the mass of a cast iron press nor a costly progressive. Obviously, trying to load .416 Rem or reform .30-06 to .243 (yeah, I do that) on a small alloy press is also unwise but never blast the tool because the user hasn't a clue what he's doing with it.

Common sense is an uncommon virtue these days.

[sparky45]

"Back in the 50's RCBS A series of presses had a hollow ram and the spent primers go into it and from thence to a bucket on the floor. So Lee didn't invent the primers going out of the bottom of the ram."

The question isn't 'who developed a good way to handle spent primers'; at this point that's meaningless because it's no help. The question is who has it now and that would be Lee. RCBS abandoned the good system when they abandoned the A series presses.

Lee's Classic Cast and Classic Turrets are the best presses of their types currently available. My main press is a near perfect condition 25 year old RockChucker 2 but I know it's shortcomings and have no blind loyalty to inanimate objects or colors. IF I had to replace my 'big' green press next week it would be a red Classic Cast.

Condemning Lee's small, lower cost presses as 'junk' is silly; a LOT of people use them perfectly well for decades. How likely anything is to wear out or break depends a whole lot on how mechanically adept the user is and how intelligently he choses his tools for the task they will be asked to perform. Loading smallish quanities of handgun ammo does not require the mass of a cast iron press nor a costly progressive. Obviously, trying to load .416 Rem or reform .30-06 to .243 (yeah, I do that) on a small alloy press is also unwise but never blast the tool because the user hasn't a clue what he's doing with it.

Common sense is an uncommon virtue these days.

Very "pithy" 1hole; however, Lee HASN'T made a press that will prime a round on ANY of there progressive presses. AND, the low end presses are junky low grade cast AL with serious QC problems. The one press Lee makes that I use and like happens to be the breech-lock Challenger. It's a great press for decapping and for working up a load. Otherwise, "silly" or not I stand by my prior statement.

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.”
― Confucius

[dragon813gt]

One man's junk is another man's prize.


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[Char-Gar]

"Back in the 50's RCBS A series of presses had a hollow ram and the spent primers go into it and from thence to a bucket on the floor. So Lee didn't invent the primers going out of the bottom of the ram."

The question isn't 'who developed a good way to handle spent primers'; at this point that's meaningless because it's no help. The question is who has it now and that would be Lee. RCBS abandoned the good system when they abandoned the A series presses.

Lee's Classic Cast and Classic Turrets are the best presses of their types currently available. My main press is a near perfect condition 25 year old RockChucker 2 but I know it's shortcomings and have no blind loyalty to inanimate objects or colors. IF I had to replace my 'big' green press next week it would be a red Classic Cast.

Condemning Lee's small, lower cost presses as 'junk' is silly; a LOT of people use them perfectly well for decades. How likely anything is to wear out or break depends a whole lot on how mechanically adept the user is and how intelligently he choses his tools for the task they will be asked to perform. Loading smallish quanities of handgun ammo does not require the mass of a cast iron press nor a costly progressive. Obviously, trying to load .416 Rem or reform .30-06 to .243 (yeah, I do that) on a small alloy press is also unwise but never blast the tool because the user hasn't a clue what he's doing with it.

Common sense is an uncommon virtue these days.

A couple of items in response;

1. I was just resonding to Gears assertion that Lee "invented" the primer dropping out through the ram. There were other presses that did that, prior to Lee coming on line. I wan't tryhing to be helpful to anyone with current issues. I just trying to give a little clarity to the history of reloading presses.

2. Well, "silly" is in the eyes or ears of the individual, as well as the meaning of "junk". As you read and observe folks on this and other sites talking about their Lee equipment, there is much back and forth about how to fix or otherwise get the equipment to work propertly.

I hold the opinion, reloading equipment should work as it should right out of the box and continue to do so for the lifetime of the owner. That is that is the standard I use. Others may use other standards and that is their right.

To place the label of "silly" on the opinion of another, that is different from yours is well..silly. To impute brand loyality to their motives, is dismissive of the opinion of others that may be grounded in experience and not mere brand loyality.

I just simply relay my experience with reloading tools over the 55 years span of my experience with them. During that time, my experience with Lee stuff had not been positive. The equipment did not meet my standards as above mentioned. I don't feel it is silly for me to express that, nor does it come from any "color bias" about equipment. It is just simply the facts as I know them to be.

This is what we do on this site. We exchange information and experiences about reloading, bullet casting and the equipment used to do these things.

People can spend their reloading dollar any way their please, matter not to me, as it is not my money. When I spend my money it will not be for Lee equipment. Now is that silly?

[sargenv]

If you're going to try for a warranty claim I would not be mentioning swaging or this post.

A couple of years back when BT was making the modified CH dies, I had an early version of his die that messed up the lips of the ram of my RCII. I called RCBS for a replacement ram that I offered to pay for. They replaced it for free knowing full well that I was using the press for swaging. At that time I also picked up a swaging ram that Brian machined specifically for my use with his dies..

[sparky45]

Well stated Char-Gar. My opinion is based on usage, not color. I started with the Lee 1000 which worked most of the time, but was hampered by primer issues. My logical switch was to a Lee Loadmaster which worked some of the time but has multiple issues, the worst was a priming issue. Sold them all for a Dillon 650 and it runs almost all the time with an occassional hiccup with a primer issue(approx 1-2 per session). I have used Lyman T-mag with a good deal of success, but didn't meet my needs for handgun ammo. So, I have a little experience with various loaders and I still will assert that Lee presses are '"junk-esk", if that is even a word. If you don't believe me about primer/priming issues with the Lee progressive presses, go to "loadmastervideos" site and check out what is said about the #1 problem.

[1hole]

Note that I specifically addressed the sneering comments on Lee's "low end alloy presses", not their progressives.

Also understand that a lot of people obtain good service even with Lee's progressives. Given that the machines are the same with only the users being different strongly suggests to me the real problem isn't the machine! Saying "My in personal experience, I had trouble with this and that" is no valid evidence this and that is poorly made when so many others obviously disagree.

You may carry on.

[Char-Gar]

The only experience a person can relate with any authority and accuracy is their personal experience. I would not talk about your experience because I was not there to know all of the conditions and circumstances under which it took place.

Because of this "my" experience is the only experience that is meaningful to me.

[Lizard333]

No 'reloading' press is made for swaging bullets, that requires more pressure than reloading presses are built for but I understand that a lot of very knowledgable people are using Lee's Classic Cast to do it.

Not true. RCBS stands for "Rock Chuck Bullet Swager"

Didn't know this till a couple of months ago

My vote is for Dillon. Never had major problems. Good stuff.

[MT Chambers]

I'd go with Forster Co-ax first, then Redding, then RCBS, then anything but Lee.