Best thing since dry toilet paper!

[1Shirt]

Know that there a whole whoop of folks on this forum who are anything but fans of Lee products. Used to be that I was one of them! Times have changed and so have my opinions of some of the Lee products. Specificly, I have come to love the collet neck sizing dies, the factory crimp dies, and the per cal case trimmers. Over the last couple of years, and as finances has allowed, have bought one of each for each rifle ctg. that I load. The collet dies are fast, make cases like 303 Brit have greatly extended life, don't require lube etc.etc. etc. From experiance, I have found useing these dies, I have to trim on the average of every 5-6 loadings with cast. (Probably would be more with jacketed) Using the factory crimp dies, (I set them to crimp just a bit, and find that I seem to get slightly better accuracy than when I do not crimp, some more than others. (does vary accuracy wise from ctg. to ctg however). The trimmers I use in a battery charged 3/8" drill, on my lap, with a cloth to catch the cuttings. I also use a deburring tool for the outside of the neck when appreciable, but use a Forrester for that as the little lee deburring tool leaves something to be desired.

There are a few things about these products that could be improved regarding purchase however. Lee sells the single collet size die for a number of popular ctgs, but only with seating die at an increased price for less popular ctgs. Wish they would sell the individual dies for a larger percentage of the ctgs that I load for.

Am also fond of the push thru sizing dies for some things because of the ability of running blts base first, a plus for flat nose blts w/gc in my opinion.

Lastly, I have had good luck with lee molds in the last 3-4 years, with emphasis on the Ranch Dog molds, and the special order lee molds from Mid South. Some of the earlier ones I will admit had more than a few problems for some. I was lucky, as all my early ones were at least minimal satisfactory in handgun and round ball projectiles!

Lastly, am thankful that Lee is around as I firmly believe that because of them, the prices of competitor products is less than it would be if Lee were not in the market.

Anyhow, am sure that this thread will be flamed repeatedly, but for me, I use what works, and if it works, I try not to fix it.

1Shirt!:coffeecom:brokenima

[pdawg_shooter]

I am with you 1shirt, there are lots of Lee products I use.

[sqlbullet]

Lots of Lee stuff on my bench too. Definitely they are a benefit to the market.

[mpmarty]

+1 on LEE engineering excellence. I am a great fan of their collet crimp dies as well as their dead simple trim stuff. I wish the darn DeWalt batteries were cheaper.

[gandydancer]

there is not much lee makes that I don't have and use.. also had them make me some custom collet dies for my 250 donaldson ace 25 caliber 30" by 1" douglas bbl on a springfield action mfr in the 50"s by harvy donaldson. I call it my ugly rifle. GD

[44wcf]

I aggree with you. I have several collet dies and crimp dies aswell as push thruogh sizers.

[fatelk]

I use the Lee trimmers too, have a box full of them in different calibers.

Years ago I bought a rifle chambered in 30-06 Ackley Improved. I wasn't interested in wildcat calibers, and it had a custom barrel of unknown quality. I bought it just for the action, as I worked for a gunsmith at the time and thought I make a custom rifle out of it. It shot so good as is that it's still as it was. The reason I tell the story is that I was too cheap to buy '06AI dies and I had an old set of '06 collet dies. They work just as good for the improved '06 as they do for regular rounds.

[45-70 Chevroner]

I have a lot of Lee stuff as well. The lee case trimmers are great, I have one for each caliber I shoot. About two years ago I got a new single stage Lee breech lock press, to replace my old (very old) RCBS junior single stage. That old press will make a good starter press for one of my grand kids. I really do like Lees stuff at least most of it. I also have 3 Dillons two RL55Bs and a Square deal. If I had to replace them today I would not be able to afford them. I have heard good things and bad things about Lee's progressive's but have never used one.

[big dale]

I am surprised that no one has mentioned the priming tools yet. I have a whole cigar box full of them. I started with one of the little aluminium ones and used it till the handle broke off when it crystialized and I simply replaced it. When the second one did the same again I just bought another. I seem to recall that the red plastic one came with one of the target tools. I also have a couple of the ones with the round plasiic primer trays and keep one set up for small primers and the other for the large primers.

I also have a milk crate with a couple of dozen of the old 10 buck loading tools. The first reloading I ever did was while I was in high school back in the early 60's with one of those tools for the 38 Special. During the late 80's I bought three of the progressive 1000 presses so I could just leave one set up for 45 auto, One for 9mm and one for 44 mag at all times. Today I load just about everything on my lee classic turret.

I also have a whisky box full of the single and double cavity molds from the 70's and 80's. I also have a bunch of the six cavity mold blocks and about a dozen pair of handles for them. I am on my third 25/06 barrel with those collet neck sizing dies.

Sure am glad I don't have to figure how much I have spent on all of the Lee stuff for all these years.

Have fun with this stuff.

Big Dale

[WHITETAIL]

I also like the Lee factory crimper.
I have one in 45-70.:cbpour:

[JeffinNZ]

Lee collet and .303 Brit is the only way to go. I have cases, that I anneal often, run with reduced loads, that must have been loaded 80 times.

[geargnasher]

Lee makes a ton of affordable, good stuff for use to enjoy. They make a few things that are garbage, like their "chamfer" tools, but by and large they make handy, inexpensive things that in many cases can't even be had by other manufacturers.

I also maintain that Lee makes a few products that are the absolute best that can be had at any price like the Classic Turret press, the rifle FCD, primer pocked cleaner, Dead Length seater die, Classic Turret press, Collet rifle die sets, Breech-Lock hand press, Classic Turret press, you get the idea!

It would cost me five figures to own the equivalent items in one of the "Major" brands that I do in Lee.

Gear

[Jack Stanley]

No flames from here 1shirt , that's a nicely written post I think . I'm not one that sings the praises of LEEs stuff all the time but I do use some of it and I too am glad it's there .

I will not however attempt to trim a five gallon bucket of brass with their trimmer [smilie=l:

Jack

[Lizard333]

I just recently bought my first lee six banger a week ago and I absolutely love it!! Up toll now all my molds have been 2 cavity but you can really crank out some boolits with the six cavity. I was worried that I would have issues and have to "leement" the molds but after a thorough cleaning, it has been great!

[hk33ka1]

I can afford other brands, and I own other brands, but I find myself using Lee tools for a lot of my reloading needs.

[Bill Torzsok]

I am a big Fan of Lee precision producks they do a good job
along the lines of the KISS principle. They work well IMO.

[MtGun44]

Yep. Collet sizer and collet crimper are excellent and unique. Primer tools are pretty darned
good, too. No fan of LLA, but I know many love it and it is DEFINITELY a cheap entry into
the hobby. I have a lot of Lee stuff, but it is not always my favorite.

Go Lee!

Bill

[rintinglen]

I own and use a lot of Lee stuff, I don't care for their molds--I don't like Aluminum Molds period, regardless of who makes them, but I like the hand primers, their shell holder sets, their little hand press. I don't like their progressive presses, but the Classic Turret Press is nearly as good as Gear Makes it out to be.

[Hurricane]

Don't forget the Lee Reloading Manual. Both editions are full of useful information not found anywhere else. I especially like the chapters on cast bullets and methods to calculate the expected velocity of reduced loads. I am also a user of the dipper powder measures.

[frkelly74]

Their factory service is pretty darn good too, from my experience.

[EMC45]

Gotta love Lee.

[41 mag fan]

Wont own another one of their mold. Just not the quality I'm wanting. I'd rather pay more and get what I expect.
Their dies, and Classic Turret Press are good. I own several Lee dies, FCD's and the Classic Turret
Their Pro 1000 presses, I owned 1 and sent it back. Just not the quality I was hoping for.

[HammerMTB]

I started with their stuff in '79, just molds at the time. I've sold almost all the old single cav molds I had at the time, but they were consistent then, as now. Nowadays I have 2-5 gal buckets full of their molds. I have had to Lee-ment some, but most work right outta the box. I use a lot of their other stuff, too. Even my Loadmaster works, tho at times it can be frustrating. I have discovered most of its secrets now, so it spits out lots of pistol ammo in a hurry. No doubt they have been good to me in customer service and good for the reloading market.

[jonk]

LEE is a perfect example proving that the saying "You get what you pay for" isn't always true. Sometimes higher price just means.....you're getting ripped off.

Classic cast press in point. I have one of those and an RCBS Rockchucker. I prefer the Lee due to the 3 point mounting foot, spent primer removal tube, and more adjustable handle. And oh yes- half the price.

I like their dies for everyday reloading. If I were a benchrest shooter, I might go with Redding or something similar, but even then the Lee collet neck dies would probably still deserve a try at their price point.

Their molds are finicky and often need some attention, but I can't say that I haven't had similar issues with new production Lyman stuff. While CBE makes my overall favorite, for the price Lee comes in a close second.

Their scale, chamfer tool, and a few other things are junk. But most of their products do what the competitors' do at half the price. I'm not too proud to buy Lee stuff or the generic brand of canned corn- it's all the same, just cheaper.

[fishnbob]

I too have a lot of Lee equipment and their service is good. One difference I see is in the sizing dies, they don't size as accurately as dies from Buckshot. I have had to open up several of the Lees to get them to size "spot on" but Ol' Buckshot puts his 'dead on' if you tell him what your alloy is. That guy is amazing!

[Ronbo256]

Another happy LEE user, I have 5 of their presses, many sets of dies, a few molds and lead pot. I'd still be saving up if I had to buy a green or orange bottom pour pot. For fans of the classic cast press, I was on their site yesterday getting ready to order some parts for my 20+year old presses and they have the classic cast in the closeouts for 85 dollars. They are called seconds though.

[garym1a2]

Classic cast turrent press is the best item on my bench. The load master is serviceable but its primer feed needs improvment. I just still wished they made parts for the old handprimer. My handle broke.

[sabrecross03]

I agree. I primarily own Lee reloading products and the (49th) manual. From casting to sizing to priming and loading, it is well within my budget. I've had great results with their liquid alox in 5 different calibers.

[Shedhunter]

I agree with you, I started out reloading with one of their kits and it serves it purpose. I still use the press for sizing boolits. Chamfer tool is a turd but many of their tools are very useful. I have many of their molds now, good way to get hooked on this new casting hobby.

[fryboy]

Classic cast turrent press is the best item on my bench. The load master is serviceable but its primer feed needs improvment. I just still wished they made parts for the old handprimer. My handle broke.

a few places still have either the handles or links in stock ;) ( well they did until i posted this here lolz )

http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm?contentID=productDetail&brand=LE&prodID=LEE90087&prodTitle=Lee%20Auto%20Prime%20Replacement%20Lever


also of note they have released a ummm improved loadmaster primer chutes

http://leeprecision.com/xcart/On-Press-Priming-c-7465/


most of lee's stuff works , some better than anything else and some only adequately but at the very least that much , indeed mr. lee has helped many a poor boy and quite a few thrifty better heeled fellows get a start and expand their reloading use and knowledge , while i use a variety of products from all sorts of sources as long as i dont pay lee's retail prices most of them are bargains ( many places sell the lee stuff cheaper than lee does as they have too to not cut their dealer's throats ) it does pay to shop around and compare prices AND shipping in the final equation

[MBTcustom]

Lee has brains, period. They may use the cheapest material available, and might not be very pretty at times, but they think outside the box! No other company is investing so much in R&D and Lee not only provides new products but reinvents old ones in ways that should have been done years ago by their competitors. the very fact that RCBS, Hornady, Redding, Lyman, and all the others continue to charge outrageous prices for 50 year old technology, while stubbornly refusing to come up with new products, tells me that the brains have died long ago and these companies are now being run by parasites that are riding on the name. I support Lee products both because I can afford to use them, and because I respect cutting edge technology.
Aluminum molds are finicky but easy to work with, the collet neck sizer dies are an embarrassment to all the name brand companies because they are so simple and yet so effective that competition shooters are adding that piece to their super expensive collection of dies, and finally, the factory crimp die, can any body say duh? of course thats what we wanted all along!!! Why did it take so long for some company to realize the fortune that was waiting to be made with this simple invention? Any other company could have come up with that idea and sold it for 10 times the price that Lee sells it for, but Lee did it first, and they dont even need a patent because none of their competitors could make it so cheap!
The bottom line is, that when Lee comes up with a new revolutionary idea, they put it in my hands for a price that I can afford, and that buys my loyalty. My kid needs diapers, I get about $50 a month extra to spend on this BS, and Lee gets me shooting on that budget, and they have been doing it for years.

[MikeS]

I too have lots of Lee stuff. I think they make a good product at a fair price. Some of their stuff is junk, some is great, you just need to know which is which so you can buy the good stuff, and leave the junk behind.

Speaking of Lee stuff, does anyone know if the Lee bullet feeder will work on other presses than their progressives? From the pix of it, it looks like it mounts by a piece that goes under the seating die (between die & press). If it can be used on other presses, and works with cast boolits, I might go ahead and buy one.

[1Shirt]

Some interesting responses about Lee. I am still using some Herters dies as well , that I bought over 40 years ago.
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[Wrbjr]

Ditto on Kudos to Lee Manufacturing. I have their molds, pistol and rifle dies... sizers... and the classic turret press. Lee is definitely a great company and has it's place in the industry for sure.

[hiram1]

Lee has done me right more than one time

[oldfart1956]

Glad to see this post. I just sent an e-mail to Lee thanking them for their service. Ordered 2 molds & a case trimmer on Sunday night and recieved it Thurs. at noon. Shipping was $5. I've probably got a dozen of their molds. Never had a problem with any of them. One complaint would be the priming tool requiring a proprietary shell holder...hate that. On the upside they give ya a shellholder with the dies. Does anyone else do that? I don't even bother to price shop for stuff...I just order it right from Lee. Nice friendly folks, easy website to navigate, secure ordering, stuff usually available. Whats not to like? Audie...the frugal Oldfart..

[steg]

If it wasn't for LEE moulds, I know that I wouldn't have the varieties that I own, and I like em all, Classic press, shotshell press, dies, you name it, when I got my LEE Classic press, my RCBS press was soon relegated to back up press, and I thought it was going to be the other way around...steg

[max range]

I too am a LEE fan. I have Saeco, RCBS, Dillon, Lyman, Redding, Forrester etc. I began loading with a used Lyman Spartan press and a set of 38/357 LEE dies. I recently ordered one of their Hardness Testing Kits and was quite satisfied.
This year, I came full circle when I dug out an old LEE hand primer with a yellowed tray cover. It worked flawlessly after 20 years of dust and neglect. My RCBS one started sticking and jamming and I grew tired of throwing parts at it. I think it was just worn out.

My LEE hand press I gave to an apartment dwelling friend who has loaded a thousand rounds with it after I loaded a thousand with it.

I like LEE, but then I like all reloading/casting equipment.

[Bullet Caster]

I too am a fan of Lee Precision reloading stuff. If it weren't for Lee, I could not reload. They make good equipment and since I'm new to reloading, I could only affort to buy Lee. I've learned from the posts on this site what to and what not to buy from Lee. As I begin to load for an AK-47 I will be ordering the collet dies and they're guarenteed for life. Just can't beat that. CB

[fredj338]

I find a lot of Lee's stuff hit or miss. Their bullet molds, you get a good one, they work, a bad one,the don't. Thier reloading dies are decent, I wouldn't own a LFCD for any caliber, well, matbe 357sig, but haven't tried one. FOr other handgun calibers, just a solution looking for a problem. I have found, at elast in 45acp, accuracy suffers using plated or softer lead bullets.