I just tried the new Lee Breech Block press...

[newfoundlander]

I have to admit I poo-pooed the Lee Breech Block when I first saw it advertsied a year ago. I couldn't understand why Lee would introduce such an item when it had such a great product in the Lee classic Cast which only costs a few dollars extra. All of that changed this afternoon after helping a friend's son set up his first press. I thought he had purchased the old Anniversary kit and was surprised to see the press wasn't the older Challenger. I knew the Lee BB was a completely new offering and had little in common with its more light weight projenitor. Once I had the press mounted I was surprsied at how stout it felt. While FLS 50 .30-06 cases I found zero perceivable flex yet it offered great feedback while priming. The press's opening is much larger than the challenger but it still is canted for easy access. The Classic Cast's used pimer routing sytem is a welcome carry over as are the anti-rollover stops. The die holder system is cute and seems to work as described but not really necessary. At best the removeable die holders are a bonus.

While there are plenty of strong well constructed presses on the market what sets the Lee BB apart is its weight and price. The only other comaprable press is the RCBS RS5 which costs more and lacks most features of the Lee. If you're looking for a strong, affordable and very portable press I would suggest looking at the Lee. The Lee CC costs only a few bucks more than the BB but it's hardly as portable. If you're not doing any heavy swageing or radical case forming check out the Lee Breech Block.

[Ghugly]

I helped a friend set one up a couple of months ago. He was just starting to cast and reload and that is what he bought. We loaded a couple of hundred 9MM Makarovs with it (not a tough test) and I didn't see any flaws. Seemed to work just great and the price was pretty tough to beat. Lee is pretty good that way.

[35remington]

Some terms didn't sound right here, or, I thought maybe Lee had developed an iron O frame Classic Cast taking the Breech Lock system.

I just looked at the Lee website.

They offer the Classic Cast

They offer the Breech Lock Challenger press.

They don't appear to offer a "Breech Block", so this wasn't a new combination of the Classic Cast and the Breech Lock Challenger.

It's still the aluminum frame Challenger with the Breech Lock setup.
Nothing new - it's the year old announcement.