ok, this question clearly shows i am (or soon to be) new to reloading. i've been wanting to begin reloading as a new hobby. i had heard that the lee deluxe kit was a good starter. then just get the dies for what i shoot. so i put it on my birthday list to my wife. now it seems most all i read about here is rcbs. did i screw up? should i have told her rcbs instead of lee? words of wisdom, experience and advice are appreciated. thanks!
- Thread starter hoytshooter
- Start date
Re: lee vs rcbs
Nothing wrong with Lee dies, I have several sets of Lee collet dies and they make some very accurate ammo. I also have at least ten sets of RCBS dies, anything I buy or load now I use Redding dies. I think Lee are the most inexpensive then RCBS and then Redding, they will all load good ammo but you can see the difference in quality between all three based on price.
You'll be fine with the Lee starter kit and once you get more experienced with reloading you can upgrade from there.
Nothing wrong with Lee dies, I have several sets of Lee collet dies and they make some very accurate ammo. I also have at least ten sets of RCBS dies, anything I buy or load now I use Redding dies. I think Lee are the most inexpensive then RCBS and then Redding, they will all load good ammo but you can see the difference in quality between all three based on price.
You'll be fine with the Lee starter kit and once you get more experienced with reloading you can upgrade from there.
Re: lee vs rcbs
I have thousands of $$$ worth of reloading equipment. I like Forster and Redding dies, but I could load excellent, accurate ammo on the Lee Challenger Kit if that was all I had. I think my chrono is the most important piece of reloading equipment I own.
TC
I have thousands of $$$ worth of reloading equipment. I like Forster and Redding dies, but I could load excellent, accurate ammo on the Lee Challenger Kit if that was all I had. I think my chrono is the most important piece of reloading equipment I own.
TC
Re: lee vs rcbs
for the price diffrance i say lee, its all i use period, iam no super match winner but for the price you cannot beat it
for the price diffrance i say lee, its all i use period, iam no super match winner but for the price you cannot beat it
Re: lee vs rcbs
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: black_ump</div><div class="ubbcode-body">for the price diffrance i say lee, its all i use period, iam no super match winner but for the price you cannot beat it </div></div>
and you can always upgrade as your skills get better.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: black_ump</div><div class="ubbcode-body">for the price diffrance i say lee, its all i use period, iam no super match winner but for the price you cannot beat it </div></div>
and you can always upgrade as your skills get better.
Re: lee vs rcbs
i thought rcbs rockchucker kit was a good starter for a bargain price. can you go anywhere and see both side by side? all the people i asked that reload in my area or small circle that i surveyed said rcbs so thats where i aimed myself. i bought a redding comp seater die and i really like that. solid unit there. next purchase will be redding dies, 308 3 die set
i thought rcbs rockchucker kit was a good starter for a bargain price. can you go anywhere and see both side by side? all the people i asked that reload in my area or small circle that i surveyed said rcbs so thats where i aimed myself. i bought a redding comp seater die and i really like that. solid unit there. next purchase will be redding dies, 308 3 die set
Re: lee vs rcbs
If you are going to load only straight wall pistol cases then a Lee would be a good choice. But I really don't care for Lee presses when it comes to anything that requires much force. Of the several I have had, they have all been traded off.
If you are going to load only straight wall pistol cases then a Lee would be a good choice. But I really don't care for Lee presses when it comes to anything that requires much force. Of the several I have had, they have all been traded off.
Re: lee vs rcbs
The Lee classic cast press is an excellent press. The lee AL bodied presses aren't very good.
If your wife can swing it, the RCBS Rockchucker Supreme starter kit is the way to go.
Lee pistol dies are GTG and I use them for my 44 mag and 357 more than I use my carbide 9mm and 10mm dies from RCBS (I shoot more 347 and 44 mag than the other 2). Carbide is the only way to go for pistol dies.
For rifle dies I LOVE the seating die in the Lee kits and RCBS dies are straighter and produce straighter ammo from what I've measured.
Redding dies are excellent.
For sizing rifle dies you can't go wrong with the Lee Collet dies though, they're great bargains for how well they work and the going price.
Welcome to the addiction. I don't spend any less money than I did before reloading, I just shoot a lot more. Be prepared to make new friends when they find out you can reload...
The Lee classic cast press is an excellent press. The lee AL bodied presses aren't very good.
If your wife can swing it, the RCBS Rockchucker Supreme starter kit is the way to go.
Lee pistol dies are GTG and I use them for my 44 mag and 357 more than I use my carbide 9mm and 10mm dies from RCBS (I shoot more 347 and 44 mag than the other 2). Carbide is the only way to go for pistol dies.
For rifle dies I LOVE the seating die in the Lee kits and RCBS dies are straighter and produce straighter ammo from what I've measured.
Redding dies are excellent.
For sizing rifle dies you can't go wrong with the Lee Collet dies though, they're great bargains for how well they work and the going price.
Welcome to the addiction. I don't spend any less money than I did before reloading, I just shoot a lot more. Be prepared to make new friends when they find out you can reload...
Re: lee vs rcbs
I worked as a sales representative for the largest distributor of hunting and fishing equipment that exists. I sold a tremendous amount of reloading equipment. My company represented all the brands of reloading equipment.
Hands down the RCBS is better equipment. I had very few returns of RCBS reloading equipment, and most returns were user error, however RCBS still stood behind even the user error problems.
I returned more Lee equipment than all the other manufacturers combined, and probably close to 10 times more returns of Lee products. Lee is a great company and their customer service is fantastic, They will stand behind their product. However I prefer my equipment to be operational on my bench, not in the mail for return.
The old addage is you get what you pay for. This rings particulary true in reloading equipment. RCBS, Hornady, or even Lyman is not that much more expensive. Buy good quality to start with and you will never need to replace them in your lifetime, and probably your kids lifetime. Tom.
I worked as a sales representative for the largest distributor of hunting and fishing equipment that exists. I sold a tremendous amount of reloading equipment. My company represented all the brands of reloading equipment.
Hands down the RCBS is better equipment. I had very few returns of RCBS reloading equipment, and most returns were user error, however RCBS still stood behind even the user error problems.
I returned more Lee equipment than all the other manufacturers combined, and probably close to 10 times more returns of Lee products. Lee is a great company and their customer service is fantastic, They will stand behind their product. However I prefer my equipment to be operational on my bench, not in the mail for return.
The old addage is you get what you pay for. This rings particulary true in reloading equipment. RCBS, Hornady, or even Lyman is not that much more expensive. Buy good quality to start with and you will never need to replace them in your lifetime, and probably your kids lifetime. Tom.
Re: lee vs rcbs
bought a challenger kit over a year ago and have been very satisfied with it. I've loaded over 2500 45 acp. and 400 300 win mag with no problem (except for a sore arm lol.)their dies are great for the money and in the 300 win I have been able to produce extremely accurate rounds.
bought a challenger kit over a year ago and have been very satisfied with it. I've loaded over 2500 45 acp. and 400 300 win mag with no problem (except for a sore arm lol.)their dies are great for the money and in the 300 win I have been able to produce extremely accurate rounds.
Re: lee vs rcbs
" it seems most all i read about here is rcbs. did i screw up? should i have told her rcbs instead of lee? words of wisdom, experience and advice are appreciated."
45 years of reloading experience with a lot of different brands and models of loading tools says you did fine.
Both Lee and RCBS make both alum alloy and steel/cast iron presess. For equal types, their performance and strengths are equal. I have an RCBS Rock Chucker now but IF I had to replace it tomorrow I'd save money by getting the better designed, stronger Lee Classic Cast single stage press.
I've measured ammo from a lot of die brands, made chamber casts of a lot of sizers. Generally find as much variation in the tolerances between dies of the same maker as between makers. Never been able to make the average performance of any brand better than others, and Lord knows I tried! Well, except...
Forster and Redding BR/Comp rifle dies (ONLY) offer a real accuracy advantage over common dies but, on averagae, there's not a lot of difference even then. It takes a highly experienced and knowledgable loader and a very accurate rifle to see any difference. I would never suggest a newbie pay the high cost of either of those expemsive dies but I prefer the Forsters.
" it seems most all i read about here is rcbs. did i screw up? should i have told her rcbs instead of lee? words of wisdom, experience and advice are appreciated."
45 years of reloading experience with a lot of different brands and models of loading tools says you did fine.
Both Lee and RCBS make both alum alloy and steel/cast iron presess. For equal types, their performance and strengths are equal. I have an RCBS Rock Chucker now but IF I had to replace it tomorrow I'd save money by getting the better designed, stronger Lee Classic Cast single stage press.
I've measured ammo from a lot of die brands, made chamber casts of a lot of sizers. Generally find as much variation in the tolerances between dies of the same maker as between makers. Never been able to make the average performance of any brand better than others, and Lord knows I tried! Well, except...
Forster and Redding BR/Comp rifle dies (ONLY) offer a real accuracy advantage over common dies but, on averagae, there's not a lot of difference even then. It takes a highly experienced and knowledgable loader and a very accurate rifle to see any difference. I would never suggest a newbie pay the high cost of either of those expemsive dies but I prefer the Forsters.
Re: lee vs rcbs
Well you get what you pay for but you should only pay for what you need?
I started with the basic Lee stuff. A helpful guy in the gunshop got me to buy a better set of scales but everything else was basic and actually very good.
Since then I have changed my dies but now use a Lee collet die which is a fantastic bit of kit for the money. I also use a Redding body die and eventually went for a Redding competition seater die. This makes excellent ammuntion. To make decent ammunition an RCBS standard seater would be fine. The other thing I bought recently was an RCBS gauge - you don't need one but it helped me work out what worked and what didn't.
Is RCBS etc etc better made. Yes probably but so what? Why do I need a better press? I don't - the dies should do the work and achieve all the alignments. I like my Lee beacuse in some ways it is a bit sloppy so the case can shift about a bit and align itself with the die. If 'fit for purpose' is the game then the Lee is ideal. If someone wants to buy the others because the quality of the engineering is better then that's cool as we all have to buy into our kit.
My choice was to spend more money on quality control so I could see what I was producing and better dies to get better product. Its not necessary though, it depends on what you are doing.
The single best bang for the buck was the Lee Collet die set. I would buy another lee press and case trimmer, primer seater etc tomorrow.
A
Well you get what you pay for but you should only pay for what you need?
I started with the basic Lee stuff. A helpful guy in the gunshop got me to buy a better set of scales but everything else was basic and actually very good.
Since then I have changed my dies but now use a Lee collet die which is a fantastic bit of kit for the money. I also use a Redding body die and eventually went for a Redding competition seater die. This makes excellent ammuntion. To make decent ammunition an RCBS standard seater would be fine. The other thing I bought recently was an RCBS gauge - you don't need one but it helped me work out what worked and what didn't.
Is RCBS etc etc better made. Yes probably but so what? Why do I need a better press? I don't - the dies should do the work and achieve all the alignments. I like my Lee beacuse in some ways it is a bit sloppy so the case can shift about a bit and align itself with the die. If 'fit for purpose' is the game then the Lee is ideal. If someone wants to buy the others because the quality of the engineering is better then that's cool as we all have to buy into our kit.
My choice was to spend more money on quality control so I could see what I was producing and better dies to get better product. Its not necessary though, it depends on what you are doing.
The single best bang for the buck was the Lee Collet die set. I would buy another lee press and case trimmer, primer seater etc tomorrow.
A
Re: lee vs rcbs
One word of advice, don't use that junk Lee powder balance. I've tried my best and I can't get it to keep a zero for any length of time.
A friend of mine insisted that it only gets used once in a while and it's not worth the extra 30 bucks to him to get the Lyman or RCBS. He's now bought an RCBS because he realized how many hours the two of us have spent trying to make it repeatable.
One word of advice, don't use that junk Lee powder balance. I've tried my best and I can't get it to keep a zero for any length of time.
A friend of mine insisted that it only gets used once in a while and it's not worth the extra 30 bucks to him to get the Lyman or RCBS. He's now bought an RCBS because he realized how many hours the two of us have spent trying to make it repeatable.
Re: lee vs rcbs
I use RCBS dies for all my reloading. They make some very accurate reloads in all my factory rifles. My next rifle will probably be a custom .308 and I will upgrade to Redding dies at that time. Having said that I use a Lee decapping die so I can deprime prior to cleaning so the primer pockets get scrubbed too and it is great. The pin is in a collet so if you get a tough primer the pin will slide up without breaking and you just loosen the nut on top and slide the pin back in place. Very well thought out die. I also use the Lee crimp die for my 454 Casull which requires a heavy crimp for consistent accurate reloads and the crimp die makes heavy crimps perfect every time. Any time I need a crimp on my ammo I would get a Lee crimp die. Alot of guys I know swear by the Lee collet dies. You can't go wrong with either and you can always upgrade as your skill increases.
I use RCBS dies for all my reloading. They make some very accurate reloads in all my factory rifles. My next rifle will probably be a custom .308 and I will upgrade to Redding dies at that time. Having said that I use a Lee decapping die so I can deprime prior to cleaning so the primer pockets get scrubbed too and it is great. The pin is in a collet so if you get a tough primer the pin will slide up without breaking and you just loosen the nut on top and slide the pin back in place. Very well thought out die. I also use the Lee crimp die for my 454 Casull which requires a heavy crimp for consistent accurate reloads and the crimp die makes heavy crimps perfect every time. Any time I need a crimp on my ammo I would get a Lee crimp die. Alot of guys I know swear by the Lee collet dies. You can't go wrong with either and you can always upgrade as your skill increases.
Re: lee vs rcbs
There is nothing wrong w/ the lee I have loaded very accurate ammo w/ it. But if you want the best get all redding components for 7/8 x 14 style or all wilson for inline. Buy the best once and its cheeper in the long run.
There is nothing wrong w/ the lee I have loaded very accurate ammo w/ it. But if you want the best get all redding components for 7/8 x 14 style or all wilson for inline. Buy the best once and its cheeper in the long run.
Re: lee vs rcbs
You could just tell the wife to order the RCBS ChargeMaster Combo and a Redding Boss or Big Boss press, depending on what size you need. Order a Sinclair catalog and buy everything else yourself. In a year or two when you would otherwise be getting a ChargeMaster, you'd be replacing the beam scale and powder measure. The RCBS press isn't what it used to be and may be larger than you want. Most of the rest of the stuff in the kit you'll replace nearly immediately, although the hand-held priming tool is a good one. Redding and Forster have the better dies.
I can't recommend kits. Most of them are bad buys for what you get. The exception has been the RCBS RockChucker kit (but none of the other RCBS kits), but their new press makes it dubious. And the electronic scale/powder dispenser is the future rapidly approaching the present.
In Lee equipment I can highly recommend the powder dippers (if you have an application for them) and the primer-pocket tool. Neither has any moving parts.
Spend wisely and spend once.
You could just tell the wife to order the RCBS ChargeMaster Combo and a Redding Boss or Big Boss press, depending on what size you need. Order a Sinclair catalog and buy everything else yourself. In a year or two when you would otherwise be getting a ChargeMaster, you'd be replacing the beam scale and powder measure. The RCBS press isn't what it used to be and may be larger than you want. Most of the rest of the stuff in the kit you'll replace nearly immediately, although the hand-held priming tool is a good one. Redding and Forster have the better dies.
I can't recommend kits. Most of them are bad buys for what you get. The exception has been the RCBS RockChucker kit (but none of the other RCBS kits), but their new press makes it dubious. And the electronic scale/powder dispenser is the future rapidly approaching the present.
In Lee equipment I can highly recommend the powder dippers (if you have an application for them) and the primer-pocket tool. Neither has any moving parts.
Spend wisely and spend once.
Re: lee vs rcbs
There is no Lee verses RCBS . It's a no contest fight.
RCBS is much better then Lee . It is more expensive also .
Lee make some useful stuff and for the price is quite popular however if you want better quality and don't mind paying a bit more then Go RCBS press , Redding dies.
I totally agree with Winchester 69 in as much as kits are not that great. You get a few good articles and the other tools are ordinary. It's way better in the long run to start slow do a lot of research and buy the best gear seperately.
Buy the best a cry once.
There is no Lee verses RCBS . It's a no contest fight.
RCBS is much better then Lee . It is more expensive also .
Lee make some useful stuff and for the price is quite popular however if you want better quality and don't mind paying a bit more then Go RCBS press , Redding dies.
I totally agree with Winchester 69 in as much as kits are not that great. You get a few good articles and the other tools are ordinary. It's way better in the long run to start slow do a lot of research and buy the best gear seperately.
Buy the best a cry once.
Re: lee vs rcbs
well thanks to all of you for your input. sounds like the "kit" may not be the way to start. and lee, ok to start at best. well, maybe she didn't get one for me anyway. i occasionally see a collection of equipment up for sale here on the hide. i guess if she didn't i will be snatching up the next one i can afford. i plan on loading mostly for my 10mil, 40 cal and 223/5.56 pistols and .308 and 30.06 rifles. then maybe some others i shoot less often. i'm not loading for competition, just love to shoot and hunt and enjoy anything related to firearms. a lot for me to learn and develop and i am grateful for all the wisdom shared on the hide. thanks again!
well thanks to all of you for your input. sounds like the "kit" may not be the way to start. and lee, ok to start at best. well, maybe she didn't get one for me anyway. i occasionally see a collection of equipment up for sale here on the hide. i guess if she didn't i will be snatching up the next one i can afford. i plan on loading mostly for my 10mil, 40 cal and 223/5.56 pistols and .308 and 30.06 rifles. then maybe some others i shoot less often. i'm not loading for competition, just love to shoot and hunt and enjoy anything related to firearms. a lot for me to learn and develop and i am grateful for all the wisdom shared on the hide. thanks again!
