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MikaelR

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Posts posted by MikaelR

    Lee Press

    in Miscellaneous BEginners

    Posted

    My take on the LEE, I've got two of them one for 9mm and the other for .38.

    I have always stood up for LEE, I think they make a darn good press for the money and I've been fairly happy with mine.

    Don't know how much I've loaded with them, the 9mm being the most used, but guessing just above 5000. The only problem I've had with mine is when I took a long break from shooting and was about to load up some more rounds. Well, them 15years of collecting dust didnt really do it good, but after a thorough cleaning it has run great. :)

    All that being said... I plan on visiting a friend any evening now and take a look at his 650, so I guess the little red wont be with me that much longer.

    There are alot of money to be saved if you don't mind the occasional hiccups(primer feed being the biggest, but if kept clean and indexed no problem), money that can be set aside for bullets, primers and powder.

    BUT, if you after a year or two is going to "upgrade" to a blue, well then it's wasted money on the LEE.

    If you don't have a friend that can show it to you, look around there are Loads of reviews of it. And remember, we all have beliefs we swear by, some more then others :devil:

    A nice cup of coffee...

    in What I Like

    Posted

    ... and a long youtube session! :)

    Got up this morning and thought "Lets see if there's some new clips", well, a couple cups later and a rumbling stomach I realize it's about time to shut it down :)

    One of the better ones:

    From "way back" in -86, this was my 2nd Europe show :)

    Top 5 Favorite Albums of All Time

    in Books, Movies, TV & Music

    Posted

    Wow, it's really hard to list the top five, I'll try list the Five most important ones for me. Perhaps not the best ones since some have led me to a group/artist that later released an even better album or that already had one out I'd discover later on.

    Europe - Wings of tomorrow -84

    Such a great album that was followed by, "The final countdown" a couple years later. Two really great albums I still listen to alot and that really turned me on to Europe and of course their guitarist John Norum. Unfortunatley John Norum left after that tour and for me Europe as a band ceased to exist. Sure they made some pretty good songs with Kee on guitar, but Norum had become my "house god" together with Gary and was impossible to replace.

    Gary Moore - Wild frontier -87

    This was my first real contact with Gary and after hearing The loner, I was stuck. He was a great guitarist and my biggest influence. Unfortunatley I only got to see him once, but that summer night hearing him play the blues, such a perfect night. When he passed this february, it was a great loss :(

    John Norum - Total control -87

    I was extremely bummed after he left Europe, but really soon after the departure rumours started that he was about to go solo. When Total Control came, darn not only did he play like a king, he also had a voice to match. He has released great albums in his own name ever since and the latest one, "Play yard blues" is such a masterpiece. He suffered a great loss when his wife Michelle Meldrum died (guitarist with Phantom Blue and Meldrum)and that have resulted in a couple oh so emotional songs.

    Whitesnake - 1987 -87

    Just a kick-ass album, nothing but great rock'n roll and I dont think I'd listened to them if it wasn't for that album.

    Europe - Start from the dark -04

    Got to see their reunion show(or actually they had played a gig in Norway a couple nights before) at Sweden Rock Festival -04 with John on guitar and that night was magical. Had been waiting for that moment for 18years and when "Start from the dark" came later that year, it was such a great comeback.

    Some other ones i think deserve to be mentioned even if it's not what was asked for.

    Testament - The new order

    Metallica - The black album

    Ghost - Opus eponymous

    Satyricon - The age of nero

    Opeth - Watershed

    ... and the list could go on and on and on and on a...

    Best training DVD's?

    in Training Techniques

    Posted

    It's all been said already, but I'll voice my opinion anyway ;)

    DAA's (www.doublealpha.biz) Theater is a great way to kill time. Saul's Master Class dvd's is great.

    And besides the tutorial dvd's, there are Loads of match videos :)

    I've also seen a couple of Burketts and they are also good.

    CZ Czechmate Pistol

    in CZ

    Posted

    Mikael,

    Yes, I bought the full package: Three barrels, conversion parts to morph a Standard pistol, and other assorted "goodies."

    Sorry, I'm not much into photography; but, I have a shooting buddy who does that sort of thing. So, I'll ask him if he is willing. It may take some time.

    Two other things have cropped up: (1) I forgot that all my holsters are for STI/SVA pistols. So, I just dropped another unexpected $300 for a Double Alpha RaceMaster holster (that I still will have to modify the SP01 block to accept the TS frame), belt, and extra block for a CZ75. And, (2) I've gotten used to using the Quinn 90-degree mount for the C-more...the upright postion now seems very awkward. Oh, Lord, the Law of unintended Consequences is harsh!

    But, I'm still happy!!

    A-G

    Sounds great, hope he'll be up for some photography :)

    Would be nice hear what you think about the Racemaster, been thinking about it for my Shadow. Got the DAA PDR lowride now and really like it. But keep on wanting the RM :rolleyes:

    Perhaps a bit OT, but hopefully the ts wont mind to much :blush:

    CZ Czechmate Pistol

    in CZ

    Posted

    @All-Gator, If you find the time please take a bunch of phtotos of the gun and post them. The Czechmate is such a beauty :wub:

    Did you buy the whole set with extra barrels and all?

    Perhaps thats the only way it's available so far?

    Is the Lee product as bad as they say?

    in non-Dillon Reloading Equipment

    Posted

    I just got into reloading this year myself. Had to decide on the press question also. Many in my club recommended Dillion, Hornady, etc. I am a tinkerer so adjustments are not alien to me. My caliber of choice I had to load was 9x23mm. While it costs almost the same as 9mm for components the factory ammo is way up there ($40/box +). I save all my expensive factory Win brass and then was offered a lot of new brass by a fellow competitor (1100+ primed Win and 485 Starline). Based on whether I really wanted to reload and price I opted for a Lee Pro 1000 with a set of 9mm dies for $143 from Midway. That way I had only a little invested. I got it working within 24 hours. Yes it has had a few issues but they were easy to work around. I figured out the primer issue and now I can load till the primer feed gets down to less than 10 in the tube before reloading the tray. However having seen a few squibs in matches I tend to be kind of anal so I check each turn of the shell plate to make sure the primer feed lever gets clicked to put one in place and I visually inspect the shell when it gets to the bullet station to see that it has the correct amount of powder. If not I dump it back in the powderfeed, but that only happens maybe once in 200 rounds or so. Key is seems to be making sure the chain has barely any slack at rest. Right now I'm using 5.6g of Unique behind a Rainier Leadfree 125g FMJ RN as a steel load. It was my first attempt at a lower power load (off the 38 Super table) and it worked very well. Since there is no case gauge for 9x23 I use the barrel of my gun for testing every round and mike the length to a preferred 1.255" (although 1.252-1.258 works without any real variation).

    I'm sure I could load faster with a better press but I doubt I would get any better results. And since I'm saving close to $25/box over factory ammo it only took me about 300 rounds to break even. It would have taken much more If I'd bought a Dillon but by now I'd be ahead there also.

    However if I was reloading massively for both practice and matches I'd have most likely opted for a Dillion. But for maybe 200-300/month for practice and matches the Lee works fine.

    If you have problem with one in 200, I'd say there is something wrong.

    Try even more tension on the chain, when I've got mine in bottom position, the chain has rather much tension on it. And thats why the little spring is such a "godsend", earlier the chain broke alot, but with the spring it's possible to tighten it some more (always a good idea to keep a spare chain or thwo though) :)

    I do as you and visually check each case before seating a bullet and I havent seen a case without or just a little powder for as long as I can remember on my pro1000 :)

    Is the Lee product as bad as they say?

    in non-Dillon Reloading Equipment

    Posted

    This line of thinking (I hear a lot) I often wonder if these same people buy the cheapest guns possible (High point, Ravens) or do they buy nicer higher end guns? I wonder what kind of cars they drive, do they have a rust bucket? or did they buy a nice car? Because that line of thinking takes only the price in the equation. Its all about the price........ pride of ownership or how well it works has nothing to do with anything.

    I reload because I like it - I enjoy the process, I can reload to relax and be involved in shooting sports when I cant shoot. Being able to load on machines that have less overall problems make reloading more enjoyable. Just like buying a nice M1 Garand, over an SKS - yes both shoot buy I enjoy the M1 much more.

    I cant answer for anyone else but me.

    I'd say nothing if the Lee was crap and nothing but problems while reloading, if it was so much worse then other presses.

    BUT for me, Lee offer what I need at a price that'll make me spend more time doing what is the most fun.

    "pride of ownership or how well it works has nothing to do with anything"

    So you say that you buy a expensive press just to be able to say you have it?

    Why would it be more fun to reload with a blue press just because it'll cost 300$ more?

    I really enjoy the process of reloading and trying out different loads on my cheap press.

    But sure, if you have more money then you can spend, fine go nuts and waste them.

    To me I'd rather buy what I need and dont care what colour/brand it is or what other people think about it.

    Can I buy something to a lower cost without cutting down on my demands, I'll sure buy it :)

    As to what kind of car, guns, guitars etc I use... I use good quality gear not the most expensive so probably not good enough for some but good enough for me ;)

    Is the Lee product as bad as they say?

    in non-Dillon Reloading Equipment

    Posted

    I've been using Pro1000 for 9mm and 38/357 and I dont have any problem with them.

    Sure, the priming Can be a pain if you dont watch out. Always make sure primers are lined up in the "tube" and keep it clean and indexed.

    So if you just pay attention you can have a good press for close to no money and thus be able to spend the rest of your hard earned cash on bullets/powder/primers and isnt that a Whole lot more fun? ;)

    The thing that make me think about either get the loadmaster or some other press with four-five stations is that I miss the chance to use a powder check, when loading 9's there's no problem to see if you have powder. But for .38's its a bit tricky.

    I've had no problems with missing powder but a friend of mine have had some problems with squibs. If he's just clumsy of if it's the fact he's got the old powder measure I'll leave unsaid (but guessing on the latter ;) ).

    I have no problem whatsoever to recommend Lee to my friends :)

    They run great as long as you set it up properly and watch the primers!

    Best Realoader

    in 9mm/38 Caliber

    Posted

    Welcome to the djungle of reloading! :)

    There are as many thought on reloading as there are reloaders "use this", "dont use that", "do this", "do NOT do that" etc etc... ;)

    Of course there are lots of things to learn from those who been around for awhile and it's hard to know who actually know and who think he knows.

    I will not claim to know anything of importance and will gladly leave all the tips 'n tricks to those who are better suited.

    Can't say I've heard much bad about Dillon at all. Most seem to like them very much and would never consider another brand.

    I've also been thinking about it, but to me the pricing is a bit to much.

    If you want something a bit cheaper, take a look at " http://factorysales.com/index.html " they sell Lee's products.

    I have two of their Pro1000 presses (9mm & 38/357) and they work like a charm for me.

    Their flagship Load Master ( http://factorysales.com/html/xcart/catalog/ldmas.html ) is at 220$ a bargain to me and includes all you need to get started.

    The Pro1000 (http://factorysales.com/html/xcart/catalog/lp1000.html )is 155$

    So once again, welcome to another fun part about shooting :)

    About being afraid of buying from Ebay. There will always be a risk when dealing online and you'll have to weigh the pros vs cons if it's worth it.

    I've done alot of deals on ebay and wont hesitate to do more. I always look at the feedback and thats enough guarantee for me :)

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