Lee Reloading Presses

[Kramer]

Good replies!

My presses have been:

1) Lee Pro 1000 - The fastest of the presses I've owned (so far), even with only a three station turret.  The difference is the case feeder, not the auto-index (I learned from experience!).  I did my crimping (.45ACP at the time) as a seperate operation.  I could pick up a cartridge with my left hand and drop it into position where the empty case tube was mounted (on the "Z" bar I think???) and keep my right hand on the handle.  This isn't a fine motor skill, so it went as fast as I could pump the handle.

Problems - Primers didn't always feed, or fed incorrectly, the auto-index would get out of sync.  And, as correctly stated above, it wasn't "robust."

I sold it after getting a SDB.

2) Dillon SDB - These just came out and I wanted something with an auto-index.  Removing my hand from the handle, picking up a case, inserting the case, grabbing the handle while picking up a bullet and seating it took more coordination than I thought.  While the auto-index is very nice, I really, really miss the case feeder!

Problems - I wore out the auto-index pawl from use, and broke the primer drop chute from stupidity.  Dillon replaced both with no questions asked.  Also, my hands were beginning to have problems inserting the fresh cases into the confined space (age related - may not apply to you).

I sold it when it was too uncomfortable to insert the fresh cases.

3) Dillon 550B (do you see a pattern here?  ) - Excellent press!  I can find no operational fault with it.    I've loaded .45ACP, 10mm and .40S&W on it with excellent results.

But...I find the lack of a case feeder very limiting for any production speed (that's just me - others don't have a problem).  There is an aftermarket case feeder that I was considering buying, but that thread fell through.  Do a search on this forum.

Problems - My timing.  Four months after I bought it, the 650 came out.

4) Dillon 650XL - I'm undecided about my purchase of this one.  I bought it used, and haven't gotten it up and running, yet.  Some parts were missing (which Dillon replaced at no charge - their warranty can't be beat), but I may have to ship the bleeping handle back to Dillon just to install a snap-ring!    I can't find a snap ring pliers anywhere that will reach far enough into the handle.  I may sell this one for...

5) Hornady Progressive Lock-N-Load - I don't have one, but my son does.  He doesn't have the case feeder installed (he hasn't found one to buy, yet!) but he likes it.  It seems less complex than the 650, but still have the same functionallity (and cheaper, too I think).  If the 650 doesn't work out, this will be my next press.

Summary - My 550B is a true workhorse.  An excellent product that I'll never sell.  The jury is still out on the 650, but I have hopes.  But if I can get a case feeder for the 550, the 650 is history! 

Sorry for ranting.  Hope it helps.

Mike

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[AZ38super]

I purchased my first Lee Pro1000 back in 2000 to load for my 44 magnum as factory ammo was high priced and didn't fit all my needs.

Later I bought a second one for loading 9mm and both worked well for the most part and if things went well I could load about 400 rounds an hour while being careful and producing a quality round.

They tend to require a bit more tunning and cleaning to keep running smoothly so if you like to tinker with your stuff you won't have a problem.

Just just perchased my first Dillon (650) a couple weeks ago and I can't believe the difference in speed and smoothness so far. I have put ot around 3000 rounds with very little effort.

Someone on a low budget looking to produce a few hundred rounds here and there the 1000 is a great deal for the money.

I could have used either the Square Deal, 550 or 650 but I picked the 650 for the bell and whistles I knew I wanted after I compared all of the presses. It took a bit more out of my wallet but I am happy I made the choice and return on investment is high if I change my mind. (very unlikely though) Being less than 30 miles away from Dillon makes it easy deal with also.

Every manufacturer has had good and bad reports from their users as is evident is this post but it is up to each person to make up their mind themselves and not be biased on the opinions of others. My Lee's were good to me as a newbie but I have outgrown them.

I probably will have a Pro 1000 looking for a new home soon if someone is interested.

[folsoml]

Cool! It looks like I'll only have to pay about $13 to convert my .40 Pro 1000 to .38 super (that is contingent on my winning a bid for some 38 super dies). I'll be set up and ready when my new (to me) gun arrives from Philterry.

[magchange]

I have to stand up for Lee presses I have a very old turret press and a load master. The ONLY thing that ever went wrong with the Load master was due to the weak primer feed design. The turret press has been retired to load only occasional .308 or 44 mag. I had one of Lee's engineers redesign their primer system a little and I have had only very few problems with it since. I load about 30k rounds a year for the last 5-6 years with this press. I load 38 super, 9mm, .40, .45, but mostly .40 and .38 super. I just don't have problems I even use the auto bullet feed for the .40 and it works flawlessly. Lee will back up their warranty it's just not as good as Dillons by a long shot. I will be happy to take anyone's loadmaster off their hands, I'll even pay shipping, don't worry I won't load any bad rounds with it!

I have not had a chance to "play" with a dillon press but I personally had a hard time getting them to fix my case cleaner, apparently the warranty only applies to their presses not any other items.

[benedict1]

I have to stand up for Lee presses I have a very old turret press and a load master. The ONLY thing that ever went wrong with the Load master was due to the weak primer feed design. The turret press has been retired to load only occasional .308 or 44 mag. I had one of Lee's engineers redesign their primer system a little and I have had only very few problems with it since. I load about 30k rounds a year for the last 5-6 years with this press. I load 38 super, 9mm, .40, .45, but mostly .40 and .38 super. I just don't have problems I even use the auto bullet feed for the .40 and it works flawlessly. Lee will back up their warranty it's just not as good as Dillons by a long shot. I will be happy to take anyone's loadmaster off their hands, I'll even pay shipping, don't worry I won't load any bad rounds with it!

I have not had a chance to "play" with a dillon press but I personally had a hard time getting them to fix my case cleaner, apparently the warranty only applies to their presses not any other items.

I would also be happy to take any Load Master for shipping costs.

They are a wonderful press for the money--I have just set one up, following the directions exactly. It took two hours from drilling the holes in the bench to the first loaded round. The case feeder, which does not cost $200+ works beautifully. If the primer depth seating is properly set and the return chain for the powder meausure too, per directions, the press works flawlessly. I have no doubt I can hit 7-800 rounds per hour once I'm organized.

I spent less than $250 for the press with dies and a case collator. Where is there a better deal?

It seems to me people pay one ton of money for some presses with 'lifetime' guarantees so they have a 'free' stream of dollar parts that they break. You have to have a lot of dollar parts to catch up. The Lee guarantee is 2 years and they stick to it. After that if I break a spring or a decapping pin I can afford to buy one for a few bucks.

[98sr20ve]

I read this thread a while ago when I was looking into reloading equipment. I did not want to spend the money on a SDB just to reload for my "hobby" that I do once a week or so. SDB was 300 ish plus the scale, etc I still needed. Lee dies are a much better price as well. I bought a Lee Classic Turret, the Lee 4 die set for my 357. The press is slower then a SDB of course, but unlike all that you read here it does work. I am new at all this but to do 100+ rounds in a hour is fine for me. The priming system seems a little odd about after the first 400 rounds it seems to be working 100% now. Even if you have a problem with it all it does is slow you down for a second while you make sure the primer goes into the priming station. I had one small problem with the priming arm being late to go up into the press and hanging up on the shellholder every once in a while. I simply drilled and taped the arm, put a screw into it so that it starts it upward movement sooner (screw hit the press first, then leans away as the arm goes up) and it works perfect now. Lee sent me a new one that I never tried after I did this little mod. I think in the end you get what you pay for. I paid a lot less andI am not loading as fast. Not sure if I would ever buy a Lee progressive press but I would recommend my setup to anyone who just wants to reload and doesn't need to do a bunch all at once. Plus, my setup is smaller and easy to move from the garage to the house when it's time to reload.

[Rico567]

I'm not going to "stand up" for Lee, because I don't think it requires a defense. I've loaded on Lyman, RCBS, Lee, MEC, and Dillon reloading presses. All have done the job in a perfectly satisfactory manner....and all had their quirks. As an example, I had to analyze the Pro1000 primer feed when I first got the press. After I realized that in a gravity feed system, the primer trough must be kept full, and must be agitated, I had no further problems. My modification consisted of a rubber band. It's just common sense that the major reloading manufacturers, including such as Hornady, Redding, etc. could not have remained in business this long if they didn't produce good products.

The ammo I loaded for around 20 years on my two Lee Pro1000s was every bit as good as the ammo I now load on my Dillon XL650. Why did I switch? I wanted greater production, and to reload bottleneck rifle calibers (despite the fact that Lee sells the Pro1000 set up for .223, I don't really think it's robust enough for bottleneck rifle sizing, although it's fine for pistol calibers).

Why didn't I get a Loadmaster? At the time, I had my doubts, so I bought the Dillon. Since then, I've seen "Uncle Don"'s videos of him doing timed loadings on his Loadmaster on the Glock talk Reloading forum, and I could have saved a bunch of money by going that route.

That being said, the Dillon is certainly a fine machine, probably overkill for the volume I reload. The biggest quirk of the Dillon is its complex caliber changes. Unless you're loading 1K+ rounds at a go, definitely way too much. I dealt with this issue by purchasing a complete primer feed assembly for the other size primer, and a second powder measure with the large charge bar permanently installed- this cuts down the conversion time. To put off the time to the next conversion, I greatly increased my case inventory, so that I can load more rounds at a time.

And if we as consumers all owe a debt of gratitude to Lee, it is for producing innovative products at such low prices that there is little doubt that they have single-handedly helped keep prices down industry wide. I should also note that having to pay Lee for parts, and not having to pay Dillon is a false comparison. My Pro1000s cost about $100 each, complete with powder measure & dies. Over the 20 years I used them, I may have spent $75-80 on parts, half of that for a new shell plate carrier. I then put them on eBay and sold them both for $150. I'd say that's remarkably good economics.

(Disclaimer: I have used machines on both sides of the "color line," and have found them quite serviceable. My experience speaks for itself, and, no, I am not paritcularly handy and have no technical or engineering background.)

[stubbicatt]

Over the last 20 years I have owned presses of many different manufacturers. Of the Lee presses, I have owned a single stage press, a hand press (for decapping BPCR cases before dunking them in water) I have owned the LoadMaster, and now the Classic Cast Turret Press. I have owned other presses and operated my buddy's Dillon XL650.

By far the best progressive press I have used was that Dillon XL650. However, it has drawbacks. These days I load everything I shoot on the Classic Cast Turret Press by Lee, equipped with their optional primer feed. I do not get phenomenal throughput of cartridges, but what this press does do is allow me to produce about 125 loaded .40 cartridges, including FCD stage, in about an hour. It also is quite versatile in the loading of bottlenecked cartridges.

The rifle cartridges I load on this press are the 308 and the 223. I use once fired military brass. This means there is a primer crimp. A pesky thing, but assurance that the brass I use has ONLY been fired once. I do not reload it after that. With the CCTP I can size and decap, EASILY remove the case, decrimp the primer pocket, trim, chamfer, debur, and reinsert the case into the ram. From there it is powder charging, bullet seating and FCD just like that.

I lose time with this press on pistol rounds, but I make up for it with the rifle rounds. It is inexpensive to buy, and it is much more robust than any of the other Lee presses I have owned. It is better than the Dillon 650 for rifle rounds for the price I paid. I understand that the 1050 (which costs in excess of 10x as much) will do all this quite well, quite quickly, but I have no experience with it. I will say for my uses it is a good choice.

Should I find a need to a lot of pistol ammo, the XL650 is the press I will buy.

[Dennis Sherman]

If it worth anything to you buddy, I will tell you my exp with LEE. In 99 I bought 3 Lee pro 1000 presses in various condition for $50. I was assured there would be one complete within the three boxes. I handed the whole mess off to my Dad, a machinist and tool and die man by trade. We ended up with 2 working presses. I had no real issues, but I recomend you build a reloading bench that is STRONG. These machines require a stable platform to function the primer system properly. This means your bench can have zero movement. I have since bought 2 additional new Lee Pro 1000's and they have upgraded some things. Yes, compared to the Dillion products, Lee does not come close. Can you use a Lee to get started in reloading, yes. In fact for about 120 bucks, it will come ready to use.

[thorspapa]

I started reloading for IPSC in 1990 with a Lee 1000. It has a terrible priming system that refuses to feed reliably if a speck of dust gets in the chute, but it works.....somewhat.

Then the Lee Loadmaster came out and I bought 2 the same year from Midway......I still have them.

They have both loaded 10s of thousands of rounds, one loads .45s the other .38 Super. No breaks, no missed primers (much better feed angle and seating system), no powder dumps or misses: they just work.

Those loaded rounds were good enough to take me into A class, so they must be ok.

Yes I've replaced parts, two primer feeders, one in each........but that's in 10 year's time! Still using the original dies, powder measures, all except for the one-time replacement of those primer feeders (the originals did last over 30 thousand rounds) and the replacement cost was $24 each from Midway.

Since I paid $214 for each press, and $24 for each replacement primer feeder. I have less money in both my presses than the average person pays for one Dillon 650.

I will never argue that Dillon doesn't makes a quality product, it'd be foolish to do so, but to say their competition (Lee Loadmaster) isn't up to snuff is ignoring a well-performing alternative to the "Blue".

[clem]

After 30+ years of reloading, dealing in guns, (which also lead to a lot of dealing in reloading equipment), and shooting, I can tell you that everyone has an opinion, and they don't necessarily coincide.

Lee makes some good presses, and I have a Classic Cast and a Classic turret in the reloading room now. They are two of the best reloading press designs made, period. I actually believe the Classic Turret is the best choice for a newbe.

Lee's progressive presses are good, and with work pretty well. You do have to keep up with them and keep them adjusted properly. Remember, you paid less than half the price of a Dillon or Hornady. You also didn't pay for top notch customer service. Don't expect Lee to jump to send you free replacement parts. Personally, the Load Master is the ONLY Lee progressive worth considering. I would use it if I couldn't afford something better, and that's not really a bash.

The Dillon 450/550 presses are far more versatile, built well, and backed very well. While I've heard of all the stories of Dillon providing free parts to people who bought used presses, I've not had the same experience. I didn't go to the trouble of telling them my whole life story and how I came by the two 450's I have along side of the Lee presses. I needed a few parts and they took the order and charged me. I can't gripe though, as I don't think it's their place to provide me parts for a used press I bought. Normally they are more than willing to repair/replace parts that need it, without hassle. In this respect, they beat Lee all the way. I've had trouble with Lee replacing their "indestructable" decap pins on the same day I bought the dies, through no fault of my own.

Dillon's work well, are designed like machines, not the quirky, (though ingenious in some cases) Lee progressives. When I talk Lee progressives, I'm only referring to the Load Master, as I regard the Pro 1000 as an afterthought of poor manufacturing. The Dillon will work for years without much tweaking. They are easy to change calibers, and you'll probably not live to wear one out, and even if you do, Dillon will repair it free.

Long story short, go Dillon, and if not buy a Lee Classic Turret.

[Tokarev]

The only problem with Lee stuff is the material they use. The Pro 1000 is a good little press for $125 but it does wear out. If they made the Pro out of steel, brass and aluminum instead of pot metal, zinc, and plastic it'd be a lifetime machine. Of course it'd cost more.

Lee Precision; the "Ruger" of the reloading world.

[ipscbob]

No surprises here. Once again the consensus is that you get pretty much what you pay for. I am a dillon 550B user for 5+ years. I am also in the mfg. sector myself and I will say that some of the design choices made on the 550B are poor. I have no doubt that they were made as cost cutting measures with the understanding that there would be problems and that a great parts/repair policy would be needed to back them up.

[brnhp35]

looks like most replys have been using progressive presses. Well I am a throwback I guess. I have been using 2 lee hand presses for the past 2 years and have loaded 15-20 thousand rounds 38 9 40 7.62x39 for uspsa / 45/70 30/30 for fun. THe trick is BIG batches. Have approx 1500 cases sized right now waiting on primers. That brings up the one piece of lee equipment I had trouble with the hand primer with the tray..the pot metal handles on the primer broke after 5-6 thousand rounds..using hornady hand primer now but find it is very easy to crush primers with it where as the lee did not have the leverage to seat too deeply ...just have to be more careful .....

[PPC Eljay]

Bash away! I have 4 Pro 1000s no major problems. I keep them set for different calibers and just C-clamp them to the bench. I load a fair amount of ammo but usually not more than 200 rounds a "session". You have to keep the primer feed filled up into the round primer mag for it to feed well. If I want to run it dry of primers I just push the last 6-7 with a dential pick on each stroke. I'm not a basher of any other equip. but the thing I hear about Dillion is "when it breaks they fix it" my Lee stuff never broke (yet). The case feeder occasionally "tripps" a case, you have to keep it clean, but I'm happy. I use one for 223 and 7.62x39 with the double disk and rifle die. I also have a Turret Press and a Challenger single stage.

LEE ROCKS (well, their pretty good!)

[Model19]

My turn

I used a Lee Turret for three or four years for .45ACP, .45LC and .38Spcl. It's a very simple system that allows changing calibers very very easily. Get a turret, powder charger and dies for each caliber and you're in business with 2 minute swaps. It never broke. The dies are easy to adjust, and the powder charger is consistent. I never found that the chart provided with the discs was as close as I'd hoped, but you weigh everything to be sure, right? The biggest drawback I ever found was speed, but it still beats the heck out of a single stage set-up. Once you get at routine down it goes easily and fairly quickly. I could make 100 rnds in an hour no problem. I could whip out 50 on my lunch hour for that evenings shooting and still have time to eat and get back to work. For a plinker, or more casual shooter there is nothing at all wrong with that set up. If you shoot 50-100 rnds a week you'll be more than happy. Yeah, people will give you a hard time about it, but who cares, it's your life, time and money.

But... last Fall I got interested in IDPA and knew my useage rate was going to increase significantly. I also sold my 1911 and the old single action was long gone, so I was done to .38 target shooting and in the market for a .357 for IDPA. After being beat on at the club by the Dillon users I stopped by the Dillon booth at SHOT and got the run down from the factory guys. I now own a Square Deal and am mostly satisfied with it. At first the plan was to use it for both loads, but the adjustments are just not built for easy changes, so it does .357 exclusively and the Lee will be dedicated to .38 target loads if I ever do that again

The Square Deal is not the fastest or flashiest Dillon, but it can make you 100 rounds really fast, like 15 minutes if you're organized and is capable of a lot more in an hours time. It appears very well built and should last a lifetime.

My conclusion is, if you need maximum production in the shortest amount of time, Dillon wins no sweat. But if you are a newb on a limited budget or shoot more than one caliber in smaller quantities you will not go wrong with the Lee Turret.

[BBoyd]

I started reloading with a lee turret press and have used one for 12 years. they are well made and reasonably priced. nearly everyone on this forum recommends thier factory crimp dies which are also reasonably. I have a dillion, which is ok but I think is somewhat of a rube goldberg type of contraption and dillion must think so as well since they sell a spare parts kit, full of springs and gizmos to keep your dillion running. if you are new to reloading and want something simple to get started with buy the Lee.

[valkabit]

I had a Lee loadmaster, I had parts that easily wore out, and the machine always needed to be readjusted because it was not a quality machine. I know have a Dillon 550 it is an awesome machine, I love to use it.

BUY A DILLON!!

[Jeff Matzka]

My first press was a Lee Pro 1000 back in '93. I used it for about a year and a half. It required constant adjustment, fiddling, and most of all - checking to make SURE there was a primer in each case...as frequently, there wasn't. I finally cut loose of some cash and bought my Dillon RL550B, after getting involved in IPSC. I am SOOOO glad I did. It has been nothing but rock solid, stable, and "set it & forget it". I went from 150 rounds an hour with the Lee to 500+ an hour with the Dillon. I started with .45 ACP on it, and added calibers over the years. I now have setups for .38 Spec/.357 Mag, .45 Colt, 7.62x39, .223, 8mm Mauser, and 9mm. Changing calibers is easy and each one is as rock solid as the one before it.

I couldn't be more pleased with it.

Just my experience.

Edited July 24, 2007 by SuperGlider

[Jman]

My equipment is vastly better than anyone's, ever, in the history of the entire universe.