Reloading press and Dies

[bigjim]

Looking to get my first reloading press. Is the Lee classic cast press a great little press or should I just go ahead and get the Rockchucker Supreme. The $50 extra is not an issue but I wanted something small and light to put into a box under my work bench when not in use. I will only load about 40 to 50 rounds a year. Also which dies are the best. I read about Lee dies having a collar or collet to allow you to duplicate the load exactly each time. Looking for most accurate and consistent.

Thx for any help.

[RAF]

There's nothing wrong with a Lee press but the RCBS is better and in the long run you'll be happier with it. Again all dies work but I prefer the RCBS.
You say you want to make your press portable and take it off when not in use. Not sure if that's a good idea. There's a lot of torque exerted when using a press. A press has to be solidly mounted and taking it down and putting it up would take a lot of time.
I think the Lee die you're speaking of is a crimping die. I have one and if you want to crimp bullets it works great. You can crimp with the seating die but that gets tricky if all your brass isn't exactly the same length.

[billc]

I've used Redding, RCBS, Lee, Pacific, and Hornady dies. All are good and will give you good service. The only type that I will not get again if I had another choice are the Hornady New Deminsion. I have problems with compression fit of the de-capping/expander rod slipping. The threaded fit of the other brands are more to my liking.

Bill

[Harley]

Redding makes a significantly better die than the competition, though they will all do the job. Go for the bushing style to avoid the possibility of the shoulder being pulled on the upstroke of a conventional die, especially on weak cases like the 30-30.

I no longer use the Lee Factory Crimping Die because it does increase runout of the finished cartridge. If you load single shot you have no need to crimp; other than no crimp or the Lee Crimper, you'd have to rely on the seating die for your crimp. (I haven't tested whether or not the seating die increases runout when the crimping feature is engaged.)

Harley

[mshm99]

I like the Lee stuff and have bought several of the presses to set up multi station loading. I have found the RCBS hand primer the most user friendly. The same shell holders as the press.

mshm

[youp50]

I have a Lee Classic cast press. I am not sure I would call it little. I used a Lee Reloader for years until I busted a piece off of it. I, too, am not really a high volume loader and got many cartridges from the Reloader. I busted it using small base dies and slamming it against an aluminum stop. I don't think I will wear the Classic out.

I travel for work and depending on the place I may take my reloading gear with me. That is where the Reloader shined. I now have a piece of ash bolted to the bottom of the Classic press and carry a couple of HD C-clamps to fasten the press to a bench or pick up tail gate or maybe a motel table.

I get good service from Lee and RCBS dies. I have stayed away from Hornaday due to other folks problems. I like the RCBS a little more, but only because the flat square box containing them packs more efficiently than the round Lee container. Lee seems to be easier to set the bullet depth.

I like to crimp if possible. I figure that crimping is an extra step in a manufacturing process that the ammo loading companies would delete as a cost saver, if not necessary. Therefore good enough for them, good enough for me.

It may be a good time to buy your components now. There seems to be much unrest in the firearms industry future with the incoming government.

[RAF]

Crimping. I crimp some bullets but only the ones that I use in a semi auto, lever action with a tube mag, and my 300 WSM which is a heavy recoiling rifle. All others are not crimped.
Back to presses and dies. I originally had a lee press and it worked fine until a part broke. While I waited for Lee to send me a replacement part I bought and RCBS Rock Chucker. I haven't used the Lee since. I started with a couple of Lee dies and again they worked fine but after that every die I've bought has been an RCBS.