Reloader Kit advice

Carolinapony

I am looking to start reloading & am looking at a few starter kits. It appears as though a well rounded kit would be either an RCBS or Lee. Any advice on either of these two. Is one better than the other & why? Dies....with the two reloader kits, are dies interchangeable regardless of who makes them?? Is one die maker better than the other & why? Any & all advice is appreciated. Thanks!

Steve

gcs10

Steve,

I am very biased toward the RCBS kit. I use Lee dies but prefer the RCBS press, powder measure, etc. The Lee Classic Cast press is a very nice one. The others are good but will need some replacement parts if you load enough. That said, the Lee equipment is a very good bang for your buck.

All modern dies use the same thread so can be used on any modern press. My Lee dies almost don't fit in my Dillon press due to the thread length. It takes just about all the thread available to resize and decap my cases.

charliemeyer007

Unless I'm packing it on my back I like steel over aluminium. I have seen bad dies from almost all manufactures, the trick is how well their customer service works. I like the Lee carbide pistol dies for the price. If you can find a good reloader and try out their gear before you buy. You can pick up the skill set quicker (reading about seating primers by feel is one thing but untill you actually do so it meaning less). Used stuff at gun shows can be good buys but you need to know what you are looking at.

reload999

Many people don't seem to care much for Lee products, but I've had a couple of Lee presses in use for decades and they have performed well for me. As gcs10 mentioned, Lee products give a good bang for the buck. That said, it's generally agreed that Lee products are not of the same quality as RCBS. I wouldn't trade my RCBS RockChucker for any other press, or my Uniflow for any other powder measure. Lee Dies are fine, but RCBS (along with Lyman, and of course Redding) have the look and feel of higher quality. If budget is a big factor for you, Lee will probably serve you well. If you can afford whatever the price difference is between the products you are considering, I would recommend RCBS. Just my 2?. Good Luck.

bpost

http://forums.gunbroker.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=498276 [:D][:D]

guntech59

quote:Originally posted by bpost
http://forums.gunbroker.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=498276 [:D][:D]


Pretty comprehensive!

I will add one thing, though. Always double check everything!
Even guys that have been reloading for 40 years can have a mental lapse. Be safe....check it twice.

bambambam

Steve,
I just started loading a few months ago. I bought a Lee Breech Lock press. I load 7mm rem mag & .38/.357. I like the Lee press because as a single stage you can set your dies in the bushings and change them out quickly and easily. One thing I have noticed is there is a little wiggle room in the bushing when torque is applied during sizing. Rifle loading goes good in this press, but pistol is slower because I use 4 dies.

I recently had a Lyman turret press given to me. I can't believe the night and day difference in the production this press has provided for pistol ammo. Makes me wonder why I ever purchased a single stage. But, you have to consider the benifit of what a single stage can teach you before you move on to other types of presses.

I always intending on buying RCBS presses and Lee dies, but I wouldn't give up either of the presses that I own[^]

Carolinapony

Thanks for all the advice gents...I have a feeling I'll be back once getting started...thanks again!