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I have been looking at reloading equipment and can't decide what to get. There is a Lee set for sale on Craig's List and it looks promising. It is a single stage unit not a progressive set. I am not sure about the quality of Lee. Any suggestions for me as to what I should get? I will be shooting 100 to 200 rounds of Casull and 45 Colt a week. I expect to shoot several thousand rounds by this fall.
 
I'd say get a RCBS Rockchuker kit from Walmart for $280. That's what I had (plus some extra stuff) before I sold it. I sure am missing that kit now :(. It is plenty good until you get used to reloading, economical too
 
It mainly depends on your budget. That's not a huge amount of shooting but still enough that you would really appreciate a Dillon 550 if you can afford the outlay. Turning out a finished round with every pull really shortens the loading time. If that's too spendy for now, then the RCBS is a good unit. You just make 4 passes with every case vs 1 on the Dillon. I would also recommend one of the hand priming units. I have used the Lee Auto-Prime for years and as long as you keep it lubed it has worked flawlessly for me. Allowed me prime a batch of cases while I was watching TV before I got the Dillon. Good luck with the project. You probably already know this, but be sure to clean the cylinder well after the Colt loads so that a ring of fouling doesn't build up at the end of the Colt cases. Can cause pressures to spike on the Casull if it gets too tight and with the pressures so high already, not a good idea.
 
Just get a lee, i can turn out a few hundred rounds of pistol ammo in under a few hours with a lee challenger, and perfect powder measure, no need to spend the extra money on the rcbs unless your goign to load cartridges longer then 30-06. i bet you can get everythign you need to load 454 for around 150$ bucks plus primers powder amd lead
 
Just get a lee, i can turn out a few hundred rounds of pistol ammo in under a few hours with a lee challenger, and perfect powder measure, no need to spend the extra money on the rcbs unless your goign to load cartridges longer then 30-06. i bet you can get everythign you need to load 454 for around 150$ bucks plus primers powder amd lead

+1

Using the $100 Lee Anniversary kit and deluxe pistol dies, I cranked out 100 .38spl rounds in 35 minutes this last weekend. Of course I deprimed and cleaned the brass before hand.

If I get into more calibers or different types of calibers, I may get a nicer press that offered additional capability, but I wouldn't get rid of the Lee.
 
with a couple of pieces of pipe, a nail, a hammer, and a steel bar, I'll bet you can do it even cheaper!!!!

Ya cheap bataads

Why does this always come up, do you want us to do your shopping for you?

just buy whatever will work, for your budget. Remember, if you go for the cheapest, that is what you will get.
 
with a couple of pieces of pipe, a nail, a hammer, and a steel bar, I'll bet you can do it even cheaper!!!!

Ya cheap bataads

Why does this always come up, do you want us to do your shopping for you?

just buy whatever will work, for your budget. Remember, if you go for the cheapest, that is what you will get.

And sometimes you can spend a ton and still not produce any better product.

For loading pistol calibers on a single stage a Lee press works great. As for Lee Dies, if they are so terrible because they are just inexpensive explain why lots of competitors with rooms full of trophies use them?

I give someone who asks first what others recommend to be a lot smarter than those who just resent being asked.
 
The 454 is the reason why I got into reloading. I love shooting mine and factory ammo was sending me to the poor house. Bought a Lee anniversary kit as it was a complete kit and not expensinve. I have since added a Lyman DPS to help speed up the process. I like the single stage press because I have to handle the brass several times, so it gets inspected each time. Plus weighing each individual charge helps in loading consistent, accurate ammunition along with reducing the possibility of a double charge. Now I reload for my hunting rifle and all my centerfire pistols. My reloads are hand tailored and more accurate than factory loaded ammo.
 
The 454 is the reason why I got into reloading. I love shooting mine and factory ammo was sending me to the poor house. Bought a Lee anniversary kit as it was a complete kit and not expensinve. I have since added a Lyman DPS to help speed up the process. I like the single stage press because I have to handle the brass several times, so it gets inspected each time. Plus weighing each individual charge helps in loading consistent, accurate ammunition along with reducing the possibility of a double charge. Now I reload for my hunting rifle and all my centerfire pistols. My reloads are hand tailored and more accurate than factory loaded ammo.

There is nothing wrong with a single stage press. I always recommend that beginning reloaders start with one before making the jump to a progressive. Far easier to get a grip on the overall reloading process and for those calibers that require a little extra touch, where very careful inspection of the brass is very important, they are invaluable. Even if just used after getting a progressive for removing primers prior to cleaning.

Maybe in time to come you will need more ammo, produced a little faster, but having that single stage will never be regretted.
 
You might also look into a good turret press. I bought a lyman t-mag kit and it produces good ammo. I load 30-30,30-06,270wsm,357mag,45acp and 300 win mag on it and never had a problem. I have been toying with the idea of getting a lee classic turret press with the auto advance feature to do pistol rounds alittle faster. Lee dies are really good for the money imho.
 
I have a lyman turret press that was bought in the 60's. Countless thousands of rifle and pistol rounds loaded with it. I like having all three pistol dies plus a seperate crimp only die always ready.
 
I would skip the single stage and get a turret. It is more flexible and you can seat and crimp in different steps safely if you want.

The trouble with reloading is you often shoot more. Then, it can become a chore. I use a Redding turret for my rifle loads (low volume) but a progressive for my handgun loads (high volume). I just cranked out 1,000 380 ACP's, it took me three hours tops. That would have been a very long day on a single or a turret.

I do like my turret for developing loads, even to be later used on the progressive. It is just easier.
 
I concur on the Turret Press being a good investment, however I still view it as a Single State as only one operation occurs at a time.

On my single stage I adjust the dies, tighten the locknuts, and have index marks on both die and press so whenever they are screwed in they always return to the same setting. I load a block of 50 by doing one step at a time rather than trying to complete a single round by flipping dies back and forth. Not criticizing the Turret but they are more expensive than a single stage and are not really a time benefit when loading batches.
 
The turret is no faster than a single stage unless you want to seat and crimp in different steps. It is easy to bump the bullet when handling multiple times in a single.
 

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