looking at the lee breech lock press and the hornady lock n load.
anyone have experience with both. or with one or the other

I have a lee I use it just as a primer station.
The lock and load would give you more options and its a much better press.
i use lyman tmags and I set up a press with one pistol and one rifle.
Or both.
Dave

quote:

have a lee

Given that Lee makes the widest variety of presses on the market, saying "I have a Lee" really doesn't tell us much. Ditto saying 'the breech lock' - Lee has what, four?, that are available with the breech lock gimmick.

The Lee Classic Cast with the Breech Lock gimmick is an extremely nice press at any price and at what Lee sells them for they are a steal.

I wouldn't get the Breech Lock personally.

well i like the quick change die setup on those two brands. I reload 270 223 and I just got a 1911 so 45 ACP in the near future. The Lee breech lock classic cast looks like the best option to me for all the adjustability. but i don't know much and that's why I'm here.

I have both the LnL Auto-Progressive and single-stage versions. I've never primed on the SS press but used to on the LnL AP, until it aggravated an ancient on-the-job injury.

The SS press works very well and I actually bought it after the progressive as there are certain tasks better carried out on a single-stage. The quick-change die feature is sweet.

De-priming on the LnL SS is OK but on occasion a dead primer will go astray instead of landing in the tray.

I would buy another if I had to.

Can't say anything about the LEE press-

For a single station press the Lee Clasic Cast is a fine unit...I have one and have no complaints

Lee makes some handy and innovative products....cheap? Yes

I own 3 of the Lee hand primming tools and keep them set up with 3 different shell holders....fast and no set up

I'm not a big fan of lots of plastic and Lee loves the stuff

I'm looking at the Classic Cast Turret 4 hole for my auto loading firearms....still weighing my options

Forget both of them.
Go to E-bay and watch for the old green wrinkle paint RCBS Rockchuckers that have not had much use. They are bullet proof....

quote:

Originally posted by SR4759:
Forget both of them.
Go to E-bay and watch for the old green wrinkle paint RCBS Rockchuckers that have not had much use. They are bullet proof....

+1

quote:

Originally posted by Alberta Canuck:

quote:

Originally posted by SR4759:
Forget both of them.
Go to E-bay and watch for the old green wrinkle paint RCBS Rockchuckers that have not had much use. They are bullet proof....

+1

+2

quote:

watch for the old green wrinkle paint RCBS Rockchuckers that have not had much use. They are bullet proof....

I have a Rock Chucker 2. It's okay but if I had to replace it tomorrow it would be with a Lee Classic Cast; the CC is bigger, stronger and has much better user features - like the spent primer catcher actually works!

The RC is strong but no it's no stronger than any other cast iron O frame presses of its type. In fact, I've seen a few web photos of RC's with broken top straps. Proving that nothing is 'fool proof' to a sufficently determined fool.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim C. <><:

quote:

watch for the old green wrinkle paint RCBS Rockchuckers that have not had much use. They are bullet proof....

I have a Rock Chucker 2. It's okay but if I had to replace it tomorrow it would be with a Lee Classic Cast; the CC is bigger, stronger and has much better user features - like the spent primer catcher actually works!

The RC is strong but no it's no stronger than any other cast iron O frame presses of its type. In fact, I've seen a few web photos of RC's with broken top straps. Proving that nothing is 'fool proof' to a sufficently determined fool.

Ah so.
I never use a press like that. I load in a little more creative sequence. I never deprime in a press. You get that abrasive primer ash all over everything. It is a poor criteria to judge a press if you ask me. As far as strenght goes I would like to see the broken top strap photos. I have found that full length reloading dies will split first.

I can't say that I will ever try a Lee Classic Cast and I consider it's name a joke. It is no classic. I reloaded about 30 years with the Rockchucker before the Lee came along. I see nothing compelling about the press to entertain spending money on one. Now if you will tell me something very practical and a significant improvement over the RockChucker I would be glad to listen. I am not immune to trying something new. I have several other presses and hand tools.

I've used both and Lee Classic Cast gets most of the work on my bench. The adjustable rachet handle lets you set the stroke to the size of the round and saves you lots of time and energy. Not knocking any other press but the classic cast press is one of the best even if it's name is a joke.

quote:

...I never deprime in a press. You get that abrasive primer ash all over everything. It is a poor criteria to judge a press if you ask me

Judging anything for the way it was designed to function seems fair to me. Nevertheless, I hated getting primer grit on my RC ram so much I finally bought two of Lee's little 'Reloader' presses and put a Universal decap die in one and a Lee AutoPrime 2 in the other. Love that system but it was neccessary creative work - and cost - to avoid the abrassive grit the CCs handle nicely.

It sounds as tho you've judged the Classic Cast to be inferior to your green press without seeing or using the red one. Without comment on poor criteria for press judging, and now that you've asked, the CC is bigger and has a larger work window than my RC; it's lever is adjustable for angle and length to suit the user's needs and it can swap sides for left handers; it has a larger diameter ram for better/longer wearing life; it's accurately machined and bored on modern CNC tooling and it catches primers down the middle of the ram and into a container so there is no mess on the ram or the floor. And Lee's castings don't come from China.

But other than that, my RC is just as good as my friend's CC, even if much more costly.

I sorta wish I'd saved the addresses for those photos but I didn't. Doesn't matter, when you see one broken top strap you've seen 'em all. And the fact that you haven't seen one is no evidence that it doesn't happen. But me, in some 47 years of reloading and massive case reforming I've not broken a top strap or split a die.

I have an old RCBS Rockchucker that I've had for over 40 years. I've loaded several tons of cartridges with it and it's still as good as new.

quote:

Rockchucker that I've had for over 40 years. I've loaded several tons of cartridges with it and it's still as good as new.

Ditto with my 26 year old RC. But that doesn't mean it's any better than any other press of its type. And it's almost as 'good' as a Lee Classic Cast minus some nice user features!

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:

quote:

Originally posted by Alberta Canuck:

quote:

Originally posted by SR4759:
Forget both of them.
Go to E-bay and watch for the old green wrinkle paint RCBS Rockchuckers that have not had much use. They are bullet proof....

+1

+2

I've never had any problems with my Lee Challenger press but then again I've never shot it with a bullet to see how it would hold up.

Haven't used the lee progressive presses. There are two models right? And price points.

I have used the ribs piggyback, progressive 2000, dillin 550 and 650, and I own a sdb and Hornady LnL ap

Of them all, the dillons and hornadys are by far the better performers. Which one is better? Likely the one you are most comfortable with

quote:

But other than that, my RC is just as good as my friend's CC, even if much more costly.

Note the comment said a good used RC on eBay.
They can be had for about $60 with a little patience. Less than Lee's press.
Since most of us do not reload Saturn V size cartridges who cares about the larger frame.

Then about CNC.
When boring a hole in a casting CNC means nothing. A conventional machine will locate off of casting datums exactly in the same manner.

Now tell me the Lee tool has a better warranty.

SR, if you find anything used on eBay for a 'good' price you are finding more than I do; a LOT of what I see goes for more than new/retail stuff from a supplier like Grafs, etc.

Exageration can make a point but it may not matter; none of us reload Saturn Vs anymore, including NASA. Those who load anything up to .30-06 can do as well with virtually any press but longer cases sure benefit from a loarger window than my RC has.

You totally miss my point about the value of CNC machining. Sure, a carefully set up manual process can do as well as anything else but it can't do it at the same cost. Lee's CNC tooling allows semi-skilled workers to do as well as the most trained/high cost machinests can and do it with fewer mistakes. And do it in much large volumes - meaning buyers can get very high quality tools at much lower cost!

So far as the supposed value of a 'free lifetime warranty', it really isn't 'free' at all and I think it matters how competent the user is. REAL manufactoring defects will show up within a year or less and those with modest mechanical skills won't bend or break a lot of stuff before he learns how to use his tools. That means the need for lifetime parts placement means little or nothing to most of us.

In some 47 years of reloading with an extensive list of tools by many brands, I've had NO defective tools. I have needed a few decap pins, a shell holder retaining spring and a couple of expander/decap stems I screwed up myself. Yeah, RCBS sent me the little C spring and one of the stems for 'free' but I more than paid for both when I bought the press and dies. I paid for the new decap pins and other brand stem myself but considering the money I'd saved by NOT paying for lifetime 'free' parts, I'm WAY ahead by buying other brands with more rational warranties. Nothing's really free so those of us who are mechanical klutzes will surely benefit from that.

Thus, I suppose it's up to each buyer to determine the value of paying up front for free parts that may or may not be needed. I do buy some green stuff but it's because of some design feature I prefer, not for an eternal warranty. Up to each of us to determine what's needed in our life. ??

[Somewhere in that Tarawa photo was an old work friend of mine. He passed on a couple of years ago, we are much dimenished.)

I load on a circa 1975 Rockchucker. I like it, I just wish it handled spent primers better and when I seat 30/06 length rounds I wish the loading window was 1/2" larger.

Sounds like you would like the Lee Clasic Cast then

quote:

Originally posted by SR4759:
Forget both of them.
Go to E-bay and watch for the old green wrinkle paint RCBS Rockchuckers that have not had much use. They are bullet proof....

That is just what I did. Got a deal on an old antiquated RC and refurbed it. Now it is my favorite press. With that said, I like Hornady presses a lot. I have an old red Pacific press that is still excellent. But if I had to choose between the Hornady L&L or the Lee Classic I would take the Lee. Same basic press for less money but the Lee has a far better spent primer catcher.