I Just bought a Lee reloading kit, how many times are you able to shoot out of the brass? Is lee a good brand for reloading? and is $85 a good price

Lee builds acceptably good equipment for the most part, some of their stuff is excellent. Price is...I dunno, what did you buy and what cartridge are you reloading? Stright wall pistol cases can last a very long time, high intensity rifle cases maybe 3-5 times at max load levels.

On the totem pole of reloading equipment, Lee probably is at the bottom. You do not receive excellent equipment when it is sold at the lowest price. You get exactly what you pay for...

As for the number of times you can reload brass...there is NO SET NUMBER.

With one minor modification, the Lee press will do any amount of reloading that you, your children, and their children will ever do. It will make ammunition exactly as good as any press on the market.

Assuming you bought the Anniversary kit, with the Challenger press, this is the mod: Order the handle and two toggle links for the Progressive press from Lee. Total cost is about $11. These parts replace the equivalent parts on the Challenger press. This greatly strengthens the linkage that applies force to the ram. The old ones do break under continued hard use.

With this mod, your press will probably function properly for much longer than you are going to care about.

Lee dies are usually excellent, but every once in a while you will get one with small internal burrs. Since those can be polished out in about 2 minutes with a Dremel tool, I usually buy the Lee dies, and save the difference.

If it would make you feel better to pay more, to get exactly the same function and durability, you have permission to send me a check for the difference between what you paid, and what you think you should have paid, less $11. Give 'til it makes you feel better.

If you got it for $85, you didn't get a Lee progressive press. That's good. I have never heard of anyone liking their Lee progressive. I like almost everything in the kit. I've gradually accumulated individual pieces, and some of them have displaced RCBS, PACT, and Forster products on my bench.

Lee makes some good stuff. Their powder measure, though cheap, is just about the best one you can buy for extruded powder.

Their powder scale is easy to use for trickling powder charges (just push in the lock button on the 0.1-1 gr slider), a real bear when you're trying to weigh a particular charge (as in calibrating a powder measure). I like their factory crimp dies, and I'll try their collet dies for neck sizing some day.

Nobody will be impressed with the strength of the Lee press. Richard Lee even brags that it's not necessary to have a strong press. After you start reloading a lot, it can be handy to have an extra press on the bench (e.g. size on one, seat on the other wihout changing dies). Maybe the Lee will be your extra some day.

Lee's reloading manual is usually included in the kit. The date is a compliation of data from powder manufacturers. There are useful chapters not found in other manuals.

H. C.

Don't know about that press.

as far as case life goes, all depends. You need to make sure that you clean it thoroughly after each use and check for signs of case failure. Your reloading manual should go over all of this. Have fun reloading!!

Red

Snorider,
Welcome and come on in. I'm sure that you will get good service from you lee equipment. You will fine a few here and else where who are more then ready to pee of your parade when it comes to anything "Lee". Lee stuff will load ammo as good as anything out there.
The life of a case depends on: what kind it is (straight walled, bottle necked) how hot you load it, how well it fits your gun, and wether it is full length ot necked sized. I have some .41RemMag stuff that have been loaded 15 time and should last for that many again or more.

I use Lee dies in most of my calibres, and I really can't complain, apart from the 'locking ring', which is easily replaced with RCBS or whatever. The collet (neck) sizing dies are EXCELLENT, and I wouldn't want to be without the Factory Crimp die in each rifle calibre. The Lee hand priming tool is a blessing from above. I can't comment about Lee presses, powder measures, scales etc.

I purchased my current batch of .375 H&H brass in 1998 and, based on the amount of shooting I do, I must have reloaded them around 10 times each, with not a single failure to date. It's largely about moderate loads and careful reloading set-up and procedures, IMHO.

Rikkie

thank you to all that have responded, I appreciate your feed back, I am going to be shooting a 30-06 out of a remington 700. It sounds for the most part every one thinks I should upgrade the press, if any one has any ideas please submit the upgraded press I should get

Hold on there snorider - I think denton had a modification suggestion for the press that you got with the kit, provided it is a "Challenger" press. The new handle and links seem like a sound suggestion to me. Try it and see how you like it, you might find that it suits you just fine.

I have had no problems with any of the Lee reloading equipment that I have, and the collet neck-sizing dies and factory crimp dies are definitely worth a try!

Regards, Bill

snorider,

I agree with Denton get the upgrade for the press and you will be fine.. I used there challenger press and its a decent press with the exception of the handle.. I have loaded big 30 cals through this press with no issues..

6.5 Bandit

I use a lot of Lee stuff. It is the best cheap reloading equipment on the planet. Some of their stuff I love and some, well some of it kind of sucks. Try it out and decide for yourself. The first thing I would suggest is to get a couple reloading manuals and READ THEM!

Lyman seems to come highly reccomended, I am rather fond of Speer Books myself. Sierra and Nosler make decent books too.

By the way, I use a challenger press and it does fine for my needs.

Snorider, I think you done good. Just by getting into reloading you have done excellent. Its an intriguing hobby that will give you a great deal of enjoyment. Lee makes good stuff. And you can get some excellent info in these pages. Also, quite a few laughs. Don't worry about the "pocketbook boys" that feel if it doesn't cost the most, it must be shit. I started reloading with a Lee Loader. Now that is really basic. But like opting for a Ford rather than a cadillac, it still got me where I wanted to go.

Nothing wrong with Lee. It just cost less. I wonder how many Lee dissers have actually tried Lee. My feelings would probably be hurt too if I paid twice as much as I needed to.

I have a simple suggestion, use it until you wear it out. Are you going to load 300 rouds a year or a week? I loaded thousands of pistol rounds on a challenger press with no wear (I could only shoot pistol at the time). I believe it would hold up to a lot of rifle rounds if the press and especially the cases were properley lubricated. IMHO if you are only loading for 1 rifle useing cases fired from that rifle, it will last you a long time. Probably longer than your barrel will.