AusVarmint

Will the LEE challenger kit be sufficient to start me not this mysterious world? I know i Will have to buy dies as well but I'm only looking at doing my 243 ATM .

Will I end up buying heaps of other bits that would make a more expensive kits better? I am a realist enough to know you get what you pay for, but used correctly will it do?

Thid

It will get you started for sure. In years to come you will upgrade components of the kit as money allows. I had one for 20 years.

You can make accurate loads with the lee for sure. Had mine for 10 yrs. Good service too if there is issues too.
Only just upgraded to powered powder dispenser.

The major criticism I have of the Lee kits is that completely crap set of scales they include in them.

For the love of accuracy and ease of use budget for a set of RCBS 505 scales off eBay.

or just go for an rcbs rockchucker kit from the get go!

But yes you can make accurate ammo with a Lee kit.

adamjp wrote:The major criticism I have of the Lee kits is that completely crap set of scales they include in them.

For the love of accuracy and ease of use budget for a set of RCBS 505 scales off eBay.

I would question the accuracy bit, I think the lee scales are every bit as accurate as any other balance beam and far better with regards to accuracy than the majority of cheap digitals many kits now come with.
Ease of use is a different story, the lee scales trail a distant last in this regard.

The cheaper RCBS kits now come with a set of plastic scale 502 I think they are so lee aren't alone in making cheap plastic scales.

I think we agree.

The 502 and up are still magnetically damped. The 505 has the three weight system which is easier to use.

Beam scales without magnetic damping are a pure frustration. Mind you, so are most (but not all) electronic scales.


Sharpie, the truth is that many of us use bits from different manufacturers.

The Lee presses are plenty good enough for 243 / 308 type cartridges. They will also do most magnums nicely.
The Lee AutoPrime priming tool is probably a mainstay for most people - it is simple and works very quickly.
The Lee shellholder set (for the priming tool) is worth buying - it will let you load common cases for years.
The Lee scales are rubbish, RCBS or Redding are the go here.
The Lee RGB dies are functional, but Redding or Forster are generally held to be better dies in many useful ways.
The Lee powder thrower is pretty bad. The RCBS or Redding powder throwers are very repeatable. The Lyman less so, but still worthwhile at the right price.

Cheap digital scales are not to be trusted.

Powder funnels can be had from anywhere.

The little powder dippers that come with Lee Collet dies are very useful for trickling powder into a pan on the scales. I have two powder tricklers and just use the dipper these days.

Loading blocks are probably best bought separately. The good ones are not universal fit, they are sized specifically for the cartridge. I prefer a loading block that is 20mm deep, it stops cases from tipping over if I knock the block for some silly reason.

Thanks all,

While I get that the RCBS and others appear better overall long term prospects, with a young family and somewhat limited budget ATM capital expenditure must be minimised.

In summation get the LEE get started then work out which bits shit me to tears and upgrade those!

The Lee scales well I have found mine to be very sensitive. After having my kit for a while you could get by with just buying the lee and dies and get yourself a trickler to trickle up loads if your going to be anal about it.

I loaded for my swede with the lee dispenser and scales. Once set the dispenser can be pretty accurate, I would check about every 5 cases when doing mine. Once in a rhythm they, perfect for ammo for pigs etc and I used to shoot the odd match with them too.

I also think people want to know that it is throwing say 36.3 grains if your scales are out and have always been out but you know your load is safe its still okay until you just swap for another 36.3 load from another set of scales.

If your on a budget the Lee will be perfect and you get lots of stuff that makes it simpler once you start reloading for more cals with the shell holders and primer.

Ryan

Challenge kit is fine,I will say it here and now...............................I fucking hate collet dies,either they are light years ahead of my simple brain or they are just plain shit,I can not get them to operate correctly so I gave up on them a loooooong time ago.The lee presses are fine,the RGB dies are ok,the Lee powder thrower is far better than most give credit for,yeah they are flimsy,plastic,just plain cheap looking and feel like something that a child would win playing the clowns at the show but they work.
Seeing you are loading a 243 then for 2208 they are pretty decent,yeah you will have to dump some back into the hopper but if using lighter projectiles and say 760 then they are sweeeeeet.
Back in the day I had a Partner press kit,so it was press,a seater die and FL die,502 scales,powder funnel,used the priming arm on the press and thats all I used for a long time and it served me well,then I added a Lee perfect powder thrower and man I was made .
One of the best things you can have when starting out reloading ............other than a decent reloading manual is a tutor,some one to advise and help,unfortunately they can be a bit hard to come by at times.

Again my collet die has served me well just read the directions and simple and makes pretty damn good ammo, no lube required. Well my one does and also when shooting 308 did too. Again even used it on my ackley Improved and got me out of trouble.

Sharpie wrote:Thanks all,

While I get that the RCBS and others appear better overall long term prospects, with a young family and somewhat limited budget ATM capital expenditure must be minimised.

In summation get the LEE get started then work out which bits shit me to tears and upgrade those!

Hi Sharpie,

I use the challenger kit, and agree with all the previous comments;
Yes, the powder thrower looks and feels cheap, but it seems okay.
Yes, the scales are a bit fiddly, but they seem accurate.
Yes, it loads ammo. I weigh every charge for my target shooting, and get accurate results. So it can help you load good ammo.

I have a second Hornady thrower that I bought later, but it honestly isn't that much of an improvement on the plastic Lee unit. The Lee unit seemed to get better by the third box of primers. I also have a second Lyman press as a spare, but the Lee press is my main press (it catches spent primers better).

As a cheap way to get everything you need (well, minus dies and a few minor bits and pieces), the challenger kit was a really good starting point for me. I was also impressed with their after sales service when I got heavy handed and broke a toggle. viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16245&p=144973&hili ... ty#p144973

But the comment from Chris is spot on........a good mentor is priceless.

regards, curan.

Put up your location Sharpie, plenty of blokes happy to help out if near by.

My biggest reloading gripe was when working up loads esp with the Lee was charging 3-5 cases then changing the charge again, scales are easy enough etc but a dispenser that is reliable is the trick. Thats why I say a trickler or go a rcbs chargmaster/new lyman gen 5/6 electronic dispenser. Or a harrels, or similar BR thrower usually they are very consistent with just going up a click will reliably equal 0.1 of a grain.

I have a gen6 and so far its been great but been busy with other parts of life for a bit to test long term but my brother loads for fclass and loves his chargmaster.

Ryan

Thanks guys, the LEE seems like a solid starting place!

I'm in north Brisbane, I have a few mates who reload, but it can't hurt to meet a few new ones who don't mind sharing their smarts!

Thanks

When I started I had no idea at all ( as we all mostly do). I bought the Lyman kit as that’s as far as the dollar would stretch. I am a hunter and I load for myself and my brother mostly.
The extra 3 things I bought that I am so glad I did was a manual powder thrower that cost me $55. Best bit of gear ever for powder. The lee hand priming tool, god send. Plus I bought off ebay a set of Jewels scales for $30 ( http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/LAB-SCALE-10 ... 27e8395482 ). Had them for 10 years now and only changed the batteries once. They are soooo much easier than a balance beam. As I said we are hunters not range shooters so these things have done me well. All the other guff you try will come later like case prep stations and trimming machines etc.

Dave