Reloading kit help

[FLINT]

Hey guys,

I'm going to start reloading soon, and I'm picking out a kit. I'm going to stick with Lee because my budget is very limited and because I've used this brand before at a friends house with great results.

can anyone tell me if there is a difference between the two below kits and advice on which I should pick. they look mostly the same but there is a $15 discrepancy in price.

Thanks!!!

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.e ... mid=121744

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.e ... mid=121744

[mescalero1]

I wish something like that had been available when I first stated reloading. I had to buy all of those things seperatly, and the total cost was way more than that; even back in the stone age.

[Bearhands]

I see exactly the same Midway order number with exactly the same price on the two URL's you posted.

[dr walker]

Flint,
I started reloading using a friends equipment. He made me buy my own components and dies. When I wanted my own press and everything I bought the Lee Anniversary Reloading Kit. I still have it and use it often. I recommend it to anyone begining reloading. There are some quirks that can be worked through.

[66GTO]

After reloading for the past year with a Lee hand press, I ordered the same Lee press in that kit and set it up this afternoon. I decapped, sized, and primed 100 .357 cases just a few minutes ago. The press is stout enough to load .50 cal. machine gun rounds. The kit looks like a good deal, but I don't know why they put the hand primer in the kit. Nothing wrong with it, but when using the Lee primer that attaches to the press, you can deprime, size and prime with one up and down stroke of the press. I if that powder measure is like the one I bought separately, it can be set up to automatically drop the powder when the case rises into the die. You don't have to pull the chain like on some setups.

I also am new to reloading and have been using Lee equipment to get started. So far I am satisfied with everything I have bought from Lee. Once you have your press set up and you find some favorite loads, I would stock up on enough bullets (or lead if you cast), primers, and powder to weather the coming storm.

[gundownunder]

I bet the second midway picture was meant to be the anniversary kit.

The only difference I can see between the challenger kit pictured and my anniversary kit is that I got the second edition of "Modern reloading " included in the kit.

The Lee kits are a good starter kit and I have no problem cranking out 60 rounds an hour including length sizing and primer pocket cleaning, or 100 an hour if I skip the sizing and cleaning.

66GTO got my undivided attention when he mentioned the Lee auto prime fitting the single stage press and doing the prime and deprime as a single operation, I thought that needed a progressive, and I didn't know I could set up automatic powder feed through the expander die either, is that supposed to be possible with the Lee perfect powder measure or do I need something different? If I can set these two operations up on my press that would make it easy to reload well over 100 rounds an hour.

[Ysabel Kid]

I really like Lee reloading equipment. You'll be happy with it, and if you get a kit with a single-stage press like those shown, even if you move to another press later, you'll keep that one and use it from time to time.

MidwayUSA's prices on Lee equipment are better than Lee charges directly. Good luck and lt us know what you get.

[66GTO]

66GTO got my undivided attention when he mentioned the Lee auto prime fitting the single stage press and doing the prime and deprime as a single operation, I thought that needed a progressive, and I didn't know I could set up automatic powder feed through the expander die either, is that supposed to be possible with the Lee perfect powder measure or do I need something different? If I can set these two operations up on my press that would make it easy to reload well over 100 rounds an hour.

That is an affirmative on both. I have the Challenger Breech Lock press which uses the lever prime system ( http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.e ... mid=176078) , Lee Safety Prime Feed ( http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.e ... mid=548630 ) , and Lee Pro Auto Disk (http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.e ... mid=348753 ).

The Safety Prime Feed works with 2006 and later presses. Place the brass in the shell holder with the sizing and depriming die in place. Pull the lever and the old primer is pushed out, the lever prime cup rises with the brass, use your other had to feed the new primer from the Safety Prime Feed into the cup on the lever prime, lower the press handle and the lever prime moves the new primer under the primer pocket and seats it on the down stroke. Deprime, size, and prime in one operation. Neat. You have to skip reaming out the primer pocket however.

Yes, the Pro Auto Disk feeds through the die. Since my last post I finished loading 50 rounds of .357 using the Pro Auto disk. I double checked my charge weight on the scale then loaded up the 50 rounds. It works as advertised. When the brass is pressed into the die it drops the powder charge automatically. It sure beats using the dippers or weighing each charge.

[FLINT]

oops, sorry guys,

yes, the other kit was supposed to be the anniversary kit

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.e ... mid=423081

its $15 cheaper than the other one.

I read through the descriptions and it looks like the only diff is:

anniversary kit comes with 'safety prime' and the other kit comes with 'auto prime'
the first kit comes with a set of 11 shellholders and the anniversary kit doesnt
the anniversary kit mentions breech lock bushings.

not sure what the significance is of the above differences, but it sounds like i'm safe going with either one.

Thanks for all of your help!!!

[Lefty Dude]

Lee makes good products for the casual reloader. You start working it hard and break-downs are common.

[Modoc ED]

I have both LEE and RCBS reloading equipment and although the RCBS equipment is a tad better in quality, there is NO difference in the end product -- my reloads. One thing I do know is that the LEE Factory Crimp Die CAN"T be beat. Get one for each caliber/cartridge you reload for.

[66GTO]

Lee makes good products for the casual reloader. You start working it hard and break-downs are common.

I am guilty as charged with being a casual reloader, but you ain't gonna break the Challenger press that I have unless you run over it with a freight train. The primer loaders are plastic. The powder thrower reservoir is plastic and the discs are some sort of synthetic material. They are inexpensive to replace though. The primer feeders are about $10 each. If you break a powder reservoir, they are available from Lee for a pitance. If I later find I am in need of something more substantial, I'll buy it.

I anticipate reloading about 500 rounds per month of .357/.38 and .44 Rem. Mag. I think what I have will be fine for that.

[gundownunder]

Looks like they changed the anniversary kit. I bought mine about 18 mths ago and it had the autoprime and shellholders. Maybe mine is the 35th anniversary and the new one is the 50 anniversary.
From the new kits I would go the challenger kit because it would take all day to prime all my brass if I had to load each primer individually into a priming tool.
The only problem I have found with the perfect powder measure is that it meters Unique powder very inaccurately, but Lee warn you about that anyway, AP70N, which burns like Unique, meters a lot better and all the other powders are no problem.

One dangerous problem I've had with my kit is the slide lock on the scale doesn't seem to work and it doesn't take much to move it, mine moves every time I run a case through the expander die because of the jerk caused when the case is pulled from the die, and it always moves up, not down.