Another reloading kit thread

[jsquared]

I know these threads are all about opinions, but I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on this kit from Lyman:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=924848

I am looking to get into reloading soon (once I clear some workspace) and am shopping around for kits that include a turret press and extras that will be useful to a new reloader for a few years at the least. I will be loading 9mm, .40, .223, and .308 and focusing on accuracy in the long run (as well as saving some money ). Thanks in advance.

 

[RamRoddoc]

I read the reviews and it sounds like you need to purchase a hand priming system too, since the one that comes with has less than a stellar report. It is a C frame type of press and I have always avoided them. The kit is rather expensive in my opinon. Some of the strongest presses are O frame cast iron. The kits stick you in a corner with the add on's. They are not top shelf items. Having said that, I think Lee does a great job at providing a basic, inexpensive kit that works well. With any inexpensive kit it may need some polishing to get it to work as described and a good priming system sets many apart.
This kit: http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=622290 does not have a case trimmer, digital scales, primer flip tray, nor powder funnel but it's only $117 at Midway. I'd price out the add ons and determine if the add ons that come with it are decent enough for your application. You may save some coin.

Must have basics and should haves for rifle reloading are:
Case tumbler/polish media/liquid polish
Media Sifter (Kitchen collander works well-cheap too)
Press/dies (carbide best)
Priming system (hand or Reloading press) with a primer flip tray
Loading blocks
Spray on case lube
Dial calipers
Powder scales (magnetic damping or digital)
Powder measure (I prefer a lever throw type but some use a scoop type)
Case trimmer with chamfering tool
Cheap kinetic bullet puller
A powder trickler is a nice to have too
A decent basic reloading manual is a must have

These will help you get the job done.

 

[Chuckdog]

I personally don't like any press that cams over at the top of the stroke. I haven't used this particularly press, but the other Lyman presses I've used all have had this feature. It makes die adjustment too tediuous for me. The Classic Cast Turret from Lee fills my needs and preferences fine. The Classic Cast Press allows easier loading of longer rifle calibers as it has a much larger opening than the original, which works great with exception of the shorter stroke. I've loaded many match quality rounds using Lee presses. Don't let the low price fool you. I do a lot of case prep, so I don't use Lee's auto indexing feature, or on press priming. I've been using Lee's hand priming tool since I began loading back in the 80's on a used Rockchucker. They, like the Lee presses work great.

 

[Cruisers460]

That same Lee kit is here for $104.98

https://factorysales.com/html/xcart/catalog/rlpress2.html

 

[rbstern]

+1 on Chuckdog's Lee Classic Cast Turret recommendation.

Lee Classic Cast Turret kit

The single stage kit in Cruiser's post is also good, although I prefer this less expensive kit with with on-the-press priming, rather than the separate hand primer:

https://factorysales.com/html/xcart/catalog/anivers.html

I recommend you stay away from digital scales when starting out. They can be finicky, and as a beginner, you absolutely must rely on your scale's consistency. You won't have enough experience to sense any kind of malfunction. An electronic scale that's acting flakey can fool an experienced reloader as well, but the experienced reloader has more of a chance of noticing unusual powder amounts or levels in the case. On the other hands, it's really hard to screw up with a mechanical scale. They are reliable and repeatable. Even Lee's cheapie scale, the least nice of the ones on the market, is highly reliable and repeatable.

If your budget allows something like that Lyman turret, I recommend the Lee instead, as it's the best turret press on the market. The Lyman is a hefty, well built product, but it's an outdated design. Spend some of the savings on a better beam scale (RCBS 505 is a good basic mechanical beam scale, and they're always available used on eBay) to go along with the Lee turret kit.

 

[AleksyDorota]

Much easier would be to work with a frame object (iFrame) and to address the links for archive entries to be shown in the embedded frame. The frame should be styled by css. It's neither elegant nor user-friendly but it's a simple workaround if you are not an experienced web programmer.

 

[Petro_58]

Much easier would be to work with a frame object (iFrame) and to address the links for archive entries to be shown in the embedded frame. The frame should be styled by css. It's neither elegant nor user-friendly but it's a simple workaround if you are not an experienced web programmer.

Another ???????????

 

[jsquared]

Good insight guys, thanks a lot. I think you sold me on the Lee turret. As far as hand priming vs auto priming goes, is it just a matter of time and ease of use or do you get more consistent results with hand priming? For rifle loads I want consistancy but for pistol I really just want speed.

 

[Crackerz]

Another great site to look at and they almost always have in stock:

https://kempfgunshop.com//index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=28

 

[wynnjammer]

why lee kits ???????????? why not used ???????? Lyman, RCBS, Dillon, Horndy