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Quality?
- Thread starter pitdog
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I been loading for three years 7mag, 35 whelen, 308, 30-06, 223, 45acp, 30-30, 223 wssm, and 450 marlin. I use a Lee single stage press. Its a little slower but I dont mind. I can usually do 100 rounds an hr case prep to load
I was looking at lee kits the only reason I leaned towards rcbs was the major complaints were with the powder measure and scale and once I upgraded I might aswell have started off with this kit seeing that rcbs has the 50 dollar rebate on certain its right now.
I don't own one but I've never heard anything bad about RCBS presses. Single stage is THE way to start. I own Lee stuff because it is much more affordable. I have single stage, turrett, and progressive and have no complaints. I didn't like the Lee powder scale but I changed to digital scales pretty quickly so it didn't really matter. The Lee Perfect Powder measure has always worked great for me. It throws very consistent loads. Once you do lots of reading ( loading manuals should be at the top of your shopping list) and load some you'll see what you like and get a fell for your needs. Hunting and precision stuff will need single stage attention while your pistol ammo can be done on a progressive style press if you think you need it. Best thing is to learn the processes nice and slow.
RCBS is topnotch equipment. Been using my single stage RC since about '92. Buy with confidence.
Edit....wanted to add that imo you're headed in the right direction with single stage. I personally have never felt the need for a multi or progressive reloader. I feel single stage allows me to check, and re-check all steps of the reloading process.....but then again, I'm anal like that.
Edit....wanted to add that imo you're headed in the right direction with single stage. I personally have never felt the need for a multi or progressive reloader. I feel single stage allows me to check, and re-check all steps of the reloading process.....but then again, I'm anal like that.
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I have been loading for approximately 35 years. I am still using the Lee single stage press that I bought when I first started reloading. A lot of the other equipment I use is made by RCBS such as the scale, powder measure, and some of my dies. I use the Lee press to reload all of my rifle ammo and some pistol ammo. I have friends who have the Rock Chucker and they love it, so while you will love the Rock Chucker, Lee will do the same thing for less money.
I bought a Dillon RL550B progressive press last year that I use for .357 Magnum, .380ACP, 9mm, .40S&W, and .45ACP. I shoot quite a bit more of those than I do rifle (except .223). The great thing about the Dillon is that you can use it like a single stage, turret, or progressive. It will accept standard dies from any manufacturer . The bad thing about the Dillon is that it is very expensive and when you want to change calibers, you need additional Dillon parts to reload them and those parts are expensive. I do not regret the money I paid for the Dillon but for what I have in it, I could have bought a couple of nice guns!!
I bought a Dillon RL550B progressive press last year that I use for .357 Magnum, .380ACP, 9mm, .40S&W, and .45ACP. I shoot quite a bit more of those than I do rifle (except .223). The great thing about the Dillon is that you can use it like a single stage, turret, or progressive. It will accept standard dies from any manufacturer . The bad thing about the Dillon is that it is very expensive and when you want to change calibers, you need additional Dillon parts to reload them and those parts are expensive. I do not regret the money I paid for the Dillon but for what I have in it, I could have bought a couple of nice guns!!
I've owned about as many different types and brands of press as anyone. My first press was 1970's vintage R'Chucker. There's been a pile in between, but I now own two Lee's. Buying kits of any brand means getting stuff that you ain't gonna like. I don't like any press that cams over at the top of the stroke. It makes things like adjusting seating depth and crimp on a handgun round much more aggravating than necessary. I can say for sure that the RCBS quality ain't the same as it was years ago either. I like many products from several makers, as none of them have the best of everything. As for a press, the Lee Classic Cast Turret is my overall favorite. I use it as a single stage, no auto advancing for me. I've been using a Lee turret type press for a long time. Other than the shorter opening/stroke on the standard model Lee turret, it worked great. Just because something cost more, doesn't mean it's better. I also have a Lee Classic Cast single stage with the breech lock system. I bought it kinda on impulse, thinking I wanted to see if I could see a measurable difference in the ammo created on my turret and it. I have a Hornady concentricity gage that isn't capable of measuring the difference. My target rifles haven't measured the difference either. I like the turret system. It allows you to set up quickly. I can load one or two rounds for testing in a couple of minutes, versus screwing in and out dies on a conventional single stage. Everyone has their own preference, but after trying a lot of different stuff over the years, the Lee Cast Turret is mine. I like the Lee hand priming tool, I own 4 or 5 of them. I like the Lee Pro Auto Disk powder measure for loading handgun rounds, again I own 4 or 5 of them. I use the Lee powder thru expander dies on all my handgun rounds. Even if I have another brand die set, I order the powder thru expander to allow use of the Pro Auto Disk. I have an RCBS 1010 balance scale that I use for all my precision stuff. It works without question. I trust it, period. I also have a Pact digital scale. It works good, but it needs to warm up a while before use to be consistent. I have an RCBS powder measure that I've been using for 20+ years. It's solid, and user friendly. I also have the Lee perfect powder measure, It's very accurate. It dispenses powder as accurately as the RCBS, but the damn controls get in my way. I use it for my long runs of AR rounds using ball powders. I go straight to the brass with my charge without weighing. I'll occassionaly check one using a pre-zeroed empty case on my digital scale. As long as I've used it, keeping it at least 1/4 full, I've yet to see it faulter. Most of my case prep stuff is AC powered RCBS stuff. My hands/fingers won't allow a lot tedious work without pain. I have dies from a lot of makers, most seem to be of equal quality. It's features that make the difference to me. In addition to the reasons stated above I use Lee almost exclusively for my handgun rounds. They have many features that I prefer. The factory crimp dies work great when trying to get hard recoiling rounds to stay in place in calibers like 44 mag and 454 Casull. I use many different rifle dies. Many brands have features that I prefer slightly over others. I really like the Lee neck sizing dies for my bolt rifles. I also really like the Hornady bullet guide seating dies. If you load flat based bullets, they really make a difference. When buying FL dies for a hunting rifle, I usually buy what's on sale. On my precision rifles I'm usually a bit more picky. I cherry pick. Many times I will use a full length sizing die from one maker, a neck sizer from another, and yet another brand for seating. Most of my rifle die set are integrated from different companies. I use Hornady, Redding, Lee, and RCBS. They all work, it's just my preference of features. Sorry to go so long and into so much depth, but my wife has a "girly" movie on, so you have my full attention! Good Luck, and oh yea, you may need to be careful asking long winded people what they think? 
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Sorry to go so long and into so much depth, but my wife has a "girly" movie on, so you have my full attention! Good Luck, and oh yea, you may need to be careful asking long winded people what they think?
Yeah, I drank a whole cup of coffee while reading through that post.lol. Seriously, I really appreciate your sharing your wisdom gained through experience. The silly posts and rants make this site fun, but this kind of information is what makes it great! You almost have me convinced to start reloading. I don't think it would be cost effective with the calibers and number of rounds I shoot, but I do find satisfaction in the ability to do things like that.
