starting over

hey, everyone -

now that we are in one place and expect to be here for the forseeable future, i intend to begin handloading with due seriousness.

due to several moves, damage from the elements while being stored in a garage with a leaky roof, and children, i am starting pretty much from scratch with handloading. worst of all, my beloved lee loaders are all missing several components, and for two of the rifles in our house (7x57 and .280) the lee loader is no longer available. internet searches and eBay searches have been fruitless.

looking over my current inventory, i think i have a crimp die for a .30/30, and a set of RCBS X dies for the same, and a few dozen bullets, mostly SGKs. maybe a couple of lee shell holders and some brass for the cartridges we own (.30/30, 7x57, .308 and .280). that's it, i am afraid.

so, i guess this is as good a time as any to make the move from lee loader to press/dies.  i've heard much about the rockchucker kit from RCBS, but as i remember this is about 200$. i can get the same thing from lee for much less, so i am leaning toward lee.

also, i lost all of my boolit casting stuff (but i have about 40 lbs. of lead ingots; go figure), so i will eventually be replenishing that as well. since that will be lee, i figure i might as well go all lee.

i'm paying for a house now, and will have no extra money to throw around; therefore, i can't go out and get the best and most expensive. at the same time, i can't go out and get junk, either.

so, i figure a press is the best place to start. my questions is: how does the lee challenger press ("O" configuration) compare to the standard lee reloading press (no "O" configuration)? i am guessing that it is better, but is it 25$ better?

link: http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?116768800 5.5704=/html/catalog/rlpress1.html

Edited by TasunkaWitko

900f -

if you see anything, let me know. i assume that for the most part, presses and dies are interchangeable, unless you get something really off-the-wall. i've got a sentimental weakness for lee, and i like the concept of their collet dies, but if RCBS or someone else is putting out stuff that is the same or better for a reasonable price, i will certainly go with it and save my lee preference for things such as the auto-prime, their case trimmers etc.

the second floor of our new home used to be an apartment years ago, and i have converted the kitchen to my office. aside from a very old and very well-preserved gas oven that will be removed sooner or later, it will also serve perfectly as a reloading/gun room. when i get it more organized, i'll post pix; or better yet, come on up to the hi-line some time for a visit!

Edited by TasunkaWitko

>>>If you can get down here for the spring gun show, do so.<<<

will do! i might try and time it with a "shopping for things for the new house" trip....

hey, everybody -

thanks for the advice, the replies and the offers of assistance. i think i have PMs out to everyone who sent me one. if not, let me know and i'll get in touch with you!:thumbs:

since we're on the subject, what's the latest word on loading manuals? it seems to me that it makes good sense to have at least two or three on hand for cross-checking, etc. i used to have one of those "loadbooks" that someone puts out. each book is for one cartridge (example, the .308) and has load data from all (or nearly all) of the bullet and powder manufacturers, plus histories of the cartridge and other helpful stuff. does anyone else use these?

the original one i had is unfortunately long gone but i figure it shouldn't be too hard to find and get new ones. they were only 7 or 8 dollars apiece, and seemed to be pretty informative. i also had richard lee's book, MODERN RELOADING, which was a huge wealth of information. i am not sure about the load data, which seemed rather generic, but at the same time it didn't seem like it was bad data when i tried it with my lee loader on my .308. the ammo seemed to work just fine. i intend to also get another copy of this book as well as the "loadbooks" for each cartridge.

any comments, opinions or advice?

Go with the Lee stuff and never look back.  I have around 25 Lee dies and 4 Lee presses (4 hole Turrent, Load Master, and 2 Lee Reloader "C" presses. I got rid of all RCBS. Anytime I get a new rifle or pistol, I buy dies for it. I feel that it is cheaper than buying ammo, even once.

My 300 WBY MAG is loaded thusly:

1. Lee Decapper to deprime

2. Lee Hand Primer to prime

3. 32 ACP resizer to neck size

4. 43 Spanish to seat

The ONLY problem I have is with the 375 H&H. It is so long that it is a bit clumsy to use but it still works.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleit emid=880135

Edited by Mickey Rat

And now you know why RCBS is so highly spoken of! Ebay has good deals on presses, and pretty much all other reloading tools. I'm playing around with a Lee turret press I inherited from my Uncle I think it's going to be my pistol press, My RCBS single stage presses will still be used for rifles and load devlopment. I like lee moulds, a lot. There are faults with their bottom pour pots but for the price, I'll live with them. we do this so we can shoot more.
Bob