NBDeerHunter

i would say lee is cheap and a good starter but I wouldn't go back to them from RCBS

handloader1

I have a set of Lee dies, and they will be my last!! Good luck.

wayomic

My father did the same thing but started in the 50s. He gave me his old Lee kits for my first set up. (truth is, they've been in the closet so long I forget what they were other than 1 was 30-30 and 1 was 44 special. the other 2, ??????)

dmurphy317

I, for one, did go from RCBS to Lee. I already had the Lee aniversary kit that I was loading rifle cartridges with. When I bought a 357 revolver, my brother gave me a set of regular RCBS dies for it. After about 200 rounds I decided I didn't like having to lube all those cases and bought a set of Lee carbide dies and never looked back. I've loaded maybe 1000 to 1500 with them and have no complaints. I still use the aniversary kit for all my reloading. The only thing I'm considering changing is the powder measure. After several thousand rounds it is still working but it just isn't as smooth as the better quality units out there.

bigcountry

The RCBS were not carbide? I knew they offered the regular steel ones but never knew why anybody would buy them. I had to for 357sig and yea lubing for that case is a pain. Actually everything with a 357sig is a pain.

dmurphy317

No, they were not the carbide RCBS dies. My brother had got them maybe 25 years ago and used them for a few years and then stored them. I think he gave them to me just to get rid of them. The carbide dies are definately the way to go for the 357/38 caliber, or any pistol caliber.

manitou210

Did the same in 70s with Lee Target error dies but they worked great, had a inside neck reamer, and a calibrated seating die, they would be expensive today if made

James B

I have a lot of Lee dies as well as almost every other brand out there. I honestly can't say that they work any different than my other dies. I have never had a problem with them and they seem to load good accurate ammo. I like Hornady dies best but have had great service from Lee and RCBS dies as well. Lee makes stuff that well worth its cost.

Briman

Lee makes some really innovative stuff. I like their case trimmer system- for about $5 you can have a setup that will trim every case consistantly to the same length, without having to tinker with setting up a $100 hand powered lathe sold by other manufacturers. My only complaint is that it trims a bit too short in some calibers.

-Collet neck sizing die- its cheap, its innovative, and works better than most other neck sizing dies.
--Factory crimp die- another innovative product that puts a consistant crimp on each case neck.
-Lee bullet moulds- not the best, sometimes are undersized, most of the time need a bit of work to get them to cast good bullets, but they only cost 1/4 to 1/3 the price of other moulds- and they come with built in handles that would cost another $25-30 with other manufacturers moulds.
-Lee bullet sizers- simple, easy to use, very cheap- no need to buy an expensive bullet sizing press. The downside is that their isn't enough variety of bullet sizes. I currently do most of my lead bullet sizing with a Lyman 450 sizer, but do all of my standard .30s and .45s with the Lee system.
-Lee Dies- I've never had a problem with them. I use them a lot, and currently have about a 50/50 mix of RCBS and Lee dies. I can't tell the difference in the finished cartidge. The low price that Lee charges for the dies also helps keep RCBS and others honest about their pricing.

-Lee presses- I don't care much for their cheaper presses, but their classic cast and their classic cast turret are really nice presses that are as good as and cost 1/2 as much as their competitors.
-Lee pro powder measure- cheap, effective and sometimes even better than more expensive competitors' wares.

tractor1971

I have been using Lee for the last 14 years, and never had a failure. You pay too much for the expensive stuff, and get a real good buy with Lee.