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Lee Classic Cast Breech Lock Single Stage Press

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LRSMike View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote LRSMike Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Lee Classic Cast Breech Lock Single Stage Press
    Posted: October/31/2011 at 19:46
Anyone have one? Let me know if this is good for a beginner? Any input would be greatly appreciated.
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Crosswire View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Crosswire Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/31/2011 at 21:13
 I don't have a breech-lok  because I don't want one but it's a  very good press for all reloading work except maybe heavy case reforming work and few loaders do that.  And no new guys at all!
 
I see  both Lee's and Hornady's 'quick change bushing" die systems as a neat but somewhat costly solution for which I have no problem; I only need maybe 30-40 seconds to hand swap screwed in dies.   Most rifle sets have two dies, most handgun sets have three dies and some guys add another die to both types.  Maximum time to swap four dies is about 2 - 2 1/2 minutes so even if I could swap bushing dies instantly it really wouldn't greatly effect my time in a normal hour or so of reloading.
 
Take a harder look at Lee's cast iron four hole Classic turret press.  The turrent heads are about the same price as a set of bushings which makes it rational to have heads set up and ready to go for each of your cartridges.  You can swap the set-up heads in a few seconds without tools.  And its 'auto-indexing' feature is a real asset for time saving.    Wink
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LRSMike View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote LRSMike Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/31/2011 at 21:50
Yeah I had that one and a Redding Big Boss II single stage recommended, the Redding being "better" in his mind, especially for pressing magnum cartridges.
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lucytuma View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lucytuma Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/01/2011 at 07:51
I use the classic cast press from lee, up to and including 300wby and 375h&h.  It is a very good press and is priced considerably lower that anything comparable, making it a best buy if your on a tight budget.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lumberjack149 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/02/2011 at 06:43

I dont think you can go wrong with a single stage press. You can always use it for other things if you decide to upgrade in the future.

Crosswire mentioned the lee turret press which is nice when switching calibers and the auto index feature as he mentioned, but the down side to this is the precision/repeatability. It doesnt matter for most  people and it may never show up in your shooting, but i prefer a single stage press for seating the bullets to have a consistant seating depth. With the turret there is a small amount of play that is necassary for it to spin and this is where error comes from (off the top of my head maybe it gives you +/- 0.005" of error).
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Crosswire View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Crosswire Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/02/2011 at 12:37

 "i prefer a single stage press for seating the bullets to have a consistant seating depth. With the turret there is a small amount of play that is necassary for it to spin and this is where error comes from (off the top of my head maybe it gives you +/- 0.005" of error)."

I too prefer a single stage, nostly because I usually load small volumns of precise rifle ammo.  So, I don't care for conventional turrets for highest precision either - but I'm really not sure it matters very much anyway if the loader knows his business.  Anyway, Lee's turrets are unique in the way they are retained and function; the well designed steel turret retaining ring and support posts pretty well stop turret lifting after the original free play is taken out.
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