# New to reloading... looking for equipment



## huntnfish08 (Nov 10, 2007)

I'm looking to start reloading. Maybe 300 rds of .223 and 100 rounds of .270 per year.

I was looking at the Lee Challenger breech lock kit. I can't find it in stock anywhere. Except the places charging $50-60 more than Cabela's, Midway, etc.

Does anyone have one of these kits they're willing to part with?

I know many guys start here and end up upgrading. Whether it be to better gear or progressive.

Thanks,
Adam


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## bearhunter (Jan 30, 2009)

not knocking lee equipt. but i think you'de be better off with the starter kit from r.c.b.s. just my opinion. read the manuel and fully understand the steps.good luck and be safe


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## 22-250 hunter (Nov 25, 2008)

Me and a buddy went 50/50 on a brech lock challenger kit and love it. it is a very well rounded press we have loaded about 500rds. of 223, 250rds. of 22-250, 200rds. of 270, and 150rds of 25-06. It is an amazing press from the beginner to the pros. we love it and due to us loving it i believe we want to keep it though. but i would deffinatly go with the challenger kit because it come with all you need except the shell holders other than the ones that come with the LEE autoprime. those wont work for the press so we borowed some of those from my buddies uncle. you also may need to purchase a shell holder that goes to the drill to trim your cases. both of those items are not expensive at all. you will probably have to spend around $20 for those items. but then again there is always that next tool you want to get and that is my problem.


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## Bernie P. (Sep 25, 2008)

I'd just wait for Midway to get some more in stock.Lee makes excellent products at very reasonable prices.You might call Lee direct.They occasionally have seconds and used press' etc. with full warranty at reduced prices.


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## imajeep (Jan 21, 2007)

you would like the lee kit...

its reliable like a hammer.
i have one and a rcbs rock chucker.... the lee press is nice... small and simple.
the speedy priming tool looks a little sketchy, because its all plastic. though fragile, it works very well. and i have become quite smooth with it.

the scale is only OK 
the press is nice for small rounds( its all i load with it, for no real reason)
the powder dispencer is more accurate and half the cost of my rcbs...
and i use rcbs fl dies in the press.

get one.... upgrade odds and ends later... you will be happy.


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## StretchNM (Dec 22, 2008)

I'd go with the Lee too. I did. I went with the Breechlock Challenger with the hand rpime tool.

Midway is good, but also take a look at Kempf Guns. They have a good selection of Lee, ON-HAND, and their prices are usually better than anyone elses.


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## Savage260 (Oct 21, 2007)

Take this as you will, but I would go Hornady or RCBS. The guys I have learned reloading from have nothing great to say about LEE. Good things, yes, but no great things. They say RCBS and Hornady are much better quality wise. I decided to go with strictly Hornady, and I would have to say, in my limited experience, all of their products are very well built and I have never had a problem with any thing.


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## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

:lol: :lol: Loading 400 rounds a year will change  when you start reloading.

I recommend you buy the best you can afford. I don't mean to skimp because you can save a little. Look at the warrenty, Most RCBS stuff has a life time warrenty. If you were to break a decapping pin in a RCBS die, call them and they will send you a multi pack for free. Lyman would not do that with their dies.

 Al


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## huntnfish08 (Nov 10, 2007)

I've gotten my new Reloading kit. I went with the Lee Breech Lock challenger kit. I've been set on it for a while and for the price I really couldn't pass it up. Its actually a lot nicer than I expected.

My dies should be coming tommorow via UPS and then I can get started depriming brass. I need to get a case length guage and shell holders also. The good thing is they only cost $5. The bad thing is the shipping and handling cost more! :******: I wish I had ordered them all together. Paying more than what an item costs just to ship it ticks me off. Its not that I'm cheap(I am) its the principal of it. Sad thing is that its cheaper from Lee Precision but shipping is $11. To ship 100 miles.  I work at Gander Mountain so I should be able to get one there but... Out of Stock, vendor is also OoS. Double :******:

The only good thing is now I'll end up spending more to buy more components to equal out the shipping charge. Might as well get the stuff while we still can right?

Rant over,
Adam


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## Bernie P. (Sep 25, 2008)

Great choice!


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## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

Many a times the local mom and pop gun shop is cheaper to buy from than those big unline places. Ya you can buy a shell holder from the big unline store for $3.00 then the shipping is a huge cost and they ship it the way they want not the cheapest for you.

Recently I returned a Cabela's e scale to them since it stopped working after talking to them on the phone.
*I got a free flat rate box from the post office, placed the scale in its orginal box in that box with wadded up newspaper and shipped it to Cabelas for $10.35. 
USPS flat rate is 2 to 3 days delivery.*Cabels told me the scale was junk and would credit me on a new scale. *I chose the RCBS range master 750, they were going to charge me $14.85 shipping on that scale. *After I complained that they were over chargeing me for shipping and they should just mail me a check instead they decided to ship it at a cheaper rate.

Normally that scale is 107.99 at Cabelas plus the $14.85 shipping & the sales tax. It is $110.85 plus sales tax out the door at my local mom and pop gun shop.

My local Mom and pop gun shop has the powder, bullets and primers setting on shelves so I can walk in pick up what I want and go pay for it. 
Bass Pro and Gander Mountian have all but the bullets locked up so you have to wait for the counter clown to stop talking to the big boobed bimbo to get the stuff you want to save a dollar.

 Al


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## huntnfish08 (Nov 10, 2007)

alleyyooper said:


> Bass Pro and Gander Mountian have all but the bullets locked up so you have to wait for the counter clown to stop talking to the big boobed bimbo to get the stuff you want to save a dollar.
> 
> Al


Thanks for the laugh alleyyooper! I work at Gander and am usually pretty speedy about helping customers. You can't fault a guy for "talking" to a big boobed bimbo though. Can you??

Adam :beer:


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## Savage260 (Oct 21, 2007)

> Gander Mountian have all but the bullets locked up so you have to wait for the counter clown to stop talking to the big boobed bimbo to get the stuff you want to save a dollar.


Funny you should mention that yooper. The last time I walked into a Gander Mountain, and it will be the last time I walk into that store, I looked at a few rifles for about 15-20 min. I was the only customer in the area, and while looking I got to listen to a pair of so called salesmen talk about how they got drunk the night before and were trying to "score" with a couple of big boobed bimbos, but not in exactly those words.

After they had finished their conversation I told them I would spend my $1000 some where else. I hope they didn't pay that much for the bimbos!!


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## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

Last time I was in ganders I wanted some of those mtd shell boxes for reloads. They only had one on the shelf like I wanted. The counter clown was talking to the big boobed bimbo when I walked in the deprt. and after I stood near by for 15 miniutes he was still talking to her. I went and looked at other stuff for 10 miniutes and returned to see he was still talking to her. I bought the one on the shelf, lady at check out asked if I found every thing ok I told her no but the counter clown was to busy with the bimbo to help out.

I stopped at Williams Gun Sight on the way home and bought the other three I needed off the shelf for $1.50 more than at gander but I got a 10% vetrans discount from them.

Williams also has an 800 number so I can call to see if they have some thing in stock. Gander has a web site but it is usless and they don't have an 800 number.

There is a bass pro shop 35 miles south of me. Williams how ever is only 19 miles away and have always treated me right. They have a 4 day return policy on any gun you buy, a day pass for the range if you buy a gun from them Yes they have a trap and skeet field and 5 stand set up. They even gave me a bore light to use when I was looking at a used muzzle loader. Plus you get a discount if you are a vetran, in the military or a law inforcement officer.

Why in the world should I drive the extra 12 miles to watch a counter clown try to do what ever with a big boobed bimbo.

*"You can't fault a guy for "talking" to a big boobed bimbo though".*

They can do as they want I won't go there any longer. I'd rather do with out.

 Al


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## iwantabuggy (Feb 15, 2005)

Seems this thread has been officially hi-jacked, soooooo.....

Why don't they just hire the big boobed bimbos? Sales would go up no doubt.


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## Savage260 (Oct 21, 2007)

buggy, sales would go up a little, but they would be way up if said bimbos know a little more about firearms than most of the morons they have working there.

I can only talk about the Fargo ND store as that is the only one I have been in.


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## Jmnhunter (Feb 9, 2009)

laite319 said:


> buggy, sales would go up a little, but they would be way up if said bimbos know a little more about firearms than most of the morons they have working there.
> 
> I can only talk about the Fargo ND store as that is the only one I have been in.


2nd that for the Bemidji Gander too (gun department) they dont no chet there, they richard around when you are trying to get help...

I would like to get into reloading myself, so a nice starting kit is the Lee eh? How many rounds per hour can you make with such a kit? any store preferences on where to buy this kit? As far as a bench to do this at, anyone make a portable bench that is can be moved easily for reloading?
thanks


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## Jmnhunter (Feb 9, 2009)

also any recommendations on reloading books?


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

The Lee Challenger press is a GREAT press for the money and is more than enough to handle small calibers and limited large caliber loading. I dont have the breech-lok model, got mine the year they came out with the breech-lok.

The rest of the equipment in the kit I can take or leave besides the auto primer.

The powder measure is accurate enough (not as accurate as a RCBS), but has problems accurately measuring some grades of powders.

The scale is again, accurate enough, theres better out there. (youll need a good scale if you use the Lee powder measure).

I would at the very least upgrade the scale, if not the scale and measure.

Also, Lees "pocket" case trimmer is ok, unless you want to do more than 2 cases in one sitting. :lol: Gets a little tedious.


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## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

I bought my shot shell reloading stuff from Herters many a year ago. The rifle, handgun press and related idems I bought at my local gunstore.

There used to be some post in the reloading section here> http://www.accuratereloading.com that had pictures of some small portable reloading set ups.
As for books I have a bunch from different bullet MFG's and one powder MFG.
I prefer my Lyman 47th edition, The Sierria 50th anneversy editionis a second because it has stuff for the newer calibers I load for.

Appears you don't need know much about any outdoors products to work at Gander Mountian. Just how to entertain BBB's.

 Al


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## bryan_huber (Aug 3, 2008)

not sure if youve already bought it but i do know one of the lee presses is a cast aluminum instead of cast iron like rcbs. i bought the rcbs and it is a solid press. rcbs is higher quality than lee and its quite obvious and well worth the extra money.


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## StretchNM (Dec 22, 2008)

As Lee has demonstrated, it isn;t the weight that makes the press. It is for that reason that he makes most Lee presses out of aluminum. Or........
you can get the Classic Cast Single-stage press or Classic Cast Turret press, both cast-iron and meticulously crafted (the Turret I fondled) for half the cost of any other maker.

I think most people judge Lee by their cost. I'm guilty of this type of reasoning as I thumb through catalogs of whatever widget - I look for the higher cost item, reasoning it must be better quality. Not so with reloading equipment, I believe. Now, I do have a Lee Reloader press. A little C-frame made of aluminum. It costs $24 and it's not high-quality, but I use it as a standalone de-capper and it's fine for that.

As far as warranties go, most of the threads and posts I've read shows Lee going well beyond their "2-year" warranty. Having owned their Loadall shotgun presses since the late 70's, I know them to be a reputable, quality-minded, American company.

Judge them by their cost if you will. Lee sells well for a reason.....


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## Jmnhunter (Feb 9, 2009)

StretchNM said:


> I think most people judge Lee by their cost.
> 
> Judge them by their cost if you will. Lee sells well for a reason.....


thats what i have read also, I was on midwayusa.com looking at the lee kits about $100, and the 24-25 reviews of the kit they all rated the kit 4.5 or higher out of 5; most of them also mentioned they were skeptic at first because it was so chheap, I'm leaning towards the challenger kit too


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## larrybrown (Apr 18, 2009)

I AM LOOKING AT RELOADERS, I HAVE LOADED SHOTSHELLS FOR SEVERAL YEARS BUT NEVER RIFLE OR PISTOL SHELLS, WHICH IS THE BEST SINGLE STAGE LOADER? HORNADY, RCBS, OR LYMAN. I GUESS I NEED TO BUY A KIT BUT I DON`T WANT TO LATER FIND OUT THAT I NEED TO UPGRADE, I WILL ONLY LOAD FOR MYSELF AND IT WILL BE FOR SEVERAL DIFFERENT CALIBERS PISTOL AND RIFLE. ANY ADVICE?


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## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

Saying best is stirirng a pot of worms.

What I consider best is RCBS and Redding. I can buy them off the shelf locally and they have the life time replacement of parts if they break.

 Al


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## red_eagle (Jun 13, 2009)

Jmnhunter said:


> also any recommendations on reloading books?


Lyman puts out a good publication. Hornady and Sierra are tied for second place. However, they only list loads for the bullets they make. If you are planning on using the Barnes bullets you'll need a Barnes manual. They are solid copper and behave a little different than jacketed bullets. The same goes for cast lead bullets.


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## wmmichael20 (Dec 19, 2007)

alleyupper is right williams is one heck of a nice gun shop and real close to the high way off of interstate 69 at irish rd , they have a really good website and verry good gunsmith onhand all the time


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