Precision rifle starting out

A point about posts 16 and 19

Warning: All that follows are my opinions and beliefs, subject to your own examination and confirmation. I post this in the spirit of full disclosure. If it is somewhat off-topic, I think it has enough on-topic and redeeming value to make it worth the bandwidth. I hope you agree.

Snuffy and I forgot to mention (besides Richard Lee's grand opinion of himself and his gear) that Lee Precision has enabled countless handloaders/reloaders to enter the activity at a price point that otherwise would have excluded them.

That one fact should be enough to put him and John Lee into the reloaders' hall of fame.

But Lee has also produced some truly innovative additions to the technology of loading equipment.

I hate myself for acting like a fanboy, but if any business is deserving of that, it is Lee Precision.

There are some improvements to their tools that I have thought of, but I have to admit that Lee is pretty high up in the pantheon of reloading equipment makers.

Redding is up there in press strength (Redding Big Boss) and their dies are finished superlatively.

Dillon is WAY up there in progressive presses, particularly in customer support.

RCBS is terrific with theri warranty and the RockChucker is (or has been) the gold standard for reloading for decades.

Hornady is right in there, as is Lyman.

Lee, however is the only one that covers the wide range from the tentative beginner on a budget all the way through to the dedicated precision shooter. Lee only falls short in the high volume progressive presses, where Dillon, Hornady and RCBS reign supreme.

I hope I have not forgotten any maker.

Thanks for reading.

Lost Sheep
 
The one item that I wish I'd invested more in from the beginning is my scale. I oroginally went for the the inexpensive digital scale and used it for about a year and a half. I was meticulous with all stages of reloading but was still getting SD readings over the chrono in the 20s and 30s. I finally got the Hornady Lock n Load Auto Charge and couldn't be happier so far. It's way more convenient and WAY more precise. Single digit Standard Deviations in velocity over the chronograph are now a common occurance. I shot a string the other day with an SD Of 2! This is easily the best upgrade that I've made. The RCBS case prep center is also well worth the price. Wait on this one. You will only need it if you actually start reloading a good amount. +1 for LEE products. My presses and dies are mostly LEE and I like the value.
 
Thanks to Snuffy and LostSheep for standing up for Lee, his book and their products. Yes, he does remind me of George L. Herter, who was my hero as a kid who loved hunting and fishing and was just getting into fly tying. I do miss that catalog! Without Lee's products and their price points I probably would not have gotten involved in reloading a few years ago. With an entry cost of less than $200 for a turret setup, I could see it made sense to reload. Having to cough up $500+ for the other brands would have been an non-starter. Recently I have acquired some used RCBS equipment and no doubt it is well engineered and well made, but the difference isn't that great. In some cases, I still like the Lee design better.

Admittedly, I'm not a real high volume loader, since I only reload 3-4 thousand rounds a year, not like some others who do that in a month (or a week!). If I was at that level of production, I probably would opt for some of the high end equipment, but at the hobby level Lee fills the bill very well. And while I haven't had a need to deal with RCBS's customer service folks, I can't say enough good about the Lee people.
 
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