All the big, well-known reloading companies produce good gear. Some of it's Rolls-Royce/Mercedes level, some of it's Honda Civic/Accord level, and some of it's in between. But it's pretty much all good gear. As an example, a couple of years ago I had the pleasure of using a Dillon RL550B to load some 9mm. Very solid piece of gear.
The reason I like and thank Lee Precision is that, before them, it was pretty doggone expensive to get into reloading. Presses, dies, you name it, it took dropping some fairly substantial quantities of cash to get started. Great gear, but that up-front cost, for many, including me, was prohibitive.
Casting was even worse. Moulds were horribly expensive, and down-pour electric pots are in the hundreds of dollars.
Folks, I priced a lot of gear before I got started. There was NO WAY IN THE WORLD I was going to be able to justify dropping that kind of coin on gear, especially since I didn't yet know if I liked it. Like many others, I had to learn reloading and casting pretty much entirely on my own.
That's where Lee Precision came in. They actually made it affordable to try out reloading. I ordered their "Lee Reloader Press Kit" for $32, a set of 4 dies for $35, a hand-held Auto-Prime for $12, and a cheapie digital scale for $30 (hey, it did the job while it lasted; I now have an RCBS 10-10). I discovered I really liked reloading and went further.
Next, I picked up a Classic Turret Press for $95. Two Pro 1000's, each for $160 including case collator, followed. I'm now set up to reload anything I want to, quickly, and with optimal tools for the job. My g/f can be reloading her .38 Spl on the Classic Turret while I'm banging out .45 Colt on one of the Pro 1000's.
Then my casting gear came. I don't know anyone else selling 6-cavity moulds that actually produce a lot of good "boolits" and last a long time. Each 6-cavity mould is under $40. Handles are $15. Their 20lb melting pot is less than 1/3 the price of other electric melting pots, at $65 on sale. Is it the "best" melting pot out there? Probably not. But it's definitely "good enough". It's done the job for tens of thousands of boolits, which is all that matters to me.
I had one minor problem with the Classic Turret (the square auto-index ratchet). Called Lee. Had three new ones in about 3 days (haven't broken one since, either). Later, had a minor problem with the .45 Colt Pro 1000. Called Lee. Had a new part in 3-4 days (haven't broken one of those since, either). Their customer service is pretty darned good.
This is why I thank Lee Precision and like 'em. I have nothing, nothing, what-so-ever against any other reloading or casting company. We need all these companies. I simply thank Lee for actually making it affordable for me and many others like me to get into this great hobby of rolling our own ammunition.
This is especially apropos given the upcoming application of AB 962 in California. Who knows which state's next? You think former Gov. Kaine wouldn't have loved the chance to impose such nonsense on us out here? For all of our sakes, we need to get as many shooters reloading now as we possibly can. If they "upgrade" to Hornady, RCBS, Dillon, etc. later on, then GREAT! It means they like the hobby! THIS IS GOOD! But it's gotta be easy as possible for 'em to get started. Lee's affordability helps big-time there, especially these days.
- T