I have been kicking the reloading idea around and around and am curious about different presses\equipment. The standard seems to be RCBS. I looked at the Lee and it did not inspire confidence. Most say it is fine but others have said I would need to check all the metal for burrs etc... I am kind of liking the Hornady setup because of the easy way the dies are seated but I seldom hear of anyone using these rigs. I love their ammo and wonder why RCBS and Dillon and others seem to be more popular. It seems like Forsters stuff is the Cadillac - is this right? I would like to hear opinions on which ones are preferred and why. If for no other reason than he pure enjoyment of the discussion.

Hornady all the way!

I just got the L-N-L press kit, that includes everything needed to get started. I love this setup, very high quality. The bushings for the dies are real handy. Pretty cheap to, paid 260.00 for the kit at Cabelas. As for the other brands, (RCBS) they are great also, but when I tried out the operations of those presses, they seemed not as smooth as hornady. If you have any other questions, please ask!

good luck!

I have a Redding Big Boss that i am tickled with. I got it from Midway. Sometimes they run sales on them including a set of dies and shell holder. http://www.midwayusa.com/

PS, their dies are great too as are RCBS and Hornaday

Don't believe what they say about Lee. Get one of the anniversery kits now on sale from Midway for under $70 and never look back. Most all of my expensive equipment (RCBS) is now gone and Lee sits on the bench. I've been reloading for 45 years and the last 10 or so with the Lee and have never been happier. Spend the couple of hundred difference on powder, bullets and cases.

Ken,
I consider Hornady loading presses and dies to be first rate equipment but then I have only been loading for 40+ years. I have two Hornady L-N-L Auto presses and a Hornady 366 shotshell press. If I needed a single station press, would get the Hornady L-N-L version. RCBS, Redding, and even Dillon are also good products altho I have a bias against Dillon and strongly dislike/don't recommend Lee.
FWIW, I use Hornady Presses, RCBS dies, Redding powder measures, manual Ohaus scale, and electronic RCBS (PACT) scale. All these products have produced top quality ammo and will last many years. My first set of loading presses lasted 25-35 years and were replaced mostly just to get faster progressive type presses.

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

As per usual I have to agree with ole faucettb. All the Lee stuff I've ever been around is first rate. The father in law has a Lee press, can't remeber which one right now. I helped him set it up and ran some 300 Wimp mags thru it to see how it worked and was impressed. :)

I've got a Bonanza Co-Ax myself that Dad bought back in 72 or 73. It's still puts out a good reload and you'd have a hard time convincing me to get something different. :D

I do have several sets of Lee dies and think that they are pretty good especialy the collet dies.

The most important thing about any press is to keep it clean and use a high quality lube on the rams and it will last a lifetime.

Recoil, I only shoot Hornady bullets, and only use RCBS reloading equipment. Each one has the best of their world. Most guys will tell you that the RockChucker is the way to go, you can use the Hornady dies if that's your preference...but the RC will handle anything you want to reload, safely. I'd add a Lee Handpress Kit, so that you can be portable when you want, the powder measure is better, and you'll want a primer handpress. Also a scale. Then you're pretty much good to go...

JR1 : I gotta agree with you. It's all in what you have on your bench and what has or hasn't worked for you. I too shoot Hornady bullets but don't limit myself to just them. Granted I shoot more Hornadys than anything else but I'm also willing to try other brands just for the sake of argument. ;) Might even have to try some Bear Tooth's in the ILH.

I own and operate 4 different brands of presses. Herters. Lyman, Lee and Bonanza. I use 5 different brands of dies. Lee, Lyman, Forester, RCBS and Redding. As you can see by the variety of brands I'm not picky about the name on the box as much as the quality of what's inside.

kenjs 1: You came here asking for advice on what brand of press to buy and I'll tell you something Dad told me. "Always buy the best ____________ you can afford at the time that way when you can afford to get a better ______________, you can use the old one for backup."

I started out buying Crafstman tools 30 odd years ago not knowing that I would be making my living with them today. Most of those tools are in my shop at home now and I pretty much use all Snap On at work.

So for now buy the best you can afford (Craftsman)and in a few years if you need to upgrade you can go for the higher end equipment (Snap On). :D

I have the Hornady Lock-N-Load AP Progressive, and the Hornady Classic single stage presses, along with mostly Hornady die sets. Before I decided what I wanted, I tried as many different types as I could find in the stores, and I used some of the ones my fiiends have. I think the old saying that you "get what you pay for" holds true. I could have paid a lot less, but I looked at it as a lifetime investment. I am most pleased with the Hornady equipment I have!

I started with Hornady equipment and ended up with quite an assortment of gear. After thirty years of reloading I decided to start over so I replaced everything with Lee and I've been a very satisfied. Sold all the original stuff in a garage sell. Had to give a couple of the presses away, including the Hornady.

I went with the Lee because I liked their KISS approach to every step in the reloading process. I liked their innovations over the years as they progressed from manufacturing the Classic kits to the full line manufacturer that they are now. I'm glad I "treated" myself to new equipment... just wish I would have done it sooner!

Oh, I disagree with your assesment of Forster. Their case trimmer vs. the Lee case length trimmer is what pushed me over the edge and caused me to clear my bench one night.

I have a Hornady LNL that I use to chuck out lots of pistol rounds. It's a fantastic piece of equipment. I've also got a Redding T7 that I use for rifle and a Forster Co-Ax that gets used when I get real fussy about precision and accuracy. Honestly, RCBS, Dillon, and Lee make real good equipment too. Buy what fits your budget, and remember that the press is maybe a quarter to a third of your reloading investment; less if you have to build a bench.

Well I've been relosding for about 30 years now and have used RCBS for all of it except shotgun. I have a rock chucker a turret press a couple of uniflows and hoards of other equipment by them. I use RCBS and Redding dies and I have to say I've never been sorry I bought there products, and there service is top rate. The equipment is indestructable and cost is affordable. I did have a Hornady 366 for shotgun many years ago and it was a great press for really turning out alot of ammo in a short time. As for Lee I'll keep my RCBS I've never been inpressed with Lee's product. Just my thoughts on it.

Hoeram :D

I believe a majority of the reloaders on this board started out with a Rock Chucker as I did. Hornady, Sierra and Speer are my jacket bullets of choice. I converted my Rock Chucker to the Lock N Load system from Hornady, and it replaced my thoughts of a turret press for rifle loads. I use a Lee 4 hole turret press for pistols. I believe its a great system. Nothing against Redding but to me RCBS equipment for quality and customer service is the best bang for the buck. The only Lee dies I like are the factory crimp dies, a good idea. I returned my only Hornady die for credit (would not perform).
Jim

I have used RCBS pretty much exclusively, I do have a Lee Load All II shotshell press, it works ok but its no MEC for sure. I don't see any reason why the rest of the Lee stuff wouldn't be ok, perhaps not great, but ok. I will probably continue to purchase RCBS, my next shotshell press WILL BE a MEC, I will probably be purchasing a Dillon progressive some time in the future. Anyways, buy what you want, it should all work ok

I'm another Lee man. I haven't been reloading long, and Lee is all I've used so I can't knock other brands. All I can tell you is this Lee stuff is great. I use the new Lee Classic Cast press. All that negative stuff you hear about the Lee presses not being as strong and such (though not true) can finally be put to rest with this thing. Its big, strong, and just as solid as all the other so called better presses on the market...much stronger than needed. Great quality and just as strong, but at a much cheaper price.

Before I bought my Hornady L-N-L presses, several years ago I tried some Lee presses a good friend of mine had. He had a Lee single stage press that he had used for many years and really liked, so he bought a Lee Loadmaster to load pistol rounds. This Loadmaster never did work reliably, and kept breaking. In addition, one time we were loading some cowboy type loads for his Uberti .45 Colts, and some light .44 mag loads for my Ruger Vaqueros. The Loadmaster wouldn't throw the same powder charges reliably either. Sort of a pop, pop, pop, pop, BANG, pop, pop, pop, pop, BANG... kind of thing. He had to pull the bullets from about 100 loaded cases because he was affraid of blowing up his Uberti's. He eventually sent the Loadmaster back to Lee, and eventually got a refund. I decided I'd never buy any Lee equipment.

I have been kicking the reloading idea around and around and am curious about different presses\equipment. The standard seems to be RCBS. I looked at the Lee and it did not inspire confidence. Most say it is fine but others have said I would need to check all the metal for burrs etc... I am kind of liking the Hornady setup because of the easy way the dies are seated but I seldom hear of anyone using these rigs. I love their ammo and wonder why RCBS and Dillon and others seem to be more popular. It seems like Forsters stuff is the Cadillac - is this right? I would like to hear opinions on which ones are preferred and why. If for no other reason than he pure enjoyment of the discussion.

I've used/played with tools from just about everybody and think you'd do quite well with Hornady's LNL. Considering what you get for the money, I think the Hornady LNL is a great machine at a good price.

The only time I would recommend a Lee progressive is If you're both a cheapskate AND a tinkerer, then there's no better value to be found, in a fully progressive reloader, at any price, than a Lee 1000. If you don't fit that criteria, AND really want a progressive, then I'd recommend the Hornady LNL for it's price / performance.

Good luck,

www.dillonprecision.com you have to love the no BS warranty and the prices are fairly reasonable