I finally got my lazy arse in gear and ordered up a new reloading press, a Lyman Crusher II Expert Kit. It offers about 80% of everything you need, all in one box (you’ll still need to get dies, shellholder, calipers, loading block, and maybe a tumbler and assorted odds ‘n’ ends). There’s a 4 1/2″ press window and 4″ of ram travel, which is important for me because I’ll be loading rounds with a 3.75″ OAL. That big opening *should* eliminate the fidgety contortions you have to go through when loading long rounds on a short press.
After my usual obsessive comparison-shopping, I found a screaming deal at Midsouth Shooters Supply: $239. No one else comes close to that; MidwayUSA wants $313, Graf’s is asking $294 (shipping included), and even Natchez is at $270. Shipping added $17.50, but unlike my last online shopping experience, I can’t bitch about that: I am, after all, ordering a big box containing 30-odd pounds of cast iron. I’ll happily pay the freight in this case. Hell, the total with shipping is STILL $15 less than the next-best deal BEFORE shipping and handling.
I know I’m going to get the “you should have bought Lee and saved some money” comments, and I considered that option. But… the gun-snob/cranky old man in me just cannot be convinced to like Lee. Too many plastic and aluminum parts, not enough cast iron and steel. It’s also a little off-putting that everyone sells replacement toggle links to go along with the Challenger press; if I need to start buying replacement parts as soon as I buy the press, I’m not buying the press!
Oh, another reason why I’m happy about finding the Midsouth deal: they gave me the option of FedEx over UPS. Press should be arriving on the Big White Truck of Happiness, instead of the Big Brown Truck of Broken Stuff, Rage and Disappointment, tomorrow afternoon.
Yeah, I too generally avoid Lee stuff, but oddly enough, they offer some exotic dies I need(577/450 and .577 Snider), at prices far more reasonable than RCBS(like 400 bucks). It’s either them or C4HD.
One thing Lee makes that you may want to consider: their priming tool. Yes it’s a cheap cast zinc POS(vs, say Sinclair’s machined aluminum one at 10 times the price, yeah I want one!) because it gives a better feel for seating then seating primers using the press.
Oh! One more thing – I’m guessing you don’t have the room for a full size reloading bench, so perhaps something like this would be useful? Harbor freight sells a cheapo knockoff of the workmate for like 20 bucks.
I’ve seen the inside of the UPS trucks many times working for Ace, Always looked like the (ups) driver had driven down the bumpiest roads he could find.
You were smart in avoiding Lee. A reader sent me one of their progressives a while back. It works, but it has issues. Their gear works, but it’s bottom of the barrel, for sure. You’re likely to have more people coming in telling you that you should have bought a Dillon though
HTRN: You really need a blog, man. You obviously do some interesting projects.
A hand priming tool is on the shopping list but I haven’t decided which one I want. I already know it won’t be the Lee, which apparently needs proprietary shellholders and can’t handle big cases without some Dremel work.
I already have a table to use as a reloading bench. Just gotta figure out the most comfortable and space-efficient way to mount everything…
Sebastian: Dillon definitely makes some nice stuff, but they’re more geared to high-volume loading of pistol and small rifle calibers. If money were no object I’d have a room full of Redding gear
The Lee shellholder for the 45-70(#8) should work – They have roughly the same rim diameter, only the NE has a thinner rim than the 45-70. You might be interested to know that the #8 is also used for 416 Rigby.
Honestly? If it was me buying a hand primer, I’d either buy the Lee and live with it’s decrepitude, or spring for the Sinclair, despite it’s 120 buck price tag. Most of the other hand primer machines have roughly the same build quality and design as the Lee.
As for Blogging, I’ve thought about it, but to be perfectly honest, coming up with content day after day seems an awful lot like work
I am definitely not one of the Dillon cult member, but I was relatively in awe of the product loyalty they generate when I’ve done reloading blegs. People claiming “But if you get drunk, get into your car, and hit the wrong gear and run your car into your house and over your reloading bench, destroying the press, Dillion will still replace it, no questions asked.”
Because people make a regular habit of doing that, you know. And that’s no exaggeration. That was actually an example, and not offered as humor.
Dillon can afford to replace things for “free” because they charge so damn much in the first place!
Dillon charges so much, because it costs so much to feed his machineguns!
I see Lee-driven penny-pinching being driven primarily by penny-pinchers first who are re-loaders secondarily – they reload to save money. I don’t, it’s to make better ammo – but I’m not a spendthrift either. Of Dillon I only got the Dillon CV-500 tumbler, and it’s the tits. I use an RCBS hand primer.