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Old 09-05-2013, 10:01 AM
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kkp kkp is offline
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Originally Posted by BruinGuy View Post
KKP -

Don't worry about your Lee Anniversary kit - it's a great kit at a bargain price! It's what I'm using, and while some other presses may be made of heavier cast iron, the Lee is plenty sturdy and works well. The priming system works fine, and the powder drop is easy to use as well. I've made at least 700 rounds of rifle ammo on mine since I took the class in July.

I would suggest you invest in a digital scale; the one that comes with the kit is fine, but much slower to use than a digital.

For trimming your brass, you can get the Lee Zip Trim for about $20. Much quicker than doing it by hand. Or you can use the chuck and a hand drill. There are more precise trimmers, but see what your requirements are before investing in one.

For .223 brass, check the reloading marketplace - I picked up 1,000 for $50 from another Calgunner here, and I've seen similar prices for range brass ($50-60/1k). And don't forget to pick up all you can when you go to the range.

Hopefully we'll see you at a future class!
Thanks for the info! (I got your PM as well)

I was looking at electronic scales at Amazon, actually. What do you think of the Frankford scale? Frankford Arsenal Reloading Scale ($30, 750 grn max, +/- 0.1 grn, includes calibration weight, runs on two AAA)

I have had the Frankford tumber kit in my cart for a while, just hadn't pulled the trigger yet. Will shortly, since my Lee kit finally arrived.

Re manuals, I keep seeing references to the Lyman Reloading Handbook, and was also planning to grab the Lee manual (always seems like a good idea to own the book written by the people who made your equipment, right?). I'll keep the Hornady manual in mind.

The Lee kit I bought comes with "Lee Large and Small Safety Prime", are you recommending (in your PM) passing on that and using the Lee Auto Prime (XR?) or Lee Ergo Prime instead? (also, isn't a shell holder needed for those?)

Finally, re powder and primers, thanks for the recommendations of Varget and CCI. Does it make sense to buy locally or pick it up online? "Hogdon Varget" is what you mean, right? Midway carries CCI Small Rifle and CCI Military Small Rifle primers, would one be better for a Mini14 and AR15? I actually had both in my cart at one point, but hadn't committed yet since I wanted to take the class first.

Good idea on the marketplace, for brass. I do have a couple hundred or so cases from my last trips to the range to play with, and I also have about 2000 rounds of factory ammo (various brands) that I'll be going through before long, so that should keep me in brass for a bit, hopefully.

One question though: What about 5.56? Most reloading posts and websites I've read always seem to refer to .223, but can one reload 5.56 at home as well? Obviously both work fine in my ARs and in my Mini14, so .223 is fine, but I was wondering about the distinction. Particularly with regard to brass, I suppose... can you take a 5.56 shell and reload it with a .223 press and die?
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