broke my lee breech lock press :(

[Jeff213]

I was using it with the .309 lee sizing die and sizing .312 cast bullets down to .309 and part of the linkage cracked. I think I can weld it back together but I need to get a stronger press now for sizing.

[Divernhunter]

I believe the links are a pot metal or alum so welding will be hard to make them equal and hold up.
That is what you get when you go cheap.
get a RCBS/Hornady/Lyman/Redding and that will not happen. Also if you screw one up it will be repaired or replaced with a new one at no cost for life. Not so with lee.

Like I told you before. You get what you pay for.

[Ferrum]

Duct tape it...

[Jeff213]

yeah, I am looking at RCBS / redding presses. I hear that the new RCBS presses are at least partially made in china and don't have the same quality as the older ones.

The lee was fine for sizing casings but now that I make my own bullets I need something stronger. I just checked the linkage with a magnet, it is magnetic so I am going to attempt to weld it and use it as a light duty press I think.

[xfer42]

I broke two of the Lee hand primers. Those were cast. Big waste of time and money on those. I got those because I was sick and tired of chewing up the priming system on the Lee Loadmaster.

[Jeff213]

yeah i broke a lee hand primer earlier this year too. I like my lee handheld press though for resizing .38 special brass while watching tv..

[stilly]

I was using it with the .309 lee sizing die and sizing .312 cast bullets down to .309 and part of the linkage cracked. I think I can weld it back together but I need to get a stronger press now for sizing.

Have you contacted Lee yet?

Folks, come on now. I LOVE the rush to judgement on Lee. **** breaks. I mean, cause yeah, we never seen a Dillon break or RCBS break before right? So why the rush to talk **** on Lee all of a sudden?

Which breech lock press was this? I hope it was not their cheap C frame press. THAT press is NOT meant for sizing ANYTHING.
I doubt it was the classic CAST press with breech lock since THOSE presses are STRONGER than the Rock Chucker Supreme. (yeah I said that...)
I am betting on a challenger or c-frame.

Lee has good stuff and as long as you use those items for what they are MEANT to be used for they work just fine.

With that said, this could JUST be metal fatigue or a defective product. Give them a call or e-mail... AND PLEASE report back on what they say...

[Germz]

Time to upgrade. Stay red!

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[Bastard]

start hitting up local garage sales/flea markets or even ebay looking for a old press. possibly look in to maybe an old Pacific C press, as i belive that those could be had off ebay for a few dollars... and you will be getting much better quality as things we mostly made better back then.

[at_liberty]

Why weld or look for another press, if Lee is likely to replace it, or that has yet to be determined?

That must be some hard lead alloy there. Damn!

The Lee Breechlock Challenger looks like it has linkage parts that could be replaced using a wrench. The Classic cast linkage is massive and could hardly be what we're talking about here. Everything on the press responds strongly to a magnet.

[Jeff213]

yeah it is the lee breechlock challenger. I guess I will try contacting lee, but I figured they wouldn't help me since they only have a 2 year warranty and it is a 6 year old press. The part in question could easily be replaced with a wrench if I had a new one.

[klewan]

Email a picture of the broken part to Lee, they will mail you a new one.That has been their way of handling broken stuff, in or out of warranty. Saves you postage mailing it back, and they don't have to handle it and then get rid of it.

Make sure the linkage and parts are tight, if you get any movement, it will break.

[buffybuster]

The lee was fine for sizing casings but now that I make my own bullets I need something stronger.

No RELOADING press is going to stand up to the swaging forces of making bullets for very long. You're going to look for a swaging press like Corbin or Bonanza.

[jonzer77]

Have you contacted Lee yet?



Folks, come on now. I LOVE the rush to judgement on Lee. **** breaks. I mean, cause yeah, we never seen a Dillon break or RCBS break before right? So why the rush to talk **** on Lee all of a sudden?



Which breech lock press was this? I hope it was not their cheap C frame press. THAT press is NOT meant for sizing ANYTHING.

I doubt it was the classic CAST press with breech lock since THOSE presses are STRONGER than the Rock Chucker Supreme. (yeah I said that...)

I am betting on a challenger or c-frame.



Lee has good stuff and as long as you use those items for what they are MEANT to be used for they work just fine.



With that said, this could JUST be metal fatigue or a defective product. Give them a call or e-mail... AND PLEASE report back on what they say...

To be fair, Lee does make quite a few truly POS tools. The loadmaster, universal decapping die, hand primer tool, lee safety powder scale, lee perfect powder measure, and the lee auto disk. They all suck and trust me, I have plenty of experience with them.

[Divernhunter]

^^^ I agree and I have been reloading since 1962. So I have had time to NOT "rush to judgment" about lee.
I have also had(have) lee stuff and have NEVER had them stand behind their products when I had problems/breakage. This includes a couple of items with a "Lifetime" warr. I guess when it breaks it "Lifetime" is over as far as lee is concerned.
Never had that trouble with RCBS or Hornady. Just a fast phone call and quick replacement and usually with extras.

I understand that you think lee stuff is best Stilly but you would be wrong. Plain and simple.

Jeff look for a used press such as a Rockchucker if you want to save money or I can order you the press of your choice with my discount.