Of these two, which would you buy?

[Guest USMC 2013]

Lyman kit or RCBS, I'm almost 100% I'll be buying one of these two kits, from this company. Each link is of the exact kit I am considering. The Lyman is about $180 and the RCBS is $250 after rebate. My thoughts are that the Lyman lets me get a bare bones kit and I can flesh it out how I like and the price is great. For the RCBS the Pro's for me are more complete kit, good name and again price is pretty good.

Pro's and Con's for each?

Any components you would upgrade automatically?

Thoughts?

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=000157810270&product=Crusher-II-Pro-Kit

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=000449361&product=Rock-Chucker-Supreme

Semper Fi,

Joe

[Caster]

I wouldn't turn around for the difference, but if I had to choose, it'd probably be RCBS. Their customer support has been much more satisfactory in my experiences.

[Lumber_Jack]

I didn't buy the RCBS "kit", because I thought the same thing. Now I own everything that comes in the kit. If i were to do it over again, I would just buy the kit. It will serve you well

[BigK]

Looks like an easy call IMO...

With the Lyman kit, you're gonna buy some kind of priming tool and powder measure right off the bat and they'll cost WAY more than the $70 difference

With the RCBS kit, you have a much better start, but you'll prolly want 49th ed. of the Lyman manual

[mikegideon]

RCBS. I've never bought a kit, but wound up owning some of that stuff. I chose the individual items after heavily researching them. I'm a big RCBS fan. Lyman... I have their trigger pull gauge. Other than that, I've always been steered in other directions.

[mikegideon]

Looks like an easy call IMO...

With the Lyman kit, you're gonna buy some kind of priming tool and powder measure right off the bat and they'll cost WAY more than the $70 difference

With the RCBS kit, you have a much better start, but you'll prolly want 49th ed. of the Lyman manual

Looks like there's a priming mechanism on the press, but you're right about the missing powder drop. The RCBS hand primer is great. I prefer it to priming on a single stage.

[Caster]

I prefer it to priming on a single stage.

That's kinda like saying you prefer steak over bologna.

[mikegideon]

That's kinda like saying you prefer steak over bologna.

I prime on the turret press for pistol stuff. My rifle stuff will always be single stage, and priming gets done in front of the TV with my trusty RCBS.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Rather than buy a kit buy individual items you want. You will end up cheaper and better in the long run.

From a previous post of mine:

These are all available at Midway Usa. They normally have coupons online so you can save money as well.

lee-perfect-powder-measure

lee-auto-prime-hand-priming-tool-shellholder-package-of-11

frankford-arsenal-micro-reloading-electronic-powder-scale-750-grain-capacity

lee-auto-prime-hand-priming-tool

lyman-electronic-scale-powder-funnel-pan

lee-classic-cast-breech-lock-single-stage-press

hornady-lock-n-load-press-and-die-conversion-bushing-kit

hornady-electronic-caliper-6-stainless-steel

This is what it would minimally take to load. You would still need to buy the particular dies you need as well as bullets, primers and powder. I suggest the primers and powder be purchased locally. I would also suggest buying jacketed bullets in the begining, they are easier to deal with than cast. Cast bullets add another facet to reloading.

People are going to say the Lee stuff is crap but I have used all these items for a few years now without a single issue. For the money the Perfect Powder Measure can't be beat.

I prefer a electronic over a balance beam. Balance beams take a lot longer to settle than an electronic.

No need to tumble your brass to clean them. Get some Lemishine at Walmart. Add a table spoon to some water and soak your brass for 24 hours. Every time you walk by give them a shake to aggitate them. Rinse them and let dry. Brass will be very clean and useable.

This setup may not be as fast as a progressive but it allows you to learn the machanics of it.

Or you could wait for the next show and get what you need from David, DLM37015 on here. He has everythig you could want or need to reload.

$177 as is on the list above

Dolomite

Here are a few things to do to save money at the cost of convienence

You could do away with the conversion bushings if you don't mind setting up your dies each time. I find it hard to make identical ammunition when I have to set the dies up each time.

You could also do away with the powder pan and just weigh the powder in the casing. You just need to make sure to zero out the scale for each casing because they all weigh differently.

You could also dip out the powder and not use the Perfect Powder Measure but that is a very slow going process.

The Press has a priming tool on it but that is also another slow going process. You are also ted to your press to prime cases. With the hand primers you can watch TV while priming cases.

[Dolomite_supafly]

And every time I have called lee with a problem, which is rare, they have shipped out the part I needed with no questions asked and free of charge.

I would venture to say Lee is among the best with their customer service.

Dolomite

[Caster]

And every time I have called lee with a problem, which is rare, they have shipped out the part I needed with no questions asked and free of charge.

I would venture to say Lee is among the best with their customer service.

Dolomite

Absolutely. 95% of what I use is Lee. It just wasn't one of the two options.

USMC2013, you should look into a Lee kit as well. Just be ready to buy a measure and scale. Their scale sux and the measure, while some find acceptable does not like ball powder. It tends to leak. Everything else is great. I'd even say the classic cast press is about the best single stage out there. It's very heavy duty.

[mikegideon]

Dolomite,

I own everything on that list except the Hornady bushings and the Lyman funnel pan. I don't use some of it, because I've replaced it with things that work a little better. I'm a big Lee fan. A lot of their stuff is as good as anything out there. A few of their items do their jobs well, but create hassles because of cheapness. One of the best kept secrets is the Frankford scale. That thing is great.

What I'm getting at... the Uniflow and the RCBS hand primer are ugrades to the Lee equivalents if the OP is willing to pop for the improved quality.

[mikegideon]

Absolutely. 95% of what I use is Lee. It just wasn't one of the two options.

USMC2013, you should look into a Lee kit as well. Just be ready to buy a measure and scale. Their scale sux and the measure, while some find acceptable does not like ball powder. It tends to leak. Everything else is great. I'd even say the classic cast press is about the best single stage out there. It's very heavy duty.

This! I think I even wound up with some H110 in my underwear using that thing. It is supposed to be THE best with extruded powder, so I kept it.

[Caster]

This! I think I even wound up with some H110 in my underwear using that thing.

Oh god, are you walking around telling people you have a magnum load in your pants?

[mikegideon]

Oh god, are you walking around telling people you have a magnum load in your pants?

Nope. It doesn't leak a lot, but it goes everywhere.

[Caster]

:rofl:

[dlm37015]

if i were buying a kit i would go for the lyman.in 20 or so years of selling them i have had less trouble with them .now with that said i load all my rifle ammo on a co-ax press and use a lyman or lee for everything flse.i would buy a lee priming tool if i were you because its simple and workd great.dies i use lee and redding lee works fine i just like redding match dies. if you buy the lyman expert kit it comes with a lyman 55 powder measure works great

[mikegideon]

Can't beat a Coax press. That's what I'm using for rifle stuff. Also big on Redding match dies if you need them. Hard to argue with DLM about anything, but I still like my RCBS hand primer better than the Lee. :-). I used the Lee until I wound up hurting my girlfriend's virgin ears :-)

[Guest 6.8 AR]

I started with a Lyman T-mag II about 15 years ago. Might not have been the best choice, but it was

a good one and I still use it.

No suggestion, just my experience.

[dlm37015]

the rcbs works fine i just started out with the lee and dont like change

[mikegideon]

the rcbs works fine i just started out with the lee and dont like change

My Lee works pretty well with large primers. Small primers make me cuss.

[Caster]

My Lee works pretty well with large primers. Small primers make me cuss.

Strange, I've been using mine for about 5 years now and it has large primer issues. It likes to flip one sideways some times. Never with small, just large.

I have to pay strict attention.

[mikegideon]

Mine likes to flip the small ones 180 degrees. The RCBS just works better for me, even though it's more of a pain to switch primer size.

[Caster]

Buy two

I know if I had been born rich instead of so damn good looking, that's what I'd do.

[BigK]

I feel your pain, Caster. I'm way better looking than I am rich too.

My Lee primer flips SPPs, though like Mike's does. Ironically, I have a real cheap/crappy Smart Reloader hand primer that never flips anything and I got it free from a friend.