Vintage Lee Precision Bench???

[greg_r]

Did not know where else to put this. If it is in the wrong place, please move it.

I collect vintage presses and build a bench around that press using period accessories from that manufacturer. I have a 1960’s vintage RCBS Bench, a 1980’s vintage Hornady / Pacific bench, and my exception a Lyman / Redding Hunter hybrid bench that closely replicates the equipment I learned on.

Years ago I suffered what I call the Great Fire of ‘99. Was on vacation and when I got back home the house was mostly a pile of ashes, lost everything except what was

Before the fire I had shunned my nose at Lee reloading equipment, but the affordability of the Lee equipment got me back into reloading and I found out how wrong I was. I am thinking about building a 90’s vintage Lee bench focused around the Challenger 2001 single stage press. Ironic since I have never owned an old style Challenger press, I started with the Reloader press, a 3 hole manual advance turret, Perfect Powder Measure and safety scale. All my Lee equipment now is of the Breech lock genre, except for my Classic Classic Cast Turret.

What do you all think? What might go with the 2001 Challenger press that I am not thinking about? Worthwhile endeavor, or a waste of money?

[Ranch Dog]

Wow, really sorry to hear about he loss!

[GasGuzzler]

I have a Challenger. Not sure if it's old style or not but when the toggle link broke, Lee had to send me nearly all the handle parts as a "conversion". It's a good press in my opinion.

Before:


During:


After:

[larryw]

Great little press. Mine is still going strong after the upgrade.

[RBHarter]

I don't think I could do that with my assembly .
I have stuff from about 1935 to 2017 from 11 makers.
Many of the tool designs are unchanged aside from aesthetics.
I don't think even with RCBS I could set up a single decade of tools I might could pull off post war to pre 64' and 64-84' on a single bench section.
Even my Lee accumulation spans almost 20 years.......

Welcome to the forum!!