Need some advice, New at reloading.

I haven't been at this very long and said screw the single stage and got a lee classic turret. its a bit cheaper than what you linked and has changeable turrets for like $10 and you can turn, lift and charge to another caliber. it also goes single stage or turret too. very nice press IMO.

A decent press but not nearly as rugged and with the features of the Redding T7 turret press. For only $70 more I highly recommend taking a look at the Redding T7. Extra turret heads are available for the Redding for about $70 also. Redding is the premier turret press.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/588482/redding-t-7-turret-press
The spent primer tube alone is worth the extra money. Spent primers and debris fall through the ram and tube into a catch pan rather than into the plastic piece which is messy and in the way. Keeps your press ram cleaner and spent primers and primer debris from getting all over the place. I've only used the Lyman turret press for a short while 25 plus years ago and don't know if they have changed since. The turret on the one I used had some movement in the turret?

Excellent press, but one vital part of learning is missing with a "set it and ferget it" die situation. Learning to adjust dies, as in changing and adjusting dies between steps, is necessary especially when trouble shooting reloading OOPS!

Average, I bought a rockchucker and then the hornady quick change bushng system. tear down is a 1/4 turn, take die out and put the next die in, no sweat.

Averageman said:

I say I am new, but it might be better to say I've been at this with fits and starts for a while. A military career pretty much eneded my reloading and then the arrival of my Son did.
I'm now looking at trying again and although I'm new and have been advised to use a single stage first, I am concerned about time spent setting it up and tearing it down repeatadly.
I think I have found the answer to make this more enjoyable for me, a Turret type press.
This works because I can use it both as a single stage, set it up once and lock everything in and when I want I can load a reasonable amount of ammo quickly.

Does anyone have any experiance with these?
http://www.amazon.com/Lyman-Reloadi...ue&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A2B2TXVNKFJH7I
It seems less troublesome than others when I consider the reviews and should fit my needs.
I have limited space to work with and I am starting from scratch.
Thanks.

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I recommend you also consider the Lee Classic Turret (not the Deluxe Turret) among your choices. The Lyman is an excellent choice, but, depending on your loading style and since you have resources for research, a bit of time spent up front will pay you dividends in the future.

For example, note that while turret heads for your Lyman can hold dies for two calibers and the turret heads for Lee's turrets can only hold dies for one caliber (having only four holes), they are $10 to $13 each and swap out in seconds with no tool required, just twist 45 degrees and lift, pick up the new turret, insert and twist 45 degrees.

It is indisputable that the Lee Classic Turret is the best auto-indexing 4-station turret press in current production anywhere in the known universe. (Do not confuse the Classic with the somewhat inferior Lee Deluxe Turret, nor their lightweight aluminum "C" frame Reloader press.) The Classic Turret is cast iron with a respectable linkage and a large-diameter ram.

Of course, no other manufacturer makes an auto-indexing turret press currently.

The auto-indexing can be turned on or off at will and makes loading in continuous mode much more efficient.

In 2012 I decided to repopulate my loading bench with the best equipment money could buy that suited my style and filled my needs. I replaced everything except my scale and my tumbler. As it turned out, almost everything else on my bench is from Lee. The Lee Classic Turret (not the somewhat inferior Deluxe Turret) because it out-performs every other turret press I could find. (My shooting buddy has a Lyman which he loves and I like OK-access to the cases is better than with the Lee, especially if you have large hands, for instance).

You can read the story here:

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=478883

Lost Sheep
p.s. I load for 6 different pistol calibers. Everything for loading except a folding workbench, my tumbler and the components fit in three toolboxes, the largest of which is 9" x 9" x 23". It takes me about 5-10 minutes to set up and start reloading and 5 minutes to clean up and pack up.

Another tip for quick tear down is to mount on a 2x8 (or larger) and attach it to a table with c-clamps. Buy a tupperware box to put everything in and it actually takes up a minimal amount of space.

As far as presses, I too recommend the turret press. I have a Lee Deluxe that I have been happy with with a few mods.

On the 2x8 I drilled out a small hole for the primers to fall through, ran a straw that was split at the top to hold it in, and tore a small 3x5 card to attach to the legs to direct the primer down, as my press has a tendency to bounce spent primers onto the table. With a trash can under it, it falls right through to wear it is supposed to go now.

I also use the auto disk and had to use a file to file the metal where it attaches down, so that it won't spill. It didn't take much but is much improved as a throw.

These are just some mods to think about when you are setting things up.

IlikeSA said:

Another tip for quick tear down is to mount on a 2x8 (or larger) and attach it to a table with c-clamps. Buy a tupperware box to put everything in and it actually takes up a minimal amount of space.

Click to expand...

I mounted my first press to a 2x6 with carriage bolts and wing nuts. Sometimes I would use a "C" clamp (or two) or a belt to mount the board atop an end table (properly padded to prevent scratching the furniture) But most of the time I would simply stick the 2x6 into the end table drawer and wedged it shut. One nice thing about this setup is that the press was tilted back slightly, which helped access.

I am not sure how well this would work with a turret press, as I had to stabilize the press with one hand while working the handle with the other, but I did OK for quite a while until I get a place where I could keep a folding workbench.

Lost Sheep

Don’t leave out of consideration the Hornady Single stage with the twist bushings.

Each die is set once and then need only be twist-locked into place. Takes two seconds to move from size/decap die to Expander die and then to seating die.

After reading this post, I did a test. Using a single hand to screw in or screw out a die from my single stage press at a leisurely pace took an average (across a number of attempts) of 9.52 seconds. Even if you're using a separate die for decapping, the time to swap out dies comes in at number a minute and a half.

And as others have already posted, there are single twist bushings available to cut the time down to essentially zero.

If someone wants a turret press, they should get it, but I don't know that the time savings over switching dies in or out of a conventional single stage press would be the decision point for me.

With a turret loading for pistol I deprime/resize and flare the case in one session. The next session I will seat and taper crimp. With a single stage this would take four sessions. A turret is a little faster and more convenient for me.

Another vote for the Redding T-7. I used a Lee Classic Turret for a number of years and feel it can't be beat for pistol and .223 rifle. For pistol you can use the indexing bar and it'll self-index with every pull of the handle. For rifle, you can remove the bar and it becomes a single stage press.
When I started loading heavier bottleneck cases like .30-06 and 7.5x55, the amount of flex in the LCT would produce inconsistent results so I upgraded to the beast which is what I call the T-7. It's a little pricey but well worth the extra cost.

One of my presses is an RCBS turret which is nice and fairly heavy duty but if I had it to do over again I would get the T-7. A friend has a T-7, this is a heavy professional grade machine. Of course it goes without saying, you get what you pay for.

Before I had a dedicated reloading place;

I loaded on a Rockchucker for several years and know how to set up dies and use a powder scale, etc. Recently I got a Lee LCT to load pistol and it is faster; a lot faster. I got extra die holders and an auto-disc powder dispenser with extra discs; then a Lee bench primer. Looks like I'm going to Lee for pistol; still RCBS for rifle. I deprime and size on the single stage, then clean, then prime, then on to the LCT. A lot of steps, but not as many as a single stage. Lee stuff is cheap and has some plastic parts, but if you know what you are doing, it works, it's well made and is strong enough.

One thing about loading on a single stage press without the quick-change bushings. You learn how to adjust dies.

While I use a Lee Classic Turret now and rarely ever have to adjusts dies, I still remember how. On my single stage, every time I installed a die, I would adjust each for belling, for seating, for crimping (I had to). I got to where I could do it in my sleep (really... no BS. I had dreams about it).

Adjusting dies is not unlike riding a bike. Once learned well, you never lose it.

But you DO have to learn it well in order to get that retention.

For the same reason, I tend to (not always, but the tendency is strong) recommend building your own kit rather than buying one put together by some marketing genius). The study you put into selecting your own assembly of tools pays dividends for the rest of your loading career.

Don't get me wrong. This is a prejudice of mine. It is not valid for everyone. Some will do just as well starting with a kit and be none the worse off for not putting in the advance groundwork. Those are folks who will study up no matter what. Starting with your own studying just forces that onto you.

Lost Sheep

Emmmm?

If you weren't using Lee dies with the stupid O-Ring lock rings?

You would only have to adjust them the first time you used them.
(Or when you changed bullet shapes. Then, just the seating stem.)

I have RCBS dies dating to 1971 that haven't been adjusted since I got them.

But they have real lock rings that stay where you put them when you screw them out and in.

rc

I never could figure out why Lee has stuck with those lock rings, especially for a company that does a good job of simplifying components in order to design a less expensive but still very functional product.
As long as I had my LCT and multiple turrets that I could leave the dies on it was fine but when I went to a T-7 and started removing and attaching dies I immediately had to replace the Lee rings with Hornady lock rings....that reminds me of a question. Rather than hijack this thread I'll start a new one.

I'm doing 8 different calibers and knew I would be before I even bought the first piece of reloading equipment. I wanted to be able to do 20 of this, or 50 of that or even 100 of this or that, in a sitting.

I went with a LEE Classic Turret and I don't regret it! Its easy to switch from one caliber to another and run a few.

This thread highlights the weakness of a turret press which becomes evident when you go the opposite direction and want to load 500-1000 rounds in one sitting.

Not bashing a turret press per se, I have one and have loaded 1000s of rounds on it but when I add up all of the money I have invested in my turret press (and add-ons) with it's +/- 150 rounds per hour with the amount of money I have invested in my progressive press with it's +/- 500 rounds per hour output, at least for pistol ammo, I question why I ever thought a turret press was a good idea.

It really comes down to how much ammo you actually consume and your desire to own high quality tools vs. entry level tools.

thomas15 said:

It really comes down to how much ammo you actually consume and your desire to own high quality tools vs. entry level tools.

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I agree with the first part of this statement but not with the second. Many people have been loading with turrets for 20+ years. I also wouldn't consider a $300 Redding T-7 to be an entry level press.

rcmodel said:

Emmmm?

If you weren't using Lee dies with the stupid O-Ring lock rings?

You would only have to adjust them the first time you used them.
(Or when you changed bullet shapes. Then, just the seating stem.)

I have RCBS dies dating to 1971 that haven't been adjusted since I got them.

But they have real lock rings that stay where you put them when you screw them out and in.

rc

Click to expand...

When I learned on my RockChucker, I did not have the funky Lee "O" ring "locks". I had the equally funky RCBS set screws over the nylon bearings. They work pretty good , but not as well as the split-ring type offered by Redding and Forster.

In any event, what prompted this post is that the Lee Dies with their rubber "lock" rings that depend on friction with the rubber "O" rings. If you take care with them, they retain their adjustment just fine. AI have had nearly zero problems. Actually less difficulty with the Lee than with the RCBS. When the RCBS shift position or need repositioning, it is a process. When the Lee "O" rings need repositioning, it is easy.

The Redding split-ring and Forster Split-ring locks are as difficult to reposition as the RCBS, but lose their positioning never, unlike the Lee which seem to lose position once in a while. Even my RDCBS dies' lock rings lost positioning (less often than my Lees, but they did, unlike the Split0ring type).

So, what's your poison?

To my mind, Lee's "O" rings or the split-ring type offered by Redding and Forster are equally functional for me and hands-down better than any set-screw type.

My opinion. And why I have it.

Another opinion (one I expressed earlier). There is GREAT value in learning how to adjust dies properly. A single-stage press WITHOUT the quick-change bushings is the only way I know of to force that learning. Whether the angst involved in taking that route is worth the skills thus gained is open to debate.

Lost SHeep

Right on

thomas15 said:

This thread highlights the weakness of a turret press which becomes evident when you go the opposite direction and want to load 500-1000 rounds in one sitting.

Not bashing a turret press per se, I have one and have loaded 1000s of rounds on it but when I add up all of the money I have invested in my turret press (and add-ons) with it's +/- 150 rounds per hour with the amount of money I have invested in my progressive press with it's +/- 500 rounds per hour output, at least for pistol ammo, I question why I ever thought a turret press was a good idea.

It really comes down to how much ammo you actually consume and your desire to own high quality tools vs. entry level tools.

Click to expand...

Right on, brother. I agree totally on every point.

I chose a Lee Classic Turret for just that reason. I seldom make loading runs of 500 rounds of a single caliber. But I have been known to make 500 rounds of multiple calibers (200 of this , 100 of that, 300 of the other) . I also put my gear away after each session.

A medium-rate press with easy caliber swaps and fast setup and teardown makes sense for me.

If I kept my loading bench was setup permanently and I made 500+ single-caliber runs routinely, a progressive would be a natural choice. No question. (I would have to invest a lot of mental effort into getting used to monitoring multiple simultaneous op0erations, but the effort would be worth it.)

Lost Sheep