lee turret press?

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Axis II

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Hey guys I started reloading last year with a lee c press for 223rem and found out I enjoy it. I want to start loading for 9mm and 38sp and was looking at the lee turret press as I don't have a lot of money.

Is there any cons you guys can share with using this press for 223rem, 9mm, 38sp and possibly 45-70 govt.

I figure the turret would help me pump out more handgun ammo but I'm not apposed to using a single stage either.
 
Are you looking at the Lee classic turret, or the Lee deluxe 4 hole? Be sure if you decide on a Lee turret, that you get the Lee classic press,NOT the deluxe model.

As for function, there is no better turret made. None of the others auto advance, while the Lee does. With the safety prime and auto drum powder measure, it can load 2 - 300 rounds per hour. Only a true progressive is faster.
 
The Lee Classic Turret (LCT) press is a great press and very popular, it's what I have and use for 17 calibers. This one has a short cast iron base. A great starter machine and quite versatile, very easy to use as a single stage too. It ain't always about cranking out high production.

The other Lee Turret press (Deluxe?) isn't as good, in my opinion. I had one of those years ago and gave it away. This one has a tall aluminum base. It works OK, just leaves a little to be desired, mostly the spent primer collection. This one needs to be revised.
 
The Lee Classic turret works well, and especially well for turning out pistol ammo. I load 9mm on mine as well as 3 rifle calibers. I can't hit 2-300 rounds per hour, but it's lots faster than a single stage. For rifle you remove the rod and it becomes a single stage. For me it was the only good choice.

Jeff
 
I started loading handgun ammo (9mm 45acp ) early last year . I went ahead and started with my single stage press I had been using for 223 , 308 , 270 and soon 30-30 . I quickly realized a single stage press and hand gun loading is not fun . Way to many die changes for me and after just 500rds or so loaded , I bought the Lee classic turret press .

What a difference , get one you won't be disappointed . For the price it's tough to beat . I still load all my rifle rounds on the single stage but all hand gun loading is done on the turret press .

I load hand gun with mine a little different then I suspect others do . I universally deprime all cases before sizing and then tumble . I then prime the cases with hand primer before sizing . I have the de-capping pin/rod removed from my FL sizing die . I now just run the primed cases through all 4 stations . I FL size , Flare and powder drop from Lee auto drum ( recommended ) , seat bullet then factory crimp .

I do it that way because I like clean to semi clean primer pockets . My method seems to be the most efficient for me .YMMV
 
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I have the old 3 hole "Deluxe" turret. Spent primer handling is poor but other wise I like the press. I load 9mm, .45, .357, and .223 on it. I have also used it for 7mm REM mag so it can be used for rifle calibers.
With the double disk kit or the Autodrum measure and the universal rifle charge die you can charge .223 cases. I usually resize/deprime, trim (WFT), remove the crimp if necessary cleanup the inside/outside of the neck then hand prime.
Then I will do powder drop, bullet seat and FCD on the press.

I would say spend the few extra $ and get the Classic.
 
For sure get the Classic. It works well but needs a little finesse. Make sure you get extra ratchet nuts for it. Its a little plastic nut that indexes the press, super cheap and nice to have a few extra. You can also take the nut out and run it like a single stage. I bought extra tool heads and had all my dies set up good to go. The press is solid and won't let you down for your immediate needs.
 
snuffy said:
Are you looking at the Lee classic turret, or the Lee deluxe 4 hole? Be sure if you decide on a Lee turret, that you get the Lee classic press,NOT the deluxe model.

As for function, there is no better turret made. None of the others auto advance, while the Lee does. With the safety prime and auto drum powder measure, it can load 2 - 300 rounds per hour. Only a true progressive is faster.
Click to expand...
any reason why not to use the deluxe?
 
thanks for the replies guys. things aren't cheap so want to make sure I'm doing right.
 
Aluminum base on 4 hole turret, cast iron base on classic cast
1" greater case length on classic cast vs 4 hole turret

I like the handle better on the classic cast better than the 4 hole turret ( I have a pro 1k with the same handle arrangement as the 4 hole turret)
 
Based on your stated goals, I would look at the Lee Pro 1000 Progressive. The cost difference is not much, considering powder drop, primer feed, and the first set of dies is included in the $160 price (Titan Reloading.) These cost extra on the turret press, last time I looked.

For pistol ammo, it is faster and requires you to pull the handle 1/3 as much. If you want to start one station at a time, you don't have to load 3 casings onto the press. The "manual" processes - insert case, visually inspect powder charge, place bullet are the same.

It won't do rifle rounds bigger than .223, but you already have that covered.

You can't go wrong with the Turret, but I would take a hard look at the Pro 1k as well.
 
I bought the Lee 4 hole cast iron turret. Really liking it. Maybe get a set of the Lee 90534 locking rings if you have other brands of dies. The lock ring on my Hornady 9mm is big enough I couldn't fit more than 2 in the turret until I used a Lee ring for my third die.
 
The cheaper lee delux turret works, as mentioned, it tends to throw spent primers everywhere. At $100, the lee classic cast turret is worth the extra $20 for the near flawless mess free spent primer handling as well as the priming arm that wont fall out of the ram when things get dirty.

250-300 rounds of pistol ammo is easy to load at a relaxed pace. The easy change turrets make switching calibers a breeze. Swap your dies in 15 seconds flat.
 
ohihunter2014 said:
any reason why not to use the deluxe?
Click to expand...
There are many reasons, the most important IMO is how both handle spent primers. The deluxe stores spent primers in the base of f the press, if they get there instead of the floor. You have up unmount the press to remove them. The Classic cast uses a tube and the spent primers fall through the ram.

The ram is much heavier as is the linkage. There is more clearance with the Classic Cast press too. It's just very well worth the small addition cost. Mine is over 10 years old and it's still working very well. I load a lot of ammo monthly too.
 
I have cranked out many thousands of rounds of handgun (and a much smaller quantity of rifle) ammo on my Lee Classic Turret. They're great. Unequivocally recommend.
 
The Lee turret press is great. It can function as a single stage press if desired or as a true turret press that auto advances to the next die for increased productivity. For anyone just getting into reloading like myself and aren't strictly reloading large rifle brass, I see no reason not to make the Lee Classic Turret press their first press.
 
As a beginner, I started with a turret press. Best decision I ever made.

Next best thing to a progressive press, but fairly simple to set up and operate, and you can crank out a respectable number of rounds fairly fast on it.

Based on the prices Midway has on both presses, the difference in price between the Lee Classic Turret and the Lee Deluxe Turret is only twelve bucks.

For twelve bucks extra, all the extra niceties you get with the Classic make the decision a no-brainer.
 
Walmart sells the Lee Classic Turret for $100 and free shipping.

Buy now before Walmart goes out of business.
 
I've used my Lee 3 hole press for 30 years. I have turrets in .380, 9mm, .38, .357, .40, .44 spl, .44 magnum, .45 acp, and .30 carbine. Adding a .45 lc soon to!

Yes, good press. You won't load per hr as many as a fancy Dillon but plenty for most shooting.

Deaf
 
Correct, not a progressive press with super high output but I can safely load between 180 to 200 rounds an hour. Sometimes even more if I'm on a roll lol.
 
As suggested before , get the Auto Drum Powder Measure . Much more consistant powder throws and easily adjusted , you will get a large caliber and small caliber with the set but large is easily set to small and vice versa . Need to run them a bit to get graphite on the wiper to lube but just a bit . Lee Turret made be economical but worth every bit of what you pay , also a good starter press !
 
ANother vote for the Lee Classic Turret. I started reloading 4 years ago, and "compete" low key in IDPA. It suits my needs fine.

One more tip. Don't skimp on your scale. Get a good scale, not the cheap Lee beam scale that comes with the kit. Get something like a RCBS 5-0-5 or 10-10. The 10-10 was well over $100, but worth every penny. You need to be able to depend on your powder measurements.
 
Multiple references to output rate making me roll my eyes. I use my classic turret for 50-100 round batches. Anything else and I will take the time to setup the progressive. That is only a few calibers. Any rush to achieve maximum output rate, and powder could be flying everywhere. Anyway, you have to stop for a minute to refill primers.

I have 13 turrets, so it saves me a lot of setup time and even allows me to be impulsive about when and how much I reload rather than be put off by the prospect of messing with setups. With dedicated turrets, the switch is so fast that the amount of time involved is hardly worth debating. That right there is reason enough to use a turret.
 
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