My Lee Classic Turret is Defective

[rskent]

I could be mistaken - LOL

It makes my shoulder hurt just thinking about loading any quantity of ammunition on a Classic Turret. I’m glad it works for you and to tell the truth, mine works great for what I use mine for as well. I don’t use it to load common (to me) pistol calibers
or match ammunition. I think it’s a matter of choosing the right tool for the job. For a lot of people, the Classic Turret is a great choice. Other people need a Dillon.

 

[Random 8]

I find Lee equipment serviceable. I have a LCP on which I've probably loaded North of 30K rounds. It is the only press I own, although I never use it in turret mode. I think I still have the parts in a box, just switch between calibers too often, and tend to load single stage rather than semi-progressive. The only problem I have had with it is the "teeth" that mesh and hold the handle in position partially stripped while attempting to remove a severely stuck case from a die and needed to be chased with a file and JB welded permanently into position. The main screws that hold the "handle assembly" to the press body also back out occasionally. In general I've found their equipment to be serviceable but not always the most ergonomic. I have several of their die sets in oddball metric calibers where other options would be cost prohibitive. They work well, produce quality ammo but are a pain to adjust vs. the Redding and Hornady dies which I greatly prefer. I do like their carbide pistol dies, and simply tolerate the pain of setting up the collet decapper given the price point vs others. I've been lucky with my pistol calibers and set it correctly the first time I wrenched it down, and have found lightly scoring the rod with a file helps it hold position if I run into a stubborn crimped primer in 9mm. I like their powder measure for spherical pistol powders. I cannot get sufficient consistency with any extruded powder to not trickle, I am shopping a different Mfg. for this. I won't touch their scale, and have mixed feeling about their hand priming system. It works, but requires a lot of finesse and attention. Their ram prime system is functional but I don't like it as much as the Lyman one I lost the small primer punch for down a knothole in my floorboards. This is also on my replacement list. Basically, now that I am in a better financial situation than 12 years ago, I am gradually phasing out my Lee equipment for more user friendly options. Not that the LEE won't produce good ammo, just some of the more $$$ options are better engineered for ease of use and repeatability.

 

[drband]

I find Lee equipment serviceable. I have a LCP on which I've probably loaded North of 30K rounds. It is the only press I own, although I never use it in turret mode. I think I still have the parts in a box, just switch between calibers too often, and tend to load single stage rather than semi-progressive. The only problem I have had with it is the "teeth" that mesh and hold the handle in position partially stripped while attempting to remove a severely stuck case from a die and needed to be chased with a file and JB welded permanently into position. The main screws that hold the "handle assembly" to the press body also back out occasionally. In general I've found their equipment to be serviceable but not always the most ergonomic. I have several of their die sets in oddball metric calibers where other options would be cost prohibitive. They work well, produce quality ammo but are a pain to adjust vs. the Redding and Hornady dies which I greatly prefer. I do like their carbide pistol dies, and simply tolerate the pain of setting up the collet decapper given the price point vs others. I've been lucky with my pistol calibers and set it correctly the first time I wrenched it down, and have found lightly scoring the rod with a file helps it hold position if I run into a stubborn crimped primer in 9mm. I like their powder measure for spherical pistol powders. I cannot get sufficient consistency with any extruded powder to not trickle, I am shopping a different Mfg. for this. I won't touch their scale, and have mixed feeling about their hand priming system. It works, but requires a lot of finesse and attention. Their ram prime system is functional but I don't like it as much as the Lyman one I lost the small primer punch for down a knothole in my floorboards. This is also on my replacement list. Basically, now that I am in a better financial situation than 12 years ago, I am gradually phasing out my Lee equipment for more user friendly options. Not that the LEE won't produce good ammo, just some of the more $$$ options are better engineered for ease of use and repeatability.

Lee Precision will replace small missing parts like the small primer punch for the cost of shipping. They probably would have replaced the handle fitting with the teeth that you referenced as well. Check out their website: https://leeprecision.com/parts/reloading-presses/turret-press/classic-turret-press-parts/

 

[Strat Rider]

Only about 5k rounds through mine because a friend made me a deal that I couldn't refuse on a Dillon XL650.
Still, if I had to sell one of them, it would be the Dillon. The Dillon is for pistol only since I compete and need to crank out a lot of ammo.
Although, for pistol, the LCT will consistently crank out 200 /hr. I won' t do rifle on the Dillon as it feels too "impersonal".
I am on my 2nd plastic bushing though - I think it cost under a quarter - LOL
The LCT is very cost effective and I do 3 and soon 4 calibers on it.
And note that most of the "other" users still use the Lee Crimp Die.
Final thought - when I have an error on the Dillon - The LCT has all of my dies readily available to fix the screw up and get me back on track.

 

[tcoz]

If you follow Lee's instructions on swapping turrets and removing/replacing the index rod, you'll never have to replace the plastic bushing again.

I agree that the dies can be somewhat difficult to adjust but if you’re patient in doing so, you’ve saved quite a lot of money over the higher priced ones.

I load about a thousand 9mm rounds and various rifle rounds each month on my LCT..............but before you lay into me I have to admit that I’m retired, I’d almost rather reload than shoot, and most importantly, I have no life. Oh yeah, I also can’t sleep on my right side

 

[Rule3]

At least I'm guessing it MUST be defective. I've been using it for about 10 years and have loaded thousands of rounds in several calibers, handgun and rifle.

In that same timeframe I've read a whole lot of folks trashing the machine as nearly worthless and suggesting that unless it's blue, green or different shade of red it is a boat anchor at best.

I can report that I'm still on the original black plastic square ratchet (a supposed weak link), I prime on press without issue, use only Lee dies without a failure or problem, and in general find the machine to be built plenty strong enough and plenty reliable enough for all my ammo needs.

Therefore, there must be something amiss with this press, as so many 'experts' out there assure me I'm doomed.

I could be mistaken - LOL

And just think, we can change the Mantra to "Buy Once and DON'T CRY once"

Still on my original nylon ratchet

 

[RandyP]

"Buy Once and DON'T CRY once"

LOL - Goes right along with MY personal exercise mantra - "No Pain? No pain.....what don't you understand?"

 

[kmw1954]

LOL - Goes right along with MY personal exercise mantra - "No Pain? No pain.....what don't you understand?"

That's what they kept telling me at cardiac rehab.

 

[TxRoadDog]

Lee equipment just works, and that's all I can say about it. Anyone who believes the quality level is up there with RCBS, Redding etc... well, I have some beach front property in the desert to sell you. Now keep in mind, I'm not bashing it. I have a lot of Lee Equipment! I'm just being honest about it. It's budget reloading equipment that just works. I always opt for better equipment if I can swing the cost. Some of their products are very innovative and I wish other manufacturers would catch on. Their trim system? Man, it doesn't trim case mouths the most uniform but nothing out there is as easy and as quick. It's why I use it.

One thing that irks me about their dies is the seating dies. The adjustment stem is pot metal aluminum screwing into a hardened steel die. They eventually get a little buggered up. Not inoperable, but buggered. I find keeping a little bit of anti-size on them usually keeps them working well for years.

 

[Jeff H]

I've been very happy with my LCT since I bought it 8+ years ago. I don't use it much these days though since I bought a LnL. Nothing against the Lee, but I can load at twice the speed on the LnL so for high volume pistol rounds, I use the progressive. I do keep the LCT handy though for rifle rounds and lower volume cartridges since I do not own a single stage. It has proven itself plenty durable when sizing cartridges as large as 30-06.

 

[thomas15]

It appears that our thread is doing better here, on The High Road, than it is on the 1911 forum.

 

[someguy2800]

I find Lee equipment serviceable. I have a LCP on which I've probably loaded North of 30K rounds. It is the only press I own, although I never use it in turret mode. I think I still have the parts in a box, just switch between calibers too often, and tend to load single stage rather than semi-progressive. The only problem I have had with it is the "teeth" that mesh and hold the handle in position partially stripped while attempting to remove a severely stuck case from a die and needed to be chased with a file and JB welded permanently into position. The main screws that hold the "handle assembly" to the press body also back out occasionally. In general I've found their equipment to be serviceable but not always the most ergonomic. I have several of their die sets in oddball metric calibers where other options would be cost prohibitive. They work well, produce quality ammo but are a pain to adjust vs. the Redding and Hornady dies which I greatly prefer. I do like their carbide pistol dies, and simply tolerate the pain of setting up the collet decapper given the price point vs others. I've been lucky with my pistol calibers and set it correctly the first time I wrenched it down, and have found lightly scoring the rod with a file helps it hold position if I run into a stubborn crimped primer in 9mm. I like their powder measure for spherical pistol powders. I cannot get sufficient consistency with any extruded powder to not trickle, I am shopping a different Mfg. for this. I won't touch their scale, and have mixed feeling about their hand priming system. It works, but requires a lot of finesse and attention. Their ram prime system is functional but I don't like it as much as the Lyman one I lost the small primer punch for down a knothole in my floorboards. This is also on my replacement list. Basically, now that I am in a better financial situation than 12 years ago, I am gradually phasing out my Lee equipment for more user friendly options. Not that the LEE won't produce good ammo, just some of the more $$$ options are better engineered for ease of use and repeatability.

The correct setting for the decapping pin is flush with the top of the collet nut. I keep a brass hammer on my reloading bunch and if the decapping rod slides up due to an obstruction or berdan case I just give it a smack with the hammer to push it back in and keep trucking.

 

[someguy2800]

Lee equipment just works, and that's all I can say about it. Anyone who believes the quality level is up there with RCBS, Redding etc... well, I have some beach front property in the desert to sell you. Now keep in mind, I'm not bashing it. I have a lot of Lee Equipment! I'm just being honest about it. It's budget reloading equipment that just works. I always opt for better equipment if I can swing the cost. Some of their products are very innovative and I wish other manufacturers would catch on. Their trim system? Man, it doesn't trim case mouths the most uniform but nothing out there is as easy and as quick. It's why I use it.

One thing that irks me about their dies is the seating dies. The adjustment stem is pot metal aluminum screwing into a hardened steel die. They eventually get a little buggered up. Not inoperable, but buggered. I find keeping a little bit of anti-size on them usually keeps them working well for years.

Some of the older Lee dies had plastic adjusting screws on the seating dies. I stripped one out once trying to do a compressed charge and pushed it right up and out of the die. I really like lee carbide pistol die sets a lot but don't particularly like Lee's rifle dies, though I do own a few sets. I much prefer RCBS or Hornady rifle die sets and will gladly pay more for them.

 

[Toprudder]

Therefore, there must be something amiss with this press, as so many 'experts' out there assure me I'm doomed.

Funny, I did not see a sarcasm flag, but I could sure hear it flappin' in the breeze.

I have a LCT on one end of my bench, and a Dillon 550 on the other end of the bench. I have a Lee C press setup as a dedicated bullet puller (using RCBS collet puller) and also a RCBS Summit press with the arbor press conversion. I only load semi-auto pistol rounds, and some bulk 223 ammo, on the Dillon. Everything else goes through the LCT. I also deprime everything on the LCT, and have probably decapped over 40k casings on that press - still on the original decapping pin. I have about 15 turrets with different caliber dies installed. A couple of the toolheads for the Dillon have some combination of dies that include Lee. I also have some Redding and Hornady dies mounted in LCT turrets. I like to use whatever I think works the best - for me.

Lee is a budget brand. I think they use too much plastic and aluminum in some of their products. I had a Lee Challenger press and got rid of it, mainly because of the way it handle spent primers (and why I ended up with the LCT). Their balance is a really cheap piece of equipment that I won't use - but it does work. I had to tinker with the safety prime to get it to work properly on the LCT (had to use washers under the mount, and remove some mold flashing) but did get it to work well enough that I use it all the time. I really like their collet crimpers, especially for the magnum pistol calibers (357, 44, etc).

Lee has their good and their bad - the LCT is definitely one of the good products, and one I recommend to most people getting started in reloading. I have a friend that teaches reloading and wanted my opinion on different presses, as he wanted to show the students different options in his class. He bought a LCT based on my recommendation, and he has grown to like it himself.

If I could only have one press on my bench, it would be the LCT. I would really miss my Dillon. If I was shooting competition and having to load more than a thousand rounds a week, I would probably keep the Dillon, though.

 

[ATLDave]

. For a lot of people, the Classic Turret is a great choice. Other people need a Dillon.

And some people (me!) need both!.

 

[mdi]

I worked in a Heavy Construction Equipment Repair shop for the last 25 years of my career. I saw a lot of different reasons some mechanics bought their tools. Some bought tools because that's what their favorite TV motorcycle builder used or the tools used by their favorite NASCAR pit crew. Some bought their tools because they cost the most ("they cost more so the gotta be best, right?"). Some liked the color, some just bought by name, and some liked the tool man's truck. All fine and dandy, except those that looked down their nose at those that used Craftsman or Proto tools, and wouldn't even speak to anyone who dared to use a Huffy tool. I see the same "tool snobbery" in reloading. Some (not all) of those that use the "big names" of reloading tools think their choice is far superior than other's choices of tools/equipment. That's OK, as experienced reloader will have their favorites and understand the "Snap-On" mentality often posted on forums ("If it ain't Snap-On it's junk", or "if it ain't RCBS [or Forster, Redding, whatever] it's junk").

Just like my tool box at work my reloading tool boxes are multi-colored as I choose tools by how the preform the job they were designed for. Nope I ain't perfect nor bragging, but much of the Lee badmouthing is uncalled for, and I'd say most is user failures. And I'm waiting for a tool manufacturer to produce perfect tools that all users, from Joe Caveman to expert Bob Bencherster use and produce easily made perfect ammo, perfectly...

 

[somethingbenign]

It appears that our thread is doing better here, on The High Road, than it is on the 1911 forum.

Insert joke about LCT running with too few jams for 1911 fans.

 

[Toprudder]

Insert joke about LCT running with too few jams for 1911 fans.

 

[Jeff H]

Insert joke about LCT running with too few jams for 1911 fans.

If you read the 1911forum thread, you would see almost universally positive responses about the LCT. They just don't have as many members as we do.

 

[kmw1954]

I'm a fan of both Lee and Taurus so I guess I loose on both fronts!

But seriously I am a fan of Lee products and I tout them where I can. But at the same time I never imply that they are the best but that they are good reliable and inexpensive that will get the work done for the average user. More than frequently I'll also state that if you are going to be doing high volumes of even just 500 rounds every week then you might want to look for something a little better. Though I also believe that most of us are not in that 500 round every week category. Heck I'm not even in the 500 rounds per month club.

 

[RandyP]

As to the responses over on that 1911 forum...… sometimes mild mirth is appreciated to different degrees, often happening amongst those who deride any color than blue in their reloading gear - lol

Now... I'm NOT saying that sometimes it's 'snobbery'...…… but it's snobbery - lol

 

[thomas15]

More than frequently I'll also state that if you are going to be doing high volumes of even just 500 rounds every week then you might want to look for something a little better.

Let's hear it for The Lee Auto Breach Lock Pro!

 

[Mark NM]

Mine is defective, too. Probably 15000 rds or more loaded. It just runs now that it’s dialed in.
It’s a great press to learn on!

65,000+ on the LCT but I admit, did once have to replace one square ratchet. For shame ... can’t stop since I have enough components for the rest of my life (and yes, retired). Also find Lee collet crimp dies very valuable.

 

[kmw1954]

Let's hear it for The Lee Auto Breach Lock Pro!

No argument here, liking mine. Have been loading on a Pro1000 and still do. For my 9mm I'm looking at adding a bullet feed die in the 3rd station of the Auto Breech Lock Pro. So far I've tried the Hornaday bullet feed die and I haven't been able to get it to feed consistently. Next step will be the RCBS die as it's only about $32.00 then if I can get use to it and like it I may move up to the Mr. Bullet Mini as it appears to be the best but is also not cheap. It cost more tan I paid for the press!

 

[RandyP]

To all those who read my original post and take it far more seriously than I was when I wrote it....lol.

I am merely delighted that, as is the case with many other hobbies, there IS a way for all to participate in the fun hobby of reloading at all interest, need and budget levels. I do firmly believe that if Lee didn't exist and continue making their fine affordable products many would have never started reloading in the first place.