Turret press options

[irishlad]

Not pushing hard and w/o case or bullet feeders, I can load 300+/hr on my progressive.

No surprise there. I think most folks know a progressive is faster. I don't shoot 300 pistol rounds most years. That's why I said if I shot more I would get a progressive. The LCT works well for my usage..OP was asking about Lee turret presses. Glad the progressive works for you.

 

[Iwsbull]

When the primers flowed out of the factory I would load and shoot 100-200 big bore pistol a week so not a high volume shooter. I love the Lee Classic Turret all I need and I have had good luck with the priming system on it as well. I like the auto advance too, you just have to make sure to do complete strokes, it would take effort to double charge with it.

 

[Highland Lofts]

For only 1,000 rounds a year I'd stick with a Rockchucker press.
Your talking 83 rounds a month.

 

[jmorris]

I am considering a turret press to speed up loading for pistols.

I load 100 pistol rounds on my LCT in under an hour.

Turret presses have all of the dies right there ready to go but you still have to do the operations one after another. If speeding up is the goal, it’s easiest to achieve if all of the operations are done with each stroke. To the point, with collated case and bullet feed one can load 100 rounds in just under 4 minutes.

 

[Skgreen]

.

one can load 100 rounds in just under 4 minutes.

That's no fun. The OP would have a years worth of Ammo made up in just 40 minutes,,,,, What's he going to do for the other 525,560 minutes of the year?

 

[Bartojc]

I am considering a turret press to speed up loading for pistols. I currently have 9mm and .40S&W, with no plans of growing. I have noticed that 9mm is considerably harder to size than .40S&W. I will continue to load my rifles on a single stage, since I trim and chamfer every time. Now that all of that is out of the way, would I notice a difference between the Lee Classic Cast turret press and the $40-cheaper aluminum version for 9mm and .40S&W lead plinking ammo? Accuracy is not a concern, as it is simply blasting ammo, just concerned about safely repeting OAL and longevity wirh maybe 1k rounds per year. TIA.

IMHO I think the Classic Cast is worth the extra $40, but you might not. Will the economy version make ammo ? Absolutely. You do not mention wanting load any rifle on it, but if you did it might be a reason to go with the cast as well.

Loading 1k a year is easily accomplished on either of these turret presses. Be aware it could be a rabbit hole. Inline Fabrication makes nice accessories like a case ejector, a really nice mount, etc. that it may make loading lots of ammo more enjoyable and you end up shooting more because you can

-Jeff

 

[MarshallDodge]

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That's no fun. The OP would have a years worth of Ammo made up in just 40 minutes,,,,, What's he going to do for the other 525,560 minutes of the year?

Valid point but what if the OP starts shooting 2 or 3 times more per year, because it only takes 10% of the time to load ammo?

That's what happened to me and I became so much more proficient with my pistol.

 

[Tilos]

I can’t….

Wow, that's quite the dance routine going on in that vid. .
I still see a lot of extra motions happening there though.

I went from a single stage to a 5-station progressive because of my love for mechanical stuff.
I still had to place the bullet and add a case every cycle, so doing 2 things with my left hand, just like the turret vid guy, accept the finished round is ejected in my prior setup.
I cut down both the bullet and case container so I would not need to reach into/over them like the turret guy, and I built risers for each to get them closer to/up to press level.
I could then pick up a case or bullet by feel and keep my eyes on the press.

I have since added inline bullet feeders with long bullet tubes to my progressives and only load a case each cycle.
Each tube holds 50 bullets, so I stop at 50 rounds to change the bullet tube, and again at 100 rounds to change the primer tube and bullet tube again.
That bullet feeder increased output, a lot.

And keep in mind, any method of reloading can be broken into segments that need not to be done all at once in one seating.
I can load bullet or primer tubes while watching TV and not do both on the same night.
If off press priming is your preference, that too can be done away of the reloading bench/room.
If a caliber change is needed, it can be done in a single seating, without moving onto loading after the change-over.

So, my short answer is to skip the turret and get a progressive...even if it's only the Lee 2023 Pro1000.
Buy it stripped if you can and add an Auto Disc powder measure because of it's simplicity over the Auto Drum.
If I was in the market for a turret or progressive, I would be buying a Lee Six Pack Pro.
jmo,
.

 

[Barmcd]

I have the Lee value turret press and like it a lot. I load many different calibers, 9mm, 45 ACP, 38/357, 44 spec/44 mag, Colt 45, and .556 on the turret press, I load most rifle calibers on a single stage press.

The layout of the value press is different than the classic press (the posts are in a different position) and access to the shell holder is different. You may like one over the other.

I have a turret plate for each caliber I use so changing calibers is easy. I also have an RCBS powder measure on each plate set up for the specific load I use for that caliber. There’s an adapter available to install the RCBS measure on the Lee through powder die.

I hate set-up changes so much I’m thinking of doubling up on 357 and 44 dies so I don’t have to readjust when going from special to magnum cartridges.

I haven’t run into an indexing issue yet. I shoot a couple hundred rounds a week so it doesn’t take more than a couple hours to keep up with demand.

 

[Zendude]

This is the main reason I am considering it. I would like to avoid the time of carefully moving a charged case to a tray, and back to the press after switching to a seating die. I would guess that pistol would take half as long on a turret compared to a single stage.

Conversely, I already had the Breech Lock Auto press, didn't take to it. Too much overhanding and swapping hands while holding the handle up or down.

With the Lee turret presses, the priming system is the same as your Breech Lock Auto pro, so I’m not sure if you would find a turret much different. Also, you can run the breech lock pro with one case at a time like a turret press, if you prefer only keeping track of a single cartridge at a time.

 

[irishlad]

Turret presses have all of the dies right there ready to go but you still have to do the operations one after another. If speeding up is the goal, it’s easiest to achieve if all of the operations are done with each stroke. To the point, with collated case and bullet feed one can load 100 rounds in just under 4 minutes.

I agree, thats why I said in my post, only he can decide on volume and time spent and if I loaded alot of pistol rounds I would use a progressive. The LCT works great for my volume and time.

 

[anothernewb]

If you're just doing pistol. it's outside your suggestion - It's not cheap - but I can't recommend a better unit than a square deal B. Loved that press. kinda regret giving that away when I got my 650.

lots of people love the 550. and with good reason. it does a lot of things well. and you can buy off the shelf dies unlike the SDB. I prefer the progressive action though. so for me it's SDB or all the way to 650/750.

I wouldn't be afraid of a used one either. dillon's warranty is awesome.

 

[jmorris]

.

That's no fun. The OP would have a years worth of Ammo made up in just 40 minutes,,,,, What's he going to do for the other 525,560 minutes of the year?

Mrs. Morris bought me my first 1050, so we could have more snuggle time. I must say that’s one of my favorite uses for time too.

 

[Ks5shooter]

Considered a turret but went with Lee 6000 for case prep.At $339 set up for a caliber.Gonna use it for case prep only.The shellplate for 9mm and 40 is the same.I thought that weird but it is.If I ever decide to go progressive ,everthing is included.So I will resize,deprime ,prime and bell case mouth on this press.6 stations for powder check dies etc if you go progressive.

 

[gwpercle]

The turret press doesn't realy speed up production that much ... it's basically a single station that you can leave the dies set up and adjusted in . Trying to use it as a progressive is a pain , moving the head around and doing the reloading one shell at a time doesn't work well .
I have a turret set up for 357 Magnum ... that's all it does , I do batches 50-100 cases at a time ... size them all , decap them all , prime them all , charge them all , seat and crimp them all .
I do get to leave the dies set up but when I change bullets ...I have to adjust the dies !
A turret press sounds good on paper but in reality a good single stage will do just as well .
Practice removing a case from the shell holder with two fingers and inserting a fresh case held in the other two fingers ... I call it doing the double shuffle ...removing and inserting cases with one hand ...that speeds up production !
Gary

 

[irishlad]

The turret press doesn't realy speed up production that much ... it's basically a single station that you can leave the dies set up and adjusted in . Trying to use it as a progressive is a pain , moving the head around and doing the reloading one shell at a time doesn't work well .

That would not be my experience , using my LCT was significantly faster than the Rock Chucker. Choice is a good thing.

 

[nettlle]

If you own a progressive like I do it's nice to have another manual press bolted to the bench. Sometimes adjustments need to be made to progressive reloads. I reload all my pistol on a Dillon 550 but prefer reloading rifle on my T-7. With seven stations on the T-7 I can keep it setup for rifle and still have 4 stations left for any secondary operations that I may need to do. That's why I like a turret.

 

[JerkyFreak]

I only tried the turret once, and even though it worked faster than a single-stage press, I did not like the rate at which the powder measure swings around when the turret turns. So it is lying in my cupboard gathering dust.

 

[Barmcd]

I only tried the turret once, and even though it worked faster than a single-stage press, I did not like the rate at which the powder measure swings around when the turret turns. So it is lying in my cupboard gathering dust.

What is the negative impact on reloading of the powder measure swinging around that fast?

 

[kmw1954]

This is the main reason I am considering it. I would like to avoid the time of carefully moving a charged case to a tray, and back to the press after switching to a seating die. I would guess that pistol would take half as long on a turret compared to a single stage.

Conversely, I already had the Breech Lock Auto press, didn't take to it. Too much overhanding and swapping hands while holding the handle up or down.

So you already have a Lee Auto Breech Lock Pro press. Yet you do not like it. Sadly the new Value press is basically the same press, it is just different in operation. On one the turret rotates and the other the shell plate rotates. Now if you want speed and ease of use them maybe you should be looking at the newest model Pro 1000. The priming system has been completely changed and the press has Zero adjustments to be made. Also something to think about, the stroke on the Cast Turret is much longer which is why it will load long large rifle cases. Do you really need that for only doing short pistol rounds?

I have on quick change mounts a Lee 3 hole Turret, 4 Hole Value Turret, Breech Lock Pro, Old model Pro 1000 and an RCBS JR3. I bought the 4 hole Value press because the 3 hole is no longer supported and I wanted to see if I could retro-fit the 4 hole to a 3 hole using the new base. On the BLP press I load 45acp because I use a FCD in the 4th hole. On the Pro 1000 I load all my 380, 9mm, 38spl. with just the normal standard 3 die set. Then on the Lee 3 hole I do all my short runs and load development and use it for powder charging and bullet seating 223rem.

BTW, on the Auto Breech Lock Pro just as with the 3 hole Lee Press, I find it faster to hand place the primers into the priming arm. With a little practice it becomes second nature and very simple. Also only take a fraction of a second to do and is much more reliable..

 

[ADKWOODSMAN]

After 55 years of hand loading things change as you go from competition to just plain shooting.
When I shot Bullseye I used a single stage as that is what I could afford. With varmint shooting and high-power competition I stayed with single stage for accuracy.

When shooting 3000+ rounds in competition I tried progressive. That wasn't for me.

Now with cowboy action competition and IPSC I have settled on a turret. I keep sizing and belling for hand guns in the turret for .45 Colt, .38 Special and .45 ACP. I prime on an RCBS bench primer, little dandy for charging cases with powder, checked with overhead shop light that all have been charged. Then it's to the single stage for seating. NEVER a squib. Rifle still on a single stage, even when competing in 3 gun.

 

[refuse2bafool]

I think a Lee turret with auto index is pretty much the way to go with your needs. You certainly don't need at $400 Rediding T-7 for 9mm and .40 cal

But its all a personal decision. My thoughts:

• At about 20 rounds a week a lot of people would probably stick with a single stage press and be perfectly happy.​
• Others find pulling the lever 4 times on an auto indexing Lee frustrating and want a progressive for just about anything.​
• I don't like fiddling witih caliber changes on a progressive, and since you load two calibers you need to consider that.
• I know the manufacturers advertise they take "just a few minutes", but they take a bit more for me. Heck, filling a primer tube alone takes a minute or two.
• I have to wonder why I see guys posting pictures with three or four 750s lined up if they are always that easy.
• Complete caliber changes for progressives are pricey as well, and then there is storage space.
• For me, I am skeptical that I save that much time on a progressive vs an auto indexing turret with a run of less than three hundred or so if I have to include a caliber change.

So, since 90% of my centerfire is 45.,I have a progressive for that and never change calibers. I have a LCT for everything else. Turrets are about $12 and take up almost no space and indeed can be changed in a minute without tools. I am sure the value press would be fine as well. At about 150 rounds an hour I am about 3x as fast on it than I am on a single stage. And I don't have to transfer that charged case to a reloading block, which seems to be YOUR particular frustration point.

Just my two cents.

 

[Soonerpesek]

You certainly don't need at $400 Rediding T-7 for 9mm and .40 cal

No, but a Lyman All-American 8 station for almost half the cost would allow him to leave both 4 die sets untouched…JMO…

 

[kmw1954]

Starting to find it pointless and fruitless to give an opinion or recommendation, only because each reloader is an individual with their own personal likes, wants and needs. We all do it differently, I can hardly think of two people I know that do it the exact same way. All any of us can do is relay what we have, how we use it, for what we use it and then the things we'd like to change or inherent short comings.

But to tell someone that they need exactly what I have or they are doing it wrong or wasting time and money, that seems a little narcissistic. Even if we were all shooting the same guns with the same loads and components I still don't think we could come to a consensus.

So as I did here from now on I will just relay what I have and how I use it. What I wish I could add and what I have found doesn't work very well. Let the End User make the decision.

 

[irishlad]

Starting to find it pointless and fruitless to give an opinion or recommendation, only because each reloader is an individual with their own personal likes, wants and needs. We all do it differently, I can hardly think of two people I know that do it the exact same way. All any of us can do is relay what we have, how we use it, for what we use it and then the things we'd like to change or inherent short comings.

But to tell someone that they need exactly what I have or they are doing it wrong or wasting time and money, that seems a little narcissistic. Even if we were all shooting the same guns with the same loads and components I still don't think we could come to a consensus.

So as I did here from now on I will just relay what I have and how I use it. What I wish I could add and what I have found doesn't work very well. Let the End User make the decision.

Very true, that's why I end some of my posts with, "Choice is a good thing".