Lee Classic Turret question

lee n. field said:
Safety Prime works just fine, in my experience. You might need to tweak the angle it sits at.
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Agreed. I loved my LCT press as it was my next step from a single stage to speed up handgun. I had issues with my Safety Prime not consistently dropping primers. LEE sent me a new unit and after careful adjustment of the angle the prime system worked good.
 
Targa - good choice. One thing I learned about Lee. They don't just make stuff they sell on the open market. They put a lot of thought into the entire reloading system.

One example in the video was the Lee funnel used on the Lee powder through expander die. Study the process and compre Lee features and you will see what I mean.

Their dies have special features that enhance and speed up the reloading process and their system works really well with their powder dispensers. I highly recommend the rotating drum measures.

I have two Classic Turret systems set up on my bench. One dedicated to pistol cartridges, one dedicated to rifle cartridges. 40 S&W, 37 Mag - 223, 45-70. The reason for two is the optimization of large and small capacity powder dispensers.

I never prime on the press. I like old-school priming techniques and have two RCBS bench mount priming tools dedicated to large and small primers. I also like the older RCBS Hand Held Priming Tool where you handle each and every primer. Just personal preference.

You made a good choice. Learn how to use it.
 
I love the knowledge and first hand experience you all share. So far I ordered the loader, the auto drum powder measure with riser, Lee die kits for .44mag and .454 with the factory crimp, an extra turret. Still need to decide on a scale and tumblr to clean brass ( looking at Frankford).
 
I prefer a beam balance rather than a digital scale. No batteries, and if the needle shows zero with an empty pan in position -- it's calibrated. No need to fiddle around with check weights.

The Lee balance will do the job, but it's a bit awkward compared to other beam balances (such as Dillon). Why? Because the Lee balance is made specifically for reloading. You set the scale for the charge weight you want, and the sliders are locked in place. This makes it easy to verify if the charge you just threw or dropped is correct but, if it's off, it's not as easy as a Dillon beam balance for seeing how far off it is.

I have both a Lee balance and a Dillon balance on my reloading bench. I also have two digital scales -- I haven't used either of them for over five years. I have no use for them. In retrospect, buying them was a mistake. I listened to someone who told me I had to have a digital scale.

Wrong!
 
Another thing you might consider ... I never liked a roll crip. I understand a roll crimp, what a roll crimp does, but just never warmed up to the idea of rolling the end of the brass and shortening the brass life. Lots of reforming stress in the roll area.

My preferred method is to use a taper crimp die reducing the brass around a larger surface area on the bullet without rolling the brass and crimping on a separate step. Redding makes excellent taper crimp dies.

I cast my own bullets and find I get very uniform and consistent diameters/tension using my technique. Accuracy has always been good. The Lee bullet casting system results are excellent. I use the Pro-20 bottom pour pot and Lee 6-cavity molds. I lube the bullets with Lee the Alox solution. Easy to use and very consistent results.

Others will have different techniques, what I described is what works for me.
 
Another crimp option to consider for magnum pistol ammo is the Lee collet crimp die. Very easy on brass for extended life and more forgiving for brass length variations. I use them on both my .357 and .41 with great results.
 
I have a Classic Turret press and it's been a really good press.
I went to Lee's site to order a few spare parts for the primmer system to have on hand and it didn't cost me a thing.
You can't beat Lee Customer service
 
The press arrived yesterday, unfortunately it will be a few weeks before I finish my work bench in the garage to set it up but man I am excited.
I picked up the Lee Balance scale after Aquila mentioned it and then reading online reviews, I also liked the price.
 
You won't be sorry, I don't think there is a better buy in loading presses.

You could have spent a lot more and got less.
 
With a press sitting in a box I'd be itching so bad I couldn't stand myself. Build a nice sturdy bench and enjoy yourself!
 
I got a Lyman digital scale and a Lyman wet tumbler.

On the scale - the factor that became most important for me is a good powder cup - and I've always been very pleased with the one that came with my lyman scale.

I used to use a dry vibrating tumbler with corn cob media initially but hated that it never got the GSR out of the inside base of the shells to my satisfaction.

I went to stainless steel pin media in a lemi-shine wet solution and will never go back. Now I only use the dry tumbler for the initial tumble of outdoor range brass to get the dust & muck off before it goes into the wet rotary tumbler.
 
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