Turret presses

I think you're down to the Co-ax or an arbor press for your obsessive needs.;)

The Co-ax looks pretty fast for a single stage with the auto jaws and quick change dies. Small footprint too, way cool.

I would not have the patience for an arbor press.
 
I think you're down to the Co-ax or an arbor press for your obsessive needs
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Yea, I guess a turret press just isn't for me. I use my progressive to crank out 40 S&W, .223 for my AR's, and 7.62x51 for my Custom SAIGA .308 and AR-10. Then just use multiple single stage presses for precision work.

I'm anal, but I think an arbor press isn't for me. I'm shooting 2 F-CLASS matches per month right now and don't have time to make 70 rounds per match, 140-150 rounds per month, on an arbor press....
Especially with all the operations I have to do to get a case ready. It requires 4 different dies :D
 
My dad shoots competition trap and sporting clays. He loads all his shot shells on an $1,100 posness Warren. They make good stuff.


Upon further review, the Posness Warren seems to fill the bill. But what does it do for a shell holder? From the pictures on the internet I can see mostly how it works. But can't seem to see how the shell holder works. And I like the fact that the toolhead doesn't move, and you swing an arm to move the shell..And the whole bottom comes up.
 
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It uses standard shell holders. The mount for it unscrews; you slide the shell-holder in and screw the mount back down so the shell-holder is held rigidly.

You can use whatever powder measure you want. I use a Quick-Measure, the powder drops in automatically when I raise the shell.
 
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I use a Lyman turret press for rifle and once in a while for odd handgun loads, It works fine for mu purpose. I use a Dillon RL550B for regular 9mm, .38 and .45 loads. I shoot .223, .243 and .270. I'm not a bench rest shooter so the Lyman works fine. There isn't enough deflection in the Lyman press to matter. I do keep the rod set where there is a screech when you turn the turret. The only complaint I have is the 2 extensions that are there to hold the priming apparatus that I don't use. They are in the way. I may have one machined to remove them and see how that works.
 
Mississippi,
I only read your original (first) post, so if someone came up with a brilliant idea along the way I missed, I apologize.

Out of the dozens of presses I've owned/tried,
The same old iron frame Rock Chucker I've had for 35-40 years for super tight tolerance/super low volume loading,

The only other manual press I have mounted right now is a Lee Classic Turret.
I've owned Hollywood, Texas & RCBS type pin mounted turret presses, and they simply aren't any more accurate than the cheap & fast Lee for small batches,
And all of them are stupid expensive compaired to the Lee Turret.

My only gripe with the Lee Classic Turret, it NEEDS a bigger ram that doesn't deflect under pressure.
When you 'Cam Over' a Lee, that small diameter ram rod reflects.
Not stupid amounts, just enough to aggravate you...
But then again, I probably should have been working on the Rock Chucker when that happens anyway, the Lee is just so quick & easy to make caliber changes I often stop there instead of going on down the bench to the Rock Chucker...
(Mostly because I'm getting lazy in my old age!)

Outside of the auto indexing progressives, I can guarantee you the Lee gets the most use around here...
I still catch myself looking for used or broken Lee Turret presses at shows/swap meets...
I have more than enough spare parts/extra presses to last several lifetimes,
But I tend to make sure I have plenty of spare/replacement parts handy for the stuff I use the most.
With reloading, that's parts for the Dillion XL650 & Lee Turret.
The Dillon (anything 'Blue') is expensive, but it's the best bang for the buck in self indexing, not overly complicated presses.
Caliber changes are MUCH more expensive than the little Turret tool head for the Lee, so it's set up for common calibers I shoot the most.

The Lee tool heads are so cheap, I keep about all die sets in them in the storage rack. Having three holes keeps the die sets together and away from harm when not in use, and a couple flicks of the wrist lets you free the dies for the Rock Chucker (or whatever).

I probably shouldn't say this out loud since someone will call me a dummy,
My Turret/tool head rack runs long, behind the Rock Chucker on the bench.
The last two tool heads don't have threads.
Those are my .308-..300WSM match dies that get used exclusively in the Rock Chucker, taking the threads out lets me 'Slip Fit' the die bodies into/out of the 'Turret' Tool head...
Keeps them handy and out of harms way, but visible so they get cleaned/rust preventative with the rest of the dies when I do bench maintiance.

Being able to pop the 'TOOLS' head in the press and pull bullets on the spot,
Instead of setting them aside until I forget WHY I culled the rounds in the first place, is a HUGE help!
'TOOLS' turrets have swaging tools, bullet pullers, universal decapping dies, etc so it's a FLASH to get the right tool in the press & keep up with production culls on the spot...

People think the manual Turret and the manual Dillon are 'Too Close' together on a 4' bench top, but the two work so well tighter in tandem it's not funny.

Even more so when the Lee is in tandem with a driven machine, like a motor Dillon 1050. You can QC and take down culls while the machine runs, nearly in real time... No pile of culls laying around, which I hate having...
 
Yes the turret is in their loose, but when seating you are driving it up with the ram.

Saves alot of time on set up. You can switch between calibers on the fly, just to load a few if you want.




People measure their rounds when they come out. You think they are going to very in length and still sell?


Single stages seem such a great waste of time to me, unless you buy a bunch of them. The turret can be operated like a single stage for one at a time.

If you use crimp dies, than you are really wasting alot of time with single stage.

If you only load one bottle neck single stage I suppose isn't awful, or if you buy one for every caliber.
 
I use a Lee Turret Press but I also now have the New MEC Marksman Single Stage Press too.
It's a monster.. Well designed and built like a tank. Consider purchasing the press if you decide to go Single Stage, You won't be disappointed.
 
Cartridge overall length? As in COAL? Or cartridge base to ogive?

Because bullet Tips can vary by more than 0.005", but it isn't terribly important, what is important is the distance from the rifling that the beginning of the bearing surface is.

I'm not familiar with Lee seating dies but if they are pushing on or very near the tip, you would get a more consistent OAL but a widely variable cartridge base to ogive.

My Forster Ultimate seating die is within 0.0005" Cartridge base to ogive.

I don't want to assume that you don't know something that you actually do, so maybe you need a new seating stem. But otherwise the Forster ultimate seating die is the most accurate bullet seating die I have tried including the RCBS Gold medal match. Even my standard RCBS seating dies are more accurate base to ogive than 0.005! More like 0.0015.
 
For much faster setup changeovers, intending only a limited quantity run, the turret is outstanding, but only if it auto indexes, which leaves only Lee. Manual indexing is a single stage mindset, but what ever works. The cast is the superior option, and the 4-hole turrets allow flexibility over the 3-hole in number of dies used.
 
I have just started reloading this Spring and the only experience I have is with a Lee Classic Cast Turret Press. There are two Lee turret press models and in my estimation, there is a good sized difference between the two. I watched carefully and picked mine up for $107 including shipping and some tax.

Anyway, I think that simply because I can have a 4 die setup in each turret and they remain stationary, is a distinct advantage. When I want to change calibers, I swap out the entire turret including dies and I am assured that the setup is consistent with my last run of that same caliber.

I haven't used the auto-indexing function yet. I have loaded about 1,200 rounds of 38, 357 and 40 and I like the press a lot. The key to me is the inexpensive, replaceable turrets.

BZimm
 
Without using the auto indexing, one is mostly just saving having to screw dies in and out of a single stage. If actually loading in stage sequence, the auto index just makes that easier and faster. It goes better with some lube on the turret, and One-Shot, once dried, works well, no mess. I use the ergo short handle for handgun.
 
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