Turret reloading presses

I had a Lyman T-Mag II turret press, and it was fine. However, I am quite picky about the ammo I reload, and I decided that this press had too much free-play during a ram cam-over (when the ram pushes the shellholder against the die). For that reason I sold the T-Mag II and bought a Redding T-7, and never looked back.

In my view starting with a single stage press is just OK, as you learn how to reload. But soon enough it becomes extremely slow since you have to remove one die and then go to the next. On my T-7 turret I have a set of 3 dies (full, neck, and seater), a Redding Instant indicator, and a bullet puller. It still has one empty place for anything I want to have on it.

With fire-once or twice brass that I plan to reload for the chamber the cases were fired by, I first run each through the instant indicator, then bump the shoulder accordingly with the full-size die. Now it's ready for trimming, cleaning, and loading. The neck sizer is seldom used.
 
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Don't forget RCBS green. Legendary customer service on near bullet proof products. Some poster above me said he had to pay for shipping from Lee. That won't happen if you buy green. I still have my Rockchucker after buying a Dillon 450 and also a 1050. Different tools for different needs.
 
Well RCBS certainly has a turret press. (For some reason unbeknownst to me it doesn't get much publicity though.)
http://rcbs.com/Products/Presses-and-Kits/Turret/Turret-Press.aspx

Dillon? Did a cursory check and didn't see one. Not to say there isn't one out there somewhere.

If I was going to reload pistol AND rifle on the press I think I'd like the Redding T7.
http://www.redding-reloading.com/online-catalog/49-t-7-turret-reloading-press

Disclaimer: I've never owned a turret press so factor that into how much you value the above advice.
 
No, they don't. They make progressive presses. However, even though the thread is asking about turret presses explicitly, in the context that the OP indicated he is doing a lot of thinking about what he wants and why, I think it's fair to mention options he may not have considered that might fit his described needs.
 
If the rate suits you (about 20 minutes per box after setup in my hands), the Lee Classic Turret is fine. It allows a person new to reloading to see each step, and to go slow enough to learn what they are doing, and still get the rate up once they are confident. That rate of about 150 an hour is about the top, though.

Kempf gun shop puts together a kit at a competitive price that includes everything you need except a scale and a bench, without a lot of the gimcrack that other kits include to drive the price up.
 
I've used my Lee Turret for perhaps 20 years and would buy it again if I had to. My only problem has been with an occasional squib load that I didn't catch while loading. If I could figure out a reliable way of using the turret feature and being absolutely sure of the powder load, I would stop using it as a single-stage and go back to turret mode. So the real use for me is that I can keep dies for a caliber set and not re-set each time I go to a new cartridge. Wish there were someone who could help me with the certainty of knowing the powder charge was full.
willr
 
Unclenick there is nothing wrong with expanding one's thinking. I just don't do well reading peoples minds. Sometimes have a hard time keeping my own mind going in a straight direction.

I have always been one to try and fit the tool to the job at hand. Yet sometimes compromise has to be made to fit more than one particular job. I wouldn't use a 3.5" brush to paint trim just as I wouldn't use a 1" brush to paint a barn. I look at reloading presses the same way.

Also to someone like this I would seriously suggest to them to look at the used market. For one to save money on an endeavor that might be something they find isn't for them and also to be able to obtain a better press for much less money than they would spend on a new one..

There are a number of quality turret presses in the market place and as I suggested the refurbished press directly from Lee seems to be the best value. The Lyman, Redding and the RCBS, which I forgot all about, are much more money but can be found used at times.

Also from the description the OP presents of de-priming/sizing and priming off the press in batches again seems to me works better with a turret press than a progressive press.

Now with this said if a progressive press can be found for a great price then by all means go that route if the mood strikes.
 
willr, two comments to your post. First question is what powder measure drop are you using? Second, if loading on a Turret it should be very easy to look into each case before a bullet is placed over a charge. That should just be first nature, check the charge each time w/o fail. It is very easy to see a double charge or a no charge. A light or heavy charge is a different story.

Maybe all you really need to do is just slow down a bit, just takes a split second to look into the case.
 
Kevin Rohrer said:
An often-asked question. Blue and red are in entirely different ballparks. If you want cheap, go red. If you want long-term quality, go Blue.
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My red turret press is not built like a tank like the blue or green, but it will likely last me a lifetime if I continue to give it periodic TLC. All that for a lot less cash that can be used for components! The red turret works great, especially for handgun loads, but can also handle many rifle cartridges. Get the blue or green if that's what you want, but the red will git er dun for a lot less!
 
OK you guys and gals, this thread is the stuff that forum signatures are made of. I will be rolling mine out shortly, stay tuned. Thanks for all the GREAT info in here. I think I am sold on the red LEE turret press.
 
First of all, this tipped the scale:

kmw1954 said:
konstan if you go to Lee's website and look under closeouts you can find a Lee refurbished Classic Cast Turret press for $90.00 plus shipping.
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Not a single person who said they owned a lee classic turret indicated that they were in any way unhappy with it. That's huge. UUUge!

So, I went ahead and ordered the press (yes classic, cast iron base, yay!!) and also a reconditioned beam scale. I looked through everything on their site and those two things seemed like a no-brainer.

With a set of 38/357 dies I will be decapping and sizing my brass in no time. Soon after I will probably be loading new ammo, so, THANK YOU so much you guys, this is an awesome website and a great community. I am planning to stick around here for a long time if y'all will have me.

Fnally, this thread's top quotes. This section is lengthy but this is the least I can do. You all gave me something. A piece of your mind. Your experience. Words cannot express how thankful I am.

These are the snippets I was reading out loud to my daughters (17 and 20) after giving them the minimum context necessary to appreciate them. They are not into reloading but they do have a healthy sense of humor.

kmw1954 said:
... I just don't do well reading peoples minds.
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std7mag said:
... I have yet to know anyone that has saved money by reloading.
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Kevin Rohrer said:
If you want cheap, go red. If you want long-term quality, go Blue.
Click to expand...

GTOne said:
...happiness doesn't always mean being a bean counter...
...Classic, not the deluxe or any other designation....
Click to expand...

springer99 said:
...promised myself that I wouldn't post here...
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Wendyj said:
In less than 20 minutes I loaded all 55 loads I shot of 44 at the range yesterday.
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ed308 said:
Dillon doesn't make a turret press.
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konstan welcome to the addiction! Before long you will be in the arguments; bullets, powders, primers. Which is the best for? It is great fun though and a great group of members.
 
Konstan, now that the furvor has settled...
If you do much of this, take it up as a hobby, you will probably meet people that reload, and if you ask, they will probably let you see their setups.
This gives you a chance to work other presses.

A recent student in a reloading class messed with my old Lee 'Turret' (rotating tool head) press and liked it. He poked at the coaxial, the Rock Chucker, some of the other presses that have nested here over the years, but found the Lee rotating tool head presses on eBay for cheap.
I pick up an 'Extra' Lee (first generation) when I find them priced Right, don't much care for the self indexing versions.

There is a Lee 3 hole tool head press right in between my Dillons, there isn't any faster way to have a 'Tool' handy, like for pulling bullets from rounds that don't pass QC etc.
Tool head changes take 5 seconds, for loaders, that's a caliber change, for utility that's any press mounted tool in 5 seconds.

The Lee 'Turret' is on the working bench, the rest of the presses are on the bench out of the way and seldom used.
For common ammo, and a 'First' or 'Newbie' press, I highly recommend it.
Self indexing versions can be a serious pain in the butt for beginners, chasing tools that self index can cause loss of concentration & mistakes...

Another huge plus, common tools! Nothing proprietary! Common dies, shell holders, tools all work with this press. The only proprietary tool is the primer seater (old 'T' bar) which no one uses anyway. When you start, everyone wants to use a hand primer tool so they learn to seat primers correctly.
Every reloader I know has a hand primer tool, it's the first thing virtually all reloaders learn to do precisely, and that's a good thing since primers are a huge deal.

Easy to set a primer once you learn, easy to learn too, particularly with a hand tool.

The biggest tip I can give you is get a can of the old time 3in1 oil & keep the ram lubricated!
Wipe the ram fairly often, lube it. The cleaner the ram, the less metallic 'Grit' (Slurry) that will wear the ram & frame. Slurry wears out the press MUCH quicker, it's basically 'Liquid Sandpaper'.
Clean & Lube with every session and you won't have issues.
This is with ANY press, not just Lee.

Keep in mind, 'Slurry' is how the hardest metals are honed, sharpened, finish ground, etc.
Your tool steel ram is no match for oil/metal slurry, and an aluminum or cast iron frame is even more susceptible...

Happy Loading!
 
It has nothing to do with not being able to remember when I did not have a turret press' there was a time the Herter 6 position turret press was the first press I reached for. When forming cases it is much easier to adjust 5 dies and then rotate the head than remove and install/adjust the dies one at a time. And the there is the Lyman 4 hole turret, I have kits with dies for the Lyman, I simply do not use it and now that I have thought about it I believe I have two of them; it uses a different kind of shell holder.

F. Guffey
 
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