Turret vs progressive

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Bobbyg00

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Hi All,

I am currently looking to start reloading.
I had planned on going strait to the Dillon 550B.
However, I have been looking at turret presses as well.
I will be loading 9mm and. 45 ACP to start but will likely look to load .308 and .338 Lapua at some point.
Just wanted your opinion on whether to start with a Lee Classic turret kit or go strait for the Dillon 550B?

Thanks!
 
Personally I started with a Single stage press and then moved up after some time to a progressive Dillon 650..

I use both today and have never regretted the start with a single to get used to the hobby.
 
I use the Lee Turret press, and it works excellent for pistol calibers, once the dies are set up in the turret its a simple job to switch between calibers. For rifle loads, I do the same except I remove the indexing rod, and turn the turret by hand when I want to proceed to the next step.
 
A good quality cast metal single stage for rifle

Progressive for pistol.

You can always find good used single stage presses at gun shows and the like

To me a turret press like the Lee is neither fish nor fowl
 
It all depends on how much you're willing to invest up front, and how many rounds you want/need to reload per hour. The Dillon is more expensive (press, parts and accessories) but more productive. The turret (and by this I mean an auto-indexing turret) is less expensive (can be 1/3rd the cost) but only about 60% as productive as the Dillon 550B. This is in reference to pistol rounds loaded in full progressive or auto-indexed mode.

For rifle rounds, depending on your loading process, the 550 and turret will load the same volume/hr. This is because most rifle loading processes combine on-press and off-press steps which causes either press to be operated like a single stage.

That said, a single-stage offers some advantages for accuracy-oriented rifle loading and is a press that can be used for many special purposes (decapping, bullet pulling, swaging, etc.) that can make it a long-term addition to your bench. A great combination is a single-stage for rifle and a progressive for pistol.

Unless you are a committed reloader, do you know that you will be using the press enough to get your investment out of it? Many prospective reloaders find that they lack time or ongoing interest within a year or two.
 
I started off with a single stage for when I was doing 30-06 and 308 however it was a very slow process and never really made sense to me so I only had it for about a month before I moved on. I then got a turret style and it made so much more sense. Every time I pull down, it completes one or two stages of the process and moves onto the next die for the next stage so with 4-5 pulls, I went from used casing to loaded and ready to go loaded cartridge. Instead of 1 pull then switching the brass for another 50 times.

I will be building a new reloading room with all new gear later in the year and I will be going with 1 progressive for handgun and then turret style for my rifle rounds.
 
Mark-II said:
A good quality cast metal single stage for rifle

Progressive for pistol.

You can always find good used single stage presses at gun shows and the like

To me a turret press like the Lee is neither fish nor fowl
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This. Single stage for rifle and progressive for pistol. Volume where volume counts and precision where precision counts. You could do your small-calibre (.223/5.56) volume on the progressive as well but I don't.
 
22000rds and counting in 7 different calibres from 9mm to 45-90, easy set up, versatility and reliability, I'm pretty happy with my Lee turret press. I've got one turret set up for prep only with a universal decapping die, primer swager and .223 quick trim that allows me to prep my brass the way I want quickly and conveniently. all for less than $1500 including every single replacement part, accessory and doohicky.

I keep looking at progressive presses but the break even point for 9mm would be at around 7500 rounds on the optimistic side versus the $100 additional cost to load 9mm on a turret press that had already paid for itself many times over.

Even with its much slower production rate, producing over 10000 rds of ammo so far for only another $100 investment makes me happy with my choice.
 
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Thanks a lot for the information! Appreciate it.
I really don't shoot a ton due to time (<1000 /month) but this could change. I'm starting to realize as has been mentioned, a turret and a single stage may make more sense right now. Thanks again for the info!
 
awesomeMcawesome said:
I just came on to ask the exact same question....great minds think alike or is it that simple minds seldom differ lol thanks for the post
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Yeah there's so much out there it's hard to decide what makes more sense. I like the idea of a turret for learning how to reload and studying each step / knowing what works and what doesn't. The cost of a single plus a turret will be about what a 550B will cost but at that point, you have everything you will ever need.
 
Mark-II said:
A good quality cast metal single stage for rifle

Progressive for pistol.

You can always find good used single stage presses at gun shows and the like

To me a turret press like the Lee is neither fish nor fowl
Click to expand...

I agree with ^^^. But I would like to suggest that you go with both presses simultaneously - i.e. get a progressive such as 550B /650 and a Lee classic cast single stage. The reason for needing both would become evident during your very first reloading session with the progressive. You would need to perform certain auxiliary functions (such as pulling out bullets, decapping an occasional odd case, other quality control issues etc, etc) without messing with the "production" setup on the Dillon. Plus, as people suggested it is easier to master the basics on the single stage and also use it for load development in small batches. Sooner or later you are likely to get both, so why not sooner?
 
Get the 550B for a Progressive and you have a press for a lifetime.

Get the RCBS Rockchucker Press for single stage work and you will have a press for a lifetime, The Lee Classic single stage is worth a look if funds are an issue. If not go with the RCBS press. You won't be sorry.

Take Care

Bob
 
Get the Dillon 550. It can do anything a turret press can do, only faster. I would consider a progressive press a must for pistol reloading.

I had no problems learning to reload with a 550 and, to this day, it is my sole press that I use for various rifle and pistol cartridges. If you want to slow things down a bit while you are learning, you can process one case at a time, as you would with a turret press.
 
coax for precision target
lee cheap single stage for various operations
550 is good for multi caliber low volume
turret is probably useful, even though I never bought one because I use a progressive instead, and I load few calibers, mostly on the progressive anyway.
650 is best for high volume

My solution was to sell all other firearms and bring it back to 9mm, 223 and 308 only and keep reloading simple and fast.
9mm and 223 on the 650 press, and 308 on the coax.... thats it.

now if you load tons of calibers, you might want a turret or 550.

I have a 45 left but I'm debating if I should just sell it or not.
 
I started with a Lee Loadmaster. I sometimes think to myself (as I'm loading) what a pain it would be to to have to pull the handle a bunch of times just to get one cartridge.

I don't load rifle yet but the "single stage for rifle, progressive for pistol" makes a lot of sense to me.
 
I started with a Dillon 550 and progressed. Now I have 2 650's. One for pistol and one for rifle. I load .223, 308, 30-06 and .303 for rifle on it. I have never found a real accuracy difference over single stage loading. I have shot 30-06 and .308 out to 900 meters with no difference group-wise. The real difference comes with the volume of production. I can do 100 rds of 9mm in about 8-10 minutes effortlessly. If i am trucking, I could do that in 4-5 minutes. Rifle loading tends to be a wee-bit slower, but not by much. They are certainly more complex to setup, but once you understand the principles and procedures you will be a happy camper. I only ever use my Rockchucker now to develop loads and then transfer the load data to the 650 for production.
 
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