Single stage or turret?

J

JDMLandscaping

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
9   0   0
Location
Lower Mainland BC
Hey all. So I have been wanting to get into reloading for awhile now and with Christmas on its way the wife has said she is willing to buy me a kit to get started. I am going to start out with a Lee kit until I am to a point where I need to upgrade to something better quality (if I do). Lee makes both the 50th anniversary kit which is a single stage and the 4 hole turret deluxe kit. I don’t care much about the price difference as it is negligible to me. Here is a rundown on my wants and needs.

I have a .308 and a 7mm Rem Mag I want to reload for accuracy long range and some range plinkers for the .308 (Stag 10). I also shoot my AR and my pistols (9mm) a lot.

Now my canumdrum comes with commercial ammo for 9mm coming in at $0.24-$0.27 a round and .223 at $0.43 a round I am thinking I would have to reload A LOT of rounds to make the turret press pay for itself. Where as with the single stage I would only reload for the long guns and buy bulk ammo for the pistols and the AR. That is until I start casting bullets but I don’t see me doing that for a few years. What do you guys think? Which one would best suit the needs of a new reloaded with the outlines above? Thanks in advance I much appreciate the advice!
 
Svt40 fan said:
this is a good read

https://www.ssusa.org/articles/2015/9/11/should-i-buy-a-single-stage-press-or-a-progressive/
Click to expand...

Very good read, I have read similar articles and I agree full heartedly with learning the basics of reloading which you gain on a single stage before moving up so you know what each crank of the handle is doing. Thing is that with the lee 4 turret press you are able to disengage the turret and single stage load large rifle cartridges. Basically does both which is why I did not want to jump right to a progressive press as you don’t have that capability (that I am aware of but please correct me if I am wrong there).
 
The article links to a single stage vs progressive. Not what the OP was asking.

Turrets are more a revolving single stage than a progressive.

Some people use them by rotating each individual cartridge through each process mounted in the turret. Others simply set dies in turrets for calibers, then do many cartridges one stage at a time, turn the turret and repeat.

I use my single stage RCBS rockchucker as a utility press and turrets to load. My idea of utility is for a universal deprime die or for a bullet puller.
 
I use my Redding single stage for rifles and my Lee turret for 9mm. The turret press has play in it between the shell holder and turret itself so this may play a negative effect on precision but to be honest I've never tried to load precise ammunition on the turret.
 
All a turret does is give you the ability to set your dies and leave them, a quick change from sizing to seating. If you have more cals than the turret holds, you have the problem of setting. I have switched my Rockchuckers to the Hornady LnL system and have never looked back. I can have my dies set, swap them in seconds and have a rigid press. You can streamline this by getting a Hornady LnL single stage press.
 
From Lee website, re turret press:
For rifle reloaders, the maximum cartridge length that can be reloaded on this press is 2.3125 inches. Any cartridge longer than this you will have to dis-engage the auto index and manually turn the turret by hand. In addition, you will need to purchase a rifle charging die, and appropriate case length gauge to trim your brass after sizing.

ACF52.gif
 
Last edited:
I personally would like to have a few single stage presses. I currently only use 1 and it's goof proof, but tedious. If I set up 1 for deprime & resize, 1 for prime & flair case mouth, and 1 for seat & crimp... I'd still have about the same investment as a turret or progressive and still be goof proof. Once a single stage is set, it's set. There's no fiddling around, no readjusting, and no jamming. I just don't have a bunch of space since I reload on a wheeled cabinet rather than a bench. It stores in my gun closet out of the way.
 
Ridersfan said:
I personally would like to have a few single stage presses. I currently only use 1 and it's goof proof, but tedious. If I set up 1 for deprime & resize, 1 for prime & flair case mouth, and 1 for seat & crimp... I'd still have about the same investment as a turret or progressive and still be goof proof. Once a single stage is set, it's set. There's no fiddling around, no readjusting, and no jamming. I just don't have a bunch of space since I reload on a wheeled cabinet rather than a bench. It stores in my gun closet out of the way.
Click to expand...

Thats why I got a Forster Coax - set your dies up once and you can swap between steps/calibers very quickly
 
The only turret I would use for precision rounds is the Redding T7. A single stage seems to be a good choice for your shooting needs. If you plan to stop buying 223 and 9mm soon then maybe a Dillon 550b/c is a smarter option. It can be used in a single stage fashion or progressive for your bulk rounds. Tighter tolerance tool heads are available to help with OAL variances.

A single stage will always have a place on the bench, I would actually prefer another one. Check the EE for a 550 as they can be snatched up for good prices
 
In your shoes, I would go with the Lee Single stage, so long as it has the quick change bushings.
The savings on the 308 and 7mm Rem mag commercial loads will be substantial.
.223 and especially the tiny 9mm will be a bit tedious, but you can get either a turret or a progressive later on. I suggest a progressive unless you have a lot of spare time on your hands. Small batches will help.

h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnmozZZ1ZRc

I have all three types of presses, and a RCBS SS to progressive conversion.
 
Last edited:
Honesty, get both if you can. I found my Lee classic cast (which is the only Lee single stage worth getting IMO) for 150 to go along side my Lyman tmag turret press. If you had to get one, I'd recommend the single stage, only because I find I can get more value out of it.

Turret press for me, has 2 turrets one set up for 9mm and one for 223. Now I can still buy cheap plinking ammo, but to get the quality results I want out of my rifle loads, well I need to do that myself.

In summary. I don't need to reload plinking ammo, I do because I enjoy it and can save some money doing it.
I do, however need to reload my rifle rounds because when I do, cost goes down and result go waay up.
Can you load quality rifle ammo on a turret, yes, but I just find I prefer to do it on a single stage.
 
I've never had a progressive, but have found the turret works well. Extra plates don't cost much so you can have a few with your main calibres set up. The economics of reloading 9 mm are perhaps the most marginal because there are so many bulk deals for 9 mm. Still lots of good reasons to reload, but for cost it's not as compelling with 9 mm.
 
I have only used a Bonanza/Forster Co-Ax press and bought everything else separately as I needed them. I only reload for hunting ammo. 22-250, .260. 6.5x55, 308 and 300 WSM. I do have a set of Bonanza 7MM Rem Mag dies but haven’t reloaded for it yet.
 
JDMLandscaping said:
Hey all. So I have been wanting to get into reloading for awhile now and with Christmas on its way the wife has said she is willing to buy me a kit to get started. I am going to start out with a Lee kit until I am to a point where I need to upgrade to something better quality (if I do). Lee makes both the 50th anniversary kit which is a single stage and the 4 hole turret deluxe kit. I don’t care much about the price difference as it is negligible to me. Here is a rundown on my wants and needs.

I have a .308 and a 7mm Rem Mag I want to reload for accuracy long range and some range plinkers for the .308 (Stag 10). I also shoot my AR and my pistols (9mm) a lot.

Now my canumdrum comes with commercial ammo for 9mm coming in at $0.24-$0.27 a round and .223 at $0.43 a round I am thinking I would have to reload A LOT of rounds to make the turret press pay for itself. Where as with the single stage I would only reload for the long guns and buy bulk ammo for the pistols and the AR. That is until I start casting bullets but I don’t see me doing that for a few years. What do you guys think? Which one would best suit the needs of a new reloaded with the outlines above? Thanks in advance I much appreciate the advice!
Click to expand...

Get a single stage now, forget about 223 and 9mm. You won't save much compared to buying bulk. Just keep your brass so you have plenty if you want to start reloading the "tinies". If cost of ammos was a concern for you, then you might very well find yourself shooting more 308 and 7mm at the expense of 223 and 9mm.

Later on, if you want to reload 9mm and 223, you'll want a progressive, not a turret.
 
I would consider a progressive press a must for 9mm and high-volume .223. What sort of press to use for .308 and 7mm would depend on how much you plan on shooting and how far is long range.

Personally, I like my Dillon 550 as an all-around press for a variety of rifle and pistol cartridges. Don't feel that you absolutely must start with a single stage press; instead let your volume requirements drive what sort of press you need to learn to use.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom