Lee Classic Turret Press for Mainly Rifle Ammo

Recce21

Recce21

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Does anyone out there have expereice with the Lee Classic Turret Press loading mainly rifle ammo? I have been reading here about the Lee but most guys seem to load mainly pistol ammo and the rifle ammo is a side thing.

I am set up to load 9mm but my current press is a single stage so that got old quick, plus I just broke the dumb thing. I load 30-06, 308 and 303 Brit 99% of the time and I am looking for a new press (under $200). I was dead set on a Rock Chucker but after reading on here and looking at prices, the Lee classics are not looking so bad.

But again, is it worth buying a turret press to load mainly rifle ammo?
 
I've been using a turret press for over ten years to load only rifle ammo. I have no complaints, it's a good system and won't break the bank.

If it weren't for the turret press I may have lost patience with reloading. I don't how people put up with screwing dies in and out all the time.:confused:
 
I load some rifle on my turret press. I don't use the auto disc as I weigh all of my powder charges but love that my dies are always adjusted and just snap out to change calibers. You can load em one by one or resize/seat/crimp in batches, just remove the auto index rod.
 
^^^^
I don't have the auto index rod, and I use a Lyman 55 for powdering. I use the autodisk (without the disks, the micrometer is way better) measure for my pro 1000s, ie-handgun ammo.
 
Thanks for the quick replies!

I won't be using the press for priming or powder throwing as I have a hand primer and RCBS Chargemaster Combo already. I am still a little wary of the Lee based on their warranty. I bought used RCBS dies and broke them within a week, called RCBS and they sent me replacement parts no questions asked. The Rock chucker is still interesting me based on the lifetime warranty but the price difference vs the Lee isn't.

I looked at factorysales.com but the Lee was MORE expensive than WSS with shipping.
 
I've never had to go after a warranty issue, but I hear Lee is pretty good.

Also, if you're breaking presses or dies, you're doing something wrong.;)


Let us know what you decide.
 
Well I bent a pin on the RCBS, so that wasn't a big deal and the Lee press I have been using is a loaner that is a few decades old. I am guessing metal fatigue is what caused the linkage arm to break. I had my cases properly lubed, in fact some had small dents on the shoulders from too much lube.
 
I'm using a Lee turret press (3 hole) for both handgun and rifle ammo. As mentioned above, its convenient to be able to leave the dies setup how you want them on the removable turrets. Mine has seen many years of use and nothing has broken. Not sure how the "Classic" model is different, mine is just the standard cheepee that cost around $60 25 years ago. I use the auto disk for handgun, and measure by scale for rifle.
 
I have the Classic Turret press coming my way next weekend. Got the whole kit with accessories, dies, etc for 9mm for $300 tax in. Good cheap way of getting into the reloading scene.

Single stage is annoying, and progressive is too expensive for my volume
 
Avalonthas said:
I have the Classic Turret press coming my way next weekend. Got the whole kit with accessories, dies, etc for 9mm for $300 tax in. Good cheap way of getting into the reloading scene.

Single stage is annoying, and progressive is too expensive for my volume
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Avalonthas...Where did you get your gear ?

And Recce 21 ..who is WSS ? ...as i was looking at the factorysales.c o m and almost ordered some gear
 
I was looking to order the Lee Classic Turret Press and a set of new 303 dies and with shipping (which was $50 some bucks!) it came to $160 which is more than WSS is selling. I will go to WSS, get the turret press for $130 plus GST and not have to wait for the mail.
 
The only issue I've run into so far was loading 45-70gov't and the issue wasn't with the Classic Turret.

It was the AutoDisk Powder Measure (using the disk doubler) couldn't get the required powder with only one throw.

It was a fairly big powder charge under a 350gr hardcast bullet.

Other than that it's been smooth sailing with the Lee.
 
Another satisfied Lee user. I have the 4 hole classic press and use it for everything from 9mm to .338 Win Mag, with lots of 6.5x55 and 30-06 thrown in. I keep two calibres set up on each turret plate and simply swap them in and out as needed. I use the Pro Auto Disk for pistol calibres and an RCBS Chargemaster combo for the rifle calibres. I also prime rifle calibres using a Lee Auto Prime for better control and feel.

No problems so far through several thousand rounds loaded.

Mark
 
The classic press appears to have more room for longer cases than the turret press. as mentioned anything longer than .223 will require the removal of the index rod. i find that the double disk set will throw a max of around 38grs of IMR 4320 that's with the two biggest holes lined up. You could enlarge them if you want to get a bit more, just make sure you mark them well afterwards. I bought a set used and couldn't figure out way the throws didn't meet the specs when I weighed them, turned out one hole had been drilled and not marked.
 
Recce21 said:
I was looking to order the Lee Classic Turret Press and a set of new 303 dies and with shipping (which was $50 some bucks!) it came to $160 which is more than WSS is selling. I will go to WSS, get the turret press for $130 plus GST and not have to wait for the mail.
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I checked out the prices and unless I screwed up somewhere it still looks cheaper to go with Lee factory

Classic turret press WSS $129.95 LEE Fac $84.48
Rifle Pacesetter Dies WSS $33.95 LEE Fac $22.48
Carbide pistol 3 die WSS $38.99 LEE FAc $33.28
Safety Primer Feed WSS $28.99 LEE Fac $20.98
Extra 4 hole turrets are the same price


Shipping was $60 from LEE and I dont imagine WSS would be any cheaper to ONT , so I may end up going with the Lee as I would be buying 3 rifle dies as well as a pistol die and would save alot of money by the looks of it.
 
chalkriver said:
I checked out the prices and unless I screwed up somewhere it still looks cheaper to go with Lee factory

Classic turret press WSS $129.95 LEE Fac $84.48
Rifle Pacesetter Dies WSS $33.95 LEE Fac $22.48
Carbide pistol 3 die WSS $38.99 LEE FAc $33.28
Safety Primer Feed WSS $28.99 LEE Fac $20.98
Extra 4 hole turrets are the same price


Shipping was $60 from LEE and I dont imagine WSS would be any cheaper to ONT , so I may end up going with the Lee as I would be buying 3 rifle dies as well as a pistol die and would save alot of money by the looks of it.
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Sorry, should have explained myself better. It is cheaper for me because I can just swing by WSS on my way home from work and pick it up, so no shipping. It was the shipping costs from Lee factory that turned me off even though the prices were obviously cheaper.
 
pageophile said:
The only issue I've run into so far was loading 45-70gov't and the issue wasn't with the Classic Turret.

It was the AutoDisk Powder Measure (using the disk doubler) couldn't get the required powder with only one throw.

It was a fairly big powder charge under a 350gr hardcast bullet.

Other than that it's been smooth sailing with the Lee.
Click to expand...

Like I said somewhere above, I got rid of the disks ASAP and put in the micrometer. You just dial in whatever load you want. I'd recommend doing this to anyone using the autodisk measure.
I've only used it in handgun loading, so I'm not positive if it dials up high enough for rifle loads. I would assume it does though.
 
I just ordered a complete set up including the Classic Turret Press (cast) from Factory Sales, and I ordered everything I need to reload 9mm and 30/06. I ordered a bunch of extra stuff that I may not need to load 30/06, but I figured that since I was ordering from them and they are so cheap, then I might as well order everything I would ever need and then some stuff to load up in different options. I ordered the pro autodisc and double disc kit, with the rifle charging die, the adjustable charge bar, and the universal charging die, and also the perfect powder measure, so I have a few different options to load up rifle like 30/06. This way I can try to mount the perfect powder measure on a turret, with a universal charging die because I was told that its a good method. I could also try the adjustable charge bar, to see if there is a way of doing things easier, and then I can also load up smaller rifle with the pro auto disc and double disc kit. I have a few different options, and since I ordered from factory sales, it was dirt cheap. I don't plan on loading much, but who knows, down the road I might start reloading alot for .223 and .308, but for now, I just want to load up about 250 hunting rounds for my 30/06, using about 5 different bullet types, to give me lots of different options to keep around for a rainy day.

I probably ordered a bunch of stuff I did'nt need, but when its here in front of me, it will make more sense to me when I start playing with it, and I don't want to regret not ordering something, so I just ordered everything ...lol.
 
I have been using my Classic Turret for pistol so far, but look forward to doing rifle in it as well. I would stick the funnel in the expander die and measure a charge with a seperate scale, thrower, or dipper and dump it in the funnel/die on the expanding stage. Then double check powder and seat bullet in next die/stage. I've been very happy with the service and prices from Factory Sales.

To clarify Factory Sales is NOT Lee. It is a seperate business across the road from the Lee factory in Hartford that sells Lee products. Along with another seller in the same city I imagine their low prices stem from the fact that they pick up the product themeselves instead of shipping to their shop and then shipping again to you.
 
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