Yay or Nay for Lee Turret for first press

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Great Crouton

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I've read a number of these threads in preparation to get into the reloading scene.

I've come to the conclusion that the Lee Classic Turret Press is the way to go. Reasoning for this is it can be used as a single stage to begin with then I can drop in that indexing rod later to speed things up. People also seem to think highly of the dies that it uses.

Once I've got my head wrapped around it I would like to move to something like a Dillon Progressive so I can really crank out .40, 9mm and .223.

Does this sound about right to the vets?

I also want to get a case cleaner at the same time, should I go sonic or the vibrating variety?
 
Went from a Lee Breech lock to a Classic turret. Go with the turret, you can do it all and not be overwhelmed by too many things happening at once. My Lyman vibrator works good for me. It's a hobby so there's no real hurry.
 
I started with a Lee turret press almost exactly 30 years ago. You may find that dealing with one cartridge from beginning to end has its own kind of simplicity.Changeing calibers takes about the same time as saying "changeing calibers".

You will quickly recover your investment, so when you upgrade later you don't have to feel bad about it.
 
I just bought a Lee Classic about 2 weeks ago and absolutely luv it. However if you buy a Classic Turret be sure to buy extra turrets so that you can set up each turret for a specific caliber. I also have 2 spare turrets ordered through a member on EE here which should be arriving in the next day or two, then I can dedicate one to 45ACP one to 9MM and one to .308 for now.
 
Just had one given to me. I bought 2 extra turrets. I use it for rifle like a single stage. I like it. I like the fact that I can leave a set of dies set up for each caliber.
 
Yay of sho

I got into reloading recently using a Lee Classic kit and I have to say it is pretty much everything you will need. I've been very satisfied with mine. There are a few bits about it that are finicky but on the whole at the price I found this was the best deal and have not been disappointed. It is pretty much ready to rock out of the box, but I agree with the sentiment others have that it's a good idea to buy a different turret plate and holder for each caliber you reload. Once I found the perfect seating depths, crimps, and so on, I really didn't want to take my dies out and mess with it, and dropping a new turret plate in is a perfect solution.

For reloading rifle, I use the press in single-stage mode by taking out the indexing rod and have had no issues. I considered purchasing a separate single-stage press for this, but now having used the Classic Turret in single-stage operation I feel no need. Unless you're producing HUGE quantities of ammo this should satisfy you. I make a hundred and fifty handgun rounds a week in about 90 minutes with absolutely no rush, and produce about a hundred .308 rounds a month (no idea how long that takes me, I've never looked at the clock doing it). I'd absolutely endorse this press for anybody.

The only thing I'll advise is that you really clean it up when you first get it, and make sure it stays well-lubed. It won't explode into flames if you don't lubricate it routinely or anything... but there's noticeable difference in how pleasant operation is.

Regarding the tumbler, I got a Lyman Pro-Magnum and it is very good. I can clean large batches of brass in it and the auto-separation feature is crude but perfectly functional. I'd recommend it.
 
I have one, made thousands of rounds with. Easy to change to different calibers. If you use the auto prime and powder charger make sure you order the adapter for it. Not sure if you know you need Lee dies for the powder charger, Great press
 
So I just happened to find myself at wholesale this weekend so I stopped in the reloading section. They had a Lee Classic Turret press but it only had 3 turrets, I was under the impression it had 4? All the vids I've watched on the net looked as though the turret itself rotated, this one there was a disc underneath the turret that rotated. Is one newer than the other? Pretty sure I want the one with 4 turrets and not 3, yes?
 
Great Crouton said:
So I just happened to find myself at wholesale this weekend so I stopped in the reloading section. They had a Lee Classic Turret press but it only had 3 turrets, I was under the impression it had 4? All the vids I've watched on the net looked as though the turret itself rotated, this one there was a disc underneath the turret that rotated. Is one newer than the other? Pretty sure I want the one with 4 turrets and not 3, yes?
Click to expand...

Careful. There are actually 3 types of turret presses not including the progressive. A 3 hole, 4 hole, and the 4 hole classic cast. The 3 hole and 4 hole budget turrets are ok but not in the same class as the Classic turret.
 
My Lee classic turret had reloaded around 20,000 (38spl, 357 mag, 9mm, 30-30, 30-06, 308, 223) rounds up to now. I only changed the small square plastic ring which guide the rod (only a few bucks)
 
Definitely another Yay from me. I started with a breechlock single stage press. Moved to a Lee turret and a Pro 1000 progressive. I love them. The dies are great and beat my RCBS set by miles.
 
yay,

Lee Turret was my first - 9mm, .357 mag, .45 auto. Now I have Lee Progrssive 1000 for 9mm only. (still crimp using turret) Switching calibers on the Pro is a pain - the turret, piece of cake if you just buy die holder for each caliber.
 
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