Lee Classic Turret Press

AJCrowley

AJCrowley

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So, I want to order one of these to reload both 308 Winchester and 45ACP, but I'm having a hard time getting info out of the dealer on exactly what I need.

I was wondering if one of the resident experts would mind taking a look at the parts I've put together, and letting me know if something is missing, or there's anything in there that's surplus to requirements.

I've got the case prep stuff covered, so I'll just list the press related items:

LEE 4 DIE SET 45 ACP CARBIDE
LEE 3 DIE SET 308

CLASSIC TURRET PRESS
LEE PRO AUTO DISK POWDER MEASURE
SAFETY PRIMER FEEDS SM & LG
EXTRA 3-HOLE TURRET
EXTRA 4-HOLE TURRET

Now, I'm assuming that the press doesn't come with a turret (info on said site is somewhat scarce, so I've added a 4 hole turret for the 45ACP, and a 3 hole turret for the 308.

Any tips would be appreciated.

Thanks!
 
AJCrowley said:
So, I want to order one of these to reload both 308 Winchester and 45ACP, but I'm having a hard time getting info out of the dealer on exactly what I need.

I was wondering if one of the resident experts would mind taking a look at the parts I've put together, and letting me know if something is missing, or there's anything in there that's surplus to requirements.

I've got the case prep stuff covered, so I'll just list the press related items:

LEE 4 DIE SET 45 ACP CARBIDE
LEE 3 DIE SET 308

CLASSIC TURRET PRESS
LEE PRO AUTO DISK POWDER MEASURE
SAFETY PRIMER FEEDS SM & LG
EXTRA 3-HOLE TURRET
EXTRA 4-HOLE TURRET

Now, I'm assuming that the press doesn't come with a turret (info on said site is somewhat scarce, so I've added a 4 hole turret for the 45ACP, and a 3 hole turret for the 308.

Any tips would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

first- the turret is DICTATED BY THE PRESS- if you get a 4 hole, you have to get a 4 hole turret b/c the stations you rotate into are in different positions- the 3 hole has stations at 3 positions of the circle- roughly 0, 120, 240- your four station would be 0, 90. 180, 270- it does come with ONE turret- or should- -
2 the 45 and the 308 SHARE the same HEAD - and PRIMER- LARGE-PISTOL FOR THE 45, RIFLE FOR THE 308- STANDARD FOR THE PISTOL, AND EITHER LARGE RIFLE, OR LARGE RIFLE MAGNUM, DEPENDING ON THE POWDER FOR THE 308
YOU JUST HAVE TO CHANGE TURRETS
YOU MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE TO REMOVE THE AUTO INDEX WHEN DOING 308
you will still have to rotate through an empty station on 308
i found the lee powder measure to be INADEQUATE in the 308- not enough both in capacity as well as powder charge- 23.6 grains for ww748- even using the DOUBLE DISK KIT you only get 47.2 published - and it can be a lot less than that- i bought a dillon powder measure, but there are others -
don't forget to LUBE your cases when doing 308
 
I use the turret press to load .308 and .303, just get an extra turret plate for each set of dies. I use the autodisk as well, so if you are going down that route, you will need the double disk set and the universal rifle charging die.

for the larger calibre take the indexing rod out and turn by hand.
 
As T-Star said, a turret press is either a 3 or 4 hole. So order the 4 hole and it comes with one 4-hole turret. Order just one extra 4-hole turret...not a 3 hole.

I also ordered a few spare parts, as recommended by a poster at the loadmastervideo forum.
1. square ratchet (10 pcs-they are .50 each and shipping is almost free when you order them with the press)
2. auto index clamp (2 pcs)
3. action rod (1 pc)

With the simplicity and robust design and manufacture of the Classic Turret, with proper maintenance and lube I cannot see anything that can possibly break in the near or distant future.

I also ordered extra Primer slides and whatnots (can't remember) but really not necessary IMO.
 
I would go for the Lee 4-die set for the .45 - having the powder-through expander die - RCBS does not have this - and get an extension for it too, if it does not come in the set.

For .45 acp - you do want the Lee Taper Crimp Die. That one goes in the fourth station - so you have:
1) Resize/decap
2) Powder charge/expand neck
3) Bullet seat
4) Taper crimp

For .308, you would likely ( as T-star said) take out the actuator rod so:

1) Resize/decap - check length, trim, clean primer pocket and gently inside and outside chamfer and put it back in the holder and prime. Weigh a charge and funnel it into the case.

Advance by hand to :
2) Seat bullet and crimp if desired.

If you got the Lee Factory Crimp or similar, that would be in station 3.

Go easy on the crimp - really easy - overdoing this will crush the shoulder down, expanding the OD of the case, making it tight to chamber.

Don't bother trying to seat very close to the rifling until you have a bit of experience - it is embarrassing to have a bullet stick in the rifling as you attempt to extract a loaded case - it leaves a big mess of powder in action - and might require a cleaning rod to get the bullet out of the bore.

The shell holder comes in the Lee set - and it will work for both .45 and 308.

I bought the Safety - primer setups and don't use them - I just pick up individual primers out of a flipper tray and place them in the priming arm.

What T-star says about turrets is true - you want one or two spare 4-place turrets.

The Auto disk is great for pistol - pick up some longer brass machine screws from Canadian Tire, so you can just loosen the nuts far enough to change discs.

Theoretically, you could come close to the right charge by double or tripling a pistol charge - but don't - just weigh every charge - did you put a scales on your list? I have used a double charge to get just below the correct charge, then dump it in the scale pan and trickle to correct charge.

I've stopped using a trickler - now I just take a pinch of powder and bring the charge up to weight - it saves dumping the powder out of the trickler later - or forgetting to.

A little funnel to help get the powder back out of the Auto Disc and into the bottle and maybe one of those little combination funnel/weighing trays - a pleasure to use.

Get a stuck case remover because you will forget what T-star said about lubing cases.

Get some spray on case lube, and don't forget to use it.
 
Just went through this myself and I must say Lee stuff is nice but their documentation is terrible... It's a multiple shopping list item...

Here is what you need to do Rifles and your Pistol:

LEE CLASSIC TURRET PRESS
LEE PRO AUTO DISK POWDER MEASURE
LEE SAFETY PRIMER FEEDS SM & LG
LEE .308 PACESETTER or DELUXE RIFLE DIE SET (Deluxe includes both the collet and full resizing dies)
LEE .45 ACP DELUXE PISTOL DIE SET
LEE EXTRA 4-HOLE TURRET (To mount the Pistol Dies in)
LEE DOUBLE DISK KIT
LEE AUTO DISK RISER (You need this to clear the Safety Prime!!!!)
LEE CASE LUBE (or any other manufacturer you like, not needed for pistol, they are carbide)

--------------------
You will also need a Rifle Charging Die to screw the powder measure into:

LEE RIFLE CHARGING DIE (Lee Rifle Die sets do not come with this insanely important item)


--------------------
I'd add the following since it may come in handy and it's like $10:

LEE ADJUSTABLE CHARGE BAR (You install it in place of one or both disks)


--------------------
Also add a scale if you do not have one (You'll need to measure to make sure the disks are giving exactly what you think they are...besides it's only $30 for peace of mind):

LEE SAFETY POWDER SCALE


--------------------
Then you will likely need case prep items, any manufacturer will do but if using Lee:

LEE PRIMER POCKET CLEANER
LEE CUTTER AND LOCKSTUD
LEE CASE LENGTH GAUGE (to use with cutter and lockstud)


--------------------
If the double disk kit does not give you enough capacity to charge the .308, simply divide by two and fill the case twice (the Lee Press only advances when the lever goes to the VERY top, so it's easy to repeat a step on the press). However, measure your powder often, you don't want to accidentally triple or quadruple charge a chase!!

Phew!
 
Thorvald said:
Just went through this myself and I must say Lee stuff is nice but their documentation is terrible... It's a multiple shopping list item...

LEE AUTO DISK RISER (You need this to clear the Safety Prime!!!!)
Click to expand...

WHAT? They shoulda told me about this. I ordered my Classic Turrets from Lee Factory Sales and the person I spoke to should have known better to advise me about this part, since I ordered everything else......and more.....:mad::50cal:
 
Thanks for the advice guys, so....here's everything in my order:
My Order said:
LEE PRIMER POCKET CLEANER
LEE CASE TIMMER CUTTER&LOCK STUD
LEE RESIZING LUBE- 2 OZ.TUBE
POWR' PULL BULLET PULLER
LEE MODERN RELOADING 2ND EDITION
SAFETY PRIMER FEEDS SM & LG
LEE GAGE/HOLDER .45ACP
LEE 4 DIE SET 45 ACP CARBIDE
LEE 3 DIE SET 308
CLASSIC TURRET PRESS
EXTRA 3-HOLE TURRET
LEE 3-JAW CHUCK FOR ZIP TRIM
QUICK-N-EZ CASE TUMBLER KIT
LEE CHAMFER TOOL
LEE ZIP TRIM POWER HEAD
LEE PRO AUTO DISK POWDER MEASURE
LEE SAFETY POWDER SCALE RED
LEE GAGE/HOLDER .308WIN
EXTRA 4-HOLE TURRET
Click to expand...
So, for a start, I should get rid of the 3 hole turret.

I should also add the following:

AUTO DISK RISER
LEE DOUBLE DISK KIT
LEE ADJ CHRGEBAR F/AUTODISK PWDR
LEE RIFLE CHARGING DIE

Hopefully that should set me up.

Thanks again for your invaluable advice!
 
where did the zip trim stuff come from- and LOOK AT WHAT I SAID- THE 308 AND THE 45 SHARE THE SAME HEAD- and that COMES WITH BOTH THE 45 AND THE 308- YOU WILL GET 2 SHELL HOLDERS AS IT IS, BOTH WILL WORK IN EITHER APPLICATION- stick your cutter and lock stud for 308 in any drill or turn it by hand- THE ZIP TRIM IS A SOLUTION TO A NON-EXISTANT PROBLEM- plus- it doesn't work very well-
you know where i stand on the powder measure-
if you look at the wording of the rifle die it says FOR SMALL CAPACITY RIFLE CASES- the 308 is a MEDIUM- 223 would be an example of a small
in my opinion, the lee reloading manual is poorly written and easily misunderstood- get the LYMAN 48 , or a speer 13, or the abc's of reloading
in my set- up, i have 4 presses
3 lee 1000's, a loadmaster, and a lee 3 hole turret( really old- got that one in about 86 or so
the 1000's i have are in 9mm, 45, and 223- the 223 wears a DILLON powder measure and rifle die as the double disk set up did not provide enough capacity in either the drop or the resevoir- the dillon certainly does- i can do 100 rounds easy without stopping for refil-
the 9mm and 45 1000's have adjustable charge bars on them, which are not lee- i think they're sinclairs
the lee turret is used for 338 win mag- again, with a dillon powder measure- this time, the lee doesn't even come to the ballpark- 70 grains and up of 7828
i only get 100 rounds out of a pound of powder
my 308 set- up is on a dillon 550 b/c i needed the capacity at the time- we could shoot 20 round mags back then
 
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The auto disk with the double stacked disks will do moderate loads for 308 & .303 I believe I am putting 37grs of 4320 into my .308 (have to check)
 
t-star said:
you know where i stand on the powder measure-
if you look at the wording of the rifle die it says FOR SMALL CAPACITY RIFLE CASES- the 308 is a MEDIUM- 223 would be an example of a small
Click to expand...

Thanks T-Star, I've been wondering what that specific die is for.

However, what is the actual difference from the Universal to the Rifle charging die? Is the Universal longer to accept taller cases etc?

As per usual, Lee's website doesn't really explain why, just says it does everything...

Cheers
Tim
 
t-star said:
where did the zip trim stuff come from- and LOOK AT WHAT I SAID- THE 308 AND THE 45 SHARE THE SAME HEAD- and that COMES WITH BOTH THE 45 AND THE 308- YOU WILL GET 2 SHELL HOLDERS AS IT IS, BOTH WILL WORK IN EITHER APPLICATION- stick your cutter and lock stud for 308 in any drill or turn it by hand- THE ZIP TRIM IS A SOLUTION TO A NON-EXISTANT PROBLEM- plus- it doesn't work very well-
you know where i stand on the powder measure-
if you look at the wording of the rifle die it says FOR SMALL CAPACITY RIFLE CASES- the 308 is a MEDIUM- 223 would be an example of a small
Click to expand...
I thought the zip trim looked like a decent tool, if it's crap, I guess it's $16 wasted, I can live with that.

RE shell holders, I'm assuming you're talking about the gauges, they come with holders, but the primary purpose is so I know what length to cut the casings to.

A powder measure is definitely something I could do with adding, but to get started, wouldn't the scale be a decent backup?

Not sure what you mean about the rifle die being for a small capacity rifle, I've got the 3 die set for 308, and the charging die, which says it will charge anything from .22 up to .308, so I don't understand what the problem is there.
 
yes, you CAN pour the charge from your scale pan into the case - this is made somewhat easier with the powder funnel- when you buy your cutter and lockstud, the pin that looks like a decapper that the cutter screws into determines AUTOMATICALLY how long your case should be- it does by butting up the decapping pin of the case length guage against the lock stud of the shellholder/lockstud combination- get yourself a catalogue and look at page 22- you'll see how that works- page 20 also has the notice about the small capacity cases- probably the neck is smaller so it can't take something like the 338s- they wouldn't warn you without reason- it wouldn't hurt to write lee and ask-
 
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