Lee Turret Opinions

CreamySmooth

CreamySmooth

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I ordered a Lee Classic Turret. Opinions? I realize I should have got it as a starting press as you can single stage it by removing the indexing rod. Then at a later date bought a progressive. I bought a locknload and I may sell it I guess.

So has anyone tried this bad boy and like/dislike? And what accessories are essential?
 
I like mine alot and use it more for both small volume calibres and for all the various tasks that need doing. Get several turret plates.
 
I got one for Christmas and I've been really happy with it. I upgraded from the anniversary single stage kit. I have been cranking out a ton of pistol ammo. 9mm and .38 special. I've been able to crank out about 100-150 rounds per hour. Going to try charging rifle brass soon.
 
07blackwater said:
I presently use and love my rcbs rock chucker. Nobody should buy a Lee turret so there's one around when I'm ready to buy one. They are junk...
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See and this is where I thought I made my mistake. I bought a Lock N Load and I do really like it. The bushing system is tits. But had I realized or been told that the Classic Turret was cheaper and could be used single stage, I think I should have went that way. I ordered from Henry who has the kit on for 240 bucks. My LnL was 350 for the kit and its just single stage. And from my usage, I seem to think I can use better dies if I want but the Lee ones do it just as we'll for bulk ammo, and my Hornady dies are still useful when I want precision .308.

So I'm confused. You want one or dislike them?

C.
 
The Lee Classic Turret is a great press. Don't listen to the Lee haters.

Get turret plates for each caliber you're going to reload. The round turret / die storage containers are handy. What are you using for powder measure / die? There are different options for that. A powder check die is handy. Get a spare square plastic nut for the indexer. You shouldn't need it if you aren't a gorilla with the press but they're a failure point by design so having a spare is a good idea.
 
I was being sarcastic because I have a few weeks before I have the cash to buy either. Sorry to confuse you. They are both very good presses.

For higher output of pistol ammo I'd get the Hornady but since I mainly load for smaller batches of rifle ammo I plan on getting the Lee.

Sorry to cause the confusion CS, it's my birthday and I'm having a few beers. I wasn't intentionally messing with you.

Cheers!
 
I had one, bought it for reloading 45acp. It works fine for most of the time, the auto prime was the worst part of the press. They do work, for the money thet are a good buy. For handgun reloading they work. The pro auto disk measure works very well, the shut off feature is nice.

I am starting to reload for 223 in volume. I played with the auto disk and varget. I was not happy with the results, not as consistent as i would like to see. I had as much as .4 gr changes in charge depending on how the double disk kit is set up.

I replaced the turret press with a dillion 550. Every stroke performs a operation. The powder measure is more consistent. I can get more volume out of it.

Precision? Reload on both presses and see which gives less runout. More than a press for Precision. Keep both presses and decide after trying both.
 
i have one and love it, loaded 1000's of rounds on it, have a turret for each caliber, I reload .45acp 9mm .38/.357 6.5x55 and .243 win on it, at times I have wished I had a progressive press but for switching between calibre's you can't beat it. I would not hesitate in buying one.
 
Sounds good guys. Basically what I wanted to know. Il mount it, sell the LnL single stage later and get a loadmaster or better.

And Blackwater I figured out the sarcasm. I to have been drinking and was a little slow....

So last question... Keep the single stage or sell it? Classic Turret be good enough later as a single when I need it? Is it sturdy enough?

And isn't the auto prime replaced on the Turret by the Safety Prime which seems to work really well from what I've read. I deprime first on my Lee handheld then polish in my liquid cleaner. So Ill still start with clean brass already deprimed.
 
I started with 45acp and a1000 which worked very well. Even the fiddly primer system worked. Decided to reload 308 and 303 to get shooting different stuff. Swapped out the 1000 for the new turret. Big mistake. The tall base made loading long rifle cartridges almost impossible. Realized my mistake. Got the classic. Couldn't ask for a better all round piece. As others have said get several die plates. The Lee auto powder dispenser works great for pistol but is picky on powder type.
I load pistol at 500 per sitting. Rifle is 50 max. So far rifle has all been done in single stage mode. I decap and size first then clean. Hand prime, then back to the press to seat and crimp. It's so easy to switch the turret manually between decap, and size or seat and crimp that I doubt I ever will auto index for long rifle. I prefer a separate powder stand for charging as its easier to control accuracy. If I were considering a high volume rifle like 223 I'd want to auto index. I don't have a lot of space in my reload area so cant have multiple presses. The classic does it all for me
 
The one item that I think is required with their press is the Auto Disk Riser. It provides enough clearance for the powder measure to clear the priming assembly when used in auto index mode. Without it, most charging dies/measure will run into the Satety Prime , and that too is another feature I would suggest. Works very well once you get used to it.
dB
 
daBear said:
The one item that I think is required with their press is the Auto Disk Riser. It provides enough clearance for the powder measure to clear the priming assembly when used in auto index mode. Without it, most charging dies/measure will run into the Satety Prime , and that too is another feature I would suggest. Works very well once you get used to it.
dB
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I believe the riser comes with the kit. I got it from Budget. ht tp://www.budgetshootersupply.ca/frame.cfm?ItemID=477&CategoryID=19

I don't think I could miss at 240 bucks. I originally went there as he had the other turret kit for 145 bucks and I was gonna get that as a turret kit at 145 looked like a cheap way to upgrade... then I cracked on the classic cast. Too bad he doesn't have the LoadMaster as I thnk that will be my progressive mostly because of cost. And while I have mostly Hornady and RCBS dies, and a Hornady press, I picked up the 10mm 4 die set from Lee and honestly, it has way more feature. Just not as pretty. This Lee stuff is looking pretty good!
 
CreamySmooth said:
Sounds good guys. Basically what I wanted to know. Il mount it, sell the LnL single stage later and get a loadmaster or better.

And Blackwater I figured out the sarcasm. I to have been drinking and was a little slow....

So last question... Keep the single stage or sell it? Classic Turret be good enough later as a single when I need it? Is it sturdy enough?

And isn't the auto prime replaced on the Turret by the Safety Prime which seems to work really well from what I've read. I deprime first on my Lee handheld then polish in my liquid cleaner. So Ill still start with clean brass already deprimed.
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I missed the sarcasm. It sounded like the typical Lee hating we see all the time. While Lee has had it's share of duds worthy of this attitude, (the original turret press for example), the Lee Classic Turret doesn't deserve a bad rap.

In answer to your question about whether to sell or keep your 1st press, I'd say keep it if you can afford to and you have the bench space. I still use my single stage press for sizing cast bullets, lead hardness testing etc. My son prefers reloading on the single stage. You can use it as a dedicated sizing press like some guys do.

Speaking of sizing, here's something I do with the turret press for large rifle cartridges that might be handy for you. I have turrets that are permanently set up with my sizing dies, by caliber. When I'm sizing / depriming, I remove the indexing rod and install the appropriate turret and select the die for the task. I have FS, NS, SB dies etc on one turret for each caliber. You can use one turret for multiple calibers if you like. After resizing, I can do all my case prep off the bench. Then for loading, I put the indexing rod back in and switch the turrett to the one permanently set up for that cartridge. Taking the sizing die out of the loading turret leaves a spot open for the powder check die and you'll still be able to use the factory crimp die.
 
Great Crouton said:
What exactly is a progressive press and how does it differ from the Lee Turret presses or a single stage for that matter.
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Single stage press: each step is done, one at a time for a batch. Change die and do a batch of the next step. Once you get going, you can produce 50 rounds/hour.

Turret: The turret holds all your dies and the turret rotates for each step. You can do everything in single stage batch mode, or you can reload one cartridge, start to finish. If the turret press is auto-indexing, every pull of the handle is doing a step in the reloading process. In this mode it's much faster than reloading on a single satge press. 150+ rounds an hour.

Progressive: The press has all the dies setup and they are fixed. They use a shell plate that rotates the cartridges around. Each pull of the handle performs an operation similar to a turret but the progressive works with several cartridges simultaneously. Once you get going, each pull of the handle is ejecting a completed round. Some of these presses have automatic bullet loading, cartridge loading etc. 500+ rounds an hour is possible. This is the most expensive type of press and the accessories like the cartridge collator can be very expensive.
 
Magnum_Tom said:
I missed the sarcasm. It sounded like the typical Lee hating we see all the time. While Lee has had it's share of duds worthy of this attitude, (the original turret press for example), the Lee Classic Turret doesn't deserve a bad rap.

In answer to your question about whether to sell or keep your 1st press, I'd say keep it if you can afford to and you have the bench space. I still use my single stage press for sizing cast bullets, lead hardness testing etc. My son prefers reloading on the single stage. You can use it as a dedicated sizing press like some guys do.
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I'm the farthest thing from a Lee anti. I find their keep it simple attitude towards reloading to be, quite often, the best approach.

I agree, keep the single stage. One of my favorite pieces of equipment is the Lee universal deprime die. I decap everything before tumbling. Best $12 I ever spent and once I get my turret it will live in my rock chucker.

Like magnum Tom said,the classic Turret is the one to get. A bit more cash but it doesn't have any cast aluminum parts and is built solid. If you look closely at pictures the regular turret press has a cast aluminum handle that eventually is prone to breaking. Not so on the classic Turret.
 
Magnum_Tom said:
I missed the sarcasm. It sounded like the typical Lee hating we see all the time. While Lee has had it's share of duds worthy of this attitude, (the original turret press for example), the Lee Classic Turret doesn't deserve a bad rap.

In answer to your question about whether to sell or keep your 1st press, I'd say keep it if you can afford to and you have the bench space. I still use my single stage press for sizing cast bullets, lead hardness testing etc. My son prefers reloading on the single stage. You can use it as a dedicated sizing press like some guys do.

Speaking of sizing, here's something I do with the turret press for large rifle cartridges that might be handy for you. I have turrets that are permanently set up with my sizing dies, by caliber. When I'm sizing / depriming, I remove the indexing rod and install the appropriate turret and select the die for the task. I have FS, NS, SB dies etc on one turret for each caliber. You can use one turret for multiple calibers if you like. After resizing, I can do all my case prep off the bench. Then for loading, I put the indexing rod back in and switch the turrett to the one permanently set up for that cartridge. Taking the sizing die out of the loading turret leaves a spot open for the powder check die and you'll still be able to use the factory crimp die.
Click to expand...

I'm still using that press. After 25 year's still no problem with it.
 
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