Redding T7 Turret Press - Beginner friendly?

[Panic]

Hi guys,
I have a couple of noobish type of questions as someone that hasn't reloaded before (but watched dozens of do-it-yourself youtube videos of it) -

I'm not one that usually runs before he walks but I'm also not one to keep throwing money at something I don't need to...so, would a Redding T7 Press suit me for a once in a lifetime reloading set up? I saw it in a magazine and it looks like it'll do everything I want and last forever.

A couple of different store owners have said to buy a single stage and work my way up to a larger press but I feel it's false economy to buy more than one press if all my needs will be met with a single purchase. At most I'll only be reloading 3 rifle calibres but if I do ever purchase a different calibre rifle will the dies be a universal fit?

Is the T7 the best option here or should I look at the RCBS or LEE presses as an alternative for ease of use/quality of build?

Any and all help or advise is greatly appreciated,
Thank you.

 

[Hoag]

Panic,

For the most part, your logic is sound. The Redding T7 is a good press. (I have the RCBS Turret Press that I use for reloading 9mm, and at times I wish I had the Redding T7.) Without a doubt, a single stage is the best way to learn. That is the nice thing about a Turret press. It offers a good compromise that balances the "middle ground" very effectively. Once you set up your dies, you can use a turret exactly the same way as you would use a single stage press. The difference is that instead of physically removing one die and replacing it with another (say removing the sizing die and replacing it with a bullet seating die for instance) you simply rotate the turret to switch from one die to the next and then continue exactly as you would with a single stage press.

As I said, a Turret Press is a good compromise. All compromises, however, by definition have shortcomings which offset their advantages. While flexibility and the potential for increased speed while reloading are definite advantages, the shortcoming that you might find with a turret press is that the ammunition which you reload might not be as precise as similar ammunition loaded on a single stage press. This likely won't be a factor unless you get into precision shooting at longer ranges (500+ yrds). For close - medium ranges, or for plinking and hunting, a turret press will likely meet all your needs, but go into this knowing that you will likely not reload ammunition that will give you 2 inch groups at 500 yards from a turret press.

You may find that after a while, your needs might change and you might find that you might at some time gravitate towards/need/want a different press (maybe a progressive to give more speed when reloading handgun ammo a few hundred at a time, or maybe something like a Forster Co-Ax to reload extremely accurate ammo) but for now, and for the foreseeable future, I think that the Redding T7 will meet your needs based on what you have said. (You might want to pick up an extra turret head to give you a little more flexibility though.)

 

[southernman]

I have the RCBS turret press and a Redding big boss single,
I like the turret, but did have to make up a ten thou shim, to tighten the slop up in the head, I agree with the above poster, I load my long range rifle .264 win on the single, and my varmint rifles and med range, 7x57. 260 etc on the turret, I have two heads, and its a bit quicker to just turn the turret going from sizing to seating.
I think if I was buying again, I would go with the T7 over the RCBS as heads seam easier to source,

 

[laker415]

I think the t7 would be a wise first press. Redding makes awesome products. If you ever decided to reload pistol or make small batches of plinking rounds the turret can offer more speed than the single stage. I also have read the redding has alot tighter tolerance than the rcbs turret so I am sure it is more than capable of making match grade ammunition. It will accept most standard dies. 3 calibers may require you to purchase an extra turret head unless you are just using 2 die sets. I am planning on adding a t7 to my bench to keep my rcbs rock chucker company.

 

[Ganderite]

I have been using the predecessor model of the T7 for 50 years. Buy it.

I tend to use it as a way to keep all the dies set up. I load one die at a time and process a bucket of brass and then change die positions.

 

[BCRider]

Constantly swapping out the dies is a PITA and adds to the time needed to check that the adjuster nut hasn't moved. So I feel that a T7 over a single stage is not a bad idea at all. It's foward thinking and will serve you well for learning and going as far as your reloading might take you.

The one thing I might have against it is the availability and cost of extra die plates. You WILL end up with more than 7 dies that need to be held and it doesn't help much if you still have to swap the dies by unscrewing and resetting them.

There is two answers to that issue. One is to get a Hornady Lock n' Load press which uses bayonet sleeves to ensure that the dies are easy to swap with no need to re-check for errors. The other is to swap out ALL of the lesser forms of locking nuts for the pinch crimp to lock Hornady Sure-Loc collars. By locking down to the same size then gripping the threads of the die these collars will self align and lock solidly. If I had not already bought a Hornady single stage for my non progressive reloading needs and commited to using the bayonet bushings the Sure-Loc collars is what I'd have gone with.

Back to the Redding vs other options? I see that Redding does make extra top plates available at $73US each. So that works out to around $10.50 or so for holding each die. My LnL bushings in quantity work out to around half of that. And I can switch dies that are set in the bushings in about the same amount of time it would take to index the T7 plate. So I'm happy that my way is working for me.

One thing I will grant to the Redding. It's got a SUPERB on press priming setup. That's one thing that is pretty much a Mickey Mouse arrangement on the Hornady.

 

[buckbrush]

Redding's whole lineup is excellent quality, top shelf press.