Yay or Nay for Lee Turret for first press
- Thread starter Great Crouton
- Start date
- Location
- Eastern Ontario
The 4th hole can be used for the powder thru die or powder thru expanding die not included in your caliber die set. If you deprime / resize as a separate step, then you'll have another hole open up which could be used for a powder check die. I have all my sizing dies on dedicated sizing die turret plates. I remove the indexing rod, install the appropriate sizing die turret plate, size / deprime, then take the brass to another bench for case prep work. Then I swap out the plate to the appropriate loading plate set up with the dies for that caliber and install the indexing rod. I prime on the up stroke, powder charge on the down stroke, the next stroke goes through the powder check die to verify my load, next stroke is bullet seating, last stroke is factory crimp, load a primer into the primer arm, remove completed round on the upstroke as the indexer clicks and throw the next case on and continue the upstroke to prime the new case. The process repeats itself from there.
If you're going to measure your powder by hand off the the press and not going to use a turret mounted powder drop set up, you can still use a universal powder thru die (with the extension if loading rifle cartridges) on the turret with a funnel left in it. This lets you keep the case in the press which is one of the things that makes turret presses faster that SS presses - much less / no handling of the cases between steps. The downside to using the funnel on the powder thru die trick is that it's not case activated. Forget to charge on the down stroke and you'll be cleaning up a mess of powder.
Tips: Get into an easy rhythm and don't force it. If it ever get's hard, STOP! There's something wrong - investigate. This press is very smooth and strong but it doesn't need to be strong armed. Also, when you first start out, be gentle and learn to listen for the click. At the click you can rotate the turret by hand if you have to, but the rest of the time you want to do complete strokes from top to bottom and back up. No reversing direction midway through a stroke.
This press can load a lot of ammo quickly and fill up the spent primer tube in no time. I can't remember the exact size of the spent primer tube you'll have to measure it when you get it. Then go to a hardware store or CTC and get a roll of it (comes in 10' rolls for about $5). Install that new tubing where the spent primer tube would normally go and run the tube down under the bench somewhere into a 2 liter plastic pop bottle. Tape or tie wrap the tubing so it's out of the way and follows a downhill path and secure the bottle so it doesn't fall over. When the 2L bottle is full, cap it and dispose of it properly and replace with another readily available 2L bottle. Please note: The bottle used must be of the cola family - pink cream soda bottles under the bench are a big no-no. Also note: This works for most of the other Lee presses as well.
CreamySmooth
CGN frequent flyer
I just got the same press from Henry as well about a week ago. I brought it home, set it up, really enjoyed it and then bought a Loadmaster. Har! My need for speed had been started! But anyway, the Classic is a great buy, probably what I would have bought had I known anything when I bought my first single stage. It's cheaper than the LnL Classic I bought but you can do more on it later.... I actually just started this thread 2 weeks ago or so myself.
As for the die sets, A sizing and seating die set is standard in most rifle die sets. So 2 dies. Pistol sets, most will include a 3rd die which is a flaring die, for flaring your cases to seat pistol bullets. Lee sets add the Factory Crimp Die if you want to use it. With the Turret you set it up as you want to. Myself, I prime off the press because I like to clean all my brass. Then I use a sizing die without the decapper, the powder through die that comes from Lee to charge from the Pro Autodisk, then the seating die, then the crimp. You set it up how you like to load, and you'll figure that as you go.
Here's the bench where mine got set up. Now it got taken off and mounted on another board like the Lee Load All II is so that I can swap it on when I want to load rifle faster, as the Loadmaster is now on the left for my .40 and 10mm needs. Still, even after owning the Lee Classic Turret for a week I couldn't part with it because it's a press that just makes sense in so many ways.
One thinng though, if you find them please post, is I have not been able to find 4 hole turrets anywhere. Anyone know where they can be bought?? I can find 3's and Loadmaster turrets but not 4's.
As for the die sets, A sizing and seating die set is standard in most rifle die sets. So 2 dies. Pistol sets, most will include a 3rd die which is a flaring die, for flaring your cases to seat pistol bullets. Lee sets add the Factory Crimp Die if you want to use it. With the Turret you set it up as you want to. Myself, I prime off the press because I like to clean all my brass. Then I use a sizing die without the decapper, the powder through die that comes from Lee to charge from the Pro Autodisk, then the seating die, then the crimp. You set it up how you like to load, and you'll figure that as you go.
Here's the bench where mine got set up. Now it got taken off and mounted on another board like the Lee Load All II is so that I can swap it on when I want to load rifle faster, as the Loadmaster is now on the left for my .40 and 10mm needs. Still, even after owning the Lee Classic Turret for a week I couldn't part with it because it's a press that just makes sense in so many ways.
One thinng though, if you find them please post, is I have not been able to find 4 hole turrets anywhere. Anyone know where they can be bought?? I can find 3's and Loadmaster turrets but not 4's.
CreamySmooth
CGN frequent flyer
Just ordered 4. Henry seems to have just put them back on the website again (they weren't there 4 or 5 days ago), along with a number of units. I just wish he had the 5 hole turrets.... Those are a BEEEEATCH to find!
fingers284
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Alberta Cowboy Ranges
When I used a "Loadmaster", Wholesale used to stock the 5 hole inserts. It's too bad, I just sold my Loadmaster a couple of months ago and I sent 5 or 6 extra turets with it.
Tried Higginson powder's?
I"m officially a reloader! Press arrived today, pretty jazzed. Still need to get some consumeables and such but well on my way. I have to say, the manual they include is quite good. Still waiting for Lyman 49 to arrive but this one may do in the mean time. So I took a quick look at the .40 cal section and it says "do not use reloads in Glocks or similar guns with chambers that do not support the cartridge due to intrusion of the feed ramp" Is this true? It only says it in the .40 secton and not the 9mm.
The ABC's of reloading is a tad dry. Having to force myself to keep reading. When I first got the book I turned it to the first page which features a pic of the author, dood has no hands. Didn't inspire a ton of confidence until it explained he lost them in a home made bomb experiment.
The ABC's of reloading is a tad dry. Having to force myself to keep reading. When I first got the book I turned it to the first page which features a pic of the author, dood has no hands. Didn't inspire a ton of confidence until it explained he lost them in a home made bomb experiment.
That's because you got the 11th edition which is just a pile of re-hashed articles from previous editions and magazines that Rodney just picked out, cleaned up (maybe), and stuck them in there. He is only credited with editing it which is the biggest reason I didn't like it. Nothing original, just articles some of which I was actually able to find in old magazines and previous editions, word for word.
Go online, get an earlier edition from when Dean Grennel was actually writing them and you will find it much easier to read since, the fact that only one guy wrote it, it flows better because different authors use different writing styles. I have the third, fourth, and sixth edition and they are MUCH better. Same info, better presented.
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/\/\/\ Pretty sure you are but just to confirm, you are talking about the ABC's, right?
So with the kit I got the press (obviously) a beam scale, safety primer feeders and the hopper and have a set of dies already. So what else am I going to need? I want to dump the beam scale and get an electronic one along with electronic calipers. I also need a case trimmer and a case cleaner of sorts. Am I missing anything else? Any other equipment that is handy to have?
So with the kit I got the press (obviously) a beam scale, safety primer feeders and the hopper and have a set of dies already. So what else am I going to need? I want to dump the beam scale and get an electronic one along with electronic calipers. I also need a case trimmer and a case cleaner of sorts. Am I missing anything else? Any other equipment that is handy to have?
Yes. Sorry if there was any confusion.
I have had an old original Turret press for 28 years. I converted it to the 4 hole press. I have loaded close to 100k rounds on it and it is still working fine. My Loadmaster and Pro1000 get most of the work now, but it still does lower volume jobs for me.
Auggie D.
Auggie D.
