Lee Classic Turret Press

[MtGun44]

Now there you go with the flimsy bench.

You know, if you dropped a semi on that bench it might fail. .. . . . might not, too.



I see another serious issue with that bench setup - WAY too neat and organized.

Bill

[Cowboy T]

I have seen posts complaining about the powder measure hitting the primer feeder as it twirls around. You need a rifle charging die to raise the powder measure up. They only cost about $10. Again another great buy from Lee.

Close. What you actually need is the Auto-Disk Riser. Here it is. Works on both rifle and pistol.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct...tnumber=114080

In addition, I've found it's good to orient the powder measure so that as much of the measure's body as possible is over the turret. Best to not have it "hanging out" like an open door. Doing this will give you that clearance for the Safety Prime.

[Model29-2]

Good catch Cowboy T. My bad.

[MikeS]

I see another serious issue with that bench setup - WAY too neat and organized.

Bill

If my bench ever looked neat like that it would only be when first setting it up. I could never keep a working bench that neat, and in fact my bench was never neat like that even when I first set it up!

[xbeeman412]

Ben I have the 4 hole aluminum Lee turret and am very happy with it. I dont do a lot of shooting and as long as the boolits can hit what I am shooting at I wont complain about accuracy. Does the cast Iron modle hold a better toleance than the aluminum press?

[milprileb]

Range press configuration.

Is that a pair of Dillon strong mounts you got there under the press ?

Very nice rig !

[Ben]

Charlie :

In my opinion, Yes.....My particular press seems to have tight tolerances. I'm very happy with mine. I have a pair of the old aluminum 3 hole models. The tolerances on them are less than ideal.

[leadman]

I use the old military LSA lube on my turret rachet and have not stripped one since. Before that I was going thru them about 1 or 2 a year. Been about 3 years since I've replaced one.
Until tomorrow.

[flashhole]

Range press configuration.

Is that a pair of Dillon strong mounts you got there under the press ?

Very nice rig !

Yes, Dillon Stron Mounts. The base is 5/16" steel plate with a 1/8" neoprene pad on the underside. It now has carrying handles on either side and I have a flange assembly that hangs off the side to hold an Akro Bin. Very conveinient for hauling to the range but a bit heavy.

[Artful]

milprileb :

Let's not confuse your old aluminum 3 hole turret press with the NEW Lee Classic turret press ( which is what my post here is all about ). They can't be compared. Neither can a Piper Cub be compared to an FA-18 Hornet.Here is the old aluminum turret press:

Don't belittle a press that's been working just fine for 20+ years and was the original that your copy was made and maybe improved upon.

[troyboy]

It is a nice press no doubt .......... but my rub is the inconsistant OAL that the play in the turret allows.

[jimkim]

I've had no problems with inconsistent OAL's in twenty plus years of using one. Remember the turret has 360 degrees of support, and any play in the turret is taken up when the cartridge presses into the die.

[Ben]

Artful

If I had planned to belittle the press , I'd have said more.

I just wanted to be certain that people that read the article understand the difference between the two. I still meet people today that are not aware that the old Lee 3 hole aluminum turret press and the New Lee Classic Turret presses are actually quite different presses.

[geargnasher]

Ben, don't knock the Safety-Prime system until you've tried it, mine works flawlessly with both sizes. The key is to get the mount indexed correctly on the tower bolt, and then fine-tune your muscle memory to get the "hang" of it. Every once in a long while I shank one and spit it onto the floor, but that's user error, NOT the fault of the mechanism, which is really quite flawless regardless of how stupid it looks. The "teats" instead of concentric ridges work better at flipping errant primers over than ANY primer tray I have ever used, get the Safety-Prime set, you'll like it.

If find the Classic Cast Turret superior to any and all turret presses I've tried, and I've used both the RCBS and the T-mag, both wobble and the index features suck royally, not to mention the priming mechanisms. The center-mounted turrets all wobble adn flex a little bit under pressure, which the Lee does not. When the die plate is shoved against the locking lugs, it's square to the ram no matter how hard you push it, which makes it an absolutely superior design. I compared the RCBS directly to my older 4-hole Lee turret (not the classic cast) and found the Lee loaded ammo with .002 max boolit runout, while the RCBS was about .006" with RCBS dies in the same caliber with the same boolits.

I can't brag enough on this press, the priming system, or the Autodisk measure.

If your riser isn't high enough, you can make one like this:





Gear

[flashhole]

gnasher - could you have done the same thing with plastic pipe & fittings? It would be a lot lighter weight.

[Ben]

Gear,

I think my problem with the priming system is like an ugly woman, I just can't get past the looks....and I guess that is my own problem, not Lee's.

Ben

[Colorado4wheel]

gnasher - could you have done the same thing with plastic pipe & fittings? It would be a lot lighter weight.

Good idea. Extra weight on the index bushing is a issue.

[squirrelnuttz]

Looking over this thread has me drooling over a Classic Turret, to maximize my time at the bench a bit. I have and like the Dillon SDB with all the pistol conversions I am planning to need in the foreseeable. I also have a 30 year old Lyman orange crusher single stage. What I'm looking to do is up the production speed a bit for rifle ammo without really breaking the bank.To be used potentially from .223 to say 30-06 or 7mm mag.Primarily this will be used for rifle loads, maybe the oddball pistol caliber. I have an RCBS measure, so here's my thoughts after reading this thread-

Classic turret press, best to get the Lee LPS system with it? Also- powder measure- on the Lee site they say the auto disk and auto disk pro are best suited to handgun cartridge applications.Someone had an idea of linking up an RCBS measure onto this unit with Dillon parts, is that the best way, or use a Lee perfect powder measure?I had one and sold it a while back as part of a kit,and regretted it.I liked the way it handled stick type powders- did not cut kernels like my RCBS does.I use a lot of stick type powders in favorite loads.With a universal rifle charging die, it should be compatible....I do have shell holders, scales, etc already.I would not mind using my RCBS measure BUT it does cut powder somewhat, may cost as much to buy the Dillon parts to use it as a new Lee powder measure, thus leaving the RCBS free for other duty.And leaving the Lee measure on the unit permanently.

So the list-
Classic turret press
Extra turrets
Extra plastic index pawl pieces while I'm ordering
Safety Priming System?
Universal charging Die(if Lee measure)
Powder Handling-??? Whatddya think?Lee, or RCBS/dillon parts?
auto disk riser(if RCBS measure?)
Am I missing anything?

[onondaga]

The Lee Safety Prime can be ordered a variety of ways: small primer only, Large primer only or combination kit with both.

Get the Double Disk Kit as an accessory for your Auto Disk measure it includes a full set of disks and the screws and spacers to stack disks 2 high for larger rifle charges. Double disks can also be used for smaller charges and give the versatility to make .1 to .2 gr. very small changes that cannot be made with the single standard kit alone.

The Lee universal Expander Die is good for case mouth flair needed for cast boolits. Remember that the Universal Charging Die does not flair case mouths. Some Lee Die sets include a charging die that does flair case mouths, use care ordering to find out which do.

The other great tool for case mouth flair and case neck expanding combined is the Lyman "M" die. These are caliber/length specific and top notch tools for loading cast boolits because the case neck expansion keeps boolit seating from sizing your boolits down.

No one powder measure works terrific for everything, I have the Auto Disk with Double Disk Kit, a Lyman 55 and a Lee Perfect. Between the three of them I have been able to measure any powder well.

Gary

[Atakawow]

The Lee Safety Prime can be ordered a variety of ways: small primer only, Large primer only or combination kit with both.

Get the Double Disk Kit as an accessory for your Auto Disk measure it includes a full set of disks and the screws and spacers to stack disks 2 high for larger rifle charges. Double disks can also be used for smaller charges and give the versatility to make .1 to .2 gr. very small changes that cannot be made with the single standard kit alone.

The Lee universal Expander Die is good for case mouth flair needed for cast boolits. Remember that the Universal Charging Die does not flair case mouths. Some Lee Die sets include a charging die that does flair case mouths, use care ordering to find out which do.

The other great tool for case mouth flair and case neck expanding combined is the Lyman "M" die. These are caliber/length specific and top notch tools for loading cast boolits because the case neck expansion keeps boolit seating from sizing your boolits down.

No one powder measure works terrific for everything, I have the Auto Disk with Double Disk Kit, a Lyman 55 and a Lee Perfect. Between the three of them I have been able to measure any powder well.

Gary

Gary,

Would it be wise for some cheap bastard like myself to skip the Double Disk Kit and just charge the case twice with the correct size?