Which turret or progressive should I go for?

[TMenezes]

Hi guys, once again I come to you more experienced reloaders for knowledge and information.

I have been using a single stage until now, which I like, but I am looking at the various turrets and progressives. The Lee 4 stage turret looks like it will speed things up nicely and is very affordable. The Redding progressive looks very well made and I love the quality of the Redding products that I have. But its 7 stations, what would someone need that many stations for? Also I hear that Dillon has a stellar reputation, and I like the look of their 550 model. Sadly I have never seen any of their products in person.

So what do you think? I appreciate the value packed Lee, but am willing to spend the money on something else if it is in fact worth it to do so. Just FYI I currently load the following, mostly 45 Colt and 44 Special, plenty of 45 acp. Some 44 Mag and 458 SOCOM, and probably 45-70 in the near future.

Thanks for any and all input.

[williamwaco]

Hi guys, once again I come to you more experienced reloaders for knowledge and information.

I have been using a single stage until now, which I like, but I am looking at the various turrets and progressives. The Lee 4 stage turret looks like it will speed things up nicely and is very affordable. The Redding progressive looks very well made and I love the quality of the Redding products that I have. But its 7 stations, what would someone need that many stations for? Also I hear that Dillon has a stellar reputation, and I like the look of their 550 model. Sadly I have never seen any of their products in person.

So what do you think? I appreciate the value packed Lee, but am willing to spend the money on something else if it is in fact worth it to do so. Just FYI I currently load the following, mostly 45 Colt and 44 Special, plenty of 45 acp. Some 44 Mag and 458 SOCOM, and probably 45-70 in the near future.

Thanks for any and all input.

That 7 station Redding is very nice BUT: It is a turret, not a progressive.
Redding does not make a progressive.

There are advantages to both but don't attempt to compare them directly.
They are both successful approaches to solving different problems.

.

[Alvarez Kelly]

The Dillon 550 would be a great choice in my opinion. I believe all the calibers you listed use large primers. Changing between small and large calibers, while not difficult, can be frustrating for some folks. If you never have to change primer size, swaping out toolheads and maybe a shellplate make converting between calibers pretty dang fast.

The Dillon 550 really is the workhorse of their line. It has the most flexibitly and is very forgiving. If you mess something up, or even THINK you messed something up, you stop, pull the brass pins, remove as many partially loaded cases as you need to to be sure you know what's up... put the brass pins back in, and start reloading again.

I'm sure more folks will add their opinions, but if you like quality machinery, you will love the 550.

Happy loading!

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Several makers produce turrets and many different people like different ones for many different reasons so expect lots of advice and recommendations. Progressive versus semi-progressive is another arena for words. The main theme for all of this is convenience, speed and production and if those factors are important to you then you probably will find satisfaction/happiness with whatever you choose. But do not get lured into the maze of mythology that talks about one or any press making better ammo than another; its BS....exclusive of cheaply made knock-off presses that are around. Those are sloppily made and often defective. All major brand presses made today produce good ammo. You have to decide, based on the factors listed above, what you need and want. If you are not concerned about expense and you buy something that you find that you don't like, then trade or sell it and get something else. In a hobby that can span decades, it is common for users to work through several different brands and configurations before settling on one particular arrangement/brand/setup and often wind up with several types in their shop. I have eight. Every manufacturer thinks and says that theirs is the best. My suggestion would be to continue to read, ask questions and if possible see various models when possible before making a commitment. LLS

[dnmccoy]

Dillon 550 vote here as well. Versatile for pistol or rifle, puts out good bullets faster than a turrent

[Shooter]

+1 for Dillon. They are first rate.

[Kevin Rohrer]

Dillon 550B

[r1kk1]

550b

r1kk1

[M-Tecs]

Dillon 550. I am not a turret fan.

[Nocturnal Stumblebutt]

I love my Lee Classic Cast Turret. It speeds things up a lot over a single stage, but isn't as fast as a progressive. How many rounds do you shoot each month? And do you enjoy reloading or do you see it as work.

Personally I shoot between 800 and 1000 a month, which, I know, is not a lot, I know others on this board that shoot that in a week. But unfortunately I only have the time to go shooting about once a week. Anyway, I am satisfied with my turret, I can put a movie on, and get half a month of reloading done during a 2 hour movie.

If you are shooting, 1000 a week, I agree with everyone else, although I suggest that you not overlook the Hornady LNL progressive.

[skeettx]

Dillon

[hiram1]

dillon is by far the best and E Z to use.

[gunoil]

what r u loading? pistol rnds, /223's or ! I like trick and doing mods, i have LLM and new classic turret press. I load pistol only 380 to 45acp. A novice , but i do real good with forums and youtube. I do have a carbine that shoots 40 cal.. Carbine Williams was from rite up the road here about 25 mins.. I liked the movie with jimmy stewart! I still like to decap and clean brass with SS media before begining. Seems Lee has loadmaster prime system finially working. I have lee bullet feed and mrbulletfeed.biz boolit drop die that works. I took lee expander to machine shop this morn to have it mirror'ed as mrbulletfeed expander die! Mrbulletfeed does not bell brass, it has straight step and kinda swages it , to create a seat for boolit being dropped. Also been doing mods to Lee bullet feed using youtube. Boy, it is sure fast now! I pile up boxes of boolits quick.
http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/...13B758D931.mp4

[jmort]

Lee Classic Turret Turret. Do your homework. Highest rated turret press on Midway USA regardless of price. Change calibers in seconds. If you don't get a progressive then get the Classic Turret.

[warf73]

Get the Dillion 550 the Lee classic turret is a great press but isn't a Dillion progressive press. The Lee classic turret is a very big step up from a single stage press for sure. I own both presses and use both alot and both have advatanges over one another.

[milprileb]

Dillon 550 but Lee classic as starter or if you can't afford the Dillon right now. Just buy high end quality dies as they will last a lifetime. For pistol, Lee dies are fine , for precision rifle shooting at distances, the Lee suffice but Forster / Redding are far superior for accuracy ammo.

That said, you can do anything these guys recommend and be well served EXCEPT watching movies while you reload. It is obvious this practice is a flawed approach and that is as nice as I can say about it. Develop good reloading habits and stick with them.

[MBTcustom]

Dillon 550.
You can't go wrong because they hold their value so well. You can buy one, load 10,000 rounds, and sell it for slightly less than you bought it for right here on cast boolits. It will be gone within hours of you listing it.

[mdi]

I thought the OP asked about turret presses. Dillon 550 is a progressive, right?

[nicholst55]

I thought the OP asked about turret presses. Dillon 550 is a progressive, right?

Technically it's a semi-progressive, since it indexes by hand. A small distinction, to be sure.

The Redding T-7 has 7 stations so that you can leave the turret set up for two different cartridges and a powder measure if you're loading pistols or straight-wall rifle cartridges. If you're loading bottleneck rifle cartridges you can leave three sets of dies and a powder measure in place. Also, some folks utilize more than the 'standard' 2-3 dies for each cartridge, and that setup facilitates this. This comes into play if you add a Lyman M die to your rifle dies, or a separate crimp die to your handgun dies, or something along those lines.

The Dillon 550B is a great press, but it's not without fault. Its faults are pretty widely known, so I won't go into them here. The Hornady LNL progressive is certainly worth a look, too.

[M-Tecs]

I thought the OP asked about turret presses. Dillon 550 is a progressive, right?

The OP stated :"Which turret or progressive should I go for?"

"Hi guys, once again I come to you more experienced reloaders for knowledge and information.

I have been using a single stage until now, which I like, but I am looking at the various turrets and progressives".