Recommended Turret Press

[Poygan]

I did the same as Soundguy. I am not a quantity reloader and may load 50 - 100 at a time. I resize and flair in the first two positions and then prime off the press with a Lee hand primer. Then powder the cases one at a time and then seat the boolit to the proper depth and then use the last station to either roll crimp or use the other sizer. (Can't recall what it is called at the moment). Bought extra turrets and use for most pistol calibers. Rarely use my Rock Chucker anymore.

[Soundguy]

Exactly what I do ^^^

Yup, when I saw the priming setup, the name " Rube Goldberg " came to mind.

[bbailey7821]

I own a Redding. It's great. Get it and get it over with. You won't be sorry.

[Soundguy]

I did the same as Soundguy. I am not a quantity reloader and may load 50 - 100 at a time. I resize and flair in the first two positions and then prime off the press with a Lee hand primer. Then powder the cases one at a time and then seat the boolit to the proper depth and then use the last station to either roll crimp or use the other sizer. (Can't recall what it is called at the moment). Bought extra turrets and use for most pistol calibers. Rarely use my Rock Chucker anymore.

That's pretty much how I run mine, hand prime and powder , and then run 3-4 dies in the tool head. I run pistol only in my 4 hole, and if I have rifle, ill do those limited quantities on my rock chucker.

[Grmps]

Lee Classic Cast turret press -- how "sloppy" is the tool head? -- what kind of boolit seating depth do you get between rounds?

With the powder measure indexing, 4 times should help with powder fill/weight consistency

Hey Gov, I like that inline kit

LEE PRECISION Classic Turret Press (Red) $93.48 Amazon Prime
LEE PRECISION 90269 Classic 4 Hole Turret Press Turret $12.49 Amazon Prime

[Wheelguns 1961]

Lee Classic Cast turret press -- how "sloppy" is the tool head? -- what kind of boolit seating depth do you get between rounds?

With the powder measure indexing, 4 times should help with powder fill/weight consistency

Hey Gov, I like that inline kit

LEE PRECISION Classic Turret Press (Red) $93.48 Amazon Prime
LEE PRECISION 90269 Classic 4 Hole Turret Press Turret $12.49 Amazon Prime

That is what I didn’t like about my Lee 4 hole press. There was just too much slop.

[juggernault98]

I am currently using and RCBS Rockchucker Supreme. (The only problem I’ve had is that it does not accept all shell holders . Oh well.) I always thought a single stage would be fine, but now that I’m reloading more pistol cartridges I’d like to look into turret presses. This is a one-time purchase for me unless I sell something. I want a lifetime product. I would appreciate any recommendations. I’m currently looking at the Redding T7 press.


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Ever since I got a binary for my scorpion I've been bleeding 9mm. I have a Lee turret (bought the kit from midway usa) I reload .38,9mm and.223. Another member pointed out that the changes in turret are very easy. Just twist and relock done. Since I have been bleeding 9mm I am considering going to a Hornady lock and load progressive press. Which you have a single stage why not just grab the progressive?

[fn1889m]

What shell holders does the Rock Chucker not accept?

I bought the Lee Universal set of 12.
Half were too large for the RCBS ram. I enlarged the slot in the ram but 2 still do not fit. I do not want to do more filing. Lee is a different brand but these are just shell holders. They should be the same level of tolerance.


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[Grmps]

That is what I didn’t like about my Lee 4 hole press. There was just too much slop.

I get that on my Lyman S T I tighten the nut so there's no slop then I can't move the head.

[Wheelguns 1961]

I put mine back in the box and got an RCBS. Sturdy, precise, and I love it.

[Omega]

That is what I didn’t like about my Lee 4 hole press. There was just too much slop.

I've been forming .277Wlv from 5.56 LC brass using my Lee Classic Cast, which I've converted to a 3-hole (I have a bunch of 3-hole turrets), and have had to measure cases to make sure I am forming the necks down far enough. I must say, there is a bit of slop, but that does not translate to inconsistent cases, at least not any significant differences I could notice. Same goes for the 300 Blackout rounds I reloaded, all were formed and seated almost identically.

[Walks]

I've had a LYMAN Spar-T for 40yrs. Found it at a garage sale $5. Added to my LYMAN SPARTAN & ROCKCHUCKER. I have a PIGGY- BACK 2 Progressive mounted on my RC. I also have a HORNADY L-N-L Progressive for a Heavy Duty .30-06, .308, .5.56 & the big revolver rounds. Use the Piggy-Back for 9mm & all 4 of the .32 rds I load for.

That Spar-T handles my big rifle rds.

If I had the money,
I'D BUY A REDDING T-7 PRESS IN A HEARTBEAT.
USED A FRIEND'S for a couple of years, until he passed. Sure wished his Wife had have let me buy it, she wanted more for it then REDDING RETAIL for a new one.

I'D JUST LOVE TO HAVE A REDDING T-7 TURRET PRESS.
I think It's the best thing on the market today for a Turret Press.

[oger]

I have quite a bunch of different presses and the T-7 is the best turret press except for the Hollywood Senior turret.

[Livin_cincy]

Lee Classic Cast or Value Turret:
The MEC Marksman & Forester have slop designed into precision. The Lee Turret 'Slop' works the same way to marry the die and shell holder into perfect alignment. The slop issue is just Lee bashing. The auto index with a case ejector really makes the press shine. Because you inspect each step as you go post inspection is not typically required.

The Redding T-7 is designed for precision rifle. It is overkill for a handgun.

The RCBS Turret has few positive reviews on YouTube. The Priming system location is way better than Redding T-7 or the new new Lyman. Typical RCBS spent primers everywhere design.

The Lyman Brass Smith is the new kid on the block. It looks great with (8) stations for (2) four die pistol sets.

I have the Lee CCT and have no complaints. I load handgun cartridges and love the low cost & quick caliber changes.

However, I would look really hard at these two if you need more than 200 per hour.
- Dillon 550: This is essentially a manually indexing (4) station shell plate turret in operation. You can do 400 per hour.
- Lee Breech Lock Pro: This is a (4) station shell plate auto indexing press. It has manual case feed, primer feed and bullet feed out of the box. Output is 360+ per hour. You can get a case feeder, primer feeder & bullet feeder for it.

[Char-Gar]

I have a Redding turrett press on my bench and like it very much. I also have three vintage Lyman All American turret presses and find them very smooth and excellent for handguns cartridges. Although the Lyman AA only has four stations it cost much less than a Redding and does the job just as well. You will have to pick them up used. Ebay usually has one or two.

A few months back, I bought a NIB Lyman AA turrett shipped to me for $110.00. They usally run about $30 or $40 more shipped.

[gpidaho]

I have both the four hole Lee Classic Turret and the Redding T-7. Sold my Dillon 550B, it was a great little press but automatic powder charging makes me nervous. The Lee press is worth every cent it costs and so is the Redding. The Redding costs a lot more than the Lee and for SOME cartridges it's well worth the extra cost in my opinion. Pistol rounds and 223 Rem 300 Black out size cases I'd choose the Lee Classic Turret. Going up from there, go with the Redding T-7. Gp

[Ickisrulz]

I have the same Redding Turret press that Char-Gar has--the #25 (I've seen his pictures). I like it a lot and find it much faster than using a single stage. I resize and bell on the press by turning the turret, then I prime and charge off the press, then I seat the bullet and crimp by turning the turret.

I really don't find adjusting dies to be too taxing. So the idea of having several turret heads loaded with dies does not appeal to me.

[zymguy]

I haven't had it long and I dont prime on the press. My new american 8 makes 280 rem rounds as concentric as when i use my dads rock chucker ive measured. I don't think the t7 could physically be any smoother or tighter but ive never used one. Almost 100$ difference will buy powder and primers

[ascast]

my 2 cents -> I have used turrets from BPCR brass working and find I don't like it at all. Sure, the brass stays put, but you still have to move the thing around, Just a tiring in the long run. I recommend you look into a progressive unit for you pistols. I have several Stars and a Lee 1000. I use the Lee or non 38 spec or 45 auto. More money maybe, but a lot less time reloading. just food for thought

[15meter]

I bought the Lee Universal set of 12.
Half were too large for the RCBS ram. I enlarged the slot in the ram but 2 still do not fit. I do not want to do more filing. Lee is a different brand but these are just shell holders. They should be the same level of tolerance.

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I think you answered your question on Lee quality, I have never had an RCBS/Lyman/Redding shell holder not fit in a half dozen+ Rockchuckers and a Lyman T-mag. I have had issues with Lee shell holders.

I started with the little Lee die cast "C" press a long time ago, I think I paid $10.00 for it new, when I first started dabbling with centerfire reloading.

Moved pretty quickly to the Lyman T-mag, thinking I would mount the dies and just rotate as needed. Ended up using it as single stage anyway and just thread the dies in and out as needed. Decided I liked the dies back in the boxes, less chance for surface rust locked in the plastic boxes with no air exchange. In SE Michigan we can get large swings in humidity and exposed metal surface rusts pretty quickly. I didn't want to get into the drama of making multiple storage boxes for turrets with dies in them. The Dillon tool heads I have are enough of a pain to store for the few that I load on a progressive.

I batch process my brass--100 or more at a time. De-prime/size, then re-prime off the press with an RCBS Bench primer, bell if needed(yes I do J-word too) powder off the press, then seat. Made wood loading blocks that are tall enough to hold the brass inverted. Only time the shell is in the rack right side up is AFTER powder is dropped and BEFORE seating bullet, every round is visually inspected with a flashlight for powder presence and visual check for volume before seating. Easy to do when they are in a wood block all facing up, any abnormalities pop out instantly.

Picked up a Rockchucker and only use the Lyman for stupid looong cases that won't fit the Rockchucker. Think 470 N.E. kind of silliness.

The half dozen+ Rockchuckers noted above are used ones I have bought/traded into over the years, before re-selling I clean/lube them then mount and use them to load a batch of ammo. Rare that I will sell a piece of reloading equipment that I have made sure it functions properly.

Long story short, I probably wouldn't buy another turret press, for me safe storage of dies is pretty important. Dies with the lock nut set with the set screw are extremely repeatable. Any place I can remove movement I like.