To turret or not to turret?

[Crowkiller]

I started with a single stage, then bought a Lee Classic Cast Turret.
I used it for a year before finding a deal on a used Dillon 550b.
The Dillon is much easier to use and faster. That being said, the Lee Classic Cast Turret is a good press. With the auto index it is reasonably fast in production. It is a Lee, so it takes some time to figure out and more fiddling to keep it running well.
Now I use the 550b for anything with small primers, and the Lee for large primer. I need fewer large primer reloads, and it keeps up with my demand just fine.

You might look at Lee's new Auto Breech Lock Pro. It looks like it is a progressive based on the Classic Cast Turret frame.

[charlie b]

I started with a Lee Turret press when they first came out, 30 or so yrs ago. Very good press that works well. I never used the auto rotate system but that would be nice to have. Not a high volume system but it works and is reliable. I would not consider the other turret systems as I consider them overpriced and not as good as the Lee. FWIW, I have tested the strength of the original Lee Turret Press and it will take a lot of abuse. I have swaged small lead 'bullets' with it although I would not recommend that as a regular practice.

Later on, ~15 yrs ago, I got a Lee Loadmaster, mainly cause I wanted to be able to load rifle ammo as well as pistol. I load everything on it. I set up pistols with the automatic powder measure. For rifles I weigh each charge (most of the time) and use one of the charge dies to add powder on the press. It has 5 die stations so you can do just about any sequence you want. For example, the 9mm and .45 get deprimed, sized/primed, mouth expand/charged, bullet seat, taper crimp. Hand work is putting the bullet on the charged case (that can also be automatic but the Lee bullet system has not been reliable for me so I set them by hand). I also sometimes put the cases in by hand instead of using the auto case feed.

Now I also have a Lee Breechlock Pro. Good for pistol and .223 but not for .308 and longer. Also a bit more time intensive as the primer is best done manually so it slows the process. It is a smaller press and less finicky. Probably good for someone first starting out with progressive. Fairly inexpensive as well.

FWIW, the Lee presses use std reloading dies as well.

But, if you want trouble free, no fiddling, high volume, then the Dillon 650 would be my choice. I never reloaded enough to justify one but that would be my choice. Probably the best cost/performance, IMHO, until you get to the production grade and motor driven systems.


Sent from my SM-P580 using Tapatalk

[pakmc]

I used a Dillon 550B for many years. I loaded over 40 different calibers on it. I load mostly pistol calibers on it but some rifle. I've timed myself a couple of times and I can turn out one box(of 50 rounds) in 10 minutes of just about any pistol caliber.(ok, this is after I have 50 cases ready to go, the primer tube with at lease 50+ primers in it.and the powder hopper full.) the powder bar is one of the greatest parts of this machine.
it stays pretty close to what you want, the whole time your loading that batch of ammo. there is no better warranty on the market, they replaced my machine because of something I did to it! no cost to me.(except to send my broke machine to them. and it very easy to change calibers.(and yes, I had to pull the rifle cases to trim before i reloaded them.I still use one for .30 caliber carbine, 6.8SPC and 300 blk out.

[30calflash]

My ammo requirement went up a bit when I started shooting local steel matches. Now I'm starting to get into the IDPA type matches. So, each one of these takes 70-100 rounds and I'm doing 3 or 4 a month at this point... AND I still go out to the range and plink maybe a couple times a month.

I think the most time consuming thing I do when reloading is I weigh each charge on a beam scale. But I figure if I'm reloading ammunition that is specific to my firearms, so I want it to be the load that I found to be accurate.

So, I'm wondering if going to a turret is really going to help...

Anyway, I timed myself loading some 44 mag and it took a little over 2 hours to load 100 from primed brass. I loaded them with my Lee hand press at my dining table and was listening to TV and wasn't really in a hurry.

You're using a Lee hand press, That's good but not meant for high production, more for using when there's no space for a bench mounted press or at the range.

If you go to any bench mounted press you should see a jump in production. Turret should be better than a single stage, progressive should be better than a turret.

Like all things there's a learning curve, the time to load will decrease when things go and flow smoothly.

[dwtim]

If I had to do it again, I would have bought a turret press. As it turns out, experience has taught me that most of the time saved by a progressive press is due to a lack of the penalty of swapping dies.

But I can't go back, so I'm sticking with my Rock Chucker. Now amortized over years of reloading, the cost of my entire reloading set-up costs a fraction of a penny per round.

[lotech]

I've had four progressive presses over many years. All were used for loading handgun ammo. For loading and shooting somewhere between six and ten thousand rounds a year, I didn't really need a progressive machine. A 60s model Texan turret that I've used for almost forty years works very well and is likely not as slow as some think. I continue to enjoy load development and experimenting with many different loads. For such work, the turret is a far more versatile tool than many progressives.

[charlie b]

That is one of the reasons I liked the Lee turret or auto lock pro. You can easily use either as a single stage or just a couple of stages. The nice thing is the dies stay in the turret and you just change out the turrets (like a bolt action). Rotate by hand to use the dies you want or activate the auto rotate feature.

I alos like using the auto feature when doing things like depriming brass. It is just one die in the turret but it is just a stroke of the lever. For pistol I use the auto case loader. For rifle I have to hand feed them.

Sent from my SM-P580 using Tapatalk

[trapper9260]

I did not vote because I use a Lyman T press and a Hornady single stage . One I do the size and deprime and the rest on the T press. I stated on the T press and then later got a used single stage. It works for me . The down side on the Lyman T press is the bolt of the old style in the center they do not have any replacement for it if it got broke that is why I got a single stage after. Some brass I was sizing and depriming was rough on the T press

[jimlj]

I have a single stage RCBS press and a Lee classic turret. I loaded thousands of rounds on the RCBS before buying the Lee. I can easily load 3 times the quantity per hour of anything I've tried with the Lee, even setting the primers in the press one at a time. Next time I order anything I'll add the safety prime system and hopefully speed things up even more.

One thing I'd add to this discussion is you have to pay better attention to what you are doing. I have had a few cases slip past without getting a primer or even setting the primer upside down. Be careful and pay attention.

[white eagle]

it all depends on which gun I am loading for
my rifles are normally on a single stage press where my
revo and auto pistols are loaded on a turret press

[Wayne Smith]

I did not vote because I use a Bair Brown Bair three station press, a Hollywood Sr single stage, and a TrueLine Jr that I use for .32 and .38Special. Most rifle loading is done on the Hollywood - and all cartridge forming is done on that. I have a Bair Grizzly single stage that I have set up for depriming but need to change that, primers everywhere. I bought all of these used from eBay or here on shopping and selling years ago when such were inexpensive. On the Brown Bair I can load 45ACP and have a loaded round from each pull of the handle, just need to move the cartridges myself. Need three shell holders and I don't have the primer setup for that so I prime off the press. I've been priming off the press for years, though.

[44Blam]

So... Now I have a turret press and I load a lot of things on it. But I also use my single stage and my hand press quite a bit.

Loaded up 50 180 grain 350 legend rounds this evening with my Lee hand press. I decided that I would load up 350 legend until I run out of boolits by loading 50/night...

[evort]

I liked my Lyman Turret press. Now I'm using 2 550s, a Square Deal B, and a Rock Chucker.

[bakerjw]

We have a rock chucker that we use for more accurate loads.
But I picked up a Dillon 550 a few years back and my son and I make good use of it when punching out a lot of 45ACP, 9mm or 40S&W.

[mdi]

Hmmm. Resurrected "I burn 1,398 rounds a week so with my auto everything press I reload 1,156 rounds per hour" thread...

I've used single stage, Lee turret, and Co-Ax. I used the turret semi-progressive then hand indexed. But I only shoot 600-700 rounds per month, and I have no idea how long it takes me to make up 100 handloads. (and I don't care). I reload for fun. I shoot for fun. I like both processes, quite a bit. I reload so I can shoot and then shoot so I can reload. If I counted pennies and timed the process, the fun factor would disappear and reloading would become a chore (even might be dropped)...

[fcvan]

I use a Lee turret and have for 35 years. I use it like a single stage as it does not auto index, and I prefer it that way. I really like having my dies set, and switching calibers is fast. I only have one set of dies not in a turret disc, as the dies are for a new caliber. I have friends who swear by their whoop-di-do progressive presses, I think there is far too many things to watch at once.

I de-prime on a single stage with a universal die, I don't like the gunk getting in my turret press. I clean and size, then tumble, then prime and load. I only prime, charge and seat/crimp 50 at a time so I can drop and go as needed. Most of the time, I can load 100 before the toaster oven is cooking the PCd boolits. Everyone has a preference, my preferences were determined long before I ever became old enough to be called a 'grumpy old man.'

[gnappi]

M-tecs... THIRTY PRESSES? I'd LOVE to see a pic of your reloading cavern!

Anyway, since the late 70's I've run the gamut from single stage, turret (mostly Lee) , hydraulic, and progressives (mine and friends who needed help setting up) from just about every maker. Bottom line, nothing's perfect or foolproof... that's especially true if the user IS a fool!

I currently have an RCBS Big Max (single stage) Hyrdaulic MEC 12Ga, one 450, and two 550 Dillons.

When I was training for the four NRA Law enforcement classes I took, I'd burn a thousand rounds a week in pistol, and 400-500 in .308, and shotgun (not all caliber/gauge in the same week) and need over a thousand rounds for the class. Impractical on the single stage Big Max, but the cat's meow on the hydraulic and Dillons.

Can you make a mistake? Yup, but the same holds true for ANY press, anyone who says different hasn't loaded enough, is a liar, or a saint with a LOT of time to spend loading with the patience of JOB

[LinotypeIngot]

I started with a Lee turret and then moved on to a Hornady progressive, and now I use a Dillon 1050. I can't imagine ever bothering with a single stage except for extreme precision applications.

[remy3424]

I voted for all 3. I have a 550 I recently set-up for 9mm, all other handgun ammo on a Lyman T-Mag 2, and rifle cartridges on a Bonanza Co-Ax and a couple RCBS RCs.

[gypsyman]

Started out with a Rock Chucker in'76, used that many years of silhouette shooting. When Redding bought out the T-7, sold the RCBS, but then I figured that a progressive is the way to go for quantity. So bought a 550. Use that for what I call my blamo ammo, semi auto pistol. Use the T-7 for rifle and long range stuff.