Lee Classic Turret vs. ABLP vs. LNL

[fabricator21]

I have both. Converting rhe progressive. For low volume is a pain. The lee turret is quick and painless .

[onelight]

One more question re. ABLP: can it be used more as a single stage/ turret if desired? I like to have that option.


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You can remove the index rod and you then manually rotate the the shell plate.
All the the progressives I have used all the Lees a Dillon 550 and the Hornady get a bit of rocking in the shell plate so if you are not using all four stations you may have a slightly different OAL and crimp when setting up my dies I run 1 round through all four stations and set the dies then fine tune as move to full progressive loading after the dies are locked to the bushings they maintain adjustment if removed and replaced. The lee seating dies do not use a lock nut so are really easy to fine tune same on the factory crimp dies but there are some applications where they may not be best for your purpose

[Blindshooter]

I'll take the time to set up a progressive most times as I have some joint issues and the fewer times I pull the handle the better. Roller handles and larger ball (8 ball) help some as well. That said I still have a single stage and what amounts to a turret in a PW Metalmatic 2. The LnL works well after some tweaking and I still have a older Projector that works like a champ still. My wife surprised me several years ago with a new D1050, I use it mostly for .45acp and it is by far the easiest on my bones. I don't think you can have too many presses/options.

[GWS]

I'll take the time to set up a progressive most times as I have some joint issues and the fewer times I pull the handle the better.....

There's another man I can agree with. After loading on a R. C. for 40 years by night and wrestling dimension lumber and pouring cement by day, I finally got to the point where I went looking for something easier on my body. First looked at turrets.....not the answer for my needs.....strokes per cartridge is no different from a single, as jmorris pointed out.

I had really nearly stopped reloading then heaven sent me a 5 station progressive.......my Christmas consolation after the Obama election in 2008 . My body (and my hobby) has thanked me for it! As progressives went at the time, I looked for and found the easiest one to set up and change calibers for ...... the Pro 2K with a bullet feeder. Too bad its gone.....still one of the best IMO for those changing calibers every week.

On a budget today, I'd buy Lees new toy the ABLP......the only fly in the ointment is the primer system....be patient with Lee....and in the mean time get an RCBS bench primer. So fine and the strokes are painless.

[Walks]

L-N-L




I HATE auto-correct

[onelight]

You may have seen this butt here is a review video showing the operation of the ABLP with the basic add ons needed to work as designed. At the end he loads on it.
https://thereloadersnetwork.com/2019...orking-review/

[Boolseye]

Hey guys. I pulled the trigger on a Lee Classic Turret. I will let you know how she flies for me. When I consider my slow, methodical shooting style and # of calibers it seemed like the logical choice. I will still be checking out the LNL when my friend returns.


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[Three44s]

“...... a slow, methodical style ......”,

I think you have made a great choice then!

I still use my single stage presses more than the others because I also am “slow and methodical” most of the time. I own three turrets, one of which is a Lee Classic and the progressive LNL and like all of them for different reasons.

Best regards

Three44s

[kmw1954]

Hey guys. I pulled the trigger on a Lee Classic Turret. I will let you know how she flies for me. When I consider my slow, methodical shooting style and # of calibers it seemed like the logical choice. I will still be checking out the LNL when my friend returns.

Good for you it should serve you well and then if the opportunity presents the LNL for a can't pass it up price then go for it!
I have these; RCBS JR3, Lee 3 hole turret, Lee Pro1000 and the Lee ABLP. They all serve a useful purpose.

[onelight]

I think LCT is Lee’s best designed product particularly for a guy that loads. Lots of different calibers. Enjoy

[Dieselhorses]

I was just doing a search to find out about the ABLP and ran across this thread, every question answered, only thing is you have to disable the auto feature to load .308 and more,,,,,grrrr. Already many Lee components and accessories (case feeders, bullet feeder etc.) I got in a lot a few years back including 2 progressives for 200.00 so maybe just for pistol rounds. Have the LCTP which I'm on the most anyway. Kudos on your buy Boolseye!

[kmw1954]

Dieselhorses if you are looking to load large bottleneck cases the ABLP most likely isn't the best choice, but if you want to load a bunch of pistol calibers and in a hurry, it will do that. Because of the Safety Prime it is not as fast as the Pro1000 but is pretty close.

[Dieselhorses]

Dieselhorses if you are looking to load large bottleneck cases the ABLP most likely isn't the best choice, but if you want to load a bunch of pistol calibers and in a hurry, it will do that. Because of the Safety Prime it is not as fast as the Pro1000 but is pretty close.

I agree. I wonder what Lee press gives you the highest clearance?

[kmw1954]

I agree. I wonder what Lee press gives you the highest clearance?

As for a progressive press my guess would be the LoadMaster and the Classic Cast Turret..

[Boolseye]

Lee claims you can load a 460 Weatherby Mag. in the Classic Turret.

[onelight]

I agree. I wonder what Lee press gives you the highest clearance?

Something to look at with the progressives is available shell plates to make sure they are offered for what you have in mind.
I use the LCT or a single stage for rifle larger than. 223

[Boolseye]

Heading down to Wally World to pick up the LCT, best price I could find. Extra turrets and priming set-up coming from Midway. The RCBS is slow and cumbersome but it has six stations and is built like a tank. My third press is the cheapest Lee single stage they make (pre-breech lock) which I use for sizing, small batch etc.. I suspect the LCT will become my go-to for most of my loading.

[Bama]

Lee torrent is my go to press, andI load a little more than your. Amount in just 1 of 15 + calibers. Torrents are cheap. I threaded 308 cases and screwed them to a board which is a perfect torrent holder for the ones not in use. The only draw back was spent primers would sometimes. Bounce out of place ne ar top of ram. Found a simple fix with some sheet copper. If you go to torrent press route, let me know. And I can show you what I did. I liked the lee so much I got a used second one to make another load area whe wife started reloading. Forgot to add, I remove the auto rotate feature because I load in batches and like to do one action at a time, for me it allows me to tell if any thing changes from c are to case much easier.

[JeepHammer]

What EVERYONE forgets...
The set up time, the tear down & cleanup time factors.

Then there is fine tuning the PROCESS of reloading.

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Set up & tear down (I don't leave dirty dies to rust in the press, and I learned that the hard way) of a tool head ('Turret') press is stupid fast since the tool head pops out and the case holder pops out, gets shot with cleaner, gets hosed with rust protection, and gets put back in the rack.
Set up is shoot some lube in the dies, find the powder, lay out primers, set the bullets in a handy spot and you are off to the races.

With an indexing progressive, just switching primer insert punches can take half an hour...
And all that has to be cleaned afterwards.
With a 'Turret' (tool head) you simply sweep up and lubricate the ram on the press.

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With the process,
There are a BUNCH of small ways to speed things up.
If you use small batch cleaning, punch the primers out with a universal decapping tool before you clean.
This saves you cleaning primer pockets.

I used to set up a cheap 'C' press for punching primers at one end of the table, then throw the brass in the cleaner, then they moved down the bench for resize, priming, propellant, etc.
A more or less straight line...
I worked to economize movement in the process, from making loading blocks that fit under the powder thrower better, to primer trays that didn't make me use tweezers, to a hand primer that was faster than the press, etc.
Smooth out the processing saves a bunch of time & effort.

When I went self indexing progressive I had to start over and refine the process again, primers get punched during resizing, getting the powder out of the bin in the tool head when I'm done, changing case plates & priming assembly, it all changes.
When you go that route, have CUBIC DOLLARS for tool heads set up with dies & powder measures.
Trying to switch dies from one tool head to another and then set them up takes a bunch of time, so most of us set up a tool head, powder thrower, and caliber change kit for each caliber, and that isn't cheap!

It takes a LOT of volume to justify something like a Lock-N-Load or a Dillon.
They aren't cheap, they aren't 'Easy', and they require a LOT more maintenance to keep running smoothly.
Single or tool head, it's pretty much sweep off, clean/oil the ram... DONE!
With an auto indexing progressive, it's tear down case plate and clean crud/propellant, tear down primer assembly to clean and put back together, etc.

Along with what Mr. Morris wrote, it takes quite a bit of volume to justify a self indexing progressive,
And if you want one that WORKS consistently it's not going to be cheap.

[kmw1954]

With an indexing progressive, just switching primer insert punches can take half an hour...

When you go that route, have CUBIC DOLLARS for tool heads set up with dies & powder measures.
Trying to switch dies from one tool head to another and then set them up takes a bunch of time, so most of us set up a tool head, powder thrower, and caliber change kit for each caliber, and that isn't cheap!

It takes a LOT of volume to justify something like a Lock-N-Load or a Dillon.

They aren't cheap, they aren't 'Easy', and they require a LOT more maintenance to keep running smoothly.
Single or tool head, it's pretty much sweep off, clean/oil the ram... DONE!
With an auto indexing progressive, it's tear down case plate and clean crud/propellant, tear down primer assembly to clean and put back together, etc.

Along with what Mr. Morris wrote, it takes quite a bit of volume to justify a self indexing progressive,
And if you want one that WORKS consistently it's not going to be cheap.

The one thing I agree with you on has been highlighted.

Not all progressives are the same of course. I have 2, a Lee Pro1000 and a Lee ABLP. I can do a complete caliber change including primer size in less than 10 minutes on either press.

CUBIC DOLLARS for tool heads, dies and powder measures? If loading more than one caliber the only added expense over a single stage is added turrets or bushings and then shell plates. Dies are going to be needed anyways no matter which press type so that is a wash. I have 2 different powder measures, a Lee Auto Disk and a Lee Auto Drum. With the swivels on the measures it again is only a matter of minutes to remove or replace a measure. I don't need one for each setup.

As far as cleaning up the shell plates and carriers a little canned air does just fine. When I change shell plates I will wipe down the carrier, these do not require and oil or grease and it is recommended to keep them dry anyways. It has been a year since I've had a carrier taken apart and that was only because it needed a ratchet change.

It only takes a lot of money to go with a auto indexing press IF you are insisting on only either a Dillon, Hornady or RCBS press. Sorry but both of these Lee Presses have not been expensive and have been very reliable and accurate. The ABLP is less than a year old, the Pro1000 I've have for over 3 years and it was purchased used for less than $100.00 complete with dies, case feeder and powder measure.