Lee Classic Turret and RCBS pistol dies

[KevH]

I just bought a Lee Classic Turret that I haven't even taken out of the box yet (hoping to set it up this weekend).

I have lots of RCBS carbide pistol die sets. RCBS pistol dies do not have a powder through die.

What do you guys use for the powder charge stage for pistol dies (9mm, 45 ACP, 38 Special, etc)? Am I going to be stuck buying $10 caliber specific powder through/expanding dies for every pistol caliber?

[onelight]

You can pull the case out of the shell holder and charge it like you do on a single stage .
But the fastest way is to use the powder through die and one of the Lee measures .
One of the nice things about that press is it's versatility .
If you deprime before cleaning your brass you could size at the same time and the the first station on the turret could be a neck expander 2nd powder charge third seat bullet 4th crimp.
Or if you seat and crimp on the same die , size , expand the neck, drop powder , seat and crimp for the 4 stations.
I wound up buying the Lee powder charge dies cause I like the pro auto disk measure on the turret but there are a variety of ways to do it .Experiment and see what works for you.

[EDG]

You can buy the Lee power charge expander dies and just assume every powder you use will not bridge in the die.
That way when your pistol blows up from a double charge you will no know what happened.

The expander dies that permit charging through the die are a good idea but they are sensitive to the flow characteristics of the powders you use. Some powders can bridge then the bridge will break. One charge will be next to nothing and the next will be nearly a double charge.
Just because Lee promotes a particular loading technique does not mean it is a fool proof process.

[tominboise]

I always charge off the press. When I want to run a progressive, I use a Dillon 550C.

[skrapyard628]

I own and use an LCT and I prefer to charge off of the press. To me it just seems easier to charge 50 cases in a loading block, and then get a good look inside every case to ensure the level of powder looks good in them. Then I can place bullets on each case and just crank them through the seating and crimping stages.

But I also do my reloading in stages. I keep bins full of clean/sized/primed/flared cases. When its time to load just charge em, check em, and slap a bullet on top.

[onelight]

You can buy the Lee power charge expander dies and just assume every powder you use will not bridge in the die.
That way when your pistol blows up from a double charge you will no know what happened.

The expander dies that permit charging through the die are a good idea but they are sensitive to the flow characteristics of the powders you use. Some powders can bridge then the bridge will break. One charge will be next to nothing and the next will be nearly a double charge.
Just because Lee promotes a particular loading technique does not mean it is a fool proof process.

Do you really think that powder bridged in a tube would stay in the tube while indexing 4 times with the turret ?
The LCT With the auto disk gives very consistent charges , mine is more consistent with red dot than my Lyman 55 or my RCBS bench mounted measures . and requires very simple maintenance to keep it running smooth . But I confess I have never used extruded powder in mine .

[44magLeo]

As with any measure a fine powder will pass through better than a course powder.
Just select a fine powder.
Leo

[BigAlofPa.]

Tip on the rachet. Don't throw away the spare they send you. It's a little black plastic square about 3/4x3/4 inch. Its a wear item. And will need replacing from time to time. I threw mine out thinking it was molding fall off from something else at the factory.

[tazman]

You can buy the Lee power charge expander dies and just assume every powder you use will not bridge in the die.
That way when your pistol blows up from a double charge you will no know what happened.

The expander dies that permit charging through the die are a good idea but they are sensitive to the flow characteristics of the powders you use. Some powders can bridge then the bridge will break. One charge will be next to nothing and the next will be nearly a double charge.
Just because Lee promotes a particular loading technique does not mean it is a fool proof process.

After many thousands of handgun loads using the Lee Classic Cast Turret and the Lee Pro Auto Disk measure, I have never had a double or even a noticeable overcharge with this system.
I use it to load 9mm, 38 Special, 357 Magnum, 40S&W, and 45ACP. I also use the auto index turret system with the Auto Disk to load 223 for my rifles and have had no issues there either.

Perhaps my success has to do with powder choices as much as anything else. I don't use large flake powders and any stick powder I use in my rifles get run through an RCBS Uniflow.

The tip BigAlofPA gave is a very valid point. Also, don't oil that plastic square either. It will last longer without the oil. Oil softens it.

[C.F.Plinker]

FWIW while the complete Lee powder through expanding die is about $10 you could buy one complete die and then buy the other plugs you need as spare parts for $3 each. This means that you would be moving the powder measure and the body of the powder through expander from tool head to tool head as you changed calibers while inserting the appropriate plug. This, of course, assumes that you will be setting up complete tool heads for at least the calibers you load frequently.

If you are going to use just one tool head and change out all of the dies when you change calibers then you would use the plug that is correct for the caliber and leave the body of the powder through expander in the tool head.

[1hole]

I've been reloading since 1965 and have used a lot of different kinds of powder run through several different brands of powder measures. Seems our powder measure engineers have a clear understanding of the powders we commonly use because other than few times on the web, I've never had or known of anyone else having a bridging problem.

All of the handgun powders I know of has small kernels that would be very difficult to bridge. Large kernel rifle powders won't unknowably double charge because a double charge won't fit in the case!

I've not seen everything so I'm not arrogant enough to say bridging in a measure can't happen. But, other than massive moisture unknowingly causing the powder to clump in the container - a rare problem indeed - I just don't see how it could happen.