I got a lee classic turret

[buck1]

But I cant use it untill my pat marlin rock-a-dok plates get here (truely the best way to mt presses IMHO).[smilie=w:

What is that loose included small black plastic square pice for?
What is the best lube for the turret? I am thinking gun or reel grease?

And I cant belive Lee doesnt include the primer feed with this press. Now I need to place another order to make this press compleete with the saftey prime atachment.

I do have the perfict powder measure and bought the auto dispencer atatchment to make it automatic. I have yet to use these but have had them for a wile. Hope they work ok.
Thanks guys.....Buck

[LEADLUBBER]

Sounds like you have done exactly what I hope to do.....

I like that rock dok

Very Nice, should be a great setup!

[fryboy]

that square black plastic piece is a spare ratchet for the auto index , i use moly chassis lube on the contact points and a decent gun oil on the ram and op rod ( lightly on the rod ), as for the powder measure ..being new .. wash it with dawn or something , let dry and then rub with a used dryer sheet , i also ran a few hoppers of powder thru mine just to also leave a lil graphite to it , the main thing with it is to make sure the elastomer wiper isnt pressed too deep in the cavity as that can cause it to leak ( it should rub on the disk for best results )

[Cowboy T]

RemOil or any type of plain ol' motor oil does a fine job. I often use 15W-40 for Diesel engines 'cause that's what I usually have around.

As for that little black square (the ratchet, as fryboy pointed out), the reason Lee includes a spare is because if you short-stroke the press in the middle of the twisty part of the auto-index rod, you can stretch that ratchet and make it not auto-index properly anymore. If you want to short-stroke it, do so when the ram is close to the top. I did that once, called Lee, they sent me some replacements, in the meantime installed the spare that came with it, and haven't had a problem since.

[klcarroll]

You’re going to love that press!

I have three Dillons and two Lee Turret presses, and the Lees get ALL of my short run and “Let’s Try This” business.

In spite of the fact that I spent DECADES as a “Cast Iron Snob”, I really can’t say enough about the Lee Turret Presses! They are ergonomically handy, with easy setup, good leverage, and a reasonably fast production rate! ……And in addition to all that, they’re affordable!

…..Now I know that there are some who wouldn’t tolerate “Red” on their reloading bench if they were bleeding; …..But I believe that there would be far fewer reloaders active today if it wasn’t for LEE offering people an affordable alternative to the “Cadilacs”!


Kent

[FLDad]

If it works, cheaper is...gooder? Compact, with cheap turrets for your other calibers. Four or five rounds a minute is plenty fast enough for me. Especially since it allows me to check powder load visually on every cartridge. Get one of those little goose-neck LED flashlights and strap it to one of the uprights for checking powder -- it really helps.

[buck1]

Thanks guys!! Cant wait to fire it up!!....Buck

[looseprojectile]

I hope that you have the extension for the powder measure. It raises the measure up so that it doesn't hit the top of the primer feed when it goes around. Also you will need the expander and belling setup with the open center for the powder drop. I have the adjustable slider in the measure too.
I like it a lot. It eliminates the need for all the discs. I think all told I have near $160.00 in the whole shebang.

I can not understand why Lee does not tell a person exactly what they are going to need to start. There is confusion with the primer feeder and powder measures and the extension.
I have the right stuff for mine but I can't tell you what I have.
I am tickeled to death with the way my Classic turret press works. I let a friend run mine and he bought one the next day. He thanked me by buying me an extra turret.
You are going to enjoy running it.

Life is good

[klcarroll]

@ Looseprojectile;

You make a good point! I have three of the disk type powder measures, and storing three sets of disks does begin to take up a bit of shelf space.

.....But on the plus side, the disk type measures are accurate, and virtually idiot-proof.

(....The latter point is particularly important to me![smilie=1:)


Kent

[1hole]

"In spite of the fact that I spent DECADES as a “Cast Iron Snob”,"

One of many nice things about Lee's Classic Turret is that it IS a cast iron bodied press.

Lee knows many of us prefer a hand primer and other powder dispensers so they don't require we purchase those tools as part of the press package.

[klcarroll]

"In spite of the fact that I spent DECADES as a “Cast Iron Snob”,"

One of many nice things about Lee's Classic Turret is that it IS a cast iron bodied press.

Lee knows many of us prefer a hand primer and other powder dispensers so they don't require we purchase those tools as part of the press package.


Quite right! ......My comment was a generic reference to the entire line of Lee Turret Presses. (One of my turrets is an old "Three Hole", ...and even with its predominantly alloy construction, it has never failed me.)

.....But as you point out, the "Classic Turret" with its iron base is the Hot Deal!


Kent

[cajun shooter]

The turret will also work very well with white lithium grease like Lubriplate. That little black plastic and the small square plastic piece under it are the weak points to the system. I was in the middle of reloading some 44-40's for a SASS match and my press quit turning. I had to finish on my 550 Dillon and wait for the spare parts from Lee. But like all good boy scouts I purchased more than the one needed. I suggest you do the same. The primer system is a real PITA as far as I'm concerned and I usually pre-prime now. The press is one of the best things that Lee makes.

[Skipper488]

I use the safety prime on my challenger press it works fine as long as you have at least 10 or so primers in the slide, you get less than that and they don't like to slide into the dispenser.

[MtGun44]

Classic turret is nice, but I must say that I am not too thrilled with the priming feed system
for that machine. MUCH prefer the Autoprime.

Bill

[Cowboy T]

There's definitely a trick to operating the Safety Prime, no question. But once you get the right feel for it, it does work well. I'm seriously considering doing a video on this very subject because of this issue.

[buck1]

WOW! GREAT HELP GUYS!! Thanks very much!:-)

[RobS]

The auto disk riser for the powder measure is a must and there is a link somewhere out there that showes a small modification to the original bolt hole in the plastic bracket that you bolt to the press. This mod simply aligns the primer system with the metal primer arm/primer guide (where you place the primer). I'll see if I can dig up that mod as it's out there in cyberland somewhere.

[RobS]

Well I found the link for you buck but the pics are no longer able to be viewed. It does give explaination but without the pics it may be a hard to follow.

http://forums.handloads.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10237&PN=1

[buck1]

Thanks for your efforts!

[looseprojectile]

When I first assembled everything and had it running the safety prime didn't work.
In several telephone conversations with a friend in Idaho while trying to get it to work he was frustrated with me. My priming system could not be made to work as it was intended.
Then when he visited me and saw how it didn't work he understood my frustration. His works right out of the box.
Let me be the first to tell all you people that the Lee equipment may need a little Leementing.[smilie=1:
I did a very close inspection of the parts in the primer feed and found that some flashing on the moulded plastic parts were hindering the feeding of the primers.
A set to with a jewelers file fixed the problem and it now runs as it was intended.
I have had a Dillon 550 and several single stage presses and several of the multi station presses and used them over the years and I have enjoyed the
Lee Classic Turret press the most. The Lee Classic Turret press makes the loading of ammunition easier than any system I have used. I don't care about quicker as I am interested in quality more than quantity.

Life is good