Head for the hills!

[45FP]

Been reloading for close to 30 yrs now with a single stage press. All of a sudden I get this notion that if I could speed things up at the press I could spend more time at the range. Well it's a good concept anyway.
So I am getting a lee classic turret press with what I could discern are the proper accessories to go with it.( info is kind of weak) Looking to use it mostly for .45 ACP , 357 mag and 38 spl. So if there are a bunch of threads asking seemingly stupid questions about turret press stuff you'll know why. Just saying. :guntootsmiley:

[Winger Ed.]

Congrats.

The only stupid question I could imagine is posting here and asking,
"How did this thing pinch my finger on the up-stroke".

Not that everyone else hasn't pinched their fingers in a progressive----
they were just smart enough not to admit it on a open forum..

[44Vaquero]

What did you order other than the press?

[slide]

I think Cowboy T has some clips on the Lee Presses on u tube. Might check those out.

[geargnasher]

Good choice on the Classic Turret press, it's much better than the "regular" Lee turret presses, you won't be disappointed. If you really want to get things going, buy:

One additional turret head (four hole only) for each caliber you want to load, press comes with ONE.
Autodisk Pro powder measure kit
Autodisk riser
Safety Prime primer kit (Three choices of kits: Large primer only, small primer only, or BOTH, you will need the kit that contains both).

That's all I can think of offhand, if you have Lee expander dies you'll be set with the above items. If you don't have the Lee expander dies, buy one in each caliber, they're like ten bucks each. Being able to prime quickly and without touching them is a huge bonus, as is being able to plug the measure into the Lee powder-through-expander Lee and charge powder on the press is another great benefit.

Gear

[45FP]

44Vaquero:
What did you order other than the press?
I ordered the stuff that Mr. gnasher mentioned and the adjustable powder charge bar ( hope this is useful), some more turret retainer clips( I can already see me crawling around looking in the corner for those), primer feeder brackets (2) don't yet know if I need these. The sm & lg safety prime set. and the double disk kit for the auto disk.
I have some reservations about the auto disk set up, mainly accuracy related,
but since that seems to be the only auto set up that works with these presses I'll give it a shot.
I did get the powder through expander dies for 38 and 45. and two extra turrets.

Just realized that if I speed up the loading and shooting I will fall behind with casting.
( sleep is kinda over rated anyhow, 4-6 hrs does seem excessive any way)
Thanks for all the responses.:cool:

[Finster101]

I think you will be surprised at how consistant the auto disk measure is. I haven't used the adjustable charge bar.

[44Vaquero]

It sounds like you are well on your way. Since you are new to Lee Turret's a few extra square ratchets would be a good idea.
As far a Auto-disk accuracy, all I can say is it's tough to beat. You will find that in any given cavity the actual weight will be less than what is listed on the chart. I believe that this was done intentionally by Lee. So weighing of charges as always is must before production!
Using the auto-disk on a turret press, the motion of the press and tool head affects the accuracy of the powder drop. As you develop rhythm to operating the press you will find the drops to be very accurate.
Always operate the press arm stop to stop to avoid any problems.

Good Luck!

[handyman25]

I picked up a lyman Mag t turret press with a extra head at a garage sale. Yup it was cheap, almost felt bad paying for it:roll:. I like the press and I like the turret idea but i can not see where it is much faster than a regular single press.

[45FP]

44- what square ratchets? didn't see anything like that listed parts page.

[44Vaquero]

45FP: http://leeprecision.com/square-ratchet.html
The ratchet rides on the index rod and controls the turret's rotation.

[45FP]

Thanks for the heads up, guess I'll have to be extra careful until can get a spare or two.

[44Vaquero]

If the press is adjusted correctly and not short stroked, the ratchet should last a long time.

Check these out these videos:

http://leeprecision.com/turret-press-help-videos.html

[45FP]

Well I finally got the turret press, but it was a rocky start. UPS decided to drop it off at the wrong address for some reason that they couldn't explain and were unwilling to try to fix.
I'm having doubts about the safety prime system because I end up with some high primers too often ( hadn't seen that problem for a long time).
I think I can get to like the auto disk , but the problem I have with it so far is with some powders, Herco, Longshot and AA#5 some grains get between the hopper and the disk and stop the disk from returning to load position.
The screws are as tight as I want to turn in plastic and slightly looser doesn't fix it.
Mostly I think the press will be an improvement for me as far as being more efficient. I think I may go back to the auto prime though , as I rarely had any issues using that.
Any solution for fixing the disk problem would be appreciated though.

[geargnasher]

High primers aren't the fault of the Safety Prime, but on the press priming operation itself. You have to really push on the handle to seat them, and if any of them are being seated flush then the ones that aren't likely aren't a fault of the equipment, it's the technique. I have to grab the back of the press with my left hand for a brace when I seat LR and LP primers. SP primers seem to fall right in. Focus on your technique here, it shouldn't be a problem once you get used to it.

I have five Pro Autodisks (including an original that I converted to the "pro") and have never had any issues with powder jamming them up. A few stray flakes might sneak by the disk, but binding hasn't been a problem, not even with the original Autodisk that had the screw-on hopper that was such a pain to remove or keep tight without cracking the screw bosses. Sounds like you might have a defect there, or something's out of place.

Gear