Help me decide: used turret presses

[c1skout]

I would like to get an older 6 station turret press. Less expensive is better, just trying to gain some convenience. I figure on leaving it set up with 2 different 3 die sets for pistol loading. I hand prime so that part isn't a concern for me. Which older press would best fit my needs? Any to stay away from (can't get parts, oddball shellholders-dies, etc.)?

[Garyshome]

Get a Dillon.

[dudel]

A cheap press will sour you on the reloading process (stay away from SmartReloader products). An older, quality press, is not going to be easy to find cheaply. Most of the quality older stuff is going for some decent coin.

I have to agree with Gary. Get a Dillon. If nothing else, you should be able to resell it later and not lose much if any of your investment.

[HeavyMetal]

I guess it all depend on your budget, LOL!

I converted a couple of Lyman Truline Jr to six hole turrets and bought the shell holder conversion to use standard shell holders.

Down side of the Truline Jr is size and leverage but for pistol use it has been awsome as currently set up, my cost for this was about 150 when I was done including the price of the press.

Next up is the 6 hole Lyman Sparten? most are Grey and can be found on E bay between 60 and 80 bucks. These use the standard shell holders as well.

The Lyman All American is still floating around out there, it was originally a four hole turret but can be converted to eight hole, it has the same problem with shell holders the Tru line Jr does but the same Lyman conversion fits it as well to use standard shell holders.

Problem with this press is they seem to have become a cult offering and simply sell for prices I won't pay for an antique out of date design, but you may not think so.

Herters made some turret press's but shell holders for these were all over the place from cartridge specific replacement rams to our current standard shell holders. Ask about shell holders type if you check on any Herters press.

New stuff is out there but the six hole turrets are darned expensive, see Redding's web site.

Might be a better idea to buy a Lee four hole turret and set it up with exta plates and swap them as needed for your loads.

A good used Lyman is where I'd go today if I needed a turret press.

[gunoil]

garyshome: ditto! Sounds that u might like a rl550. I suggest call dillons 800'%. They will ship brand new one to you. I like buying from dillon direct/2-each-his-own. I just bought another dillon (xl650).

I sold used rl-550 on ebay thursday for 540.72$ People are nuts, l dont get it, But ebay puts money in my pocket. I try a die from ebay, then put it back on if l dont like it. Last time i lost 67 cents and kept it for 2weeks.

Get a dillon.

http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/k511/putt2012/null_zps5bbf17d7.jpg

l have 800lb steel table, i let my ammo fall in bucket w/t-shirt. Later you can get dillons 550 case feed, lil' high but would really be nice.

25% of women are on meds for mental disorders, That means the other 75% are not treated, hehehe

Hes wanting a lyman 6 hole or redding 7 hole manual . l want a redding 7 hole some day.

[bear67]

I picked up a Lyman Spartan a few years ago and have two turrets for it. Use it like you said for 2 pistol calibers set up on each turret. I use it for the cartridges I don't load enough to set up a toolhead on the Dillon (32 S&W Long ect). I have removed 45 Colt from a turret as I was loading enough to set up a dedicated toolhead for a Dillon 550. It is a good press and I can prime with the primer feed tubes supplied by Lyman or prime off press with my bench primer.

If you can find a good used one, it will usually only increase in value should you want to get rid of it later.

I recently traded a Lyman All American with shellholder adapter and 2 turrets for a nice .22 revolver. I got it in a trade that also had a SDB in the lot.

[seagiant]

Hi,
An original Dillon 450 with the manual primer and powder feeds usually go for around $300 and is the bargain of the century to me. The press is STOUT and help or parts are a call away! As has been stated the days of finding old but great reloading presses on the cheap are about gone!

[BruceB]

"Efficiency" is usually my watchword.

I have a Lyman All-American and a Dillon 550B mounted side-by-side (with work space between them, of course).

The Lyman gets most of the rifle-cartridge chores, but the 550 does the handgun stuff as well as moat of the 7.62 NATO and .223.

I have enough toolheads for the 550 to leave one set-up for each required cartridge. Dies for the Lyman have their rings locked in position, so it's a simple matter to change dies. I have NO DESIRE WHATEVER to "store" un-used dies in the turret!

When the turret press is in use, it is USED as a turret press....each case is completely loaded before it is removed from the machine. This naturally requires 'clicking' the turret from station-to-station. Having extra dies stored in the turret would just create inefficient obstacles, as I would have to 'click' past un-needed dies to get to the ones I do need.

That Lyman has been a great press for me ever since about 1967. Operated as above, 200 rounds per hour is a reasonable expectation WITHOUT a lot of strain or haste. Even with the powder measure mounted in the turret, four stations are enough for the vast majority of my work. Find that shell-holder conversion, and it will compete with anything now on the market.

[Silverboolit]

I had a Lyman Orange Crush? that I happily sold right after recieving it. It was a real piece. If you want a turret, get the Lee Cast Classic. What good is a turret that acts like a single stage?? It is no faster than a single stage, it's higher priced. I have both the Lees, 3 hole and 4hole and they will not be going anywhere soon.

[Bullshop]

Anybody know what a Lyman All American turret press in good shape is worth?

[Pressman]

$125-160

Ken

[sidecarmike]

I have to agree with Silverboolit. I had an RL550B. I sold it when I retired. Not because there was anything wrong with it, but because it didn't do anything any better than any other press I owned. I sold it for more money than I needed to buy dies and turrets for every caliber I own and enough powder and primers to last me for years to come. Spare turrets are $10 each and with them, changing dies takes all of about 30 seconds. If you want to use it as a single stage you just lift out the drive rod.

[Bullshop]

Really! OK then if the OP is looking for a turret press I will sell this Lyman all American with one shell holder for $85 plus shipping.
I am pretty sure it will fit in a large FRB.
OH BTW it came with a set of All American 32 special dies in original AA box. Those are available too if someone wants them.

[LUBEDUDE]

Really! OK then if the OP is looking for a turret press I will sell this Lyman all American with one shell holder for $85 plus shipping.
I am pretty sure it will fit in a large FRB.
OH BTW it came with a set of All American 32 special dies in original AA box. Those are available too if someone wants them.

c1skout, that is a very generous offer worth taking. This is a robust press.

[Adk Mike]

I mostly shoot a 30-06. 200 rounds a month at steel swingers. I use a Rock Chucker to size cases and an RCBS bench mounted priming tool to prime them. I have a Lyman All American set up with two seater dies and an M die all for the 06. Any other calipers I just use the Rock Chucker.
A 550 is on my want list. I've just never got around to buying one.

[Silverboolit]

A press can be determined on what volume you need. If you shoot 500 rounds or over on a weekend, the progressive is the way to go. Ddillion would be right up there in first place.
However, if you need 100-500 rounds for the weekend, maybe the turret is the way. I am not in a race to see how many rounds I can make per hour. To me, the hours spent making them are as enjoyable as the time spent shooting them.

[zuke]

LEE Classic Turret

[Bullshop Junior]

I have a lee classic turret and it is ok...but I am gonna trade up for. RCBS one of these days...

[buckwheatpaul]

My 2 cents worth is for a Dillon ...

[mdi]

Hmmmm. I thought the OP asked about a turret press. Are the Dillon presses mentioned turret presses?

I've been reloading for nearly 30 years and have yet to succumb to the "More, Faster, More" thinking. A turret press works quite well for me and I budget my time so I usually have plenty of ammo on hand...:roll:

[r1kk1]

Just about any progressive can be used loading one at a time but the OP asked about six station so that leaves the progressives out unless he wants to swap heads or die plates. That would leave Redding, RCBS, and Lyman left. If it was my choice it would be Redding but I don't need a turret at this point of my life.

I guess I would look at future needs and vintage turret presses if it was me.

When I shot IHMSA, I bought a SDB and it met the needs at the time. Later a 450 for the cartridges I could not do on the SDB. This was in the 80s. I kept the 550 and it does what I need and concentrated on single stage stuff for case forming.

There are some great vintage turret presses out there. If you can, pull the handle on a couple on new or old stuff to see if YOU like it.

Take care

r1kk1

[Geppetto]

I got an older orange lyman Spar T with a bunch of other reloading stuff in an estate purchase. The linkage has plenty of leverage for pistol cartridges. This is a 6 hole turret and I wouldn't hesitate to purchase another one. its a nice sturdy press and for handgun ammo is definitely quicker than a single stage. I don't plan on loading rifle on this press.

If you are looking for a used 6 hole turret, the lyman's should fit the bill if you can find one.

[UNIQUEDOT]

Six station turret? RCBS or Redding if seven stations and more expensive heads are o.k., I wouldn't consider the Lyman unless you can handle it first because of the problems with their QC these days. The RCBS is on my want list.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

I like the Lee Classic Turret for most reloading. Many calibers can be set up and swapped out without re-adjusting dies, simply swapping the turret without any assembly/disassembly or threading dies in and out. I have a Dillon 550, a Lee Pro 1000 and a Lee Load-Master. The Dillon 550 has no specific advantages.

[Cmm_3940]

Since OP asked about turret presses as opposed to progressive, I use a Redding T7 and would recommend it. For progressive, I like the Dillon RL-550B.

[Guardian]

I also have a Redding T7. I like it enough that it's the one press I wouldn't be without, but they ain't cheap. I do leave the dies setup in the turret and have multiple turrets. I primarily use it for rifle loads. In the interest of full disclosure, I resize on a Rock Chucker, but only because I have the ability to do so at a separate bench station. The T7 will handle it just fine.

I had an older Lyman T-mag. It was fine for pistol reloading, but the stress of resizing rifle brass broke the bolt securing the turret to the press body.

Regarding skipping over the unused dies, it all depends on your process. I batch resize. When I get ready to load the brass, I'm only alternating between the seat and crimp dies. When done crimping, I just back up to the first die.

I agree the LEE Classic Turret is a good value.

[c1skout]

Bullshop, Thank you,I sent you a PM.

[flashhole]

LEE Classic Turret

I don't understand why this thread would go any further. Lee Classic Turret.

[remy3424]

I use a Lyman T-Mag II..see them in the S&S section on occasion....I am OK with it, the turrets are getting expensive the last time I saw them for sale...a little sloppy...maybe more than a little, but is fine for my handgun calibers. I am not a volume shooter, but MY routine is decapping on a hand Lee press, cleaning in citric acid, then polish in a tumbler, hand prime, charge each case by the loading block full, this gives me a chance to eyeball each one to make sure it has a charge and looks similar to the others. Then seat and if needed I can snap over to the FCD if desired on each one. Love the turret for handguns...load no rifle cartridges on the turret-go-round press. Would love to try a Redding...maybe someday if I find a bargain somewhere.

[MtGun44]

My setup is very similar to BruceB. A Redding Turret is on the end, and next to it a
Dillon 550B (lg primer), then a Star, then a Dillon 550B (sm primer).

Short runs of anything go in the turret, long runs of anything go in the 550s, depending
on the primer size.

Bill

[possom813]

I have a Tmag 2 on the bench, maybe I'm just not as fancy as some, but it does everything I want it to. From 9mm to .30-06, f.l. sizing and all.

No issues, no more slop than any other press I have.

Found it in S&S last year or the year before for $100, and it's definitely been worth it.

[mizzouri1]

the LEE Classic Turret is a good value.

[Shiloh]

I would LOVE to have an older turret press. The few that I have seen for sale are a good gbit more than I was willing to part with.

Shiloh

[r1kk1]

I would love to have a Hollywood turret.

Some of those old guys were pure monsters!

Take care

r1kk1