Lee 4 hole turret auto advance

[jdfoxinc]

Well I now have a manual advance turret press. At first it wasn't advancing to the detention and had to be "encouraged". Then it started refusing to turn the turret every 3rd or 4th hole. Now it won't engage with the vertical spiral rod. Looked on Lee's web site and my only recourse is to send the press to them for "reconditioning". They have changed the mechanism. They state that they are out of spare parts for the original mechanism. That puts me on my single stage press. I need to send mr Dillon 650 back for the same service.

Does anyone out there make parts or know how to repair my existing mechanism?

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I would assume it's just a worn/broke ratchet.
50¢ at Titan.
https://www.titanreloading.com/turret-press-square-ratchet

[tazman]

Every few thousand rounds, mine starts refusing to turn. Inside the little black roundish piece at the top of the ram that the rod goes through is a small square donut. This little donut engages in a square cut inside the black plastic piece on the ram and turns the turret on the downstroke.
When the little square donut gets worn enough, it will no longer engage properly and the rod will not turn.
Get a few replacements from Lee. They are very cheap and easily replaced. Just remember to clean out the area where the little donut rides and engages inside the black piece on the ram.
JohnB in Glencoe has provided a link to the part.

[jimkim]

Go ahead and get ten or twenty of them. You can also fix that alignment issue, by adjusting it.

Sent from my SM-S820L using Tapatalk

[EMR]

https://leeprecision.com/square-ratchet.html

Like before mentioned, get several of these! You’ll definitely use them later

[Livin_cincy]

Watch this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLAru413y1A

Then this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9iPthaYPh4

And finally this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2IS5hcLQvw

[jdfoxinc]

Thanks to all.

[jdfoxinc]

Ordered 10 from titan, shipping more than product.

[Dieselhorses]

Nothing like a good ole turret press! I still religiously use mine.

[kmw1954]

Ordered 10 from titan, shipping more than product.

Yeup! Hate being in that position so I normally order a few other things as well.

[juggernault98]

I've been having a slight issue with mine. Out of the box the turret would turn but not all the way causing my dye to be a 1/8 of an inch off from the case mouth. 70% of the time I would need to push the turret into place. It would just barely hit the case mouth. Utilizing one of the three videos above. I turned the rod and it seemed to go too far. Frustrated I used some 3n1 oil on the rod to drip down into the black part of the ram. It seemed to have fixed this issue. Perhaps mine got a lil clogged. Note: there may be folks out there who will frown at the use of additives for the press however, this has no contact with the case thus not affecting the load.

[Dieselhorses]

I've been having a slight issue with mine. Out of the box the turret would turn but not all the way causing my dye to be a 1/8 of an inch off from the case mouth. 70% of the time I would need to push the turret into place. It would just barely hit the case mouth. Utilizing one of the three videos above. I turned the rod and it seemed to go too far. Frustrated I used some 3n1 oil on the rod to drip down into the black part of the ram. It seemed to have fixed this issue. Perhaps mine got a lil clogged. Note: there may be folks out there who will frown at the use of additives for the press however, this has no contact with the case thus not affecting the load.

www.leeprecision.com Square Ratchet (TF 3567) They will ship you first one for free but get some extras!

[watkibe]

i keep square ratchets on hand at all times. Also the clamp too, maybe ? I just consider the square ratchets to be disposable parts that wear out and have to be replaced, OK.
It is possible to slightly "time" the press by turning the square nut in to of the spiral square rod; be careful if you try it.

[tazman]

I've been having a slight issue with mine. Out of the box the turret would turn but not all the way causing my dye to be a 1/8 of an inch off from the case mouth. 70% of the time I would need to push the turret into place. It would just barely hit the case mouth. Utilizing one of the three videos above. I turned the rod and it seemed to go too far. Frustrated I used some 3n1 oil on the rod to drip down into the black part of the ram. It seemed to have fixed this issue. Perhaps mine got a lil clogged. Note: there may be folks out there who will frown at the use of additives for the press however, this has no contact with the case thus not affecting the load.

That little square ratchet part will soften and wear faster if oil is applied to it(ask me how I know). It works due to friction between the rod and the ratchet part. Remove the friction and it doesn't work any more.

Somewhere out there, probably YouTube, is a video of how to adjust the nut/rod combo in order to get proper indexing. It isn't difficult, just picky.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I've been having a slight issue with mine. Out of the box the turret would turn but not all the way causing my dye to be a 1/8 of an inch off from the case mouth. 70% of the time I would need to push the turret into place. It would just barely hit the case mouth. Utilizing one of the three videos above. I turned the rod and it seemed to go too far. Frustrated I used some 3n1 oil on the rod to drip down into the black part of the ram. It seemed to have fixed this issue. Perhaps mine got a lil clogged. Note: there may be folks out there who will frown at the use of additives for the press however, this has no contact with the case thus not affecting the load.
When I first got my LCT press in 2006, I had some issues with it right out of the box. I struggled with it for a while. After I destroyed the first black plastic square Ratchet. I polished and lightly oiled the Turret and the Turret holder (where they engage each other) and I also polished and lightly oiled the square indexing rod. I didn't need to adjust the indexing, as it was set correctly from the factory...but It seemed like there was just too much drag. It has worked great ever since.
>>>BTW, I lightly oil all those surfaces with Kano Labs Microil before each loading session.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1322125805/kano-microil-precision-instrument-and-gun-oil



That little square ratchet part will soften and wear faster if oil is applied to it(ask me how I know). It works due to friction between the rod and the ratchet part. Remove the friction and it doesn't work any more.

Somewhere out there, probably YouTube, is a video of how to adjust the nut/rod combo in order to get proper indexing. It isn't difficult, just picky.
Tazman, While I don't know what plastic Lee is using or what oil you have used?
I suspect if you used a oil product that contains some solvents or other additives, maybe it reacted to the plastic?

I'm still successfully using the second square ratchet that I've oiled continuously for the last several years...tens of thousands of cycles.

[JBinMN]

I am posting in this topic for 2 reasons. First being I am interested in the topic since I have just had a close to similar issue with my Classic Turret & secondly, to mention that I talked to Lee folks about it & they did send me the parts I needed at no cost other than shipping.

I will be ordering a couple more sets in the future, and happily pay the cost, but in the interim of waiting to get the parts, I took some superglue gel to the "Auto Index clamp" to keep it right where I wanted it located. I observed it for a lot of "revolutions" & figured out just where it should be to index properly, but it kept shifting over. So, I put a couple drops to hold it in place, waited a few hours & now it is working better than it ever had before, even new.

After removing & re- installing that clamp several times & dealing with that little "ratchet" having to be placed correctly to install the clamp was when I called & ordered the parts. I am still using the "rigged" /"glued" one & the new parts sit on the shelf above my bench.

I imagine that it was much simpler for Lee to have the parts made with plastic & expected wear/needing replacement, than it would have been to use a metal such as aluminum to fabricate & deal with that materials & what problems that might have caused with wear & all using metal against metal...

Anyway... To anyone who has not "yet" had this issue. My suggestion is to order the parts & get a few spares. It will be worth it, IMO. Unless of course you want to invest in some superglue & deal with it that way first. {<It does work though, at least for me it has... ;) }

[tazman]

When I first got my LCT press in 2006, I had some issues with it right out of the box. I struggled with it for a while. After I destroyed the first black plastic square Ratchet. I polished and lightly oiled the Turret and the Turret holder (where they engage each other) and I also polished and lightly oiled the square indexing rod. I didn't need to adjust the indexing, as it was set correctly from the factory...but It seemed like there was just too much drag. It has worked great ever since.
>>>BTW, I lightly oil all those surfaces with Kano Labs Microil before each loading session.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1322125805/kano-microil-precision-instrument-and-gun-oil



Tazman, While I don't know what plastic Lee is using or what oil you have used?
I suspect if you used a oil product that contains some solvents or other additives, maybe it reacted to the plastic?

I'm still successfully using the second square ratchet that I've oiled continuously for the last several years...tens of thousands of cycles.

When I first got the LCT, I mounted the primer feed incorrectly and it interfered with the turret rotation by contacting a die locking ring. This, of course destroyed the little square and changed the indexing on the rod. After correcting my mounting mistake and looking up how to correct the index rod I got a new square and was in business.
If the turret turns hard in the turret holder, this will put excess pressure on the little square and cause wear. I always oil the turret with each use to prevent this.
One time I thought the rod was too dirty and oiled it and wiped it down. I put a couple of drops of gun oil on it to help with wear. Within a very short time the little square softened and quit working. When I took it out, it was very soft to the point of being limp.
I wiped all the dirt and oil off the rod and out of the clamp cavity and installed a new little square. I have used it "dry" ever since. I get several thousand rounds out of it before the little square gets too worn to function properly. I consider the price of the little square to be cheap in order to have proper function of the press.

JBinMN----That note about the clamp is interesting. Luckily, I haven't had trouble with the clamp as yet although it shows some wiggle movement while in use. I can see where it could become a problem in the future and I will remember your fix for it.

The only other issue I have come across is the return spring in the primer feed unit that returns the button you push on to it's default position will weaken and break after a long period of time. I have had to replace a couple of them over the years. Lee has apparently redesigned that part so it doesn't break any more. I don't have one of the new units so I can't comment on that.

[hiram]

I made a square ratchet from the rim of a 45-70 but I couldn't get it to work.

[JBinMN]

Tazman,

The thing that made me do something about that "clamp wiggle" was I found that the turret would not always index properly sometimes ( for a while) & then it began to do it all the time. What was happening was the clamp would wiggle over to one side & prevent the next turn of the turret to index in its' proper place with the next die directly over the ram. It would be off just a little bit & require hand indexing. { If I wanted to hand index each die, I would just remove the indexing rod, & I like the indexing , so I went to fixing the issue. ;) }

So, I had to keep "clicking" the turret over into the correct spot to keep things in line or , for example, when I went to the first spot at size & deprime, the case would sometimes catch on the edge of the die & I would have to either adjust the case or set the turret into index point.

It was making me angry , so I stopped reloading & just turned the thing over & over many times observing what was going on step by step from the turret to the base, so I could see what each part was doing & what might be causing this non indexing.

I found that if the clamp was wiggled too far over to one side or the other( There is a bit of "slop" where the bolt goes thru the ram as well as where the clamp goes into the recess of the ram, and that is art of the problem. I do not know yet if it is a manufacturing/design thing, or just from some sort of wear.) I will find out when I put the new parts in , I think) it would cause the turret not to index, so I figured out where the clamp was supposed to be on the ram & then rotated more times to watch & see what happened.

I figured out where exactly the clamp must be to make sure to index every time, cleaned up things a bit with brake cleaner & then used the superglue gel. Just 2 drops. ( I can always clean the spots later with Nail polish remover when needed.)

WARNING - Do Not over tighten the clamp set screw/nut that goes thru from one side or the other, thinking it will help to tighten it up further to prevent the clamp from turning!!! I stripped the doggone thing trying it!!!
It did not work for me anyway, & thus the glue was used. I think the screw/nut is used more for holding the clamp together than to be tight & "grip" the ram so the clamp does not move. At least mine was not made that way, so I would venture to guess it is the same for the other LCT presses.

That is the fix I used, in better detail if you or anyone else wanted to know. I can provide pics of the spots I glued if anyone wants, as well as the position of the clamp, although I do not know if the position is exactly the same for everyone, although one would think it should be.

Anyway, Hope this info helps anyone in a similar situation.

G'Luck!
:)

[tazman]

I made a square ratchet from the rim of a 45-70 but I couldn't get it to work.

It has to actually have a sliding friction grip on the rod in order to work. The square hole, that the little square piece fits in to turn the turret is inside the top of the plastic clamp. The little plastic square must grip the rod enough to seat itself into that square hole in the top of the clamp. If the little square piece is loose on the rod, it won't work. That is part of the reason they use use plastic because a metal piece would wear loose.
If you look at a new little square piece, the inside hole has extra flashing left on purpose to insure a friction fit. Don't clean that extra flashing off. it is needed to make it work correctly.
It will wear off in time anyway.

[jdfoxinc]

I noticed a lot of drag when turning the turret by hand. One drop of oil at the juncture with the press a couple of turns much smoother. Then I got the spare ratchets installed a new one and viola IT WORKS! (Kinda like " Its alive".)

[Dieselhorses]

I noticed a lot of drag when turning the turret by hand. One drop of oil at the juncture with the press a couple of turns much smoother. Then I got the spare ratchets installed a new one and viola IT WORKS! (Kinda like " Its alive".)Yea it is a good feeling!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

[tazman]

Glad to hear it. Enjoy the press. It is an excellent tool.

[juggernault98]

Finally remembered to check on this topic. Wanted to wait till It got more attention for replies. I remembered when I got a.223 case stuck in my Lee dye I ordered the parts to fix it. Long story short I destroyed the (name is skipping on me) deprimer/resize rod... Anywho! It was free. So the other day ordering bullets I stopped down to Lee's website. Got a whole slew of back up parts. Heck shipping was more then what I spent! Good deal I'm glad Lee provides low LOW cost replacements.

[Dieselhorses]

Finally remembered to check on this topic. Wanted to wait till It got more attention for replies. I remembered when I got a.223 case stuck in my Lee dye I ordered the parts to fix it. Long story short I destroyed the (name is skipping on me) deprimer/resize rod... Anywho! It was free. So the other day ordering bullets I stopped down to Lee's website. Got a whole slew of back up parts. Heck shipping was more then what I spent! Good deal I'm glad Lee provides low LOW cost replacements.

Lee is good about standing behind their product. Yes, I've got quite a few 223 cases "stuck" even with lube. I learned the "feeling" of em going in, if it started to feel tight, back it off! I do not clean my brass before de-priming/sizing simply because I want my SS pins to clean out primer pocket BUT I make sure they are all "grit-free".:idea:

[jules]

I never was a fan of the clamp being fine threaded plastic. I knew sooner or later it would strip. What I did was get a longer screw and run a nut on it kinda like the older 3 hole turret except not recessed in the clamp. I works great and the nut don't bother a thing.

227717

[tazman]

I never was a fan of the clamp being fine threaded plastic. I knew sooner or later it would strip. What I did was get a longer screw and run a nut on it kinda like the older 3 hole turret except not recessed in the clamp. I works great and the nut don't bother a thing.

227717

That is an excellent idea. I am waiting for the screw on mine to eventually strip out. At that point I will do exactly what you did.

[juggernault98]

I never was a fan of the clamp being fine threaded plastic. I knew sooner or later it would strip. What I did was get a longer screw and run a nut on it kinda like the older 3 hole turret except not recessed in the clamp. I works great and the nut don't bother a thing.

227717

Well that's a good idea. I replaced my black clamp figured might as well right? I found out that there was a hairline crack on the back where the two pieces bend. Which caused the indexing issue. Meaning I must have had that crack out of the box. Oh well it's fixed now.

[MT Gianni]

Another good tip is to take the plastic container of STP you bought and put a pinhole in the foil over the product. You then invert it and get one drop on your finger every time you change turrets and wipe the outside with oil. The turret, like most things moves easier if it is lubed. If you have extra n your finger wipe down the press shaft and put a drop on the hinge points ever 5000 rounds or so.