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Thread: Considering a turret press

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy HP9MM's Avatar
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    Considering a turret press

    I have used an RCBS Rock Chucker since 1973. I started out loading maybe 50 9MM's at a time plus 20 rifle rounds at a time. As time has moved on I find myself loading at a time 150+ 9MM's. I want to speed up my loading without going to a Dillon type press. My question is would I see a pick up in speed with a turret press sufficient to buying one? If so which one would you recommend?
    I think I see a rip in the social fabric, Brother can you spare some ammo?
    Corb Lund

  2. #2
    Boolit Master Gtrubicon's Avatar
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    A turret press will definitely increase your output, a turret press is much faster than single stage. All your dies are already set up, I use the the Lee powder through die in unison with my powder throw, or RCBS electric dispenser with a lot of different calibers. You can produce very good rounds on a turret. The turret press is what I use as load development prior to mass producing on my 650. I would recommend a turret press to anyone that understands the basics of reloading that has honed their skills on a single stage.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master

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    The lee clastic cast turret is perfect for pistol. You can choose to use the auto advance or run the turret my hand. I like the auto advance. When you get a system down. The round production flows nicely. I added the newest auto drum powder drop not long ago. It speed things up better yet. For rifle i like my big Lyman brass smith turret.
    One round at a time.
    Member of the NRA,GOA and FAOC. Gun clubs Zerby rod and gun club. Keystone Fish and Game Association.

  4. #4
    Boolit Buddy
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    I've been using the Lee Breech Lock Hand Press and have also been considering moving up to the 4-hole turret. I'm now reloading for five and it's more like work than a hobby.
    Cargo

  5. #5
    Boolit Master Gtrubicon's Avatar
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    I forgot to say that I started with an rcbs turret, I got rid of it. I now have a Hollywood universal. I have 2 close friends that reload, one has a Lyman turret, the other a Redding. They are both excellent press’. I did not like the green one, I have lots of rcbs equipment that is great, I’m not bashing them. I just preferred a different turret press.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master trails4u's Avatar
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    +1000 on the Lee for pistol. No joke. I love it. I prime with a hand primer so can't speak to the priming system but the press, it's just dang consistent, repeatable and easy.
    "Do not follow where the path might lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail" Ralph Waldo Emerson

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
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    I have the Lee classic turret . Starting with unprimed cleaned cases powder and primers in the press I timed the last 50 rounds out of 200 I was loading 44 special one time they took 16 minutes . That is much faster for me than a single stage . Plus you add in time you save when changing cartridges literally seconds if you have spare turrets set up , not counting filling with powder and primers .
    They are excellent for small runs of multiple cartridges.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master 40-82 hiker's Avatar
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    I agree with others: I really stand by my Lee Classic Turret Press. Due to long-term injuries I cannot sit or stand in one place long enough to use my Rockchucker press any longer. Period. Just takes too much time to reload. I prime with my LCTP, and once I got it set up correctly, I don't have any problems with the Lee primer system. My problem, and slight at that, is the errant punched out primer that escapes out before it drops through into the tube. My back does not like bending over and scarfing the primer off of the floor before my cat can beat me to it! He's never gotten one, but we've had some close ties.

  9. #9
    Boolit Bub

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    G'day from Downunder

    G'day All , I primaraly load pistol ammo and have used progressives in the past but prefer turret presses I have a Redding T 7 for rifle loads but for pistol my Ponsness Warren P 200 is the best , I have five heads for it and each has two sets of dies in it so caliber changes are a breeze I have a Lee pro powder measure for each die set so I can put powder in and start loading with no fiddling and the speed is awesome .
    Regards Paul .

  10. #10
    Boolit Master


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    If you want progressive go progressive. Turrets are great, but only go so far. You still have to pull the handle 4 times per round. Progressive, one pull one round. Just saying, you may want to consider the progressive instead. I'm at the turret stage. Rock Chucker, then Lee 4 hole turret, then T-7 press ... see where this is going.

  11. #11
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    Everyone has their own ideas to what works for them and what they wish to accomplish. For many, it's production speed, for some of us reloading is therapy from the worlds problems.
    Some years ago my department adopted the then new Glock 17 as a duty pistol. So I set about to learn everything I needed to know to shoot it accurately under any condition. That meant 5000 rounds of 9mm reloads, all done on a Rockchucker, 50 rounds per session. It was great stress relief and just plain fun.
    Today, I just counted, there are 25 full size turret presses in the basement, one, a Lyman T-Mag II has 8 turrets. I have used all of them and they work OK, but I still load on a single stage RCBS A4 and a Precision PR3.
    It's slower with die changes, and I do spend time screwing dies in and out for every step, otherwise there is no difference.

    I just like the pleasurers of quiet time at the reloading bench.

    I am not a fan of Lee products, but what the Lee fans say is true, their presses give them shortened production time without the cost and physical size of a Dillon.

    It's something to consider if it meets your criteria.

    I think I'll go prime some 45 ACP brass, one at a time on a Lachmiller tool.

    Ken

  12. #12
    Boolit Master
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    Pressman that's a good post
    I don't enjoy loading on a progressive for me they are more like work and not a relaxing hobby .

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    I started reloading some 5+ decades ago. With zero experience and no mentor, I scoured gun magazine articles and reloading catalogs for two years before making my first mail order purchase. I choose Lyman's six station turret press because it just had to be faster", right? Wrong! For a variety of reasons my Spar-T ended up as a locked-down, funny looking single stage with built-in die storage. It is a good enough press for most tasks. (I used it for 30 years before I finally drank green KoolAid and got one of the supposedly magical RC 2 presses. Web hype aside, I have found it to be as good as any other press of its type ... but no better.)

    I am a low volume shooter so a single stage is fine for me and I have no interest in a progressive. However, IF I wanted to load a bit faster I would unquestionably get a Lee Classic Turret with its auto indexing linkage and at least one of their inexpensive and easily switched turret heads for every handgun caliber I load for.

  14. #14
    Boolit Grand Master
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    My name is not “Karen” but I’ve bitten my tongue until it’s bleeding! Why in Heaven’s name is this thread posted and running on “Casting and Reloading HAND Tools?” I’ll try to be polite to avoid being dinged by the moderators, but why in the name of John Barlow is this thread even here instead of in “Reloading Equipment” or some other equally appropriate department?

    Does no one read the titles of the fora or think about where they are posting? Just reading the title of the thread suggests not.

    Green Frog
    "It aint easy being green!"

  15. #15
    Boolit Master
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    I have found the only time difference is the die switch part. I have a Lyman AA turret and my loading buddy with no room in his apartment used the opposite end of my bench to set up his rock chucker. We decided to see who could load 50 rds faster. I beat him by a minute or so. I'm with pressman on this, the only difference being the die switch time which is about a minute or so. If you need speed get a progressive. The main difference between an RC over most of the older and some newer presses is the compound linkage.

    Although most here know a loading press is not considered a hand loader, it does operate by hand and not by motor. Also most here would call themselves hand loaders even though we do most of our hand loading on presses. Yeah it's in the wrong place, but give him a break, he may not be aware of the proper terms used here.

    Moderators could move it if they thought it was needed.
    Last edited by rbuck351; 04-05-2021 at 11:02 AM.

  16. #16
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    It's Monday, and it appears that the highly esteemed Mr. Frog person is having a bad day. After all it's Monday.

  17. #17
    Boolit Grand Master

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    The Frog that roars! J.K.!

    I often feel the same way but on very rare occasions I have put threads in the wrong forum. Actually Mr. Frog is correct, but I gave up trying to direct posters to the correct forum in 2008. Reminds me of an old saying about pouring sand down a gopher hole.

    Anyway, perhaps I used my turret differently than most, I batch loaded. I didn't want a progressive nor a semi-progressive, auto indexing turret, so I removed the auto index parts from my press (I like reloading and preferred not to go "automatic" with any step). I'd size, deprime a bunch of brass, hand index the turret and flare. I'd do all the brass in the batch (20-100 at a time) then go to the next step. I used a ram prime on my turret quite often so I'd prime the batch although I occasionally used the stock priming system and primed when I flared. Next I'd charge powder away from the press (check visually) then seat bullets, hand index then crimp. Perhaps it sounds slow to some but I felt like I was cranking out handloads rather quickly. Occasionally I'd store the primed and ready cases and when I found a new load, or was running low on handloads all I had to do was charge, seat and crimp. Easy peasy. No, not as fast as a Dillon 750 with auto everything, but plenty fast and easy for me. I like reloading.


    PS; I am not "anti-progressive", but my experience with them was not much fun. A friend was shooting in competition, 1911 race gun, and I helped him reload a few hundred 45 ACPs a couple times. He had a Dillon with auto everything and all the operator had to do was pull the handle. I felt I was playing a slot machine that dropped one cartridge with each pull, I wasn't reloading. I got bored quickly as all I did was pull the handle (over, and over, and over, ad infinitum) and he dumped brass and bullets in a hopper. I'm a handloader and he was a shooter...
    Last edited by mdi; 04-05-2021 at 12:03 PM.
    My Anchor is holding fast!

  18. #18
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pressman View Post
    It's Monday, and it appears that the highly esteemed Mr. Frog person is having a bad day. After all it's Monday.
    Hopefully, that will be the worst problem he has today. If not, well, I feel for him. Personally, as a relative newbie myself, I'm inclined to forgive the offender, and answer his questions. I personally have a Lyman Spar-T 6-position turret press that I've had for over 40 years. It spend about 30 years out of service, between my going overseas for much of the first half of the 90's, and the subsequent loss of most of my firearms. About a year ago, I found the primer attachment for it on Ebay for about half of what I think I paid for the press itself. I kept it all these years because I like it. It works well for rifle and pistol, though it's not as stout as the old "O" press I learned on, that my dad kept all these years. One advantage to a turret press over a progressive is that they're a great deal cheaper, and much easier to operate. And an error in operation won't leave you with possibly hundreds of un-useable rounds. Not saying progressives don't have their place, either. If you shoot several hundreds of rounds a month, you might want one, several thousands, you might well want several progressives. If you've been using a single-stage press, and keeping up fine with your shooting desires, but want to make it a bit easier, a turret is great! If you're falling behind a bit, and would like to shoot more, but you're not going too crazy, a turret will help speed things up, and let you be more productive without major expense. On my Spar-T, I can either have two sets of three dies, or three sets of two dies, so I can do either two calibers, or three, depending on which die sets I have. I'm setting up an antique 5 Star Autoloader as a universal decapping station. Then I can set up the Spar-T for three calibers, and for my usage, I'll be stylin'!

    Bill

  19. #19
    Boolit Master

    BigAlofPa.'s Avatar
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    My Lyman turret i do run like a single stage. It's convenient having all the dies set up. I did buy an extra turret. Ran out of space on the 1st one.
    One round at a time.
    Member of the NRA,GOA and FAOC. Gun clubs Zerby rod and gun club. Keystone Fish and Game Association.

  20. #20
    Boolit Grand Master Char-Gar's Avatar
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    I do not like progressive presses, but I do like turret presses. I have three vintage Lyman All American Turret presses and one six hole Redding. If didn't already have these and wanted a turret press, I would buy a new Redding seven hole turret. Like some others I am not a fan of Lee products. To keep green frogs happy and stay on topic, I must say I have over twenty Lyman 310 boxed sets of handles and dies. They are indeed Hand Tools.
    Disclaimer: The above is not holy writ. It is just my opinion based on my experience and knowledge. Your mileage may vary.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check