Tired of my Single Stage...........what next?

[kens]

I use the Lee 3-hole turret. Use it as a single stage press, yes.
But, I run 50 rounds per stage (common 50 round loading block)
As such, drop powder thru expander 50x,
then seat bullet 50x,
then crimp 50x
you can refine this to be rather fast, and the big deal is that any quality mistakes are SO EASY to fix

[Rickf1985]

I have a Lee Pro 1000 and it works fairly well once it is set up perfectly. Getting it to that point can take some time hair pulling! The bullet feed system can be a real head scratcher. I finally made my own Z bar for it. Keep in mind that the 1000 is way out of date and parts for it are getting hard to come by, some will cross from other presses and some will not. I definitely load with a RCBS hand primer, the one for the press is worthless.

[Lefty Red]

Helped a coworker’s father get set up reloading. His wants and needs sounded a lot like the OP’s. He wanted to get set up for about five or six calibers he wasn’t going to load much for, maybe 1K or less a year. He would shoot two calibers more than 2K a year. He is what he settled on:
1) Lee Classic Turret Press. He bought one of mine and got some more turret heads for 38sp, 357mag, 32l/s, and 45LC. I think the 38s will be his biggest producer, and he really wants to only do 50-100 rounds at a sitting. The others are more like 25-50 rounds per sitting as he shots them only a few times a year. He almost got a Lyman AA8, and that was what I was pushing him towards, but for just the Lyman’s price he got the whole set up for the LCT.
2) Dillon SDP. This is for his 9mms and 45ACP. He saved a lot of money by getting the LCT off of me and he put that money towards the SDP. He is getting a new press and then a conversation kit. I would almost get one of each, but since he will crank out enough rounds in a weekend for the year he wasn’t worried about the switch over. Still might get a Lee Auto Pro 4000 for the 45ACPs, but I’m thinking he won’t another after messing with the SDP. I like the 4000, really do, it’s a great press. But I would just go with the SDP if doing 2K or more a year in big batches over the winter months.
3) Online Purchases. This is for his 380s, he shots around 300 a year. He will split a case with me a year. Some caliber, even I don’t want to mess with.

As for the OP’s situation, I would suggest the Lyman AA8. You can get two sets of dies on one turret head, and extras aren’t crazy high. Very close second, the Lee Classic TurretPress. Just a little crowded on the turret head and I have found out I had to get different rings (added expense) for some of my dies to work. Lee does already has the smaller rings. I do not use the auto advance parts on my LCT, I just advance the turret head manually. So either press takes about the same amount of time. I just think the Lyman edges out the LCT due to having more room to work. And the older I get and the worse my hands gets, I find I appreciate that room more.

Lefty

[mozeppa]

You get what you pay for, Good luck!

and many times , you don't

[Dan Cash]

A Dillon would be my first pick...$$$$

This.

[lawdog941]

For the money, the Lee Pro 1K or 4K is a deal. Save the money for supplies.

[tja6435]

I have a Lee Loadmaster, pretty sure I crushed more primers than actually got seated well. I went to hand priming and then running the primed cases through the Loadmaster. I don’t know how the new Lee progressive presses work with their primer seating now, but something to consider.

I moved up to a Dillon 650XL, the primer system is a dream compared to the Loadmaster’s. The Dillon was expensive, but I’ve never felt bad about how much $ I have into it, the tool heads, etc. I have a tool head for each caliber.

[Soundguy]

I love my lee 4 hole turret press

[mdatlanta]

The Lee Classic Cast turret. I can’t speak to all the calibers you listed, but I’ve loaded excellent ammo in .223, .357, .38sp, .41mag, 9mm, and 7.62x39. It’s a simple, reliable, rugged piece of equipment at a reasonable price. I’ve added two upgrades to mine from Inline Fabrication, the roller handle and case ejector system. You can crank out a fair amount of ammo in a short time without all the complicated stuff involved with progressive loaders.

This ^ ^

[derek45]

If you don't like setting up dies on a single stage, you are going to hate setting up dies on a progressive press, especially to do a short run. ......

With DILLON, you simply keep each caliber on a toolhead.

(old pic, but you get the idea....)

[Soundguy]

Agreed.. I keep a stack of empty 4 hole lee tool heads on hand. Have 12 populated in holders.

[Wayne Smith]

Probably too late and it does depend on how you load, but I picked up a three station in line press (mine is a Bair, but CH4D makes one) and that is all I need since I prime off the press anyway. I do have to move the shell from station to station, but I don't find that a problem. But then I'm not loading thousands of rounds either.

[dswancutt]

Always amazes me that people do not ask the important question...."How many rounds a year in each caliber?"

But it looks like you have made your choice...good luck.

Exactly. A turret press is the best answer for most people who need to step up from a single stage.

[Stopsign32v]

Exactly. A turret press is the best answer for most people who need to step up from a single stage.

I haven't bought anything yet. Honestly I didn't look at a turret press because I thought you had to move the dies manually, I didn't know it was automatically indexing. I looked at the Lee Classic turret but it is only 4 dies. I was really hoping for a powder checking die. Wish they made it in a 5 die or 6 die.

I don't shoot that much but I have 4 little kids and a wife. Locking myself in the reloading room for hours with my single stage, while fun, isn't very logical for us so I would like something I can put out some bullets and be done with it until next time.

[Soundguy]

Lee makes a progressive turret that is 5 hole. The loadmaster.

[ddeck22]

I like the LnL from Hornady and I can usually find them used for $300 nowadays. With the extra bushings I can have all of the dies set exactly the way I want and just plop them in when changing calibers.

[Stopsign32v]

I like the LnL from Hornady and I can usually find them used for $300 nowadays. With the extra bushings I can have all of the dies set exactly the way I want and just plop them in when changing calibers.

Can't you do the exact same thing with the Lee Classic Turret?

[dannyd]

Can't you do the exact same thing with the Lee Classic Turret?

The LNL's use the bushings in their progressive press I think Lee only uses theirs in the single stage press.

LNL's like a Dillion you have to have a shell plate for each caliber ( they run anywhere from 30 to 50 dollars) and the bushings. This can get expensive too I have over 60 bushings.

But you have told us what you want to do; so any of the progressive press's will same you time, but with 4 little ones don't know how big your budget is. The Lee equipment will keep you under 500 dollars but the Dillion or Hornady once you get all the extra prices will have close or over 1000 dollars easy.

A lot of the guy's on here haven't had children or a budget in years ( 20 years or more), so sometimes we recommend equipment without thinking about your budget.

[Stopsign32v]

I'm pretty much on the fence right now between the Lee Classic Turret and a Loadmaster. The Loadmaster just looks a lot less "plasticy" than the Pro 1000 or Pro 4000. The Pro 1000/4000 remind me of the APP which looks and feels like it's made by Lego.

[dverna]

You have not supplied enough information to give a good answer.

So I offer this advice. Keep checking the S&S forum for something faster than your single stage. Many people will be selling off stuff in the next year. Inflation, recession, lack/cost of primers, and plain old age means many here will be selling stuff off.

If you make the wrong choice, you will lose little or nothing when you upgrade.

Set up your most used calibers and leave the rest on your single stage.