turret presses??

[lx2008]

good day!

other than Area 419`s Zero press, in your guy`s opinion is the Redding T-7 the next best turret out there?
from what i have been reading, the real test of these is the amount of play the turret head has when the ram
is up the whole way. i read a few reviews of the Lyman having as much as .060+ movement when sizing &
when seating a bullet. you might get away with that amount when sizing (although i would`nt want to )
but when seating bullets thats not an option. most reviews say if youR going to buy a turret...buy the T-7.

[Wheelguns 1961]

I have an rcbs turret press, and it is very tight. Before that, I used a Lee classic. Although the Lee had some play, I didn’t see where it affected anything. To me, it came down to the number of holes. I needed 5 stations to accommodate my loading routine.

[cwlongshot]

I was able to substantially tighten up my Lyman American 8 to be more solid then three different T-7's I have used.

I made a video on my uTube site.

CW

[Bruntson]

I have the newer Lyman American 8 and the older Lyman turret. The American 8 can be tighten up very easily to tight tolerances. Out of the box it was tight, but I tighten is up a bit more. I like that because after a decade or two of use, I know it can be tighten again if it needs it.

[lx2008]

by tightening up...does that mean less or no play but sacrificing a very hard turret head moving from station to station?

[openbook]

Even with "play" the turret head has a positive index point and that is where your setting brings it. I am not sure the value of "zero play" apart from aesthetics...and maybe wear over tens of thousands of rounds? I am only speculating, I will let those with decades more experience say what value they find in "zero play." But a turret with visible "play" still seats bullets to an exact depth.

[nitro-express]

I watched the Zero video and it covered an important feature, that being the ability to tighten the turret down once it is indexed. I was working with my Tru-Line Jr presses and it occurred to me that it has the option or ability to be tightened down, just tighten the nut at the top. So, I started doing that. Tightening the turret has now become standard practice for me.

I have a T-Mag II and the turret is held in place with a shoulder bolt, it controls the clearance. a bit of metal removal tightens it up but I hesitate to make the turret rigid as I flip between stations fairly often. But I've never seen that as an issue as the amount of take-up is very constant, and if you need a bit of stiffness, there is always the pin at the back. As a rule I keep that backed out to the point that there is no drag as i rotate the turret. I needed a new bolt and it was tighter than the original, so I believe there is some tolerance in that piece from Lyman.

I like using a turret press, but honestly I only use it for the easy calibers, such as pistol calibers and straight walled rifle and 30-30 and 35 Rem. Anything required control for shoulder set-back and such is done on a single stage. The Zero would do it all, but the price tag makes my wallet cringe.

Shooting cowboy and practice required a bit easier and increased production, so I added a pair of Dillon 550s, and IMHO they do produce good ammo with less effort and increased production. I took a bit to get used to the multi tasking, but they are a good press.

My Redding turret is a Model 25, and it is a well built press, and it works nice. The tilt to it is a detractor IMO. Other than that, I like it. Buying obsolete turret presses is not a good idea if you wish to buy spare or additional turrets, too hard to find and too expensive. I bought five spares for my T-Mag II, but after getting the 550s, I only have 2 turrets setup.

Hint: I limited the travel on my T-Mag II, with a spare 1" Redfield ring from my tickle trunk. In the picture it's been adjusted for 45-70, i go a bit shorter for pistol. I don't prime on the press, so the ring stays on permanently.



Nitro

[georgerkahn]

good day!

other than Area 419`s Zero press, in your guy`s opinion is the Redding T-7 the next best turret out there?
from what i have been reading, the real test of these is the amount of play the turret head has when the ram
is up the whole way. i read a few reviews of the Lyman having as much as .060+ movement when sizing &
when seating a bullet. you might get away with that amount when sizing (although i would`nt want to )
but when seating bullets thats not an option. most reviews say if youR going to buy a turret...buy the T-7.

Availability+cost+precision are the factors I consider to make pretty much any purchase. In these lines, I --way back -- picked up a Lyman All-American 4-station turret and was soooo impressed -- I bought/use two more! The "precision trick" (if there is such a term ) is -- many folks seem to be unaware of its presence! -- a screw under turret opposite the hole where die being used inserted and stationed. None of my 3 presses came with any instructions -- perhaps this is in these? What one needs to do is turn this screw UP until it is fairly snug with turret bottom, insert a case, and measure any movement as you lower press handle. I use a dial indicator on a magnet base. It takes very few operations to get the "slop" down to pretty close to zero. Mine run generally withing .003" -- close enough for my loadings of calibres I load vis these presses! If I was in need of a fourth and had a choice of many different models -- range buddies swear by their Redding turrets -- I would still go for another All-American. Just me...
geo

[rbuck351]

I have 2 turret presses, an All American and a Spartan T. I load one round at a time instead of batch loading as It gives me some loaded rounds in the limited amount of time I may have for a loading secession. The four station All American is just right for pistol rounds and I don't have to skip through empty die holes to start the next round like a 6 or 7 die head. This press has a bolt in the back that can be adjusted to remove slop but I don't adjust it very tight. I believe the slop is uniform throughout the loading process. If I think I need extreme accuracy with rifle loads, I use a Bonanza CO-AX. For loading a lot faster I use a Dillon 550b.

[tew3006]

I researched as much as I could before I bought a T7. I'm really impressed with it. I used a single stage RCBS before that. I practice out to 500 yards with my hunting rifles and don't see any difference in my accuracy when using it.

[oger]

There is nothing better than an old Hollywood senior turret but they are not the easiest to use. I honestly believe they are a 70 pound Swiss watch.

[trapper9260]

I have the old lyman T press. You have to tighten the main screw at times. It is my first press. If you need to size some cases that is hard to do will be hard on the press screw. I got a used Hornady single stage press to take care of that . I mainly use the lyman press.

[pworley1]

I have 3 of the Lyman Spar-T presses that have been used for decades and are still producing quality rounds.

[Teddy (punchie)]

I don't know if setup up correctly any are bad presses. Keep them oiled and tighten them up and they should work for years. I also stamp numbers to the holes so that the dies for go into the same spot each time. The t-7 is a smooth running frame and heavy-duty, I have an older Lyman T-Mag red and gray, I have used for years.

[lotech]

I've had four progressives over many years, none of which I needed, but have always reverted back to my 1960s Texan turret press for loading all handgun ammo. I usually shoot no more than 10,000 rounds annually. The Texan is more than adequate for my purposes and far more versatile than a progressive. If mine should wear out, I'd get a Redding turret press.

[lx2008]

been reading the replies...thank you to all!

[country gent]

Some or all of the tilt can be removed in setting the center bolt. This is on presses that pivot on the center pin. ON presses like the dillon and early lees that were keyed in atound the outside this should remain the same regardless of play as it will push up to the shoulder.

[John Guedry]

I started with a Lynman T-Mag (not II) and can't seem to wear it out. Maybe my grandson can.

[hawkeye1]

I looked at the T-7 for quite a while. I ended up with the Lyman 8. I liked the idea of two full sets of pistol dies for each turret, and I caught a great sale. The Lyman is rock solid, with little to no play. My old Lee 3 hole turret press had plenty of slop, but I pushed a feeler gauge between turret and upper plate. It still makes quality consistent ammo after all these years. Bottom line, Redding T-7 or Lyman 8 both great presses that you prolly can’t wear out.

[Lefty Red]

I have had and used the T7, L AA8, and the LCT. I truly didn’t see a lick of difference in any of the ammo they produced. I just adjusted my dies to the height of the “slop” and there they stayed.

Between the T7 and AA8, I would take the Lyman every time. I just liked the smooth turret action of it. I mostly do pistol calibers now, but have reloaded rifle calibers on the Lyman. The Lyman is just a great press.


I now have a 550c, a LCT, and a RCBS Rebel. Truth be told, I could get by with just the LCT and Rebel.