Hand press or turret press

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PaisteMage

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So money isn't the tightest but I have comntemplated getting a Lee handpress.

I do like the price of the Turret press and am leaning towards that.

Anyone have experiance with the hand press? I wouldn't be loading massive amounts of rounds in one sitting, and range time has been scant lately. That being said I don't NEED to churn out 500 and hour or anything.

Either would work I just don't want to buy the hand press to just replace it with the turret later.

I like the portability and the fact that since I am tight on space the hand press might be up my alley.

This is what I was thinking about versus the classic turret four hole:

http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Precision-Cast-Reloading-Press/dp/B000NOQIFO

Please share your thoughts and experiences.
 
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I'm pretty happy with the LCT, I load 45acp and 9mm. And I gathering stuff to get started on reloading 223.
 
I'd get both really. Hand press only costs abou 30$ or so. U can use the hand press to size/deprime in front of the TV then go to the bench for actual loading.
 
I started with that Lee hand press and dies for .45 acp, powder dippers, a scale and the Lee book.
It worked fine and it fit in a small leather tote bag.
It didn't take long before I decided I'd need a little more machinery if I wanted to shoot more than 100-200 rounds a month.
 
Lee turret presses are good for "quantity" ammo such as 9mm and other semi auto pistol. For rifle not so much, because the main purpose of reloading is accuracy, and if your putting out 300 rounds an hour of 223, I would be afraid of shooting it, unless you spend the close to 1000.00 for a Dillon.

For mass production of semi auto pistol rounds, Lee turret/ progressive press

For production of rifle in any reloadable caliber, SINGLE STAGE PRESS, Rockchucker can't beat them up at all.

When you want to mass produce BOTH RIFLE AND PISTOL get a DILLON!!!
 
I just bought one. Works like a charm. You work in batch mode. Set up the first die, run all your rounds in that, second die, run all your rounds in that, etc.

Additional items you will need:
-Lee perfect powder measure. Works great. Adjustable to any charge down to 2.4 grains in my experience. Always weigh your charge to set it up precisely, the you are good to go.
-A good scale. I bought the Hornady digital. Lee makes a good balance bar type.
-Lee Lock ring eliminators, one for each die. Makes die switching very easy and worry free. Keeps your final adjustment locked with no further hassle.
-A jar of graphite. Run this through the powder measure before any powder to rid yourself of static electricity in the device. Then follow the instructions and run a full hopper of powder through as instructed. Then start setting it up for your actual load. You only need to do the graphite thing one time because it's new and plastic. Static won't be a problem afterwards. Art stores carry jars of graphite. Try dickblick.com
-Loading blocks to hold your cartridges while you batch process them. I got the RCBS ones since they work with many cartridge sizes. They hold 50 rounds. I got two to do 100 rounds at a time.

The little hand loader is all you need. It's fun to use and very portable. Stores away easily. I load at the kitchen table then put everything away in a plastic tub. Batch loading is actually quite fast. I don't see the point in getting a turret or progressive loader unless one is doing a many, many rounds at a time and like to tinker with machinery set-up.

Good luck too you!
 
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Lee turret presses are good for "quantity" ammo such as 9mm and other semi auto pistol. For rifle not so much, because the main purpose of reloading is accuracy, and if your putting out 300 rounds an hour of 223, I would be afraid of shooting it, unless you spend the close to 1000.00 for a Dillon.

I'm 100% certain that if I gave you a round from my LCT and Dillon 650 you would not be able to tell me which round came from which press.

You should not let ignorance of a piece of equipment cloud your judgement nor your advice given.
 
Btw...accuracy is NOT the only reason to reload. I save a ton of money reloading and shoot 500 rounds most months. Invest in inexpensive Lee equipment and load to your hearts content. You will be very satisfied. The dies are way more accurate than a human can shoot. You can do rifle cartridges on them too. If you are a competitive rifle target shooter, then find a sponsor and get all the expensive equipment you want. You will be a bit more accurate that way but truthfully, the load and the shooter make the winner.
 
Lee turret presses are good for "quantity" ammo such as 9mm and other semi auto pistol. For rifle not so much, because the main purpose of reloading is accuracy, and if your putting out 300 rounds an hour of 223, I would be afraid of shooting it, unless you spend the close to 1000.00 for a Dillon.

?????

First, a goal of ALL ammo is accuracy. Most folks want accuracy out of anything they purchase/reload. The main purpose of reloading is what-the-reloader-says. In my case, it is cost savings. I put out about 150 an hour of pistol or rifle. There is very little difference, except that the rifle cases need to be lubed and sized along with all of the other reloading steps. I reload them ALL on a turret press, and I am not afraid to shoot them.
 
A Lee CLASSIC turret press is probably you're best bet. That press will cost you ~$100 and will do a lot more than a hand press will. I have been using mine for over 7 years now and it's as good today as the day I bought it. I also have a RCBS Rockchucker and also use it for most of my rifle reloading. Although you can load rifle rounds with the Classic Turret press with or without eh auto-index rod installed. I prefer to treat the turret press like a single stage press with loading rifle rounds.
 
e. Always weigh your charge to set it up precisely, the you are good to go. THIS IS NOT OK. You need to weigh your charges every 10 rounds or so. Stuff happens. More powder makes it through sometimes. Most of the time it may be ok. You accidentally throw 2 extra grains to a already max .40 load and you may lose a finger firing that round.
 
The Hand Press is fine for making batches of 50 rounds per hour. I use it exclusively. But if you have the space to set up a loading bench, then definitely go with the turret press.
 
I have nothing bad to say about my LCT. For the price it's an amazing piece of equipt. I'm not sure what people are saying about it not making quality ammo. That has more to do with the operator and the die specifically than the press, unless someone wants to show us otherwise.
 
Turret Press. You can go as slow as you like, or set up the auto indexing feature and increase your productivity for handgun and short rifle cases.
 
When you have a lot of brass, dies, components, and powder measure, the space of the press will be the least of your worries.
 
tcanthonyii, the accuracy thing came from blessyoreheart. Im thinking, bless his heart bc he doesn't seem to quite know what he's talking about but he sure is trying.
 
Hi PaisteMage, i posted this as a response to a similar question.

If money isnt so tight you may wish to upgrade the scale, powder measure, calipers, buy some locking rings for your dies, ect

like the poster i wrote to below,(Keith), and myself, space was an issue. If you dont have room for a bench to mount a press, i would recommend the handpress. I can put my entire supply list(see below) and my compnents inside a 5 gallon bucket and still shut the lid.

Hi Keith
Ive just started reloading and much like your situation cost was a concern as well as space.
I did buy the lee handpress with breech lock and I am happy with my purchase.
For about $200 I am making my own 9mm rounds, easy to make 50 in 1 hour.
This was my shopping list that I had:

lee breech lock hand press kit
lee perfect powder measure
lee safety scale
1 2 pack of breech lock fittings
lee 9mm 3 die carbide set
lymans 49th manule
frankfort arsenal stainless calipers

add components to the above prices (whatever they are now) and you will be making bullets easy. Just be sure to read all of the chapters in the begining of lymans 49th, lots of good info in there.
 
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