Turret for .223?

Curious also. I just loaded 350 5.56 rounds on RockChucker and I've been thinking of a Lee classic 4 holer myself.

I load .223 on a Lyman Spar-T. I'm not a good enough shooter to say if it causes any accuracy problems. I do have to lean into the handle pretty hard to completely size them to drop into my case gauge. (Using Lee RGB dies)

I use a lee turret press for my .223 ar, I have a three hole and need a 4 hole, so I use 2 turrets and it works just fine, I also use the lee auto disk for powder with the charging die, works consistant and its fast.

I load 223 on a classic turret. Once the case prep is done and I start to load I can load around 250 per hour.
Rusty

I load 223 on a Loadmaster with no problems, I also use a Lee Reloader press to load them on if I have lots of time to kill or am just resizing a bunch of brass. Either will work just fine, just depends how fast you wanna gir-r-done.

Just started reloading 9mm and .223, expect to add .45 and .308 next year.

I use the 4 hole turret from Lee and an very happy.

One thing I find speeds the process for me, is to load the primers, via a Lee Auto Prime, off the turret. I then run about 200 an hour without killing myself.

Any thought about a Dillon 550B? A lot faster than 4 strokes per round if that matters, plus you manually index it and can be used like a single stage if you like. I use my 550B for .223, and find it more than acceptable.

Yes, the price is higher, but should you absolutely hate it, getting back damn near what you paid for it is a nice benefit as is the warranty. Not a slam to LEE, as their classic turret seems to get pretty high marks, and many years ago I used a 3 hole turret that did OK.

The Hornady LNL AP progressive can also be used single-stage, by simply removing the dies you don't want to use (quick and easy with the LNL bushings). Then it will still auto-index, ejecting your processed brass for you. You could even use the optional case feeder while "single staging".

Andy

Having used all types of presses, I would recommend getting a progressive press (Dillon or Hornady). All the turret will save you is a little time in changing the dies. If you are at the point where you think a single stage is too slow, then you are at the stage in life where you need a progressive. Believe me on this one. Once you try a progressive (don't buy cheap, either), you will know what I mean. And you can use it as a single stage if you want.

But whatever you buy, don't buy cheap. Get quality equipment. This stuff will last decades if properly maintained. Amortize that over your reloading lifetime (and your kid's lifetime) and it is very inexpensive to buy quality stuff that won't always need adjustment and parts breakage and add frustration to the process.

I use a Loadmaster for my 30.06. The progressive cranks them out PDQ with good quality. .223 should be even faster. If you are shooting a lot, then some type of progressive is a big boost.

I just wanted to post this to give you an idea what it's like to load 223 on the classic turret. I load close to this and load around 250 per hour, maybe a little more. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOpN9iYOyE8

Rusty

I load .223 and 7.62x39 on my Lee Classic Turret. It's fast enough for me. That is, I wouldn't be able to afford the components if I could reload faster.

I use an RCBS turret and think it does save a little time over single stage. Die set up, sizer/decap, seater/crimp, and for 1X mil reloads the RCBS swage can be left in the turret table without going through set up again for each process.

The downside is keeping the turret table from tilting under high ram pressures. Some other turret press designs may minimize the tilt problem.

I load .223 and 7.62x39 on my Lee Classic Turret. It's fast enough for me. That is, I wouldn't be able to afford the components if I could reload faster.

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that's the same for me....

How fast?

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never timed myself, but case prep is still by far the longest leg .....

Not including prep and case sizing, if I boogie I can do around 130-150 rifle rounds per minute. Pistol, I'm at 175.

If you plan on reloading .223, you'll spend plenty of time removing primer crimp. Also, buy an RCBS X-Die (no need to get small base). The X-Die helps prevent case stretch during sizing thus allowing you to skip trimming. For trimming on the cheap and fast, get a Possum Hollow Quick Case Trimmer.

I think we are mixing apples and oranges here. When you say turret I think of a press that the shell holder is stationary and the die are rotated above is a circular die holder as in the Lyman Spar T press or are you talking a PROGRESSIVE press such as the LnL or Dillon 550/650? If it's the latter the LnL or either of the Dillon presses are the way to go. I load 223 on my 650 and it's pretty accurate as far as I can tell. Out of my Ruger M77 MK II the best group I've sho is 3/8" at 100 yds. 3/4"-1" the norm on my better days.

mixing apples and oranges

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Turret with manual advance = apple

Progressive = orange

Turret with auto advance = Peach

The press he mentioned indexes the 4-hole die head automatically with each stroke of the ram, so you can completely load one case from a to z (as with a progressive) but unlike a progresive you're only performing one operation at a time. So instead of getting a completely loaded cartridge w/ every pull, you get one with every four pulls (as with a single stage), but you only load the case onto the press one time and don't have to fiddle with your die set up once you have them dialled in

"Not including prep and case sizing, if I boogie I can do around 130-150 rifle rounds per minute. Pistol, I'm at 175."
Is there a trick to that or is it a secret? Maybe I could borrow your press for an hour as mine isn't quite that fast. J/K

I'm using the Lee Classic Turret and feel strongly it obsoletes any other turret press design out there.

If you're using a Lee Classic Turret, you should be able to get up around 200 rounds per hour pretty easily. I've been able to get up to 300 an hour, but I had to work pretty hard to do so.

The critical part of the operation is realizing one needs to use the auto advance capability, the Pro Auto Disk, Auto Disk Riser and Safety Prime setup to reach these speeds. For rifle and extruded powders, I swap out the Lee die for a Hornady case activated powder drop and use an RCBS Uniflow for my automated powder drops.

For the vast majority of reloaders/shooters, the Lee Classic Turret and Lee Classic Cast single stage combination is all the presses they will ever need. If I hadn't already had a Hornady LnL when I bought my classics, I'd have never needed the LnL for my reloading.

One has to be a very high volume shooter or have very little time to reload to need a genuine progressive press. Additionally, I've found the slower pace of the Lee Classic Turret to be more satisfying when I'm reloading low to medium volume reloading and seldom use my LnL unless I'm making a huge batch load of a couple thousand rounds for a single cartridge I'm extremely familiar with.

Regards,

Dave

s there a trick to that or is it a secret? Maybe I could borrow your press for an hour as mine isn't quite that fast.

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This assumes that EVERYTHING is set up and that nothing jams, goes wrong, runs out, etc.

Searching for a dropped primer for 10 minutes slows things down.

Pistol is faster for me, I think because I don't let the press "wait" for the powder charge to drop and seating bullets is easier compared to rifle.

I load 223 on a Lee Classic 4 hole turret. I think its great and it didn't cost anywhere close to a Dillion 550. I got mine in a package deal from Cabelas (about $160). You can get package deals from other places as well. I also use a Lee single stage for decapping and swaging.

You can't go wrong with a Less Classic turret inmo.