Experiences with the Lee Classic Turret Press?

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ezypikns

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I'm considering purchasing a Lee Classic Turret Press. I've got a Dillon RL550B, but it's set up to run .45 Colt and .45 ACP which both use large size primers. What I'm wanting to use the Lee press for is to run .38 sp and 9mm. I've heard the new Lee primer system for the Classic Press is much improved over the old primer system.
Is the Classic Turret a progressive press along the lines of the Dillon? That is, do you load a case and a bullet for each pull of the handle? Also, what do you get when you buy the press? Do the powder system and primer system come with the press? I've got all my dies, and they're all Lee dies so there's no problem there.

Thanks
 
ezypikns,

I've owned a 550in the past, so I'm familiar with one. I own a Hornady LnL at the present and load regularly on my buddy's 650. I also own a Lee Classic Turret press. I'll review it below to give you a reasonable perspective and realistic view of what it's capable of.

First, the Lee is a very good press capable of producing about 200 rounds per hour with no sweat if you use the Lee Auto Prime (with a riser to clear the safety prime) and a Lee Safety Prime setup. This round count includes setup and clean up time and I consider it to be realistic for the "average" reloader once they're familiar with the press. I personally have been able to hit 300 per hour, but you have to work at it a bit.

You'd need to adjust the dies properly (no big deal) and set the powder measure up (BTW, I've been real happy with the Pro Auto Disk working with pistol powders, even comparing it to Hornady and Dillon powder measures. Takes some getting used to, but works well with powders it likes, avoid extremely fine powders and extruded and I think you'd do fine.)

The safety prime works real well, but make sure you take the time to adjust it (You may need to drill the hole in the bracket mount one drill size larger or take a round file to get it to line up, but it's not a big deal. Some have had to use a washer underneath the bracket to raise it up a bit for alingment.) and to use very positive force when inserting a primer into the primer cup on what Lee calls the lever prime (pretty much the same primer cup as most single stages)

The Lee IS NOT a progressive. It is an automatic advance turret, so the dies rotate automatically, not the case. You have to feed one case in at a time and remove one case at a time. But once they're in, you fairly quickly perform all operations in a very controlled manner. So you'll need to pull the press handle four times to produce a loaded round. That said, because of the safety prime and case activated powder drop, the press produces 200 genuine production rounds per hour, including setup/takedown time.


You can see exactly what's going on and is excellent for a beginner learning to reload. Because the turret and Lee dies with the rubber o-ring have give, it aligns the case to die really well. Once you push the ram up, the turret sets all the way around flush and provides you an effect exactly like an O-frame single stage, so you don't get the tilt you do in older style turret presses.

While you have to load each case individually, then perform four operations and then remove, the rounds built are very high quality and the process is very easy to do. The turrets change extremely fast and the operating handle is adjustable for operator ergonomic comfort.

One thing to note is the press runs much smoother and faster when you've set the timing up properly. How to do this is shown on a video on the Lee website. What they do not tell you is the turret with dies has a bit of momentum, so you want to set the turret so that it just makes it into the "locking detent" while you're going slow. Then, when you're going fast, it won't overrun the locking detent and be out of alignment.

I think the biggest thing to note is the reason I bought my Lee Classic Turret:

1. Very inexpensive caliber changes, especially for pistol:
a. Lee die set - $26.00
b. turret - $10.00
c. Pro Auto Disk Powder measure - $30.00 (optional, but at this price, why not?
d. Powder measure riser to clear safety prime - $6.00
Note: With rifle, I eliminated C & D, then used a Hornady case activated powder drop and an RCBS Uniflow as my powder measure for extruded powders.

2. Fun to use and very easy to control the reloading process.

3. Simple and easy to teach new reloaders on, as they can see each step as it happens.

4. Good reloader for pistol as well as rifle. I should note I use a Hornady Case activated powder drop and an RCBS Uniflow to load my milsurp cartridges on my Lee Classic Turret.

5. The savings on caliber changes allows me to load quite a few more milsurp calibers than I otherwise might have.

6. Reasonably fast for calibers I don't shoot much more than a couple hundred rounds a month like milsurps and for pistol I don't shoot tons of.

7. Primer disposal system - spent primers are routed through the ram, into a plastic tube and I think put the end of the plastic tube into a coffee can.

Is the Lee Classic Turret as fast as the Dillon 550? No, it isn't. Is it a good choice for loading small to medium volumes of calibers you don't shoot a lot of and don't want to spend a lot of money for caliber conversions? Absolutely and that's why I have one. Am I happy with mine, especially since I have a Hornady LnL AP that's much faster? I am extremely happy with it, considering the applications and quantities I ask of it.

To answer the other questions you have:

"Also, what do you get when you buy the press?"

You get the press, the lever primes and the bracket for mounting the safety prime I think. No safety prime, no Pro Auto Disk and no Pro Auto Disk Riser, all of whom you should buy. That said, you can order the stuff as a kit from Kempf's gun shop with everything for one caliber. I suspect you can adjust the kit if you already have the dies.

"Do the powder system and primer system come with the press?"

No, the Pro Auto Disk powder measure, the Pro Auto disk riser and the safety prime do not come with the press, though again, they are available in kits from Kempf's gun shop. I'd give them a call and see what you can work out, since you already have the Lee dies.

I hope this helps you,

Dave
 
It is a good press (I have one and use it heavily), but it is not a progressive. For pistol rounds you are looking at 4 pulls of the handle per round (using the Lee FCD). The Safety Prime is very well engineered, but it is a manual operation.

Don't expect to load as quickly as you do with your 550.
 
Lee Classic Turret +1

For high-volume pistol loads I use my Lee Load Master. However, I use the Lee Classic Turret for load development for the the high-volume stuff(9mm and .45 ACP) and all my .38 Special, .357 Magnum and .38 S&W Cartridge loads.

It is the best auto-indexing turret available in the market. It is dead easy to change calibers--just pop the turret out and put the next one in(buy an extra turret for each caliber you want to reload.)

You can switch from large to small and small to large pistol primers in seconds, unlike the Dillon where it is a nut and bolt job to take out one assembly and install the other.

You also load the primer trays for the Safety Prime in about 10 seconds--dump the primers in and shake--the tray has a unique "bump" surface that flips the primers over in no time at all.

I would not be without it. It has a cast iron base and steel support rods/linkage and is tough as an old boot. You can't wear it out.

I bought mine at Kempf's Gun Shop--good price, reasonable shipping--if you need dies they have a kit with dies included--

http://www.kempfgunshop.com/products/reloading/leeprecision/kits/KempfKit.html

Here's how to set one up--
http://www.surplusrifle.com/reviews2006/leeturretpress/index.asp

Here's something on operating the Safety Prime--
http://tinyurl.com/lxapv

An added plus for you--you can use your Dillon dies, or whatever standard dies you have.
 
"Do other brands of dies work with the Lee Classic?" Yes, all 7/8 x 14 dies will fit in the turret. The auto disk powder measure, however needs the Lee "powder through the expander" die. So, if you want to use the lee auto disk measure you need at least that one Lee die. I don't know if anyone else makes a die with a hollow, floating expander.
 
"Do other brands of dies work with the Lee Classic?" Yes, all 7/8 x 14 dies will fit in the turret. The auto disk powder measure, however needs the Lee "powder through the expander" die. So, if you want to use the lee auto disk measure you need at least that one Lee die. I don't know if anyone else makes a die with a hollow, floating expander.
Click to expand...

All you have to do is call Lee to get the answer to the powder-through expander die question. If you need a Lee die for that they only cost a few bucks for that one. All your other dies would work okay.

Just call Lee.
 
As well as the Lee powder through expander dies work and as cheap as they are, I certainly wouldn't spend money on another brand unless I already had them.

One issue that could come up with other brands is the locking rings may cause a space problem, but that can be addressed with the purchase of RCBS locking rings or Lee locking rings.

That said, by the time you buy the powder through die and the rings, you're getting close to buying the complete Lee die sets, they're so inexpensive. My approach would be to sell my other brands on ebay and buy new Lee dies, then put the extra money I made into my pocket.

Regards,

Dave
 
Because the turret and Lee dies with the rubber o-ring have give, it aligns the case to die really well.
Click to expand...
I'll have to try that. I tightened my lock rings down with a wrench once the dies were set since I have a turret for each caliber I load.
 
Thanks to everyone for the great information.

This has all been very helpful. I think I'm just going to save my pennies and get another Dillon. Please don't misunderstand. All my dies are Lee and I have owned several Lee single stage presses in the past. I believe Lee reloading equipment is outstanding.
I sure have gotten used to my Dillon though. Somehow the sound of a loaded round falling in the bin with every lever pull is real comforting. So until I buy another RL550B, I'll just have to change from large primer system to small primer system and back again. It only adds a few minutes to the setup anyway.
 
No offense taken, you gotta be happy with the stuff you buy. But if you're going to add another press, why not take a look at a 650 or a Hornady LnL?

Actually, the Lock N Load, if you buy it initially without the casefeeder, costs about the same as a 550, is faster than the 550, has a easier to adjust powder measure, (handles extruded powders much better) has automatic advance (something you mentioned you wanted), has a 1050 style primer system that quick and easy to change, has the LnL bushing system that's faster to change than the toolheads are and has better runout than the 550 or 650.

Were I you, based on what you're wanting to do, I'd get the Hornady and use it to load the 45 caliber rounds. I'd get a Hornady crimping die (Which work great, btw, I have both them and the Lee.) to not have to deal with the one issue the press has, the ejector wire clearing non Hornady dies.

I suspect you load the most of the .45 caliber rounds, so you'd be able to get that done quicker as well. And, should you choose to, the casefeeder gives a major boost to speed on the automatic advancing Hornady, while the 550 only gains 25%.

Something to think about.

Regards,

Dave
 
ezpikins,

Is the Classic Turret a progressive press along the lines of the Dillon? That is, do you load a case and a bullet for each pull of the handle?
Click to expand...

The short answer to both is "yes"......

Setup properly, the Lee can and will produce a round with each pull of the handle. Also, the Lee's progressive linkage can be disconnected to allow manual advance, like a standard turret.

Regarding the term progressive,

Webster's defines "Progress" as;

Forward motion or advancement to a higher goal; an advance; steady improvement
Click to expand...

Wikipedia says;

Favouring or promoting progress; advanced
Gradually advancing in extent; increasing
Click to expand...

In handloading circles or slang, the standard reference of "a progressive press" refers to most presses of "full automatic function", but any press that "advances", either as a primary or secondary function of the handle being pulled, and in part, or in whole, can be considered "progressive", or "semi-progressive" depending on it's mechanical nature of advancement. Or in other words, being fully automatic, or partially automatic mechanically.


Seeing as how you already have the Dillon 550B, you're already well equipped for rifle. Going with a second 550 doesn't make much sense I guess, especially since it's duplicating what you already have. Not knowing which direction you want to head (stretching your dollar, or higher production), it's kind of a guess really.
Since you made a reference to sticking with Dillon, my thought is (good idea - go with what you know) save yourself some money and go with the Square Deal B.
It's a "handgun only" press, and it's dies are "press specific", but unless you're going to be loading a large assortment of differing calibers to warrant a large amount of die purchases, it's an excellent machine.

I have 2 - 550B's, and a Square Deal B, and although one 550 gets more use than the other (I leave one set up specifically for one load combination), the Square Deal B probably get's more use than the both of them put together.
Pricewise, the next step up the ladder would be the Hornady L-n-L at $320, but if you wanted to stay "Dillon specific" the 650 is the next "rung up the ladder" there. An excellent machine, but quite pricey.

The Hornady is an excellent machine, and has the lock n load bushings, which are quicker than screwing standard dies in and out, but toolheads are quicker & easier by a wide margin, if you don't mind leaving your dies set up on one.

I've owned my SDB since 1986, and after 21 + yrs. of loading on it, last month a roller wheel went on the primer feed. A quick call to Dillon and instead of sending just the newer designed brass roller, Dillon sent me the whole priming system to simply just bolt on in place of my old one.
Very nice.......

The great part of their waranty is that it follow's the machine, not the owner.
If you decide to hand your machine down to your kids, brother, or whatever, no matter who own's it, it gets the same attention.........worth every penny spent.

Take care,
Bob
 

Quote:
Is the Classic Turret a progressive press along the lines of the Dillon? That is, do you load a case and a bullet for each pull of the handle?
The short answer to both is "yes"......

Setup properly, the Lee can and will produce a round with each pull of the handle. Also, the Lee's progressive linkage can be disconnected to allow manual advance, like a standard turret.
Click to expand...

The short answer is "NO!" The Lee Classic Turret press is an auto-indexing press--it takes four pulls of the handle, with a 4 die set, or three pulls of the handle with a 3 die set and a pull to advance to the resizing die again, to produce a finished round. Yes, it can be set up as a single stage press by removing the index rod, a process that takes about 10 seconds.
 
Ezy,

It’s interesting that you’re thinking of acquiring a Lee Classic Cast Turret Press to augment your Dillon 550B as I researched both of them in depth before purchasing my own LCCTP. Both have four place turrets and while neither are true progressive presses they still have progressive press characteristics. While they may both be very different I feel that they are a good match for someone who does not require the speed and features of a Dillon 650 or 1050 or the Hornady LnL AP. By all means look at Kemp’s http://www.kempfgunshop.com/products/reloading/completerelo/KempfKit.html
before placing your order, I felt their service and pricing was very fair and was pleased.

creekwalker
 
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Rifle as well and handgun?

Thanks for letting me come to your party.

Most of the application I've seen for the Lee Classic Turret press has been for handgun reloading. How does it do for rifle reloading? My uses would be for 38/357, 348, and 30/06. I shoot much more 38/357 than the other two, but I really need the equipment for the 348.

Prior to reading some of these posts I was set on the Lyman T-Mag II kit ($280 at Sportsman Wharehouse) but I sure like the price of the Lee kit from Kempf's.

Thanks

Pharmseller
 
pharmseller,

I am loading the following calibers on my Lee Classic Turret press:

1. 30-06
2. 7.5 X 55 Swiss
3. 7.62 X 54 Russian
4. 6.5 X 55 Swede
5. 8 X 56 Rimmed Austria-Hungarian
6. .303 British

I should add the caveat that I am using a Hornady case activated powder drop and a RCBS Uniflow powder measure (balances nicely, my Hornady measure is a bit too heavy and bulky) because I have several jugs of surplus 4895 extruded rifle powder I am using.

You could probably use the Lee Pro Auto Disk with the small rifle dispensing die and a double disk kit along if you chose rifle powders the Pro Auto Disk likes, but I had the 4895 and I had the Hornady CAPD and RCBS Uniflow.

Regards,

Dave
 
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He is talking about the Classic Turret Press.

If you have any questions about rifle call Lee--they can give you the complete info quickly. They make dies for dozens of rifle calibers, as you probably know. All the reports I've read suggest it is very good for .223 and .308--I also know a guy who loads some of the calibers Dave mentioned plus 45-70 and he loves it.
 
Benedict,

That's correct, after re-reading my post I misspoke on the 1 round per pull. More like one round at a time.

Bob
 
"The Hornady is an excellent machine, and has the lock n load bushings, which are quicker than screwing standard dies in and out, but toolheads are quicker & easier by a wide margin, if you don't mind leaving your dies set up on one."

Actually having owned both the Hornady and the Dillon 550, having used both the lock and load bushings and toolheads, the toolheads are the slower one to change by a good bit.

Regards,

Dave
 
Cabelas has them cheap

I know some of the places that have been recomended have good deals but cabelas has the best I've seen so far.Here is their ad. "You won't find a more versatile, solidly built automatic press for a price this low anywhere. The long stroke permits work on rifle cases longer than 3" using the automatic index. Deactivate the auto index to work with even larger cases, including .50 BMG. The kit comes with a Classic Turret Press, large and small primer feeders, and a Lee Pro Auto-Disc Powder Measure with four measuring discs. You also get an Auto Disc Riser for convenient use of other brands of dies with extended adjusting screws, and a Lee Rifle Charging Die for small-capacity rifle cases. The Lee Safety Scale, the only scale that can never get out of adjustment, reads to the nearest 1/20 grain. Once set up, this kit has all you need to turn out a round with each pull of the handle except cartridge components and dies." I believe this to be the best deal out for this press right now. The price is 149.00before shipping and about 160.00 or so after shipping.
 
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