Is a turret press much quicker?

[1KPerDay]

I demonstrate 7-8 loaded rounds in a minute... really averages out to around 5 over long loading sessions. Yes it is much faster than a single stage, no matter how you slice it.

 

[Dudedog]

Quite a bit faster IMO.
Price for the Lee turret is reasonable and it is a good machine.
Turret heads are cheap about $14 give or take a bit so you can have your dies for different calibers setup and just move the powder measure.
I would say give one a try there are a few people who did not like the LCT but most everybody who has one is happy with it.
I just have the old 3 hole "Deluxe" Lee turret and a Hornady LNL.
I still use the Lee turret for small batches and less used calibers.
You can always take out the index rod and use it like a single stage and rotate the turret by hand.

 

[FROGO207]

I have the RCBS turret and a RCBS Rock Chucker that I use mostly. First off, I do all my brass prep in the cold winter months. Then batch load whatever I need just ahead of use. I prime in a batch. Throw propellant in a batch on the loading tray. Then seat and crimp in a batch. My loading blocks are 60 hole. I tried using the turret for a bit as a non batch loader but found little to no time savings the way I did it. Batching I can load 150---200 9MM or 45 ACP an hour with no brass prep steps. I now use the turret to universal decap and run the Lee FCD when I use them otherwise I just use the SS press. I am OK with that.

 

[Ironicaintit]

I have a turret, but its a 1970s era Lyman S-T. its pretty old school without anything fancy.
and I tend to use powders that my OCD makes me weigh (flakes or sticks)
and I prep in batches.... clean them all, then size them all, then prime them all. (except 357 and 44 mags...those get primed per specific recipe)

so the turret helps me go real quick from bell, to seat, to crimp (de-bell), and to have all the dies at the ready if need be.
And its nice to have a collet puller on deck for those rare what the heck moments.

For me I guess it isnt about speed, but convenience. I can do 60-100 an hour, but its more like 40-60. Im in no rush, and speeding it up may kill the fun for me.

a Lee turret would speed up your process for sure, but your powder choices would be dictated by that too.

I just used a lot of words to say, "LCT? meh"

 

[kmw1954]

I have an old Lee Value 3 hole press that I recently bought. It was still new-in-the-box and I paid a premium for it because I wanted the 3 hole instead of the 4 hole. Lee Carbide Pistol dies mostly come in 3 die sets so why have 4 holes. I produce an easy 150hr but then I do a lot of checking as I go. If I need more than that I move to my Lee Pro1000 progressive.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I have never loaded handgun ammo in bulk on a single stage press so I can't say how much faster the LCT press is but it is faster. I just never loaded enough rounds on the Rockchucker to quote a number.

I'm in agreenent, an average of 200 handgun rounds can be loaded safely on that press. The ammo is consistent and accurate for me. Unless you are shooting competitions and need massive amounts of ammo at once you will probably be happy with the LCT press IMO.

 

[jmorris]

Saying a turret is not much faster than a single stage is like saying a car is not much faster than a bicycle.

In what way?

Sure a turret allows you to have dies preset and ready to go but that can be done on single stage presses too. How else does a turret reduce the work or speed up the operation, in a rounds per hour/minute way?



Neither can approach the reduction of work (strokes) or speed of a progressive.

 

[cfullgraf]

I have never loaded handgun ammo in bulk on a single stage press so I can't say how much faster the LCT press is but it is faster. I just never loaded enough rounds on the Rockchucker to quote a number.

I'm in agreenent, an average of 200 handgun rounds can be loaded safely on that press. The ammo is consistent and accurate for me. Unless you are shooting competitions and need massive amounts of ammo at once you will probably be happy with the LCT press IMO.

As a point of reference...

On a single stage press, I can switch on the lights in my reloading room and an hour later will have 100 rounds loaded, have everything put away, and switch the lights out in the reloading room. This is with cases that are resized and cleaned. Dies, bullets, powder, and primers are in storage containers and returned to same at the end of the reloading session.

Rates go up a little if I load for a second hour but drop off after that in the third hour.

Everyone who reloads on a Lee LCT does a bit better than that due to auto indexing and minimal case handling.

Even though I separate the reloading process on my progressive presses into two separate steps, I figure I reload handgun cartridges at about 400 cases/hour including all the various steps that I do.

I do resizing, decapping, and mouth expanding of handgun cases at one step. I store cases for a future reloading session where I prime the case off the press, then charge the case, seat and crimp the bullet on the press.

As an aside, many folks think I am wasting the capabilities of the progressive press by separating the operations of the press into two separate steps. I find there is less to watch and pay attention to. The operations run smoother, I have fewer jams and stoppages. It makes for a trouble free, reloading experience that make me happy and comfortable. And, I still load more ammunition than I can shoot.

Thinks might be different if I needed the ammunition and I did not have enough time to reload it at the rate that I am currently reloading at.

 

[1KPerDay]

In what way?

Sure a turret allows you to have dies preset and ready to go but that can be done on single stage presses too. How else does a turret reduce the work or speed up the operation, in a rounds per hour/minute way?

It removes the 4-6 times per piece of brass you have to handle/insert/remove/place in loading tray. But you don't sound like you really want to know the answer. You seem grumpy lately. You ok?

 

[Toprudder]

Here is something I did for my LCT that helps speed things up a little:

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...at-you-can-share.218188/page-52#post-10078406

I did that primarily for decapping brass, but when I am actually loading cases I will put bullets in one bin and brass in another.

 

[Rule3]

The simple answer to the original question is,
Regardless of your budget or how many calibers or rounds per week you need.

Go directly to Dillon, do not stop at LEE, RCBS or Hornady
Buy the most expensive Dillon "machine" with all the optional accessories, case and bullet feeder

Then chant "buy once cry once" and you will be all set!.

 

[sparkyv]

The Lee is faster than a single stage, but not less work. You still pull the handle 3-4 times for a loaded round since you are working one case at a time.

I do less work w.r.t. die setup, Whiterook. Only need to setup dies once in the turret, and I have a turret for each caliber. Easy peasy.

 

[sparkyv]

I like a single stage because I have many cases in several calibers that have many loadings on them. It lets me inspect the cases at every step , So I can discard any case that I find to be unsafe prior to the final loading process. I'm retired I have the time but it is slower. About 50 rounds per hr. is the best I can do.

For rifle cartridges, I agree, Jack. For pistol, it's indexing turret all the way, and I catch bad cases after I check with go/no-go gauge.

 

[jmorris]

It removes the 4-6 times per piece of brass you have to handle/insert/remove/place in loading tray.

Depends, lots of folks use them like #29.

I have a turret, but its a 1970s era Lyman S-T. its pretty old school without anything fancy....and I prep in batches.... clean them all, then size them all, then prime them all.

Not to mention I think Lee has the only auto indexing turrets out there so your manually rotating dies around vs moving cases anyway.

Lots of them out there that don’t have powder measures mounted in them anyway so you have to remove the case to charge.



I suppose the story would be told by timing yourself loading 20 rounds both ways, then the difference could be calculated for any number of rounds.

 

[Toprudder]

The simple answer to the original question is,
Regardless of your budget or how many calibers or rounds per week you need.

Go directly to Dillon, do not stop at LEE, RCBS or Hornady
Buy the most expensive Dillon "machine" with all the optional accessories, case and bullet feeder

Then chant "buy once cry once" and you will be all set!.

My first press was a Dillon 550. I use it for all my semi-auto pistol rounds. I don't regret buying it at all. But, I also have a LCT at the other end of the bench that I use for everything else. Not a piece of brass is used by me that at some point doesn't go through the LCT (at the very least for decapping). If I could only afford one, or only had room for one, it would be the LCT. I might cry if I have to let go of the Dillon, but I would let it go before the LCT.

 

[Skgreen]

Repetitive case handling,,,, Why if you don't have to?

If a person only loads 10 -20 rounds at a setting, a whack a mole will work, I typically run a couple hundred to 1500 rounds at a time,,,

Of course, if you like to put one in, take one out, put one in, take one out, and don't mind the 'back and forth' repetition for however many (or few) rounds you're working on, that's perfectly fine.,,,,,,,,,, for you.

As I rarely do anything less than a couple hundred,,, I've been known to do certain 'single stage' operations on my LNL AP just so I don't have to remove the case from the press,,,, (FWIW, I have a yet-to-be-installed case kicker for my RockChucker, but with my LNL AP, the kicker is basically a solution to a problem I don't have)

Anything more accomplished on a single pass through a press without handling the case over and over again is just icing on the cake,,,

As always,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, YMMV

 

[ATLDave]

Depends, lots of folks use them like #29.

Yeah, but if the discussion is about the LCT, then that's really irrelevant.

And someone saying that their LCT isn't really any faster than their SS because they don't prime on the press or auto-index or drop powder through the expander die is like someone buying a BMW, removing the spark plugs from half the cylinders, and then saying it's not really that peppy in acceleration. Well of course not, you crippled it yourself!

To reiterate, there's no question a true progressive is much faster than an LCT. Much faster. Like fighter-jet-compared-to-car faster.* But that doesn't mean the LCT isn't materially faster than a SS press.

This reminds me of the old line: "What's the difference between a millionaire and a billionaire? Approximately a billion dollars." It's good for illustrating the magnitude of difference between those two things. But compare a millionaire to a homeless guy, and that million dollars is very material. Just ask either the millionaire or the homeless guy.

* This analogy works even better than most people realize, because 0-100, a car of even halfway decent performance will out-accelerate a fighter jet starting out down the runway... but in a little while, the fighter will scream back past and achieve speeds far greater than the car. Similarly, turret presses are generally much faster to switch over to a new caliber and start cranking rounds than, say, a Dillon 650. If your goal is to get the first 20 rounds off the press, you'll get there sooner with a LCT. If your goal is to get the first 100 rounds, it might be close if you are pretty efficient at swapping over the Dillon and depending on how much you have to change (primer size, etc.). If it's a race to 1,000, it's not even close.

 

[Mowgli Terry]

This "slam blame thank you ma'am "school of reloading does put one at high risk. I suspect that most KB are related to progressive presses badly used. I trust the Dillon powder measure. The charged case is visible as it move onto the bullet seating die. I stop every ten or twenty shots to check powder charge. This method is fairly easy since slower power is generally used. A double charge is easy to identify.

I load magnum rifle cartridges that are too large for the LCT. Cartridge cases are formed, making one caliber brass into another, on a RCII, Handgun rounds on the Dillon and rifle rounds on a Lyman turret or RCII. That's where having two presses is necessary-for me. I can load plenty of rounds on the Dillon without getting into a speed contest. The heavy duty stuff on the heavy duty single stages. That's why many reloaders have two presses.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

As a point of reference...

On a single stage press, I can switch on the lights in my reloading room and an hour later will have 100 rounds loaded, have everything put away, and switch the lights out in the reloading room. This is with cases that are resized and cleaned. Dies, bullets, powder, and primers are in storage containers and returned to same at the end of the reloading session.

I wasn't advocating one press style of another, I was only answering the question as asked. If a loader would rather use a single stage press for all their loading needs it's neither good nor bad, it just is.

 

[cfullgraf]

I wasn't advocating one press style of another, I was only answering the question as asked. If a loader would rather use a single stage press for all their loading needs it's neither good nor bad, it just is.

I was not advocating on press style over another either, just giving an idea on rates one person gets other styles.

Helps folks make an informed decision.

 

[Livin_Cincy]

" If you cannot load 1,000+ per hour on a single stage you are not doing it right !!!! "

Step 1 - Deprime & Resize then slam handle to eject case. Catch case in mouth. Reload shell holder
Step 2 - Seat primers with teeth to save time. Have a cheek full of primers.
Step 3- Spit Primed Shell and catch with weak hand and fill with powder. If you have Chuck Norris speed you can let go of the case swing your powder thrower and catch it without spilling.
Step 4- Seat bullet with your thumb. You just have to develop a sense of feel. There is no need to flare the mouth of the case unless you are a weakling.
Step 5- Roll crimp using the floor so smash the case between your boot & concrete.

Note- You need to do all of these things at the same time without pausing between steps. It is the smooth natural flow that is key...

 

[GBExpat]

OK, so humor may not be one of your talents.

 

[GT1]

The term is economy of motion.
If you ever sat at one of these for an hour the revelation will hit you and you will be hard pressed to want to go back to SS loading. If you can't see where and why it is two to three times faster with the same margin of safety you are lying to yourself and others.
As for the dillon thing, it is pure silliness to say to pass everything else and go blue(Only rubes say that). I have a 650 with all the whistles(except for those stupid ebay "must haves" people like to throw money away for). I don't see how I could easily work up loads on it, let alone see a reason why I'd want to load 30-30 or 7.62x54R on it. I know I could, but my shoulder doesn't want me to shoot it enough to make me consider it.
The flexibility/versatility of the LCT stands alone, I don't see anything to compare it to.
But,. to each their own, I guess.

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

The term is economy of motion.

"Wasted motion is not work"

 

[Blue68f100]

It is work, more like wasted energy though.