Is it bad that I already want a turret press?

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I disagree about skipping to the progressive. They are great for volume and I plan on adding more to my bench to accompany the Dillon 650 I already have but you still need a single stage or turret for load development and small batches. It takes way too much time and is way too inconvenient to develop loads and do small batches on a progressive. A turret is excellent for this. Unless you just want to crank out a large volume of one load, you need both.


With the turret, you finish a bullet before beginning the next.
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Not really, I find that unless I'm doing a small batch, it's best to do it a stage at a time. Which is how RCBS recommends using the turret.
 
I guess Im bass ackwards, I started with a turret, and couldve easily gotten by with a SS. I batch everything anyway.


I have to say though- It's nice having all the dies already set when i change calibers, just change a turret, head, whatever you call it, then you're ready to go..
 
I have to say though- It's nice having all the dies already set when i change calibers, just change a turret, head, whatever you call it, then you're ready to go..
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That's the part I like about the turret too. Although I'm finding that the Hornady bayonet bushings are just as quick.

Previously I used a Lee three hole "classic" turret. But I went to the Hornady recently because I found that the Lee simply would not remain centered over a whole batch. It was the style where the plate mount ring is sitting on the three standoff rods. I also found a similar out of alignment issue with a single hole Lee closed frame loader. These were given to me and I used them for a while and they've been passed on to someone else. Nice stuff for starting out but the issues were many and annoying. I know lots of folks like their Lee gear but other than the dies I'm rapidly becoming a believer that "Friends don't let friends buy Lee".

For rifle and small test batch handgun I agree that the single stage or at least single operation is best. The single operation can be a turret or something like the Dillon 550b where it's easy to use it in a basic turret style of operation. Then once I'm happy I can slip easily into progressive for the handgun ammo.
 
Skip the turret. Get a Dillon 550. You can easily do load development. Change overs are extremely quick. And you will be amazed at the quality and craftsmanship that went into making it.. Which is certainly not the case with most of the things people commonly buy today!
 
I started w/dillion sdb for handgun and got a t-7 redding turret and really loved to slow down a bit. And rifle rounds will be on the turret. I do have a few extras on the turret! so many spaces and very stout at that!
 
No matter how many of these threads there are, or how objectively they start out, somebody always has to let their "color" come through. I have been reloading for 50 years on MEC, Lyman, RCBS, Lee, and Dillon equipment. Guess what: they're all good*. And I've read enough reports to conclude that Hornady, etc. are pretty good, too.

*Before I retired, I was a high school History teacher for 32 years, no special technical skills here.

"Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits." - Mark Twain
 
I already have more then a dozen die sets, case trimmer, Vibe tumbler RCBS hand primer....I already have worn out a Reloader 3 single stage press. I do batches of pistol brass in quanties of fifty to a thousand one stage at a time so I sure as heck do NOT want a turret press as loading with it will take me the same amount of time.

I do not like priming on a press because you can not feel that the primer is seated correctly plus I sure do not want primer detonation that happens with Lee Presses.

As for the bulges in .40 I have reloaded brass that has been fired in this specific HK and it was not bulged so the bulge problem is just with range brass and since I have 1500 cases I should only be getting range brass occasionally as my nephew only burns though 100 rounds or so at a time and uses a brass catcher. I have had no problems with 9mm bulges using my RCBS dies. For the .40 I went with a Lee four die set.

I realize that the Lee 1000 is a lesser unit and the Lee powder measure has its limitations but my powder measure is a 55 and it works well so If I could mount it instead of the Lee unit and I size and deprime on mt current single stage I should be able to get large lots done faster.
 
First of all, I would evaluate my ammo needs, and the time I can afford to spend at the bench. If you shoot a lot or can't spend much time at the bench, a progressive is the way to go. And a 550 is an excellent machine, for that matter.

I personally started with a Lee Classic Turret, which is all I own for the moment. My ammo needs are between 100-200 rounds of 9 mm per week. I can load 150 rounds per hour on the LCT going at a very relaxed pace and paying attention to each round. It is really difficult to mess up and get a double charge or a squib with this press. The downside is the four strokes you need to get a finished round, but you do get excellent quality ammo out of it. That Factory Crimp die is excellent.

This said, whenever I do a 150-200 rounds reloading session, the following day my elbow will remind me that I had been reloading. Not sore, but my forearm will tell me that it needs some stretching. Instead, I try to get 20 minutes here and there and load 50 round batches, which is easier on my elbow.

I have already seen the value of progressives and I'm already saving up for a Dillon 550, which I'll use with my Lee dies, and leave the turret as a back-up press, for load development and for the day I have a rifle and reload for it.
 
I sure as heck do NOT want a turret press as loading with it will take me the same amount of time.
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No it won't. Unless you're sandbagging the process, the turret will always save time.


I do not like priming on a press because you can not feel that the primer is seated correctly...
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Can't agree with this and don't understand the preference for hand priming at all.
 
Craig, I also don't like priming on the press. My logic to that is I can see the primer immediately and fix any problems before the cartridge is fully assembled. Hopefully this helps.
 
I can feel each and every primer seat on my 550. I've caught every crimped case or small pocket .45. I could never see myself sitting infront of a $500 press with a hand primer.
 
I traded my old Lyman Spartan press in on a Lyman Spar-T. (Turret) which I'm still using regularly. That trade took place in 1968. Yes I have other presses now but that old turret still gets used regularly. I've never used a hand priming tool and it just seems like a lot of extra work to me. I've been priming with the press ever since I started in 1966.
 
Can't agree with this and don't understand the preference for hand priming at all.
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I agree with Craig. I don't have any problems feeling the priming process at all in my LNL-AP. I can feel it as well as any other system out there. It's a matter of learning something new and being tuned into your press as you should be. Just because it feels different doesn't mean it's bad.

I can feel a loose primer pocket, one that feels just right, and one that's tighter than it should be. It's just a matter of learning the press.

I went from a single stage loading 9mm to a LNL-AP with case feeder. Best move I ever made, weather it's a Dillon, Hornady, or RCBS, you can't go wrong.

I usually load between 500-1500 round at a time and also do as little as 50 batching style. It doesn't matter and is no harder to set up than any other press. I don't use the case feeder unless I'm loading 9mm or similar, so taking off the case shuttle take 15seconds and I can batch load all day long.

Not being able to feel all the stages on a progressive is BS.

You have to learn the press, like buying a new car and learning it. I can tell if I have a thick case, tight primer pocket, thin case when I seat the bullet, and so on.

As said above, you will need a good single stage or LCCT press that can be used as a single stage and you will need a decent progressive press so you can grow in your reloading. As you production increases, a progressive will handle it. Simple as that.

MY PERSONAL OPINION ONLY, I would buy the Lee Classic turret press first so you have something to single stage on, then look at a base model progressive press after evaluating your situation. You may find out you don't need a progressive at all. If you do there are three very good machines out there to evaluate.
 
A turret press is not any faster than a single stage. You could load much faster on a Hornady single stage using a hand-prime, than on a turret.

It has the convenience of all the dies remaining setup on the replaceable turret, and the turrets are cheap so you can have one per caliber and not fiddle with die settings every time you want to reload.

As for progressives, if you're a beginner, stay away from Lee, Dillon 550 or Hornady LnL will serve you well to start with. Sure, it's a bit complicated, but a lot easier than learning to drive a car.
 
As for progressives, if you're a beginner, stay away from Lee, Dillon 550 or Hornady LnL will serve you well to start with. Sure, it's a bit complicated, but a lot easier than learning to drive a car.
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We forget that new loaders don't have a grasp on what reloading really costs. Spending $700-800 on just a press setup is not what I think the typical new loader can contemplate. It seems we become acclimated to those sorts of numbers and more, but not in the beginning.

I don't know of any way to project the wisdom and mindset of the veteran with hindsight. One almost has to go through the progression of moving from one reloading cost level to another, readjusting our financial priorities, usually in favor of producing quantities of ammo with less time and effort (or aggravation) rather than the illusion of cost justification.
 
I started out with a rock chucker and outgrew it in relation to amounts. Bought a used Dillon 550 from the early 90's and never looked back. Dillon refurbed the press. They are hands down the best company to deal with. I have recently acquired an RCBS Summit and love it for precision work. Cannot say enough about customer support from Dillon.
 
I started with a single stage and soon discovered I wanted a turret. A couple years later and I'm still wanting the turret! I've bought 4 guns since then, but I still can't afford a $100 turret! :banghead:

I foresee no need of a progressive for myself. I don't shoot more than a few hundred per month.
A turret would suit me just fine.
 
Most all Progressive can be run as a single stage press. Just use 1 die and 1pcs of brass at a time, run it though. The best way to get start is with setting up the sizing die. Run in single mode till your 100% comfortable with the settings. Then take those rounds and move to the next step. Continue all the way though the dies till all steps are complete and settings right. Then load up all the dies and run 1 round start to finish. Do all your checks to confirm 100% correct. Then as you get more comfortable you can start loading in full mode. Expect to adj the seating die once all stations are full. This can at times change the OAL by 0.003-0.005". If you have a problem unload the all stations and correct it. Set the brass that were in the station aside and process them at the end. This is the best way for a novice to handle a problem. As you get more experience you may not need to clear all the stations.

Just go slow at first till your comfortable and don't worry about the speed. It will come with experience.
 
I bought a single stage, then a turret, then a progressive, I use all three often. Get the turret, then a progressive. The turret still plays many roles a ss and progressive fall short in.
 
ddgarcia05 said:
I just bought the hand press about three weeks ago and now I want something faster.

I could probably get by with a powder charger. Measuring my hand takes forever, even with a digi scale.
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When you say 'turret', are you meaning an auto-indexing turret (Lee Classic Turret) or a manual indexing turret like the Lyman or RCBS? When I originally read your post, my mind automatically went to auto-indexing probably because I have a LCT. If that is what you meant, based on the volume you mentioned in one of your posts, I think it would be a good fit. No, I don't personally think you're nuts for wanting to save some time reloading. The biggest thing for you to understand before making the purchase is what the limitations are of whatever press you are considering. I haven't researched them for a few years, but I believe the Lee Classic Turret is the only auto-indexing turret press that is available. The auto-indexing is what is going to save you time over using a single stage press and batch loading. I've been using my LCT for about 4 years and based on the volume of shooting I do, it is adequate. However, I could see myself one day changing to a progressive for the efficiency of a single pull of the lever resulting in action on 5 separate pieces of brass (instead of only 1 on an auto-indexing turret).
 
If you're loading for handguns, by all means get a turret, especially if you plan on loading for multiple calibers. I have an old Lyman 6 station turret in which I keep .44 Special and .45 Colt dies as that's what I shoot on a regular basis, But last weekend we had company coming to the house that wanted to shoot, and in the course of a few hours I was loading for four different calibers. Changing dies and powder charges on a progressive would've been a headache at best. Plus the open-fronted turret are really quite fast for loading as it's easy to insert and remove cartridge cases.

To my way of thinking, if you're going to load ONE caliber with ONE powder charge, ad ONE bullet, a progressive is probably the way to go. But if you like variety, a turret will be much better.

35W
 
jb27 said:
When you say 'turret', are you meaning an auto-indexing turret (Lee Classic Turret) or a manual indexing turret like the Lyman or RCBS? When I originally read your post, my mind automatically went to auto-indexing probably because I have a LCT. If that is what you meant, based on the volume you mentioned in one of your posts, I think it would be a good fit. No, I don't personally think you're nuts for wanting to save some time reloading. The biggest thing for you to understand before making the purchase is what the limitations are of whatever press you are considering. I haven't researched them for a few years, but I believe the Lee Classic Turret is the only auto-indexing turret press that is available. The auto-indexing is what is going to save you time over using a single stage press and batch loading. I've been using my LCT for about 4 years and based on the volume of shooting I do, it is adequate. However, I could see myself one day changing to a progressive for the efficiency of a single pull of the lever resulting in action on 5 separate pieces of brass (instead of only 1 on an auto-indexing turret).
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Yes, I was referring to an auto indexing press. Thanks for your advise although I'm still debating on which of the two press types I should get. The purchase would be made in two months from now. For the time being I got a lee perfect powder measure.
 
35 Whelen said:
If you're loading for handguns, by all means get a turret, especially if you plan on loading for multiple calibers. I have an old Lyman 6 station turret in which I keep .44 Special and .45 Colt dies as that's what I shoot on a regular basis, But last weekend we had company coming to the house that wanted to shoot, and in the course of a few hours I was loading for four different calibers. Changing dies and powder charges on a progressive would've been a headache at best. Plus the open-fronted turret are really quite fast for loading as it's easy to insert and remove cartridge cases.



To my way of thinking, if you're going to load ONE caliber with ONE powder charge, ad ONE bullet, a progressive is probably the way to go. But if you like variety, a turret will be much better.



35W
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Man reading this makes me feel bad for now jumping in the turret on the classified a few nights ago. I saw when it was first posted with no replies for $70.
 
ddgarcia05 said:
Man reading this makes me feel bad for now jumping in the turret on the classified a few nights ago. I saw when it was first posted with no replies for $70.
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To my way of thinking, a three station turret press only saves time in one area; removing and installing dies, plus the aforementioned speed gained from the open front. If you only plan to load one caliber, from now on, that's OK.

This is similar to my Lyman on which I have loaded in the neighborhood of 6000 - 7000 rounds in the last 1 1/2 years or so. I bought it used for around $50. If you watch eBay and you're patient you can snag one in the $60 - $75 range.

35W
 
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