I have been doing to much research these days. I went to Cabela's today and wanted to build my pistol reloading around the Lee Classic Turret. The sales guy said the progressive is the best because of the dies that come with it. I don't think this is the way to go for a first time reloader. Looking for sound advise.
Lee Progressive 1000 vs Lee Classic Turret
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cardinalfan
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- Feb 24, 2011
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I thought the same thing when I started reloading just last December. From what I found out the 1000 can be a little finicky, plus it is only a 3 die machine. I went with the Classic turret and couldn't be happier. I can do 150-200 rounds per hour rather easily. I continue to think about a progressive machine, which now I believe I would go with the Lee Loadmaster, but then I think again about how many I am reloading now, and at the rate I am reloading, I am pretty happy. On a second note, I have completely paid for my initial investment in a few shorts months.
RustyFN
Member
That would make the sales guy an idiot. The same dies come with the classic turret.
It may not be for you but I wouldn't say it wouldn't be good for another loader.
It depends on what you want it to do. You posted just a few minuets before that you had your mind made. I'm a little confused. Did you send this message from the store?
What advice are you looking for? More info would help us help you. there will probably be people around soon to tell you SS presses is a must or it is dangerous to learn on anything but a SS. It really depends on what you are going to be doing. I hate using the SS but there is times it just makes more since. If all I was going to do was handgun straight wall cases with no crimped primers I would get a progressive & forget the rest. I use my SS to swage primer pockets, sometimes ram prime, & FL resize. I have modified my Pro 1000 progress to do everything else.
I don't see the point in learning on a SS if a progressive is what you will be using. I can't give experience on a turret press.
KingMedicine
Member
I just started with a turret press, and i think it was the proper choice. Runs great and fast, and just took a bit to get used to setting up. Ive heard that a progressive is quite a bit more finicky.
rfwobbly
Member
Lee Progressive 1000 vs Lee Classic Turret
I have nothing against lee presses or equipment and use plenty of it, but IMHO you will not be happy with the Pro-1000. It was one of their first progressive designs and is cantankerous to say the least. You will spend more time fooling with the press than shooting. Reloading is fun until it gets to the point where it takes 30 minutes of adjustments to start loading. Buy a Loadmaster or Classic Turret.
I have nothing against lee presses or equipment and use plenty of it, but IMHO you will not be happy with the Pro-1000. It was one of their first progressive designs and is cantankerous to say the least. You will spend more time fooling with the press than shooting. Reloading is fun until it gets to the point where it takes 30 minutes of adjustments to start loading. Buy a Loadmaster or Classic Turret.
LiveLife
Member
I think the simpler qualifiers for which press to get is what rounds you will be loading and how many per month.
Lee Pro 1000 is essentially a high volume pistol caliber progressive press as it can only do .223/7.62x39 rifle cartridges. Lee Classic Turret is well suited for reloading rifle and pistol cartridges, but at a much slower rate.
I shoot a lot of semi-auto pistol rounds (9mm/40S&W/45ACP) and the production rate on the Pro 1000 is about 450-650/hour (significantly higher if using sized/primed pistol cases, which I do for reloading match grade ammo). I use the Classic Turret primarily for rifle cartridges.
I help setup new reloaders on Pro 1000, but also mount a single stage press alongside the Pro 1000. They start off on the single stage to learn the reloading principles and generate higher production numbers on the Pro 1000 (I prefer to deprime/resize match grade ammo separately on the single stage press and hand prime). Of course, I have them reload rifle rounds on the single stage. Many will talk about having to "tinker" or the primer issue with the Pro 1000. I will admit the small primer feed attachment works about 95% of the time and 100% for large primer (it is gravity based and I keep a paper clip handy to help feed a primer fully into station when it doesn't). The routine tinkering I do before each reloading session on the Pro 1000 is:
- Clean and lube moving parts
- Check shellplate timing
- Weigh powder drops for consistency
If you plan on reloading rifle cartridges later on or don't need the production level of Pro 1000, I would highly recommend the Classic Turret.
BTW, MidwayUSA has the Pro 1000 kit on sale for $150 (sale til 4/30/11). The kit comes with just about everything you need to start loading in one caliber (press, dies/3-hole turret, shell plate/carrier, Pro Auto Disk powder measure, primer feed attachment, case feeder/slider/tubes). All you really need to add are scale, caliper, case tumbler, case collator, bullet puller, etc.
Lee Pro 1000 is essentially a high volume pistol caliber progressive press as it can only do .223/7.62x39 rifle cartridges. Lee Classic Turret is well suited for reloading rifle and pistol cartridges, but at a much slower rate.
I shoot a lot of semi-auto pistol rounds (9mm/40S&W/45ACP) and the production rate on the Pro 1000 is about 450-650/hour (significantly higher if using sized/primed pistol cases, which I do for reloading match grade ammo). I use the Classic Turret primarily for rifle cartridges.
I help setup new reloaders on Pro 1000, but also mount a single stage press alongside the Pro 1000. They start off on the single stage to learn the reloading principles and generate higher production numbers on the Pro 1000 (I prefer to deprime/resize match grade ammo separately on the single stage press and hand prime). Of course, I have them reload rifle rounds on the single stage. Many will talk about having to "tinker" or the primer issue with the Pro 1000. I will admit the small primer feed attachment works about 95% of the time and 100% for large primer (it is gravity based and I keep a paper clip handy to help feed a primer fully into station when it doesn't). The routine tinkering I do before each reloading session on the Pro 1000 is:
- Clean and lube moving parts
- Check shellplate timing
- Weigh powder drops for consistency
If you plan on reloading rifle cartridges later on or don't need the production level of Pro 1000, I would highly recommend the Classic Turret.
BTW, MidwayUSA has the Pro 1000 kit on sale for $150 (sale til 4/30/11). The kit comes with just about everything you need to start loading in one caliber (press, dies/3-hole turret, shell plate/carrier, Pro Auto Disk powder measure, primer feed attachment, case feeder/slider/tubes). All you really need to add are scale, caliper, case tumbler, case collator, bullet puller, etc.
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Lost Sheep
Member
That's not the idiotic part.
What makes the guy an idiot is that the Pro-1000 and the Classic Turret are different in their essence and it is not the press that makes a good choice or better choice. It is how well the press fits the needs of the user.
There are so many different ways to interpret things people say. But reading between the lines, I think it is clear that this salesman was trying to "push" a product against the expressed wishes of the customer. This MIGHT be ok if the salesman were correct (we go to specialty shops for advice, right?, but GOOD advice!)
Lost Sheep
The guy may be an idiot, but not from what he said about the dies. The Lee Pro-1000 kit comes with dies. Most of the Lee Classic Turret kits do not come with dies (Kempf's Gun Shop is an exception) I think what he was saying is that the Pro-1000 kit is a better DEAL because the dies are included in the price.
What makes the guy an idiot is that the Pro-1000 and the Classic Turret are different in their essence and it is not the press that makes a good choice or better choice. It is how well the press fits the needs of the user.
There are so many different ways to interpret things people say. But reading between the lines, I think it is clear that this salesman was trying to "push" a product against the expressed wishes of the customer. This MIGHT be ok if the salesman were correct (we go to specialty shops for advice, right?, but GOOD advice!)
Lost Sheep
Lost Sheep
Member
I have and have used both.
I started loading in the '70s with a single stage RCBS press. First a Jr, then a Rockchucker. After a while, I got a pair of Lee Pro-1000 presses (one for large primers and one for small, keeping parts switching to a minimum.
Faster than the single stage, but I never got comfortable with the multiple things going on simultaneously, and really hated the primer feed.
Then, last year, I retired the Pro-1000s and got a Lee Classic Turret. I am as fast with the Turret as I was with the Pro-1000s (I would stroke the handle, watch the powder drop, stop, place a case, stroke, watch the primers advance, stop, seat the primer, place a bullet. All that starting and stopping made me safe, but slowed me down.
With the Turret press, I can watch one thing at a time, the work flow makes sense to me, the primer feed is cleaner and more positive. With my Lee Classic Turret I can match the speed I used to be able to attain on my Pro-1000s and do it safer, to boot.
And caliber changes are cheaper and quicker, too.
Good luck.
Lost Sheep
I started loading in the '70s with a single stage RCBS press. First a Jr, then a Rockchucker. After a while, I got a pair of Lee Pro-1000 presses (one for large primers and one for small, keeping parts switching to a minimum.
Faster than the single stage, but I never got comfortable with the multiple things going on simultaneously, and really hated the primer feed.
Then, last year, I retired the Pro-1000s and got a Lee Classic Turret. I am as fast with the Turret as I was with the Pro-1000s (I would stroke the handle, watch the powder drop, stop, place a case, stroke, watch the primers advance, stop, seat the primer, place a bullet. All that starting and stopping made me safe, but slowed me down.
With the Turret press, I can watch one thing at a time, the work flow makes sense to me, the primer feed is cleaner and more positive. With my Lee Classic Turret I can match the speed I used to be able to attain on my Pro-1000s and do it safer, to boot.
And caliber changes are cheaper and quicker, too.
Good luck.
Lost Sheep
KingMedicine
Member
I picked up the Lee Classic Turret press. Its smooth, easy, and does everything you need with basically just Dies. Scale is so-so, but if your using it for general field ammo, the auto disc system works alright and is quick. I can make a round every 10-15 seconds with time to check them and the powder every 10 rounds.
Wrongcaptcha
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I just started reloading myself, I only reload .45ACP right now but plan to expand to 9mm/38special in the next 6 months.
That being said, I picked up a Lee pro 1000 with .45 Die set from Midway for $150 bucks. You'll need the brass cleaning, scale, caliper, and reloading manuals in addition to this.
The pro 1000 was OK to learn on if mechanically inclined. A single stage press would have been 10X easier, and a turret probably 5x easier. The priming system is said to be the week point on the pro 1000, but as long as you go slow on the handle up and keep the primer tray full I have had no problems with it. The lee is a great value. You CAN reload fast with it. I can go faster than I am, but I'm terrified of screwing up a load and blowing up my gun. I take great care in seating the primer and checking visually every charge and every 20th case on the scale. So far so good. I've reloaded about 500 rounds in the past 2 weeks and shot off 150 of those in determining my loads. I'm very happy with my investment, but could see wanting a more robust platform down the line (a dillon maybe).
The classic turret press might not have the output of the progressive but I have heard it is much more consistent and easier to set up. A Pro 1000 requires a lot of tinkering and adjusting to get set up, most people don't realize this. The best features of the Pro are: Speed, Auto Powder Measure, Case Feeder, and price. The pro and the classic both can be switched between calibers fairly easy, with the pro it requires a new shell carrier and dies, both of which can be had with a new turret for about $75 all together and 2 minutes time.
Don't be afraid of the pro.
That being said, I picked up a Lee pro 1000 with .45 Die set from Midway for $150 bucks. You'll need the brass cleaning, scale, caliper, and reloading manuals in addition to this.
The pro 1000 was OK to learn on if mechanically inclined. A single stage press would have been 10X easier, and a turret probably 5x easier. The priming system is said to be the week point on the pro 1000, but as long as you go slow on the handle up and keep the primer tray full I have had no problems with it. The lee is a great value. You CAN reload fast with it. I can go faster than I am, but I'm terrified of screwing up a load and blowing up my gun. I take great care in seating the primer and checking visually every charge and every 20th case on the scale. So far so good. I've reloaded about 500 rounds in the past 2 weeks and shot off 150 of those in determining my loads. I'm very happy with my investment, but could see wanting a more robust platform down the line (a dillon maybe).
The classic turret press might not have the output of the progressive but I have heard it is much more consistent and easier to set up. A Pro 1000 requires a lot of tinkering and adjusting to get set up, most people don't realize this. The best features of the Pro are: Speed, Auto Powder Measure, Case Feeder, and price. The pro and the classic both can be switched between calibers fairly easy, with the pro it requires a new shell carrier and dies, both of which can be had with a new turret for about $75 all together and 2 minutes time.
Don't be afraid of the pro.
LiveLife
Member
Wrongcaptcha, welcome to THR.
Although having two shell plate carriers with dedicated small/large primer feed tubes/priming rods is convenient for the Pro 1000, you can use just one shell plate carrier to load different calibers by changing out the shell plate and the priming feed ramp/rod (takes a few minutes to change them out). Having said that, extra shell plate carrier is cheap enough ($40 at Midway) that having multiple caliber setup makes it very convenient. I have several shell plate carriers already setup for calibers I load for.
That's good practice. But with the Pro Auto Disk volumetric powder measure, I only need to weigh the first 3-4 drops to allow the powder in the hopper to settle for consistent charge. Once powder settles and I get consistent weights, I don't recheck my powder charge weight even though I am loading 500-1000 on a single reloading session (I just keep adding powder to the hopper).
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Wrongcaptcha
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- Apr 6, 2011
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Thanks 
I have yet to see a difference in any drop yet. After the first 1 or 2 (and even those ar +/- .1gr. I'm sure I don't have too but it is peace of mind for me. I realize you don't need to change out the whole carrier, but for the value I figure it would save time in zeroing the index and taking the shell plate off. Set it once and not have to fool with it for a while.
I have yet to see a difference in any drop yet. After the first 1 or 2 (and even those ar +/- .1gr. I'm sure I don't have too but it is peace of mind for me. I realize you don't need to change out the whole carrier, but for the value I figure it would save time in zeroing the index and taking the shell plate off. Set it once and not have to fool with it for a while.
Hondo 60
Member
I've also had & used both.
The Pro 1000 is very finicky about the primers.
I think most days I spent more time adjusting it, than reloading.
So I sold both.
I bought a 2nd hand Dillon RL 550B & couldn't be happier!
And I still have my first press - a Lee Challenger Breech Lock Single Stage Press.
I use the single stage for very short runs, for load development & stuff like that.
The Pro 1000 is very finicky about the primers.
I think most days I spent more time adjusting it, than reloading.
So I sold both.
I bought a 2nd hand Dillon RL 550B & couldn't be happier!
And I still have my first press - a Lee Challenger Breech Lock Single Stage Press.
I use the single stage for very short runs, for load development & stuff like that.
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