Lee turret press 3 vs 4 hole

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dwhite

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The added features of the Classic (cast iron) Turret Press make it a better buy than the Deluxe (aluminum) Turret Press. The Classic seems to come only with 4 hole turrets, the Deluxe with three.

As I load mostly pistol cartridges using 3 dies, it seems I'm going to have to make an extra stroke to clear the open hole. This seems kind of inconvenient. Just wondering how much of a stroke it takes to clear that open hole.

This is really nit-picky I know.

All the Best,
D. White
 
You can use the 4th hole for the FCD but if you have your bullet seater set right you don't really need it.I have the 4 holer and I use it for 9 and 45,I don't use it when I load 380,up to you.
 
My Deluxe has four hole turrets. I use all four, with the exception of 9x18 (for which I am unable to find a crimping die). Popping past the empty spot becomes automatic.
 
Good Morning,

The short answer to your question is that it doesn't take much of a stroke to skip the empty hole. The portion of the indexing rod that controls the turning movement is at the bottom of the rod. A 1/3 to 1/2 stroke will certainly cause the turrent to turn and move you onto to the next working die.

You may want to consider using the empty hole for Auto Disk Pro powder dispenser. Mine works well. Hole 1 - size, decap, prime; Hole 2 - fill with powder; Hole 3 - seat bullet; Hole 4 - Lee Factory Crimp Die. For pistols I tend to use the index feature and build one round at a time. For rifles, where I weigh every charge, I batch process with one die, turn the turret by hand, batch process using the next die, and so on until complete. (The indexing rod can be inserted or removed quickly and easily)

Good Luck.

Dan
 
Thanks for the replies. I'll get the Classic.

I'm not sold on the necessity of a the factory crimp die. My rounds
feed fine.

All the Best,
D. White
 
You will be much happier with the classic. I only used three dies when loading 223 and had to cycle past the forth, It's not a big deal.

I'm not sold on the necessity of a the factory crimp die. My rounds
feed fine.
Click to expand...

Mine all feed fine without the FCD also. I still use it because I like to seat and crimp in separate steps. The carbide sizing ring in the FCD makes a great case gauge. I shoot a little competition and the FCD saves me from having to case gauge all om my ammo after it's loaded.
 
Use the open station to take out the freshly made ammo and insert the next piece of empty brass. Never miss a beat.

Seedtick

:)
 
New to reloading and need some help with LEE press

I just got a Lee Turret press from a friend. Its missing parts and was wondering how to tell how old it is. I'm almost 100% sure its a Lee 3 hole turret press after looking it up on Lee's website. But I have I guess you can say just the main peice of it no dies or anything. I looked and found an 4 hole update kit with auto index put the question is that Lees website says pre 2005 for example. How can I find out what all I need to get this up and running. I can email you pics of it if that will help. And I know everyone isout of everythin dealing with reloading but would like to go ahead and get on back order lists. Thanks ajwinkis
 
Add a small 1 aaa cell flashlight to the extra hole between the powder drop and before the seater use it to double check the powder drop as an added safety.
 
dwhite said:
The added features of the Classic (cast iron) Turret Press make it a better buy than the Deluxe (aluminum) Turret Press. The Classic seems to come only with 4 hole turrets, the Deluxe with three.

As I load mostly pistol cartridges using 3 dies, it seems I'm going to have to make an extra stroke to clear the open hole. This seems kind of inconvenient. Just wondering how much of a stroke it takes to clear that open hole.

This is really nit-picky I know.

All the Best,
D. White
Click to expand...
The Deluxe now comes with 4 holes. I think you can still get 3 hole presses, but the standard now is the 4-hole. The Classic Turret (which only comes with in a 4-hole version) and the 4-hole version of the deluxe work exactly the same way, but there are differences in the construction.

The Classic Turret's base is cast iron. The Deluxe's is aluminum.

The Classic Turret's vertical opening is a full inch taller than the Deluxe's.

The Classic Turret's ram is larger in diameter than the Deluxe's (better alignment and allows for the ram to be hollow and drop primers 100% down a tube where the Deluxe's bounces primers less than 100% into a cavity in the press - the rest wind up on the floor)

I believe the linkage on the Classic Turret provides more leverage than the Deluxe's.

The Classic Turret is well worth the extra money (in my opinion) even over the 4-hole version of the Deluxe Turret.

Lost Sheep
 
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