Off Topic, but related to reloading

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Eb1

Eb1

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To all that have been using a single stage for pistol loads (like me). I just put in a bid on a house with a superb garage. The house was kept by a 27 year career military man. You can imagine what the yard and house look like.

In his closet the mans pants were exatly 1.5" apart. All of them, and the yard did not have a weed one in it. Paint trim could have been popped with a chalk line, but I digress. I am just really jacked about this home, and our family have worked hard.

Anyway. Like I said on another post. If I get this garage (which has the most sturdy and usable benches built in it), I plan on getting a Redding T-7 for my bolt and lever gun hand loading, and a Lee Classic Turret for .223, 9mm, 32 H&R Mag, and 44 Magnum reloading.

I need some good thoughts on this from fellow hand loaders. Here's to hard work paying off for the greater good of a better life, and more hand loading supplies!

Thanks, everyone.
 
Choices ,choices ,choices , the house is a no brainer , the equipment ya need is a different story !!!

At least you`ll have room to contimplate !!

& Congratulations !!!!
 
I'd think the Redding T-7 would handle all the calibers just fine.

No need to clutter up the bench with a Lee press you don't even need!

The 7-hole turrent just cries out for a three-die pistol set and 2 rifle die sets left set up in it!

rc
 
Congrats and good luck.

I'd think the Redding T-7 would handle all the calibers just fine.

No need to clutter up the bench with a Lee press you don't even need!

The 7-hole turrent just cries out for a three-die pistol set and 2 rifle die sets left set up in it!

rc
Click to expand...

That's funny I was just thinking the opposit. The classic turret will be less expensive. The classic turret will load any of those calibers no problem. The Lee classic turret will be faster for loading pistol ammo, faster to swap turrets and will make just as good or better ammo.
 
Both Rusty and RC are very credible posters here. I really like the talk, and I really like the Redding T-7. Zero run-out from the Turret verses the Lee, and less parts to break. i.e. the index nut.

I would like to have classic to push out the pistol rounds, but I think RC is on to something. A T-7 with another turret would be a prime setup. Especially with a RCBS power dispenser for the pistol loads, and a Charge Master for the rifle loads. Although my Lyman 500 beam does a pretty good job of measuring powder.

Question.

Has the Hornady Charge Master clone proven itself yet? Has it been around to earn a good rep, or is the RCBS the go to auto dispenser?

TIA.
 
Regular Turret vs Lee Turret?

My friend has a Lyman Turret (close enough to the Redding to stand in for my comparison) and I have a Lee Classic Turret. He loads in batches; I load in continuous mode, which is much faster. But I can do batch mode just as easily if I wish. So, I lean towards the Lee.

The Lee Turret heads only have 4 holes, so if you want to run a 5 station loading process in continuous mode, you are out of luck.

The Redding probably has better leverage than my Classic Turret, but unless your lever and bolt guns are chambered in really big cartridges, you may not need that advantage.

The question of runout or alignment may be a red herring. The Lee turret moves a bit, but so does the Redding. They all do because there has to be some clearance in order to move the turret head. (Unless you set it, tighten it and don't move it until you loosen it again.) When the front edge of either turret lifts, you may think "misalignment slop", but the lift is always the same every time and thus uniformity (though not concentricity) is not badly affected. In addition, the Lee Turret, mounted in an annular ring, lifts in both front and back, not tilting. Turrets mounted on a center bolt must tilt.

The 4-hole turret heads for the Lee cost $10 to $13 each and change out almost instantaneously (twist and lift). The Redding turrets cost $50 to $70, I believe and need to be unbolted to switch out.

My friend likes his Lyman Turret just fine and I like my Lee Classic Turret equally well. To each their own, I say.

However, my advice is, get the Lee Classic Turret first and then decide if you still want the Redding.

On cost: I repopulated my loading bench last year (July 2010) with mostly Lee equipment and figure you could get the following for similar prices:

Lee Classic Turret Press with primer dispenser for large and small and one Pro Auto-Disk powder measure
5 extra turret heads (in addition to the one that comes with the press)
6 Die sets at $30 each
Set of Lee Dippers (handy to have)
Lee Funnel (fits in the powder die in place of the Auto-disk if you want to weight each charge)
Under $425. All you need is a scale then.

Check out Kempf's Gun Shop for their kit (one of the few kits built around the Classic Turret instead of the inferior-but still good- Deluxe Turret). Almost no extraneous stuff and everything you need except a scale.

What would a comparable setup cost from Redding? (Of course, you would not need all six turret heads, but probably only 3, maybe 4)

Good luck. Thank you for lending your attention to my prejudices.

Lost Sheep
 
There are thread(s) on just about every reloading forum dedicated to reloading benches and man caves. Some are excellent to show my wife to prove that my needs are very modest. Loads of good ideas there too.;)

I'm a bit of a slob myself, but the benches I built in the shed are overbuilt to the extreme.:D

I've been turning out pistol ammo for a couple years on a Lee Classic Turret. I am very happy with it.
 
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