Set up my first Lee Turret press yesterday!

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twice barrel

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Yep, been many moons since I bolted a press to the bench and it was fun!

Fairly straightforward but I managed to cram a 2 hour job into a full day without any problem. Nothing like trying to locate some misplaced tools.

One thing I did discover is that the new Pro auto-disc dispenser is slick. In fact, if you fail to turn the cannister properly to block the discharge you'd be amazed at how quickly a half-tube of powder will dispense all over the press, bench, and floor. I know I sure was! :banghead:

Truthfully, one of the slickest little pressed I've ever used.

What a bargain,

TB
 
One thing I did discover is that the new Pro auto-disc dispenser is slick. In fact, if you fail to turn the cannister properly to block the discharge you'd be amazed at how quickly a half-tube of powder will dispense all over the press, bench, and floor. I know I sure was!
Click to expand...
I guess Murphy's Law is still in effect huh?? :D But at least you're happy with the press.......
 
Give us a full review once you get it up and running. I love my single stage, but believe it is about time to move up to a turret for the calibers I shoot more often.
 
Me too!!

I just set up my lee turret press on saturday and it makes reloading alot faster even though I'm using a Lyman dps 3 instead of the lee sit on top powder measure.
 
Its up & running now. I will change how I mounted the Safety Prime now that I found an online explanation...I mounted the special washer under the plastic hangar instead of on top. The dispenser works now as is but one does need to pay attention to be certain the primer drops into the cup. I believe(hope) it will be more dependable once I switch that washer to the top.

Truthfully a person could set right to it if you already had your components and load data ready to go. Once you bolt it to the bench and mount the lever (making sure everything clears the bench and press so that you have full movement of the ram up & down you can mount your dies, Safety Prime, and powder dispenser. I knew to get the riser when I ordered my press because I knew I was going to mount the Lee Pro Auto Disc powder thrower.

I also used the Lee 4-die .40 S&W dies so the top of the turret is full & crowded. So you really can't set-up the press without setting your dies for a load. The Lee instructions were adequate since I've done quite a bit of reloading in the past but a total newbie might struggle. Better (larger) photos would go a long way here.

The auto index is great! But I did find it helpful to start the case in station one by guiding it with my pointer finger into the resizing/decapping die. After that it pretty well stayed true thru all for stations. Also, I found you don't lower the ram completely after you've seated the new primer, just enough that the turret turns fully to the next station. And after a couple of cartridges were complete I found myself already getting comfortable with the Safety Prime.

Truthfully if I were indoors instead of my garage I would have just left the powder in the hopper. But because I have a crowded garage the press is in a traffic area and I was afraid I might bump it. Oh well, no worry now...its empty. :D (a mistake I hope not to repeat)

The only thing I'm waiting on before I just set down and crank'm out is to test my loads for the two bullets I have. I intend to use whatever cylinder in the disc drops a decent charge and not work with tweaking too much as long as the load shoots ok.

Tried the Lee dipper that came with the die set and it dispenses precisely 5gr of Hodgdon Universal. The .61 cylinder dispenses precisely 5.5gr. of the same powder. As long as that shoots nice in my XDm I'll be good to go. If not I'll try something else. (fingers crossed :p)

My greatest hassel of the day is realizing some tools were missing from my tool box and searching up & down and all around the house only to not locate them. They are the last of a set of tools my dad gave me when I graduated highschool and have serve me well for 37 years so I its difficult not to try and find where I've managed to stash them. Went thru attic boxes trying to locate my old loading manuals unsuccsessfully also but found enough info online and with the Lee dies set literature to know these are safe starting loads. Only did a few because I need to make sure they'll fit/feed thru my magazines and drop cleanly into the chamber as well as shoot acceptably before I commence to loading a batch up.

Anyhow, as I went thru the process I couldn't help but notice how good it felt to get back into loading and shooting again.

Regards,

TB
 
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I love mine, but I find sometimes that I can stroke the press up and down all day and it just won't index. I still haven't figured out why though.
 
I will change how I mounted the Safety Prime now that I found an online explanation...I mounted the special washer under the plastic hangar instead of on top. The dispenser works now as is but one does need to pay attention to be certain the primer drops into the cup. I believe(hope) it will be more dependable once I switch that washer to the top.
Click to expand...

Mine seems to work better with the washer on top.
I love mine, but I find sometimes that I can stroke the press up and down all day and it just won't index. I still haven't figured out why though.
Click to expand...

I've read that the little plastic indexing square could be wearing out. You should have gotten a spare with the press.
 
Thanks Jeff! I wondered if that was what the little square hootus was in the pack with the primer arms. The one's I'd seen pictured in threads on the matter were white.

:thumbup:

TB
 
Hokeyplyr48: It is the little square hootus 2-bbl mentioned.

It's the driver for auto-indexing. If you want to back up one die, be sure you pull the handle down far enough to disengage this little plastic square. If you don't it will cause problems like you are having.

Your kit came with a spare, but some lose them with the box because they aren't marked and don't look like anything important.

I think they cost $2 plus shipping. Guess how I know.
 
Welcome to the index press club. It was a pain getting the dies set up for 3 calibers but now is great.

I just pop in the ring for the caliber I want, load the appropriate auto disc and rock and roll.

It is faster and more fun. I decided to hand index though. Guess I am a control freak. ;-)

Tom
 
twice barrel even with the weird washer on top you might need a spacer. If the safety prime trigger drags a primer out of the cup just add a flat washer under the bracket. It has been rare that a few people have had to add two washers under the bracket. I have been loading on a classic turret for close to four years and am very happy with the press.
 
Thanks for the tip Rusty. I switched the washer to the top and man; it really makes a difference. But, I won't load any more up until I get a chance to test the one's already assembled.

TB
 
Here is a little tip that I learned from Lee. When setting up your dies, if the instructions say to raise the ram and turn the die in until it touches the shell holder, you want to turn it in a bit more until the turret head is raised all the way up. There is a small amount of up and down play that allows the turret to turn freely in the frame. If you dont dial this out, plus a bit more, your bullet depth wont be consistent. This drove me nuts until I figured it out. Lee really should mention this in their instructions. Other than that and a few primer arms that were out of spec (replacements that they sent when mine broke) this has been a great press.

Here is a video for the guys that are thinking about a new press...

http://www.leeprecision.com/html/HelpVideos/videos/Turret%20Press/loading%2045%20case-1.wmv
 
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I just noticed that the video on Lees site that shows how to install the safety prime is not correct. They are showing the installation on the Lee turret press with the aluminum base. If you have the classic cast turret press, you install the black spacer first, then the hanger, then the steel, odd shaped washer. This is how they show it in the pictures in the included instructions.
 
Reckon my eyes just aren't good enough as I couldn't see it well enough in the instructions. But, that's how I have it now and it did make a difference.

Regards,

TB
 
The safe bet

In fact, if you fail to turn the canister properly to block the discharge you'd be amazed at how quickly a half-tube of powder will dispense all over the press, bench, and floor.
Click to expand...

The safe bet is to always buy 1 lb of powder for the cartridges, and 1 lb for the floor. :D
 
"It's the driver for auto-indexing. If you want to back up one die, be sure you pull the handle down far enough to disengage this little plastic square. If you don't it will cause problems like you are having.

Your kit came with a spare, but some lose them with the box because they aren't marked and don't look like anything important.

I think they cost $2 plus shipping. Guess how I know. "

1SOW,

Where does it go? Decided to clean mine off and re-lube with synthetic oil since I'm using it in my garage. Removed the turret in the process and had a little difficulty getting it to drop back in. No idea why but somehow I've messed it up. When it does auto-advance it doesn't line up properly. And it doesn't auto advance every time. I'm going to go back and remove the turret and see if re-installing it will get things going but have my doubts. The "manual" is no help and I haven't found anything online that tells me how to go about it.

Any procedure you can describe would be much appreciated,

TB
 
Thanks Delta,

I discovered it about 10 minutes after posting. Just couldn't see where it could be anywhere else...it wasn't. Funny thing is, installing the new one solved the problem but the original one hardly looks much different. Never would have guessed they would be so fragile.

TB
 
Hello twice barrel,

I thought you might have gone with a progressive press, seeing as your already a seasoned reloader. However the turret press is a mighty fine setup. Remember when you install a turret to have the handle all of the way up, that way you can just pop in the turret, and rotate the indexing rod untill it catches in the turret. If you dont have the arm up you risk damaging that little square piece of plastic. They arent fragile per se. Im still on my original. Oh, and rumor has it that Lee might introduce a progressive conversion for the turret press some time in the future. I'm glad to see you are happy with your choice.
 
Daniel,

The very first press I ever owned was a Pacific DL-366 progressive press. :) (and it was cantakerous at times)

Truthfully I wanted to try an auto-indexing turret out as much because its something I've never owned nor seen in use before. Also, I envision switching between calibers with some frequency and felt the turret would make this a less difficult. But depending on how my shooting activity develops a progressive could well be in my future. :D

TB
 
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