Turret press function - a Myth or reality

[Oathkeeper1775]

Me being the rookie reloader that I am;

I bought a turret press and I'm going through the learning processes and having a blast. I've been tumblng old .45 Colt brass, trimming, depriming and getting ready to....you know, "do it".

This thought occurred to me; I hope this makes sense.......

Since I have to dismount the case to check/clean out the primer pockets after I deprime, and since I have to check the cases for length before I can actually reload, why or how could a turret press really do all the actions in 3 or 4 pulls of the lever?

To me so far, its making more sense to do all the decapping, pocket cleaning and trimming in a single stage mode.

New brass might make a difference but it wouldn't need to be decapped.

Am I missing something here?

please?

 

[dtsdave]

It depends if you are reloading pistol or rifle rounds. I do what you describe for rifle but all that nonesense is not necessary for pistol. Just run them through and shoot them.

 

[RustyFN]

Since I have to dismount the case to check/clean out the primer pockets after I deprime, and since I have to check the cases for length before I can actually reload, why or how could a turret press really do all the actions in 3 or 4 pulls of the lever?

To me so far, its making more sense to do all the decapping, pocket cleaning and trimming in a single stage mode.

New brass might make a difference but it wouldn't need to be decapped.

Am I missing something here?

Yes, most of us don't trim or clean primer pockets for pistol ammo.

 

[john16443]

I'm also only 6 months into this reloading journey, also having a blast on my Lee Turret press for 45ACP and 9mm ammo. While many folks don't deprime their cases before tumbling or otherwise cleaning them, I do. Would it really matter if I didn't? I can't say. I just don't think it's a good idea to leave all that spend primer crud in the case for multiple loadings.

I use a universal depriming die on my single stage press and tumble them in batches of 150 to 200 at a time. Since my walnut media is fine, I rarely find any in the flash hole, but as I look at them, most get a twist with the pocket cleaner. Now I have clean components to run through the dies of the turret press, and lost maybe 15 minutes to do it. I don't have the trimming step in my calibers, but agree with you, deprime, trim and clean before you set things up on your turret.

You can get a single stage press real cheap and a decapping die is inexpensive too.

 

[EddieNFL]

how could a turret press really do all the actions in 3 or 4 pulls of the lever?

Doesn't matter if you remove the case at every position, the number of strokes required remains the same.

 

[greyling22]

can't say I've ever had a problem with media in my cases after I tumble, and even if I did have a little bit, the decapping pin knocks it out along with the primer. don't bother trimming handgun. I bought a trimmer for my 357's after they all had 10+ loading through them. I assumed they just had to be long by that point. I was wrong. I've never cleaned a primer pocket.

 

[Strykervet]

Some brass will shorten, some will lengthen, depending on the calibre/weapon. I use a single stage and go through all the hoops, but I'm a bit anal about it. If you tumble first, you shouldn't have a problem with media getting stuck in the primer pocket since the decapping pin will knock that out.

Most pistol rounds headspace on the mouth of the cartridge (even the .357 SIG, although most bottleneck cartridges headspace on the shoulder). If the brass is too long or too short, there could be problems. Just keep an eye on it.

 

[Sam1911]

Yes, as others have said, a turret or progressive will do a few specific steps -- at the very least, decap/resize, prime, charge, and seat/crimp. Some have more stations and can accommodate other steps like trim-to-length dies, powder check stations, etc.

If the reloading process you use is more complex than the number of stations your press has, you'll have to do some of those steps on another press or another tool head, or with some other tool.

For the most efficient use of a progressive or turret press, you'll need to streamline your procedure to accommodate what the press can do.

I load tens of thousands of handgun rounds on a progressive. I use range pick-up brass, run it through the tumbler and into the press it goes. I've not checked case length or cleaned a primer pocket on a single round of .45ACP in about a decade. I've NEVER checked the length of a 9mm or .44 case, or cleaned a primer pocket on either. They go bang. They hit what I'm aiming at. That's the point, for me.

With rifle rounds, I mostly use a single-stage instead, and I often do take the time to trim to length, use a primer pocket cleaning tool (maybe a flash hole uniforming cutter, too), and trickle my charges up to the tenth of a grain. All of those things would be a pain with a progressive or turret press, but I really don't need to produce the volumes of those rifle rounds that I do with my handguns, so the single-stage is perfect.

 

[Lost Sheep]

Oathkeeper1775,

Welcome to handloading and thanks for asking our advice. What chamberings do you load?

I will expand a bit on what has already been said.

Bottlenecked cartridges generally headspace on the shoulder, and periodically need to be trimmed in length because the brass "flows" forward to the case neck.

Rimless straight-walled , "pistol" cases headspace on the case mouth and tend to shorten with use.

Straight-walled revolver (rimmed) cases headspace on the rim. They also tend to shorten with use, but not so much as rimless cases.

All cases, bottlenecked, rimless, rimmed, need to be the right length. Rimmed, for getting the proper crimp, mostly. Rimless cases to get the proper headspace and also to get the proper taper crimp. Bottlenecked cartridges, so they will fit in the chamber and have the proper crimp or neck tension.

None of the three types of brass need to be measured every time. Rimmed cases, nearly never. High-intensity bottlenecked cartridges more often than low-intensity bottlenecked cartridges. Rimless cases, as is the nature with semi-automatics, generally get lost before I have ever had to deal with one that was the wrong length.

Obviously, you have already figured out that you can use a turret press in either the "batch" mode or the "continuous" mode.

Just in case you haven't figured it out, "Batch mode" is where you take 20 or 50 or 100 cases and perform one operation on them all, inserting and removing each case as the one operation is performed. This is amenable to inserting off-press operations like primer pocket cleaning, case trimming, etc. When you complete one operation on the entire batch of cases, you move on to the next step. "Continuous mode" processing is where you take one case and perform all the steps, one after another so you go from one empty case to a finished, completed round of ammunition. Then you fetch the next empty case.

Single stage presses practically require you to do processing in batch mode. Progressive presses are at their best in continuous mode (case goes into the press and does not come out until it is a finished round). Turret presses are amenable to either mode of processing.

There is also the possibility (with Turret or Progressive presses) of using a mixed-mode process (do some steps in continuous mode, interrupt the process before completion, do an intermediate step on the batch, then continue to completion in continuous mode again).

The speed advantage of continuous mode processing is, as you discern, there is less insertion-removal of the cartridge case.

Most of us clean and ream (uniform) the primer pockets just once (if even that many times) and do nothing with the length of the brass until one of a particular batch of brass shows signs of a problem, if ever. Then we will check the entire batch. This rarely occurs with handgun brass (rimless or rimmed straight-walled cases) and every 5 to 10 firings (more experienced rifle shooters can correct me here, this is just a guess, fueled by hearsay) with bottlenecked brass.

Good luck, always wear eye protection, especially when working with primers and don't pinch your fingers in your press,

Lost Sheep

 

[Oathkeeper1775]

Slanted forehead slap

uh, I shoulda known; my hands are smoked, I prepped 300 cases. :banghead:

You guys are great, I really appreciate your time.

My book and lube gets here tomorrow, I gotta confirm my powder drop and I will be on my way.


I'll tumble em and run em through the turret for now on. Makes a lot of sense.

I had some mental trouble with ordering online (hazmat fees) so I went local and got whatever I could find; 250 Gr RNFP made by HSM, Winchester large pistol/magnum primers and HS6 powder.

.........................................................................................................................................................................

I'm starting with .45 Colt then adding a caliber each month in this sequence as I go along;

.45-70, .45 ACP, 9MM, X39, X51, .243, 7.5X55, .223.

Doing shotshells next year


Thanks again.

 

[1SOW]

Sam1911 +1

The dirtiest part of reloading is 'depriming'. My turret press gets really grungy fast if I deprime on the press, so I use another old Lyman press to deprime all my range brass. My turret press needs minimum cleaning/oiling maintenance.
It's just my preference.

Let us know how your loads run.

 

[PO2Hammer]

My process for revolver cartridges in my turret press is;
Insert spent, but cleaned case.
Resize, reprime at station 1.
flip the turret to station 2 and flare/expand the case mouth.
Flip to station 3 and charge the case. I mount my measure directly on the turret head.
Remove the charged case and put it in a loading block to inspect/compare charges.

That way all the prep is done handling the case just once.

After all the cases have been compared for powder charges they go back in to station 4 for seating and crimping. With some calibers I crimp in a separate step, just a flip to station 5.

 

[amlevin]

I recently set up an old Lee progressive to ONLY de-prime all my 9mm brass. No sizing, just de-priming with a universal de-priming die.

I then clean all my de-primed brass in Stainless Steel media. It cleans the entire case, inside, outside, and primer pocket. I then load the cleaned and inspected cases into the case feeder on my XL-650 and load away. A lot easier than trying to clean primer pockets.

For my .223 I deprime and then size/trim on a separate toolhead with a Dillon Rapid Trim. I then clean with the Stainless Media and run through my XL-650 with no sizing die in station one.

For those that say you don't need to clean primer pockets, then don't. With the method I use it's like loading with nice clean new brass, every time without all that much work.

 

[RandyP]

My process on my Lee Classic 4-hole turret with auto turret advance uses all four die positions, four handle pulls = 1 completed round. At a very relaxed pace 150-175 rounds per hour. Just like in this Lee Help Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDfOO2j0zYI&feature=player_embedded

Insert cleaned brass cass in shellholder

1. Deprime and size on upstroke, prime on downstroke
2. Flare case and charge with powder
3. Visually verify powder charge, place bullet on flared case, seat bullet
4. Final Crimp die

Remove completed round.

Repeat

 

[mbopp]

I guess I use a different system than most people. After I tumble my cases I pick up 2 of them. I'll shuffle them in the sizer / deprime station, click to the expander, and expand / reprime the 2 cases. After that they go into a 50-case loading block for off-press powder charging, visual inspection, and bullet insertion. Then it's another 2-case shuffle to seat the bullets (I don't use a 4th crimp die.)
I tried powder charging on the press but didn't like it. I prefer to charge them all and inspect them in a loading block.
And as a side note - I managed to adapt the RCBS primer feed from my Rockchucker to the Lyman turret.

 

[Steve Koski]

I vote for myth. Turnit presses are mostly a fashion statement.

 

[Walkalong]

I use the LNL progressive press, but I run the tumbled brass through it with only the sizer, then prime with a hand primer, and then load the brass on the LNL using the rest of the dies. Some say that defeats the purpose of the press, but I like doing it that way.

 

[Funshooter45]

For my revolver cartridges, it's a definite time saver. I only have to handle each case one time. But I don't have to worry about trimming them or deburring or cleaning the flash holes. The auto disk powder measure does just fine automatically dumping the right amount of powder for pistol rounds.

For rifle cartridges, it's kind of a different deal. After sizing I usually have to trim them and then chamfer as well. That disrupts the flow of the turret press in terms of speed. Since I already have to handle them to trim and chamfer, I figure I might as well use my hand primer to prime them with, thus negating the prime-on-press feature of the turret. And for rifle cases, I just figure its as easy to put the cases in a loading block and pour the powder into them since I trickle each charge weight anyway.

I am only starting to try neck sizing only for my rifle loading. In general, that usually eliminates the need for trimming (usually). I suppose if that is the case, it would go smoother on a turret press. But for rifles, I am not in a big hurry anyway, so it's just simpler to use my single stage.

My opinion is the turret press saves a bunch of time for pistol cartridges, hardly any for rifle.

 

[exavid]

I'm with RandyP, I use a Lee 4 hole turret press for .380, 9mm, .40S&W and .45ACP. One finished round for each revolution. I don't like the disks for powder and use a Lee adjustable charge bar. I use a shell with a primer to measure and set the charge bar. I have an inexpensive Franklin Arsenel digital scale to adjust the Lee powder charger. Put an empty shell on the scale, hit the tare to zero out the weight of the shell, charge it with powder and stick back on the scale then adjust the charge bar for the desired charge. Once that's set I verify it with a few tests weighed on my beam scale. Once the charge is set it's one loaded cartridge per revolution taking about twenty minutes for 50rds. The .380s go a bit slower because it's necessary to take it a bit slower when the thin little shells go into the dies. It's easy to crinkle them if you go too fast.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Like a lot of the other posts I do not clean primer pockets or trim brass for straight wall pistol ammo. I never have and probably never will. I shoot several Hundred handgun rounds a week for at least 9 months out of the year and all have fired reliably and are accurate in my guns. IMO I'm at the point of "if it ain't broke don't fix it".

Rifle ammo is a totally different story. During the Winter I usually process as much of my rifle brass as possible. That entails tumbling, decapping, cleaning the primer pockets, checking the length and trimming if necessary. Then they are put into a big plastic coffee can until I go to load them.

 

[dickttx]

As you can see, all kinds of opinions on this.
I started reloading again after several year of not. Had a large, heavy, very good CHampion single stage press that I had acquired several years ago, primarily for rifle reloading.
When I started again I am shooting handguns exclusively. It did not take very long to realize I would very soon outshoot my production, so I started looking at other options.
I finally settled on the Lee Classic Turret and used my old dies (RCBS and Lyman). They did not seem to fit the Lee turrets very well.
I now have complete Lee 4-die sets in 9mm, .357, .41Mag, 45ACP and 45 Colt. I also have the turret press priming system and the Pro Auto Disk powder system.
Before I started acquiring the new equipment I had a very hard time relating the LCT to my single stage, batch processing. Once I decided on the equipment, purchased it, and set it up all my ideas of batch processing went out the door. You don't really need to trim the handgun cartridges nor clean the primer pocket. This frees you to move the lever down and up four times and kick out a completed round. You still follow safe reloading procedures by inspecting the case, looking at the powder level (and stopping and weighing occasionally) and occasionally checking the OAL of the finished cartridge. You can just do it much faster than with batch processing.
Once I learned how the equipment works I have had essentially not problems with any of the equipment. I particularly like the priming system and the Pro Auto Disk.
I have found that you can increase speed, not by hurrying, but by decreasing your lost motion and having the correct component (case, bullet) ready and waiting to be put into place. I can load more ammo than I can shoot with this system and I shoot nearly every day. I could have paid several times what I did for the Lee and got some very good progressive equipment, however, I do not need that type of production.
Just my opinion and recent experience, for what it is worth.

 

[fguffey]

I use a turret, not for everything but my first press was a Herters 6 hole press,, it could be set up to load 3 different rifle calibers, set the dies up and leave them installed. The big advantage with the turret is when it is used to form cases,, if for some reason a re-due, do-over is necessary it is a simple matter of rotating the turret back to the forming die station. Time in motion, step sequence, the turret had/has it’s advantages.

Pistol dies come in three die sets, with the 6 hole turret, one turret can be set up with two sets of pistol dies, I could not imagine someone ordering additional turrets for the Herters, drilling an additional 6 holes with detents was available and one comes available on the Internet for sale but not often.

I also have a Lyman turret press, I do not use it, I just talk about having one, with dies and shell holders.

F. Guffey