Turret Press - Manually Rotate and Perform Each Operation ?

[Oldcoyote]

Assume you have a turret press without auto index (like a Redding T-7). Would it save much time to load one cartridge at a time thru all operations, manually rotating the turret? This assumes a press-mounted powder measure.

I am presently using "batch mode", sizing a bunch, then powder despensing, etc.

Thank you

 

[rcmodel]

It sure wouldn't for me.

But I'm one who likes to charge 50 cases at a time in a loading block, and look inside at the powder charges before I seat the bullets.

I just couldn't force myself to seat a bullet on top of a powder charge without comparing it to a bunch of others that should be exactly like it!

rc

 

[RandyP]

Well, since that's how I reload on my turret, except that mine auto-indexes, I know it saves a lot of time.. Four handle pulls = 1 finished round.= 150-200 rounds per hour (all handgun ammo FWIW)

When I was using the Lee single stage I reloaded in batches (about 50 rounds per hour), now I just visually check EVERY powder drop as I place the bullet on the loaded case. Haven't had any issues.

IMHO if loading one round thru all the steps was a BAD idea, the progressive machine makers would go out of business?

 

[sophijo]

T-7

Batch sort of.....#1 size, deprime, prime, expand. #2 charge, seat, taper-crimp

 

[fecmech]

When I use a turret I load each shell to completion turning the turret. I started with a Lyman Spar T turret and auto primer feed and I mount my Redding powder measure on the turret. I size and deprime, move turret, expand and reprime, move turret, dump powder, move turret, seat bullet, move turret, roll or taper crimp and then move turret to step one again. Takes about 15-18 minutes for a box of 50 rds of pistol ammo. I don't use the turret much anymore except for load development as I load mostly on 2 CH Auto Champ progressives.

 

[loadedround]

I used to load on an old Lyman All-American Turret press prior to buying my first of two Dillon 550"s. I also would load one round at a time while rotating the turret head. I finally realized that it was much faster to batch cases then to continuely rotating the head. The current Lyman and Redding turret presses are designed to mount one or more sets of dies on the press and not constantly screwing in and out of single dies as you would do in a single station press. JMHO!

 

[SSN Vet]

well... if you load one round start to finish....

you put the case on the press once and take it off the case once...

but...

you rotate the turret 3 (or 4, depending how you crimp) times per cartridge.

if you batch reload...

you put each case on to and off of the press 3 (or 4) times.

but you don't index the turret between eacy pull.

The lack of an auto advance and the cost of turrets, is why I am totally uninterested in the Redding turret press.

The auto-index and $9 turrets make the Lee Classic Cast Turret Press a much better option for "semi-progressive" loading, imho.

 

[Oldcoyote]

SSN Vet

I too have a Lee Classic Turret and it will load .30/06 in auto-index mode. Lee says the auto index limit is 3 1/16 COL but the slightly longer 06 works fine.

The .375 Wea, however, is too long and auto index must be disabled. This is not a big problem but I am just curious (and too much time on my hands today?).

 

[bluetopper]

I have a Lee turret press but I always use it as a single stage, loading in large batches.
I have 2 gallons each of 45 & 38 brass primed and ready to be loaded.

I too like to look at the powder charges of 50 at a time before I seat a bullet.

I'm thinking very seriously of getting me a Dillon 550 however. The way I do it now is very time consuming.

 

[rfwobbly]

Before I got my progressive, I found loading in batches of 50 to be the easiest and safest for me.

I have an old Lyman T-Mag turret (similar to the Redding) that I use as a backup. I find it very convenient to leave my Universal Decapper die and several of my other favorite dies set up to use in an instant.

 

[Offfhand]

I keep a Redding T-7 turret press on one of my loading benches becaue it is heavy, high-leverage tool and convenient for holding a full set of multi-die case forming dies. I simply rotate the turret thru each of the sizing steps without need to remove case from holder.

 

[docsleepy]

do you guys with a turret ever clean the primer pocket?

 

[RandyP]

I only load pistol, have not cleaned a primer pocket yet.

 

[Offfhand]

Quote from above post:

"do you guys with a turret ever clean the primer pocket?"

This question seems to imply there is some confusion as to differences between turret and progressive loaders. With my Dillon XL650 progressive tool it would be unreasonably time consuming to clean primer pockets because of difficulty of removing and returning the deprimed case to the shellplate. This would be no problem with simple turret presses such as my Redding T-7 however as cases are easly removed from the shell holder and returned.
If, however, someone was determined to clean primer pockets when using a progressive tool such as my Dillon, the fastest and most effecient way would be to deprime a batch of cases in a seperate operation (like with a single stage press.)clean the pockets, then feed the cases into the progressive tool normally.
Hope this explains..

 

[sophijo]

pocket

.....once in awhile I'll tumble, deprime and clean the pocket on a batch of cases, eventually cycling through all my cases; works out to about once every 6th reload. This is for .45 ACP.

 

[Quoheleth]

I have the Lee 4-hole Turret press. Somehow I managed to strip out both of the plastic washers that auto-index the thing, so Ive been manually indexing my turret for 2+ years, just fine. I know, the plastic washers are only a couple bucks from Midway, but a) I've gotten used to this and b) when I place Midway orders, I always forget the things. I run one cartridge the whole way through: deprime, flare/charge, seat bullet, crimp.

The only time I do batch reloading is for rifle.

The only time I clean primer pockets is if I happen to notice a really nasty one. On occassion, I'll pull out my bucket of .38 brass and sit in the yard and deprime/size while the kids play in the cul de sac. That leaves my brass deprimed before using my turret, letting me give them a peek-a-boo at that point.

Q

 

[docsleepy]

thanks, fellas, for the info on cleaning primer pockets. I think I might try a more complicated press than my single stage, but I was concerned about the primers.

perhaps I'll go for an autoindexing turret to start, on 9mm.


thanks!