Turret press

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In my opinion, conventional turret presses fill a niche market and do not have a large following. Just look at the number of turret presses on the market versus the number of single stage presses.

Conventional turret presses cost more than single stage presses and have a reputation of not being as strong or sturdy as a single stage press. Current designs probably have eliminated that problem but old opinions die hard.

Hornady has probably decided that the volume of sales of a turret press is not worth the cost to produce.

The Lee turrets are a bit different from conventional turret presses because of their ability to auto index. The Lee turrets have a strong following due to their auto index design and economical cost.
 
Probably for the same reason why Redding doesn't make a progressive. The competition is tight for a limited market and the bean counters don't think it would be profitable.
 
A turret press is a half step between a single stage, and a progressive, making it a compromise design. If you're out to get the most cost effective press setup, or to make it fit in the smallest possible workspace, then it's ideal. Most other criteria are better met by a single stage, or a progressive, or having both.

I think most of the people out to buy a turret are seeking cost efficiency above all else, and if that's the market you are in, Lee is pretty tough competition. For what it costs, it's pretty tough to beat Lee's turret, it's a pretty optimized balance between cost and quality.
 
I always wondered why Dillon doesn't make single stage presses. I guess they just find a niche and go with it. Is RCBS the only one that does it all?
 
I have a Rockchucker that I've been using or a few years now and wanted a press that would process pistol rounds more efficiently so got to looking at turret presses. I liked the RCBS video so I bought one. I still have my Rockchucker which I use for precision seating of rifle rounds but I now use the turret for almost all other operations for both rifle and pistol rounds. For rifle I use an RCBS lube die for lubing and decapping then move the turret one step for sizing. I can decap and size 200 rifle cases in about half the time that I can on my Rockchucker. I still hand prime rifle cases and, as I mentioned, I still seat them using the Rockchucker and a Forster Pecision seating die. For pistol, I do all operatins on the turret. Decap, size, prime, charge and seat in about half the time it takes to do all the steps on a single stage. I didn't want to go with a progressive but the turret press fits my needs perfectly. I should mention that I load about five hundred rounds a month with no problems. A word of caution about using a turret press (especially if you have been using a single stage)...stay focused on what you're doing. If you get distracted, you can miss a step and a squib at the range can really mess up your day. Good luck and good shooting.

Historian
 
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