turret presses

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cajun 48

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Seriously thinking about getting into reloading. What would be a good starter press? Will be loading .45acp only (for now). Only shoot appx 200 rounds a month. Was looking at a four hole lee turret, but am open to suggestions. Thanks.
 
that's the same press I have - it was also my first. It's worked great so far - I load a little more at about 300 a month or so. I decided to invest in a Lyman 1200 DPS powder dispenser too - sped everything up and it's very accurate! the only beef I have with that press is the priming system - one by one gets old quick :(
 
I'd recommend something like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220282021233

I have an older 3-hole version of this press and I love it. I can load 100 rounds in a half hour with it, and that includes setup time. (but to be honest I don't like to go that fast with it) I also have a progressive press, but I still use the C&H about as much as the progressive because I tend to do about 50 at a time of a lot of different loads.
 
If you decide to get the Lee turret press make sure you get the Classic Cast version. It's much better. - Phil
 
There are a lot of really good presses out there. You will more than likely hear from the fans of every "color". I did a lot of research online; I wasn't a fan of any of them. It finally came down to cost for what I wanted to accomplish. The Lee Classic Turret Press was the one I chose. And I was going to be loading 45ACP just as you. The Lee Classic Turret Press is a semi-progressive press. You can still use is as a single-stage press if you choose to. Once I had the 45 figured out and loading nicely (which didn't take long at all) I added a second turret and the carbide dies for 380ACP. The swap out is very quick and easy. I don't hurry when reloading, but still manage 100-150 rounds in one hour. I had envisioned using the Lee Classic Turret Press for a while then moving up to one of the other brands. But, as I have had no problems with the Classic, and it makes fine ammo, I currently don't see the need to change. Keep doing your due dilegence. Brian Enos can give you the skinny on the Dillon equipment. Very good stuff as are most all of the major brands. Good luck with your research/decision. Let us know...
 
You have chosen a very good press in the Lee Classic Cast Turret. I have one that has performed flawlessly.:D
 
It's worse than crack!
Click to expand...

It's at least up there with nicotine and caffeine.

Seriously, the LEE Classic Turret sounds like it's right up your alley. If all your gonna handload is 200 rounds per month (which will double or even triple once you start doing it) you can handload that in 1 hour and a half's time from beginning to end. I bought this press for a buddy of mine as a birthday present and helped him set it up and have loaded with it and it's pretty cool. Seriously, 5 rounds per minute is about what these LCT load at a good pace and that is really all you need. It's plenty fast and strong enough. This press and a good single stage such as the Lee Classic single stage makes for a very nice bench.

Later on down the freeway, you can decide if you want to spend the big bucks on Stronger faster machines like the Reddings, RCBS or the fast green thingy or the other Red Fast thingy or the Blue thingy.

Cheers
 
Once you start you can't stop......

I have the 4 station turret for 9mm and .223 and so long as you remember, particularly during the early stages, do it slow and right not fast and wrong.

Definitely buy the ABC's or Reloading book and optionally the Lee reloading book.

I would recommend that you get a small digital scale, nothing wrong with the balance from Lee, just can take a lot of time to settle.

Also with a digital scale you can periodically weigh your empty and primed cartridge, reset to zero with the cartridge, throw powder, re-weigh and make sure your powder weight is still correct.

Ditto with a digital or dial caliper to check for OAK, Ebay or your local ACE can supply nice AND inexpensive.
 
To solve the Boring Priming stage of the operation. Get a Lee single stage "O" press and a Lee Auto prime II...Prime as a seperate operation...Then move to the Lee Turret Classic Cast to complete the loading job...
 
+1000 on the Lee Classic (cast) Turret press! Be sure to get the Pro Auto Disc measure, as it's much better than the standard one.
 
All you have to do is remove the drive shaft on the Classic, and it works great as a single-stage. It just lifts out.

Buy some extra turrets, and you can do anything you want with it. I use mine to deprime all my cases first, then tumble them, them I'll prime all of them.

Once I have a bucket full of clean, primed cases, then I can start producing rounds with any powder/bullet/load combos I want to do.
 
Turret presses are a good compromise between a single station press and a progressive.

With the Lee 4-holer, you can set up all the dies for one caliber (including a post-seating crimp die) and leave them set -- no need to unscrew and readjust when you change dies. You can buy additional heads, one for each caliber you own and simply switch heads.
 
I wish that Hornaday would make a Turrent style press with their lock and load bushings.
Click to expand...

Actually I have Lyman T-Mag that a friend gave me, which has been fine. But I look at the Hornaday LnL Classic with envy - to my mind, if the LnL works the way it's been advertised, it looks like a more elegant solution to the "change dies quickly" problem than a turret.

The turret, at least the one I have, just creates a system that allows me to leave a bunch of dies pre-adjusted, and to switch between the dies pretty quickly.

Doesn't LnL give me the same benefit with a whole lot less mechanism?

By the way, that's a question, not an argument

I am not quite sure how the LnL works, but can't you adjust your dies once, and leave them in some bushing that slips in and out of the press?

It seems as though - if I understand the LnL - slipping the bushings in and out of the LnL press is logically the equivalent of turning the turret?

If that's true, then the turret substitutes a big hunk of moving cast iron for the bushing. While the concern is largely theoretical, since that big hunk of cast iron has to be able to spin, then you've introduced an axle that can flex a little, etc. Looks like more moving parts to me.

Does a turret have any advantage over an LnL Classic?

Mike
 
Does a turret have any advantage over an LnL Classic?
Click to expand...

If the turret auto-indexes and you load each round all-the-way one at a time, the turret will be much faster. If you size/prime a whole reloading block of cartridges, change the die and expand/drop-powder them all, change the die again and seat/crimp, there's not much difference and the turret has got to have more slop to it (maybe not significant, I dunno.)

The LNL bushings are nice, but they are not that big of an improvement over using big locking rings with a set screw. I put Lyman or Forster rings on all my Lee crimp dies.
 
The real advantage of turret presses is that you don't need to stop and change dies during the reloading process. When you add removable heads, where dies can be left set up, that gives you a big advantage.
 
If the turret auto-indexes and you load each round all-the-way one at a time, the turret will be much faster. If you size/prime a whole reloading block of cartridges, change the die and expand/drop-powder them all, change the die again and seat/crimp, there's not much difference and the turret has got to have more slop to it (maybe not significant, I dunno.)
Click to expand...

Mine isn't auto-indexing, and I tend to batch the operations - de-prime/resize all; tumble all; drop powder in 100; set bullet in 100; crimp 100.

So the turret is of no particular (over LnL), and like you, I think it must have more slop.

I guess I need to find somebody locally that has Hornaday LnL classic who thinks a turret will be the cat's pajamas. :) Then we can swap.

Mike
 
Thanks to all who responded! Nice to know I'll be making a good buy when I get it. Special thanks to everallm for the tip on how to use a digital scale to check loads. Sure will be the heck of a lot better than dumping/weighing/pour it back in. Thanks again! Another special thanks to bushmaster of the tip on using a single stage to size and decap. Many thanks!
Rusty I can only hope I'll have that many turrets! Nice bench!
Again thanks to all the info was great and helped a bunch.
 
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