Your answers
You're getting some feedback, but not necessarily the answers you were asking for. Here's your direct answers...
1) Which one do you think is better - the Lyman T Mag 2, RCBS, or Lee CT and why ?
Lee has the obvious advantage in startup cost so that point really
isn't as important to me as other facts that would substantially
distinguish these presses from each other.
IMHO, you may not be comparing apples to apples.
• The Lyman T-Mag is an old and trusted design. It comes as a kit with everything you need, including the industries leading manual and a case trimmer which will be mandatory for your rifle reloading. True it must be manually advanced and there will be a lot more handling when loading pistol rounds. This press is probably the best of the lot for rifle loading. The primer system and powder feed are metallic, sturdy, and accurate over long periods.
• RCBS. Which RCBS?
• Lee CT is their bottom of the line press and comes with few accessories. If you buy one of these, definitely get the 4-position version since you'll need it for pistol. The dies auto-rotate over a fixed ram. IME Lee turrets don't always advance correctly; as has been noted some fiddling is required. The primer system and powder feed are adequate, but plastic and prone to hiccups too. No case trimmer is provided which is required for rifle.
• Basic issues at work here...
1) You get what you pay for, my friend. IMHO, by the time you buy ALL the equipment you'll need, using any brand press you like, you'll be well over $400... not counting the reloading die sets. If you buy a poor manual, you'll be "adding to your library" within 6 months. If you buy cheap accessories, you'll be replacing them within a year. For SOME people going in cheap and then following up every year with $100 equipment upgrades makes sense. For SOME people buying the right equipment
once is a cost savings they can afford. You have to figure out which person you are.
2) IMHO there is no single press that works equally well reloading pistol really fast and rifle accurately in your price range. That is due to the reloading process itself. Rifle cases need to be trimmed after sizing, whereas pistol cases do not. If you'll spend an afternoon at a friend's house reloading both, you'll quickly see this.
2) Can I use the Hornady LNL bushings on all three presses ?
• No. The Lyman T-Mag has 8 positions. That's 1 set of pistol dies and 2 sets of rifle dies at the same time. Why would you need "fast swap" dies when you are set up for 3 calibers?
• Yes. Hornady LNL bushings can be used on
some RCBS presses.
• No. With the Lee you buy additional 4-hole turrets (one for each die set) and that way your dies remain in caliber sets for quick installation or easy storage. One Lee 4-hole turret costs less than 4 individual Hornady LNL bushes anyway.
3) How many rounds can one comfortably produce on a turret press ?
• How many times can you pull a lever until you elbow hurts? That is not a sarcastic answer. It really depends more on your chair/stool and the height of your workbench than anything. IOW, it is mostly dependent on the ergonomics of your reloading station.
Hope this helps!