The Lee Classic Turret Press

[airedale]

So once upon a time before the infamous "Safe Act" I had it in mind to buy myself an AR style rifle, I already had a couple of 223 Varmint rifles so an AR would fit right in. I accumulated a couple of thousand rounds of brass and decided to try a Turret press because of the large batches of 223 ammo I planned on loading and purchased a Lee Classic Turret. Well for me the Safe Act put the kabosh to that AR rifle idea, I just continued loading small batches for my Varmint rifles with my old standby Bair single station with the Lee just sitting unused.

So as I mentioned in the "big case load" thread I have in my possession several thousand once fired 38 spl cases, I got that mess of cases cleaned up and decided it was time the Lee Turret earned it's keep. While I did try the Lee press a few times just to see how it operated this would be the first time I used it in earnest. A couple of things I did not care for about the Lee, the handle while it works ok is on the cheesy side and I was very used to the Inline Fabrication roller handle I put on my old Bair single station. So I changed out the OEM handle for a new Inline Ergo roller handle which I feel is a big improvement. Also I ditched the auto primer feed, I just did not care for it and can basically load  the primers one by one almost as fast as the auto setup. I also installed a little clamp on LED gooseneck lamp to one of the support posts that lit up the shell holder area nicely.

So there was a bit of a learning curve using this press, getting used to it was more from fifty years of using a single station loading thousands of shell that was more than anything else. With a single station each operation is carried out one at a time and a batch at a time. With the Turret you start with a case and go through all the operations and end up with a loaded cartridge and the loading rate is faster. One other thing, the Lee Auto Drum powder measure is the most consistent accurate measure I have ever used and I got three other pretty good ones,

All and all once I got used to the Turret sequence things started to move along and the loaded cartridges started to pile up, at around the 1300 mark I ran out of bullets, I think that is the first time that has ever happened to me. By the way I have found that reloading components especially pistol bullets are just about sold out everywhere.

So in the end I would say if loading large batches of ammo is your thing a Turret press would be worth looking into, but if loading a 100 or so a good single station is plenty good enough.

Al

Edited April 16, 2020 by airedale

[Lawdwaz]

Nice set up Al.  Very organized!!!!

[Nytracker]

Love the ego roller handle  handle.. I also bought the press stand.  Made my rcbs press perfect.

[rob-c]

I bought the lee value turret press   because it has a shorter throw and is recommended for pistol rounds , i have loaded well over 5000 rounds of 380, 38, 357,44 and now  500 rounds of 10mm will be included. Only thing I have to be cautious, because I’ll get in the grove and I use the pro auto disc powder measure and  I’ll get going so fast the weight of the measure  will over rotate  the disc and not index correctly. I have plates all set up for each caliber so it’s just swapping them. I load all my rifle rounds on my single stage. No complaints about my cheap lee press. 

 

[airedale]

Below is the little LED goose neck lamp I mentioned above, small but very bright, this little gizmo is great, with it's clamping system and neck adjustability allows you put light exactly where it is needed. It is rechargeable and the battery life is very long, I used it for several days before I recharged it. I have been able to use it on all my presses with no problem.

Al

[rob-c]

I use s pocket flash light held to my press with Velcro like this one. A nice bright light is essential for that quick case check for the powder drop. 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I actually liked the handle because i sit at about a 45 degree angle to the left side and it's more of a side pull on the lever. I just find it easier to load the components from there. I do use the auto prime when using the press in turret mode. Took a little getting use to but it works for me.  I was finding that I could do about 200-250 rounds an hour when I was all set up. 

I also like it when used as a single stage press and I remove the indexing rod. I like being able to drop in the turret plate in with all the dies set and ready to roll. In that mode I hand measure every powder load and use a hand primer.  

[Steve D]

59 minutes ago, Culvercreek hunt club said:

also like it when used as a single stage press and I remove the indexing rod. I like being able to drop in the turret plate in with all the dies set and ready to roll. In that mode I hand measure every powder load and use a hand primer.  

I have the Lee Progressive 1000 and like it for the same reasons but gave up on trying to use their primer feed set up. It is to unreliable for me and I ended up buying a hand primer,  do not use the powder measure, and also measure every powder load on a scale

 I like the versatility of them and the ability to change calibers fairly quickly but find you have to pretty much babysit every round as it goes around the press. I am sure there are probably better progressives out there but for the money the Lee is good enough for my needs.

Hope to invest in a electronic powder dispenser in the future to speed things up but for now I will get by with what I have because I never want to rush or be in a hurry when I do reload.