Turret Press VS single press?

[ageingstudent]

I use a single stage press for resizing lake city 7.62*51 brass I dont think a turret press will hold up to that for very long. Could be wrong.

A turret will hold up just fine. I even do case forming on mine. Thousands and thousands haven't replaced a part yet.

 

[JRuby]

A turret will hold up just fine. I even do case forming on mine. Thousands and thousands haven't replaced a part yet.

So I can apply as much force with a turret press as a big single stage press and it will last as long? Which one do you recommend?

 

[mjbskwim]

A turret will hold up just fine. I even do case forming on mine. Thousands and thousands haven't replaced a part yet.

My buddy made a lot of 330 bk brass from 556 on his Lee press

 

[ageingstudent]

I'm not recomending either. I don't know about a single stage I've never used one so can't honestly compare. I can only state that I have formed a ridiculous amount of .401 sl out of 7.62x39 and even with sizing wax it's a fairly torturous process. The LCT holds up to it just fine. It also handles 30-06 and 22-250 fl sizing without any issues so far. I haven't seen any signs of wear and the press is still tight after 5+ years of regular use. So yes I think the LCT can handle most tasks. I keep it well oiled and clean. Big believer in proper lubrication. The most important thing is having a press that matches your needs.

 

[Member 5605]

I'm really new to reloading myself. My initial reloading was strictly pistol - 9mm and .38 special. After a lot of internet research, I settled on a Lee Classic Turret press, which works well for pistol. As noted above, you can produce a lot of rounds reasonably quickly, while still getting eyes on each round. I like visually confirming the that there's not (due to operator error) a double powder drop and randomly weigh the powder drop and check the finished rounds with a case gauge. Running slower than a full progressive press (one round per pull) allows (forces) me to pay more attention than I think I would if I could produce 4 to 5 times as many rounds per hour.

My pistol shooting doesn't demand perfect rounds - I'm not that good a shot. I can go to the range, have fun with my reloads and keep my limited skills as sharp as I can cheaper (I tell myself) than using factory ammo.

One thing I did with the Lee was to get a couple of spare turrets, so I can keep my dies for .38, 9mm and now .45 set up in a turret and swap turrets, rather than resetting the dies each time I change calibers.

More recently, I've been gathering tools to reload for my .260 Remington which I want to be a long range target gun - 500+ yards. Loading for the rifle will need to be a very precise process. Although the Lee would probably work fine, I've gotten a single stage Forster Co-Ax press for reloading .260. It allows for more precision with each operation, which hopefully will be reflected on the range. With my .260, I'm not going through a lot of rounds with each trip to the range, and don't need a volume press; with a .223 you may be in a very different boat.

In other words, different presses for different objectives.

And @Caveman Jim
Always. And I prefer the powder drop per turret so I can drop in and go of course after powder weight verification.

 

[Caveman Jim]

NICE, is that the Binford 9000 gunpowder distribution center?

 

[ageingstudent]

I like the way you have the shell holders right there on the front of the shelf Dyjital. I'll have to add some hooks to put mine there too.

 

[Member 5605]

I like the way you have the shell holders right there on the front of the shelf Dyjital. I'll have to add some hooks to put mine there too.

Picture hanging nails work good. At a 60* angle. Just enough of a head to keep it on and the right able to keep it from rotating out.

 

[filsonhand]

NICE, is that the Binford 9000 gunpowder distribution center?

Its a binford 6100

 

[Member 5605]

NICE, is that the Binford 9000 gunpowder distribution center?

Its a binford 6100

Both wrong. I got it from Wiley Coyote and he said it was the best that ACME had. Guaranteed to make my Bullets catch that roadrunner.

 

[ageingstudent]

Picture hanging nails work good. At a 60* angle. Just enough of a head to keep it on and the right able to keep it from rotating out.

Thanks for the nifty idea

 

[Certaindeaf]

. Seems to me that it is a lot of work (in the beginning) to keep removing & replacing dies on a single hole press..

It's not an issue if you batch the normal 100-5000 pieces a brass.. per stage.
Were you to screw in dies (or even with quick change dies) for every handle-pull or turn a standard turret by hand to a new die with every stroke.. I'd personally think you were retarded though.. since they are both essentially equivalent in speed. Traditional turrets are almost invariably C presses and flex. Try to visualize what you are doing/are trying to do. There's utube and stuff if you need pictures.
I think of regular turret presses as die holders. Then of course there's the auto-advancing Lee turret that produces a new cartridge with 3-4 strokes.. no case manipulation nor die diddles/hand turning a turret. anyway

 

[Member 5605]

Speed loading on a turret press:
https://instagram.com/p/9RXGdPISXL/

 

[mjbskwim]

Speed loading on a turret press:
https://instagram.com/p/9RXGdPISXL/

You'll never make it as an instructor with that video

 

[orygun]

I started with a turret press and have had very good results with it. I really liked the fact that I could set up my dies once and leave them until I wanted to change cartridge.
It does have a bit of flex in the turret head that a single stage like the Rock Crusher wouldn't. I suppose if you were doing big and difficult cartridges the single stage could have some advantages to offset the small time savings of the turret style.
I used to use the turret press exclusively for my hunting ammo, but have since switched to using a Dillon 550, in a single stage kind of way. (one at a time, weigh each powder charge)

 

[orygun]

I'm seriously studying the Dillon-550...

I probably wouldn't have bought one, but the wife and kids gave me one years ago.
It's a great machine. I can put together a whole bunch of handgun or practice rifle round in a short time, or be selective and do one stage at a time. Dillon also has top notch customer service.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Speed loading on a turret press:
https://instagram.com/p/9RXGdPISXL/

Seeing the picture (only clicked that far) that seems to be an auto advancing/powder dispensing Lee turret. I was kinda expecting to see a monkey spinning a turret wheel around in circles.. as is the odd norm for a hundred years now?

 

[mjbskwim]

(one at a time, weigh each powder charge)

I did this with some 308. If you think about it,you are doing more steps while using the 550-650 but still running more ammo. And I found that the Dillon powder charger got me really close anyway. Very seldom did I have to adjust the weight much

 

[Caveman Jim]

It's not an issue if you batch the normal 100-5000 pieces a brass.. per stage.
Were you to screw in dies (or even with quick change dies) for every handle-pull or turn a standard turret by hand to a new die with every stroke.. I'd personally think you were retarded though.. since they are both essentially equivalent in speed. Traditional turrets are almost invariably C presses and flex. Try to visualize what you are doing/are trying to do. There's utube and stuff if you need pictures.
I think of regular turret presses as die holders. Then of course there's the auto-advancing Lee turret that produces a new cartridge with 3-4 strokes.. no case manipulation nor die diddles/hand turning a turret. anyway

I know enough to run through each die before changing over but thanks for the vote of confidence...

 

[Certaindeaf]

I know enough to run through each die before changing over but thanks for the vote of confidence...

I hear ya. I was just trying to explain the fundamental difference between regular turrets and SS presses and Lee turrets.
The former two one does batch and with the latter (if you want it to) one does run each one all the way through all dies in a linear fashion 'til it's (that case is) done.
A Lee turret is an auto-advancing O turret and or a single stage O press.