Added 2 more presses.

[michael e]

Just got in a hand press and a single stage press I ordered last week. I think I am getting lazy, I want a press for every caliber so I don't have to change anything over . I keep toying with the idea of adding another bench to mount a couple more progressive presses on. Well off to drill some holes into the talbe to get the new single stage set up.

[G.A. Heath]

I thought I was getting lazy when I installed the Hornady Lock N Load bushing conversion into my Rock Chucker. The press for every caliber idea now has me considering it.

[Don2]

I thought I was getting lazy when I installed the Hornady Lock N Load bushing conversion into my Rock Chucker. The press for every caliber idea now has me considering it.

Thats one reason I bought a Redding T7 turret press and extra turrets too.....!!
A lot easier and faster than a single stage press for us "lazy" guys
I make one complete round at a time instead of batch'n it.... WorkZ for me.
Plus I put a powder measure with case activated powder measure attachment on it like the LnL AP's have.

The Redding T7 is more expensive than the other turret presses, but when you see and use it, you'll understand where the extra money went.

Works great for me.

Don2

[G.A. Heath]

To be honest I am seriously considering a progressive press, either a Hornady or Dillon. I'm trying to locate someone local who has one or both to actually get a good look at them. I have used turret presses, even own a budget one (Lee), but my inner caveman really leans towards the progressive.

[Houston1944]

Around 14 years ago I decided these old arms only had so many lever strokes left so I got a Dillon 550, then traded up for a 650 couple of years later, best thing I ever did for myself. 4 strokes plus hand priming to make a 45 acp bullet on the Rock Chucker, 1 stroke to make one on the 650.

A couple of years later I got a T7 for large revolver and rifle. Life is a lot easier with the combination of the 650 and the T7. The Rock Chucker served me well and it is an excellent singe stage press but mine has been sitting in the corner collecting dust for several years.

[G.A. Heath]

I am too dependent on my Rock Chucker to ever retire it. I have my universal depriming die, my RCBS primer pocket swageing die, and do my precision loads on it. But my inner caveman still wants to reduce time/labor when loading 9mm/.40S&W/.45ACP/.38special/.45Colt/...

[OldCannon]

The Redding T7 is more expensive than the other turret presses, but when you see and use it, you'll understand where the extra money went.

Works great for me.

Don2

I'll be setting one of those up as a demo unit next to the LnL. I think the T7 is a fine investment. Technically, you can easily have two calibers set up for reloading. Midway has them on sale for $245 right now, which is a great price!

[Don2]

The Redding T7 is more expensive than the other turret presses, but when you see and use it, you'll understand where the extra money went.

Works great for me.

Don2

I'll be setting one of those up as a demo unit next to the LnL. I think the T7 is a fine investment. Technically, you can easily have two calibers set up for reloading. Midway has them on sale for $245 right now, which is a great price!

I decided after using the T7 for a while, not to have more than one caliber on the turret. I just bought other turrets.
Wish they were a little cheaper..!!
I did install 2 calibers worth of dies and tried it a few times...It was ok?

I use to have a Dillon Square Deal "B" . It worked just fine, but was wanting a 650 so I sold it but never bought the 650??
Oh well...I'm still having fun reloading.

Last thing I was playing with, was a pneumatic shell kicker on the T7. I had a few thousand pieces of brass to deprime and connected a air jet to a bracket at the base of the ram and a push button air valve at the top of the stroke behind the handle.
As I raised the brass into the die to deprime and then back down...A jet of air pushed the brass out of the shell holder and into a box. It just took out the step of taking the brass off the ram and setting it into a box for me. It was very fast.
I just like doing that sort of thing...I seem to want to modify everything..!!!

Don2

[LTUME1978]

I have been using a Lee Classic Turret press for several years and am very pleased with it. I don't use it as designed but instead as a supercharged single stage press. I bought two sets of dies and two of the 4 hole die holders. In the first die holder, I put a resize/deprime die then a case bell die then another resize/deprime followed by another case bell die. After the brass come out of a tumbler with walnut hulls (for cleaning) I put a piece of brass in the shell holder, pump the press handle twice and take the piece of brass out. The handle on the press never stops moving and this reduces the wear and tear on my left arm (half as many movements as a single stage press for the same effort). I then throw the brass in a tumbler with corn cob and polish. The brass come out looking better than new. From there, I clean the primer pockets (I know, probably not needed but it is a hold over from my days shooting bulleye in the 70's) and hand seat primers in the cases. Then it is back to the reloading bench. I have a second 4 die ring set up with a seating die followed by a factory crimp die then another seating die and factory crimp die. I put the cases in a loading block (50 at a time), charge all the cases, visually inspect every case (using Titegroup makes me nervous as it is possible to double charge a case and still seat the bullet). Then I seat and crimp all of the loaded rounds. Not nearly as fast as a progressive but I have never had an issue with any of my loaded ammo and I have loaded approximately 22K rounds of pistol ammo in the last 3 years. Besides, reloading is my therapy :-). Some day, I may talk myself into a progressive.

I will say that the Lee equipment exceeded my expectations. I had a minor issue with the press but Lee promptly sent out a replacement part (their customer service is excellent). The tolerances seemed loose (I am a mechaincal engineer that is used to working to thousands and tenths of a thousands tolerance so I am a little nuts about things like that) but the gear produces good ammo. Their gear does not look as nice as the other brands (no fancy metal work) but it functions very well. I wondered about the quality of their dies vs others so I bought some Hornady pistol dies, loaded some ammo (45 ACP) on both the Lee and Hornady dies and bench tested the ammo. I could not see any difference in group size between the ammo loaded on the two different brands of dies. I have loaded 223 ammo on this press as well and that ammo easily shoots sub MOA in my good AR. Just a little bonus info :-).

[OldCannon]

I have been using a Lee Classic Turret press for several years and am very pleased with it. ... I have a second 4 die ring set up with a seating die followed by a factory crimp die then another seating die and factory crimp die. I put the cases in a loading block (50 at a time), charge all the cases, visually inspect every case (using Titegroup makes me nervous as it is possible to double charge a case and still seat the bullet). Then I seat and crimp all of the loaded rounds.

I completely agree. I think the Lee Turret Press is _the_ best press for a beginner, and many people are perfectly content to stick with it forever. I'm going through the process of setting up a Hornady LnL AP, and while I like what it's supposed to do, I've had far more challenges with it than I think are reasonable getting it set up. Hornady has been spot-on with support though, but some of the issues are a bit frustrating. I'm trying to work up a "No More Tears" setup so that people can order an LnL and get something they can start using almost right out of the box. That means using a PowderFunnelinstead of Hornady's PTX Expander and an RCBS Lock Out Die instead of Hornady's Powder Cop. I think the biggest problem with any auto progressive press is that the speed improvements require a little more care and tuning to get things "just right." Bullet feeders are another thing -- frankly, I think they all have deficiencies in various ways, and I'm already toying with a concept that should change how bullets are fed, but still fits within the crowded constraints of a press. Nothing like a good dose of frustration to get me motivated to invent something

[Don2]

I played with the idea of putting a bullet feeder on my T7. With just a tube feed no a feeder collator, and have several loaded tubes ready. Not so much as to be faster, but to be easier to use. ( And a little cheaper. )
Looked at the Lee and RCBS bullet feed dies and did not like the way they were made. RCBS has plastic inside them..!!!!

The Hornady bullet feed dies are just the ticket, plus found a few people who have modified them to work with lead bullets.
I will get the hornady bullet feed die at some point soon when I get all my other projects finished ( maybe one day? )

When yall are talking about the Lee Turret press, do you mean the Classic Turret or the other one?
I understand that the classic turret is the better one? But I have NOT used either one so I really do not have any idea.
I did really look at them and seriously almost bought one, but didn't...Still might if they are as good as people say?
Every press or mechanical device has its problems, some more than others.

Don2