lee turrent press good enough for first time reloader?

[ns3v3n]

i've only have enough money to get this one, the lee 4 hole turrent press. is it ok for a first time reloader?

[PJA]

Yes, it is, but a starting reloader is much better served by a single stage press IMHO.
Pete

[grammaton76]

Eh, a turret press is more or less just a single-stage press with a convenient quick-change setup.

Although personally, I would wait up to try and buy a different brand of press... Lee doesn't exactly set industry standards for durability.

[Fjold]

OK, I'll play devil's advocate. I like turret presses for beginner reloaders because one you set your dies correctly you never have to reset them, just change out the press head. There's less chance of making a mistake with an incorrect setting.

I learned to reload on an old three hole Lee turret that I bought in 1982. It has loaded 100,000's of pistol rounds in 45 ACP, 44 Mag, 7TCU, 223 and 9mm and thousands of rounds of 308, 243, 25.06, 300 WSM, 7 mm Mag and still works flawlessly today.
Here it is on the left hand side of my reloading bench:

[ocabj]

The Lee turret is cast aluminum. If you want a press, get a cast iron.

Also, try to go RCBS, Redding, Hornady, or with another manufacturer with a lifetime warranty. Case in point: My friend recently sent his RCBS Rockchucker (older model) to RCBS to have it refurbed because the linkage was loose. They sent him back a brand new Rockchucker. Aside from the cost of shipping his press back, it was all free (as part of the warranty).

The cost of the press is not just for the press itself. You're also paying for the quality of the press, the quality of service, and quality of it's use in creating quality reloads.

Personally, I'd rather get a used 1960s Rockchucker over a brand new 2007 Lee turret press.

[ns3v3n]

well what do you guys recommend for a budget of $120 bucks??? the lee turrent press on ebay is 119 plus a free set of carbide dies of my choice, is there anything better?

[Cazach]

You can find the Lyman Turret for around $120 and the RCBS and others can be had for around $150-170.

Buy a quality rig once. Even if you later switch to a progressive you will probably keep your original single stage (or turret) for smaller/special batches.

[vega]

If you're going for Lee I suggest go get them from Midway.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=880135

I don't know what caliber you intend to load but they are not that expensive.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=434975

Don't forget the manual, powder scale, powder hopper and caliper.

[ocabj]

I posted the Hornady "Get Loaded" promo a few weeks ago.

http://www.hornady.com/get_loaded.php

[461]

There's nothing wrong with the Lee, I've had a Lee turret for 15 years and it turns out ammo as good as any other brand and I doubt you'll find anyone who's worn one out. I've got untold thousands of rounds loaded through mine without a hitch. I'd rather save some cash than have snob appeal but everyone makes choices, that extra cash will buy some other reloading gear. Check around, you should be able to find a Lee turret cheaper than $120.00

[ns3v3n]

well the 120 buck lee turrent includes a set of 4 carbide dies of my choice, and that alone at midway usa is 28 bucks, so i think it's a good deal. !

[Matt-man]

The Lee Classic Turret - the new cast iron one, not the old aluminum model - is $84 at MidwayUSA. Buy that one and your choice of dies and you're still below $120, probably even with shipping.

[ns3v3n]

that lee classic turrent, is that with one hole for the die? so does it mean you have to screw/unscrew everytime you use a different die?

[vega]

Lee Classic TURRET (not turrent) have more than one hole. You just buy extra turret hole for another caliber. I'd go Midway rather than ebay.

[ns3v3n]

dont you need the stuff to measure out the powder and stuff?