Newbie question about Turret presses

[millhouse961]

Im looking to get into reloading for rifle and pistol rounds and am looking at a couple of Lee presses. I was trying to compare the difference between a Lee breech lock and a lee classic turret press but don't understand. Is the turret press just faster?

[alfred1222]

The breech lock is a single stage, and the turret is a turret. The turret has 4 stations, and with each lowering of the ram, it moves everything over one station. Therefore, every four strokes you complete a round. With the single stage, you have to do all your brass for one die, than change the die, and move slower. You make the best rounds on a single stage if you have good components and you're patient, but you go very slow

[millhouse961]

The breech lock is a single stage, and the turret is a turret. The turret has 4 stations, and with each lowering of the ram, it moves everything over one station. Therefore, every four strokes you complete a round. With the single stage, you have to do all your brass for one die, than change the die, and move slower. You make the best rounds on a single stage if you have good components and you're patient, but you go very slow

This is what i needed, thanks! Next question: if the turret is in stock and the single stage is back ordered, is it worth the extra 100 bucks or so for the turret or should i just wait the 6-8 weeks for the single stage?

[jsipe007]

I have the Lee classic turret and love it. IMHO go for it. You can remove the auto index rod to make it a single stage press. Also the turrets are easy to swap so you can have multiple calibers set up so you don't need to readjust the dies

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[tiller]

This is what i needed, thanks! Next question: if the turret is in stock and the single stage is back ordered, is it worth the extra 100 bucks or so for the turret or should i just wait the 6-8 weeks for the single stage?

Turret!

[alfred1222]

I have the Lee classic turret and love it. IMHO go for it. You can remove the auto index rod to make it a single stage press. Also the turrets are easy to swap so you can have multiple calibers set up so you don't need to readjust the dies

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This is my answer as well, get the turret

[csburtch]

I have the turret and 3 different tops for it so all of my dies stay together. Although I do check adjustments every time I change calibers. Love the press.

[Capybara]

I just received my Lee Classic Turret kit yesterday, be prepared to wait a while for die sets.

[edrex]

You make the best rounds on a single stage if you have good components and you're patient, but you go very slow

I'm new to reloading and have the Lee Classic Turret (which I really enjoy using), can you explain why a single stage would make better ammo?

[russt]

i love my classic turret, for the money nothing even compares! you wont be disappointed!

[rusty815]

I have my classic turret and use it as a single stage press by removing the index rod when I'm doing large bottle necked cartridges such as the 300WSM and 30-06, for rounds such as the 223 and other pistol rounds, I use it with the index rod and churn out a large amount of ammo relatively quickly, its a very versatile press and I recommend it over a standard single stage press.

[alfred1222]

I'm new to reloading and have the Lee Classic Turret (which I really enjoy using), can you explain why a single stage would make better ammo?

You take more time and make sure every step is done right. I should have said that they make the best ammo when you pay attention to everything. I reload my competition .308 on a hornady single stage press, and after all the brass prep, I can really get down and focus on weighing every single powder charge and making sure the bullets are seated perfectly. If you go slower you'll make better bullets and can focus on every bullet you make, and therefore get more consistent results

[millhouse961]

here's another dumb newbie question: can I reload the steel jacketed russian .223 rounds? I heard someone say no once, but never heard a reason.

[chango17]

here's another dumb newbie question: can I reload the steel jacketed russian .223 rounds? I heard someone say no once, but never heard a reason.

no you can not reload steel cased. the reason brass is used is because it is much softer and is way more malleable than steel meaning it can be stretched and manipulated alot easier. you can try it but im sure u will ruin your dies and get your case stuck too which i heard is a pain in the a** to remove sometimes, but i never have that problem i use Imperial case lube best lube ive ever used!!

[edrex]

You take more time and make sure every step is done right. I should have said that they make the best ammo when you pay attention to everything.

Got it. Wasn't sure if it was something to do with the actual presses or not. But that makes sense. For my target rounds I've been taking the index bar out and spinning the turret by hand. This slows down the process and I weigh each charge and adjust. For plinking rounds, it loads great while auto indexing.