Turret Press

[Nick_C_S]

I've been loading for 30 years on a single stage - on an RCBS "Reloader Special 2". It's the only press I've owned (or ever used) and works as good as the day I got it.

I have pondered going progressive, and may this winter - we'll see. But that's another thread.

On this thread, I have to ask about turret presses: I feel like I'm missing something. Because the best I can determine, other than being able to screw in your dies all at once, rather than having to switch out dies, I fail to see how they have any advantage over a single stage press. So you can rotate the turret to quickly go from resize to flair - whoopie-doo!

What am I missing?

 

[FrankenMauser]

...
Because the best I can determine, other than being able to screw in your dies all at once, rather than having to switch out dies...

That, alone, is worth more than you might think.

I have a Redding T-7. I only have the turret head that came with the press - no extras. Rather than some of the competition that only allows 3 or 4 dies to be installed at any one time, I can use up to 7.

Right now, I have dies in the turret for .223 Rem and .458 SOCOM, a Lyman M die, and a CH-4D primer swage tool. And there's still an empty hole to quick jobs with other calibers, or, as I was doing last week (), pulling bullets.

I don't have a turret to use it as a slow progressive, rotating between dies to go from start to finish with a single case. I use it as a temporary storage location while working up new loads.
I set the dies, punch out a box of test ammo, and leave the dies set. I can test the ammo, make any adjustments necessary with primer changes, powder, or powder charge, and start right back where I left off - without even having to screw the die(s) back into the press. ...Rotate the head, install the appropriate shell holder (which I store on the decapping pin, if the die is in the press), and go.

It also lets me install all of the dies for a given cartridge, and let me load one box of ammo at a time, when I'm not sure how much time I will have available. If I get stopped after one box, that's fine - I don't have 350 other prepped cases sitting on the reloading bench to get contaminated. But if I don't get stopped, I just rotate the head back to whatever die the next box of brass needs to start with, and keep plugging along.


If T-7 turret heads were a little cheaper, and I could actually get the bolt out of my press*, I might consider adding some more turrets. But, as is, I'm still extremely satisfied with having 6 more positions for just 'die storage'.


The Lee turrets... not for me. If I want a case to go from start to finish without leaving the press, I'll buy another Dillon progressive. (I had a 550, but sold it. The T-7 was enough for me.)


*(I can't get the bolt out, to remove the head or grease the press. I've broken two hex drivers while trying.

 

[Nick_C_S]

Some good insights there. Thanks.

I guess it'd be good to inform everyone that I only load for pistol. That might be a factor.

I can see turrets coming in handy if you only load one caliber - all your dies are ready to go. Or if you had a turret for each caliber. I guess if you had a bunch of range brass of different calibers, you could load different sizer dies into it and flip it around as needed.

Boy, if you had all your dies for one caliber screwed in, and then needed to change to another caliber, that'd take some time Which reminds me, if I go progressive, I'm going to buy several die plates for just that reason.

 

[Lost Sheep]

Here's what you are missing

Continuous vs Batch processing

As you already know, a turret press is just a single-stage press (the bottom end, where the ram holds but one cartridge case at a time) that holds more than just one die ready. It can still only use one die at a time. But the ease of swapping one die for another enables the user to process in batch mode or in continuous mode at will.

Batch processing: you are probably familiar with. Whether your batch size is 20, 50 or 100, the operations are the same. (For pistol) Size/deprime and prime 50 rounds, then switch dies and bell and charge 50 rounds. Inspect the charges in a batch and switch dies. Seat and crimp 50 rounds. Batch is done. Move on to the next batch.

You have inserted and removed each case a number of times. This handling takes time

Continuous processing: Put the empty case in the press and do all the operations (size/deprime, bell/charge, seat/crimp) and remove the finished cartridge only when all the steps are done.

Because continuous processing eliminates a lot of handling the cases (at least three insertion-removal cycles) it saves a lot of time.

While the Lee turret press only holds 4 dies, swapping turrets can be done in 15 seconds without tools. The Lee also automatically rotates the turret (if you want it to).

Lost Sheep

 

[Hammerhead]

It's faster to flip from station to station on a turret than it is to move cases in and out on a single stage.

 

[Reloader2]

I was pretty much in the same boat. Although its only been 20 years with the Reloader 2 Special for me.
Last year I bough a semi auto pistol so wanted to load lots of rounds with it.

I bought the Lee Classic Turret press and can now easily produce 100+ rounds in an hour. Although I enjoy every aspect of reloading my own ammo and am not pushed for speed, the turret press has proven to be a time saver.

Crank the handle=size, deprime and prime the case
Crank the handle=flare the case and add powder
Crank the handle=seat the bullet
Crank the handle=crimp the case
Done

Lots of video's on you tube showing presses being used. Check them out and they may help you decide if a turret press is worthwhile for you.
Personally I'm glad I've got mine.

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

How much time is wasted taking the same case in and out of the press 3-4 times? How much time is wasted reinstalling and readjusting every die? I realize some guys utilize the lock rings but it still has to be verified and some folks don't even use the rings.

I can (easily) load 200 handgun rounds an hour in my Lee Classic Turret. I could do rifle that fast too if I did powder on press and didn't clean the lube between stages.

As far as the claims I've seen, that is anywhere between 2 and 4 times faster than a single stage.

 

[higgite]

My Classic Cast s/s press can do everything that my T-7 turret press can do. But, the T-7 is 7 times more convenient.

 

[pathdoc]

Swapping dies in and out became a PITA once I started reloading for multiple calibres. I previously only had a single-stage RCBS press and am now very pleased with my Lee classic turret press. It suits my relatively low volume requirements. If I were loading over a hundred rounds a week, I'd have bought a true progressive.

 

[Nick_C_S]

About 90% of what I load is 38 Special. I guess it would be cool to have a turret press pre-loaded with a set of 38/357 dies, ready to go. (I don't have the space - I'm talking in the theoretical.)

As far as taking the time to adjust dies: I have five 38/357 seat dies - three taper; and two roll crimp. Two of the three taper crimps are pre-set (one for DEWC's, and one for flush seat WC's, and one of the roll crimps is pre-set (SWC's). The remaining two (one taper, one roll) are for misc other loadings, that would need to be adjusted. So it's pretty fast to just screw them in and go. I also have two 38/357 flair dies - one for 38 Spl, one for 357 mag. Again, just screw 'em in and go.

I'm actually pretty efficient on my single-stage.

I may go progressive this winter loading season (of course, there's no point if I can't get any powder). But there are a number of processes that give me a great deal of confidence in my ammunition (every round I've ever loaded went "bang" in a proper way) that I would have to forsake if I go progressive.

For instance, I like hand priming. I believe it to be superior to any method on a press. I also like being able to look at all my charged cases at one time, under a strong light, in a loading block.

A progressive doesn't fit well with my current brass reconditioning process either. I'll leave it at that, as I don't feel like another three paragraphs while here at work. And I'm sure the point has been made.

 

[billcarey]

I used to reload about 50 rds hr of 38/357 on my single stage Rockchucker while my Lyman turret does 150-200 hr at the same pace. The case is inserted and when taken out is a finished round. I do EVERYTHING on the press and have the powder measure on a powder through die to make one less turn of the turret. There is just no comparison in rounds per hr between the single stage and turret. Hand priming and powder charging away from the turret press makes turret loading slower but a turret is generally way faster regardless.

bc

 

[lilguy]

I have an old Lyman turret press that I bought in the mid 70's. I still use it today to load 460,480 and 500 mag. 2 Dillon progressives for 9mm and shot shells.
The Lyman looks like it's been to war, but does a great job.

 

[SVTCobra306]

For my Classic Turret press I have a separate turret head for each caliber I load. The turret head is only $13.00 and I splurged the extra $7 to get another auto disk extension so I don't have to reset any of the expanding dies. I can change calibers pretty quickly, emptying and swapping over the autodisk is about the most time consuming part.

Using a single stage press it used to take me most of an afternoon to load a hundred pistol rounds. Now it takes me about 40 minutes tops.

 

[GWS]

I know this is the "Turret" thread, so I'll not talk alot about the "next" thread. I was in the same boat as you 6 years ago, and I was trying hard to justify a turret....just liked the looks of them, and my 40 year old Rock Chucker experience was starting to get old.........okay, I was getting old, and was thinking, too many bullets to load, less eager to spend that much of my remaining time loading them............then there's the arthritis card, where the number of press handle pulls in a day truly makes a difference in how I feel at the end of each reloading day.

Each case requires the same number of operations on it no matter what system is used. Single or Turret or progressive it makes no difference. Except that only one system can do five cases at a time......and that makes ALL the difference in the world to an old fart like me.
(then add an arthritis-proof motorized case trimmer, a cheap bullet feeder and cheaper case feeder.......NOW we're talking)

Did I ever get a turret? No...still would like one to play with....kinda...but I do still use the old Rockchucker with my Pro 2000. And I recently bought a Summit press too...........and that means I can have a few more fun options seeing that press takes up so little room .....

Know what? There's lots of ways to have fun loading! I'd like one of everything.

 

[steve4102]

I have an RCBS Rock Chucker and an RCBS Turret press. The turret is pretty much all I use anymore. The Chucker is only used for the RX die or my Lee bullet sizing dies.

I will never go back to loading with a single stage again, especially pistol.YMMV I do not use my Turret as a semi-progressive, I never remove the dies from the head.

Yes, the cover plate for the outlet has been added since this picture was taken, one more head have been added as well, and there is one on the press.

 

[David Bachelder]

I had a RCBS Turret and several heads. In my opinion it was faster than single stage reloading. It worked well and I never had major problems with it. I did have a few issues with the priming system not shedding spent primers properly. An email to RCBS led to a quick and easy fix. Great people to deal with.

I sold it and used the cash to help pay for a Hornady LNL. This worked out to be a great deal for me. I really enjoy the LNL and Hornady is also a great company to work with.

I moved from single, to turret, to progressive in just a few years. I still have the single stage and I'm guessing I always will. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably skip the turret. For financial reasons only.

 

[F. Guffey]

I have the Herter turret press, when forming cases 100 at a time having the forming die set up on the turret makes it easy to form cases that have to be replaced when something goes wrong.

When forming 7mm57 from 30/06 it is convenient to go from 30/06 to 8mm57 then to 7mm57. Keeping the dies set up on the turret allows for setting the dies once, after that it is a matter of rotating the turret.

Back when: Pistol dies came 3 to the box, setting the dies up in the turret allow for two complete set of dies to be used, then there was an option, for extra money they would increase the numbers of holes in the press to 12 from 6.

Another option, the two ram Herter press, when forming form on one ram and size on the other. When reloading bottle neck cases, size on one side, seat on the other.

F. Guffey

 

[Nick_C_S]

Nice set-up steve4102. You seem like me - if you're gonna do something, so all the way.

 

[mikld]

I have a Lee turret press. Because I don't have a quota and I reload because I like to, I disengaged the auto-index feature 11 years ago. I batch reload for 9 calibers, size bullets for 6 diameters, and I have turret plates to handle all my operations (I don't have a count handy). I don't want a "semi-progressive" press and batch load all my ammo and have no desire/need for an ammo machine either. Number of rounds per hour means nothing to me...

Yep, the main benefit is all the dies are pre-adjusted, easily switched and I normally preform one or two steps at a time (handgun brass gets sized/deprimed, turret turned by hand, case mouths flared, and sometimes cases primed), and most times stored for next steps in the process. I like to do about a hundred at a time and I usually have a container of sized and primed brass waiting for a load idea and finishing.

 

[fshfindr]

Get the turret press Nick, you will never regret it. I have the Lee Classic and love it. I've taken lots of your advise, it feels good making a suggestion to you.