Turret presses?

[jski]

I’m looking at 3 turret presses: RCBS’s 6-stage press v. Redding’s T7 7-stage press v, Lyman’s All American 8-stage press. But then I started reading about turret flex (i.e., tilt). So this question really transcends any particular turret press and really asks: is the turret press an inherently flawed design? And should be avoided?

 

[jaguarxk120]

If you are loading for a 1,000 yard plus rifle then you might consider flex. But then
you will be using hand dies and a arbor press!
I have two turrets and they both work great.

 

[RoyceP]

I have a Lee Turret Press and am amazed at the quality and accuracy of finished ammo. I can't comment on the other brands, have not seen or used any of those. Highly recommend the Lee Turret press with the factory crimp die in the 4th station.

 

[jetinteriorguy]

You will never regret getting the Lee classic cast turret. If I could only have one press it would be this one. It’s stupid simple to use, built like a tank, and is capable of making very accurate ammunition.

 

[pete2]

I have a Lyman T-Mag 2 turret press, no problem. Bear in mind that you will still be loading on a single stage press, you just don't have to remove and replace the dies for each stage. My press has 6 holes, 8 would be better.

 

[MarkCO]

I preferred the Redding T7 after reading and researching for about a year, so that is what I bought.

Replaced my Rock Chucker which replaced a Lee.

 

[jaguarxk120]

Anyone of the three presses you are looking at
will do everything you want. They are all great presses.
Remember steel and cast iron go a long way in press construction!

 

[mikejonestkd]

I have some experience with a few of the ones you mentioned. The redding T7 is a GREAT press, but quite pricy.
Please take a look at the Lee classic turret. it is very well made and turns out excellent ammo

 

[BBarn]

Not impressed with the Lee Classic Turret I've had for a number of years. I have relegated it to a non-rotating press for de-priming cases, which it does nicely with the through-the-ram primer disposal.

 

[jski]

If I go with a turret press, I plan on getting the Redding T-7.

This is an interesting thread concerning the T-7 and turret tilt and Redding’s suggested fix:
Redding T-7 Turret Press

 

[jaguarxk120]

You can not go wrong with Redding tools!!

 

[Grey_Lion]

Good start - ask questions!

Ditto on the Lee classic turret press. I've enjoyed mine for years.

Quality & consistent process makes quality ammo. A turret helps with that in my experience having used both turrets and single stage presses.

And lastly, once you've done a couple 1000 rounds on your press at your bench - if it feels wrong - it's wrong - check everything and figure out why it feels off. A turret helps here too because you're not constantly changing out dies to next step your loads.

 

[jski]

Here’s the pertinent post from that thread:

I bought my T-7 about two months ago. The first thing I noticed when I full length resize a 308 case was the turret tilted back onto the rear support. Even seating a bullet will cause the tilt. The amount of tilt was not consistent. A call to Redding's tech support help solved the problem. Redding tech support was very good but I forgot the gentleman's name. He said the center bushing where the turret turn is a few thousandths taller than the thickness of the turret. This was done so you can turn the turret. If Redding remove all the play then the turret would not turn. He suggested two ways to deal with the tilt: either adjust you dies to account for the free play or grind the bushing down by a few thousandths so to reduce the tilt a minium. I choosed to grind the bushing down. The bushing is now just one thousandth taller than the turret and there is no more measurable tilt. The down side to this modification is the turret head is very hard to turn. But this is OK since I do in batch, I deprime, reprime, charge powder by hand off the press. The press only resizes and seats the bullet. So I only have to turn the turret once for the entire batch. The T-7 was not designed to be a fast press, it was designed to be a strong and accurate press. With the above modification I now have a truly strong AND accurate press.

 

[FrankenMauser]

Inherently flawed?
Absolutely not.

Very susceptible to potential run-out issues, if the design, materials, and/or quality control is poor?
Absolutely.

Good turret presses don't flex much, if even enough to measure.
Crappy, sloppy turret presses, however, are a real problem.

I have messed with or owned Lee, RCBS, Lyman, and Redding turret presses.
My very opinionated rating of all of them:
Lee sucks. Sloppy, rough, poorly designed, and poorly built. But... cheap.
Arguably the easiest turret swaps, though - for people that want to do such.

RCBS's tolerances are not good. Not worth the cost. Not worth the wasted energy. I wouldn't say they're "sloppy", but they still have too much play for my taste.

Lyman's quality control - at least on the presses that I have been able to mess with, and the example that I owned - was very disappointing. Sloppy, floppy, rattle trap with alignment issues.

The Redding T-7 is a solid boat anchor, with tight tolerances and excellent alignment. It's a heavy, over-built chunk of iron. But it comes tight, stays tight, has great leverage, and doesn't flex unless you bend or stretch the bolt holding the turret on (which is a substantial piece of hardware).

I used a Lyman T-Mag II and Redding T-7 side by side, for about 4-5 years. I have always loved the Redding (~12 years, now). I have always hated the Lyman, since my first use of it.
The juxtaposition of two very disparate pieces of equipment made me feel like I had a luxury watch on one end of the bench, and a factory-reject piece of import garbage on the other.

My only real gripe about the Redding T-7 is that the turret bolt is thread-locked at the factory. If you want to be able to swap turrets, you're going to have to apply heat to break it loose the first time, and then clean the threads up.
Luckily for me... I don't swap turrets. I just like being able to leave multiple sets of dies set in the press, while still having 1-3 open stations for small batch reloading.
(I also have multiple single-stage presses available.)

 

[MarkCO]

^ Can't disagree with any of that.

 

[jski]

This lends credence to my conclusion: the Redding is the way to go without doubt ... if you’re willing to pay the price. And I most certainly am.

 

[jski]

One other point, it has been suggested you can get the same benefits from Forster’s CoAx single stage press as you can from a turret press. True?

 

[RaySendero]

The advantage of a turret press is that you can set-up each die set in a separate turret top. Thus you don't have to reset each die when handloading small to medium lots of different cartridges. Perfect for me as I purpose build or customize each rife and pistol for usually just one reload. This way I choose the rifle or pistol for the specific hunt or SD need.

If just starting out handloading one cartridge in small to medium lots,
a turret press not necessary, but would be good investment if you plan to load more different cartridges.

However, for a high volume of a cartridge reloads it would be best to go with an automatic press.

 

[marchboom]

One other point, it has been suggested you can get the same benefits from Forster’s CoAx single stage press as you can from a turret press. True?

I've had a Lyman Spar-T press for over 40 years and it still works very well. Got a Co-Ax press a few years ago and I love this press, Turret presses have only one advantage over a single stage press. They allow you to set & forget your dies. Same with the Co-Ax and I can change dies in a few seconds. And they are still properly set.

Turret tilt doesn't exist with a Co-Ax.

Having to buy extra turrets at $82 each dramatically increases the cost of the Redding press. This "privilege" doesn't exist with the Co-Ax. I have over 60 dies and that would be over $600 I would have to spend to have my dies permanently adjusted. And changing a Redding turret does take time.

If I had to do it all over again the Co-Ax would have been my first press. You won't appreciate the workmanship, ease of use and accuracy of this press until you use one.

 

[jski]

Except not all die sets fit into the CoAx, e.g., RCBS. I watched a FortuneCookie45LC episode on the Forster CoAx and he couldn’t insert his RCBS dies; the lock rings were too fat.