Thoughts on the lee classic turret press?

[church]

Ive been interested in reloading for sometime now, I have heard many good things about Lee progressive presses. I have also heard bad things. I have heard things such as the lee progressive press doesnt seat the bullet in the brass straight, the powder measure gives varying loads of powder with every round. Can anyone confirm any of this? Or are lee presses good quality and i shouldnt be afraid to purchase one? Thank you all for your input!

 

[ederue]

I have one load everything I shoot on it- .45; .40; .357; 9mm; .223; 7.62; 30-06; 30-40. Are there better presses out there, sure - depending on how much you want to pay. I've loaded 1000s of rounds on mine with no significant problems that can't be attributed to user head space and timing errors. if you use the auto powder measure, start based on Lee your loading manual, but check the grains and adjust the size until its giving you want you want. For the price and versatility its done everything I needed. For the longer rifle rounds- just take out the auto index and keep it as a single stage.

 

[miguel]

Ive been interested in reloading for sometime now, I have heard many good things about Lee progressive presses. I have also heard bad things. I have heard things such as the lee progressive press doesnt seat the bullet in the brass straight, the powder measure gives varying loads of powder with every round. Can anyone confirm any of this? Or are lee presses good quality and i shouldnt be afraid to purchase one? Thank you all for your input!

Note the Lee turret press is "semi-auto" so to speak, not really progressive.

It's a good press and if you are just starting out, don't hesitate to get one. It will hold its value and if you ever want to upgrade, you'll get a good deal of your investment back by selling it in the classifieds.

 

[church]

Thank you for the input!

 

[ederue]

Note the Lee turret press is "semi-auto" so to speak, not really progressive.

It's a good press and if you are just starting out, don't hesitate to get one. It will hold its value and if you ever want to upgrade, you'll get a good deal of your investment back by selling it in the classifieds.

Well stated. The only true progressive that LEE makes is the 1000. I have a lesser opinion of the 1000. its OK of you are only loading handgun ammo.

 

[kludge]

The Lee Loadmaster is progressive.

@church - If I could only own one press it would be the Lee Classic Turret. At ~$100 it is also a good deal.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I've got a Lee turret that I've used since '02. I've pumped out plenty of .40 and .45 on it and recently started .357. I've yet to have any issues that weren't my fault.

I don't know if its the "classic" or not, it was whatever they sold in a starter kit that came with the powder dispenser, balance beam scale, reloading manual, and some other odds and ends back then.

 

[CQB]

Like mine a lot. I don't use the auto-indexing feature, but it's nice to load all 3 or 4 dies for a given caliber, set them up, and pretty much not touch them again once they're tuned. Get a turret for each caliber you load and never do die setups again. Can't beat it for the value.


I would recommend the Lee "Classic" turret press http://leeprecision.com/4-hole-classic-turret-press.html Over the Lee turret press http://leeprecision.com/4-hole-turret-press-with-auto-index.html

 

[sgreen3]

I have had mine for almost 2 years now, and lost count on how many rounds of 223 its pumped out as well as 308. Very nice set-up for the money.

 

[church]

Thank you all very much for the input, you've really helped put my mind at ease with this whole thing. I had someone tell me never to buy a lee press because they were a waste of money. They suggested i buy a dilon press or an rcbs press. I didnt want to purchase one of those presses and spend all the extra money if i didnt have too. I read many reviews about the lee presses and nearly all of them were positive, i just wanted some real input from people i could actively communicate with as to the quality and functionality of the lee presses before i made any final decisions. Thank you again for everyones input!

 

[mac45]

Have one, like it a lot. It's the press I recommend when folks ask me about reloading.

 

[Exodus]

I actually don't personally know a reloader that doesn't use a lee press.

 

[Broom_jm]

As far as the powder measures that are made to work with the Classic Turret press, stick with the Pro Auto Disk. The Auto Disk is not as consistent, especially when working with the smallest charges.

 

[jwh20]

I have a Lee Turret Press that is at least 25 years old. The "classic" press is very similar. I've never had any issues in spite of generally never doing anything with it but load. They are so simple and all the parts are heavy-duty, what can go wrong?

 

[spencer rifle]

Only things I ever had go wrong:
- Bottom square spring on the small primer feed got weak, and when I tried to bend it, it snapped. Had to replace it with the spring from the large primer feed. Can't find any replacements.
- Square washer on the auto advance shaft wore out (but they only cost 50 cents to replace).

 

[davedolli]

I have been using one for a few months now with great looking ammo. I have loaded .45acp, .44 mag. .38 spec, and 9mm so far. I thought the primer feed looked a little cheap until I used it but it works fine.

Dave

 

[Seven High]

IMO the primer feed system leaves a lot to be desired. I always have the last two primers refuse to feed when the feed tube is getting empty.

 

[Tater22LR]

I refill the primer tray shortly after there are no more behind the clear plastic. Had the small spring break also. I have a rubber band affixed on it know. Works pretty good. Classic turret works well. Don't hesitate to buy.

 

[Mr. Neal]

Quality press. I've been using it for a little over a year now. Good bang for your buck so to speak. Don't hesitate to buy, especially if your just getting into reloading.

 

[kludge]

As far as the powder measures that are made to work with the Classic Turret press, stick with the Pro Auto Disk. The Auto Disk is not as consistent, especially when working with the smallest charges.

I have not used the Auto disk, but +1 to the Pro Auto Disk. Works great, is very consistent. Except it doesn't like Unique. That's OK, I don't either.