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I just bought a Lee classic turret press (4 hole turret)

Lip said:
Is/was this a good buy?
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Was it a good buy? Thats up to you, who care what some internet commado thinks and looks down on you cause you didnt buy the biggest and bestest most expensive reloading set up.

I have a lee classic single stage and i personally couldnt be happier with it, sure it takes a while to make quite bit of ammo But its time well spent
 
There's a lot of people out there that love Lee products.
There's a lot of people out there that hate Lee products.

If it does what you want, and was at a price you like, it's good.
 
HardJeepGuy said:
I imagine those are really expensive. How's the quality of ammo that you make on those?
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Lots of dough for one of the bad boys. Soon as I figure it out I'll will let know [thumbsup]

Ya went off the mark a little, threw it out there for the mechanical guys and gals out there
 
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Moderator said:
LOL, Wrong type of press.

FWIW, I have experience programing and operating both the C6 and LPE
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Nice. I change the belts when they get ripped up and stand there and look at it sideways when it has troubling referencing....1 mill off OH NO! [laugh]

Sorry threw it out there, long week with turret presses. [crying]I know It's Friday night and I should just let it go[laugh] Operator my friend, programmer arch enemy [wink]
 
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Here's my 2 cents worth:

The Lee products are not made of the best quality. They are made to be inexpensive.

Do they work? Fast answer: yes

But, you need to keep in mind the range of reloading that they are made for. They are made for low to medium volume, and not a lot of total pieces.

The Lee pro 1000, for example. Good for making up to about 10,000 pcs, and then you should expect to have to replace most of it, if not all of it. And, not very good for changing calibers mid-stream.

Think of equipment like cars. What do you want to do with it?
If you want a car that does 200 miles an hour on a roundy-round track, you don't buy a $100 used chevy. If you want a car for a trouble free trip across the country and back, you don't buy a $500 Ford. If you just need quick and cheap transportation for ten mile trips on dirt roads, then the $250 Nissan is just fine.

Follow the concept?

I'm not one of those, "You gotta buy this one, with all the bells and whistles or else you aren't a real reloader" kind of guys... I'd rather suggest to people that they look at reloading as a lifetime experience, and that they should consider buying the best equipment that they can, CONSIDERING THEIR BUDGET. And, then make the best of that equipment, until you feel the need to upgrade.

Heck, I know people who have a <$200 Lee Pro 1000, and are perfectly happy with running it for a specific caliber, in the low quantities that they make.

Reloading should be a relaxing hobby. Don't get all bunched up with whether someone else will think what you bought is OK. I hate peer pressure, and urge you to work with what you can afford, and do the best you can with it.
 
I've had a lee turret press for many years. I works very well, and I have not had any real problems with it. The only problem I had is that a little square ratchet used for indexing wears out. They are cheap and easy to replace, so order a few. I have reloaded all sorts of ammo with it. .25 cal, 9mm, .357, 45 apc, 45 colt, 223, 30 cal carbine and 30-06. It is very simple to use,and is much faster than a single station but not as fast as a progessive.
 
If reloading for 20 plus years qualifies one as an "internet commando" then maybe it something to wear with pride. Gotta walk the walk as far as reloading is concerned, and he does because you are putting your life as well as those around you in grave danger if taken lightly.
The day you stop learning is the day they lower you six feet.

I have a single stage and a progressive. I respect both. That said, I have a couple of Lee die sets as backups to good dies. The Lee products will give you decent product for the money but I won't own one of their presses. YMMV but I bet you unload it pretty fast once you get the hang of it. Best of luck though.
 
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Another LEE turret user here. (Regular model, not the classic cast)
[grin] Yes, it's a cheap press.
[thinking] Yes, there are better presses out there
[frown] Yes, it makes a mess with the old primers
[angry] Yes, the auto-index sometimes needs a nudge to drop into the next detent
[grin] Yes, I've made several 1000 rounds of ammo on it....using my cheap Lee dies.
[smile] Yes, my reloads on my Lee press are way better than commercial FMJ or milsurp ammo
[grin] Yes, I'd probably buy it again. Did I mention it's cheap?

55_grain
 
I ALMOST started reloading with a Lee Press. I bought a Loadmaster, but never even ended up opening it. After reading about all the problems people were having with it, I decided it was not the press I wanted to learn on. Shortly after that, i pretty much fell into a complete single stage setup I found from a guy moving across the country (I would have been stupid to not buy it based on the value of all the equipment)

I've VERY happy I got rid of the Loadmaster and ended up with my current press (RCBS RS-5). I've made probably 1500 pistol rounds (40 S&W, 38 spl), and 500 rifle rounds (7.62x54r, 8mm mauser, 7.5 swiss, 7.62x39). I even got the chance to wildcat a a hundred rounds of 284 winchester into 7.5 swiss. When I can get the money set aside, I plan on upgrading to a Hornady LnL AP.
 
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I have an LnL AP - bought it about a month ago. Yes, it'll set you back between $6-700 with all the fixings (you need the plates per caliber (sometimes hard to find) and the bushings for your dies). After resolving an indexing issue (the Hornady guy on the phone actually pointed me to WRONG screw to adjust, but I figured it out later), and a missing roll pin on the powder dropper (odd) - it's been a wonderfully reliable and solid press. You can tell how well made it is.

The documentation isn't really the best, but if you are somewhat mechanically minded, it all works out.

My point is this - I was originally looking at the Lee presses since they are very inexpensive. I was actually one click away from buying a <$300 progressive press from them. But then I thought about it as an investment, and saved up a little more $$$ to buy the right equipment. Duke's car analogy I think is spot on. I was like a kid a Christmas when my press arrived.

The baseline equipment you use for reloading is an investment of sorts. You should really only have to buy it once, as opposed to your consumables (bullets, powder, primers, etc). For me, the choice was to invest in a more solid set of base hardware - your choice may be different.

You can buy cheap single stage presses for <$75 if you look hard enough that will get you into reloading. But in my opinion, if you are moving up to more serious production hardware, you might want to spend the extra $$$ to make your life a little easier.

Sorry this came out as a full length treatise.
 
I have been reloading for 3 years now and I have the lee classic turret press and I've reloaded over 10k rounds of 9mm, 40S&W, .223 Rem, 7mm Mauser, and 30-06... It's not the fastest press out there but I can reload 150 rounds of 40 S&W and 100 rounds of .223 in an hour. I have the issue where it doesn't index to the next station on the pull of the lever, but that doesn't bother me.

I do my reloading in stages, first I'll tumble the brass and run it through the sizing die and then tumble it one last time with polish and throw it into an ammo can. When it's time to reload I just primmer, powder, and add the projectile. I am not an expert reloader by any means, it just does what I need it to do for me; assemble an accurate round that goes bang.
 
I use my lee turret press to reload rifle ammo. Currently I have turrets set up for 30-30, 243, 7.62x54, 270, and 444 marlin. I love how quick it is to change between calibers, and I turn out ammo that shoots better than factory loads in my rifles. My best example is that with 80gr bullets, Varget powder, and the correct overall length, my H&R Handi Rifle in 243 shoots sub moa.

Now, I have only had it about a year, but it was a huge upgrade from my single stage press. I have loaded about 2000 rounds of ammo total, and I have not a single complaint about it. I don't know how many rounds an hour I can make, but its enough that I always have ammo available when I want to go to the range or out hunting.
 

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