Opinions on Lee Classic Turret Press

[SJan]

The reviews look great, and the price is right. Actually can be found a little cheaper elsewhere.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=814175

I'll be starting to reload 357, and want to keep the initial investment in press, dies, etc. low.
Also looking at the Lee carbide 4 die set.

Anyone have actual experience with these products?

 

[center442]

I have the Lee Classic Single Stage press, not the one you referenced, but I am well-pleased with it. Heavy, solid, easy to work with and the spent primers exit down a flexible tube into a collection can. I don't care for their priming system, but I do that as a separate process anyway. I think that either one is a good dollar value.

I don't have any Lee die sets, so can't comment there.

 

[xstickfightx]

The press I've been using for the past few years has been the Lee turret press. I ordered it from Kempfgunshop.com along with the auto powder measure, primer feed, scale, turrets, carbide die set, and some other stuff. Came to around $200 everything I needed to load .38/.357.
I have since expanded and have turrets with the dies already setup for .308, .223, .44, and 9mm.

I find it is a great budget setup, can be used as either a single stage or in its rotating turret mode. I was leary of the plastic piece used to hold the auto primer feed on and the plastic sleeve for the turret rod that makes the unit twist. Although these pieces look cheap, they are still functioning fine.

Speedwise the unit is a little faster than a single stage, but obviously nowhere close to the capacity of a progressive. For beginning reloading I think it is a great investment.
The finished product of ammo seems to be just about as good as anything else I've shot from the factory.

 

[96cbr900rr]

I also purchased a classic turret kit from Kempf gun shop's website as my first press, and like it a lot. It seems pretty well built, in auto indexing turret mode is faster than a single stage, but also offers the option of using it as a single stage as well. While I have moved on to the blue kool aid for most of my reloading, I still keep the Lee and use it for smaller batches, when I really don't want to take all the time to change calibers on my 650...

 

[SJan]

Thanks for the responses, needed to hear a few positive things before I pull the trigger and order the press. And a big thinks for mentioning Kempfgunshop, looks like a great deal there.