Lee Turret Question

I am interested in reloading and am presently looking into getting a Lee Turret Deluxe. This website was very helpful http://www.realguns.com/archives/123.htm[/URL]. After researching it I have a few questions. I am consdering buying the safety primer but am not sure if it takes a particular style shell holder. Also is it worth getting or will the turret mounted priming device be good enough? I am planning on starting off slowly with .38 special and .357 mag. I was considering the single stage press, but on further consideration and for a little more money I am starting to think the turret is a better idea. I want to use it as a single stage at first, then as I become more experienced I can benefit from the higher output capabilities. I also like being able to buy additional turrets later so that I could set up different calibers without much fuss. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated as I am a newbie.

Hi gaston_r,
Welcome. So you want to start loading your own.....

Your original idea of starting with a single stage press is the best and safest way to go. I teach reloading and recommend that you wait on a turret until you have a thorough understanding of each step of the process. Even if you are using a turret press as a "single stage" (does that mean that you will have only one die mounted on the press at a time?) it is so easy to skip a step and wind up with an uncharged or double charged case if you are distracted or interrupted. Better and safer is to take each batch of cases through one step at a time and to charge them in a loading block so that the powder level in each case can be inspected before seating bullets. After you have loaded a few thousand rounds and if you are loading and shooting a big enough volume to justify it, then you can decide if a turret's the way you need to go (my cutoff is 1000rds/month to move up to a turret).

Even after loading ammo for 35+ years, when I use my turret press (an RCBS), I still do all my full length sizing of rifle cases on a single stage as it's more rugged and has better leverage, and I still charge every single round, rifle or pistol, in a loading block. Priming gets done with a Lee AP2, a press-mounted ram style with an auto feed. You will over time find the particular tools that work best with your own loading routine.

My point is that you should not be in any hurry. Nothing about loading is rocket science (unless you really want to get into the math of interior or exterior ballistics), but there is an awful lot of information that you have to process and understand to do it safely. We are talking about pressures that can turn a firearm into shrapnel and kill or injure the shooter and bystanders if a double or triple charge is dropped in a case, or if a case is uncharged and when fired lodges a bullet in the barrel - the next pull of the trigger KABOOM. Safety should never take a back seat to convenience or speed.

You are bound to find many people unlike me who will tell you what you want to hear and think everyone ought to go out and get themselves the latest and fastest presses to start off with. I make it a point to shoot way down on the other end of the firing line when that sort come to the range, and for good reason. It's not like cooking where a mistake sets off the smoke detector and results in a little embarassment. I have watched as people who should have known better (common sense has become a contradiction in terms) blow up fine old and new guns because they were in too much of a hurry to listen to reason. We need more shooters and reloaders if our sport and pastime is to continue, and we need you, too, on the line, at the bench, and in the field enjoying yourself for many happy years to come. We don't need any more "statistics" - dead friends aren't very good company.
Rant over.

BTW, to answer your questions, it's a good press. If you buy it at some point, try the press mounted priming unit first and see if you find it easy to operate. Lee's Auto Prime systems are all easy to use, inexpensive, and hold up very well in heavy use. (My AP2 is close to 20,000 rounds and only the box it came in is showing much of any wear. I mount it on a little single stage Lee Reloader press.)

Your first investment should be two or three current loading manuals like Lee, Lyman, Sierra, Nosler, Hornady, Speer, etc. Don't ever rely on online loading data (or anyone else's pet loads) without having at least two current manuals to check it against. Think of it as inexpensive life insurance. :) There's lots of good usable data out there, but it is compiled by human beings who make mistakes sometimes, you will even find occasional ones in the manuals, too, that's why you need more than one to double check.

Gaston, the "bottom" priming on the LEEs is fine; just set the press' lever close enough to the front pilar on the press, and squeeze them to prime.
It will give you a good idea about how things are in the priming department, like a sideway primer or a tight case (note that I have the old priming apparatus and I don't know about the new "safe" one).

I'm not hot on the 4th station on a turret, as I never needed to crimp in a different stage, and I resize brass separately in order to clean the primer pocket (why don't they make a 2-Hole one, eh...? :)).

Looking at LEE's catalog it seems that the Deluxe is a kit with the old Turret base and arm; not the one figuring in RG's article.
http://www.leeprecision.com/html/cat...sicTurretPress

The Classic Turret press has a stronger lever, reportedly more reliable indexing system, and you don't have to unbolt it from the bench to get the spent primers out............... But then I used an old 3 Hole for almost ten years...

I would also recommend the Pro Powder Measure (better with fine ball powders), and a less stressing scale you could weight bullets with.

So I'm not hot on the kit, and my plan will cost you even more, but you can indeed learn on a Turret by using one die at a time. I think that Turrets are pretty safe anyway as you deal with only one case at a time.

kg

Oops, almost forgot. Do download Wilgen's Reloader's Reference software. It is fantastic, easy to use, and has an incredible amount of data. But the same caveat always applies: double check each load with another source before trying it. Am I paranoid? Maybe, but I have never had an accident in over 35 years, and only ONCE left a case uncharged (using my turret press a few months back). Stuck a bullet in the barrel of my Glock, but I was paying attention and knew something was wrong. Just felt a little foolish and smartened up. Back to the loading block, still like the turret for the other steps.

Thanks guys. I appreciate the advice. I have been reading "The ABC's of Reloading 7th Edition" upon the recommendation of a friend I met at the shooting range. (He is an avid reloader with over 20 years of experience.) It is a good introduction to the hobby, but kind of scary. Buying the loading manuals is on my list. What do ya'll think about the caliber specific manuals available which list several companies loads etc?

The caliber specific manuals have a lot of great data in them from many sources, and I have several in my collection, but I don't think they are a very good deal price-wise. Once you get into it, you are going to want a lot of information about other cartridges to compare things like relative possible velocities for a similar weight bullet, powder efficiency (how much of what to get how fast), or just to find out what an unfamiliar round might be capable of. You can find out: What will it do compared to what I'm using now? Is a couple hundred fps enough of an advantage (if it can be achieved with acceptable accuracy)? A good multi- caliber loading manual will answer all of those questions and more for you. On the other hand, if you are the kind of person that picks up the manual and gets lost in it learning about new cartridges (I dont know anybody like that :mrgreen: )maybe a single caliber one will help you stay focused.

It's good news to hear that you have a mentor. It is SO MUCH EASIER to learn if you have a chance to watch and ask questions before you begin, to give you some hands-on time to get you started, and be right close when the inevitable small problems crop up. You have, by the way, chosen one of the most user friendly rounds to start out with. Do please let us know what you end up getting and how you like it.

I am lucky to have met my mentor. He wrote down this web address for me and I have spent a long time reading a cross section of the posts. This is a great website with very friendly people who seem knowledgable and willing to help newbies. Thanks again for the replies.

I own and use the Lee Classic Turret and love it. I would order the safety prime unit wth it(the one that attaches to the press, not the hand held Auto Prime), it's great and uses the shell holder that you use for reloading, on the down stroke of the ram. As advised I would use it as a single stage until you have gained some experience, but you have the advantage of having the next die already installed on the press without having to unscrew the dies. Get enough turret plates for all the calibers you reload and you can change calibers in a minute without making adjustments. Just my dos centavos. Dale

Lee Press I am thinking this may be a good deal at Cabela's It comes with many of the extras I have been looking at. What do ya'll think.