Next Reloading Press - Turret?

[TimberHunter]

Currently use a single stage Lee classic. Works just fine but I can tell that I didn’t pay a lot for it and it’s slow reloading practice 223 ammo

I’m getting into shooting more 223 but still shoot my 6.5cm often. Not enough to justify a progressive press. To help speed up 223 loading, is a turret press the next step? Certain manufacture recommendation?


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[Oldffemt]

When I started reloading I thought a turret press would be much faster. I have a Lee 4 hole turret and the thing that speeds it up the most is being able to leave my dies set and change calibers any time I want without the need to adjust dies. I’m doing pretty good to load 50-75 rnds/hr, though I don’t really try to be fast, as that’s when mistakes tend to happen. My buddy has a Dillon 550 and he can easily double my output but it seems like a fairly complicated and expensive setup. I tend to use the turret like a single stage now for rifles with hard to come by ammo/bullets that aren’t common and just buy factory 223 in bulk when it’s cheap. FYI, I wouldn’t get the Lee budget turret press with the cast aluminum arm. It’s a total pos. The Lee classic turret press with the black steel arm is much better for the couple additional dollars.

 

[NorthIdahoDude]

If you're not going to go progressive, then yes, a Turret press would be the logical next thing. Austin Buschman (champion PRS shooter dude) claims he just runs a Lee Classic Cast turret for his press. Basically, not having to screw/unscrew dies is the biggest benefit - you still have to pull the handle the same number of times as you would if single-stage loading like you do now.

I do a lot of progressive reloading for pistol cartridges, and love it for that, but not rifle. Bottleneck cartridges are more complicated since you have to trim them (or at least check the trim length) post sizing. For those, I do use the progressive press as a one-step decap+size+prime in one pull of the lever, which speeds things up a fair bit, but not nearly to the rate I can go with handgun stuff (I can kick out 600+ rounds an hour of 9mm/40/etc, but I'd say at best, I touch about 150, maybe 200 rounds tops in an hour of 223/other bottle neck rifle).

On the subject of progressive presses, a Lee Six Pack Pro is actually one hell of a great machine, I love mine. The older Pro 1000 and 4000's were NOT that great to me, LOL. My only caveat, is that the priming system is the main drawback of the older ones, and there is a new Pro 1000 that has the same priming system as the SixPackPro, and that one might not suck, but I've never used it to know.

 

[hoooogan]

As others have mentioned, a non-progressive turret press will cut some time, but I wouldn't say it's going to significantly speed up your processing time. It's still one pull, per case, per step.

If die setup time is a major concern, you could look at locking die rings that hold it's position. Set the die as you normally would, lock the ring into place, now your dies stay at a consistent height. No extra fiddling since the lock ring doesn't move on the die body.

Another option to a non-progressive turret is a quick change press like the Forster Co-Ax. Basically a quicker version of using locking rings on a thread-in press. Uses a tight tolerance clamp ring that slots the die into place. Dies stay at their set height. Slot it in like a shell holder, pull it out to remove. It's marginally slower than a turret, and the quick jaws eliminate the need for a shell holder. My Forster has no problem holding <0.001" tolerance between rounds.

 

[TaperPin]

I have stayed with single stage presses, but have streamlined each step as much as possible, eliminating unneeded movements, and everything is easy to get to much like a fly tying desk.

I have 4 presses to match the task and if I’m loading one cartridge multiple times a week there is no moving the dies at all. Many presses are overbuilt for neck sizing or bullet seating, so a shorter than normal handle for a fairly small press makes the movement quicker.

A case block that ever requires monkeying with brass that wants to fall over or makes brass hard to pick up or somehow not spaced out well should be replaced. I like the 50 round machined aluminum ones specific to each case head size - holding it with one hand while throwing charges is super quick.

I stopped tumbling since wiping off lube with a little alcohol on a rag gave me a chance to look at each case, which should happen anyway, and this step can be done watching tv.

Trimming is done watching tv with a Lee trimmer that can’t over or under trim or get out of adjustment. Only do it when needed.

I like a bench mounted priming station that’s always set up and ready to prime.

For practice ammo you might try a batch that are just thrown with the powder measure and not weighed at all, if you don’t do this already, which saves a bunch of time. Having the powder measure permanently on its own stand at the ideal height saves putting it on and taking off.

Neck sizing every time or every other time removes the need to lube the outside of the case or wipe the lube off as much. This works best with less than max pressure loads that chamber easily and every rifle is different. Some cartridges in some rifles can burn out the entire barrel with only neck sized brass. Bushing dies that eliminate the expander ball and also eliminate the need to lube the inside of the case neck for the expander. A carbide expander button would do the same thing.

Having extra brass saves time because when you feel like loading, or have a helper, it’s easy to process extra and have it on hand when stressed for time. I generally keep hunting ammo in separate boxes from practice ammo so it’s easy to tell which ammo has been weighed and full length sized and which hasn’t.

For practice brass I don’t clean primer pockets at all.

 

[Snowwolfe]

Changing dies takes what, maybe 15-20 seconds at the most if you have to unscrew one and screw in the new one? Maybe 5-10 seconds with the Co-Ax

 

[TimberHunter]

The changing dies wasn’t my original thought. It was more centered around putting the brass in the press once, sizing, priming, loading powder and seating a bullet before you touch the brass again

Currently I size all my brass (say 50 pieces), then prime on the lee press, then use a frankford intellidropper and dump powder into brass by hand with funnel, then back to the press to seat the bullet. Just a ton of moving the brass around by hand that I figured a turret press would help reduce?


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[NorthIdahoDude]

The changing dies wasn’t my original thought. It was more centered around putting the brass in the press once, sizing, priming, loading powder and seating a bullet before you touch the brass again

Currently I size all my brass (say 50 pieces), then prime on the lee press, then use a frankford intellidropper and dump powder into brass by hand with funnel, then back to the press to seat the bullet. Just a ton of moving the brass around by hand that I figured a turret press would help reduce?


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If that's your plan, then the turret is just an intermediate half-step along the way to getting a progressive, and I would vote you go all the way to progressive to start. A lee six pack pro is it too much more than a classic cast turret in cost.

You can set it up so that you clean and trim brass off press (using one of the shoulder indexed trimmers set up to cut them a little short), then just lube the cases (Hornady one shot works), and just keep feeding the progressive components, and every time you pull the lever loaded round comes out. Then you just need to clean off the case lube and go shooting.

I like to powder drop manually, visually inspect both the case and the fill level, and then seat in a old school CH C press with very little leverage so I can feel it if one is a little tight or a little loose. If it wasn't for that, and also the fact that I prefer to trim cases after they are sized, I would do everything on the progressive like I just described.

 

[griff383]

If I'm understanding what you are looking to solve for your next step is towards a progressive.

When I first started, all I had was a single stage LEE then I moved to a LEE turret and then I finally got a Hornady progressive when I could afford one. I built up that progressive over a year or two to be what it is today but I saved alot of money and more importantly learned how to use it. I can load 1000 pistol rounds in less than an hour and all I have to do with brass is dump it in the auto feed hopper. I can process rifle or pistol brass quickly by having all the stations set up for that 'operation' and then re-set it up for a loading 'operation'. Again, never touching the brass except to load the hopper (or in some cases add lube to one here and there).

I can set up the progressive to do whatever I need it to do and minimize the times I touch each piece of brass, just depends on what I am trying to do. I really don't see how you can get away from touching brass less without going towards a progressive.