LCT turret overshoot

[celem]

Recently, a new problem has manifested itself in my LCT. Rather frequently, the turret over-rotates, past the detent stop. After a bit of research I found a thread on THR of someone with the same problem - username "Garage Dog" (a Ranch Dog relative??) . He totally solved his problem by adding a second indexing detent plunger, which is a rather interesting thought. I have long felt that Lee's existing single indexing detent plunger was inadequate to assure positive indexing 100% of the time. If the fix that I just implemented doesn't work 100% of the time then I will add a second detent plunger, similar to what "Garage Dog" did.

I have only done a brief test but adjusting the index rod such that, when operated slowly, it stops just before the detent. Then, when operated faster, it will overshoot "into" the detent. It "seems" to catch overshoot when I am operating at a good rate of speed. Time will tell.

Anyway, Garage Dog's thread on THR is worth a read - he has made other interesting mods to his press. See:
http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/inde ... 55555.html

BTW - If I add another detent spring plunger I may use this type. I'll need to do some measurements to finalize the size that would be best:
http://www.springplungers.com/ball-plun ... -2_16.html

[62chevy]

Have you checked to see if the top nut is lose or out of adjustment.

[youtube][/youtube]

[Maximumbob54]

Before you do anything, buy this:

http://www.titanreloading.com/turret-pr ... re-ratchet

And replace your old one. Clean and add a bit of lube to the turret and run it a round. It should now be like new again. Lee designed the Classic Turret so that a dollar part will keep that press eternally new forever. The new one may be a bit tight which may cause almost the same problem but it will wear in and work.

[celem]

I was busy until this afternoon so this was my first opportunity to test my adjustment of adjusting the index rod so that it stops just before the detent. I loaded enough to determine that it was improved but would still overshoot about 30% of the time. My existing Square Ratchet was fairly new but I replaced anyway with a brand new one (I keep a supply on hand). This also made a slight improvement but it was still overshooting about 20% of the time. Yes, it was lubricated - I lube after every loading session.
http://celem.byethost7.com/wp/wp-conten ... be-lct.jpg

It isn't a worn turret because I have four completely setup turrets for different calibers and overshoot happens with at least two of the turrets (the two calibers that I mostly load). The Turret Ring does not visually look worn but maybe it is, just enough, to cause the problem by preventing the detent plunger from having enough reach into the detent slots.

One solution is, as I stated before, to add a second detent plunger. This would actually be a fairly simple process. I would drill and tap a 5/16-18 Thread hole into the turret ring opposite the existing plunger, in alignment with the turret detent slots. Then I simply screw in a threaded body ball detent plunger like the one at:
http://www.springplungers.com/product_i ... mber/52807.
or, from eBay (better shipping cost)
http://tinyurl.com/p89ejg3

I also could try purchasing a replacement Turret Ring for $17.

Maybe I'll first try a new Turret Ring given its low cost. That would show if minor unobservable wear is the culprit. BUT - the second detent plunger beckons as a more permanent solution that will overcome current and future wear or whatever is preventing more positive detent stops. Face it, Lee took a lot of cost cutting measures, such as all of the plastic parts. Having a single wear susceptible detent plunger may have simply been a similar cost cutting measure. It is barely adequate to stop turret rotation usless rotation is fairly slow - slower than I prefer.

[Maximumbob54]

Is this purely a recent developement or is it something that has been creeping up maybe for longer than you realize maybe? I only ask because I've loaded scads (this is an unknown but massive number) of ammo on my
Classic Turret over the last handful of years. I only recently finally replaced the plastic bit. And I don't load very slow either. I load at a pace I can support with setting the bullets, and such and not rushing so much it decreases the quality.

An old crummy vid example:

[youtube][/youtube]

I guess that's really not that fast but I was also trying to make sure I didn't seat a finger instead of a bullet...

[celem]

Is this purely a recent developement or is it something that has been creeping up maybe for longer than you realize maybe? ...

I've loaded around 10,000 pistol cartridges on this press, mostly 9mm. This problem started appearing during the last 2,000 rounds, gradually getting worse until it is now quite annoying

I only recently finally replaced the plastic bit. And I don't load very slow either....

As my last post stated, I replaced the plastic Square Ratchet even though the existing one wasn't that old. It didn't help much so the Square Ratchet is not the source of overshoot. In my experience a worn Square Ratchet manifests as random indexing errors (usually short of the detent), not overshoot.

An old crummy vid example:
...
I guess that's really not that fast but I was also trying to make sure I didn't seat a finger instead of a bullet...

I am loading faster than what your video shows. I am aware that my speed contributes to the overshoot. If I load at your pace overshoot will not occur.

[Maximumbob54]

If your turrets are really rotating that fast then I guess adding the second ball detent does make sense. I would think the existing ball detent just isn't enough for that kind of speed. I'm actually a little worried to go too much faster just to be sure the powder drops are uniform. I would hate to see how fast you have to go before you start cutting off the powder drop before the chamber is empty. I would assume it's pretty fast though.

[celem]

... I'm actually a little worried to go too much faster just to be sure the powder drops are uniform...

I'm not loading at warp speed - just a bit faster than your video. Your video is showing rifle cartridges - I only load pistol cartridges. Rifle cartridges are slower than pistol just as loading 45LC is slower than 9mm.

I can load faster than I do, but I choose not to in the interest of safety - too easy to overlook something if you push too hard.

I eyeball the powder in the cartridge after it drops and I am getting uniform drops. I'll post a YouTube link below that shows my powder check light and also shows my bench, The speed of reloading that you see is about what I average. Notice that the last couple of stages, size and FCD are faster than the decap/prime/bullet placement steps. Now I run a little faster because I no longer have to manually remove the loaded cartridge due to installing a modification that automatically kicks out the finished cartridge.

Powder Light Video:
[youtube][/youtube]

Lee Classic Turret Reverse Rotation Case Ejector Demo video:
[youtube][/youtube]

[62chevy]

I forgot you have the revers rotation but that shouldn't make any difference. Have you asked lee what the problem may be?

[celem]

... Have you asked lee what the problem may be?

Instead of suggesting a mechanical fix, Lee advised me to alter my rhythm. Since I told them that it used to work fine and has degraded over time, I don't consider their response to be particularly helpful. However, what can they really say sight unseen. I do not intend to send it to the factory as I feel that my intended product improvement is the path to a more permanent cure. Besides, the postage to return it would exceed the cost of my cure.

----------Lee's Response---------
Keep in mind that the press needs to be operated in a rhythm. Same speed up and down on the lever. You are welcome to return your press with a note. We will inspect, repair or replace it as needed
Dave
Customer Service