Lee Classic Turret Press

[horseman]

Bought a new Classic Turret press a couple weeks ago, paid to much for it, also a new Pro Disk measure, paid to much for it, the safety prime units, paid to much for it, plus a few odds and ends needed to put into operation, riser, a couple powder through dies, micrometer for the measure, a few spare items (small) oh, I managed to find ONE extra turret plate, paid to much for it... . All in all I'm into it about 300.00 bucks. The "I paid to much for it" remarks are in good humor as the prices weren't THAT bad in todays market AND I've sold several presses (including four progressive presses) for waaay more than "normal" ( I "almost" felt guilty about it) so I'm not really complaining, really I'm not. I've only loaded a few 45acp rounds on it but a couple things I noticed is that the quality of the items I received just don't seem to be quite the quality they used to be. It's still a very nice unit but I've had two Classic Turret presses in the past and they "seemed" to be just a bit better "finished". The new dies (powder through) also seems a bit "rougher" in finish, like every thing seems to have "sharper" edges. Just a bit "vague" on finish. The press itself was very tight to operate out of the box, and had a bit of "wobble" in the ram which turned out to be because the spacer wasn't centered between the two parts where the handle attaches. After a couple hundred cycles it's smoothing out nicely. I'm down to three presses now, two single stage and the turret. The LCT will fit my reloading needs and reloading style just fine as I no longer make large "runs" of ammo and quite frankly I never really liked loading on a progressive press just thought I "needed" one. I enjoyed watching them run but more often than not I just loaded rounds on them singly anyway. One thing I did notice with the turret press is I'm able to keep a much better/tighter OAL consistency over my progressive presses and this has become kind of a big deal to me loading the 45acp and 9mm as I have a tendency to load those on the "stout" side. I'm content with my decision to move in this direction for reloading now, I am more comfortable, at ease, with my loading, and actually am back to enjoying it a bit more. Now if I could just find some bullets and a few more primers I'd be really happy. It was a good move.

[larryw]

"Now if I could just find some bullets" Get those molds warmed up & pour a bunch young man !!
( yea, look who's talking ?? Hey, I did get my lead cleaned up!! )
Yea, prices are stupid, I sure would like another 4 hole turret but refuse to pay these crazy prices?
Oh well,, I know how to screw in & adjust dies, one will have to do. My Lee turret press has
become my favorite.

[horseman]

"Now if I could just find some bullets" Get those molds warmed up & pour a bunch young man !!
( yea, look who's talking ?? Hey, I did get my lead cleaned up!! )
Yea, prices are stupid, I sure would like another 4 hole turret but refuse to pay these crazy prices?
Oh well,, I know how to screw in & adjust dies, one will have to do. My Lee turret press has
become my favorite.

Both the turret plates I have, one that came with the press and the one I bought from a vendor, needed work. The one with the press wasn't to bad, it worked but was pretty "jerky" for want of a better word, I just used some light sand paper (wish I had some emery cloth) to knock down the edges a bit and it works okay now. It'll get better with more use. The other one was not good at all. Would barely index around and would jamb, buck, jerk, stick. Bad enough it "tweaked" the square rachet a bit to where the press doesn't quite index all the way to the next station. I have spares. I used a fine file and sand paper on that one for a good once over, put some STP around the turret ring and the turret plate, installed it and just spun it around by hand for awhile. It's better but still tight fitting. The edges on the plates that ride in the turret head are almost sharp enough to cut your hand if you run your hand around them. Perhaps with all the demand for items and being so far behind in order's, they may just be moving a bit to fast trying to catch up. I'll not be buying any more new plates until things calm down unless I find some "used" ones. Price has nothing to do with it but the quality does. I'll give you a shout later today....replacing all the screws in my shop roof today. Ooh, my poor knees........

[horseman]

I guess I should look at things a bit more closely, as I'm trying to get the second turret plate (purchased separate from the press) to work in the press, I notice the bottom "teeth" are cut different from the one that came with the press. The one with the press has a relief cut all around the top of the teeth whereas the other has none. The "teeth" are solid top to bottom. I don't know it that is an "old" style or just mis-cut. Interesting. Did Lee make a change in the plates at some time, it's been several years since I had one of these. I read where Lee requested for not calling as it takes time from production. I guess they (Lee) have the receptionists, phone person's, working the production line also... I'm calling anyway, so be prepared for another slowdown and more backorders...

[farmerjim]

I have the same problem. I purchased 2 turrets just before they went to $ 40. neither will index without lots of extra hand force. I filed away all the places that had rub marks and lubed the turret. It still needs extra hand force to turn but is easier. All the ones I bought before the madness work fine.

[GasGuzzler]

I bought more turrets than I have die sets for back when I made my turret rack and purchased my first AutoDrum. Glad I did.

[horseman]

I was going to insert some pictures showing the differences between the two turrets but doing so is evidently beyond my capabilities at this point. Been trying for over an hour to get them to size. I no longer have a web host for photo's so was trying to go directly from my computer. No joy. I hate technology....

[Ranch Dog]

Looking at how dramatic my shooting has dropped, I probably won't need any of my Load-Masters in the future; my LCT will remain. But, I will wait and see. I have a lead on some ranges, but the closest I had planned on using is a dump, cow pies everywhere, and the flying insects are bad on account of it. I have some other leads, but it will never be like it once was. Still, I'm happy I sold the ranch.

[horseman]

Looking at how dramatic my shooting has dropped, I probably won't need any of my Load-Masters in the future; my LCT will remain. But, I will wait and see. I have a lead on some ranges, but the closest I had planned on using is a dump, cow pies everywhere, and the flying insects are bad on account of it. I have some other leads, but it will never be like it once was. Still, I'm happy I sold the ranch.

A bit of a late response, but had to give things time to "settle" for a more accurate assessment of my decision. I did a lot of thinking/considering before selling off the things I sold. The last progressive press sold was a real question mark for me. An RCBS Pro 2000 with a lot of "stuff" that I really liked. But in the end realized it was only a piece of equipment that I really had no "need" for at the rate of my ammo consumption. Gone. I have not done much on the Lee CT I recently purchased as yet, a couple hundred 45acp but it has gone well and it is very enjoyable to use. Fits my reloading style/needs perfectly. I also find the loaded round tolerances a bit more to my liking with my more "aggressive" loads and easier to obtain. LarryW knows of which I speak. I'm now using two single stage presses, the LCT, and the little APP which is currently back in it's box as all my brass is prepped. Also kept the PW 375c for shot shells (if I ever find shot I can afford to buy).

I'm fortunate that I can shoot right outside my house but I "need" to set up a better range of target's to shoot, I get bored pretty easy..... .... I have a couple good sized home projects going on but when those are done I'll be "downsizing" the reloading room to a much smaller setup. Deciding the "need" vs "want" and adapting to change is the goal.

[lightload]

I chose to turn the turret by hand and removed the parts that allowed the handle to rotate the turret. This step simplified an already simple process.