Thoughts on a Turret press

[saleen]

I have been loading with my 4 hole Lee Turret for years, but it's always bothered me how the actual turret floats a bit when seating or resizing. I looked at a Redding T7 press and was impressed with how solid a piece of equipment it was. In theory it would seem that my Lee press turrets moving could hamper consistency, and while I've turned out accurate loads I'm wondering if the equipment could be a limiting factor on the occasional flyer I have.

Has anyone here gotten experience with both of these presses and if so have you noticed any performance difference?


Saleen

 

[*greenhorn*]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

i looked at the lee turret press and saw the same thing, i got a single stage because of that the a Lee "D" press and a Dillon bl 550 , ive looked at the Dillon rl 550 they look really tight little more expensive i don't know if they have a auto indexing set up the one i looked at you had to index but their about 100.00 bucks more the plates and dies are all about the same i would say they look like better machine, the Dillon 1050 is the way to go but, their about 1600 i think but your banging out serious product and ive heard, (i do not know this for sure) their powder charger is more accurate than most systems

have not used redding and dont know any one near that has sorry

 

[kd185]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

my current setup

 

[hntbambi]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

I had a Lyman turret press as my first press back in the 80's but I could never get the runout down to a decent level. I switched to a RockCrusher and the groups dropped immediately.

If you want speed, look at the progressive machines. I have the Dillon XL 650 and it rocks!

 

[427Cobra]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

How about a Forster Co-Ax, dies swap out in 2 seconds, superior spent primer retention, no shell holders to buy, dies float and cases float for concentric ammo, more mechanical advantage than any other press.

 

[beretta989]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

I've been around the Forster Co-Ax a few times and was very impressed with design and how easy it was to switch operations. Full length sizing anything took only one hand.

 

[Mike]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

I have a T-7 and it's awesome. It's solid as a rock with no play in it whatsoever. The forster is a great press, but you can't do what kd185 has done with the pic above with a single press.

 

[milo 2.0]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

Saleen,
I'm not about to try change your mind on your purchase.
I can tell you the Redding T-7 is way more rigid than the RCBS or Lee, but there is still some flex to it, very little, but some.
As for concentricity on loaded rounds I just seat my bullet, lower the case a bit, rotate it 1/4 turn, reseat, do it again, about three turns, the loads come out just fine.

I have three turret heads, I never pull a die unless I have to clean one, I just replace the head when switching calibers. I always leave one hole open just in case I have to put a bullet puller die, or decapping die in.
Miles

 

[gunsnjeeps]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

I load my rifle ammo on a T-7. There is a little play in the head but nothing that I've seen in my groups. There is a school of thought that says the only thing a turret does is store dies but it is very convenient to rotate the die into place and process what ever I'm doing. You can get 2 or 3 calibers set up on a T-7 depending on what dies you mount.

For me I have a universal decapper that I don't use any more, 5.56 full size, 5.56 neck size (cleaned up a bag of 100 new cases), 5.56 competition seating die, .308 full size, .308 competition seating. I bought a second head but don't think I'll need it. When I finish my F-Class I'll either need to mount the .30-06 neck and Competition Seating Die or add a .308 neck sizer.

If you want to mount a bullet puller, get a cam lock puller. The RCBS doesn't have room to turn the handle more than 1/2 a turn.

That gives you 3 calibers and a puller. Two if you load for semi and bolt in one caliber andneck size the bolt.

 

[Fuzzball]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

I'm no great fan of turret presses mostly because of the flex, the turrets have to be a little loose or they couldn't turn. Anyone thinking a T7 has no flex hasn't put a dial indicator on one during resizing.

That said, the "flex" in the Lee turret system is clearance for the auto-indexing, not real flex. Once the ram lifts the turret up to the steel stop/retaining ring there is very little more lifting going to happen, it's a VERY GOOD press!

Iron/steel turret presses work fine for those who load one or two cartridges, then the necessicty of swapping dies returns us to the same swapping around as if we had a single stage, no net gain at all. IMHO.

I have a 24 year old Rock Chucker II, a Lyman Spar-T turret and a couple of Lee's tiny "Reloader" C type alum alloy single stage presses on my bench now. When I first got my precision dial indicator and a magnetic base I measured the flex/spring/lift of the RC and two Lee's when FL sizing .30-06 with the same sizer die; the RC lifted almost 3 thou but the Lee's didn't lift enough to measure. Seems Lee is right, their alum alloy IS more rigid, within it's yield limits, than cast iron. (I didn't test the Lyman turret, that would be laffable!)

I've used my own and several friends presses of different types and brands, single stages and turrets, for consistancy and run-out tests when using the same dies and components. I'm yet to see any difference in the end results between presses when the same level of care is used in the loading. Even my flaky old Lyman turret does good work if I do!

 

[BobinNC]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

The T7 is a great turret press, no doubt. But your options for multiple stations are not limited to turrets and progressives. Look, no head wobble. Basically it's a 4 station, single stage press:

CH4D No. 444 H press

CH Tool and Die

 

[turbo54]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

After loading/firing about 2000 rounds of 308 this year on my Dillon 650, and being able to shoot bugholes @ 200 yards with that ammo, I'd never consider a turret press.

That said, the flex, play, float - or whatever you want to call it is not necessarily an indication of bad alignment or resulting non-concentric ammo. The toolhead in my dillon floats and my dies all float in o-rings. My ammo is always .0015" or better for concentricity.

Forster bushing/bump, forster ultra mic seater. Life is good.

 

[The Mechanic]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

That's funny my turret press does not wobble at all no matter what I size.

 

[MitchAlsup]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

I understand the desire to get reloading done as fast as possible, but if I added up all the time it takes me to do <say> 100 rounds, the amount of time spent changing dies in a press represents less than about 1% of the total time.

 

[milo 2.0]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

WTH,

Never seen anything like that before.

Does it double as a floor jack in emergencies???

 

[Mike]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

I wont comment on what others have seen as far as their T-7s go but my 243 is shooting .2s and .3s and it's loaded on a T-7. I think any *play* that a T-7 may have is so minute that most of us cannot shoot inside of it.

 

[The Mechanic]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: milo-2</div><div class="ubbcode-body">WTH,

Never seen anything like that before.

Does it double as a floor jack in emergencies???

</div></div>
It is a Hollywood press. Yes it is pretty heavy duty. It is for my .50BMG .50DTC rounds.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Mike</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I wont comment on what others have seen as far as their T-7s go but my 243 is shooting .2s and .3s and it's loaded on a T-7. I think any *play* that a T-7 may have is so minute that most of us cannot shoot inside of it. </div></div>
I have never done it but I have seen a few use rubber "O" ring between the lock ring and press base so that the die is a little loose to aid in runout.
Like I said I have not had this problem but I would give it a try if I did.

 

[jlow]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

I have a Lee Turret press but I only use it for pistol ammo.

For precision rifle, I use the Lee Classic Cast Breech Lock Single Stage. I find that having the dies in the breech lock quick change bushing allows me to quickly change them out and with more option than 4-6 dies, it allows quick change, locks in tight and is more stable than any turret. Seems to be to be the best solution.

 

[BobM]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BobinNC</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The T7 is a great turret press, no doubt. But your options for multiple stations are not limited to turrets and progressives. Look, no head wobble. Basically it's a 4 station, single stage press:

CH4D No. 444 H press

CH Tool and Die



</div></div>

I have one of those but as far as I know it's handgun only.

 

[BobinNC]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BobM</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BobinNC</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The T7 is a great turret press, no doubt. But your options for multiple stations are not limited to turrets and progressives. Look, no head wobble. Basically it's a 4 station, single stage press:

CH4D No. 444 H press

CH Tool and Die



</div></div>

I have one of those but as far as I know it's handgun only. </div></div>

CH4D also makes the No. 444X Pistol Champ and that one is setup for pistol. Go to site with the link I provided and look for yourself.

As to the No. 444 and I quote "Loads everything from the smallest pistol cartridge to the largest magnum rifle cases with ease, including full-length resizing."

The ram height on mine is 4.5".....

 

[RyeDaddy]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 427Cobra</div><div class="ubbcode-body">How about a Forster Co-Ax, dies swap out in 2 seconds, superior spent primer retention, no shell holders to buy, dies float and cases float for concentric ammo, more mechanical advantage than any other press. </div></div> <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: beretta989</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I've been around the Forster Co-Ax a few times and was very impressed with design and how easy it was to switch operations. Full length sizing anything took only one hand. </div></div>

+2
The Forster is my only press. I thought about buying a turret for a while to speed up pistol reloading, as I load alot of rounds for 10mm. With as fast as die changes are on the CoAx it wasn't worth having a turret at all for me. I really wouldn't gain anything. A Dillon on the other hand would be a major stepup in speed, but I don't wanna pony up for one.

The Forster makes incredibly accurate ammo, is easier to use than others (in my experience), and I even like the priming system which I use exclusively. Only thing I lose in speed is not having a press mounted powder measure, I have a Redding measure mounted on my bench.

So if you haven't, consider a Forster. You may end with more accurate ammo while giving up very little in speed of loading.

 

[bchibb]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

Lock n Load bushing in almost any press

 

[BroadSideofaDime]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RyeDaddy</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 427Cobra</div><div class="ubbcode-body">How about a Forster Co-Ax, dies swap out in 2 seconds, superior spent primer retention, no shell holders to buy, dies float and cases float for concentric ammo, more mechanical advantage than any other press. </div></div> <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: beretta989</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I've been around the Forster Co-Ax a few times and was very impressed with design and how easy it was to switch operations. Full length sizing anything took only one hand. </div></div>

+2
The Forster is my only press. I thought about buying a turret for a while to speed up pistol reloading, as I load alot of rounds for 10mm. With as fast as die changes are on the CoAx it wasn't worth having a turret at all for me. I really wouldn't gain anything. A Dillon on the other hand would be a major stepup in speed, but I don't wanna pony up for one.

The Forster makes incredibly accurate ammo, is easier to use than others (in my experience), and I even like the priming system which I use exclusively. Only thing I lose in speed is not having a press mounted powder measure, I have a Redding measure mounted on my bench.

So if you haven't, consider a Forster. You may end with more accurate ammo while giving up very little in speed of loading. </div></div>
I recently bought a Forster Co-Ax. It is my new favorite press. Only thing I wish is that I'd gotten it as my first press.

 

[teflonhunter]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

Been using Dillon 550 for .308 and it is working great. Loads come out consistant and gun loves them , using Forster and Redding dies.

 

[jbailey]

Re: Thoughts on a Turret press

Just got a T7 and love it. No play in turret if you torque down the big ass bolt on it to 40 ft/lbs (that is what the folks at Redding told me - foot/lbs not inch/lbs). I just finished loading 700 rounds of precision 5.56mm on it and it is shooting great.