Lee Classic Turret Press

[CrustyFN]

The Lee classic turret is a good choice for what you want to do. I have been loading on one four years now and love the press.

I'd like input on the quality, durability, set up,

In my opinion the classic turret is built to last a life time. It's a very solid press. It is a easy press to set up and very easy to operate.

ability to maintain an adjustment,

The only time I have to adjust the dies is when I make a change for example going from a RN bullet to HP. Otherwise none of my dies have ever lost adjustment.

Any thoughts on the priming system?

The safety prime can take a little time to get adjusted right but once you have it set up right it will work near flawless. The set up for the safety prime isn't bad and doesn't take that long.

Is there anything that you don't like about your Lee?

I haven't found anything yet. In the four years I have had mine nothing has broke or wore out. It has been very dependable and problem free. I like to load at a relaxed pace and take my time. I will normally sit down in front of the press for three hours and have 500 rounds loaded. I'm sure I can load 600 in that time but as I said I like to take my time. I load 9mm, 38 spcl, 45 auto and 223 and you will want to get a turret for each die set. It makes to too easy to change calibers that way.

[NWPilgrim]

Besides the Classic being made of cast iron and the Deluxe out of cast aluminum:

- Class drops spent primers easily down through the ram and into a tube, the Deluxe knocks them out to a side holding area thing

- Classic mounts the Safety Prime tray/arm, not sure if the Deluxe will

[Xfire68]

Mike here is a quick video of me loading up some 9mm. When you see me pushing forward at the top I am loading a new primer.
http://s245.photobucket.com/albums/g..._0386_xvid.mp4

[gregjc9]

I got this same kit last Xmas, and have been extremely pleased with it. It was my first press, and it worked quite nicely. There are some quirks, and things to watch be careful of, but I suppose most all presses have the same thing. The dies held their adjustments very well, as I had turrets for 380acp, 9mm, and 45acp. I had no problems with the primer system. The only thing I didnt like was trying to read the vernier adjustment on the scale. The scale is very accurate, but a PITA to read.

[Lost Sheep]

Originally Posted by gregjc9

I got this same kit last Xmas, and have been extremely pleased with it. It was my first press, and it worked quite nicely. There are some quirks, and things to watch be careful of, but I suppose most all presses have the same thing. The dies held their adjustments very well, as I had turrets for 380acp, 9mm, and 45acp. I had no problems with the primer system. The only thing I didnt like was trying to read the vernier adjustment on the scale. The scale is very accurate, but a PITA to read.
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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

Put the scale on a SOLIDLY MOUNTED shelf at eye level, in good light and it will be much easier to read.

One you push the little pin to lock the sliding weight in place the vernier reading will not be an issue. I did not know there was one for the longest time until I got a second Lee Safety Scale in a trade and OMG! It had an instruction sheet (unlike my first scale). Once I read that, I found I liked the scale a lot better. Not as much as my RCBS 1010, but better than before.

You can also lift the whole balance beam bar out of the scale, bring it onto your bench, set the vernier under a magnifying glass or whatever, lock it in place with the little pin and set the beam back on the scale. I know it sounds wierd, but removing and replacing the beam does not throw the weights off. My old chemistry teacher would be throwing fits, but I tested it and it keeps the weight.

Adjusting the zero, however is still a pain. My fingers just don't reach that little wheel very well.

But at 1/4 to 1/3 the price of other scales, it is a good bargain.

However, I do wish they would put a micrometer drum like RCBS has on the 1010. It WOULD be a vast improvement over that vernier.

Lost Sheep

[deputy fife]

The classic I believe has more clearance. The deluxe will not auto index with .45-70 or .30-06. It seems a little flimsy when sizing .30-06, but that might just be my bench. The Deluxe drops a lot of primers, and they get tracked everywhere when you step on them and they follow you. My Deluxe kit came with a mount for the primer tray, so I would think that it would work. But for pistol and light plinking .223, this is perfect, 200 rds/hr, and then take out the auto-index (5 sec.) to do 30-06 and 45-70 makes it a single stage. I have loaded about 6k rounds on it so far with no problems, mostly pistol.

[mikejonestkd]

Placed an order late last night for the press, pro powder measure, two primer feeders, four turrets, and two risers.....darn thing is now on backorder...Hopefully I'll get it before I have to return the RCBS press...Thanks for the opinions everyone!

[IQ45]

Mikeld, your methods sound similar to mine.

Originally Posted by Mikeld

I'm really happy with my Lee Turret (old model). I'm not bound by any quota so I usually take my time and I have disabled the auto index feature on my press. Much of the time I reload in stages; clean and deprime a batch, later prime and flare, then finish (charge, seat bulltes, crimp). So, mebbe I'm using my turret in a single stage mode but if necessary I can pop out 100 rounds per hour by hand indexing. I've been reloading for 25+ and find this method works for me...
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My Anchor is holding fast!

I'm curious...are you using all 4 stations?
I see kits to convert 3 stations to 4 on the old Deluxe Turret models, but only need 3 stations on the Classic Cast Turret (1-flare/powder drop, 2-seat, 3-factory or taper crimp). Thanks IQ45

[mikejonestkd]

Everything arrived today!!! Its going to be a great weekend of reloading!! Thanks for the opinions everyone

[CrustyFN]

Everything arrived today!!! Its going to be a great weekend of reloading!! Thanks for the opinions everyone

Congrats on your equipment.

[The Terminator]

Nothing that I can add here. The Lee Classic Cast rules. You will never, ever, be disappointed in one.

[Mike Irwin]

Crusty,

In your press picture, what is the gray wire attached to the one leg of the turret support assembly?

[mikejonestkd]

Mike, I am guessing it is a flexible LED light to view the cases to make sure that they are charged....? Not a bad idea at all!!

[sonnycrockett]

the LCT is an OK press
but far from a spectacular machine,it jams alot,its OAL varies
a bunch and its 4 pulls of your arm for one bullet compared to
a real progressive.......Its priced right ,I started with one but once U buy a real press youll wonder *** you were thinking owning a LCT....

Then there is the resale value....Lee has none

[CrustyFN]

Crusty,

In your press picture, what is the gray wire attached to the one leg of the turret support assembly?

Mike,

It's a LED light. I had a squib when I was new to reloading. I added the light and look in every case before the bullet goes on. No problems since.







It works great for pistol calibers. The only rifle caliber I reload so far is 223. They are too small to see in.

[CrustyFN]

the LCT is an OK press
but far from a spectacular machine,it jams alot,its OAL varies
a bunch and its 4 pulls of your arm for one bullet compared to
a real progressive.......

That's the problem. Most people want to compare the classic turret to a progressive and it's not a progressive. It would compare to a single stage or another turret press and in my opinion it is as good or better than the others. Mine has worked problem free since it was set up almost five years ago. I'm not sure what kind of accuracy you are going for but mine seats bullets within .003 in four different calibers. That's close enough for me and any normal shooter. If you are going for bench rest type accuracy then I would agree not to get the classic turret.

[Jim243]

[wingman]

Lee Classic an excellent machine, I load only pistol on mine have a light setup
as in the previous posters picture.


http://www.factorysales.com/cgi/cata.../primtool.html

[mikejonestkd]

I love this press!!!! It is so easy to set up, accurate, and very durable.

Had my 12 year old son reloading .38s with supervision. He managed to crank out 100 rounds in less than an hour, even with regularly stopping to check powder charges, and to measure OAL every few bullets.

Now, I can't get him to let me use my new tool....

I wasn't too sure about the primer dispenser but it works like a charm!

[Mike Irwin]

Interesting. Thanks, I never would have thought of doing that.

[Mike Irwin]

"the LCT is an OK press
but far from a spectacular machine,it jams alot,its OAL varies
a bunch and its 4 pulls of your arm for one bullet compared to
a real progressive....... "

You have to expand on this a bit.

Specifically, what kind of jams are you getting? So far I've reloaded about 3,500 rounds on my LCT and I have never had a jam of any kind at all.

Also, I would say that if your overall length is varying, you're doing something wrong with your die set up. I've never had any problems with variations in overall length of my loaded cartridges.

"4 pulls of your arm for one bullet."

Well, I need four pulls for one cartridge...

But yes, it's NOT a progressive press. No one to the best of my knowledge has ever claimed that for it.

[CrustyFN]

Had my 12 year old son reloading .38s with supervision.

That's what it's all about right there. That sounds like an awesome time. I'm glad you are happy with your set up.

[Lost Sheep]

Originally Posted by CrustyFN

That's the problem. Most people want to compare the classic turret to a progressive and it's not a progressive. It would compare to a single stage or another turret press and in my opinion it is as good or better than the others. Mine has worked problem free since it was set up almost five years ago. I'm not sure what kind of accuracy you are going for but mine seats bullets within .003 in four different calibers. That's close enough for me and any normal shooter. If you are going for bench rest type accuracy then I would agree not to get the classic turret.
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Respectfully, I disagree with both of you. I respect your feelings and opinions. I just have different ones.

First, though, the jamming. I can jam my Classic Turret very reliably by short-stroking the press. This is a common way to break the square ratchet, too. I suspect the OAL problem may have a related cause.

Resale value? I found it quite impossible to find a Classic Turret on the used market at any price.

I have an RCBS Rockchucker as my single stage for jobs requiring that degree of leverage and rigidity. But I rarely ever use it for pistol rounds. My Classic Cast handles up to 454 Casull just fine.

I have two Lee Pro-1000 progressive presses that are being replaced by my Classic Turret. And I find the change quite satisfactory. While not a progressive, the reliability of the operations is a lot better than my Pro-1000s (which were bought used, so that may explain some of my dissatisfaction with them). Some may argue that the Pro-1000 is not very progressive, though, so I will give you a little there.

However, the Classic Turret has something that puts it above other turrets: Auto-Indexing. The head rotates the dies automatically for convenient loading that matches my Pro-1000 production rate a LOT more conveniently and reliably.

The Classic Turret has another advantage over any progressive. Bringing in a new caliber is terribly convenient. No specialized shell plate required. Just a regular shell holder that I can also use in my Rockchucker if I want. I know the shell plate is a trivial thing, but that's just a quirk of mine.

So, 4 strokes to get one cartridge is no big drawback. I like to observe each operation individually, anyway. I don't need more than a couple hundred rounds a week, so a full-blown progressive's capacity would be wasted on me.

Lost Sheep

These opinions are mine. They are probably shared by others. I don't mind sharing. Your opinions are yours. I may adopt them if your reasoning seems sound, if you don't mind sharing.

[sonnycrockett]

I really dont need to expand,since I sold the press and moved on to
BLUE KOOLAID

[Dave R]

Resale value? I found it quite impossible to find a Classic Turret on the used market at any price.

Could it be that you're the only one who has sold one? Everyone else likes theirs so much they're not gonna sell them? JUST KIDDING!

I've used mine for over a year. My experience is that moving from a single stage to a turret doubled my production. Maybe tripled. A progressive would probably double or triple production again?

Yes, 4 pulls per round vs. 1 per round on a progressive.

OTOH, if you have a turret per chambering that you reload, AND you spend the $30 per chambering for an Autodisk (or Autodiks Pr0) per chambering, there's virtually nothing to adjust when moving from chambering to chambering. Pop in a new turret, add powder and primers, and load.

The LCT is a mid-point (or somewhere around there) between a single stage and a progressive.