Done with Lee Products

[ah141nj]

Bought a Lee Classic Turret press several months ago.Their equipment is hit or miss. Sometimes everythings works great & sometimes you want to throw it against the wall.

Turret alignment problems, primer feeding problems, primers flipping on its side or upside down. Service people who may have been having a bad day the times that I had to call them.
Why do I have to seek remedies from forums instead of the people who are getting paid to do it?
Why should I have to keep a plentiful amount of plastic ratchets on hand?
Why do I have to buy RCBS shellholders to keep the primers from flipping upside down?
Why do I need to put a washer under the primer base to get it to align with the primer load?

I sat down tonight to make up a big batch of 9mm's. The freakin turret doesnt want to line up again. I just used the press the other night with a different turret with no problems. Me, like a fool I bought several turrets for several die sets. I wanted to make things easier for me. I bought 2 9mm dies sets for the 2 different 9mm bullets I am using. Wouldnt have to make any adjustments. Just switch turrets for the bullet I want to load. Yea right. Good plan huh? Cant get the dies to line up with the shell....again

Tired to always have to tinker with everything just to get it to work as it is supposed to.


Mind you, between 9mm & 45acp, I have loaded about 6-7000 rounds with this press. Just seems it is hit or miss when I want to use it.

Going to check out that Blue line, maybe I can get a good deal on one.

Sorry for the rant. I was just looking forward to loading up tonight. But I think I am really done with Lee.

[CJ7365]

Whats the price?? Did you ask for a replacement press? It has a 2yr warranty.

[Dingoboyx]

I prime with an auto prime tho,never even tried that funny little thingy on the press for priming) and use 3 blades from an an old (separated) set of feeler gages as shims under the turret (to put it in the 'always up' position)

Have loaded 1000's with no probs at all... I love my Lee press

I think you should try this 'fix' before you loose $ on it and buy something else

[Qtiphky]

I love the Lee products. I have a turret press as well and it got out of alignment once. I followed the directions on how to re-align it and it has worked perfectly for everything I do. 9, 10, 40, 357 Sig, 45 ACP, 30 Carbine all in progressive mode. Rifles I take the auto index off and just use it as a single stage. I do use the primer stage as well.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

i have the same press and have never had a problem. that sucks! try to get another one...as it should still be under warranty.

[Nate1778]

You tried to call Lee tonight? Was anybody there?

Seriously send it back to them, sounds like something wrong with the turret itself, if the others worked. I have found that Winchester primers work the best in the safety prime, don't know why but they do. If you are selling out I'll take the Turrets if the price is right.

[snuffy]

My classic turret just plain works.! All the time, with 8 different turrets and 6 calibers. My former deluxe 4 hole turret also worked fine for many thousands of rounds, the classic is just a lot better machine.

Either one of two things is wrong here. 1. you got a bad one. It happens to every company. 2. you aren't mechanically inclined. Meaning you don't instinctively understand machines. Or three, you are a ham handed person that gets mad when things don't work perfectly. Taking your time, being patient, thinking your way through is how it gets done.

[RidgwayCO]

I just finished reloading 326 .44 Special rounds tonight (weird number because that was all the clean .44 Special brass I had left). I used my Lee Classic Turret press to load Trail Boss under a 200gr LRNFP bullet. I always prime off press using an RCBS hand priming tool, and then use the four-station turret press to 1 - resize, 2 - flare and drop powder, 3 - seat the bullet, and finally 4 - crimp.

It took just a little more than 2 hours to do these 326 rounds, but that was because the little plastic indexing square finally gave up the ghost and had to be replaced. It's done more than ten thousand rounds of ammo without problems, so I'm not really upset.

As far as adjusting the press so that the turret indexes correctly, I've found that holding the metal indexing rod steady with an adjustable wrench while twisting the turret to the position it needs to be (backward if it overshoots, and forward if it undershoots), fixes the problem every time.

So, I've now got more than six 50-round boxes of .44 Special ammo that cost a me only $32.60 in consumables. Assuming commercial .44 Special ammo cost me $34 for a box of 50 (that's if I could find any, and that it was loaded with a 200gr lead bullet, and that it worked in my .44 Specials), the same amount of commercial ammo would have cost me $221.68. So I "saved" over $189 tonight. Too cool!

Just don't give up on your Classic Turret. Send it back to Lee if you must.

[Blue]

All I have is a rock chucker and a Lee Hand tool + some other misc Lee tools. Mostly RCBS but the Lee Stuff I have is pretty good quality. Lee has a lot of good stuff. I am not into speed, yet at least, and find the time loading to be very relaxing. I like the whole drill - with the time at the range as th icing on the cake.

[Randy 1911]

I bought the same press and setup when I wanted to upgrade from a single stage press. I had the same luck as the OP. I s\ent my press back to Lww. They said there was nothing wrong with it. I set it up and strill had the same problems, I will never buy another piece of Lee equipment except for dies. their dies are decent. I went ahead and bought a Hornady LnL AP progresive. It was the best thing I have bought in a long time. I love it.

[freakshow10mm]

You do know you can adjust the indexing so the dies line up, right? It's in the manual and on their site. Have a LCT and never had an issue.

[Dannyl]

HI, yes, sounds crazy in view of what you feel, but
here in SA the Lee 1000 is the most popular press, especially when it comes to reloading huge loads of pistol ammo.

The Lee 1000 is far better than the turret for progressive reloading, and it produces GREAT quality ammo.

If I look at what you have, you wil need very little ( the press and a few shell plate carriers or just a few shell holders)

It will be cheaper than selling your stuff at "get rid of it now" prices, and you will have a great setup.

I have been using my lee 1000 since 1992, and being involved in three clubs where I shoot different types of matches, I reload rather large quantities of ammunition. more than that, all the ranges that reload for their users, use this press as well.

If I was you, I would re-consider.

(Just wait and see how many people in this forum answer your post, only asking " how much, and what are your banking details" I am on my way to do the deposit....")

Regards,
Danny

[ah141nj]

Thanks for the reply's guys. Isnt it a little stange that so many people can have problems and so many people dont. Says something about quality control? Maybe it me, but I dont think you should always have to tinker or come up with some home made solution to make a product work as it should.

To Dingoboyx

I think you should try this 'fix' before you loose $ on it and buy something else

Have tried it tonight & in the past.

To Nate1778

sounds like something wrong with the turret itself, if the others worked

Guess its possible. With one of my newer turrets it wouldnt turn. Polished the edge with my dremel & oiled it with Mobil 1. Shouldnt have had to, it should have performed well out of the box.


To Snuffy

Either one of two things is wrong here. 1. you got a bad one. It happens to every company. 2. you aren't mechanically inclined. Meaning you don't instinctively understand machines. Or three, you are a ham handed person that gets mad when things don't work perfectly. Taking your time, being patient, thinking your way through is how it gets done

1. It seems like way too many people get bad ones.They should take more pride in their product. Better quality control.
2. I have been in the auto collision industry since I am 10. I can put a quarter panel on a car. I would say that would consider me mechanically inclined.
3. "ham handed" never heard that before. I guess I am. I do think things should work "perfect" as promoted. Why should Lee products always be fussed with to work right?

To RidgwayCO

As far as adjusting the press so that the turret indexes correctly, I've found that holding the metal indexing rod steady with an adjustable wrench while twisting the turret to the position it needs to be (backward if it overshoots, and forward if it undershoots), fixes the problem every time.

Did try that tonight. Learnt that fixit from past problems.

To Randy 1911

I went ahead and bought a Hornady LnL AP progresive. It was the best thing I have bought in a long time. I love it.

Should have done that in the first place. Figured I get my reloading feet wet with a more inexpensive setup. Better to learn on a more simple press. What could have been more simple than a CTP. Not a lot of parts, simple design, fast changeovers etc.

...I have loaded 1000's of rounds with my CTP without a problem. But I have used it with problems developing as well. The negative aspects of anything will always out weigh the positives.

[eastbank]

i had the lee 1000 in 45 colt, never could count on it, i gave it to a friend who tinkers and he uses it. i have two dillons and a hornady progressive now and am very happy with them. eastbank.

[ah141nj]

i have two dillons and a hornady progressive now and am very happy with them. eastbank.

which one would you recommend? Looking at the 550 or the LNL. The 550 seems to have a lot of parts to it & its not auto index. The LNL seems to more streamlined & a lot cheaper

[Nate1778]

How much for one of the 9mm turrets and 45 turrets, also interested in the charge bar.......

[Sam06]

I have a Dillon 550B and I have a buddy with the LnL. I have to say I think the LnL might be the better press. The components are a little cheaper. The Dillon has a lot going for it and is a good press but I think I would get the LnL. I have had the Dillon for years and there were no LnL at the time. I also had a lee 1000 that almost broke me from progressive presses but that is another story.

I would also get a real nice Single stage press for loading Rifle rounds on. If you target shoot or are in search of accuracy with a rifle a good Single stage cannot be beat. RCBS, Lyman or Redding are all good presses. Get the O type. Even a good used press works fine. If you want the best the Forester Co-Ax is it. The old Hollywood presses are nice too if you can find one.

There are a lot of folks here that endorse the Lee products, but i am not one of them. I think they are fine for the loader that is making ammo but if you are trying to make very high quality ammo I think there are better choices out there. I have 3 Lee Products now. A 30-30 set of dies, A set of 38spl dies and a Auto-prime the rest has been sold off or pitched. I have not used the dies in 15 years and the auto prime has broken on me 2 times in 30 years. The auto prime is not a bad tool and I have not retired it mainly because I am married to it with all the shell holders.

If I was going to give someone some advice to start up on reloading I would say get a RCBS Rockchucker kit with all the stuff in it. The Hornaday LnL. Hornady dies for the progressive and Redding dies for the SS. A dillon 600 Primer pocket de swager, and a dillon tumbler, RCBS Hand Primer and a Wilson case trimmer. Granted thats over 1000 bucks depending on how many dies you want but it is a good set up.

[benek]

Understand your frustrations. Been There - Done That !
Calls to Lee are either ignored or you talk to the most sympathetic rep they have, depends on who answers the phone.
After 3 months of back and forth, found that using the LCT as a single stage takes care of most all my similar probs.
It's definitly a Quality situation that needs to be addressed by Lee.
Agree with others on just sending the entire unit back. In the long run, it'll work out.

[margiesex]

Feel bad for you - as I know what it's like so sit down thinking it's going to be a good time, and "ah shucks!" happens.

I have been a faithful user of RCBS for over 30 years. The problems I have had were my fault and RCBS has sent me untold dollars of stuff free - just for being a customer - even parts (decapping pins, etc) for dies I got second hand, or not directly from them.

I started out with a Lee loader 40 years ago and still have one - and one set of dies (the dealer was out of RCBS), and I use their Auto Prime (which breaks after about 5000 rounds - I've gone through 4 of them - and got 2 last time so I wouldn't have an 'ah, shucks' day in priming).

Good luck.

And remember: Hug your God and your guns - he's coming for them both - and soon!

Margiesex

[snuffy]

Before popping for a LNL, better do a search on here and other loading forums. There's been a LOT of problems with the LNL, they can't seem to get things right BEFORE putting out a new idea. Their powder through expanders have been a headache since they were were released for production.

If you ignore my suggestion to look before you leap, actually order the LNL, then go to this site to order the fix for the LNL powder through expander problem:
http://www.lnlptx.com/

Another thing, you can't compare a LNL to a dillon 550. It should be compared to a dillon 650, since it has auto index. Minor point, but a valid one. A cartridge conversion for a 650 is expensive.

When thinking about adding a new caliber to my 650, I figured I could buy a LCT for what the caliber conversion would cost! So I did! I find it easier by far to load a few shells of what I shoot less often on the LCT. I also do load work-ups on the LCT, then do the quantity loading on the 650.

[levrluvr]

I'll agree with the OP on the QC issue with Lee, but I think that comes with the territory. It certainly is NOT their intention to deliver products that are bad out of the box, but as with any mfg. product, it happens. Lee has a long history of making reloading equipment, and in general, most folks are pretty happy with their product.
I haven't had any major problems with my LCT loading 30-30, .38 and .357. I have multiple turrets. What few I've had are the known common ones, and were easily fixed. I realize I shouldn't have to do this, but I also have turned out some excellent ammo with the unit for a minimal expense in equipment. Once it was tuned up, the equpiment works flawlessly.
For the amount I shoot, it's a great deal, and I just couldn't justify a huge outlay in equipment at my level in the hobby. Send yours back. Describe your problems in full with a level head and give them a chance to make it right. We all hate to use warranty on anything, but it's given to us by mfg's for this purpose. If they didn't have some level of confidence in the product, they wouldn't give us any.

[CrustyFN]

ah141nj sorry you have had so many problems. I agree with the others and try to have the press exchanged. I am on the opposite side of the fence. I have had my classic turret for three years. Made the indexing adjustment when I first set it up and it has been fine since. The washer under the safety prime bracket is a one time thing, not a big deal it has worked near flawless since. I am still loading on the original ratchet, most problems with the ratchet are user errors. I haven't had to do any tinkering with mine, when I go out to reload all I have to do is fill the powder hopper and primer tray and load. I have loaded on a friends Dillon 550 and can tell you it was a very nice press. It was a little hard to get used to being as I am used to auto indexing and the 550 is manual. As nice as the 550 was I am happy with my classic turret and don't see any reason to upgrade and I shoot quite a bit.
Rusty

[FM-793]

I'm another "have had no major problems with Lee" guy. Lee takes tinkering - it's not that it's low quality, it's more low-tech. More like buying a Wyllis Jeep than a Wrangler Rubicon. That's also why it's hundreds of dollars cheaper. For some, the $$ vs. time trade-off is worth it, for others it's not.

You never posted prices...

[jclayto]

I had all the issues of the OP, ditched my turret and picked up a used dillon 650. I've had a few issues with my dillon, but they were all either user error or broken parts related to buying a used press. Dillon has replaced all broken parts with hesitation, I have yet to even pay for shipping. Press is running very well now.

I made a similar comment in another post recent, it is strange how some people have nothing but problems and others have nothing but success. I really think it comes down to quality control issue.

[azhunter12]

Did you ever adjust the nut on the index rod? At first my press was not lineing up right but just takeing a couple minutes and turing it so it would index right is all it needed.