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Old May 12, 2011, 11:39 PM   #26
Lost Sheep
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3-hole, 4-hole Deluxe or Classic Turret

The original Lee Turret was the Deluxe, 3-hole. The base and some of the linkage is aluminum. I don't believe it is made any more, but I could be wrong.

If you have a 3-hole Deluxe, you can convert it to a 4-hole by replacing the turret ring and turret(s).

Now there is the 4-hole Lee Deluxe Turret. Same base and linkage, but the turret has 4 holes.

The Classic Turret is a 4-hole turret (there is no 3-hole version or 3-hole conversion kit, according to Lee Precision). The base is cast iron and the linkage is stronger than on the Deluxe. The ram stroke/opening is longer than the Deluxe and the handling of ejected primers is superior to the Deluxe (they drop down through the center of the ram)

Kemf's Gun Shop sells a $200 Classic Turret kit that includes dies of your choice and lacks only a scale to make a pretty complete setup.

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This is shorter than my usual posting because I am having computer trouble.
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Old May 14, 2011, 10:16 PM   #27
jhernar-15
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Im having doubts about getting into reloading... I thought I was sure I wanted to but I dont know ... With the amount of money im going to spend I can just get another gun in like 22 and practice with that. I dk what to do...
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Old May 15, 2011, 12:46 AM   #28
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jhernar-15

You may be right (not to get into reloading), it is not the amount of money it takes, most of the equipment is purchased over a long time. It is the amount of time that it will take getting into reloading. It is a hobby all to it's self.

I can't speak for everyone else, but I started because I wanted better 45 ACP ammo to shoot than what I could buy off the shelf. I was only going to load 45 ACP. Well 13 calibers (and sets of dies) and 22 guns latter, I shoot less and load more. I enjoy reloading and the accurate ammo I can make, one week it will be 9mm the next 243 Winchester or 40 S&W or the following week maybe 357 Mag (I don't do much of that anymore). But it is my hobby and what I enjoy doing. I could play golf, but don't like to. And I am too old for baseball, football or hockey. So what are you going to do with your time. Me I reload and then go out and shoot, IDPA matches, to the outdoor rilfe range when it is not raining, or indoor range when I just want to test out some new loads.

If you shoot a lot then reloading is the way to go, if you only go to the range two or three times a year, then no it is not how you want to spend your time.

One of the nice things about reloading, is during the last scare and shortage of ammo and supplies, I never had to worry about where I could buy ammo to go and shoot. All I had to do was pick up what I wanted to use from the shelves from what I had reloaded. You will reload more than you use.

Like I said it's not about money, it's about how you want to spend your time!

Good luck, which ever way you go.
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Old May 15, 2011, 11:40 AM   #29
deisel10
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"it seems like the the lee classic turret doesnt come with anything like the other kits... at least i havent found any in kits."

I have only been able to find a kit from Cabela's for the Lee classic turret. I think it was $200 plus shipping. you also need dies and all the fixins though.
I myself haven't started reloading yet just shoppingn around for all the stuff, But I figure the money I spend on getting started would be spent at the bar or on the girl friend ( and I try to avoid that as much as possible ) when I was little my dad reloaded shot gun shells like crazy and I remember how much fun it was. It like anything else though not for everyone.

here's the link if your interested. What I liked about this is it was the only site that told me what comes in the kit.
http://www.cabelas.com/presses-dies-...:referralID=NA

Last edited by deisel10; May 15, 2011 at 11:44 AM. Reason: adding a link
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Old May 15, 2011, 12:21 PM   #30
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Quote:
it seems like the the lee classic turret doesnt come with anything like the other kits... at least i havent found any in kits.
Here is a very good classic turret kit.
https://kempfgunshop.com//index.php?...mart&Itemid=41

Reloading isn't for everybody. In my opinion if you don't enjoy it you won't stick with it. I started reloading just to save money. After a few weeks I enjoyed it so much I knew I would reload the rest of my life. Now I reload for the enjoyment, the money savings is a bonus.
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Old May 15, 2011, 06:50 PM   #31
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I have to tell you that I have gotten so much more out of reloading than I expected to. I started reloading because I ended up with my Dad's bringback M-1891/38 Carcano TS carbine and finally thought I should try to shoot it. I bought a Lee Anniversary kit with their Challenger single stage press (I am still using it today) and a set of Lee dies, some brass and bullets from Buffalo Arms. That was some 20+ years back.

Today, I reload for a whole lot more calibers, everything from 17 Ackley Improved to 577 Snider and everything in between, often over 5,000 rounds total per season.

I only have about a 4-5 month shooting season. Reloading and wildcatting has let me extend my "gun sport" from that short time to a year round hobby. So if I'm not shooting, I'm reloading. It's a great way to pass those too-long, shut-in winter months!

It has also let me broaden my interest into calibers and therefore rifles and pistols which are just unique and historically interesting (hence the growth over the years in my die collection). Going to the range or on a hunt with ammo you made yourself is a unique kind of satisfaction. Being able to take something like an old Jarmann or Murata or Martini-Henry to the range is like being able to bring something dead back to life. As you get into the old and obscure, you learn the history of the firearm and the history surrounding its service. I can't tell you the fun I've had at the range when someone, young or old, comes up and asks: "Hey, whatca' got there? Sure looks old." Then you can talk with them about it and you can even let them shoot it if they're interested.

So, reloading has been so much more for me than I could have imagined. Do you have to be as "extreme" about it as I've been? Only if you want to go in that direction. You see, you're in control and can make up your mind as you go along. Not all my calibers are obscure by any means. I just finished some 45 LC and estimate I saved a good 1/3 to 1/2 off factory ammo. If you shoot a couple boxes a year ... reloading to save money will take a long time.
However, the flip side means that after your initital investment in press, dies, primers, powder, bullets you can take your fired factory brass and recycle it until you loose it or destroy it. I have cases that have gone over 10 reloadings and are still in use.

The guys on the forum have given you some really good advice. For my part, I'm glad I jumped into the reloading pool and have never looked back.
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Old May 15, 2011, 07:30 PM   #32
Brian Pfleuger
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I agree with all of the above... Reloading is NOT for every one but it's also not nearly as hard as I spent many years thinking it was. I am very glad that I got into it.

Ammo is soooo much cheaper and there is great satisfaction in shooting your own.

I am not one of the guys that shoots so I can reload... I enjoy reloading, but not that much.

I do it because I wanted a handgun and wanted a gun chambered in a relatively expensive cartridge, .357sig. My initial investment was about $300. It took me about one year to shoot that much 357sig, about 1000 rounds. However, in that time, I also began loading for 10mm, .204 Ruger, .22-250 and 7mm-08.

7mm-08 is expensive in factory ammo too. I load using very expensive Barnes TTSX bullets and Norma brass... I save over $27 per 20 rounds over factory ammo with that bullet!!!! That one cartridge, in ONE box of 100 bullets, will save me over $130.

Reloading allows you to not only shoot obscure or obsolete cartridges but also frees you from consideration of ammo cost between cartridges when you select a new gun. I'd pick a 243 over the 7mm-08 if I had to buy ammo but reloading "equalizes" the price and let's me shoot WHAT I want and WHEN I want, without worrying so much about cost.

Reloading in NOT for everyone, but it sure is for me.
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Old May 15, 2011, 08:51 PM   #33
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Quote:
I agree with all of the above... Reloading is NOT for every one but it's also not nearly as hard as I spent many years thinking it was.
Very true.
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Old May 15, 2011, 09:51 PM   #34
jhernar-15
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I think I'm going to give it a try!
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Old May 16, 2011, 12:07 AM   #35
Kyo
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i love to reload but getting all that stuff that Lostsheep posted can be expensive. let me explain.
you don't need "as many reloading manuals" they can run more than a 4 hole turret from lee. I also have one. I spent 20 bucks on a Lee loading manual because I got a LEE press. makes sense right? but if you want more, of course who am i to stop you
if you are getting a scale, get an electronic one. because the 4 hole turret kit comes with one already.
you don't need the powder dippers. I don't even know why I would need them...
the chamfer, primer pocket cleaner, case trimmer, come with the kit as well
I am glad I learned how to reload because it gives me confidence when I shoot. I know who made my ammo. I know I make my ammo light, so recoil is nicer, I know I make it cheaper to shoot my 45. Cheaper than a box of new 9mm's.
I would suggest finding someone in your area who will sell you already shot brass. its CHEAPER than NEW. USE IT!
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Old May 16, 2011, 01:07 AM   #36
Jim243
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Quote:
I don't even know why I would need them...
Kyo

There are two reasons to use them. The first is that you do not need a powder measure, just a scale, dippers and a trickle charger to get your load.

The second is if you are a benchrest shooter. They will reload their cases on the firing line over and over again. They load by volume not weight. If you use dipper A and dipper E each time, each case will get the same volume of powder from case A to case Z, it really does work in giving them a consistant load from start to finish, without having to worry about weighing the charge. It is the same principal as that used by muzzle loader black powder rifle users, they measure the volume not the weight of the black powder, and it has worked for hundereds of years.

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Old May 16, 2011, 03:26 AM   #37
Lost Sheep
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Jhernar-15, don't be discouraged from handloading

Quote:
Kyo
i love to reload but getting all that stuff that Lostsheep posted can be expensive. let me explain.
you don't need "as many reloading manuals" they can run more than a 4 hole turret from lee. I also have one. I spent 20 bucks on a Lee loading manual because I got a LEE press. makes sense right? but if you want more, of course who am i to stop you
if you are getting a scale, get an electronic one. because the 4 hole turret kit comes with one already.
you don't need the powder dippers. I don't even know why I would need them...
the chamfer, primer pocket cleaner, case trimmer, come with the kit as well
I am glad I learned how to reload because it gives me confidence when I shoot. I know who made my ammo. I know I make my ammo light, so recoil is nicer, I know I make it cheaper to shoot my 45. Cheaper than a box of new 9mm's.
I would suggest finding someone in your area who will sell you already shot brass. its CHEAPER than NEW. USE IT!
Different strokes for different folks.

Kempf's Classic Turret Kit does not come with a scale, but it does come with dies (which most other kits do not).
Quote:
you don't need the powder dippers. I don't even know why I would need them...
You might consider dippers if you don't get a powder thrower (device for dispensing uniformly measured powder charges, usually costing $30 to $100). A full set of dippers costs about $15.
Quote:
I would suggest finding someone in your area who will sell you already shot brass. its CHEAPER than NEW. USE IT!
I like to create my own used brass by buying an occasional box of factory ammuntion and emptying the cartridge cases myself.

I recommend finding different manuals because each author or set of editors speaks with a different style and covers portions of the subject matter with different emphases. Exposing your mind to a lot of different sources is a safety measure. Of course, there are videos and the internet that was not available when I started loading. There is also your local library. Used manuals (even ones 30 years old) are still useful for their descriptions of the process, even if their load recipes are dated.

The setup I described is a first-class setup (in my opinion). You can build up to it slowly if you are short on cash.

All you REALLY need to load with a tolerable degree of convenience and safety is a press, dies and a way to mete powder. Plus some knowledge of how to use the tools you have. Everything else simply adds speed, convenience, accuracy and safety.

I think of the economics of reloading like this: Compare handloading to the retail cost of 1,000 rounds of handgun or 500 rounds of rifle ammunition. Perhaps a year's worth of shooting.

If you shudder at the $250 to $350 for a decent starter setup (capable of
producing very precise ammunition in moderate quantities - 50 to 150
rounds per hour), consider the cost in terms of boxes of ammunition.

A decent mechanical scale will cost about 3 boxes.
A good press will cost 3 to 6 boxes
Dies will cost 1 to 2 boxes
Two good manuals will cost a box apiece.
Miscellaneous other small tools and such will cost 3 to 5 boxes
Two pounds of powder will cost 2 boxes.
1,000 primers will set you back 1 box
1,000 bullets for pistol will be 2 or 3 boxes, 500 bullets for rifle,
about the same.

So, for the price of about 20 boxes of loaded ammunition, you can get 20
boxes of your own reloads (re-using your own brass from prior retail
purchases).

Your hardware is paid for after the first 20 boxes. After that, your
ammo is pretty much 1/4 to 1/2 the cost of over-the-counter.

Because rifle cartridges usually come in 20-round boxes and handgun
cartridges in boxes of 50 (but cheaper per round), the financial
calculation applies pretty much the same to rifle ammunition as it does
to handgun ammunition.

Sorry for the long post, Jhernar-15, but your post (#27) about reconsidering getting into reloading made me think I might have discouraged you. I would never want to do that. However, your idea about getting a 22 rimfire is still sound. I have a couple. Rimfire is cheaper than reloaded and allows concentration on control (trigger, breathing, sight acquisition, etc) without the distraction of recoil and large amounts of noise.

Check out this site:
Handloading On A Shoestring :: By J. Marshall Stanton on 2004-06-30
http://www.beartoothbullets.com/tech...h_notes.htm/51

And the thread I started:
"Budget Beginning bench you will never outgrow for the novice handloader". This was informed by my recent (July 2010) repopulation of my loading bench. It is what I would have done 35 years ago if I had known then what I know now.
http://rugerforum.net/reloading/2938...andloader.html

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Old May 16, 2011, 11:00 AM   #38
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Another thing to remember is that you are not stuck with the equipment if you opt not to reload after all.

You can always resell it.

If I had to choose between reloading and buying my first 22, I'd get the 22. But I would still get into reloading later.

It really is worth it. You won't save money, but you'll shoot more for the money you have.


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