Please help me with my Lee Classic Turret - Page 2

Eric M. · August 3, 2007, 06:52 PM

I'm glad that this post came up. As I stated, I have had no problems at all with my Lee. As a matter of fact, I'm just taking a break while reloading a bunch of 9mm for my Walther P38.
Thanks to the input of you guys, I will order some extra parts just incase I have problems in the future.
Great posts from you all.
Thanks a heap.

Eric

PzGren · August 5, 2007, 04:43 AM

I have an older Lee Turret press and have gone through a few plastic ratchets over the years. Overtightening the clamp can also cause undue stress.
I recommend lubing the moving parts of the press and keeping them clean. The timing needs frequent adjustment but then, mine is pretty worn by now.

Inmho, there is no press that can be easier (and cheaper) changed to a different caliber.

TEDDY · August 5, 2007, 08:33 PM

I'v had lee presses since they first came out. I dont have clasics as I use the older turret have 3 plus 2 1000s.since the price was right.I do not use the rachet not because it doesnt work but because I do my loading in batches.
it seems most of you have no paticence.and do not sit back and learn how to work the machines.same as the complaints about lees molds.I have all makes of molds and they all work from the get go.same with presses.rcbs turned out a progressive I have one priming was a horror.but it works after changing the system.at $600.20yrs ago it should.even the dillons have troubles.and the hornady l&l is a solution to a design problem they cant fix.

benedict1 · August 5, 2007, 08:51 PM

+1

Couldn't agree more.

jdmick · August 7, 2007, 10:18 AM

I've made some negative comments about the plastic ratchet assembly here before and have only gotten flamed for them so in a way it surprises me that so many others have experienced problems. Was always told it's a fuse of sorts. I understand that but would you put a 5 amp fuse in a 20 amp circuit? As it is I now have some spare square pieces on hand and should probably keep a spare housing on hand as well. These parts really aren't very expensive. My biggest problem with Lee was the secretary who charged me $5 for a couple of the plastic squares after I even sent them the broken one on a nearly new press. After dealing with RCBS's customer service this was like someone throwing water in my face.

They should send them out no questions asked along with a paper explaining what newbies to the press shouldn't do to cause the breakage along with some other tips not included in their sketchy instructions.
Now in defense of Lee I'll say that they've done more for the reloading hobby than anyone else. They're the ones who are keeping this an affordable pastime for cheapskates like me to get into. Like the old saying goes, you get what you pay for, but IMO you really get more than that with Lee, even with a few cheap plastic parts thrown in the mix.

shepherddogs · August 7, 2007, 01:11 PM

I just emailed Lee yesterday and told them that my 3 hole turret had never worked properly despite repeated orders for clamps, bushings and rods. If they keep records they can look and see I am not lying. I asked them what they would do to make it work. I've had the thing for years and had given up but this discussion made me want to give it one more try. We'll see what happens.

shepherddogs · August 7, 2007, 02:42 PM

Just had my email answered by Pat at Lee. I was told to check for over tight clamps, grind the bushing if neccessary, apply oil to turret. Same old things.
Like I said before, this is a Rube Goldberg design that you might can make work to a degree if you are good with tools. What other product can you buy that when you complain they tell you to get out your grinding wheel and fix it yourself. To everyone reading this be warned. You may save a buck or two with the Lee turrets but you will most likely be disappointed. Hand index is all mine is good for. I'm not sure if Pat spoke to John Lee about the problem or not.:barf:

subierex · August 7, 2007, 06:14 PM

Yikes. I guess I'll go out after dinner and check mine. Granted I only have about a 1000 rounds on mine, with no hiccups, but you never know. I do however see how that little bushing could be a weak spot in the design. Probably why they provided an extra with the kit. Guess maybe I should order some spares ahead of time.

I do try to be very consistent with my arm movements when using it and go slower than some may. Dunno if that makes any difference.

CrustyFN · August 7, 2007, 09:07 PM

Quote:

I do try to be very consistent with my arm movements when using it and go slower than some may. Dunno if that makes any difference.

It must. It sounds like I load about the same as you do. I am not in a hurry to break any speed records ( I'm not saying you others are ) and just load at a comfortable pace. If I get 150 per hour then fine, if 200 then great, but I don't sit down thinking I have to load 200 per hour. I have had mine almost a year and have loaded a lot of 9mm and 223 and have had zero problems. Knowing what I know now if I was starting over again I would start with the Classic Turret again.
Rusty

shepherddogs · August 10, 2007, 01:24 PM

I re emailed Pat at Lee requesting that he send me all new index parts for my 3 hole turret. Today I got a response. He said to return it for a free repair or replacement. My opinion of Lee may have been wrong. If they make it good even after this long, then I'll be impressed. We'll see.

ShootingNut · August 10, 2007, 04:35 PM

All these people using the Lee Classic Turret Press, and having problems, are not a bunch of goof balls. There is a problem with the setup, and as good as the Lee people are at sending us rachets and index rods, it really is not getting at the root problem. Just my humble opinion.
That said, I realize that "nothing is perfect in this world", but when it comes to the mechanics of reloading equipment, it had better be darn close.

benedict1 · August 10, 2007, 05:19 PM

It's hot and I'm grumpy so consider that when you read this==

I beg to differ with you, mightily. Nobody is saying somebody is a "goofball." Some presses are a problem from the start. The directions are not great from Lee re: the ratchet. New ones are coming and there will be a video explaining it pretty soon, or so I've been told.

Having said that we are seeing a tiny number of people compared to the thousands and thousands of these things that have been sold.

They are not hard to understand or fix, if someone is willing to take the short time it takes to figure it out. You want to try something tough? Try to figure out what happens when the indexing on a big progressive press gets whacked, or when the priming system goes south on a progressive. Now, that's a project.

We are talking about a simple ratchet/collar-index rod system. If you break it, figure out why and get the warranty parts. For every guy who has griped about having to pay for a dollar part because somebody made a mistake on the phone at Lee there are hundreds who got what they needed, free under warranty.

In the final analysis if you're so burnt out on the Classic Turret press then sell it and get a Rock Chucker. All the time spent typing gripe messages here could be spent learning more about what is by all odds the best darned turret press ever put out in the market, for the money spent.

Lee has striven mightily to offer products of utility at VERY LOW COST to the reloader. Without Lee gear I hate to think what we'd be paying for reloading equipment.

I have watched this thread for nearly three weeks now--enough already!

ShootingNut · August 11, 2007, 05:26 AM

Your check from Lee is in the mail.

ludwig1138 · August 11, 2007, 07:34 AM

Quote:

The directions are not great from Lee ....snip.....New ones are coming and there will be a video explaining it pretty soon, or so I've been told.

I agree, the instruction sheet for the Pro 1000 is poor IMO. However they do have some videos on the website at were quite helpful to me.

There really must be a ton of satisfied customers or they'd have gone under long ago. I like 'em.

Humdinger · August 14, 2007, 03:17 PM

Quote:

In the final analysis if you're so burnt out on the Classic Turret press then sell it and get a Rock Chucker.

Agreed. My Rockchucker press has been collecting dust since I got the Lee Classic turret. I use the Lee to load a box or two at a time and do so in nine different calibers. I switch calibers fairly often. What impresses me most about the Lee Classic turret press is that by having a turret setup for each caliber I can change an entire setup in less than two minutes. This includes swapping out the disk for the pro autodisk powder measure when I change the setup. For reloaders who don't load huge batches of ammo before switching setups the Lee is a snap to convert. Progressive presses are nice if you have a setup you shoot most of the time and don't need to adjust the settings often. If you are like me and change your dies for different bullets and change your powder measure for different charges, the Lee is a pleasure to use. I enjoy cranking out a box of 50 in 15 minutes instead of the 45 minutes it took using my single stage press. I like the economy of motion and not having to screw and unscrew dies into the press and move back and forth from a powder measure, priming tool, and press for each round. I know progressives are even faster than the Classic turret BUT I spend less time resetting the press and more time reloading in small batches with the Lee Classic turret. I've loaded over 20,000 rounds since my initial learning curve and haven't had any problems with this press using it in auto-indexing mode.

I'm planning on selling the Rockchucker, the separate primer tool, and the adjustable powder measure that came with it. Thumbs up for the Lee.

shepherddogs · August 14, 2007, 04:11 PM

Just received a Classic Turret from Midway today. All the reviews said it was good so I decided to try it. What do you know this thing indexes. I haven't loaded anything yet but I am hopeful it will be good. I sent my old and crummy 3 hole turret back to Lee for free repair or replacement. If they make that one right then I'll definitely have a new respect for Lee. I'm just surprised they offered to fix it after all these years.

ShootingNut · August 14, 2007, 04:15 PM

20,000 rounds indexing and NEVER a problem. Well, congratulations I only wish that everyone's Lee Classic Press had performed as yours. But then, I guess the Operator get's the blame, certainly not the Lee product.
That said, I have my own way's of working around the quirky problems, and am loading quite well what I need on my Lee equipment.
I just might give the old index rod another run at it, if if it craps out again, then back to my manual turret movement and run my rounds in batches. Which by the way, I think just might assure better quality loads.

PS:
Benedict be nice to me now, I've had a crappy day and business has been bad.

CrustyFN · August 14, 2007, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Benedict be nice to me now, I've had a crappy day and business has been bad.

shepherddogs, congrats on the new classic. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have mine.
Rusty

earshot · August 16, 2007, 09:35 AM

do you guys adjust the turret before or after the dies are installed?could this have a bearing on the indexing problem? i'm not the engineer,just the sweeper
and bottlewasher with a nagging question. dan

benedict1 · August 16, 2007, 10:01 AM

Probably best to do it with the dies and powder measure installed since they add a fair amount of weight to the turret, and when rotating fast, the extra weight can cause an overshoot. I adjust with the dies in place; however, I only had to do it once about 10 months ago. Since then I've loaded thousands of rounds with no problem.

You can purposely make the press overshoot if you slam the handle up, thus pushing the ram down with a thud and causing every thing to rotate too fast. The handle strokes should be positive and firm, but not jerky or fast at the end of the stroke. If you do this you will have zero issues with your press.

Silentarmy · August 16, 2007, 07:35 PM

After using the lee presses ( several models) for 17 yrs, and wearing out two of them, I bought a Dillon 650 this past february. I can reload in a week more than I could in 17 yrs on this press and No problems whatsoever! It is an expensive investment I admit but look at it this way... What do you pay yourself for your spare time?? My spare time is worth more to me than minimum wage or less! I was a lee fan for sure but I have been SAVED! I have watched these presses sell used for within ten bucks of new and some were ten-twelve yrs old! Can you use your lee for ten yrs for free? Anyway, I am sure someone will spout hellfire over this post but I have seen the light and been freed from the bondage of SLOW, Problematic loading! I still use a challenger to do my onesy loading or hand measured rifle loads but anything you do repetitively is not worth doing any other way than on the 650!

Send that Turret press to south america and Outsource your loading! More time for you to shoot and less time making minimum wage at your bench.

benedict1 · August 16, 2007, 08:05 PM

It's nice you have the $1000 or so that it takes to fully establish a 650 bench with all the niceties.

Some guys have to start a tad lower on the reloading food chain. Lee provides that opportunity to thousands of new reloaders every year. It certainly did for me.

And quite frankly, I can load 500+ loads per hour with my Load Master hand feeding the cases; with the case feeder I can push rates of 700+ per hour for reasonable periods of time. Who needs more? Maybe fulltime IDPA or IPSC shooters. If that's you, go for it.

The Load Master cost me less than $300 with all the bells and whistles they have. That includes the dies. I can change calibers in less than 10 minutes. That includes the priming. And the case feeder.

Enjoy your new press.

Mr.RevolverGuy · August 17, 2007, 08:38 AM

benedict said
"We are talking about a simple ratchet/collar-index rod system. If you break it, figure out why and get the warranty parts. For every guy who has griped about having to pay for a dollar part because somebody made a mistake on the phone at Lee there are hundreds who got what they needed, free under warranty."

Benedict as you can see I was not complaining and I paid for the rachets without a problem matter of fact I purchased 10 of them along with extra collars and as I said when I talked to Mr. Lee I did not mention wanting my money back I just wanted to know what I was doing wrong.

I surely did not mean for this thread to turn into this. It was my idea to come here and ask the experts what I might be doing wrong. I also mentioned later in the thread that it may just have been an oil issue. After using the hoppes gun oil on the turrets it does seem to be smoother and I have loaded 700 rounds so far without an issue yet.

benedict1 · August 17, 2007, 09:42 AM

I'm glad you've got things going right. As you have discovered, it's not a big issue. The most difficult problem is getting past the Lee directions, which are sorely in need of revision. But with excellent help available at

http://www.surplusrifle.com/reviews2...ress/index.asp

setup should be very straightforward. There is also good info available in this forum on the purpose and replacement of the indexing ratchet.

What I cannot figure out is why everybody just goes nuts over a less-than-great phone call about a dollar part and whether it's warrantied or not. If they were calling Sunbeam about a waffle-iron that didn't work they would be persistent until they got the thing straightened out. But with Lee there is no slack. Pile on, gang!

I have no stake in the Lee company; I have been treated very well by Customer Service and if I ever had a problem I sure would have asked to speak to somebody higher up rather than just come to one of the forums and gripe. That fixes nothing.

Even when the path to help is pointed out clearly some guys still just won't let go. I guess I'm just getting too old. I don't understand.

MrRevolverGuy, shoot well and be safe.

Mr.RevolverGuy · August 17, 2007, 10:19 AM

I understand benedict I know exactly what it is your talking about it. Honestly I take the blame and now that I look back at it I should have left the phone conversation piece out cause I just wanted help. I take responsibility clearly for paying for the ratchet because it had just been one of those days where I said cmon it is a dollar part it is not worth my time or Lee's time to haggle over such so I said well why not just send me 10 of them that was my thinking.

I am a little shocked by this thread though because I have been shooting for well over 25 years from a youngster with pops up through the Marine Corps and now. I have met more level headed understanding responsible adults at ranges and other venues as part of this sport/hobby for some, that this seems a bit out of character. I know I will take a beating for that comment and no I am not calling anyone out cause it really could be a hate for Lee by some or just a bit of whining going on which ever it is I understands everyone's point.

Oh yeah and thanks for the help from those that provided it.

August 3, 2007, 06:52 PM	#26
Eric M. Senior Member Join Date: January 26, 2007 Location: Forest Lake, Minnesota Posts: 307	I'm glad that this post came up. As I stated, I have had no problems at all with my Lee. As a matter of fact, I'm just taking a break while reloading a bunch of 9mm for my Walther P38. Thanks to the input of you guys, I will order some extra parts just incase I have problems in the future. Great posts from you all. Thanks a heap. Eric __________________ NRA Chief Range Safety Officer NRA Pistol Instructor NRA Life Member DNR Certified Firearms Safety Instructor 37 yrs

August 5, 2007, 08:33 PM	#28
TEDDY Junior member Join Date: December 10, 2006 Location: MANNING SC Posts: 837	lee presses I'v had lee presses since they first came out. I dont have clasics as I use the older turret have 3 plus 2 1000s.since the price was right.I do not use the rachet not because it doesnt work but because I do my loading in batches. it seems most of you have no paticence.and do not sit back and learn how to work the machines.same as the complaints about lees molds.I have all makes of molds and they all work from the get go.same with presses.rcbs turned out a progressive I have one priming was a horror.but it works after changing the system.at $600.20yrs ago it should.even the dillons have troubles.and the hornady l&l is a solution to a design problem they cant fix.

August 5, 2007, 08:51 PM	#29
benedict1 Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 245	Teddy +1 Couldn't agree more.

August 10, 2007, 04:35 PM	#36
ShootingNut Senior Member Join Date: December 27, 2006 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 1,475	Just Face It All these people using the Lee Classic Turret Press, and having problems, are not a bunch of goof balls. There is a problem with the setup, and as good as the Lee people are at sending us rachets and index rods, it really is not getting at the root problem. Just my humble opinion. That said, I realize that "nothing is perfect in this world", but when it comes to the mechanics of reloading equipment, it had better be darn close.

August 11, 2007, 05:26 AM	#38
ShootingNut Senior Member Join Date: December 27, 2006 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 1,475	bene Your check from Lee is in the mail.

August 5, 2007, 04:43 AM	#27
PzGren Senior Member Join Date: August 14, 2001 Posts: 1,260	I have an older Lee Turret press and have gone through a few plastic ratchets over the years. Overtightening the clamp can also cause undue stress. I recommend lubing the moving parts of the press and keeping them clean. The timing needs frequent adjustment but then, mine is pretty worn by now. Inmho, there is no press that can be easier (and cheaper) changed to a different caliber.

August 7, 2007, 10:18 AM	#30
jdmick Senior Member Join Date: October 28, 2006 Posts: 142	I've made some negative comments about the plastic ratchet assembly here before and have only gotten flamed for them so in a way it surprises me that so many others have experienced problems. Was always told it's a fuse of sorts. I understand that but would you put a 5 amp fuse in a 20 amp circuit? As it is I now have some spare square pieces on hand and should probably keep a spare housing on hand as well. These parts really aren't very expensive. My biggest problem with Lee was the secretary who charged me $5 for a couple of the plastic squares after I even sent them the broken one on a nearly new press. After dealing with RCBS's customer service this was like someone throwing water in my face. They should send them out no questions asked along with a paper explaining what newbies to the press shouldn't do to cause the breakage along with some other tips not included in their sketchy instructions. Now in defense of Lee I'll say that they've done more for the reloading hobby than anyone else. They're the ones who are keeping this an affordable pastime for cheapskates like me to get into. Like the old saying goes, you get what you pay for, but IMO you really get more than that with Lee, even with a few cheap plastic parts thrown in the mix.

August 7, 2007, 01:11 PM	#31
shepherddogs Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2007 Posts: 1,007	I just emailed Lee yesterday and told them that my 3 hole turret had never worked properly despite repeated orders for clamps, bushings and rods. If they keep records they can look and see I am not lying. I asked them what they would do to make it work. I've had the thing for years and had given up but this discussion made me want to give it one more try. We'll see what happens.

August 7, 2007, 02:42 PM	#32
shepherddogs Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2007 Posts: 1,007	Just had my email answered by Pat at Lee. I was told to check for over tight clamps, grind the bushing if neccessary, apply oil to turret. Same old things. Like I said before, this is a Rube Goldberg design that you might can make work to a degree if you are good with tools. What other product can you buy that when you complain they tell you to get out your grinding wheel and fix it yourself. To everyone reading this be warned. You may save a buck or two with the Lee turrets but you will most likely be disappointed. Hand index is all mine is good for. I'm not sure if Pat spoke to John Lee about the problem or not.:barf:

August 7, 2007, 06:14 PM	#33
subierex Member Join Date: March 26, 2007 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 38	Yikes. I guess I'll go out after dinner and check mine. Granted I only have about a 1000 rounds on mine, with no hiccups, but you never know. I do however see how that little bushing could be a weak spot in the design. Probably why they provided an extra with the kit. Guess maybe I should order some spares ahead of time. I do try to be very consistent with my arm movements when using it and go slower than some may. Dunno if that makes any difference.

August 10, 2007, 01:24 PM	#35
shepherddogs Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2007 Posts: 1,007	I re emailed Pat at Lee requesting that he send me all new index parts for my 3 hole turret. Today I got a response. He said to return it for a free repair or replacement. My opinion of Lee may have been wrong. If they make it good even after this long, then I'll be impressed. We'll see.

August 10, 2007, 05:19 PM	#37
benedict1 Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 245	It's hot and I'm grumpy so consider that when you read this== I beg to differ with you, mightily. Nobody is saying somebody is a "goofball." Some presses are a problem from the start. The directions are not great from Lee re: the ratchet. New ones are coming and there will be a video explaining it pretty soon, or so I've been told. Having said that we are seeing a tiny number of people compared to the thousands and thousands of these things that have been sold. They are not hard to understand or fix, if someone is willing to take the short time it takes to figure it out. You want to try something tough? Try to figure out what happens when the indexing on a big progressive press gets whacked, or when the priming system goes south on a progressive. Now, that's a project. We are talking about a simple ratchet/collar-index rod system. If you break it, figure out why and get the warranty parts. For every guy who has griped about having to pay for a dollar part because somebody made a mistake on the phone at Lee there are hundreds who got what they needed, free under warranty. In the final analysis if you're so burnt out on the Classic Turret press then sell it and get a Rock Chucker. All the time spent typing gripe messages here could be spent learning more about what is by all odds the best darned turret press ever put out in the market, for the money spent. Lee has striven mightily to offer products of utility at VERY LOW COST to the reloader. Without Lee gear I hate to think what we'd be paying for reloading equipment. I have watched this thread for nearly three weeks now--enough already!

August 14, 2007, 04:11 PM	#41
shepherddogs Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2007 Posts: 1,007	Just received a Classic Turret from Midway today. All the reviews said it was good so I decided to try it. What do you know this thing indexes. I haven't loaded anything yet but I am hopeful it will be good. I sent my old and crummy 3 hole turret back to Lee for free repair or replacement. If they make that one right then I'll definitely have a new respect for Lee. I'm just surprised they offered to fix it after all these years.

August 14, 2007, 04:15 PM	#42
ShootingNut Senior Member Join Date: December 27, 2006 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 1,475	Thank You Mr Lee 20,000 rounds indexing and NEVER a problem. Well, congratulations I only wish that everyone's Lee Classic Press had performed as yours. But then, I guess the Operator get's the blame, certainly not the Lee product. That said, I have my own way's of working around the quirky problems, and am loading quite well what I need on my Lee equipment. I just might give the old index rod another run at it, if if it craps out again, then back to my manual turret movement and run my rounds in batches. Which by the way, I think just might assure better quality loads. PS: Benedict be nice to me now, I've had a crappy day and business has been bad.

August 16, 2007, 09:35 AM	#44
earshot Member Join Date: June 8, 2007 Location: s.e. mi. Posts: 66	do you guys adjust the turret before or after the dies are installed?could this have a bearing on the indexing problem? i'm not the engineer,just the sweeper and bottlewasher with a nagging question. dan

August 16, 2007, 10:01 AM	#45
benedict1 Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 245	Probably best to do it with the dies and powder measure installed since they add a fair amount of weight to the turret, and when rotating fast, the extra weight can cause an overshoot. I adjust with the dies in place; however, I only had to do it once about 10 months ago. Since then I've loaded thousands of rounds with no problem. You can purposely make the press overshoot if you slam the handle up, thus pushing the ram down with a thud and causing every thing to rotate too fast. The handle strokes should be positive and firm, but not jerky or fast at the end of the stroke. If you do this you will have zero issues with your press.

August 16, 2007, 07:35 PM	#46
Silentarmy Senior Member Join Date: August 13, 2007 Location: Bountiful, Utah Posts: 355	Trade up! value your time? After using the lee presses ( several models) for 17 yrs, and wearing out two of them, I bought a Dillon 650 this past february. I can reload in a week more than I could in 17 yrs on this press and No problems whatsoever! It is an expensive investment I admit but look at it this way... What do you pay yourself for your spare time?? My spare time is worth more to me than minimum wage or less! I was a lee fan for sure but I have been SAVED! I have watched these presses sell used for within ten bucks of new and some were ten-twelve yrs old! Can you use your lee for ten yrs for free? Anyway, I am sure someone will spout hellfire over this post but I have seen the light and been freed from the bondage of SLOW, Problematic loading! I still use a challenger to do my onesy loading or hand measured rifle loads but anything you do repetitively is not worth doing any other way than on the 650! Send that Turret press to south america and Outsource your loading! More time for you to shoot and less time making minimum wage at your bench. __________________ "No one will Ever buy that PLASTIC gun!" Steve Gallenson, Early 1980's "Those Who live by the sword get Shot by those of us who don't" "What we learn from History is that we do not learn from History!"

August 16, 2007, 08:05 PM	#47
benedict1 Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 245	It's nice you have the $1000 or so that it takes to fully establish a 650 bench with all the niceties. Some guys have to start a tad lower on the reloading food chain. Lee provides that opportunity to thousands of new reloaders every year. It certainly did for me. And quite frankly, I can load 500+ loads per hour with my Load Master hand feeding the cases; with the case feeder I can push rates of 700+ per hour for reasonable periods of time. Who needs more? Maybe fulltime IDPA or IPSC shooters. If that's you, go for it. The Load Master cost me less than $300 with all the bells and whistles they have. That includes the dies. I can change calibers in less than 10 minutes. That includes the priming. And the case feeder. Enjoy your new press.

August 17, 2007, 08:38 AM	#48
Mr.RevolverGuy Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 991	Benedict I was simply looking for help benedict said "We are talking about a simple ratchet/collar-index rod system. If you break it, figure out why and get the warranty parts. For every guy who has griped about having to pay for a dollar part because somebody made a mistake on the phone at Lee there are hundreds who got what they needed, free under warranty." Benedict as you can see I was not complaining and I paid for the rachets without a problem matter of fact I purchased 10 of them along with extra collars and as I said when I talked to Mr. Lee I did not mention wanting my money back I just wanted to know what I was doing wrong. I surely did not mean for this thread to turn into this. It was my idea to come here and ask the experts what I might be doing wrong. I also mentioned later in the thread that it may just have been an oil issue. After using the hoppes gun oil on the turrets it does seem to be smoother and I have loaded 700 rounds so far without an issue yet.

August 17, 2007, 09:42 AM	#49
benedict1 Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 245	I'm glad you've got things going right. As you have discovered, it's not a big issue. The most difficult problem is getting past the Lee directions, which are sorely in need of revision. But with excellent help available at http://www.surplusrifle.com/reviews2...ress/index.asp setup should be very straightforward. There is also good info available in this forum on the purpose and replacement of the indexing ratchet. What I cannot figure out is why everybody just goes nuts over a less-than-great phone call about a dollar part and whether it's warrantied or not. If they were calling Sunbeam about a waffle-iron that didn't work they would be persistent until they got the thing straightened out. But with Lee there is no slack. Pile on, gang! I have no stake in the Lee company; I have been treated very well by Customer Service and if I ever had a problem I sure would have asked to speak to somebody higher up rather than just come to one of the forums and gripe. That fixes nothing. Even when the path to help is pointed out clearly some guys still just won't let go. I guess I'm just getting too old. I don't understand. MrRevolverGuy, shoot well and be safe.

August 17, 2007, 10:19 AM	#50
Mr.RevolverGuy Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 991	I understand benedict I know exactly what it is your talking about it. Honestly I take the blame and now that I look back at it I should have left the phone conversation piece out cause I just wanted help. I take responsibility clearly for paying for the ratchet because it had just been one of those days where I said cmon it is a dollar part it is not worth my time or Lee's time to haggle over such so I said well why not just send me 10 of them that was my thinking. I am a little shocked by this thread though because I have been shooting for well over 25 years from a youngster with pops up through the Marine Corps and now. I have met more level headed understanding responsible adults at ranges and other venues as part of this sport/hobby for some, that this seems a bit out of character. I know I will take a beating for that comment and no I am not calling anyone out cause it really could be a hate for Lee by some or just a bit of whining going on which ever it is I understands everyone's point. Oh yeah and thanks for the help from those that provided it.