Getting aggrivated with my Lee Press -

Khaot1c · January 22, 2010, 09:15 PM

I've got a Classic Turret press. This is my secone one.... My first one had a HUGE problem with alingment and would not feed casings into the die at a straight angle.
I'm having problems getting consistant loads. By that I mean everything varies....
[From] the amount of powder discharged from the Auto-Disk powder measure.... I put the Adjustable Charge bar on the powder meausre so it should be as simple as shoot a charge, measure it and then adjust the knob until you find the weight you need. However, measuring the charge every 7 loads or so, and you will see that the charge varies by as much as .3 grains. (In this particular case i'm using Power Pistol to load 155grain .40 S&W carts)

[To] the case overall length. Using Lee dies, i have adjusted the knob until i've got the COL i want verified from a micrometer. Again, measuring every 7th round or so i can see quite a variance. I've dialed in a 1.25 COL but some are as long as 1.4 - and i'm making sure to botom the handle of the press on each pull.

Where can i start to make this process less aggrivating. Getting a new press is a last resort - but if thats what i gotta do......

snuffy · January 22, 2010, 09:25 PM

I don't know why yours doesn't work right. Mine's flawless in every function. I don't use the adjustable charge bar, I tried one, had the same issues you've had. I live with the solid discs, even thought they're not EXACTLY the powder charge I may want.

As for OAL, seldom does measuring bullet tip to base result in exact measurements. Your seater die seats off the ogive,(taper on the side of the bullet nose), so the tip can, and will, be at different lengths.

Every mass produced machine ever made can be defective. No one inspects everything produced, if they did, you'd pay 3 times what you paid. I'm not saying it's not frustrating to get a bad one, but I would advise you give it some time. Coming on here with questions, relieves a lot of concern and you WILL get answers.

wncchester · January 22, 2010, 10:34 PM

"I've dialed in a 1.25 COL but some are as long as 1.4 -"

Seems likely something is badly wrong with your set up or operation.

stang68 · January 23, 2010, 05:15 PM

I have the Lee Turret press and the adjustable charge bar also. I've found that I can get pretty consistent powder drops by tapping just below the plastic part of the powder measure twice lightly just before charging the case. I've used this method with Unique, AA#5, and AA#9 with pretty good results

CrustyFN · January 23, 2010, 07:29 PM

My experience is the same as Snuffy. I have had mine four years. The indexing has been flawless, the safety prime near flawless and the pro auto disk consistant all day long. My OAL for four different calibers has never been off more than .003. Did you align the turret when you first got it so it would index correctly? There is a video on the Lee web site to show you haw to do that. I have better luck with the disks over the charge bar and have found good loads without needing the charge bar. I would recommend setting up the dies from scratch again and see if that doesn't help.

aerod1 · January 24, 2010, 07:41 PM

My Lee Classic Turret has served me well for almost two years. No problem with indexing , primers, or powder drops. I think this is one of the best presses out there for the money.

Khaot1c · January 24, 2010, 11:44 PM

This press has no alignment issues. All good there.
The major issue being with OAL and powder charge.
I've narrowed the band of OAL to drift either way within acceptable limits.

I went to the adjustable bar becuase the discs do have pretty big gaps if you're trying to fine tune a load. However, i have noticed that Power Pistol gives me the most drift in load charges. AA#7 and Titegroup seem to be ok. Something about Power Pistol - When i'm set for 6.0 i can get as little as 5.8 or as much as 6.2 - sampled across 10 drops. And that's using the fixed disc, not the adjustable bar.

rwilson452 · January 25, 2010, 12:05 AM

I have used two different Lee turret presses. The original three hole that I got third hand and a new Classic turret press. Only twice have I had a problem with seating depth. With my pistol die it turned out the seating stem was full of crud. When loading rifle bullets it was the bullets. When I checked the length using a Sinclare bullet comparator they were just fine. As stated it seats on the ogive and the cheap bullets I was using were not very consistent.

Khaot1c · January 25, 2010, 06:42 AM

and i had a serious typo in a previous post.
my seating depth varied with my .40 S&W - I was using the Rainer 180gr LFP trying to get a 1.125 OAL but would see some going as high as 1.140. Understanding that once you get to that second decimal place we're talking pretty small changes, but it just seemed like a lot at the time.

I'm not sure i follow what the ogive reference point is.....

SL1 · January 25, 2010, 07:30 AM

Khaot1c wrote:

Quote:

Understanding that once you get to that second decimal place we're talking pretty small changes...

For small cases like 9mm and .40 S&W, changes of a few hundredths of an inch in COL can produce some pretty large changes in peak pressure. So, COL consistency is a good thing to watch. It can affect both accuracy and safety. However, with mild loads, safety doesn't seem to be at issue. Max loads can be risky with excessive COL variance.

SL1

twice barrel · January 25, 2010, 07:59 AM

The trouble comes from measuring COL with calipers from the base of the case to the tip of the bullet. The seating die presses around the front end of the bullet but it is concave and hopefully doesn't press on the very tip. Now some companies have different seating stems available for their seating dies and you can get a flat stem for flat point bullets which should arrive at a more consistent COL when measured this way. Keep in mind however that the bore isn't "flat" and measuring this way could actually have a greater inconsistency in the amount of jump the bullet will have when leaving the case before engaging the rifling.

What we truly need for this sort of thing are some calipers with a "cup" on one side the same size round as the seating stem is in the die. Like as not we'd discover that the COL would be very consistent.

Hope that makes sense,

TB

grumpa72 · January 25, 2010, 08:07 AM

I use the Lee Classic Turret and the only differences that I see in COL is at most .002-.003". At first, I was trying to get them to the same length but then I started measuring the brass cases themselves and the variation seems to be there. Your variation seems excessive. My two calls for service to Lee have been handled promptly.

Hammonje · January 25, 2010, 09:34 AM

I have use a Lee Classic Cast press for more than five years. I have been more than satisfied. Make sure everything is tightened down well.

Measure OAL from the ogive if you feel the need. Also, measure your projectiles prior to setting up your bullet seating die. Take the average bullets to set up the die. You will notice immediately that the bullets vary some. I get a variance in OAL of 0.005" with match rounds. I do not mind variance in OAL as long as it below 0.010". From the o-give the difference is probably 0.002".

January 22, 2010, 09:15 PM	#1
Khaot1c Member Join Date: March 14, 2008 Location: Florida Panhandle Posts: 54	Getting aggrivated with my Lee Press - I've got a Classic Turret press. This is my secone one.... My first one had a HUGE problem with alingment and would not feed casings into the die at a straight angle. I'm having problems getting consistant loads. By that I mean everything varies.... [From] the amount of powder discharged from the Auto-Disk powder measure.... I put the Adjustable Charge bar on the powder meausre so it should be as simple as shoot a charge, measure it and then adjust the knob until you find the weight you need. However, measuring the charge every 7 loads or so, and you will see that the charge varies by as much as .3 grains. (In this particular case i'm using Power Pistol to load 155grain .40 S&W carts) [To] the case overall length. Using Lee dies, i have adjusted the knob until i've got the COL i want verified from a micrometer. Again, measuring every 7th round or so i can see quite a variance. I've dialed in a 1.25 COL but some are as long as 1.4 - and i'm making sure to botom the handle of the press on each pull. Where can i start to make this process less aggrivating. Getting a new press is a last resort - but if thats what i gotta do......

January 22, 2010, 09:25 PM	#2
snuffy Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2001 Location: Oshkosh wi. Posts: 3,055	I don't know why yours doesn't work right. Mine's flawless in every function. I don't use the adjustable charge bar, I tried one, had the same issues you've had. I live with the solid discs, even thought they're not EXACTLY the powder charge I may want. As for OAL, seldom does measuring bullet tip to base result in exact measurements. Your seater die seats off the ogive,(taper on the side of the bullet nose), so the tip can, and will, be at different lengths. Every mass produced machine ever made can be defective. No one inspects everything produced, if they did, you'd pay 3 times what you paid. I'm not saying it's not frustrating to get a bad one, but I would advise you give it some time. Coming on here with questions, relieves a lot of concern and you WILL get answers. __________________ The more people I meet, the more I love my dog They're going to get their butts kicked over there this election. How come people can't spell and use words correctly?

January 24, 2010, 07:41 PM	#6
aerod1 Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2000 Location: Garland Texas U.S.A. Posts: 734	My Lee Classic Turret has served me well for almost two years. No problem with indexing , primers, or powder drops. I think this is one of the best presses out there for the money. __________________ NRA Life Member, TSRA Life Member, C&R 03 FFL, Texas LTC Recreational Reloader U.S. Navy Veteran (USS Midway V-1 Division) Last edited by aerod1; January 25, 2010 at 04:08 PM.

January 25, 2010, 12:05 AM	#8
rwilson452 Senior Member Join Date: June 10, 2004 Location: Tioga co. PA Posts: 2,647	I have used two different Lee turret presses. The original three hole that I got third hand and a new Classic turret press. Only twice have I had a problem with seating depth. With my pistol die it turned out the seating stem was full of crud. When loading rifle bullets it was the bullets. When I checked the length using a Sinclare bullet comparator they were just fine. As stated it seats on the ogive and the cheap bullets I was using were not very consistent. __________________ USNRET '61-'81

January 25, 2010, 07:59 AM	#11
twice barrel Member Join Date: November 11, 2009 Posts: 98	The trouble comes from measuring COL with calipers from the base of the case to the tip of the bullet. The seating die presses around the front end of the bullet but it is concave and hopefully doesn't press on the very tip. Now some companies have different seating stems available for their seating dies and you can get a flat stem for flat point bullets which should arrive at a more consistent COL when measured this way. Keep in mind however that the bore isn't "flat" and measuring this way could actually have a greater inconsistency in the amount of jump the bullet will have when leaving the case before engaging the rifling. What we truly need for this sort of thing are some calipers with a "cup" on one side the same size round as the seating stem is in the die. Like as not we'd discover that the COL would be very consistent. Hope that makes sense, TB Last edited by twice barrel; January 25, 2010 at 08:00 AM. Reason: explanation of "ogive" measurement

January 22, 2010, 10:34 PM	#3
wncchester Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2002 Posts: 2,832	"I've dialed in a 1.25 COL but some are as long as 1.4 -" Seems likely something is badly wrong with your set up or operation.

January 23, 2010, 05:15 PM	#4
stang68 Junior Member Join Date: July 27, 2008 Posts: 8	I have the Lee Turret press and the adjustable charge bar also. I've found that I can get pretty consistent powder drops by tapping just below the plastic part of the powder measure twice lightly just before charging the case. I've used this method with Unique, AA#5, and AA#9 with pretty good results

January 23, 2010, 07:29 PM	#5
CrustyFN Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2006 Location: West Virginia Posts: 2,258	My experience is the same as Snuffy. I have had mine four years. The indexing has been flawless, the safety prime near flawless and the pro auto disk consistant all day long. My OAL for four different calibers has never been off more than .003. Did you align the turret when you first got it so it would index correctly? There is a video on the Lee web site to show you haw to do that. I have better luck with the disks over the charge bar and have found good loads without needing the charge bar. I would recommend setting up the dies from scratch again and see if that doesn't help. __________________ I don't ever remember being absent minded.

January 24, 2010, 11:44 PM	#7
Khaot1c Member Join Date: March 14, 2008 Location: Florida Panhandle Posts: 54	This press has no alignment issues. All good there. The major issue being with OAL and powder charge. I've narrowed the band of OAL to drift either way within acceptable limits. I went to the adjustable bar becuase the discs do have pretty big gaps if you're trying to fine tune a load. However, i have noticed that Power Pistol gives me the most drift in load charges. AA#7 and Titegroup seem to be ok. Something about Power Pistol - When i'm set for 6.0 i can get as little as 5.8 or as much as 6.2 - sampled across 10 drops. And that's using the fixed disc, not the adjustable bar.

January 25, 2010, 06:42 AM	#9
Khaot1c Member Join Date: March 14, 2008 Location: Florida Panhandle Posts: 54	and i had a serious typo in a previous post. my seating depth varied with my .40 S&W - I was using the Rainer 180gr LFP trying to get a 1.125 OAL but would see some going as high as 1.140. Understanding that once you get to that second decimal place we're talking pretty small changes, but it just seemed like a lot at the time. I'm not sure i follow what the ogive reference point is.....

January 25, 2010, 08:07 AM	#12
grumpa72 Senior Member Join Date: April 5, 2009 Posts: 487	I use the Lee Classic Turret and the only differences that I see in COL is at most .002-.003". At first, I was trying to get them to the same length but then I started measuring the brass cases themselves and the variation seems to be there. Your variation seems excessive. My two calls for service to Lee have been handled promptly.

January 25, 2010, 09:34 AM	#13
Hammonje Senior Member Join Date: January 11, 2010 Location: Lilburn, GA Posts: 117	I have use a Lee Classic Cast press for more than five years. I have been more than satisfied. Make sure everything is tightened down well. Measure OAL from the ogive if you feel the need. Also, measure your projectiles prior to setting up your bullet seating die. Take the average bullets to set up the die. You will notice immediately that the bullets vary some. I get a variance in OAL of 0.005" with match rounds. I do not mind variance in OAL as long as it below 0.010". From the o-give the difference is probably 0.002".

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