Lee press at the range ? should I up grade ?

M

matchman

Guest
Im about to start re-loading at the range. All I have is a Lee O-frame and a Lee Turett press.
I know the RCBS Partner is acceptable as others here use them.
1.(I assume most have 2 presses, one for sizing and one for seating?)
I have good dies Harrell / Redding / Foster.
Doing a search I found some of the Big players (J.S. comes to mind) even loosens the press up. (saying its all about the dies)
2. (So where im going with this is I like my turret best (1 press for seating and sizing and easy calibre change swapping turrets) but I notice that entire turret is a loose fitting Item (by design). Is this Problem for accurate amo?)

Also I guiess I can figure this out for my self "if" I had a Concentricity tool (make some amo). But I do have a Lathe w/collets and test indicators.
3,(Any thoughts on set up to check bullet/case runout in a lathe ?)
Thanks for any and all replies.
Adam
 
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links dont work...sorta like ubr......ouch...sorry geo( ok they are there now...nice set up geo)

the press is used normally for sizing....so one can work if you use a wilson for seating.

if it is the lee classic..yep it will work..tho a little large,
any other lee might be too soft for consistancy.
just my 2 cents worth.

mike in co
 
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I watched people use them and so I bought several of them.
Now I have some extras.
The work fine. I use one for sizing and one for seating.
Small and light enough you should be able to just redrill the setup you have.
I had the lee also but changed to the partner.
 
Does it make accurate ammunition?? That is the main criteria..

If you saw what I use, you would absolutly cringe.......jackie
 
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I Ordered a partner press....
Makes life simpler.
Hopefully one more possible variable removed.
Thanks
 
I have seen the 3 partners that Jackie uses and he is right you would cringe,,,,,while hiding under the table but there is no doubt that the man can shoot and shoot well.
While on the subject I think last year or year before was the first year he shot a gun that wasnt in the most ugly gun of the year club...
I bought 3 or 4 of them and plan on selling 2 of them.
 
matchman said:
2. (So where im going with this is I like my turret best (1 press for seating and sizing and easy calibre change swapping turrets) but I notice that entire turret is a loose fitting Item (by design). Is this Problem for accurate amo?)
Click to expand...

Not if your press & dies are set up correctly. 4Mesh, who can (and did) chamber with a CNC lathe & a boring bar, uses the Classic Lee Turret press. (He also shoos quite well.) I'm not sure he took it to the range, but as a 1,000 yard shooter, he might have preloaded everything (Phil?) He does recommend having a few extra turrets to hand, as they have been known to break.

Otherwise, if you can stand a little extra size in order to save a little extra money, the Partner(s) are fine -- or Lee single stage. I use a Partner, and a Wilson seating die, so the other press is an arbor press.

But if you want to look cool, get the Harrell.
 
The perceived "looseness" of the Lee turret is not a problem. When the case, either while sizing or seating, is pushed into the die, the turret is forced tightly against the lugs and is very stable and straight. I load several calibers in Lee turret presses and a custom Fred Moreo turret press that uses Lee turrets and the case run-out is so close to perfect that it's a waste of time to keep checking them -- especially those done with Lee collet dies.

Before I switched to the turret presses, I had three Lee single-stage presses and they worked without a problem. As I progressed in competitive shooting, I got into the technology race and bought a beautiful Hood press, very expensive custom dies, all kinds of expensive measuring, weighing, cutting and trimming equipment.

Last week I went to the range with my new-to-me 6PPC with 20 rounds loaded to try Bart's 65-gr. BT bullets with IMR8208 powder. I had shot some 3-shot groups a few days earlier to arrive at what seemed to be the best load with loads done on brass resized with a Harrell's Vari-base die and seated with a Wilson inline seating die on the Hood press. My best group in that test was .125". Now using the same brass, but neck-sized in a Lee collet die, bullets seated in a Forster micrometer seating die, all on a Lee turret press, I had 20 rounds of the best previous load. I used five to zero the scope and foul the barrel. Then I fired three 5-shot groups at .242", .189", and .120".

For loading several calibers on a regular basis, it is hard not to like the Lee turret press. The turrets are quickly changed, easy to store and totally convenient. I know Lee products are a hard sell in the competitive shooting world because they are certainly "cheap" looking, not heavy bench anchors, not impressive to show to your buddies and don't enforce the aura of being "top-echelon" shooters. All that aside, they will load ammunition of as good a quality as any of the others which cost double or triple the price -- or more.
 
Adam, why not just take the press you're using, unbolt it from the bench, bolt it to a piece of wood, etc. and take it to the range? You can clamp it to a bench using a couple of 'c' clamps. This way, you don't have to reset your dies for another press. After a while, make the change to a range only press if you like. I use a Partner for all the rifles I load for (BR and hunting) and all the dies are set and adjusted in this press. It's screwed to a piece of Delrin that's clamped to the table/bench at the range. At home, it gets clamped to the loading table next to a bigger RCBS press used for case forming, etc.

Loading at the range will open up a whole new world for you. I started my range loading with a small Lee 'c' press like George pictured clamped to the reciever hitch of my pickup....;)

Good shootin'. -Al
 
I recommend you use your turret press until you have a better idea what you want or think you need. Ultimately you may find what you have works well and you can focus your resources elsewhere (more bullets, powder, primers & barrels to practice with and get better). Currently, I have a Harrell's combo press like the one shown in the link above. It works perfectly for me at home or the range. I picked it up at a bargain basement used price from someone selling all their BR stuff on this board, otherwise I would still be using my RCBS rock chucker and arbor press (the RC was pretty big and heavy for transporting so I don't miss that).
 
gentlemen,
your milage maybe different, but back when i started with a 6ppc, i could not size on the early lee 3 hole turret press.
it was too flexible and moved too much. this was when i bought my FIRST single stage press.
i bought the NEW lee classic single stage. great press for the money...and it handled the 6ppc cases with ease.

mike in co
 
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