How is the quality of this press? I'm looking at the 4 hole version.
Will my RCBS uniflow measure fit on it or will I need Lee's measure?

I've got a 3 hole Lee turret press that I've had for 30 years. I still use it for low production calibers. (I have a Dillon 650 that I use for 9mm)

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Minimize the variables

I have the Lee Classic Turret press 4-hole.
Quality is not a problem. This is cast from railroad steel.
Has features that few others have.
The adjustable length and angle of the handle is great.
Spent primers drop out the bottom of the ram.
Like many others, I disabled the "auto index" function and turn the turret manually.
I keep a turret set up for each caliber. Just drop the turret in and go. Setup time is about 15 seconds.

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

The Classic Turret is one of the best buys out there for a press. Add the Safety Prime and Pro Auto Disk powder measure and it really shines. I'm not sure if you could fit the Uniflow to it and still work it or not but I think there are adapter dies that might make it work. I would still never use it though. I was just loading .357 magnum on my Classic Turret but dropping the powder with a Lee Perfect Powder measure off to the side. It's faster than one at a time on the single stage and it's nice to be able to create a complete cartridge in a few seconds. It's VERY easy to setup and change out calibers which is another huge selling point to it. I'm doing a lot of load testing right now on coated bullets and it's super easy to crank out a small batch of 9mm, .45 ACP, .38 special, .357 magnums, and even some 9mm Mak. That's not even an hour's worth of work.

I will say this in a continued effort to prove I'm not a Dillon hater despite getting so much flak from the Blue Crew that the Dillon BL 550 (Basic Loader) is also a good start. It's the RL 550 without all the parts added so you can add them over time later. Think of it as sort of an upside down turret press. You can still load them slow one at a time and just rotate the star to the next station. It will all cost a LOT more than the Lee stuff but I do admit the RL 550 can be a good machine which is why it has such a large following but I do think more people parrot what they hear or read about Lee more so than it was their own experience.

I also use a Lee classic turret press, have had no problems, and have no complaint regarding the quality of the press. I like the convenience of keeping dies installed in turrets, so that they don't have to be set up for each use. I don't use the auto-index, and I drop powder from either a Lee perfect or an RCBS uniflow. I also prime off the press, using a Lee autoprime.

I've been using the Classic Turret for approximately 3 years now. I'm over 10,000 rounds rolled to date without issue. The build quality is there, expecially for the price. The one recommendation I offer, if you go the Classic Turret route, order a few extra 'Square Ratchets' Square Ratchet - Lee Precision as they do wear out from time to time, it is part of the auto indexing feature.

Does the classic come with the auto prime? I'm thinking of just having the uniflow off to the side for powder. So it's
1 Resize,deprime and prime
2 bell
3 off the press to charge
4 seat the bullet ?

My current setup for .38 and .357 is this:

1 - size/deprime
prime with Safety Prime
drop powder
2 - Lyman M die for expand case mouth
3 - seat
4 - crimp

If you use it the way it's intended you do this:

1 - size/deprime
prime with Safety Prime
2 - expand/drop powder with Pro Auto
3 - seat
4 - crimp

I vastly prefer to seat and crimp in two steps as most of what I'm loading is lead or coated lead and sometimes plated. There are times where doing both at the same time you get a tiny bit of shaving the bullet as it's seating and crimping at the same time. Nothing saying you have to do it though.

I have a lee turret press and i think its a great tool for my reloading demands. I load 2-300 pistol rounds per week wih it. I do right at 100 rds per hour taking my time and making sure everything is right. The leep pro auto disk measure works very well for me. I have drilled out a couple of disks to get the exact powder charge I want. It is very consistent for me and at only $42 i have one for .45, one for 9mm, one that bounces back and forth between 357 and 40. The adjustable charge bar works very well for dialing down your perfect load as long as its not too small.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

If you plan on loading other calibers, consider a load master. I have one and use it to reload 9mm, 38 super, .40, 357/38spl, and .223 I have spent the extra $$$ for turrets and powder throwers so all i have to do is change the shell plate and turret and im ready to go.

Not as it comes. I custom made a metal bracket to mount any such measure so it can be operated by hand, dropping the powder through a small funnel attached to the "powder through" Lee die.
BUT there is an inherent risk that if you forget to operate the powder measure each time, you can wind up with a "no powder" squib.

I use the turret only for small test batches, and use a Dillon for volume runs.

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Science plus Art

I also use a 4 hole Lee classic. It is the best press for the price. A complete changeover to another caliber takes 20 seconds or less.
My procedure for handguns is:
I also took the rotating mechanism off and do one step at a time. I do 100 rounds at a time.
I deprime/resize and then rep time. I do all 100 rounds.
I rotate the turret and put the powder in while flaring the case. Do all 100 cases.
I rotate the turret and seat the bullet. Do all 100 cases.
I rotate the turret and crimp with the Lee factory crimp die. Do all 100 cases.
This procedure is for properly cleaned and inspected cases. I use an ultrasonic case cleaner.

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Tom
NRA Pistol Inst

Have the classic turret and no problems. If you are loading for multiple calibers order more plates for your dies. Makes it very easy to change and setup for different calibers.

Another option is to start with disk hole that's LARGER than the amount you want. Drill and tap a little blunt nosed setscrew into the side of the disk so that turning the screw in or out adjusts the volume of the hole/chamber. You don't have to really "tap" the plastic, just drill undersized and screw in the setscrew, it taps itself.

I use the micrometer charge bar. But they all seem to work very well for me. Simple designs that don't cost a lot. What's not to like!


Sgt Lumpy

I'll respectfully disagree. The Classic turret can be converted from caliber to caliber for the cost of the dies +$10 for the extraTurret. It can also be done in less than 5 min. Neither is happening with ANY full progressive press. Many will cost you will over $60+dies and take days if not hours to get running again.

FWIW, I've had (3) Lee 1000's, (2) Lee turret's, (1) Loadmaster and (1) Dillon square Deal in the past. The full progressive Lee Presses take some patience and learned skills to keep them running smooth. Not so with the Turrets. I since switched to the Lee Classic(!) Turret three years back and now own two. I think it to be the best solution for the 200-400 rounds I need to produce /month.


All that said, note most here are telling you that the CLASSIC TURRET has worked well for them. While the basic Turret is OK, the Classic Turret is 200% better quality and has better features for just a few bucks more. If you go Lee, I'd vote Classic Turret based on my ownership experience of all listed above. Do a search here and on MidwayUSA for reviews of any of these presses and decide for yourself.

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Dave

Great press.
Mine has a Hornandy case activated measure on it so the uniflow would be no problem on it

I just switched from a Lee single stage to the Lee Classic Turret after five years of getting comfortable. I am loading my second batch of 38 wadcutters tonight and am taking a break to eat a burrito, then back to the shop. I am using the autoprime and the pro auto disk powder system. It took an evening of fiddling to set up, which is to be expected. The instructions are pretty slim, but after due consideration, it is performing very well. It seems very well made and functions just fine in the auto advance mode. It came with one turret plate and I purchased three more to set up for other calibers. I also got the micrometer charge bar, just in case. The wadcutters are loading fine on the smallest disk which gives me 3.2 grains of HP-38. I am nervous about not being able to easily see the powder in the brass, but I pulled the first 30 off the press for close inspection and weighed a bunch of them. Very accurate and no mistakes! So I then went full speed ahead, trusting the press. It is a little different process so some new habits are in development. I am very pleased and think this will meet my needs well, for 200-400 rounds a month. I don't see the need for me to invest in a progressive press. Next up - some 44 specials.

Changing calibers for the LoadMaster is the same as it is for the Classic Turret. They both use the same dies, no difference in cost. The spare turret for the LoadMaster is $10, just as it is for the Classic Turret. The new caliber shell plate is $20 vs the single shell holder for the Turret style for $6. So it's 14 dollars more expensive for the progressive vs the turret style.

But there's no "taking days or hours to get it running again". You loosen a thumbscrew, remove one turret and dies, slip in the other. Takes literally 15 seconds. Remove the shellplate and replace with the other, another 15 seconds.

They are both good machines. Built like a tank. Easy and quick to change calibers.


Sgt Lumpy

I'm glad to hear this.
I just received my Lee Classic Turret and 4 spare turrets.
Got the press from Wideners and the turrets from Midsouth Shooter's Supply.
I ordered some things from each, because of price and availability.

Now, I just need to get more of the plastic auto advance part thing.

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What would Jim Cirillo do?

I've recently moved to a Classic Turret. Been happy with it. Solidly built.
I've seen an adapter for use with the with the uniflo.
As far as seeing the powder in tall cases like the .38 spl, I size and prime a batch. Then complete the process, leaving one station open after charging. This allows me to visually check the charge. Great idea posted by Granddad several weeks ago. Actually helped convince me to get a Lee Classic.

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Reg. Magnum wants/Rossi wallet

Found it! It's called the perfect adapter.Allows several different brands of powder measures to fit a Lee powder through expander die.

I'm so forgetful these days and I'm way to young to say that. I bought the Lee version and almost bought the RCBS one. I figured if the Lee version worked (and it does) then I might try the one for the Uniflow and just forgot about it. Now that the brain juices are flowing, I believe Dillon also offers something similar.

Found the Dillon:

https://www.dillonprecision.com/#/co...easure_Adapter

I have an old three hole. No, not in the back yard, building codes don't allow that anymore. Anyway, I would like to get a new 4 hole Lee Turret press but mine won't wear out or break. I love it, since I do a visual with a penlight on the powder level of every case it is plenty fast enough to meet my needs. I use the Lee auto disk and in fact am planning to get more so I can just leave it set up on the die set. I load 7.62x51 (using a Lee Perfect Powder measure), .45 ACP, 9mm, .357 Magnum and have a die set for .44M although I foolishly sold that gun.

Can't brag on Lee enough, solid engineering, economical and almost all their gear works really well. I really respect them for their effective use of materials, innovative and efficient designs and customer service.

Another happy Classic Turret owner here.

The only complaint I have is the adjustment of the primer arm. It is easy enough to adjust so that primers don't hang up, but doesn't stay in adjustment for long. I will probably do the RedGreen fix (no reloader colors intended) and glue/tape a piece of thin wood where the primer arm pivots. I would have thought Lee would have fixed this by now. Still, it is a minor problem.

I have the Auto Pro powder measure, and like it very much. It is far quicker than off the press powder loading. Just keep the amount of motion the same for each operation, and it will give very consistent amounts. At least it does with Universal and Tightgroup for me.

Where the primer arm pivots? Are you talking the Safety Primer or the part in the ram that holds the primer about to be loaded? I'm just curoius as I have no such issue. The only problem I ever had was getting the angle right on the bracket that holds the Safety Prime. Before I got it just right I dropped a lot of primers on my shoes.

I have a 4 hole Lee Classic Turret - I love it. I'm only loading 38 sl. and 9mm but it works great. I hand prime my brass with the new Lee Ergo Hand Primer which also works great. I was going to disable my turret and turn it by hand but now, I hand prime, put the primed casing in and size, crank it to the powder through expander die - expand and then I have my Lee Perfect Powder Measure mounted right in to the powder through die through the use of an adapter I got off of eBay - drop the charge, crank and seat the slug, crank and crimp.

I have extra turret heads so the separate caliber dies have their own head. I de=prime and size on an older RCBS Jr 3. I like the Lee Classic Turret so much, I'm ordering another one to have at my house in AZ as well so that I have the same set up in both places - in MI where I am in the summer and AZ in the winter. No problems at all with it and it's well built.

I'm referring to the arm that pivots into the ram and actually holds the primer during the seating process.

The adjustment is made by twisting the ram slightly until the primer will clear the bottom of the shell holder. It is a very narrow arc that works. When I adjust mine, it just doesn't stay put for long. Attaching something to the part of the base where the arm pivots when it goes into the ram seems to make it work with far less sensitivity to adjustment.

I just finished reloading some 38 special on my Lee classic turret press and ran into a problem I want you to know about. I had trouble with the primers not feeding into the safety primer head. If I pulled back slightly on the spring loaded ram the primers would feed. I took the head off of the chute and disassembled it. If you do this pay close attention to how it goes together.
There are 2 springs in the head. 1 is a wire spring that is bent in 2 places. The other is for the part that pushes the primer out. The wire spring was the problem. It would not push the ram back all the way and let a new primer feed into the head. I also cleaned it and reassembled everything. It works great now.
If you have trouble with primers not feeding into the head, this is your problem.

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Tom
NRA Pistol Inst

I'm on my second Lee 3-Hole Turret Press, I managed to wear one out after about 30 years. I thought seriously about upgrading to the Lee Classic 4-holer, but I already had two dozen 3-hole turrets full of dies, so switching over didn't make fiscal sense. I load for 7 or 8 pistol calibers, so I have a turret set up for each, and every set has a designated Pro powder measure attached to the flaring/powder die. As mentioned, caliber changes take about 15 seconds (including swapping out the shellholder, if needed) and I do all my priming off-press because I like the increased sensitivity of the handheld units. I prefer batch-loading to all other methods........I like being able to inspect all the powder charges before seating bullets.

The Lee Classic Turret is the best entry-level press available. I really like mine for loading rifle on as I don't shoot enough rifle to warrant a progressive solution. I do reloading and bullet resizing on it. The LCT replaced a blob of green junk on the corner of my bench 5 years ago and it was a nice improvement. And it looks better next to my blue equipment

My 4 hole is still in it's infancy (just hit the 1000 round mark of .40 & .44 mag)...but I am more than please with it. No problems what's so ever other than using H110. Metered well but leaked from base of powder feeder due to the fine nature of the H110. Not a big deal as I use dippers when loading Max loads. I typically use it in single stage mode (w/o index bar) but use the index bar when loading batches of .40 s&w range loads. Definitely like the quick caliber change with extra die plates/disks.

I can't say enough good things about LEE products, been using them since about 1980/81. I foolishly sold my original 3 hole turret press years ago. I found one on E-bay a few years ago and it's just like using an "old friend". I have turrets set up for 38 Spl. and 9mm and have an auto disk powder measure for each caliber. That way, change out turret & shell holder & done!

If I ever wear this thing out, I'll try one of the other offerings. Till then, I'll just use this good, ole Lee 3 hole turret press :-)