While I am sure that your Lee turret is adequate for the job, "the Best turret" press, IMO, is the Redding T-7, by a long shot!
cry once
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While I am sure that your Lee turret is adequate for the job, "the Best turret" press, IMO, is the Redding T-7, by a long shot!
Fishslayer
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
That's nice...
Get a room.
fredj338
Member
Well done. Some people are just slow learners. I only had to play with a Lee once to know I didn't want to go there.
fredj338
Member
There are those with that mindset, good enough is good enough, even if they have to buy it 5x. Some things I can see doing this with, but not something I use often. Even buying a simple hammer, I don't buy krap, I know it will fail me sooner than later & right when I need it most.
To each his own, but no one needs to justify anything to anyone. It's always your choice. I don't get people that spend $100K on a car to drive the kids to school, but many do. Fact, a better made tool will last you longer.
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Now I am certainly not a Lee fan. at all. But I do have to say the Lee Classic Cast Turret press is a pretty good turret tool. Their single Stage cast press is a fair press also leaving out the handle attachment process. And it IS made in the US of A unlike another big name company's product. Their dies?? If they are all you can afford or the only ones you can find in an obscure caliber...I guess they are ok. Still annoyed about the 500 S&W mag dies that failed after 11 rounds...and would not fix them..Not long ago I bought one of the Big Green new Turret presses. Had to send it back as something was out of whack on it. They took care of the problem...and sent me a new one. But it soured my taste for the darn thing.
Mad_Charlie
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"Fact, a better made tool will last you longer."
And do it's job better! I have never regretted buying my 550 in '91 (or '93, don't remember for sure) and I have run a LOT of ammo through it. And I am just a light trigger pull away from buying a 650 to keep it company. I still use my Rock Crusher I bought in 1975, and I love my Forster for precision rifle.
Don't keep no durn wives around here, couple of girlfriends, but they shoot with me so no complaining as long as they have good ammo.
And do it's job better! I have never regretted buying my 550 in '91 (or '93, don't remember for sure) and I have run a LOT of ammo through it. And I am just a light trigger pull away from buying a 650 to keep it company. I still use my Rock Crusher I bought in 1975, and I love my Forster for precision rifle.
Don't keep no durn wives around here, couple of girlfriends, but they shoot with me so no complaining as long as they have good ammo.
firearmsunlimited
Member
The best way to handle the better half is to tell her that you really wanted to buy a 1050 but you thought it was a little too costly so you settled for the 650.
BUFF
SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
Twentyfive or so years ago, I decided to add a progressive press to my Rockchucker and older Eagle Products Eagle 300 presses (no, I have never seen another one!). I wanted a Dillon but back then, they were just mail order, no shops sold them.
My then-wife bought me a Hornaday Pro-Jector progressive and I must say it had been a useful and trouble-free machine.
My then-wife bought me a Hornaday Pro-Jector progressive and I must say it had been a useful and trouble-free machine.
MyDads38
Member
I have always bought what I felt I needed, that also met my reloading needs. My shooting requirements have changed over the years, but to a lesser amount, not more (sadly). The Lee Classic Turret Press was an upgrade from my original 3 hole turret press about 4 years ago. It is a wonderful press and more than meets my needs. I have products from Lee, RCBS, Lyman and Hornady. I've never been disappointed in any of them. I'm a bargain shopper, so I rarely over pay for anything I purchase 
fredj338
Member
Over pay is relative. My time, far more important than a few $$. The point of a progressive is to load a larger volume of ammo quickly & with less work. Why I am not a huge fan of turret presses, same amount of handle pulls as a ss press. If spending $600 for a Dillon that always runs vs $250 for a lee I have to fuss with, not worth my time. The $350 diff over just 10yrs is $3/m, yet time lost fussing with lesser gear, priceless.
Even if I was a low end shooter, less than 400rds a month, I would still buy a progressive like the 550. Use it as a turret, as a progressive, go fast, go slow, you have options. In progressive mode, even going at turret speed, you are doing 3/4 to 2/3 the work. As I get older, I can appreciate doing less work, that has value to me. If I had to build a fence, I would reach for a nail gun over a hammer. Stop thinking about the tiny amount of $$ you save buying bargain gear. Your time has value, working or even more so when you are retired.
Even if I was a low end shooter, less than 400rds a month, I would still buy a progressive like the 550. Use it as a turret, as a progressive, go fast, go slow, you have options. In progressive mode, even going at turret speed, you are doing 3/4 to 2/3 the work. As I get older, I can appreciate doing less work, that has value to me. If I had to build a fence, I would reach for a nail gun over a hammer. Stop thinking about the tiny amount of $$ you save buying bargain gear. Your time has value, working or even more so when you are retired.
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Fred,
So true........I use my T-7 as a "single stage on steroids" for decapping, GRX push thru die etc. I do my loading on 2-1050's, a 650 and a 550!
G
Fredj338 hit it on the head, the purchase of the 650 was all about my time at the bench. I Can easily average 400/Hr now and with the lee it was more like 100/ hr if you figured in the "tuning " required to keep it running. Not saying the Dillon is for everyone and some might be happy with 100/ hr but when I sit down to make whammo I want to make whammo not tune a press. I will say if it wasn't for Lee I would never have started reloading and I will still use my Lees single for rifle ammo.
As far as the little lady is concerned she hasn't even asked about the Dillon, and if she does I will say with all the time I save with it we can spend more time together, that just might work.
As far as the little lady is concerned she hasn't even asked about the Dillon, and if she does I will say with all the time I save with it we can spend more time together, that just might work.
fredj338
Member
Maybe that is the point for Lee users; more time reloading, less time for honeydo's???
I have been reloading longer than many here have been alive (started with dad in the late 50's, early 60's), and belong to several forums where reloading topics are discussed a lot. After time, you will note that you see a lot of people moving from other presses to Dillon presses, but not the other way around. The only one I can ever remember seeing that was the reverse was someone who went from a 450 Dillon to a LNL. I suffered with 2 Lee Pro 1000's in the late 1980's before I saw the light back in the early 1990's and bought a 650.
AveragEd
Member
"The right tool..." So many times, I've heard that line over my 69 years. Back in the 1970s, I was a young GM technician starting an engine job and had the intake bolts loosened when another tech looked at my mostly Craftsman and S.K. Wayne tools and asked me how I used those clubby things. I acknowledged that my hands hurt at day's end but don't everyone's? No, he said, and handed me a 3/8"-drive Snap-On ratchet wrench to use for the rest of the day.
That night, my hands didn't hurt nearly as much from a round, tapered handle that fit the human hand better than a straight rectangular one. The Snap-On also had a smaller head and finer ratcheting mechanism that required less movement before engaging the next ratchet, thus making it better in tight quarters. From that point forth, I bought all Snap-On tools.
I started into reloading about that same time and bought only RCBS, and later, Redding tools. I have a few sets of Hornady dies but just don't like them as well as the other two brands. And one set of Lee dies bought because no others were available at the time in the caliber I needed told me why they only cost half of what good ones do.
Today, a lot of tool companies have copied Snap-On designs so even store brands from Lowe's and Home Depot aren't hateful. But always compare them to the "real deal" before buying. Two years ago, I bought an extended snap ring plier from Snap-On because no one else made one as long as I needed - it turned out to cost less than a shorter one at the big box stores!
By the way, if you bought Dillon's aluminum roller handle for your loader, you'll be seeking one of those pliers when your roller needs lubricated. But I'll sell you mine - I found the standard ball handle more comfortable because it doesn't lock my arthritic joints into the same angle throughout the handle's operating cycle.
Extra money spent on good tools is never wasted.
Ed
That night, my hands didn't hurt nearly as much from a round, tapered handle that fit the human hand better than a straight rectangular one. The Snap-On also had a smaller head and finer ratcheting mechanism that required less movement before engaging the next ratchet, thus making it better in tight quarters. From that point forth, I bought all Snap-On tools.
I started into reloading about that same time and bought only RCBS, and later, Redding tools. I have a few sets of Hornady dies but just don't like them as well as the other two brands. And one set of Lee dies bought because no others were available at the time in the caliber I needed told me why they only cost half of what good ones do.
Today, a lot of tool companies have copied Snap-On designs so even store brands from Lowe's and Home Depot aren't hateful. But always compare them to the "real deal" before buying. Two years ago, I bought an extended snap ring plier from Snap-On because no one else made one as long as I needed - it turned out to cost less than a shorter one at the big box stores!
By the way, if you bought Dillon's aluminum roller handle for your loader, you'll be seeking one of those pliers when your roller needs lubricated. But I'll sell you mine - I found the standard ball handle more comfortable because it doesn't lock my arthritic joints into the same angle throughout the handle's operating cycle.
Extra money spent on good tools is never wasted.
Ed
Having driven Mercedes-Benz since 1965 and working on them since 1970 and owing a Mercedes repair shop since 1975, I'm stuck with the company motto from the old days "The Best or Nothing". Somehow it always seems to work out. My hand tools are a mix of Snap-On, Stahlwille and Hazet.
Stu
Stu
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Changed video for a more "manly man" cry!
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNdBLBleO90[/ame]
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNdBLBleO90[/ame]
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For me handloading is a hobby. For it to remain a hobby I see the need to enjoy the process. I have 5 presses of various styles and price points and as a general statement the more the press costs, the more enjoyable the press is to use. I doubt that there is any press on the market today that is a complete dog in use but I personally don't want something that just simply works, I want something that is a joy to use. A previous poster mentioned owning and working on Mercedes Benz cars. I totally agree, I have Fords and Chevys that get me to work but my Mercedes is a joy to drive so that is why I have them.
I think there is some merit to the criticism that some Dillon users are insufferable. I think that some Lee users are also insufferable. A lower end turret press may work well and be a good value at the time or purchase but when every aspect of the actual machine are considered there is no comparison to the more expensive units. You get what you pay for. For me cry once buy once pertains to buying several inexpensive tools over a span of several years as opposed to once at a higher price but with a life time replacement warranty. I have broken many of my inexpensive Asian sockets but only one or two Craftsman and none of my Snap-on sockets have been broken in actual use.
To each his own and if your LCT (for example) works for you then great but for me the long handle throw, the extra weight of a cast body powder measure on the rotating turret and the plastic primer tool takes enough of the joy out of the process for me to look at something a bit more elegant in function. And all that combined with (regardless of the claims to the contrary) about 200 rounds/hour output puts me in the mood to open up the wallet a bit more.
I think there is some merit to the criticism that some Dillon users are insufferable. I think that some Lee users are also insufferable. A lower end turret press may work well and be a good value at the time or purchase but when every aspect of the actual machine are considered there is no comparison to the more expensive units. You get what you pay for. For me cry once buy once pertains to buying several inexpensive tools over a span of several years as opposed to once at a higher price but with a life time replacement warranty. I have broken many of my inexpensive Asian sockets but only one or two Craftsman and none of my Snap-on sockets have been broken in actual use.
To each his own and if your LCT (for example) works for you then great but for me the long handle throw, the extra weight of a cast body powder measure on the rotating turret and the plastic primer tool takes enough of the joy out of the process for me to look at something a bit more elegant in function. And all that combined with (regardless of the claims to the contrary) about 200 rounds/hour output puts me in the mood to open up the wallet a bit more.
AveragEd
Member
I think Thomas summed it up perfectly!
I agree that most of us tend to recommend highly the brand of tools or anything else we bought - that applies to Dillon owners as well as Lee owners. I also think that many detractors of either extreme of the tool price range never owned one. The Lee fans who criticize Dillon, RCBS or Redding buyers for the money they spent never owned one of those products and the same goes for a lot of the Lee detractors. In both cases, the detractor knows not of what he speaks.
The mention of Mercedes-Benz cars reminds me of a 40 year-old story. An oral surgeon who was a neighbor, friend and client at the Cadillac dealership where I worked at the time called me one Saturday morning to ask me to take him to the M-B dealership to pick up his wife's quite expensive roadster. He came out with the key and got into the car but got back out, went into the shop and returned to my vehicle. It seems the problem for which he took it there still existed after he paid them $750 to correct it so I couldn't resist saying that from what I hear from M-B owners who lower themselves to set foot into our Cadillac store, the damned things are even better than perfect. His laughing reply was, "If you spent $45,000 on a car, you wouldn't complain about it either." Remember, both $750 and $45,000 were 1977 dollars! Both were a lot of money for a repair or a car back then.
People tend to defend their buying choices, regardless of which end of the price spectrum they are in. It's human nature.
Ed
I agree that most of us tend to recommend highly the brand of tools or anything else we bought - that applies to Dillon owners as well as Lee owners. I also think that many detractors of either extreme of the tool price range never owned one. The Lee fans who criticize Dillon, RCBS or Redding buyers for the money they spent never owned one of those products and the same goes for a lot of the Lee detractors. In both cases, the detractor knows not of what he speaks.
The mention of Mercedes-Benz cars reminds me of a 40 year-old story. An oral surgeon who was a neighbor, friend and client at the Cadillac dealership where I worked at the time called me one Saturday morning to ask me to take him to the M-B dealership to pick up his wife's quite expensive roadster. He came out with the key and got into the car but got back out, went into the shop and returned to my vehicle. It seems the problem for which he took it there still existed after he paid them $750 to correct it so I couldn't resist saying that from what I hear from M-B owners who lower themselves to set foot into our Cadillac store, the damned things are even better than perfect. His laughing reply was, "If you spent $45,000 on a car, you wouldn't complain about it either." Remember, both $750 and $45,000 were 1977 dollars! Both were a lot of money for a repair or a car back then.
People tend to defend their buying choices, regardless of which end of the price spectrum they are in. It's human nature.
Ed
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