Anybody Useing A Rcbs 6 Hole Turret?

[steel1212]

I'm only loading about 500 rounds a month right now on my single stage and its just a pain. I was looking at the 550/650 and by the time I get one with everything I would need to switch calibers and all I would be between 600-800$. I know the turret wouldn't be as fast as say a 650 but there would be less things for me to look after, read screw up, and I already have the parts I need to switch calibers other than the extra turrets.

[bompa]

I have been using a Lyman T Mag for quite a few years and it does everything I need it to do..Maybe not as fast as a Dillon but serves me well. I load several calibers so the ease of changing calibers is great also..May load two or three hundred at a time or one or two K for a seasons worth..Did I say that time and speed are not such a big thing and enjoy loading almost as much as shooting...

[Resq47]

I'm in a similar boat and was leaning towards the RCBS turret or maybe the Lee Classic turret. Lately I've been thinking the Hornady LnL AP progressive is a pretty good deal, more so with the cabelas offer they have through the end of the year...

[JFD]

A turret press isn't on the same planet as a 650. It's kind of difficult for me to think in terms of "rounds per hour" from my turret days using the batch process, but the 650 is light years ahead of what I could ever do.

500 rounds a month IS a little low for that kind of money though. You'd be done reloading for the month in 30 minutes.

Back before I started with real progressives with the first SDB (another possible option), I found that the auto-indexing Lee turret press was a definite step up from straight batch reloading. 200 - 500 rounds is a good amount with this press, but it gets old if you need much more (talking about a single session).

The Lee priming "system" is useless, so forget about it. Batch resize your brass on the single stage. Do whatever you do (or don't) to the brass. Prime with a hand tool like the RCBS or whatever you do now. You can also deactivate the auto-index and batch resize on the Lee.

Setup the Lee press to add powder first, then seat the bullet, then crimp. The rotating turret settles the powder really well and their measure works just fine. 3 pulls of the handle and you have a completed round. I've also got the 4 hole conversion, but it doesn't make any sense when I wasn't priming on the press.

Switching calibers is basically the same as with any turret press, just a hell of a lot cheaper. The press is cheaper too.

You're going to spend a decent amount of money on the RCBS press and all you'll get is freedom from die changes. It's just as slow as the single stage. If you ever increase the amount you load, the press won't keep up unless you're like bompa and just love loading a LOT. I fell into that category until I pulled the handle on a SDB the first time.

With the Lee you have cheap startup cost and it will greatly increase your speed over a straight turret press.

[steel1212]

Is the lee a 3 hole or a 4 hole? If I'm taking the brass and sizing then pulling it off to prime it, it kind of defeats the purpose of have a self indexing press right? I prime on my single stage with a rcbs ram stop type primer.

[bompa]

Perhaps I should explain just how I go about my reloading..First a quick trip into the tumbler for the used brass..Next I resize and bell all that batch Back into the tumbler,never more than an hour,and then hand prime on a RCBS tool..Used a lee before the RCBS came out but it is not as easy to use.. next the powder is added in loading blocks and then the bullets are seated and crimp is applied,,seperate steps..

The sizing and belling and seating and crimping steps are done together ,just index the head per step..

I realise that it sounds slow but it isn't,,just not as fast as a progressive and it is easy to check for mistakes as you go along..

[steel1212]

Perhaps I should explain just how I go about my reloading..First a quick trip into the tumbler for the used brass..Next I resize and bell all that batch Back into the tumbler,never more than an hour,and then hand prime on a RCBS tool..Used a lee before the RCBS came out but it is not as easy to use.. next the powder is added in loading blocks and then the bullets are seated and crimp is applied,,seperate steps..

The sizing and belling and seating and crimping steps are done together ,just index the head per step..

I realise that it sounds slow but it isn't,,just not as fast as a progressive and it is easy to check for mistakes as you go along..

Yeah, I was thinking of getting the rcbs for the 6 holes, I would only really need 5. I would tumble them all. Then size/deprime in a batch. Rotate the head, and prime with the ram prime in a batch. Then expand/powder, seat, crimp all in sequence.

[L9X25]

I can't imagine loading the amount of ammo that I load on a turret press. I would hardly have time to eat or have a life.

There is DEFINITELY something to be said for having a completed bullet fall out of the press each time you pull the handle. Having to pull or push the handle several times per round is time consuming and exhausting.

[steel1212]

I can't imagine loading the amount of ammo that I load on a turret press. I would hardly have time to eat or have a life.

There is DEFINITELY something to be said for having a completed bullet fall out of the press each time you pull the handle. Having to pull or push the handle several times per round is time consuming and exhausting.

Yes but like said above I would load my months worth in about an hour on a 650 and I can't justify spending 800-1000 on a 650 when I don't load but 500 round a month or so.

I was looking at the RCBS originally but is 167 and the lee is aound 75 for a 4 hole classic and 56 for the aluminum one and I think I could use that. I would batch resize then batch prime on my single stage then expand/powder, seat, crimp.

Is the classic lee 20$ better than the regular 4 hole lee?

[JFD]

If you want to prime on the press, then get the 4 hole turret press.

I don't care to handle individual primers, and had just come from a long history of batch loading, so it wasn't a big deal to me. I wanted to crimp in a separate step, and only the 3 hole turret was available at the time, so that's what I did. I had forgotten that was the main reason for batch resizing/hand priming.

It is SO much faster to batch load than screw around rotating the turret for each round. The Lee press does that for you and frees you from the loading blocks. On my Spar-T, I'd have giant Popeye forearms if I tried that method

At my prime, I was easily able to remove a case and add another to the shell holder on a turret or single stage without stopping the motion of the press handle. Of course I had rigged up a way to simply flick the active case out of the shell holder into container so I could have another case ready in my hand for insertion.

These days my left hand gets bored just adding a bullet.

Awareness by the user of what they are doing makes the worries over progressive press mistakes a non-issue IMHO. You can still "feel" and "see" everything you need to.

[steel1212]

If you want to prime on the press, then get the 4 hole turret press.

I don't care to handle individual primers, and had just come from a long history of batch loading, so it wasn't a big deal to me. I wanted to crimp in a separate step, and only the 3 hole turret was available at the time, so that's what I did. I had forgotten that was the main reason for batch resizing/hand priming.

It is SO much faster to batch load than screw around rotating the turret for each round. The Lee press does that for you and frees you from the loading blocks. On my Spar-T, I'd have giant Popeye forearms if I tried that method

At my prime, I was easily able to remove a case and add another to the shell holder on a turret or single stage without stopping the motion of the press handle. Of course I had rigged up a way to simply flick the active case out of the shell holder into container so I could have another case ready in my hand for insertion.

These days my left hand gets bored just adding a bullet.

Awareness by the user of what they are doing makes the worries over progressive press mistakes a non-issue IMHO. You can still "feel" and "see" everything you need to.

So are you saying get the Lee 4 hole batch size/prime, I was going to prime with the auto prime 2 in my single stage so I wouldn't have to touch primers, then run the lee through expanding/powder, seating, crimping with the auto index?

Also should I get the cast/steel for 70 or the steel/aluminum for 50?

[slavex]

A turret press really shines for reloading rifle cases, but for pistol? good lord I'd go crazy!