I've used MEC progressives for shotgun, but always single stages for metallic cartridge reloading. Bought a Lee turret press and can't believe how well I like it. The auto drum powder measure sure seems to be accurate with the first several cartridges/powders and with auto-indexing it's pretty fast. Very small footprint compared to the progressives I was considering. No requirement for proprietary dies sets. Easy caliber changes.
Awfully impressed with it. Haven't loaded rifle with it yet, but it appears to be capable. Just fyi in case somebody else if looking for an inexpensive way to speed up production on a known good load like I was.

Thanks i have been thinking about the lee turret press.

Just remember to not hot rod it as there is a square plastic bushing on the center square indexing rod that is intended as a wear item.

If or when this fails you can buy several to keep on hand from Lee or Titan Reloading

Titan is a Lee specialist supplier

I have had one for several years and like it a lot for the moderate volume I need. Bought several 4 hole disks and keep the dies set up on the disk for quick change for 9mm, 38S, and 40SW.

I have the Lee turret press and have dies set up in turret discs for 4 different handgun and 5 rifle cartridges. I removed the auto-turret mechanism early on, as I considered somewhat of a nuisance.

Loading is good therapy after a week of Mondays......

I, too, have a Lee turret press.

Have a different Turret for every set of dies.
Like the way I can set the dies and just change out the turret for different cartridges.

Don't have any needs/plans to go auto indexing with it as I don't reload like that. I go in batches of 40 to 80 cases. I get all in the batch 1) deprimed and cleaned then 2) sized and trimmed then 3) primed and then 4) powder, bullets and crimp.

Ted, thanks for the recommendation on the spare parts. I'd planned to keep disks set up for calibers, but first cartridges I loaded were 44 Special, then 44 mag, then 38 special, then 357 Mag. So I had to re-set the dies up anyway!

Do you guys who leave the dies set up have multiple autodrum powder dispensers, too?

quote:

Originally posted by skl1:
Ted, thanks for the recommendation on the spare parts. I'd planned to keep disks set up for calibers, but first cartridges I loaded were 44 Special, then 44 mag, then 38 special, then 357 Mag. So I had to re-set the dies up anyway!

Do you guys who leave the dies set up have multiple autodrum powder dispensers, too?

I don't, but I have the "quick adapter" or whatever Lee calls it that enables my auto drum to be quickly threaded to my handgun die set-up. Still have to change discs for each caliber.

I don't use the auto drum. I have one, but tend to just weigh each Rifle charge, so haven't used it in a couple of years.

I've been using an old three hole Lee turret press since 1981, it still works great.

I love the the Lee Turret press for my semi-auto ammo.

I had been using a 3 hole press that a buddy gave but the indexing parts were missing.
So, I bought a new 4 hole turret press last year and immediately fell in love with it!
Later bought the Lee Auto-Disk powder dispenser and the Auto-Drum dispenser with all the necessary attachments.
The Auto-Disk is wonderful for loading pistol ammo and 223 Rem. size cases with the double disk set up.

I am still having trouble getting the Auto-Drum to work properly.

quote:

Originally posted by SoTexCurdog:
I love the the Lee Turret press for my semi-auto ammo.

I am still having trouble getting the Auto-Drum to work properly.

I use the auto-disk for my pistol loads- works great.

The Auto-Drum doesn't meter long, cylindrical powders, like IMR 4831 very well.
I suspect short-cut might meter Ok.

DT17,
I think that I really need to send the Auto-Drum back to Lee. The drum hole never goes back to full alignment with the feed hole after cycleing. Roughly 1/3 of hole alignment. The gear mechanism is on the sloppy side.

I called Lee and the tech guy asked if I was using a turret press and if I was allowing the turret to make a full rotation around so the powder was given enough movement (shaking) to go down the rabbit hole. Told him yes to all the above.

He was a bit on the condescending side and didn’t seem to want to keep me as a happy customer.

I have been using one for about 5 years.I like it for short runs of handgun ammo.Longer runs of handgun and rifle I do on my Dillon 550B

quote:

DT17,I think that I really need to send the Auto-Drum back to Lee. The drum hole never goes back to full alignment with the feed hole after cycleing. Roughly 1/3 of hole alignment. The gear mechanism is on the sloppy side.

I have to correct myself-it's the Lee Perfect Powder Measure. It's just mounted on a stand. Next run of .270 I'll pull it out and check it against my scale.

DT17,
My Lee Perfect Powder Measure dispenses everything, long or short, ball or cylindrical almost perfectly.
I have a Redding cast-iron powder dispenser AND a Lyman that I paid 2-3 times as much for, and neither dispense powder charges as accurately as the in-expensive Lee.