Lee 4hole turret vs Challenger Breechlock

If I have done my calculations correctly, by the
time you buy enough shell holders for each to permantly mount four different caliber dies,
the price is about the same for both.

Is there ANY loss of precision in the 4 turret
press compared to the Breechlock Challenger?
IF not then it has to have a slight advantage
in efficiency.. well at least according to my
thinking. What do the experienced guys say ?

Going to buy one or the other soon.
Thanks

i got a lee classic cast turret two years ago and have pretty much retired a rockchucker and 3 dillons because of the turrets speed/efficiency on runs of less than 100 when caliber changes are factored in.

caliber changes in seconds and the ability to return to a previous operation without swapping out dies is very attractive. i have 20+ die/turret sets in 1 lb coffee cans ready to go...that's over $200 in turrets...obviously a sinister lee plot.

accuracy of ammo/gun combos historically yielding 0.5-1.0" groups is indistinguishable from that loaded on the 'chucker.

i prefer the iron lees to the aluminum models, but that's just me.

quote:

Originally posted by preventec47:
Lee 4hole turret vs Challenger Breechlock

If I have done my calculations correctly, by the
time you buy enough shell holders for each to permantly mount four different caliber dies,
the price is about the same for both.

Is there ANY loss of precision in the 4 turret
press compared to the Breechlock Challenger?
IF not then it has to have a slight advantage
in efficiency.. well at least according to my
thinking. What do the experienced guys say ?

Going to buy one or the other soon.
Thanks

I believe that the Turret will easily out-produce the Breechlock if you use the autoindexing feature, especially if you prime on the press. Easily and by far (I have seen videos).

Precision might suffer, but not by much unless you are doing large, hard-to-resize cartridges. Virtually zero flex with the Challenger and almost zero flex with the Turret. (This from observation of my Lee Pro-1000 presses.)

This analysis from a guy who has never even SEEN either press, but has used for years an RCBS Rockchucker and a couple of Lee Pro-1000 progressives and has just lately been studying hard on getting a Lee Classic Turret because it is easier to monitor than the progressive. Seriously studying.

Lost Sheep

myself I m not a fan of lee, but I will not stop anyone from buying from them.
But that aside, what I would say is look at the quality over price every time you buy for your reloading bench.
Like my self many people do not have a bottomless wallet, get a list of the things in your price range and find what best fits you and make sure your getting quality not junk.
I v always told my friends who want to get into reloading, if they are bad with names like my self, just remember to buy green colored equipment and your safe.
Let us know witch you pick.I haven't heard of the Challenger Breechlock, and will have to look it up.

quote:

Originally posted by preventec47:
Lee 4hole turret vs Challenger Breechlock

If I have done my calculations correctly, by the
time you buy enough shell holders for each to permantly mount four different caliber dies,
the price is about the same for both.

Is there ANY loss of precision in the 4 turret
press compared to the Breechlock Challenger?
IF not then it has to have a slight advantage
in efficiency.. well at least according to my
thinking. What do the experienced guys say ?

Going to buy one or the other soon.
Thanks

So, please update us.

I have been communicating with Lee (actually the Factory Sales Technical Assistance guys) about either purchasing a Classic Turret Press or down-converting one of my Pro-1000s (the same reasoning that budman461 described) to the simpler, surer operation of auto-indexing turret. I have received some satisfactory answers from (Lee) Factory Sales, and some not-so satisfactory.

But I am curious to hear a report, especially if you are using the Lee Safety Prime device. How does it feed the last few primers and does is have any tendency to spill primers when you load the device?

Lost Sheep

The Lee Classic Cast single stage press is compatible with the Hornady LNL press conversion kit, which lets you use Hornady LNL bushings for quick die changes. And the LCC is a better press than the breechlock (cast iron frame & thru-the-ram spent primer handling).

Andy

Any time "saved" with fast die changes is, as a percentage of the time for a reloading session, irrelivant. It takes less than a couple of minutes to make the 2-3 die swaps needed to reload; how big a deal is that?

"Precision" comes from precision techniques, not a press. No noob is going to make any seriously precise ammo for quite awhile, the learning curve is too slow for that. Precision loading, or "reloading" vs. "handloading", is as different as the skills of a building carpenter vx. a handmade cabinet/furniture maker. The require extra level of skill doesn't come easily or from reading a book.

I drink no tool maker's Kool-Aid. I have a big green iron press. With what I know now, if I had to replace it tomorrow it would be with an even bigger, even stronger, much better perfoming red Lee Classic Cast even if it cost me more. A lower cost for a superiour press is indeed a bargain.