Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Press - SS or Turret

I've used a Pacific "O" frame press since 1974, have been thinking about replacing it......T 7 is on the (very) short list.

Another vote for the Redding T 7. Well worth the price.

Guys tried out the Forster today belling 38 special. Just throw em close and the auto jaws grabs em. I'm impressed so far. Hasbeen

T-7 for the win.

I've got my T7 set up for 308 and 30-06. One each of Lee collet die, Redding shoulder die, and Lee seater die.

That still leaves one hole open for whatever.

I've got single-stage Hornady 007 press (for oddball stuff like 45-70, an revolver rounds), and a Lee Loadmaster as well (set up for 9mm), but the T7 is by far my favorite rifle press.

I've been loading for decades and I have several single stage presses and several progressives, and they are all good tools.

I can load 150/hr on the singles and 500/hr on the progressives.

But since it only takes me about 10 seconds to change out any die on any of them once the die is setup and locked, I don't have a use for a turret on my bench right now.

It's convenient having a progressive set up and dedicated to a high volume caliber, and if I needed to crank out rounds faster than that all I would need is more primer tubes.

But my obsessive need to visually check every powder charge in every case before seating the bullet is a self imposed limitation.

Any of the top maker single stage presses are capable of producing match grade ammo and case forming.

Good tools are good tools, and Redding certainly makes some of the best.

T7 and 550B. Doesn't get any better.

Co-Axe

I load on the Lee Classic Turret. Turrets are about $10 each, and hold 4 dies. Speed is about twice as fast as the single stage press. I have not yet discovered anything that the single stage press does better, so I gave that to a friend.

I do find reloading theraputic, but not so much that I deliberately opt out of inexpensive improvements to reloading speed.

Last I checked, the Lee Classic Turret was about $110-$115.

Lee's turret press was originally built for pistol rounds. When they created the Classic, which is both a pistol and rifle machine, they did not have a powder measure large enough to handle rifle charges. They have since tied up this loose end.

I use the Hornady with the quick change LnL bushings. Changing from one die to another is 6-10 seconds and the dies stay adjusted. I'm not sure what a turret buys you if you can change dies that fast. I believe they sell a kit to setup any press with the bushings.

Same here,, 550 with quick change 45 Colt and 500 S&W.
T7 with .308 and .260 permanently set-up and others as needed!

I used to use the T7 and now have a Forster Co-Ax. Both are excellent presses. I like the Co-Ax the best.


Trystan

I have a Lee Classic Cast 4 hole turret press. I use it without indexing, so it's basically a single stage with removable turret heads.

It works for me.






P

Looks like this comes down to a Ford and Chevy discussion. Hasben

550B for me
And a single stage RCBS for my 50 BMG cal.

I'm using the LnL bushings with 3-4 rifle calibers on a RockChuck SS
Still I've heard nothing but good things about the T-7, and for that matter All of Redding's products.

I have an old Rock Chucker. I have a Redding T-7 also. I like the RC better.

You're a better man than I. I don't shoot my 500 S&W enough to need to load it on a progressive.

It's not just a matter of how fast you can change dies. It's a matter of how much you have to handle the brass.

With a single stage press, it's pick up the cases one at a time and form and prime them. Then you have to handle each one again to charge and seat the bullet.

With a turret, you pick up a case, pull the lever once to form, and push it once to prime. Then the turret indexes forward to the charging station, and you charge, etc. The brass never leaves the press until the cartridge is finished.

It's a lot faster.

Yep, and even if you set up a single-stage turret press, such as a T7, to work as a semi-progressive, it's easy to index the turret with one hand while working the handle with the other. It's not as a fast as true progressive, but my ammo ends up just as precisely made as it does from a single-stage press, which I haven't found with any progressive tried so far. Production is a somewhat slower than with a progressive, around 300-350 rounds an hour, though that's at least 100 rounds more than I've ever been able to crank out on a single-hole single-stage. I mostly use my T7 set up as a semi-progessive to load prairie dog ammo, and prefer getting the accuracy desired to making less-precise ammo faster.