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Question:

is the Lee Classic Turret Press Reloading Kit any good?

I am looking for press to start reloading the Lee Classic Turret Press Reloading Kit from Cabela's look to have everything i need. I want a press that can handle the entire job and that will be able to do rifle and pistol. is this press good and what will i need in addition to load 9mm and 30-06

Answer:

The Lee presses are very good for handgun cartridges, they are fair for rifle. The 30/06 is about the biggest cartridge I would try in this press. Turret presses in general don't do all that well with big rifle cartridges. It has to do with the angles and forces involved. Turret presses tend to flex, that's why a press like the Rock Chucker is better for rifles.
A potential reloader should read if not own The ABCs of reloading and own at least two good reloading manuals. My first metallic cartridge press was the Lee Challenger kit, back before it had the breech lock. It has most of what you need to start reloading, less components (powder, primers, cases, and bullets), dies, a tumbler sifter, case length gauge for the supplied trimmer, one or two loading trays and a good caliper. I still use the press today even though I now have a progressive press. The Lee Challenger is the least expensive bench press one could start with. The Lee Challenger is the single stage press I tell most people to get when starting. While I've not used the Lee turret press before, a quick look over on Lee's web site shows me they have improved the press a great deal from the old one, in powder measurement, priming and even added a fourth die hole. It is still a single stage press that wants to be a progressive.
Lee okorder They are a reliable house, (I've dealt with, and can recommend them), and a lot less 'pricey'. You might consider buying the scale separately though. That Lee scale works, but is just at the bottom of 'useable'. Don't forget the other stuff you'll need: caliper, case trimmer, neck brush, funnel, and especially case lube. (Makes life a lot easier.)
A good single stage press is what I like for rifle calibers.. Lee makes good stuff...RCBS is probably better. Start with a Lee... if you get into reloading in a big way you will end up with a second press anyway... The Lee makes a good back-up press when you move up. Handgun ammo is quick to build using single stage presses... but if your shooting huge volumes you will end up with a progressive press sooner or later. Keep it simple if your just learning... the more complicated the process the easier it is to get a double charge ..or light charge. Single stage pressed make you look at each case... maybe a little safer in the long run....
I have one and it works fine for me. I didn’t like the 3 stage press but the 4 stage works great. You can load large rifle casings in it, but for some longer casings you have to remove the auto index powder feed. So it’s a bit slower reloading some rifle rounds than with pistol rounds. That said I reload 7.62x39, 30-30, .308, .338 mag and 30-06 in mine with no problems. Where it shines is reloading pistol ammo, it can really crank them out; over 200 an hour. A tip about this press; it has a small plastic square bushing on the shaft that can be damaged if the press is misused. But if you follow directions all is good. If you shop around you can get deals where a powder scale, case mouth trimmer, de-burring tool and one set of dies are included. If not be sure to get a good scale to measure your powder charge now and then as a safety precaution. A few good books are the ABC’s of Reloading, Lyman’s reloading guide, Hornady’s reloading guide and the Reloaders Bible. You can order load data manuals for free from the powder companies online.

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