Problem with turrent press

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Last Post 17 November 2013

Standard Member

nsdread07 posted this 14 August 2012

I was given a Lyman T mag press and assorted other reloading items. However when loading 44 mags the other night I noticed that there is a some play in the turrent during the up stroke. My previous press was a RCBS single stage D press. Will this effect loading? I may be able to trade the Lyman for a RCBS RockChucker but do like having the ability to set up my dies and forget about it.

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Standard Member

CB posted this 14 August 2012

I myself would not worry about it for pistol dies and enjoy the convenience of the turrent press. I learned to load on one of these presses many years ago now so I don't remember if the pivot could be shimmed?........Dan

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Standard Member

onondaga posted this 14 August 2012

http://www.castbulletassoc.org/view_user.php?id=6676>nsdread07

What do you expect? It is not a Lee. Lee turret presses are designed have .040” floating turret play in any direction to achieve automatic die centering. That cannot physically be achieved with a turret riding on a center pin like the Lyman setup.

I had an older Lyman All American Turret that was much more solid than the T Mag is and the All American was very capable of bending 44 Mag brass out of concentric by over .040” depending on which station you put the sizing die. Yes , that sure does effect loading. You might consider not listening to the nay-sayers about Lee equipment. I believe the Lee Classic Cast Turret press is the best turret press available regardless of cost because of the self centering advantage of the Lee turret making the straightest concentric reloads of all presses.

I had difficulty understanding this “floating turret” thing about the Lee when I first got my press so I called Lee Technical wondering if my press was out of specks as it allowed the turret to float. I sure got all the answers and I'd hope they would be happy to explain it to you too. The turret floating in the press head design mimics and improves upon what co-axial dies do in a co-axial press.

Gary

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CBA Member

Paul Pollard posted this 15 August 2012

My Lyman Spar-T has a large nut holding the turret. When the nut loosens, I tighten it. Don't over-tighten or you will not be able to use the turret as intended. I could not see a clear enough photo of the new Lyman turret press to tell what holds it on.

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Standard Member

r1kk1 posted this 15 August 2012

http://www.realguns.com/Commentary/comar179.htm

Interesting read on turret presses. Sorry I don't own the press the OP has.

Take care

r1kk1

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CBA Member

Coydog posted this 16 August 2012

I have a lyman that I got back in the late 80's and it get lose on me it is a bolt and all I do is snug it up when it get that way and then you are ok . do not over tighen and also if stay to lose you will not have the press work right . This is the press I firt got and learn on and just do not over do the pressure on the up stoke I have read that you can break the bolt on it and will will need a machine shop make a new one because lyman do not have any on stock . I ahve not had that problem yet .I hope this will help what I did was take a handle from a ball valve for a soder on ball valve type that is juke and cut the bolted on part and just have a flat steel with with rubber on it and it work for me to tighen the bolt .

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CBA President

John Alexander posted this 16 August 2012

I second Gary's vote for the Lee turret press and the principle of letting the dies self center. I have a few disks to take care of several calibers and seldom adjust a die except fooling with the seater to try different seating depths.

I also never tighten the locking nut down on a die in my other presses and use some dies without nuts to let the things float a bit. I know such “play” in the works give some folks the vapors but it works and I have never even noticed a die getting out of adjustment much less causing other trouble.

John

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Standard Member

Pigslayer posted this 11 September 2012

I've been thinking about getting a LEE Turret press . . . a lot. I would probably use it for pistol only. I'd get the newer cast model if I did. I stick with my Lyman Crusher for the big belted mag. rifle cases. LEE has the turret press priced right & I sure do like what I see.

If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.

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CBA Member

Maven posted this 11 September 2012

nsdread07, As already mentioned, you can reduce the play by tightening the nut in the center of the turret as well as the bolt which bears on it at its rear;

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Standard Member

onondaga posted this 11 September 2012

http://www.castbulletassoc.org/view_user.php?id=6171>Pigslayer My lee Cast Turret eats up .458 Win Mag and .375 H&H with zero grief and less run-out than a single stage press.

I use my Lee Classic Cast Turret to load .223 Rem., 7.62X39, 30-30 Win., .308 Win., 30-06 Springfield, .375 H&H, .458 Win Mag, and .500 S&W. My dies for each caliber are each installed on their own disk. Currently most of my loading is 30-06, .458, .500 and 7.62X39. My grandson has been loading a lot of .308 recently with my press.

Changing calibers takes 1 minute. The Safety Prime works flawlessly and changing from large to small primers takes 1 minute. Nearly all my powder measuring is done off press with a beam scale,scoops and powder trickler or a digital scale, Lyman #55 measure, or Lee Perfect Measure. I use a lot of different powders.

Gary

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Standard Member

bear67 posted this 13 February 2013

I use an early Lyman T a bunch and the turret bolt would loosen up under use. My Solution--I cleaned the bolt and recess well with acetone and used 2 drops of LocTite blue on the threads and reassembled with 250 inch pounds torque (Too tight and it does not rotate easily). Now it stays in place and is easy to remove when changing turrets. No need to clean at changing, just add a drop of “blue” to the threads and load on.

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Standard Member

Chargar posted this 13 February 2013

I have owned three turrent presses in my life and they are useful gizmos.

A Lyman Tru-Line Jr, which I used for a couple of hundred thousand 45 ACP loads, until the linkage finaly rolled snake eyes.
In 1982 I bought a Lee turrent, but it had so much slop in the fit of the pot metal turret that it would not hold critical dimensions on 30-06 match ammo. I gave it to a fellow who used it for a trot line weight..good ridance!
I now own and use (for 10 years) a Redding turret press. It is a precision tool, and there is Zero movement in the turret.

I don't buy into the notion that slop in the Lee turret is a good thing. It is another case of using hype to convert cheap into good.

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Standard Member

Chargar posted this 13 February 2013

I have owned three turrent presses in my life and they are useful gizmos.

A Lyman Tru-Line Jr, which I used for a couple of hundred thousand 45 ACP loads, until the linkage finaly rolled snake eyes.
In 1982 I bought a Lee turrent, but it had so much slop in the fit of the pot metal turret that it would not hold critical dimensions on 30-06 match ammo. I gave it to a fellow who used it for a trot line weight..good ridance!
I now own and use (for 10 years) a Redding turret press. It is a precision tool, and there is Zero movement in the turret.

I don't buy into the notion that slop in the Lee turret is a good thing. It is another case of using hype to convert cheap into good.

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Standard Member

onondaga posted this 13 February 2013

http://www.castbulletassoc.org/view_user.php?id=144>Chargar, Quote: "I don't buy into the notion that slop in the Lee turret is a good thing. It is another case of using hype to convert cheap into good."

That is a pretty provocative statement, perhaps you expected no one to disagree.

I completely disagree and believe you are also wrong about pot metal construction of Lee turret press parts. Perhaps you had the older standard turret with the old style primer arm instead of the Safety Prime System They have no pot metal in the press parts or their turrets anyway, they are aluminum. The newer Classic Cast has a cast iron base, steel ram and uprights and machined aluminum turrets in a tool steel press head, again, no pot metal.

I have used rigid Lyman turrets, Their rigidity causes run-out by bending long straight walled cases like the 45-70 and .458 Mag. The parts alignment in such rigid turrets is insufficient to support rigidity and they bend long cases out of concentricity.

Do you dispute the validity of Forster Co-Axial presses also? They have a wonderful reputation with their dies floating in their press design for better concentricity of ammunition, however, Lee Turrets are an improvement beyond co-axial presses and have better concentricity of loaded ammunition because Lee turrets have .040” float in more dimensions than Forster co-axials do. Lee wins and Forster loses in my opinion. You think Redding is better? if Redding is stronger and more rigid than Lyman it would require much more precise parts fit or Redding would bend cases even farther than Lyman does. Lyman Forster and Redding all went the wrong route to concentricity in my opinion and all 3 have each lost to the much less expensive and more innovative design of the Lee Classic Cast Turret where aluminum turrets float in the raceways of an externally circular and internally raceway-ed tool steel head.

Gary

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Standard Member

Pigslayer posted this 13 February 2013

onondaga wrote: http://www.castbulletassoc.org/view_user.php?id=6171>Pigslayer My lee Cast Turret eats up .458 Win Mag and .375 H&H with zero grief and less run-out than a single stage press.

Gary

Gary, I am obligated to completely agree with you concerning the quality of LEE products. I find that the “play” in the turret is deliberate in design and advantageous for case concentricity. Although there are many other quality manufacturers out there I.e. Lyman, Redding & RCBS and . . . I've had them all but . . . You are right in that only LEE can guarantee the concentricity specs that it does. In order for Redding, Lyman or RCBS to give that kind of concentricity, the turret would have to be mounted on the press and both the hole for the ram & corresponding die hole in the turret would have to be align-bored. Much as in align-boring the crankshaft journals in an engine block. But then, what about the other turret holes? I have a friend up in Elmira, NY that owns a gunshop and was a heavy investor in Redding equipment many years ago and although he will vouch for Redding equipment, he is in agreement as to the accuracy of concentricity of the LEE turret presses. It was mentioned in another post that the turrets in the LEE presses are made from “pot” metal. That's absolutely wrong as they are cast from T6061 aluminum & expertly machined. Ignorance is bliss for some.

Pat

If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.

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Standard Member

Chargar posted this 15 February 2013

Gary. belive what you will. I am through with internet pissing matches with “experts".

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Standard Member

onondaga posted this 15 February 2013

http://www.castbulletassoc.org/view_user.php?id=144>Chargar, quote,

"Gary. belive what you will. I am through with internet pissing matches with “experts".

I resemble that remark. Press design is just physics and metallurgy and you refuse to be dazzled with the facts from measurement. Believe what you will back at you.

Gary

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Standard Member

Chargar posted this 15 February 2013

Some of you guys are way to smart for me. I am just a guy who has been reloading and bullet casting since 1958. I have been paying attention and trying to learn as I go, but physics and metallurgy as not in my resume. Just a good measure of observation and common sense.

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Moderator

R Dupraz posted this 15 February 2013

Now, Now, girls, Let's be nice!:D

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Standard Member

Pigslayer posted this 15 February 2013

Chargar wrote: Some of you guys are way to smart for me. I am just a guy who has been reloading and bullet casting since 1958. I have been paying attention and trying to learn as I go, but physics and metallurgy as not in my resume. Just a good measure of observation and common sense.

Charger, No one is questioning your years of experience in reloading. But there is no cause for making disparaging remarks, discrediting others & their equipment nor the use of profanity. You had done the same with me on another thread concerning my LEE Challenger press and a very simple, rudimentary primer deflector that I made. ( I haven't had a primer hit the floor since) You most certainly have the right to your opinion and of course, ” constructive criticism” but not with malice as your intent. There is an old saying when it comes to forums & it goes like this,, “Take what you want & leave the rest".

Pat

If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.

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Standard Member

Chargar posted this 16 February 2013

Sorry guys, I did not consider “pissing match” to be profanity . I guess I underestimated your level of sensitivity.

I also didn't consider disagreement to be the same as disparagement .

I certainly don't have any malice toward anybody on this board. I don't know anybody well enough to have those kinds of feelings. I understand malice is doing something with the intent to cause harm or suffering. At least that is what I was taught in Law School. Maybe it means something else here.

I will endeavor to behave with more decorum and civility. It will take me a while to figure out the unwritten rules and definitions.

Bear with me, I will get it right yet.