Turret Presses?

[swd]

My excuse for my 2nd T7 is, i dont want to have to change out the shell holder everytime i change calibers

It sure would be nice if Redding had captivated that damn detent ball, lol

 

[mikehotel]

Nothing wrong with the T-7. I almost bought one but then I discovered the Hornady lock and load bushing conversion kit for the rockchucker, I couldn't be happier.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Hornady+lock+and+load+bushing+conversion+kit+

 

[wkdickinson]

I have an older Lyman Turret press that I use for "utility" work (decapping, pulling bullets, mandrel work) and it works great for those things. For loading I use a Forster COAX. I have loaded with an RCBS Rock Chucker and a couple of Lee something or others. Once I bought the COAX I never looked back. I am not sure if it loads with any more precision (theoretically it should with all of the "floating" stuff), but it sure is a pleasure to use.

 

[Ccrider]

Another Redding T7 owner here. Only problem with getting one T7 is , u will soon want one more.

My excuse for my 2nd T7 is, i dont want to have to change out the shell holder everytime i change calibers

Interesting. I have a nib t7 with a turret tree/stand and three extra turrets sitting in the corner where it’s been for about 8 months. My intention is to set it up so that I can do different rifles by simply changing the turret. Problem is that I like the feel you get when seating with online seaters and Wilson dies. I don’t have the same feel with my Forster press an d know I will not with the t7.

 

[muleman69]

I was on the fence until today about to buy the new Frankford Arsenal press now I am going to hold off and let others be the testers. I have been using the T7 for several years and the slight tilt in the turret was a big concern. I recently found a article about stoning the turret bushing so last night I did that. Now i only have a .002 gap at the back of the press instead of .004. Couple the T7 with Redding and Wilson FL bushing dies is my setup now for 308 and 223. I now seat with a K&M arbor press and Wilson Micrometer seating dies. You can't go wrong with Redding and Wilson equipment. Like they say buy once cry once.

Would like to no where I can find the stoning article if you don't mind?

 

[mike06]

Would like to no where I can find the stoning article if you don't mind?

Make sure you read it all I used my knife sharpening stone and a calipers and went very slow.
https://forum.snipershide.com/threa...they-dont-have-to-keep-changing-dies.6927893/

 

[topclass2017]

I seem to be in the minority here - I use an RCBS Turret press. I have separate turrets for each caliber that I load. I use my rock chucker as a dedicated decapper, hand prime my cases, and throw charges one at a time measured on a digital scale. So maybe I don't need a turret, as I'm using it essentially as a single stage, except I can have full length, neck, body, seating, factory crimp, etc dies all set up and ready to go depending on the source of my brass and what I am loading for.

In my experience, the quality of my loads went down when I switched from a single stage to a progressive (550b) as there were too many things going on at once for me to effect adequate quality control. My experience was doing a high volume .45acp when I was shooting CF bullseye and going through alot of ammo each week (+/- 300 rounds). When I say the quality of my loads I am referring to the size of my groups - they opened up significantly and my scores went down. I attribute it to less accurate/consistent powder charge being thrown more than anything else.

All that being said, I am considering switching to a coax press...or going back to my chucker...

 

[Bryan Clark]

Thanks everyone. Going to order T7 tonight along with other necessities. Still alot of decisions to make.

 

[MVRK28]

Dies make all your runout. A press only pushes the brass in and pulls it out- even a real shitty press doesnt cause runout.

I disagree with this. While I will agree that the biggest factor is the die, the press still has something to do with it. If the ram doesn't stay dead nuts center when the bullet is being seated it will cause runout, I don't care what die you are using. This is why the Co-Ax is so popular, allowing the case and die to free float and self align removes the press as a factor of runout.

 

[MVRK28]

Thanks everyone. Going to order T7 tonight along with other necessities. Still alot of decisions to make.

You won't regret it, I highly recommend an Ultra Mount from Inline for it.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I disagree with this. While I will agree that the biggest factor is the die, the press still has something to do with it. If the ram doesn't stay dead nuts center when the bullet is being seated it will cause runout, I don't care what die you are using. This is why the Co-Ax is so popular, allowing the case and die to free float and self align removes the press as a factor of runout.

If you hone out a press body so that the ram rattles itll make it even better- jackie schmidt proved that. So ill edit what i said to say if your press doesnt influence the case the die does all the work. A tight fitting ram will cause runout on an otherwise straight die.

 

[Barlow]

I disagree with this. While I will agree that the biggest factor is the die, the press still has something to do with it. If the ram doesn't stay dead nuts center when the bullet is being seated it will cause runout, I don't care what die you are using. This is why the Co-Ax is so popular, allowing the case and die to free float and self align removes the press as a factor of runout.

Remove the snap ring that holds the shell holder, replace it with a O ring so the shell holder can move freely on top of the ram. Self aligns perfectly. Barlow

 

[TikkaSporter]

... I have been using the T7 for several years and the slight tilt in the turret was a big concern. I recently found a article about stoning the turret bushing so last night I did that. Now i only have a .002 gap at the back of the press instead of .004...

Not sure it even matters, but instead of stoning the center bushing of the turret head, I just insert a 0.004" feeler gauge at the back of the turret between the turret and the part of the press where the detent ball is located. The 0.004 feeler gauge is a tight fit and with it in place theres no tilt or play in the turret head at all. A little bit of Imperial Sizing Wax makes the feeler gauge easier to slide in place. I really only worry about adding the feeler gauge for sizing and seating operations.

Like I said, not sure if it matters, I made lots of very accurate ammunition with the T-7 before doing this. I may see slightly less runout since starting this practice.

 

[mike06]

Not sure it even matters, but instead of stoning the center bushing of the turret head, I just insert a 0.004" feeler gauge at the back of the turret between the turret and the part of the press where the detent ball is located. The 0.004 feeler gauge is a tight fit and with it in place theres no tilt or play in the turret head at all. A little bit of Imperial Sizing Wax makes the feeler gauge easier to slide in place. I really only worry about adding the feeler gauge for sizing and seating operations.

Like I said, not sure if it matters, I made lots of very accurate ammunition with the T-7 before doing this. I may see slightly less runout since starting this practice.

I tried that also but kept forgetting to pull the feeler gauge out when I rotated the press. I also use the Imperial wax on the bushing and bottom of the turret. Sizing cases in the last few days have shown less run out so I will see how it goes. I seat my 308 and 223 with my K&M and Wilson dies.

 

[Jammer Six]

I have a T-7, a 650 and a Square Deal. The T-7 is a good bet.

 

[msinc]

.........I like the idea of keeping multiple dies in the turret ready to use already setup...............However I would like to make ammunition as near to perfect as I can. Any advice is appreciated.

Since I haven't seen this addressed in this thread yet I will be the bad guy. First off, so the usual bawl babies don't get their skivees in a knot, let me say that the T-7 is a most excellent press. I like everything Redding makes and they have excellent customer service as do really all the reloading companies.
That said, do not make the mistake of believing that you can take a full length resize die and adjust it in the press for a certain headspace {shoulder length, shoulder bump, whatever we are calling it this week}, leave it that way and have it work for all cases. It will work for the ones you adjusted it for and it may even work for some others that have the same hardness or spring back {memory??}, but it is not something where you can set up for example Lapua brass and then get some Lake City and just run them. If you are trying to hit a specific shoulder length dimension you will still need to reset or adjust your size die.
So yeah, you can set up dies and leave them and it might work out just fine, but when you throw in that "near as perfect as I can" thing....nope, I wouldn't count on it. A turret press will let you "keep dies set up", but they will still need to be adjusted and with that why not just pop them in and out of a single stage.
Don't get me wrong...we've all been there. As a new to reloading guy you will see many similar things that work this way. A turret press looks and seems like a fantastic idea {set it and forget it} until you get the device for measuring shoulder length. You will stay in love with your favorite bore cleaner....right up until you buy a borescope. Best of luck and good shooting sir.

 

[Twdmar]

Nothing new to add about reloading presses. One thing I want to add is when you are loading for service rifle, keep it simple. White oak has loads listed on their page that work in probably almost every service rifle. Or the national match or cmp forums. A friend tested loads for the AMU and they found that the "standard" loads that everyone uses happen to also be about the most accurate in most service rifles. Focus on practicing positions and dont worry about benchrest accuracy for xtc. Lake city brass in 223 is the way to go. For xtc there is no real need for 308 unless you live in north dakota

 

[Arcticshooter]

Love my T7!!
The accuracy and repeatability are very good.
I'm using Redding competition micrometer dies and these with the T7 are keeping Everything within .001".
I really can't understand the statements about just using a single stage. Some people must really enjoy the pain in the butt of resetting dies. Every single time you remove the dies, you will have to reset them, which wastes time.
Though I may have to tweak the FL size die occasionally, ALL of the others remain as set.
My Rockchucker gets used to de-prime and pull bullets...that's it.

Bulk loading gets done on the 550B and ALL precision is done on the T7. I couldn't be happier with my purchase.

 

[topclass2017]

Since my last post about using an RCBS turret press I made a switch and am now back to my Rock Chucker fitted with the Hornady bushing system. I like the robustness of the Chucker, and with the bushing system switching dies is super easy. And easier to switch calibers as well. I sold my Turret press and now only have one press on my bench - freed up space, a Lucky Strike extra bonus. (Off topic for a moment...anyone else out there remember LSMFT? both the advertising slogan and the now politically incorrect interpretation?). I do like Redding dies and am slowly but surely switching over as well. Not chasing the perfect load, just consistency, as I am a more-than-casual but less-than-fanatical informal, non-competitive bench shooter.

And yes, chasing after perfection does fulfill the definition of a boat (a hole in the water to pour your money into...). While I do spend time on the reloading bench, I also agree that the purpose behind it is to put discipline into my shooting (I enjoy seeing what happens as variables are changed), and that practice and range time are the ultimate reward.

 

[Kurt Blasser]

I was on the fence until today about to buy the new Frankford Arsenal press now I am going to hold off and let others be the testers. I have been using the T7 for several years and the slight tilt in the turret was a big concern. I recently found a article about stoning the turret bushing so last night I did that. Now i only have a .002 gap at the back of the press instead of .004. Couple the T7 with Redding and Wilson FL bushing dies is my setup now for 308 and 223. I now seat with a K&M arbor press and Wilson Micrometer seating dies. You can't go wrong with Redding and Wilson equipment. Like they say buy once cry once.

Had a T7 and didn't like the play in the turret. Couldn't say it made any difference, just didn't like the play. Switched to a Forster COAX and love it. Along the same lines decided to try the Frankford Aresenal Press. Wow! Love it! A couple of advantages over the Forster COAX follow. Does not go below the bench. Could be mounted anywhere on the bench. The shell holders just rotate as opposed to taking the hex screws out and flipping the shellholders over. A major pain in the butt. Lighted. Built like the proverbial brick s--t house.