lee auto indexing turret press

[sandman228]

i started out about 3 years ago with a lee auto indexing turret press reloading 9mm ,over a few years i went from loading 9mm to loading several differant pistol calibers . i have all my handgun caliber dies in there own turret and keep them stored in small coffee cans i love the conveniance of having dies already set up ready to go pull 1 turret out slap another in change from 1 caliber to another in about 2 seconds . i also like the auto indexing feature even though ive worn out and replaced a few of those little plastic bushings . ok heres the prob ive been noticing laitly when loading 9mm my oal is all over the place not just a couple thou, were talking 10 or more i know its unrealistic to expect every round to be exactly the same length even factory ammo isnt all exactly the same but i want it closer than it is . i load alot of my own cast bullets and the lube tends to build up in the dies ive taken apart and cleaned and still have the prob . well i got to messing with it 1 day and i measured the lugs on the turret and measured the lugs on a new turret , im actualy starting to wear out the turrets the lugs measured 10 to 15 thou smaller than the new 1 . now this press is only about 3 yrs old but its been heavily used in my opinion i wouldnt be afraid to say 20k+ rounds through it . i was thinking of upgrading to a lyman t mag press but i realy dont wanna part with my lee, has anyone else actualy worn out lee turret tops? in my opinion its a great little press but i wish a few things on it were better made . i will admit it sucks for decapping unless you like playing 5k used primer pickup all over the floor and its not the best for rifle calibers but i solved that prob by adding a single stage press to my bench a while back i use it for all my decapping and rifle rounds .

 

[Donaldjr1969]

I started with a Lee turret press back in March. While it is safe to say I have not even come close, I do appreciate the heads-up on what to look for if my COL is all over the place.

In the meantime, is it the actual turret disc that is worn out or is it the frame where the turret disc sits? If it is the frame piece, you can either order an entire ring and turret kit.

http://leeprecision.com/xcart/4-HOLE-UPDATE-KIT-W-AI.html

Or if you wish, you can get the ring on its own.

http://leeprecision.com/xcart/4-TURRET-RING.html

Now if it is just the actual turret disc where you have mounted your dies, why not just get a new turret?

 

[M'BOGO]

You do need to keep things lubed. I have one of the older three hole turret press', and havn't noticed any of problems of this sort after about 15 years, and thousands of rounds.

This past week while cleaning some dies, it started me thinking. After seeing some threads in the past, about cleaning firearms, with many claiming to obsessivly clean them in a way that would make a Drill Sgt happy. How often do folks clean and maintain their reloading equipment?

 

[SR-SP101]

Thanks for the heads up. I just ordered this press from Midway and it will be here tomorrow. It will be nice to upgrade from the Lee Classic Loaders! 8)

 

[M'BOGO]

Thanks for the heads up. I just ordered this press from Midway and it will be here tomorrow. It will be nice to upgrade from the Lee Classic Loaders! 8)

The little plastic pieces in the indexing "section" tend to get consumed during your learning curve. If I may suggest, get a couple of extra's.

FWIW, no horror stories. Once the learning curve was over, haven't replaced any of those parts in years. I've been using a little shot of "Super Lube", a spray on dry lube, on the moving parts, every once in awhile.

 

[Donaldjr1969]

I forgot to mention that I removed the indexing rod and I tend to batch process my handloads.

 

[Rick Courtright]

How often do folks clean and maintain their reloading equipment?

Hi,

Dunno if I'm obsessive or not, but I use the same mentality w/ my loaders I do w/ my guns: each gets at least a good wipe down and a few spots of oil after each day's use. I'll usually take things apart based on the amount and conditions of use, but a lot of goop is not allowed to build up as I see on many people's equipment.

There are a few presses around here: two from RCBS, two Lees, a Pacific Hornady, and an old Texan plus five shotshell machines, all from MEC.

My RCBS Jr. and the Texan were bought reasonably well used, but not given much TLC. The Pacific Hornady was "like new" when I got it. The RCBS Rock Chucker, both Lees, and all the MECs were bought new or NOS.

I didn't used to, but do now, keep track of how many rounds each has loaded: my highest "guess" is 125k-150k plus on one of the MECs. None of the equipment I've bought new shows any significant wear, while the "well used" stuff does show at least some.

The oil can and an old t-shirt are our friends. The oil can alone can be an enemy, though! Wiping things down first, followed by a drop of oil, keeps everything working well. I'm not a fan of spray products, as they seem to make more mess than they do good. And just oiling "dirty" stuff can create excess wear.

Especially important is to keep primer dust cleaned off, as it can become quite abrasive when mixed w/ oil: Joe (J Miller) can tell you horror stories about that w/ metallic presses, and I can tell similar stories of MEC shotshell loaders I've rebuilt "way too soon" for friends who just shot 'em w/ WD-40 or whatever now and then w/ no consideration for cleaning first.

So that's my story...

Rick C

 

[M'BOGO]

I wouldn't say that's at all obsessive Rick. In order to keep moving parts from wearing, lubricant keeps bearing surfaces from contact.