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- Alfred Mendoza
- June 3, 2024
Shooting can be expensive if we talk about reloading ammunition. This is why most gun enthusiasts choose to reload their own ammo. Finding the best turret press can be confusing if you are new in this field. To help you find the best turret press, our team spent hours of research. Let’s check them out.
- Great quality and smooth action
- Built sturdy and works well
- It saves setup time
- Very solidly built
- Great primer disposal system
- Simple to set up
- Great build and quality
- Dependable warranty
- Sturdy
- Very accurate auto powder measure
- Very consistent
- Solid press
- Sturdy and efficient
- Quality made
- Heavy duty
1. Redding – T-7 Turret Press
Why We Picked It:
This product’s resiliency is the first thing that our team liked about it, and it is not even hard to operate. This is an efficient turret press for reloading as you can easily place the cartridges without any other needed steps to perform. It also has a positive ram stop and compound linkage that makes the functionality of the smooth turret flowing, and you can also add the 7/8″-14 threaded dies.
It also has a heavy-duty cast iron frame that assures its sturdiness and strength, added to its heavy-duty construction. It also has a 7-station turret head. You do not have to worry about defects on the product since it has a lifetime warranty that you can use any time you see damage on the parts. This is not an offer found on all turret presses.
PROS
- Great quality and smooth action
- Built sturdy and works well
- It saves setup time
- Very solidly built
- Great primer disposal system
CONS
- Somewhat easy to rust
2. Lee Precision – 4-Hole Classic Turret Press
Why We Picked It:
There are always limitations with presses on the market, and smaller cartridges can be one. The auto index component is very useful for cartridges with lengths 2.13 inches or 3.13-inch even. The turret press features are useful for beginners and old-timers since they are very easy to use.
If you want to finish reloading in a short period, this would be the turret press to pick. It also has a Solid Steel Linkage and is built for heavy-duty construction. Another worthy of attention is the inclusion of a powder dispenser with measuring drums, which will be very useful, especially for beginners. Add to that. It also is compatible with different calibers. This classic turret press kit is a common favorite by experienced reloaders because of its ease of use.
EDITOR’S CHOICE
PROS
- Simple to set up
- Great build and quality
- Dependable warranty
- Sturdy
- Very accurate auto powder measure
CONS
- Powder measure leaks ball powders
- Fundamentally flawed design
3. Lyman - Brass Smith 8 Station Turret Press
Why We Picked It:
This product’s strength and resiliency are obvious features from Lyman since this is made of quality cast iron. Outside the cast iron is a powder coat finish giving the turret press a good cover. The stations can be easily installed and removed, and they can hold up to for dies. The primer tubes are available in small and large sizes with a shield cover in the primer feed.
The impressive part of this turret is its high reloading rate of at least 200 to 300 rounds per hour. Plus, you can easily change the caliber by altering the turret head. It is an advantage for an experienced user because of the speed.
PROS
- Very consistent
- Solid press
- Sturdy and efficient
- Quality made
- Heavy duty
CONS
- Fidgety priming system
4. RCBS - Turret Press
Why We Picked It:
When it comes to experience, RCBS has a lot of it, and the RCBS C-frame is one of their impressive products. They are known for creating high-quality presses, both single-stage reloading press and progressive reloading. They have various types of presses available, and all are known to be made of quality materials.
Durability is assured from this turret press model. As long as the die fits, it is assured to load on this piece. Also, the turret head allows up to 6 die combinations with just one pull of the handle. Therefore, you can be sure it will do the workload in a shorter period. Besides, they also have precision as one of the features, making them one of the best turret presses.
PROS
- Assembly was very easy
- Heavy built
- Sturdy and durable
- Reasonably priced
- Very positive reset
CONS
- Prone to rust
- Not a reliable shell holder
5. Lee Precision - Value 4-hole Turret Press Kit
Why We Picked It:
The Auto Disk Powder Measure is the very first feature that this press boasts, which allows a user to produce multiple ammo in a short period. It can also handle bigger cartridges and has lock n load features. It also comes with Lee Safety Scale, a primer pocket cleaner, cutter, and lock stud. For the deburr cases after trimming, you can use the chamfer tool.
If you want to use a turret press as a single station press, you simply disable the auto-indexing turret press and re-enable the auto-indexing feature if you want to use it vice-versa. Durability is also assured with this cast aluminum 4-hole turret press complimented with auto-indexing, making it almost a perfect press.
PROS
- Easy to set up
- Fairly priced
- Lightweight and compact
- Easily change calibers
- Easy to use
CONS
- Indexing is poor
- Holes are a little too close
6. Lee Cast Aluminum 4 Hole Turret Press with Auto Index
Why We Picked It:
This is a high-quality turret, and this is made of cast aluminum, and it has a compound leverage design. You won’t find any spring in this design as there is a solid steel ring where the turret is locked with big rifle bolt type lugs. It also features a longer stroke and a built-in primer catcher with a comfortable wood grip, giving the user an easy handle pull.
The longest rifle cartridges you can load on this press is 2.3125 inches, but if you want to load something longer, you just have to remove the auto index and turn the turret manually, which is very easy to operate. This press also has a strong linkage that it does not require much effort to install.
PROS
- Primer-feeds rarely malfunction
- Best and cheapest case trimmings
- Great for loading pistol ammo
- Quick and easy caliber changes
- Simple to set up
CONS
- Fundamentally flawed design
- Leaking powder measure
Buying Guide
Ease of Use
It would be understandable that most turret presses available can be complicated for beginners. However, some manuals will guide them for those parts that are not obvious for their use. The turret press works the same way. It only differs on some features which should be designed simply for the benefit of their buyers.
Caliber Capabilities
The best turret press should have better features than other presses in the market, especially with compatibility with various calibers. Some are limited with the sizes that it can load, while others just need some adjustments on auto-indexing, and larger sizes can then be loaded, which is preferable.
Powder Charging
Normally, the process of powder charging can be a tiresome task. You need to manually remove the primed case, charge it and re-insert for different types of calibers. But if your turret reloading press supports powder charging, you will simply make sure that the powder measure is right and charge the cases by pulling the lever.
Upgrade Options & Accessories
Not all parts are included on a turret reloading press. Some feature some additional parts but most of these need to be bought. These are parts that will make your reloading faster and a lot easier. And often, these are also upgradable. Make sure that the tool you purchase for your press is compatible with upgraded parts to make the changes swiftly.
Construction Materials & Durability
Even though a turret press has fewer parts that are moving than progressive presses, you would still need to look for something durable but useful to you. If your needs only call for ammo that is factory specifications, then you can be content with something that is made from cast aluminum press, but if you are making precise volume ammunition, then you should opt for quality steel.
Die Changing System
Quick-change die bushing is the fastest die-changing method; however, these are not necessary if you have more than one turret disc for your press. These are not expensive. You can assign one disc for each caliber that way. You wouldn’t have to remove the dies all the time or the need to buy the quick change bushings.
Also Read:
Additional Benefits & Technology
Since these are turret reloading presses that we are looking at, you must look at the product’s compatibility for any other attachment or enhancement. A turret press typically has the same caliber size and will use the same die compared to a progressive press. The best turret reloading presses should have the compatibility feature in as much ammo as possible.
Mounting Method
It is every user’s wish that every ammo will be compatible with any reloading press. However, this is not the case. The mounting method would depend on the type of ammo you are mounting on a press. Regardless of the size, it should not be a struggle mounting the ammo on the shell holders as long as this is an appropriate size for that particular turret press.
Read: How Striker-Fired Pistols Work
Brand & Warranty
This is not only for the turret press available on the market but also for any products sold. Reputation is earned with the previous products they had, and the brand name will be trusted by many after having produced dependable reloading kits.
They will also not worry about providing a lifetime warranty because they know what their product is made of. If there are flaws or damage, these are accidental or simple errors present on all their products.
Budget
This goes hand in hand with brand and warranty because a high-quality product will always have high-quality materials, which would mean a high price. The only area they will be competing on is the design wherein their users will be benefiting from it whether they are spending a lot on a press for a reason or not.
Our Team's Selection Process
Overall Performance
Our view on overall performance is based mostly on compatibility and ease of use, along with durability. Complexity will only cause more delays and what a reloader would want is more outputs per hour.
The dies on a reloading kit depend on different calibers and compatibility-wise, which also impacts our choice. The best reloading presses we have our minds with can be used with fewer complications and issues.
Weapon Compatibility
Most presses on the market, which are auto progressive, also mount larger ammo by just altering parts and reloading new dies. We prefer items such as this as it increases the production of rounds per hour since there is not much need to change any other measurements or settings.
Understandably, there are limitations on the ammo types it can reload, but if it can be adjusted to work on as many variants, that would be a better deal.
Also Read: How to Make 22LR Tracing Rounds
Product Quality
Another important part of our selection is the quality of the product. An aluminum 4-hole turret serves better than steel or vice-versa, and this is why we check on users if the manufacturers’ claims are true or not. We rely more on customers’ satisfaction rates and see if their observations are the same as what we have.
Single-Stage vs. Turret Press vs. Progressive Press
If you are only reloading for personal use, then the best fit would be a single-stage press. However, the complexity of changing dies and removing parts when you need to do another stage of the reload consumes time.
This is where the turret press becomes very useful. The best turret press is usually a 4-hole press that can mount four cases simultaneously, cutting the work period half the time. Progressive presses are the fastest among the three, used for bulk reloading.
It has auto drum powder [1] and multiple dies that do not need to be detached from mounting multiple cases. Turret presses have the auto-indexing feature, although not all brands offer this, giving the user an easier reloading experience than single stages.
Price-wise, the difference is not that high. So if you want to get value for your money, you have to check on what your priorities are and pick the best one that fits.
Benefits of Using A Turret Press
The in-between gadget of a single-stage press and a progressive press is the turret press. You can find the simplicity of a single stage and the speed of a progressive press. This product can be auto progressive and may have multiple shell holders, increasing the number of outputs in an hour.
A simple turret press may not have the automatic feature, which will make it almost the same as the single-stage. It will be very useless unless you only want to produce a certain amount of ammo for personal use.
Its Types
Manual Indexing
The word manual itself means that you need to move the dies to the next position or stage manually. This would mean taking more time to complete your reloading process because you have to do many detaching and re-attaching parts to continue with the next step.
It is simply time-consuming, which may also cause mistakes and lapses. This would also mean that your output will be limited.
Automatic Indexing
Most turret presses offer automatic Indexing or auto-indexing in the market, which automatically shifts the dies to the next position. All you have to do is pull the lever or handle, and it will move to the next stage for the dies mounted on the press.
This turret press is equipped with this feature, among all other enhancements, making the reloading steps more efficient and faster.
FAQs
Not at all times. There are turret presses that are very affordable and are priced almost the same as a single-stage press but function as well as a turret reloading press. The best turret reloading press would be offering quality features at a reasonable price.
A turret press can be as fast as 600 strokes per minute, but this would mean the user is pulling on the handle many times to speed it up. Everything will still depend on the user, whether they want the turret press to produce more or not.
It is worth it because the time you spend working on the press is shortened since you can finish around 200 ammo provided that the turret press you are using has the auto-indexing feature and the lock n load feature.
Our # 1 Choice For The Best Turret Press Is…
Our number one choice for the best turret press is the Redding – T-7 Turret Press. The reloading process of this product was designed to make you easily mount the dies on the station turret. It is made from cast iron, which is why it is a very durable turret press.
It is one of the best turret presses that feature a dependable primer catcher installed in the best spot, which compliments the lock n load feature of the product too.
Lastly, customers get to enjoy a lifetime guarantee.
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Our #1 Recommendation
Redding – T-7 Turret Press
- Great quality and smooth action
- Built sturdy and works well
- It saves setup time
- Very solidly built
