This channel is dedicated to all things related to firearms and the great outdoors. You may find an occasional political rant and the off topic how too video as well.
The TreeTopFlier handle comes from my background in military helicopter aviation maintenance and our collective love for flying just above the tree tops.
The Beastie Boys.... "You gota Fight !!!!...For your Right!!!!.... To Use Leeeee...." hehehe.. Just Joking,, I have a lot of great Lee products, however, seems like few of their progressive presses work right out of the box, you have to expect to fiddle with them,, and that's okay. - Good review between you and Walter. Peace - Dave
DAVE! Haha 😄 when dealing with Lee, a sense of humor helps. This press is pretty awesome. I just wish they would T&E some and work the bugs out before hitting the public. They're going way to fast with new products.
Tree top , I have the APP I have the four hole turret, I also have the breechlock pro. Then I have the Frankford X10 all sealed roller bearings. For any high volume I don't go back to anything else.
Great update. Funny I also broke a small primer arm reloading 9mm. I have been priming off press for less issues and more consistency. I also just upgraded mine and as you stated the press can be a little finicky but I am enjoying it. Lets see how it goes long term. Thanks again for your review of the press !
Thats a really tough question. The T7 is a really great press, you cant go wrong with it. I think it depends on what you want to load and how much. A couple boxes of rifle cartridges now and then, maybe the T7. If you want something that is capable of more production and wish to load a wide variety of cartridges? Id pick the Ultimate.
Good day my name Uynes Gysman of South Africa I am a reloader myself for 35y year's I do like your VIDEOS it's better than most other reloading VIDEOS your explaining to details very good from what part of the world are you let me know and keep up the good reloading VIDEOS
I use the RCBS pocket swage. I put the large primer pocket on and slightly squeeze the case, then use the small primer pocket swage and push it back to useable.
Hey there I just added this to my bucket list. I’ve encountered the bullets not seating evenly on the mouth and sitting crooked. Any suggestions for fixing? Ty
Ive encountered this. There are a lot of variables in your situation I dont know from your post but I'll give it a try anyway. This is a common problem or rather a stack of problems with this cartridge. In my case, It was a result of a narrow neck diameter on new (Starline brass) .304", metric bullets @.309", No expander ball in the sizing die, a floating seating die stem (Lee), and short neck and trying to compensate for a narrow neck by over flaring. This leaves very little neck to contact the bearing surface of the bullet. The bullet sets into a funnel shaped neck, hits the now tiny but narrow spot in the neck and the force of seating causes the causes the case and the bullet to cock. This goes away after first firing. You can use a mandrel in like 308 to prep the cases and it will get better. I run a 308" 300blk expander ball in my sizing die which does the same thing. Also, the Hornady OAL listed is too long for Tokarevs in my testing, it jams the lands. I use 1.295" Hornady data is .030" longer and may cause pressure spikes. If it helps, here is a video I did a long time ago, its not great and you can tell I'm struggling to explain it because I was still trying to get my mind around the problem. rumble.com/v1n0zcs-tokarev-7.62x25-reloading-challenges-crooked-bullet-seating-and-more....html
Great review! Do you think the cast iron, Lyman Ideal Press (similar open frame design) would be stronger and perhaps a better option for the long haul?
Yes the Ideal press would be stronger. The Lee press is aluminum and although a handy little press, particularly for accessory functions, long term sizing of larger rifle cases would probably find a weak spot. The only down side of the Lyman press is its only threaded for 7/8-14 so you cant adapt it to use quick change bushings.
I'm sure by now you've found out lee has a new bearing plate that has holes for an index ball and those two little boxes under the bearing plate allow for a detent ball and spring.
@@TreeTopFlier just got my parts from lee. So the holes in the bearing plate were 1/4" and same location I had them. The spring is a higher spring rate than what I have. If your 5 or 6 hole turret doesn't have dimples in it, you'll probably have to put some in there. Mine didn't, but I suspect if you order new ones they will. The holes I drilled combined with the increased spring rate locs that turret tight, maybe too well.
I have two of these..an older one and a newer breech lock. A few years ago, there was something of a price war going on at Amazon, and I got the breech lock unit for just a little over $20. It has been a true workhorse for me. When back from the range, I deprime on it. For less than 100 bullets, I size on it. When loading on another nearby press, sometimes there is occasion to size a case, or whatever and this press fulfills that function as well. The 3D printed base, available from TRN, allows for primer collection and is a ‘must-have’ IMHO. Nicely presented TreeTop! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
It really is a great press, especially for accessory functions. I think I paid around $40 for this press in inflation world. I wish I would have made some comments in the video about being realistic about the demands people put on the press. It never occurred to me that someone would want to use it for 300 win mag but some do. Thanks for checking it out Viejo.
The classic turret is about the best press there is because it is far mor e rigid with less flex than a progressive . Makes for more consistent resizing and bullet seating depth . I will not compromise quality over quantity. Turret press is still much faster than a single stage press.
So you'll see two little boxes underneith the turret. Take off the bearing plate and their labled "5" and "4-6". I drilled two 1/4" holes in the bearing plate where those two boxes are and I installed a 15mm spring and a 1/4" ball bearing, drilled small dimples in the turret where the ball would engage the turret. In the newly published instructions for this press Lee states that the "4-6" hole is for a 5 hole turret and the "5" hole is for the 4 & 6 hole turrets. This will allow you to fully index the press and prevents over-rotation of the turret.
Thank you for the great comment. Im aware of the abandon cups molded into the tool hanger. Interesting that they didnt even lable the molding correctly...good lord! Apparently Lee is now shipping the press with a drilled bearing plate, ball and spring. The items are on the site...(you have to dig) in the parts section. looks like about 20 bucks. You really took matters in your own hand (big respect) Ive been testing some friction and fine tuning the index rod twist with good results. Im to the point where Im not sure I need the ball. Anyway, well done my friend... fortune favors the bold!
Hope you like it! If you see this, do me a favor and let me know if your press has the index ball. The new instructions show the inclusion of an index ball. Thanks
Hey, what do they call that triangular piece that fits on the the back on the base? The part that has the square tubing riser to accept the old style lee powder measure? Do they still sell those?
No that was something I designed and sold as a hobby for a while. I wasn't able to continue making them. I gave the project to Inline Fabrication. Not sure if they are planning on doing anything with it or not.
It wasn't really a video I wanted to make but I was asked. Organized isn't a word that comes to mind when I look at it when in use LOL. Your set up has really grown over the years... would be a good video as well. I'm glad you still like your stand. I quit making them and gave all the specs to Inline Fabrication. Hoping they start making them. Good to here from you Sir, hope you are well.
Thanks so much for this video. I have fought with my primer feeder for years and decided that dropping 10 primers per 100 on the floor was the best I could do. Setting the height correctly solved my problem!
They are really the same because for the most part they function the same way. Its my opinion that the Lyman is probably the best value in part, because you dont need to buy different drums to change volume. Some seem to work better with different powder types.
To the best of my recollection... The fixed mode is for someone that just wants a AC to DC converter where a battery is not in use. And yes I belive it is adjustable in that mode. The other modes are meant to charge or maintain their respective batteries, so yes it will throttle near the end of the charge.
@@TreeTopFlier I was watching a few videos and they say fixed mode is for lithium batteries as it maintains the desired voltage throughout the charge. It is very much a charger in either mode. Atleast that's what ive read. My concern is overcharging.
Im doing this all from memory so your best bet is to contact the distributor for the best most up to date information. That said, As I recall, there was a problem initially where they were just bumping up the voltage on lead acid battery converters to fully charge Lithium batteries. This didnt address the unique charging needs of LiFePo batteries. The result would likely be overcharging. This charger was unique because it had a three position switch 1. stand alone 12+ volts (not intended to maintain a battery) 2. Lithium charge option meant to charge, sense and maintain a lithium battery and 3. A lead acid option to do the same. The two battery options are intended to optimize their respective batteries without over charging. Hope this helps.
I am new to the whole reloading game and I have been watching as many videos as I possibly can from various RU-vidrs.. and doing as much research as I can before deciding on what brand and press to go with before making my first purchase. Ok.. at first I though.. start off with a single stage press as a beginner.. take your time and learn the craft one step at a time. Now.. I am not completely new to reloading as I have been reloading 12ga for years.. and I know reloading for 12ga is much more forgiving than reloading brass.. and I had my mind set on getting the RCBS Rockchucker single stage press (I should mention that I will be starting of reloading for 2 rifle rounds - 6.5 Creedmoor and 7.62x39.. and the only 2 pistol rounds I will be reloading for will be 9mm and 44Mag) I then thought about starting off with one of the Lee Classic Challenger Breech lock kits that give you everything you need to get started (except the dies and calipers) - Currently.. I had made my mind up and I was planning on buying the Lee Classic Turret Press.. to me it just makes more sense than a single stage press.. and I feel like the Turret press would be right up my alley as I already spent some time researching it and understanding it's operation.. and it would be perfectly suited for the type of reloading that I want to be doing. This is the very first in depth video I have watched on this newer Lee Ultimate Turret press.. and although it seems very impressive.. Im sure it retails for quite a bit more than a Lee Classic Turret Press.. and for me PRICE is super important as I am on a budget.. and there are still lots of other reloading tools that I will also still need to buy like a brass tumbler.. powder thrower.. brass case trimmer.. and the actual dies for each caliber.. and in the end it all adds up! (I will also be casting my own bullets as well as using factory made bullets) I think my mind is made up.. and I still plan to buy the Lee Classic Turret Press next week! This was an AWESOME video.. and as a new subscriber to your channel I really appreciate the time you took to explain everything so in depth! If you have any advice for me as a newbie just starting out on my journey into the world of brass reloading.. I would welcome any advice you might have to offer! Salute!
Thanks for your comment, I really dont think you can go wrong with a Lee Classic Turret press as a first option. Maybe even look into the Value turret press. (budget friendly) It uses the same turrets. It will certainly do all your hand gun and small rifle cartridges. The Creedmor may be near the upper range when it comes to sizing but I bet it would be fine. I do not care for the kitted options from Lee. Mostly because the beam scale powder measure is hard to trust IMO. It works if your really careful but the vernier scale it uses is tricky particularly if you dont have a background using that type of measurement. Reloading, if you like it, is a journey. You will not end up where you started. All of our reloading companies are great and make great products. Lee is the most affordable. My optimum would always be a single stage press and a Lee turret press. The turret press really gives you some volume and speed that you wont get from a single stage. I think most people would quit if they loaded 50rds on a single stage LOL. Ive picked up nice components by keeping an eye on CraigsList and ebay for used items. The occasional garage sale. I have a 4 part video series on my Rumble channel that might be useful. Its long but it really explores the basics. Hit me up if theres any thing you need help with. Good luck!
so by full length sizing FIRST then bulge busting, couldn't this increase the sized headspace? i've done this in the reverse order with .308 family cases and a 45ACP carbide sizer die. I've never done the 223 family cases.
You know, it's a fair question and I never checked. I don't think so because the carbide only contacts the last 1/4" or so of a sized case. 🤔 most of the sizing was already done. But it's worth checking.
Kust set mine up today. Everything was already snug on it. Just wiped it and applied a drop of oil. Set up the dies and ran a small batch of 357's. Very pleased with the consistency! Your presentation here made it easy to put mine into good use! Thank you!
So nice you got some use out of the video. Its a great little press, maybe not the end all be all, but it will certainly handle 357 all day long. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.
This is the second video that I have seen where the user had the same kind of case trimmer. Since this video was made, there are a number of better devises out there that use an actual end mill, and they work much better, and are much sharper. one is the Little crow case trimmer, and then there was another made by a guy in UT that was a bit too similar to the Little Crow so he had to stop making it. Good video though.
You bet, there are a bunch of ways to trim brass now and you can really spend some money doing it. This is inexpensive and still works. I havent felt the need to change up for my limited volume.
That pair is from Harbor Freight (Pittsburgh brand) 15 years ago. cheap but very accurate. I have a second pair that is not as good. dumb luck i guess.
Yes, I don't know why it wouldn't. In this application, we need something that lubes to prevent wear and ALSO, something that adds drag to the rotation to help prevent over rotation of the turret. Its a good observation on your part that engine assembly type lubes are pretty tacky and maybe a helpful option.
Hey Tony, good to hear from you again! I happened to spot an ad for this new turret press and did a search here on RU-vid. Yours is the 1st one I've watched. I agree with some of the other commenters here, about the only advantage is to get that 5th hole for the bullet feeder. Not sure that's enough to redo my whole setup. As I've gotten older I actually prefer going slower and taking my time. I tried that new 6 pack Pro and it gave me anxiety attacks! Sent it back for a refund and carried on with my trusty old Classic turret. Not to mention your powder measure stand wouldn't work with the new setup. I think you'll need a new design 😉Looking forward to more of your content as always. Hope you and the family are doing well.
Hey Greg good to hear from you. Funny you mentioned anxiety from the 6 pack pro... that is exactly my reaction too. Not very relaxing in my opinion. This new turret press grows on you. The ability to set up different turrets is a very nice option. It isnt perfect and adding so many options makes for more possible challenges but depending on your mind set, they can be worked through. I havent built a powder stand for this press yet. Partly because Im having really good luck with my rebuilt auto drum measure and partly because the use of the bullet feeder makes it difficult to hover a powder measure over the turret without interference. I stopped making the stands. With Bidens new rules on PayPal tax transactions and not having a proper facility to work in I dropped it. I gave all the specs to Dan at Inline Fabrication, with the hopes he will pick up the manufacturing. Fingers crossed. We're all doing good here, hope you and yours are as well. Take care Sir.
@@TreeTopFlier Ahh right! I didn't even think about the bullet feeder getting in the way. Sure would be nice to have that option. I may get the new turret press at some point, but other projects are getting priority. I retired last September, so working on my "retirement setup" for traveling. I found a beautiful 2007 Apache popup camper for my truck and currently finishing up work on a new 6 x 12 enclosed trailer that will haul my quad and other gear when traveling. I'll be posting up some content as I go here: www.youtube.com/@ontheroadwithgreg
@@beginning-reloading Congratulations on your retirement! I have a Lance 845 truck camper.... we love it. Great way to get to out of the way places and still maintain some comforts. I'm subbed to your channel, I'll keep an eye out for your adventures. Be well my friend.
Thank you for driving home the tip on accurate cuts within a couple thousands. Ive been making 300 savage from 308 with lee Deluxe trimmer. And each case takes me over 10 minutes per case after cut off saw. Over working my lee trimmer.
Great review, glad I found you! Recently purchased and had a few issues. Think I’ve figured it out with your help. Thanks for the tip on the graphic lube!
I just purchased this press in the Ultimate Kit from Midway USA this past weekend. Im coming from using the old Lee Pro 1000. However im not so sure im gonna like this newer Lee Ultimate Turret press. I was torn between getting this press, or the Lee Classic Turret press.
If you don’t resize and trim first, you can neck trim back into the shoulder on a short neck ruining the case OR not trim far enough back on a long neck case and end up with a chamber jamb due to the neck wall being too think. Converting cases is wall thickness issue as different head stamps vary in wall thickness, which ends up to be the converted neck of the 300 Blk Out Case. After trim the neck wall thickness has worked well at .0135. Have used Sheridan Slotted Gage for 300 Blk Out to check rounds after assembly and found fit works. If you have a match grade barrel with less tolerance, the chamber may very well be a tighter fit. If neck wall is too thick the cartridge most likely will jamb at a critical moment. Good luck getting the stuck cartridge out of the chamber. The old Viet Nam stuck cartridge trick may or may not work. Make sure safety is set to on, KEEP CLEAR OF MUZZLE, rap the rifle butt to the ground firmly and hope it dislodges the cartridge without ripping off the back of the case. Otherwise you can take the risky dowl approach and drive down the barrel to push the cartridge out backward. This is dangerous, so if you’re not in a firefight find a gunsmith… THE SAFEST METHOD IS DON’T TAKE SHORTCUTS, AND CONVERT THE CASES THE RIGHT WAY EVEN IF YOU SPEND MORE TIME. PS…You will have better cartridges if you resize after neck trim as suggested, due to trim turning the case can spread the neck to not be round anymore. Resize one last time will size neck back to proper opening to hold bullet tight and the decap/resize rod will spread the neck opening, then the neck will spring back to desired diameter and round to hold bullet. You can use a neck resize die only and a mandrel die for .308 to accomplish the same function, but some say that process is more uniform. This process has worked well and produced worry free range time.
Excellent! The most thorough review that I have seen in a long while. You got into all the nooks and crannies, literally. New subscriber today. Now I am looking forward to exploring your other videos :-)
I can see Lee adding a ball detent on the station above the ram and slotting all the die stations in the tool head to solve this issue down the road. Great video as always.
Thanks, yes that is one solution that makes sense. They seem like they planned on coming up from the bottom through the bearing plate with a removable ball and socket in the tool holder. There are boxes in the mold for it.
Lube tends to emulsify and when the solution cools it settles on the brass again inside and out. I decap the brass and wet tumble coming out perfectly shiny and then size it followed by dry media to remove the lube. Feel better sizing really clean brass.
Most of what controls your outcomes is a good relationship between the type lube you use and the cleaning product ratios used. Always good to size cleaned brass, especially if you think it picked up some dirt.
I've just finished my first 200 rounds on it. I sold my Classic Turret afterwards 😂. You made an excellent video and confirmed every issue I ran across. Only takes you a couple times and you realize you have to slow down and it works perfectly. I bought the kit in 40 cal and found it odd it comes with the online bullet feed magazine, but not the die. I already had it, so not an issue, but for someone who doesn't, they should be aware.
Thats great, glad you got some use from the video! I didnt realize the bullet feeder didnt come with the kit, just the magazine, which is crazy. I had to go look it up. doesnt make sense... Thanks for letting everyone know.
Looks like they didn't include the caliber specific bullet feeder in the kit. It comes with the magazine but not the feeder die. Doesn't make sense, but there it is. Maybe they were not available at the time of shipping???
@TreeTopFlier I'm going to ask Lee why? I had all the feeder dies I needed for when I use my 6 pack, but those new to turrets or reloading in general may think a part is missing.
