Lee Classic Turret Press

Well I have to first and foremost let you know this is my first reloading press I have ever had so there will be no comparison to other brands or models.

I bought the LCTP (Lee Classic Turret Press) to reload .38/.357 loads then added the .380 die to reload the hard to find .380 cartridge.

The LCTP came highly rated and recommended by users on most every forum and retailer I could seem to find. The only way to know if you are getting reliable feedback is from actual consumers/users. I don't trust magazines and columnist due to sponsor monies! Call me the conspiracy theorist but that is how I operate.

I bought this reloader back in November 2009 from Cabelas since they advertised the LCTP kit for $189.99 and it even had free shipping to boot. Well, they had me there for sure. The only additional item needed would be your die setup. I went with the .38 Special/.357 die for my newly acquired Ruger GP100 .357 I bought.

Did I mention the LCTP is a 4 station setup????? If not, it is! What does that mean to you the reloader? It means you have a station to deprime/size; flare case and drop powder charge; seat the bullet; and FCD as we call it or factory crimp die. In the end what you have after four pulls of the handle..........a loaded round!

So in effect I had to add $30 some odd dollars to complete the press for business. Well, minus bullets; brass; powder; and primers of course. That is another investment all in itself.

I started out by watching plenty of videos on YouTube from actual users and by Lee themselves on using and setting up the LCTP. I must say it was easy and getting the auto index properly calibrated/dialed in was not so bad either.

Once it was set up and indexing properly I decided to deprime some spent .38 Special rounds I had shot at the range. The deprimer station also sizes the case all in one step. This worked effortlessly and the nifty primer tube catches all the spent used primers for easy discarding when full.

This press is built like a tank for sure and is maybe the best selling press Lee has or may have in the future. Given price and ease of use it is even the best press for a beginner like myself or a seasoned loader. The press for simplicity can also be used as a single station loader by removing the index rod. This is suggested for beginners to allow you to actually slow down the process and see what your doing more effectively until you get the hang of it. Once you get the basics down, you add the index rod back and your press becomes the most economical almost progressive press you can buy.

So back to loading my first .38 Special rounds. I started with factory fired Speer Gold Dot .38 Special brass. It was readily available and provided the basis for my reloading to start.

My first attempt also included the following components:

Hornady XTP hollow point 125 grain bullets
Vihtavuori 3N37 powder
CCI 500 small pistol primers

So off to the races. I have to add a mention here, I read the Lee reloading manual over and over and over before venturing into loading actual rounds as well as consulted with others in forums for advice.

I placed the deprimed case in the shell holder and used the auto safety primer as well to load a new primer. I pulled the handle to index to the next station which flares the case and charges it with the preset powder charge you choose. Let me add if you use the auto powder charger with the powder disk it loads the case for you. This keeps you from having to load each case with a powder dipper and funnel by hand. I used this feature from the beginning and never looked back. The next pull of the handle indexed to the bullet seating station which requires you to by hand set a bullet in the case for seating. I must mention that you take careful attention to know what the minimum OAL (Overall length) of the finished round to be. Reason being, you have to set the depth of the bullet seater so the final round will be in tolerance. This was a trial and error until I got it just right and once you get it dialed in, never touch the depth screw again! Now you have a seated bullet that is a live round.............well, what next? Well, the FCD to add a factory crimp to the round. I pull the handle and effortlessly the LCTP indexes to the final and 4th stage. This too has adjustment to set a light-medium-heavy crimp. Once again do practice rounds until you get it right. Once you do, never touch the setting again! Well, pull the handle and what do you get. A round ready for action.

All this from start to end takes about 10-15 seconds once you get real good with it. In one hour you could pump out 100-200 rounds easily and that is taking your time.

This press worked flawlessly and as expected from all the feedback I had read. This press is definitely a favorite among reloaders both novice and seasoned for sure.

There are a few other tools I suggest to make life easy and some required as far as I am concerned. They are:

Digital or dial caliper for measuring the finished round OAL- To me a required tool!

Case gauge to measure the case for length to see if it needs trimming- To me a required tool!

Case trimmer for trimming cases- Required and very cheap to buy!

Chamfer and debur tool- Not required but for a couple of dollars, why not!

Scale (Magnetic dampened or digital)- Once again to me a must have!

Tumbler for cleaning cases- Not required but for the money you are crazy not to!

These items above will get you by and make reloading so much easier and more enjoyable!

The picture is my setup. Do I have a small fortune invested??? Yes, but worth every penny if you like to shoot.

Hope you got some tips and information useful from this review. Reloading is very fun and only cost effective if you shoot alot.....but if you shoot alot the cost is also high due to supplies. But it does balance out, well, maybe not but it is fun to load your own ammo and shoot it!