Thanks. Have I mentioned that I am very popular with my shooting buddies and that we load ammo, train together, swap favors, etc? Plus get together for bulk purchases on components?Originally Posted by ravensfan87
48 lbs of pistol powder showed up the other day. That's getting cut up, but one hazmat fee and enough powder to load 100K rounds on 9mm. Sweet.
This made me take a count, I have nine presses. And I am pretty sure I still have those 22-250 dies, but my mini chop saw is for cutting off arrows.
Just to help out those wonder why the hell somebody would have nine presses, they include a couple of these:
that I use for stuff like running a priming tool or seating bullets. I think I snagged them back when they were less than $30.
And I have a couple extra 20g presses, one is something that was given to me that needs some work and another is the MEC I had before the Dillon that someday I plan to rig up to do 3" shells.
So nine is kind of an exaggeration. Reminds me of the time my mother asked me why I had (at the time) five motorcycles, and I explained that a couple were in transition, that I really only "need" three. Got the kind of incredulous look only your mother can give you
I have 8 presses, not counting my Lee Classic Loaders. Presses are like guns to me, fun to try different ones, and each one excels in a different area. If I had to limit myself, the Lee Classic Turret and the Redding T-7 would be my last to go. If I needed to reload large quantities of ammo, then my 650 would take precedence, but as it is, the Lee and the T-7 can do everything I need doing right now.
I've got 6 right now, the Rockchucker (which is going to be replaced by a RC Supreme), a Pro 2000 and 4 1050s. Don't need a turret as I use the LnL bushings on the Rockchucker.
...and to think today you just have fangs
Rob Engh
BC, Canada
Everyone NEEDS a turret, have you bumped your head?;-)
Actually, my two turrets serve very different purposes. The T7 is my LR precision rifle press. As you said, a single stage can suffice, but imo, never equal the T7. My Lee Classic Turret is for moderate production of pistol ammo. 200 rds an hour is plenty for the oddball calibers I load for (I don't load for 9, 40, 45, 556, 308 - which are the calibers I shoot in quantity), and it provides a semi-progressive function compared to the T7. I mount them on Inline Fabrication's 9" mount with the quick change plate system, and they are beyond rock solid. Really a joy to use.
I've been thinking about adding a T7, appreciate the input. I'm not a long range guy, but own a couple of hunting rifles build by Terry Cross that deserve quality ammo.
http://www.kmwlrs.com
I don't load 308, since I can get good LR ammo, but that's not true of 300WM, so I load it. If I had a Cross gun, I would definitely treat it to a T7. My 300 was built by Jared at American Precision Arms. Most accurate rifle I have ever owned.
I do love the T7, so if I can help in anyway, let me know.
What calibers are your Cross guns in?
Thanks SLG.
Terry is a friend, and back in the day would do custom hunting stuff as well as his LR/precision stuff. My favorite hunting rifle is a full custom model 70 .30-06 with Krieger match barrel in featherweight contour, McMillan model 70 Featherweight stock, and Williams bottom metal that Terry built in 2002. Terry also did a custom Sako in 7mm-08 with #3 Krieger in a McMillan Sako Hunter stock for me. I ended up giving this rifle to my niece's husband a few years ago as a Christmas present and started him on his critter slaying journey. I also have a old Sako AII in .308 that Terry tweaked.
I love to shoot, but hate to reload and my time always seems limited. I'm thinking about the T7 as the way to load precision ammo at a faster rate than I can do on my Rockchucker.
The model 70 likes everything I've put through it, but really shines with the Barnes 168 gr. TSX and TTSXs, 180 Accubonds and 180 Gamekings. The .308 loves Sierra 165 HP Gamekings.
SLG,
Have you swapped turrets on your T7? I see that Midway has Redding spare turrets that can be switched. Seems like it would be handy for different calibers, if it kept the precision.
Don't be misled by silly advertising. The T-7 is a fantastic press, but speed is not what it does. There is almost no point, imo, to swapping turrets on it, and though it is faster than a single stage, the difference is miniscule. It is an extremely precise press, and it is more convenient than a single stage, since you can have two rifle calibers plus a universal decapping die set up all the time, but on a practical level, it turns out the same number of rds per hour that a single stage does.
How much precision do you need and want? a Dillon 550 may be a better option, if speed is a factor. However, I have found that if real precision is needed, it is hard to make that work with any kind of speed. There are just too many case prep steps to allow easy, multi stage work to occur. There are ways to get around that, but they involve steps I'm not as familiar with, as well as Dillon case trimmers. 00bullit, here on the forum, is a wealth of knowledge for speedier precision rifle reloading.
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