imported post
I use the Lee Breech Lock Challenger press, and I think it is the best of both worlds (single stage and turret). The reason why is that the die goes into a bushing instead of the actual press. Set the die exactly how you want it, and depressing the quick release lets you turn the bushing 1/3 turn and the whole thing comes out. The next time you need to use that die you just drop it in, give it a twist, and it is set exactly where it was before. You get the rigidity of the single stage press with the quick die change of the turret. My friend has the lee turret press, and he is having some problems loading rifle ammo on it due to the auto-index feature and overall rigidity problems. I load 9mm, .45 ACP, .44 Magnum, 8mm Mauser, 7.62x54r, and 6.5x55 with no problems at all, and my handloads exceed factory accuracy without any dedicated effort. For my carry piece's practice ammo I load .45 ACP with 5 grains of Red Dot and a 230 grain JHP @900 fps for $14/100. I can cut that to $8/100 or so with lead bullets.
For my setup I bought a 4 ft piece of 3/4" thick counter top at Home Depot, reinforced it with a sheet of 3/4" plywood underneath, and built the legs and foot rest out or 2x4s. It doesn't take up much space at all in my apartment, and at my old place I had it in my bedroom. I'll try to remember to take some pics tonight and post them. As others have said, reloading is as easy as falling down. Just pay attention and don't do other things while you reload. That is when skipped charges and double charges happen. As a general reloading tip to everyone, I always try to select a powder and charge such that it takes up over half of the case. That way a double charge wont let a bullet be seated, and a missing charge shows you shinny brass at the bottom of the case. I know, you always should have a decent charge density, but these days people are trying to save money by using shotgun powders in very small amounts, which can lead to double charging.
-Rob
