first off I've never reloaded a single round. I used to shoot wolf forever but I started shooting and collecting my brass so ai could reload it in the future. I dont care about cranking out 1000 rounds in a half hour or any thing like that as i have way more time than money.

My question is what is a good set up? Books, equipment and any thing else i might need. I dont need the best equipment but would like to buy good stuff that I wont have to replace in a few years.

Oh yean I will be reloading 9mm .223/5.56 and maybe .40smith and .308's.
also, is there any classes in the Portland Orgon are a guy could take to learn how to do this?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: lunchbox,

Get The ABCs of Reloading. A kit like the RCBS RockChucker will have almost everything you need. If you have more time than money, it's a good way to go. The Lee turret kit is another option, but the scale & powder measure are poor.

I was also wondering what the differance is between the different types of loaders, single stage, turret, progressive and so on. my budget would be in the $400-500 dollar range.

Single stage press:



It works on each case individually. Also, that silver thing up top is called a "die". It screws into the top of the press. The case is pushed up into the die by the "ram" which you can't see too well in that picture. It is connected to the handle via some linkages that provide compound leverage.

This is the slowest of the reloading presses. You are better off running all your 9mm cases for example through one die in a batch process.

And then swapping out the die for the next step, and again running all your cases through.

On a press like that, it will take at least 3 pulls of the press's handle to produce one round of loaded ammunition.

There is:

1. decapping/resizing

(re-priming the cases can be done off press)

2. case mouth belling

(powder charging can also be done off press)

3. bullet seating

(and possibly a 4th step)

4. crimping the case mouth into the bullet

Then there are the turret presses:



I really do NOT know that much about them. From what I have gathered though, is that you can do all the steps required to load one round of ammo to one piece of brass, instead of running everything through in the batch process. It is simply a matter of turning the turret to have the correct die perform the next step in the reloading operation.

And then there are the progressive reloading presses:



These are the ones I like!

With each pull of the handle, the press is performing at least four of those steps listed above simultaneously.

The cases are held in place by a shellplate wich rotates on the "ram" and positions the cases correctly under the dies to perform the next operation.

The main difference between the progressives is in how the shellplate rotates or indexes: auto or manually.

Auto is automatically rotating the cases/shellplate to the next die or "station".

With manually indexing, you have to rotate the shellplate by hand. This is where it could get DANGEROUS! if you are not paying attention.

You can inadvertently run a case past the powder charging station and then seat a bullet on it.

That is called a SQUIB! . The primer has enough umph behind it push the bullet far enough into the barrel where it then becomes lodged. There also is enough power there to get the gun to cycle and load a live/good round into the chamber. If you don't catch it in time and squeeze the trigger, you risk blowing up the gun and/or seriously hurting yourself and others.

Also with manually indexing, you can charge a case twice by accident, if you are not paying attention. That is called a DOUBLE CHARGE! It too can blow up your gun and seriously mame or kill yourself or others.

I do use a manually indexing press called a Dillon 550. I cobbled together this little light to shine down into the cases so I could see the powder before I seat the bullet:



There is a conduit clamp, like what electricians use and a thumb screw, clamped to the bullet seating die.

Then I bough these clip on book lights at Walgreens for like a buck a piece. That clips onto the square part of the conduit clamp.

It works well.

I can make 100 rounds of pistol ammo in about 15 minutes. I take my time with it. Once I have a hundred rounds in the loaded round bin (the primer feeding mechanism will only hold a hundred primers too, so it's a good place to stop), I will go to the living room, plop myself on my couch and put the rounds into those plastic cartridge bins, primer side up. I run my finger across the top checking for high primers. Then I run a marker across the headstamps to stripe them.

NOTHING! goes into my guns that does NOT have a stripe on it.

There are all sorts of videos online with regards to reloading:

http://youtube.com/results?search_query=dillon+550&search_type=&aq=f

http://youtube.com/results?search_query=reloading+ammun...aq=1&oq=reloading+am

Brian Enos does sell these EZ buy packages with the press and all the chatchkeys with them, especially if you have never reloaded before:

http://brianenos.com/store/dillon.ez.550.html

But if 400 or 500 dollars is your limit, I think you are NOT going to be able to afford a progressive press and all the doo-dads.

Yes, like many others, I started out with a single stage press and then moved onto progressives.

I think with some common sense and some tutelage learning a progressive is not that daunting.

My single stage is sitting in the attic collecting dust.

I might use one it one day to pull bullets.

Eventually...

I only wish I could afford the dillon 1050,but alas being retired I will be a slow poke and load 3-4 hundred per on the 550

For a beginner, the single stage press is the best option, it lets you get into reloading and get comfortable with all the steps, then if you want to go progressive, do so. I agree with FredJ338 that the Lee powder measure and scale provided with their low cost kits lack a lot, but you aren't limited to using just anyones measures or scales. The RCBS measures and scales are quite good.
Always, always, get carbide dies, you don't have to lubricate them. Also, be sure to get a good caliper gauge to measure case and overall length. Invest in at least one (two or more would be more gooder) reloading manuals.
NEVER NEVER NEVER start reloading anywhere near max load, you almost never get the best accuracy there anyway.
Record all your reloading data, try them out, find a good load that works best for your guns

Let's see if I can get this video link to work:

Dillon 1050 w/ a KISS bullet feeder, Windows Media Player

Now that looks kick a$$ !

Okay, I guess that doesn't work, so just go here instead and click one of the video options:

http://www.bulletfeeder.com/videos.htm

Thanks for the info guys. I think I'll go with the rcbs rock chucker. I dont get out to shoot very often, maybe once or twice a month in the summer but when I do go out I shoot alot of ammo. I think the single stage will work ok, I will buy ammo and spend it during the summer and reload it in the winter. I live in washington state so I have like 8 months of rain that keeps me in the house with nothing to do.

quote:

Originally posted by lunchbox:
Thanks for the info guys. I think I'll go with the rcbs rock chucker. I dont get out to shoot very often, maybe once or twice a month in the summer but when I do go out I shoot alot of ammo. I think the single stage will work ok, I will buy ammo and spend it during the summer and reload it in the winter. I live in washington state so I have like 8 months of rain that keeps me in the house with nothing to do.

I started out on that old press in 65 . I still use it for a few fresh hunting rounds.When I bought it it came with the ,what is now their 1010 powder scale.that thing is so accurate.
A bit of advice for you ,get a good tumbler and save the damage to those dies. Also be sure to lube the rifle calibers all the time and do not lube the pistol brass if its not a bottle neck

i assume the tumbler cleans the brass taking scratches off and thats what saves the dies? Should I spring for carbide dies as well. After this kit how much money do you think I have left to spend before im up and going?

quote:

Originally posted by lunchbox:
i assume the tumbler cleans the brass taking scratches off and thats what saves the dies? Should I spring for carbide dies as well. After this kit how much money do you think I have left to spend before im up and going?

Carbide dies,I havent wore out the old regular ones yet.Looks like they will still be going long after I am gone.I have had to polish a couple of old lee's but the Hornady 's are just fine.
The tumbler removes dirt and stuff so the brass does not scratch the dies

45 cal, In your honset opinion should I save my money for a progressive reloader? Now im getting my brother going "I have 2k of .223 I could reload as well". With a single stage press whats a realistic time to do a thousand rounds? If I cant float the change for a progressive would a turret cut the time down a little? between the two of us there is like maybe 5000 rounds of .223 and 9mm combined.

whats the deal with this progressive press being so cheap, is it any good? sorry to be such a pain in the arse.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=347040

Some folks like it,I have been using the Dillon 550's for decades now and there is lots of company that want to make a buck,not knowing about this one.I just know the one that works for me.
Dillon stands behind their machines,but I have no need for that because they aint broke with the tens of thousands of rounds they have produced for me.
Your asking advice is not a pain in the ass,I had to learn the old way before the Internet.
I just got tired of all that work on the rock chucker and saw an add in a gun rag for dillon,called them and developed a good relationship ,they sent me what I needed for the 9-mm I was loading at the time,it was easy to setup and run.Over the years I bought an additional press and I am set up for most cartages.

Buy a dillon its noe of the best out there, you willo have no regreats on the machine.

I'm no expert on this, having just started reloading a few months ago, but I can give you my philosophy on the whole thing and you can accept it or not as you see fit.

For me, most of my shooting is pistol. Before I got extremely busy at work the past few months, I was shooting every week and going through 250 to 400 rounds each trip to the range. For me, I knew that if I was going to do any reloading, I would need some volume. I certainly didn't want to have to reload every night between sessions just to give myself the ammo for the next session.

I also shoot rifle sometimes, but I'll go through maybe 50 centerfire rounds at the rifle range per sitting. I could easily handle that with a single-stage or a progressive.

That told me that I really wanted to get a progressive. I would mostly be loading pistol calibers and every so often a rifle caliber. I didn't have the room or money for multiple machines, so I wanted something that would have a relatively quick changing time from one caliber to another.

I personally ended up with Hornady Lock-n-Load Auto-Progressive. I haven't ever used anything else, so I can't give you a good comparison with anything from Lee or Dillon, but it's a well-built machine and it works well for me after some tuning. People swear by Dillons and I thought about getting one. Since this was my first foray into reloading and I wasn't sure it would stick, I decided to choose a middle-of-the-road press. It's something that may not be the best, but something I probably wouldn't outgrow too quickly, too. The Hornady LNL has a bunch of add-ons that I could get (auto case feeders, etc.) if/when I need them. So far, I haven't felt a big need.

Did I make the right decision? Time will tell. As I said, the press is working for me pretty well and I have no regrets. Because things at work have picked up, I haven't had as much time to go to the range. That has actually meant I haven't had to reload much lately, either. Given that, I'm glad I spent a bit less on the press.

quote:

Originally posted by lunchbox:
45 cal, In your honset opinion should I save my money for a progressive reloader? Now im getting my brother going "I have 2k of .223 I could reload as well". With a single stage press whats a realistic time to do a thousand rounds? If I cant float the change for a progressive would a turret cut the time down a little? between the two of us there is like maybe 5000 rounds of .223 and 9mm combined.

Is that a month, a year? Realistic numbers; 50rds/hr max on a single stage. 125rds/hr on a turret & 300-800rds/hr on a progressive. Time is money so the higher vol. preses cost more. Unless you are really handy, the Lee will be pain to setup & use, they are quirky. The Dillon 550B is very simple, especially when caliber changes need to be done. The best "bargain" right now is probably the Hornady LNL, especially w/ the free 1K bullets. Carbide pistol dies are a must IMO, well worth the $20-$30 more. Get the ABCs & read it first, honestly, it will help clarify all this.

lunchbox,
i use a lee classic turret. i usually shoot around 150-200 rds each trip to the range and
this press works great for me! i got it at kempf's gun shop....
https://kempfgunshop.com//index.php?page=shop.product_d...virtuemart&Itemid=41

Midway USA has the Hornady LNL on sale plus we get 1000 free bllets from Hornady. Really a great offer and the press is great. I have had one for 5 years and has been smooth and consistent once its setup. Hornady Customer Service has been top notch too.

I just got the auto case feeded last week and it is SWEET. man really well made and works great.

Also with 5 spots on the LNL you can get the powder cop die from hornady to check your load levels before seating the bullet to check for squibs or double loads.


Take a look at the Hornady, its a great press and well priced


later

I might look into the hornady progressive press, its a little more that I want to spend but I can save. I started thinking about it and Im sure my brother and father in law will show up with brass and want to reload as well. Were talkin about 5000 to 6000 a year between my brother and I alone. I didnt realize how much 9mm the two of us shoot a year.