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Anyone selling their reloading services?

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  • TheMailMan

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    If you're shooting a lot of 9mm look hard at a Dillon Square Deal B. They are great pistol caliber presses that will put out a decent amount of ammo.

    Sure you can reload 9mm with that little hand press but your production rate is about a box per hour.

    If you're really serious about getting into reloading a progressive press is where I'd look. There are two major players in the progressive market.

    Dillon and Hornady. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. I'm one of those rare guys who has both a Dillon 650 and a Hornady LnL AP mounted on my bench.

    Lee also makes some progressive presses but personally I'd stay away from them. They're pretty quirky. What you need never seems to end. Cabela's is having a sale right now. I dropped almost $500. Powder and primers were 90% of it.

    To get started you need:
    Press
    Dies and shell holder
    Powder scale
    Calipers
    Reloading manual
    Case block (not really needed with a progressive press)
    If you're doing full length sizing on bottle neck cartridges you'll need a means of trimming cases
    Powder funnel (not needed on a progressive)
    Priming tool (not needed on a progressive)
    Primer tray
    Way to clean cases
    Case lube (not always needed with carbide dies and straight wall cases)
    Bullet puller
    Cartridge gauges

    That's a good start.
    Target Sports
     

    NavyVet1959

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    Not really, NV1969s reply to my question stated I would also need a reloading press in addition to what you had shown.

    I was just verifying.

    Yes, that is a type of reloading press. There's a lot of things you can substitute if you know what you are doing and are trying to get buy on the very cheap or with just minimal equipment. For example, a powder measure that you can set to various volumes / weight of powder can be replaced with dippers and a small funnel. Dippers can be made out of smaller pieces of brass (i.e. .22, .25, .32, etc). Different powders have different densities, so a dipper that gives 4 gr of one powder might give 5 gr of another. Thus, it's nice to have access to a scale (many prefer an electronic one) that can weigh in grains.
     

    NavyVet1959

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    I'm not sure about the Square Deal *B*, but the original Square Deal used non-standard dies that you could not use with any other press, so I would stay away from it. I haven't tried any of the Lee progressive presses, but I do have a Lee 4-hole turret press that I use for low volume calibers that I don't want to take the time to set up in my Dillon.

    You can get a single-stage press that you can mount on a 2x6 and then clamp that to your coffee table when you need to and that's a better solution than the handheld Lee press in my opinion. It's always nice to have a single stage press around even when you have moved onto a progressive press. They work good for removing bullets from misloaded rounds and for resizing bullets. You are more likely to resize bullets that you cast yourself, so if you are going to be buying jacketed bullets, having a bullet resizer is not particularly important. The Lee Alox (tumble lube) does come with their bullet resizing die though.
     
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    TheMailMan

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    The SDB uses those same dies. but if one shoots 500-1000 per month of one load the SDB is an awesome machine.

    If I were planning on loading for three or more pistol calibers or rifle calibers then the SDB would not be the machine I'd get.
     

    NavyVet1959

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    The SDB uses those same dies. but if one shoots 500-1000 per month of one load the SDB is an awesome machine.

    If I were planning on loading for three or more pistol calibers or rifle calibers then the SDB would not be the machine I'd get.

    It's really going to depend upon how many rounds you need to do and the calibers. If you are shooting a very large amount of 9mm, then you are going to want one of the progressive presses. If you are shooting a single shot or bolt action rifle where there is a noticeable amount of time between each shot, then you can get by with a single stage or turret press. When I'm loading .45-70 or .300 WinMag, I'm doing it on a turret press (although a single stage press would be acceptable) since I'm not likely to be loading more than 20-50 rounds at a time. For many of us, reloading is not so much about saving money or time, but rather to be for self-sufficient so that with a good stock of the components, we can reload a lot of different calibers and not be concerned about market availability. And, of course, you can always tailor your loads from nuclear to mild if you so desire.
     

    NavyVet1959

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    When I first started reloading and had not bought a press yet, I was reloading for .38/.357. It was just target loads, so probably more in the low .38 power level, but shot out of a .357. Since it was a revolver, I was more likely to be able to get away with using brass that had already been fired in that gun without resizing it. So, I started off with a small diameter punch to remove the primers. I had a block of 2x4 where I had inset a steel nut to act as a baseplate for the brass to sit on and there was a smaller diameter hole drilled all the way through the 2x4 to allow the spent primer to drop through. Setting the new primers was done with careful operation of a pair of channel-lock pliers initially with a small piece of dowel inserted into the cartridge so that no pressure was placed on the mouth of the brass. Later it was done with an dowel that was inserted into the 2x4 so that the inverted case would fit over it and another dowel that would drive the primer flush when it was tapped on with very light taps from a hammer. For powder measures, I had created some out of craft sticks where I had epoxied a piece of piece of .22LR / .25ACP / .32 brass to the end. I had a small funnel that would allow me to pour the powder from the powder measures into the cartridge I was reloading. Bullets were bought cast and pre-lubed. Bullet seating was also done with the channel-lock pliers.

    My first actual reloading press was a RCBS JR3 that I stumbled across on Craigslist and it made this process a lot easier.
     

    TxStetson

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    When I first started reloading and had not bought a press yet, I was reloading for .38/.357. It was just target loads, so probably more in the low .38 power level, but shot out of a .357. Since it was a revolver, I was more likely to be able to get away with using brass that had already been fired in that gun without resizing it. So, I started off with a small diameter punch to remove the primers. I had a block of 2x4 where I had inset a steel nut to act as a baseplate for the brass to sit on and there was a smaller diameter hole drilled all the way through the 2x4 to allow the spent primer to drop through. Setting the new primers was done with careful operation of a pair of channel-lock pliers initially with a small piece of dowel inserted into the cartridge so that no pressure was placed on the mouth of the brass. Later it was done with an dowel that was inserted into the 2x4 so that the inverted case would fit over it and another dowel that would drive the primer flush when it was tapped on with very light taps from a hammer. For powder measures, I had created some out of craft sticks where I had epoxied a piece of piece of .22LR / .25ACP / .32 brass to the end. I had a small funnel that would allow me to pour the powder from the powder measures into the cartridge I was reloading. Bullets were bought cast and pre-lubed. Bullet seating was also done with the channel-lock pliers.

    My first actual reloading press was a RCBS JR3 that I stumbled across on Craigslist and it made this process a lot easier.
    And I thought I was crafty.
     

    TheMailMan

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    It's really going to depend upon how many rounds you need to do and the calibers. If you are shooting a very large amount of 9mm, then you are going to want one of the progressive presses. If you are shooting a single shot or bolt action rifle where there is a noticeable amount of time between each shot, then you can get by with a single stage or turret press. When I'm loading .45-70 or .300 WinMag, I'm doing it on a turret press (although a single stage press would be acceptable) since I'm not likely to be loading more than 20-50 rounds at a time. For many of us, reloading is not so much about saving money or time, but rather to be for self-sufficient so that with a good stock of the components, we can reload a lot of different calibers and not be concerned about market availability. And, of course, you can always tailor your loads from nuclear to mild if you so desire.

    The SDB is a progressive press.
     

    NavyVet1959

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    The SDB is a progressive press.
    Correct and whether it is a good option for him is going to depend upon what caliber and how much ammo needs to be reloaded at one time. If you are just getting started and concerned about spending too much money on a hobby that you may or may not choose to continue to pursue, then maybe a cheaper press would be a better choice for you. Personally, I think it's always nice to have a single stage press around even if you move up, so getting something like one of the cheap Lee single stage presses is probably a good idea. They are small enough that you can mount them on a board and then use C-clamps to temporarily attach that board to a table so it can be a somewhat portable solution.
     

    TheDan

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    Sure you can reload 9mm with that little hand press but your production rate is about a box per hour.

    If you're really serious about getting into reloading a progressive press is where I'd look. There are two major players in the progressive market.
    Oh yeah, I only reload for the more expensive and slow firing calibers. For it to be cost effective for me to reload 9mm or 5.56 would require a fully automated ammo plant where I just refill the hoppers with components, and then it would take a long time to recoup the initial investment.

    It's all pretty dependent on your personal situation and desires.
     

    NavyVet1959

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    Oh yeah, I only reload for the more expensive and slow firing calibers. For it to be cost effective for me to reload 9mm or 5.56 would require a fully automated ammo plant where I just refill the hoppers with components, and then it would take a long time to recoup the initial investment.

    It's all pretty dependent on your personal situation and desires.

    And sometimes, your only choice is to reload since it's difficult to even *find* ammo for the firearm, much less it actually be affordable. For example, I have a mid-size M1911 that I've basically converted into a .38 SuperCooper. Not likely to find that ammo anywhere. I make my own brass from .223 brass and after cutting it down to size, resize it to .38 SUPER and then load it to 9x23+ pressures. In a pinch though, I have shot regular 9x19 rounds out of that and although they expand a bit more, they do fire.
     

    TheMailMan

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    For me it's 10mm.

    Also it's getting to the point that if you need/want good .38/.357 or .44 Mag stuff you need to reload. It's almost impossible to find .38 wadcutter ammo on the shelf anymore. Actually the same can be said for .45 ACP with a SWC.

    By casting my own bullets I've got my .45 ACP loads down into the $0.06 per round range.
     

    rp-

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    I've loaded customer brass for as long as we've been in business and it was one of the most difficult programs to get right. Everyone has different expectations of what constitutes reloading thier brass means and making it work commercially means setting guidelines and expectations based on a lot of "learning" experiences.

    If you don't go with a legitimate commercial loader, find a guy local to you with experience that will mentor and get them to help you with your first batch. Great chance to learn hands on, put what you read in the three reloading manuals you bought (you did that right?), and try out equipment before you buy it.



    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk
    Lucky for me I asked this same question and you offered to show me the ropes. Thanks again.

    Sent from my LGLS991 using Tapatalk
     

    NavyVet1959

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    Only thing I need to reload for is my .225.

    .225 Winchester?

    That's a rifle cartridge and I don't think Lee makes a die set for it, so you'll be paying a bit more. Also, the other die manufacturers do not include a shell holder, so you'll need to order one of those also. I'm not sure how easy (or even *if*) that handheld "press" will work with rifle calibers. You'll also need to use case lube (or lanolin) to lube the cases before resizing. With handgun cartridges, you can get carbide dies that don't need the cases lubed.

    https://www.amazon.com/Hornady-546232-Winchester-Reloading-Two-Die/dp/B000PCZYI6

    If the brass was previously fired from the same rifle that you are reloading for, you can often get away with just neck sizing instead of full length sizing. This will supposedly make the brass last longer.
     
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    ZX9RCAM

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    I have 40 unfired rounds.
    My father bought the gun new. He gave it to a friend as a gift, and that friend gave it back to him years later. I've never fired it.
     

    NavyVet1959

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    I have 40 unfired rounds.
    My father bought the gun new. He gave it to a friend as a gift, and that friend gave it back to him years later. I've never fired it.

    Looking online at manufactured ammo, it doesn't look like a very cheap round to fire. It wouldn't be too expensive to reload for it though. Apparently Winchester does still periodically make batches of the brass. I believe the stock number you might need to search for is "WSC225WU".

    Once you get that ammo shot (or get some new brass), then you can start reloading for it.
     

    benenglish

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    ...getting something like one of the cheap Lee single stage presses is probably a good idea.
    ^^^^^This.

    Those presses are incredibly useful to advanced reloaders. The are good for:
    • de-priming,
    • bullet removal,
    • bullet seating with standard dies, and
    • dramatically streamlining the number of dies you must own if you reload lots of different cases. You just need the press and a Vickerman die for each bullet diameter.
    I am a big fan of the cheapest Lee single stage press even though, perversely, I think it's pretty useless for resizing.
     

    ZX9RCAM

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    Looking online at manufactured ammo, it doesn't look like a very cheap round to fire. It wouldn't be too expensive to reload for it though. Apparently Winchester does still periodically make batches of the brass. I believe the stock number you might need to search for is "WSC225WU".

    Once you get that ammo shot (or get some new brass), then you can start reloading for it.
    Yeah, the ammo I have I bought I found on gun broker. It was not cheap.
    I've got a bunch of rifles I have not fired for 40 years or so. I'm more in to pistols.
     
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