Wanting to start reloading

[CEW]

I am new to this forum and i am looking for some advice. I would like to start reloading, but I am not sure about what I need. I have looked at some reloading kits briefly. Does anyone want to share what is good equipment or a kit? I want something very good and something that I will not need to replace anytime soon. In other words, I am not sure I am interested in a starter kit to be replaced after a year or two. I like to buy very good equipment that will serve my needs for many years. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[orbitup]

I started not too long ago and went with a Lee turret press kit. It's pretty versatile and has suited my needs just fine.

 

[BennyS]

The best advise i can give you is what I did. I read two books on reloading before I bought one piece of equipment.

 

[shortround]

Howdy!

1. Buy a reputable reloading book from Hornady, Speer, Nosler, and Hodgdon's, among a few others, and read everything they have to say about reloading BEFORE you buy anything.

2. If you buy a "kit" buy the most expensive single stage you can afford. RCBS is a good start.

3. Don't begin with a "progressive" kit. It is better to learn how to reload step by step.

4. Finally, you must have patience. It is not possible to spit out range ready rounds in just a few minutes.

5. What calibers will you reload? Even at the tail end of the ammo shortage, it will be cheaper to buy factory 9mm, .45 Auto, .308, and .223/5.56 ammo.

6. Reloads for .45 Colt, .44 Special/Magnum, .38 Special/357 Magnum, 9mm Makarov, and.380 Auto are the only way to beat the market for those calibers.

Go slow, and enjoy your new hobby.

Be well.

 

[vmax]

Howdy!

1. Buy a reputable reloading book from Hornady, Speer, Nosler, and Hodgdon's, among a few others, and read everything they have to say about reloading BEFORE you buy anything.

2. If you buy a "kit" buy the most expensive single stage you can afford. RCBS is a good start.

3. Don't begin with a "progressive" kit. It is better to learn how to reload step by step.

4. Finally, you must have patience. It is not possible to spit out range ready rounds in just a few minutes.

5. What calibers will you reload? Even at the tail end of the ammo shortage, it will be cheaper to buy factory 9mm, .45 Auto, .308, and .223/5.56 ammo.
6. Reloads for .45 Colt, .44 Special/Magnum, .38 Special/357 Magnum, 9mm Makarov, and.380 Auto are the only way to beat the market for those calibers.

Go slow, and enjoy your new hobby.

Be well.

you had me....and then you lost me at " it will be cheaper to buy factory 9mm, .45 Auto, .308, and .223/5.56 ammo."

9mm and 38 spc cost me well under $10 a box of 50

good advice about buying one or two good manuals like the Hornady or Lee 2nd and read, read, read...

 

[Vaquero]

Yep. Read.
I started with a rockchucker kit. Way before I knew anything about an Internet.

And accept the fact that some components will be wasted in gaining experience.
Recognize a screw up for what it is and tear it down or dispose of it.
Brass, lead, powder, primer. Not worth a digit or eye.

 

[Dawico]

you had me....and then you lost me at " it will be cheaper to buy factory 9mm, .45 Auto, .308, and .223/5.56 ammo."

9mm and 38 spc cost me well under $10 a box of 50

good advice about buying one or two good manuals like the Hornady or Lee 2nd and read, read, read...

He is right about the common caliber costs unless you are a high volume shooter.

If you shoot Magnums or the oddball rounds then it pays off quickly.

That being said, I like to reload almost as much as I like to shoot.

 

[Dawico]

I am new to this forum and i am looking for some advice. I would like to start reloading, but I am not sure about what I need. I have looked at some reloading kits briefly. Does anyone want to share what is good equipment or a kit? I want something very good and something that I will not need to replace anytime soon. In other words, I am not sure I am interested in a starter kit to be replaced after a year or two. I like to buy very good equipment that will serve my needs for many years. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

What calibers do you plan to reload?

How much do you shoot?

 

[Rebel]

He is right about the common caliber costs unless you are a high volume shooter.

If you shoot Magnums or the oddball rounds then it pays off quickly.

This. I'm lucky to get to the range on a monthly basis. For me, reloading 9mm, 5.56, etc would be a waste of time and energy.

Completely worth it for .45 Colt, even at low volume.

 

[Army 1911]

Buy reloading books and read.

Many will say not to get a progressive press to start. If you are reloading pistol, which gets shot a much quicker rates than rifle, I say look a a progressive that is not auto indexing. The Dillon 550 fits that. It allows one to load like a turret or single stage if you wish or it allows you to load like a progressive for volume.

You will need a scale, calipers, bullet puller, good light, and various other things like a brass tumbler, corn cob or walnut media to clean with, and that most important of all reloading tools, patience.

 

[Charlie]

All of what was said in the above posts is true. Determine why you are reloading and be ready to work at getting to that point. I have a friend who wanted to start reloading and asked me my opinions and recommendations about the hobby. He did not like what I told him. Initially, I suggested he get a single stage press and work up from there. I recommended against a progressive to start with. I told him about how precise he should be with each operation. He got frustrated with me and finally blurted out that he didn't care about accuracy he just wanted to load thousands of rounds to shoot "fast and furious" and save money. I just smiled and advised him to get a progressive and all the equipment necessary and go for it. Oh, he wants to do it cheaply, quickly, and correctly. I advised him to pick two of the three because you can't get all three in almost any endeavor.

 

[ed308]

I reload because I enjoy it but also for the accuracy. I certainly save money when you consider how many reloads you get from repeated use of brass. How much? No clue. But with the amount I have invested in my Dillon 650, I'll probably never recoup what I spent. But I like tight groups, enjoy the process and always have ammo on hand. So it's worth it.

 

[picker]

All these men gave you good advice, now I'm going to answer your question which was no starter kit and a loader that will last you many years without having to upgrade ? That was your question right ?
Get a Dillon 650 and don't look back go very slow kep it simple as you learn you will figure out that 650 will do everything you want it to and do it well and be around when you are to old to use it anymore.
Best/picker

 

[Younggun]

He is right about the common caliber costs unless you are a high volume shooter.

If you shoot Magnums or the oddball rounds then it pays off quickly.

That being said, I like to reload almost as much as I like to shoot.

I disagree. I can load 9mm, .45, and .308 much cheaper than I could hope to buy it. Even with the cheapo brands. Especially .45.

Haven't found .223 to be worth the effort yet.

 

[A.Texas.Yankee]

To the OP: first question you need to ask is, "What's my budget to start?"

A decent single stage with all the things you'll need (and expect the needs to turn into wants into conveniences) will START atleast around $500 + (costs of dies, single stage press, manuals, tools, odds and ends, etc.) BEFORE you even deprime your first shell. That's a bare minimal start up cost. Closer to $1000 in reality. You can get a RCBS starter kit or Hornady for just under that, but NO kit will have everything you need as a one stop purchase.

 

[Charlie]

To the OP: first question you need to ask is, "What's my budget to start?"

A decent single stage with all the things you'll need (and expect the needs to turn into wants into conveniences) will START atleast around $500 + (costs of dies, single stage press, manuals, tools, odds and ends, etc.) BEFORE you even deprime your first shell. That's a bare minimal start up cost. Closer to $1000 in reality. You can get a RCBS starter kit or Hornady for just under that, but NO kit will have everything you need as a one stop purchase.

This is correct information. A person who reloads will always be looking to improve their hobby and will be adding things that will enhance accuracy, ease of operation, and time involved. I personally don't have a need to crank out thousands of rounds in a hurry so using a single stage press is fine with me.

 

[ed308]

As noted, it's important to decide whether to go with single stage or with a progressive press. I decided I wanted a progressive for those times where I just wanted to crank out plinking ammo at a fast pace. So, I purchased my Dillon 650 as my first and only press. Some will say you sure learn the reloading process on a single stage press. Maybe it better that way, but you can learn how to reload on a progressive press by breaking down the process into several separate steps. After you learn the process, you can reduce some of the steps to speed up the process.

Progressive presses are more complicated compared to a single stage press. When something goes wrong, you'll have to look in several places to figure out what needs to be fixed. But if you're mechanically inclined, it's not too difficult to figure out what is wrong and how to fix a problem.

 

[shoot14me]

As noted, it's important to decide whether to go with single stage or with a progressive press. I decided I wanted a progressive for those times where I just wanted to crank out plinking ammo at a fast pace. So, I purchased my Dillon 650 as my first and only press. Some will say you sure learn the reloading process on a single stage press. Maybe it better that way, but you can learn how to reload on a progressive press by breaking down the process into several separate steps. After you learn the process, you can reduce some of the steps to speed up the process.
Progressive presses are more complicated compared to a single stage press. When something goes wrong, you'll have to look in several places to figure out what needs to be fixed. But if you're mechanically inclined, it's not too difficult to figure out what is wrong and how to fix a problem.

All the above posts have merit. If you're in no hurry to get started and want to spend a little less dinero yet still get quality equipment you might try the "For Sale" section in newspapers. Swap meets, garage sales, free press ads, forums, shooting range bulletin boards, etc. All are good places to find bargains. Example: I picked up an RCBS Rock Chucker single stage press from a local pawn shop a while back that looked as though the ram had never been raised. It set me back a whole $40. The previous press, also RCBS, was an old "Junior" model and I snatched it away from another onlooker at the swap meet for a whopping $25. Both were in like new condition. You'd be surprised how much can be had by posting a "wanted" ad on a shooting range bulletin board. I hardly use my "Star" progressive loader in .38 spec. these days but I bagged it for $200 years ago. Those are just a few ways that I've found how to save on the cost of equipment so I'm able to spend more on shooting supplies...when, and IF they ever finally become plentiful! I've found that a few drops of Dawn dish soap in a container of hot water with my dirty brass and a paint brush aggressively swishing the concoction around for a few seconds, will make my cases look almost like new after completely rinsing with clean water then spreading them out on a towel to dry in the hot sun. With the Dawn system I only use a tumbler when I'm wanting to clean very dirty or tarnished brass. Hope some of these ideas help you get started in your new hobby.

 

[Moonpie]

All good advice. I'll just add this.

Go with a single stage press if you'll be doing small batches of specialty calibers and/or loadings.

Get a motor powered case trimmer.

If you're a volume shooter go with a Progressive unit.

Keep two weight/powder scales.

Walnut media for cleaning. Corn Cob media for final polishing.

 

[Dawico]

I disagree. I can load 9mm, .45, and .308 much cheaper than I could hope to buy it. Even with the cheapo brands. Especially .45.

Haven't found .223 to be worth the effort yet.

True, but you already have the equipment for other rounds.

Would you really recommend someone that shoots a few hundred rounds a month to buy the equipment to start just to load those normal rounds for plinking ammo?

Don't ever disagree with me again. Apology accepted.