Reloading advice

[MARKFP]

While your waiting to figure out what setup you want, as others here said get one or two reloading manuals. Read, read read, ask questions on this forum, alot of sharp cookies here. But for minor upfront costs while your deciding on your setup you can certainly start to gathering the tools to de-prime, clean and prep your brass. Most of that equipment is fairly economic and it gets your fingers in the game. Any questions refer to these guys on here, they were a wealth of info when I got started.

[champu]

[M1A Rifleman]

1) Get a current manual, Suggest Sierra
2) Get a press and dies - RCBS, Redding, Lyman, Etxc
3) Find component primers, gun, powder, etc
4) Have fun and follow directions specified in 1 and 2 above

[splithoof]

Been reloading since 1982, and learned a lot from some mentors who took the time to help me get started. It is a very deep subject, and would take hours to cover beyond the most rudimentary of basic concepts.
Read everything you can, then ask a few experienced reloaders to let you actually pull some press handles.
Jumping straight into complicated progressive machines is like building a mansion on sand, with little of a foundation. When things don’t work exactly as they should, you want some personal experience to relate to. Be patient, it takes time and $$ to do it right.
Thank you for picking up brass that a bunch of dildo shooters left behind.

[Oceanbob]

[harbormaster]

Don't give up on the primers,powder and bullets but be aware of what you are paying for them; its gotten silly out there and some are paying more for components then the reasoned cost of ammo - at times.

[kcheung2]

Yea I've been collecting all the brass i see. People just leave it and it my new treasure. Any recommendations on what reloading equipment i should buy vs what I should stay away from?

If you're asking about quality, there is no reloading equipment that sucks. They have different pros and cons or are geared towards different niches of the market, but any current product from a major mfg is good in some way. Just good for different reasons. There are no Yugo cars in the reloading industry.

The time tested advice for all beginners is to pick up a reloading manual and READ IT. Realistically you're only reading the first 50-ish pages, the rest of the book is reloading recipes.

[tabascoz28]

If you get that lee prepper single loader, you'll hate reloading. Fine with me though, one less person to compete with looking for primers.

[Milsurp Collector]

There is a subforum here dedicated to ammo and reloading.

https://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/forumdisplay.php?f=89

.

[five.five-six]

The time tested advice for all beginners is to pick up a reloading manual and READ IT. Realistically you're only reading the first 50-ish pages, the rest of the book is reloading recipes.

THIS THIS THIS!!


Mistakes in this hobby are measured in fingers and eyes.


Youtube is great, it really is but it is no substitute for a bound and published manual.

[sigstroker]

Powder can be found, just not all kinds. You can probably find an adequate powder if you look hard enough. If you want to start loading, start looking for powder now. As was mentioned above, read a good manual first.

As for the Lee Loader, they are fine if your budget is really tight. I started with one when I had 50 pieces of .44 Magnum brass and almost no money. You would be happier with a Lee hand press for about 10 bucks more. That's for handgun rounds only, you need a bench mounted press for rifle rounds. Actually, for bolt guns that only need neck sizing the Lee Loader or hand press might work.

[sigstroker]

Don't give up on the primers,powder and bullets but be aware of what you are paying for them; its gotten silly out there and some are paying more for components then the reasoned cost of ammo - at times.

I heard at a gun shop this morning that a kid came in bragging about a swap meet score of $300 for 3 boxes. I said that's about what market price is now, $100 per thousand. He said no, 3 BOXES, the kind that hold a hundred primers each. A dollar per primer.

[vaka]

I know times are different now than they were in 2013 but I rounded up all of the equipment first then I gathered all the components powder, primers, projectiles and casings along with an old school lyman reloading book . After I got everything my buddy who shoots long distance and had been reloading for a couple a years came to my pad and gave me lessons . I got the basics from him and flew on my own from there . Ironically I used to find old reloading equipment and fishing poles at the Pomona auto swapmeet .

[Mandingo27]

The main calibers i want to load is 9mm, .40 , .223, 5.56, 6.5 Creedmoor and thats about it

[Mandingo27]

It's always best if you know someone who reloads so you can watch & ask questions.

There are 3 basic levels of reloading equipment which vary drastically in speed & costs so you have to decide for yourself how much you want to spend based on ow much you shoot + budget. You should consider brands that leave room for upgrading so you have a cheaper entry cost.

Not every caliber is treated the same, or example, the 5.56 NATO brass in your picture, rather than simply popping the spent primer to reload, you will also need to ream-out the primer pocket before you can insert a fresh primer. This can be done manually with a key sized tool, or you can use ant number of bench mounted devices.

Which brands leave room upgrading? As thats what I had in mind