Reloading advice

[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.

I dont know anybody unfortunately. Im in calaveras county if anybody wants to show me the way

[Mandingo27]

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.

What should I pay? I know basically everything skyrocketed. What are is normal or decent cost for each component in today?

[Mandingo27]

Definitely read a manual or two prior to doing anything, including purchasing any equipment. If you are going to load a lot of calibers and not more than 1000 in a bunch, look at the Hornady. You can change calibers for reloading very quickly using their bushings. If you're going to do big batches of ammo and not too many different calibers, go with the Dillon.

I opted for the Hornady Lock N Load and am very happy I did.

If I were you, I'd start with a single stage kit like a Lee or RCBS. It is a very inexpensive way to start, and safe. Go progressive later.

Does the Lee, RCBS and Hornady leave room to upgrade later on?

[Mandingo27]

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.

Sheesh fingers and eyes? Now thats scary

[Mandingo27]

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.

I usually always go with quality over cost when I get into something that way I won't have to spend again later on down the road but seems like with reloading thats not going to happen

[five.five-six]

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

[Mandingo27]

Time is all we have in this world but money is another story haha. Just recently closed on a house so im a little on the tight side at the moment

[Mandingo27]

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.

Any websites you recommend?

[Mandingo27]

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.

Wow thats more than what a factory loaded rounds are going for

[five.five-six]

Sheesh fingers and eyes? Now thats scary

[sigstroker]

Any websites you recommend?

Websites for what? Reloading manual? You're going to have to spend real money for a book. You can maybe find an old manual at a yard sale or something, but otherwise I would just buy one or two. I like the Hornady and the Speer.

[NoHeavyHitter]

Go buy yourself a Lyman reloading manual and read it at least twice. Go to used book stores and pick up used manuals. Older manuals still have pertinent information as procedures change little over the years. Newer manuals are good when you need recipes using modern powders that weren't listed in older books.

You need to read this stuff twice as it will help to to make better, more informed buying decisions in getting equipment that will best suit how you want to go about it. Low-priced equipment can work just fine, but if it doesn't fit your techniques, then you will wind up buying equipment a second time - which does not save you money.

Lastly, you will never know all there is to know about reloading. This year marks my 40th year of reloading and YES, I still learn new stuff all the time. And finally, ALWAYS wear eye protection. Donning your safety glasses should be the very first thing you do when you go to the reloading bench.

[jmpgnr24k]

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?

[bergmen]

One of the things you can start with is getting a vibrator cleaner for all of your brass. Get a large container of corn cob cleaning media and some polishing compound and start cleaning the brass.

I sort so that the brass won't slip inside each other (similar bore sizes) and vibrate clean. It will take several hours so sometimes I will start it in the evening and let it run all night.

You can get a media separator (Midway used to have a nice set) and then put the clean brass in ziplock bags to preserve the shine.

That way, you will be ready to start once you have your tools and components.

Dan

[middleofnowhere]