Reloading advice

[five.five-six]

[Donny1]

I was part of a calguns meetup/cleanup at Hodge Rd a few years back (or a decade?). More than ten truckloads of trash from one off the more remote sites. Brass is brass but shotgun hulls can't sit out in the sun very long before they become brittle and unusable. Unless they are fresh don't reload them.

[Jimi Jah]

All I ever see are shotgun cases and steel AK. Seems everyone around here figured out that brass is worth $.

I pick up everything, steel and .22LR. I leave only footprints.

[secondwind]

A few of these close to you..

https://www.sportsmans.com/

In the last month I've seen a rcbs or hornady single stage press on the shelf most days I visit, many dies can be found or ordered online. Powders and primers are out there, know what caliber you want to reload and research which powders will serve you best, there are many out there. Good luck.. just got into this myself recently.

[IVC]

Nothing was wrong with the rounds they were just dropped and left behind. No light primer strikes or anything in that nature so I shot them.

Once you start reloading you will *never* do that again. Learning reloading process will provide the explanation why.

Cliffs notes version is that you don't know which powder is inside, how much, what pressure it's set up for or even what type of bullet it is (you can see the outside, but you don't know the weight or how deep it's seated). The stamp on the brass is valid only if it's a factory round, which you don't know just by looking at it.

As an example, "9 Major" is the dominant caliber for USPSA Open. It looks like any other 9mm, but if you fire it in a regular 9mm you'll be lucky if you don't damage it.

[IVC]

Agreed, but I would provide a few disclosures.

Reloading is a process. As in an "engineering process." If you go with progressive, you have to know *what* you're doing, *why* you're doing it and *how* you're doing it on EACH station. You have to be able to ensure that each station does what it's supposed to do, how to detect an anomaly, when to stop and (re)measure things, how to do QC on the fly, what to look for as potential problems, etc.

If you go with a single stage to learn the process, you still have to know what/why/how, but since you're doing one step at the time and only on one round at the time, any potential problem or issue happens as a single problem/issue and it happens right in front of you, so you *see* that you have to fix/correct/measure something.

If you are technically inclined, by all means don't shy away from progressive press. I loaded a few batches on the Forster Co-Ax single stage, but it was only while I was waiting for my Dillon 1050. Forster is still there, mostly for collet bullet pullers and alike. Disclosure: I only reload straight-wall pistol rounds, so it changes quite a bit if you're into precision rifle shooting.

Get the least expensive to see if you like it at all.

Yes and no.

Get something that is cheap (not just inexpensive) and you can sour on the whole process without giving it a chance. I would say find someone with a really nice setup, see how it works, see how much it costs, then decide what you're willing to trade to get to your own price point.

[IVC]

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

They are quite different calibers. Pistol and .223 for action shooting are great on a progressive press, but 6.5 is usually loaded for precision which might require a different setup. I don't doubt that some PRS guys load their 6.5s on a progressive, but I'm not sure it's the norm.

[sigstroker]

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

I loaded for many years before I got a brass polisher. Paper towels and household cleanser gets brass clean enough to run through dies. Not shiny, but clean.

[sigstroker]

Agreed, but I would provide a few disclosures.

Reloading is a process. As in an "engineering process." If you go with progressive, you have to know *what* you're doing, *why* you're doing it and *how* you're doing it on EACH station. You have to be able to ensure that each station does what it's supposed to do, how to detect an anomaly, when to stop and (re)measure things, how to do QC on the fly, what to look for as potential problems, etc.

If you go with a single stage to learn the process, you still have to know what/why/how, but since you're doing one step at the time and only on one round at the time, any potential problem or issue happens as a single problem/issue and it happens right in front of you, so you *see* that you have to fix/correct/measure something.

If you are technically inclined, by all means don't shy away from progressive press. I loaded a few batches on the Forster Co-Ax single stage, but it was only while I was waiting for my Dillon 1050. Forster is still there, mostly for collet bullet pullers and alike. Disclosure: I only reload straight-wall pistol rounds, so it changes quite a bit if you're into precision rifle shooting.



Yes and no.

Get something that is cheap (not just inexpensive) and you can sour on the whole process without giving it a chance. I would say find someone with a really nice setup, see how it works, see how much it costs, then decide what you're willing to trade to get to your own price point.

Nobody "needs" a progressive starting out. Maybe ever unless you're an aspiring USPSA Grand Master and shoot a thousand rounds a week. I reloaded for 15 years before I got a progressive. OP sounds like he's got more time than money, the last thing he needs is to spend 500 bucks on a progressive and lots of gadgets to hang on it.

[aklon]

Start with youtube
And a time machine

Primers and powder is near impossible lately

Primers I got plenty of

Powder I have by the 8 pound lot

Brass I have up the wazoo ..

Bullets I cannot find for love nor money anywhere.

[phonso302]

Theres a ton of bullets available you aren't looking or they aren't what you want to pay.

[dousan]

9mm, I recently got some from precision delta (they restock fridays, fyi)
And the cheapy plinking 223 55gr from x-treme (in stock currently) use a new email to get shipping free.

Haven't bought accuracy/hunting/match style weights in quite some time, stocked up many moons ago with everything else.

[beerman]

As others have said, I’d begin with a quality single stage. Good presses don’t wear out, so I’d look for a used one. Many times guys selling a press ware getting rid of all their stuff. I suggest RCBS as all their stuff is guaranteed for life and the repair or replace no questions asked.Good luck!

[Mandingo27]

Know where I can find the manuals? Tried looking online but to no avail. Book stores are obsolete around here. Ill try yard sales but there's a very slim chance I'll find 1 around here

[Mandingo27]

A few of these close to you..

https://www.sportsmans.com/

In the last month I've seen a rcbs or hornady single stage press on the shelf most days I visit, many dies can be found or ordered online. Powders and primers are out there, know what caliber you want to reload and research which powders will serve you best, there are many out there. Good luck.. just got into this myself recently.

Yea about a 45min drive back into San Joaquin County (Stockton)