Thinking

[FJ40 CRUZR]

So I am thinking of making the plunge into reloading, i work most weekends and my days off are during the week for the most part. I want a garage hobby and love shooting and building Ar's etc ...

I have never reloaded, I have been talking to people and reading as much as I can. A lot of people say start with a single stage and get a kit, so I starting looking into that, others state to just drink the Blue stuff because I eventually will. Most of the "kits" are running $300 or more and then I will spend more on better equipment etc ...

I am thinking of buy once cry once theory, I found what I think is a pretty good deal on a new Dillion, free shipping too.

http://www.scheels.com/shop/en/scheels-catalog/dillion-precision-rl550b-reloading-press-60982420252

I know there will still be a lot more stuff to buy, however my thinking is that IF it turns out that reloading is not my thing or who knows what, the resale of the Dillion far outweighs that of a single stage press kit.

What are your thoughts?

Single Stage kit
or
Buy once Cry once

[BigBronco]

Ah the age old question Whether to start with a single station or a progressive press. I would ask the OP, did you learn to walk one step at a time or did you come onto the world doing the 4 minute mile?

Did you learn to ride a bike by disingenuous a tricycle first or was your first bicycle outing the Tour d' France.
Loading on a progressive press is akin to being a machine operator. Think of the single station press as your apprenticeship period. Should you load bottle neck rifle cartridges you will be glad you have one.

[bender152]

What kind of ammo do you intend to reload?

I use a single-stage press (Forster Co-Ax) for match ammo. I use a progressive press (Dillon 550) for plinking ammo.

I started off by using a progressive press, then added a single-stage press. As long as you study and understand the process, I see nothing wrong with getting a progressive press to start.

As for re-sale value, a used Forster Co-Ax will still sell for a good amount.

If you do decide to buy that 550 you linked to, you should know that the kit probably won't come with everything included in the picture. Off the top of my head, the strong mount, roller handle, and bullet tray do not come standard (and they are not listed in the description).

[croc4]

another option to consider is to get a turrent press, lets use lee classic as an example.
You can remove the 'progressive' function and it will run just like a single stage. The later if you so desire enable it again.

For me, I only use a progressive press for pistol rounds, I prefer to load rifle rounds on a single stage so I can give more attention to each round.


croc4

[bubbala]

http://www.scheels.com/shop/en/scheels-catalog/dillion-precision-rl550b-reloading-press-60982420252

they don't carry dillon dies? i prefer them on a dillon press.

and yes if you're patient and can learn one station at a time you'll be reloading on a dillon.

just be aware dillon as all progressives have their "quirks" that will have you breathing hard climbing that learning curve.

try brian enos web site , he's got it all and shipping is not bad

[FJ40 CRUZR]

What kind of ammo do you intend to reload?

I use a single-stage press (Forster Co-Ax) for match ammo. I use a progressive press (Dillon 550) for plinking ammo.

I started off by using a progressive press, then added a single-stage press. As long as you study and understand the process, I see nothing wrong with getting a progressive press to start.

As for re-sale value, a used Forster Co-Ax will still sell for a good amount.

If you do decide to buy that 550 you linked to, you should know that the kit probably won't come with everything included in the picture. Off the top of my head, the strong mount, roller handle, and bullet tray do not come standard (and they are not listed in the description).

9mm, 40, 45, 44, 223 and 270.

I am thinking maybe starting off with the single stage, as most of the shooting i am doing is rifle, 556/223 and 270 for hunting. I have looked at that Lee Turret press and I also like the Rock Chucker stuff.

Can't I do all these loads on the Dillion? If like someone stated above I can do it single stage if i choose to do so?

[llazyjs]

I use a Rockchucker and a Lee Classic Turret and love em both. Wouldn't get rid of either. I haven't reloaded rifle yet but plan to use the Rockchucker for single stage reloading for rifle when I get to it. When you want to crank out a thousand pistol rounds at a time the Lee Classic turret works for me. Just buy extra turret heads for your other calibers so you can leave your dies on and adjusted. You just switch turret heads when you want to switch calibers.

[stilly]

So I am thinking of making the plunge into reloading, i work most weekends and my days off are during the week for the most part. I want a garage hobby and love shooting and building Ar's etc ...

I have never reloaded, I have been talking to people and reading as much as I can. A lot of people say start with a single stage and get a kit, so I starting looking into that, others state to just drink the Blue stuff because I eventually will. Most of the "kits" are running $300 or more and then I will spend more on better equipment etc ...

I am thinking of buy once cry once theory, I found what I think is a pretty good deal on a new Dillion, free shipping too.

http://www.scheels.com/shop/en/scheels-catalog/dillion-precision-rl550b-reloading-press-60982420252

I know there will still be a lot more stuff to buy, however my thinking is that IF it turns out that reloading is not my thing or who knows what, the resale of the Dillion far outweighs that of a single stage press kit.

What are your thoughts?

Single Stage kit
or
Buy once Cry once

The problem with the "buy once cry once" mentality is that it is a properly designed saying for those SUCKERS that spent an idiotic amount of money on something not knowing if they needed it or not. For some folks it works out, for others it was a waste and now they are stuck with it because there is no way they will get their money back immediately. Please keep the blue koolaid crowd out. You are a noob to reloading it sounds like so your best bet is to discover first whether or not you really do want to reload, and if you do, you should learn the basics on a cheaper press that does not cost $1600+ and comes with no setup, just screw in from out of the box and go. In case issues pop up you should know how to take care of them. Also, contrary to popular belief, the blue koolaid factory does not always have the best customer service and it could take you a while to get through at times.

If you get a great purchase, then there is no need to cry at all. I have not once cried with my Lee turret or any used press that I have gotten.

Some folks here appreciate crafting fine ammo that will hit a 12" steel plate at 1200 yards, others are happy with 200 yards. I appreciate pistol loads that are gonna give me a 3" group or better at 25' freehand. For pistol, cranking out ammo can be a must at times. But I just had another look at what I did for 3 hours yesterday and DAMN. That is a lot of ammo. An hour or two here and there really adds up on the turret. But for precise tack driving rifle ammo, the mentality and habits are slightly different.

Single stage you can not do that. You pretty much need to finish your ammo and you can not really go half way and stop or make a round or two and stop. It becomes counter productive really fast. Single stage is a GREAT press to learn on. It can be fast but you need to process in batches. Resize and prime a batch of 50, change the die, flare and charge 50, change the die, seat and crimp 50, change back to resizing die. On a turret, you resize/primer, ROTATE, flare/charge, ROTATE, seat/crimp, ROTATE ROTATE, resize/and prime... One round at a time.

On a progressive, you pull for triple 7, pull for triple 7, pull for triple 7...

If you are happy making 25-200 rounds in a night, then go single stage and stay there for a while.

If you are happy making 200-600 rounds in a night, get a turret (Lee Classic Turret 4 hole cast iron base).

If you just need to make 2000 rounds and do not care about much else, then get a single stage, LEARN it, then get a progressive if you must...

Progressives are baby factories, they are ONLY there to make as much ammo as they can in the least amount of time. But if you start on a progressive and don't know anything but how to pull the handle, then you are gonna be in for a lot of surprises and a lot of down time studying and reading three times as much to cover the things you never learned.

I started on a Lee Classic turret and I love it. They are popular and just about EVERYONE loves them. I bought a progressive turret a year and a half ago and I am STILL waiting to pull it out of the box and use it. The turret is just that badass... I have a MOUNTAIN of ammo that I have made in the past 3 weeks and it is just insane how I can sit down and only want to do a hundred or 50 or whatever and before you know it I am into half a thousand...

SO, if you want to start getting into reloading, I suggest that you get a Lee Classic Turret 4 hole with a Quick Change Uniflow setup on a Hornady Case Activated Linkage with a Lee Die set for whatever pistol calibers you want and then consider a single stage press for your large rifle or shouldered cartridges that you want to reload and talk with Bronco and the others for that.

BTW, All of your calibers can be done on ANY progressive, turret, or single stage press.

Hmmm, look at it this way, You need to go from your house to the store. It is a nice day outside, you might enjoy taking your bike and taking in all of the scenery and getting a little bit of exercise along the way. OR, you could go there faster and drive your car but roll down the window since it is so nice. And that will allow you to carry more groceries too if you change your mind and add things to the list. OR, you can strap on your racing suit and hop in your top fuel funnycar and get there even faster, but there is no enjoyment in that world other than how fast you get there.

[Yreka]

Hard to go wrong with a LEE Classic Turret & usually what I recommend for a first press.

I love my Dillon, but setting up to load all of those calibers is going to be a big investment. Stilly makes a good point about making sure you are into the hobby for investing big $$.

If you start with the Lee turret, you can add calibers for ~$9 + dies and you can always re-use your dies on the progressive if you decide to upgrade later.

[kdsd731]

I think if you are a cautious reloader and read several books and watch lots of YouTube videos then you will be fine with a progressive. Especially if shooting AR's and pistols. Just do one step at a time until you understand each step and have it adjusted correctly and test rounds before cranking out the ammo in volume. It's not too hard if you pay attention to the small details. You could always add a single stage for pretty inexpensive later on. For me, I did start on a single stage but within a year had a progressive. I went with the single stage as suggested by fellow calgunners. A progressive is a lot of money though if you don't like reloading. But maybe you are like me and just know you will like it. If that's the case, get a progressive!

[MrElectric03]

I started out on an xl650 and had no issues, not to say everyone will have the same experience. I will say one way or another you will want a single stage press for quick stuff, case prep, and match grade rifle ammo. So my advise would be to buy a single stage and go from there. You really aren't wasting anything by buying a progressive later, you'll use everything.

[09cs]

Another +1 for the Lee turret press

[cbr9290318]

Another +1 for the Lee turret press

Agreed.

[stilly]

Over the past 3 weeks I have been messing with my turret, a little bit here, a little bit there, I drain it after each session. I have been trying to get rid of this damn 5lb 700-x can that I have from who knows when, a LONG time ago, actually it came with the shotgun press that I got at an estate sale. I also got several other powders, 2 lbs of blue dot, 1 of pb and 2 of unique. I have prolly given it about 12-15 hours of loading as well as messing around with everything like the drop tube and powder drop and moving dies around for a new light I thought I would use to see how it feels.

Today I have this to show for my efforts:



Each time I hop on the turret, I do not know if it will be for an hour or twenty minutes... AND because I have a good press that allows me to stop in the middle of my work and continue later on, I do that all of the time. I just gotta drain out the powder each time.

This is a mix of 230gr TC, 230gr RN, 160gr FRN, 200gr SWC, 200gr SWC-TL, well, actually it is about a mix of everything in my sigline... heh. Hella fun though.

[micro911]

I started out with Dillon 550B. I had complete conversion toolhead kits for each caliber I reloaded. Conversion of the caliber was very easy and simple.