Down the rabbit hole for a beginner

[Kwikvette]

With the end of the year coming close, I just decided that I'd rather buy reloading gear than deal with the stupid ammunition laws next year.

I've got the jest of reloading/etc. so I'll make it easier for you guys to help me out here -

Who is considered as making some of the best single stage presses available?

Dies are the real heart of a reloading setup, so I'd also want to know who makes the best dies as well IE Lee's, RCBS, etc.

My aim is at reloading for accuracy, so I'm looking for a setup that'll be as consistent as I am.

I plan on only reloading for .223/5.56 and possibly .308 (got rid of most other calibers).

PS What's an efficient, yet quiet way to clean brass? Tumbler's are loud

[rawkstarr71]

For a single stage press you can do fine with A lee press, if you get into Progressive I would recommend a Dillon 550 but it is wise to learn how to use a single stage first so that you become familiar with each die before you advance to a progressive. another piece of equipment that I highly recommend is a RCBS Master charger to weigh out your loads

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[Kwikvette]

For a single stage press you can do fine with A lee press, if you get into Progressive I would recommend a Dillon 550 but it is wise to learn how to use a single stage first so that you become familiar with each die before you advance to a progressive. another piece of equipment that I highly recommend is a RCBS Master charger to weigh out your loads

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The reason why I want to spend good money on a quality, single stage press is because I won't be loading as many rounds per session.

I was recommended a Dillon 650, but I feel like I won't be taking full advantage of what it offers.

[scamp62]

Co-Ax Reloading press is one of the best, the dies and shell holder float so they line up perfectly, dies Redding Competition Pro Series are great !
there are others, but this is what works for me. wet tumble with s.s. pins is not that noisy
And I have been reloading for 28 years.

[rawkstarr71]

The Dillon 650 is an awesome tool but it is Advanced for a beginner I would recommend having a Lee single stage and also a progressive you can't go wrong with Dylan products

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[Red9]

I use a Dillon 550. Works great for 223. One head is set up for prep. Lee Deprime, resize case, resize shoulder, lee quicktrim on cordless drill (3 stage cutter)
Imho Redding is hard to beat. I had Dillon dies but the Redding is so much smoother and does a fine job.
If single stage? Rcbs or find a nice older Hollywood, I have a bonanza ss press.
I did buy a lee but meh. You get what you pay for.
As for quit tumbler? Lol um no. Big loads I use a plastic cement mixer I got for free. Small batches either the cheapo hb 6 pounder or I just bucket wash.


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[JackEllis]

Most of my gear is RCBS and a lot of that was given to me. All of my shooting at the moment is geared toward hunting so I can live with ammunition that shoots 1-1 1/4" groups, which everything I've reloaded in .223, .243 and .30-06 does.

With my single-stage RCBS press I can turn out 100 rounds a day or more without a lot of effort, and I measure each powder charge individually. Case prep takes me more time than priming, charging and loading.


Equipment is important, but so is your choice of components, especially bullets.

I have a little spreadsheet that allows me to compute the price per round of my reloads. I expect to spend about 58-60 cents for .30-06 practice rounds and about 82 cents for hunting rounds (copper), compared with between $1 and $1.50 for factory ammo. For .223, it'll be around 19-20 cents for practice rounds and 22-23 cents for the varmint rounds I use on squirrels to make my own vs. 20 cents for steel cased practice ammo and 41-42 cents for good quality factory varmint ammunition. In both cases, I assume a finite life of around 5 uses for brass and something closer to local prices for powder and primers. You might do a little better if you search for good deals.

I probably shoot 100-150 rounds of .30-06 and perhaps as many as 500 rounds of .223 per year. On that basis I'm not sure I'm saving money after accounting for the cost of all the gear I would have bought to get set up plus the cost of developing that work in my my rifles, but I enjoy both the load development process and the idea that I can roll my own

[stevebla]

I bought my stuff on ebay old RCBS press, RCBS 10/5 beam scale, Ohaus duo powder measure. I enjoy the hobby, I was also given a push by stupid CA laws. I was impressed by RCBS customer service I called about a washer for my 40 year old press and they sent it no charge. I use a harbor fright tumbler with pet store walnut on solid floor you can just hear it through the door. Good luck have fun shop around lots of good stuff new and used. Not a lot of savings on used stuff.

[Kwikvette]

I'm a little bit of an elitest and have spent quite a bit on rifles/gear. I expect the same for this setup.

Co-Ax Reloading press is one of the best, the dies and shell holder float so they line up perfectly, dies Redding Competition Pro Series are great !
there are others, but this is what works for me. wet tumble with s.s. pins is not that noisy
And I have been reloading for 28 years.

This is what I'm talking about! I want the best

For brass cleaning, that'll be another thing altogether. Worst case, I'll start with a bulk order of already cleaned brass.

The Dillon 650 is an awesome tool but it is Advanced for a beginner I would recommend having a Lee single stage and also a progressive you can't go wrong with Dylan products

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I looked up the setup and it looks promising; the reviews really tell the story and they're all favorable.

But you're absolutely right that it'd be a bit much to start with and really, I'd rather be in control each step of the way.

I use a Dillon 550. Works great for 223. One head is set up for prep. Lee Deprime, resize case, resize shoulder, lee quicktrim on cordless drill (3 stage cutter)
Imho Redding is hard to beat. I had Dillon dies but the Redding is so much smoother and does a fine job.
If single stage? Rcbs or find a nice older Hollywood, I have a bonanza ss press.
I did buy a lee but meh. You get what you pay for.
As for quit tumbler? Lol um no. Big loads I use a plastic cement mixer I got for free. Small batches either the cheapo hb 6 pounder or I just bucket wash.


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I will be looking at purchasing items separately since I want quality parts for each part of the process; no cordless drills will be used here

[Michael in California]

If your quantity is low and you want high accuracy, I agree that the Co-Ax single stage would be best. I have a Hornady single stage though.

If you want lots of 223 plinking loads, then you will eventually step up to a progressive for that. But, start with the single stage anyway. You can always add another press and you want the single stage for the 308 anyway.

I also suggest wet tumbling. For me, its the best.

There are many good quality dies. Skip Lee stuff for the most part. The lee universal deprimer being the exception.

[Red9]

Btw, the lee quick trim isn't a pos btw. I. Process ALOT of 223 brass at a time. Maybe about a five gallon bucket. Once processed they get put away for a later time to reload. If you think its a cheesey cordless tool then good luck with that Foerster trimmer. The trimmer also chamfer inside and outside the case in one step vs 3 steps and sore fingers. Ymmv.
All pass a case gauge with no issues. I love my Redding competition dies. Best money spent ever.
And yes I light crimp as well.

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[stand125]

I tried the LEE quick trim and did not get consistent trim lenth at all. I know it was probably me doing something wrong because I have read tons of great reviews. I now use my LYMAN EZ TRIM with an attachment that goes on my LYMAN case prep center which absolutely rocks. I think that one of the best all around presses is the LEE CLASSIC TURRET PRESS.

Here is a pretty cheesy video of how I prep my brass. The primer arm works great when you have more than 5 primers in it like my dumb *** had and I realize I called it a classic loader LOL. I also use a 10/1 mix of 99% alcohol and liquid lanolin when I prep hundreds of cases.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bnAN6FzcqYo

[osis32]

if you lived closer you could use my gear. I wanna start a reloading club but I can't host.

[RiskyBusiness]

From the reviews ive read and people on forums, they're all saying the Forster Co-Ax press is the best single stage on the market. Runs about $280, as for Dies i think RCBS has competition 223/556 dies that allow you to adjust seating depth very accurately as well as forsters micrometer seating die. They run about $80. Have you decided how you will be charging your rounds?

[Kwikvette]

Didn't mean to insult with the cordless drill remark I've seen a couple of youtube videos where a drill was used and I just told myself that's not what I want to do.

I'm decided on a few items but before I pull the trigger, does anyone have a Co-Ax single stage press they're selling?

If not, I'll just place the order tonight after doing a bit of shopping.

Also, would these dies be overkill for what I'm looking to achieve? - https://www.midwayusa.com/product/25...neck-sizer-set

I don't have quality space and considered getting the Frankford reloading bench to set up my gear.

if you lived closer you could use my gear. I wanna start a reloading club but I can't host.

I'll text you tomorrow and ask about your gear some. Also need to figure out where to buy primers/powder so I don't pay the stupid hazmat fee online.