[Advice Please] First Reloading Setup

[ysr_racer]

I'm thinking of learning to drive. Should I start on my mom's Chevy Caprice, or my Dad's Enzo Ferrari?

[RNE228]

Could see you in a Pinto or a Vega

I'm thinking of learning to drive. Should I start on my mom's Chevy Caprice, or my Dad's Enzo Ferrari?

[ysr_racer]

Could see you in a Pinto or a Vega

[steelholder]

Easy. Get a single stage for precision and a progressive for the semi autos. I have that exact set up. Lee turret for precision rifle, and lee breech lock pro for semi bulk type. Great set ups and very affordable.

[golfish]

I started on a single stage that I bought used, moved to a turret because an online retailer had an amazing price on a kit, and eventually got a progressive for high volume.

Based on the bolded part of your post ^^^, are you saying you only have a small space available for reloading?

I do all of my reloading on a single desk that is 36"w x 27"d

That's a lot of equipment in a small space. Very well, done brother....

[JagerDog]

Redding T7 suits your objectives.

[hambam105]

Is the OP committed or just thinking about it?

If you are not fully committed...Lee all the way...For all your reloading Reloading equipment.

Rock Chuckers have not kept current with 40 years of technological advances in single stage
design when compared to Big Boss 2. It is not even close. Period.

[hambam105]

Is the OP committed or just thinking about it?

If you are not fully committed...Lee all the way...For all your reloading Reloading equipment.

Rock Chuckers have not kept current with 40 years of technological advances in single stage design when compared to Big Boss 2. It is not even close. Period.

[Supertankerm60a3]

OK, you say you are budget limited not space limited. You also have two conflicting goals. Actually there are three, if you count the contradicting demands of pistol vs rifle.

I recommend getting the Lee (inexpensive) TURRET press. You want single stage? Pull the advancing rod, BANG, single stage. You want volume? Put the rod back in and make volume.

ALL IN ONE INEXPENSIVE PRESS.

I would recommend the new Lee pro4000 but I can't. It really does not like to do rifle rounds. It is too short for .308 and up and the 7.62/39 I tried pulled the table off the ram pulling the brass out of the die over the expanding ball/deprimer pin.

[tabascoz28]

One thing to consider is what type of gun will you be using for the PRS, is it a gas gun or bolt, and starting quality (budget or top of the line). What I've run into later in my reloading experience is that some presses and dies don't work together perfectly. This means if you don't anneal, trim, control bump on the shoulder you'll destroy your brass quickly. Gas guns destroy brass quickly anyway and getting it to shoot 1/2 moa is not that easy, the gun either does it easily or requires a lot of control on your part, meaning tight powder tolerances, tight bullet seating and case prep. On a progressive you don't have as much control whereas on a single stage you can set it up to cam over. On the pro it just dead stops according to your strength and you can have variation which equals bigger moa.

[electric7]

Two things to consider here. One, a turret press gives you the middle ground between a single stage and progressive press. You can use the turret press as a single stage press when needed and speed it up for bulk ammo production. Two, buying your first reloading press is a stepping stone to buying your second reloading press. So, it doesn't really matter what you buy first.

[NORCAL50]

My only problem with a turret press is, it's basically the same thing as a single stage press, you're still doing one step at a time. So they're barely faster than a single stage, and if they don't produce more accurate ammunition than a single stage, you might as well just get a single stage.

The Forster Co-Ax is widely regarded as one of the best single stage presses (meaning it produces accurate ammo) and it's about $300-$500 depending on availability. The Progressive 550C from Dillon is ~$525 and can be equipped with the same free floating dies as the Co-Ax if you want.

I have a single, turret, and progressive, and these have been my feelings towards turrets since I've had it (My first press).

[steelholder]

If you are not fully committed...Lee all the way...For all your reloading Reloading equipment.

Rock Chuckers have not kept current with 40 years of technological advances in single stage design when compared to Big Boss 2. It is not even close. Period.

I am fully committed and use Lee, I have loaded thousands of rounds on both my presses. There are more expensive presses out there but these have served me well.