diving in slowly

[xbolt338]

So i just bought the Lyman reloading manual edition #49. I am going to read it and then start gathering the required equipment. Any recommendations on which brand to go with?

[rockdogz]

Dillon!

[XDRoX]

RCBS makes great stuff. But if you want a good progressive press, then ya, dillon is the way to go. I still load on a single stage. It's a blast.

[IMC87]

Dillon 550 was my first, and it has served me very well (1 month old now)
Watch this, great video that made getting into reloading A LOT easier (5 part vid) and ultimately helped me choose the dillon 550b :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRZrbv_8kx4

[bohoki]

i'm still using an old rcbs single stage with lee dies in 9mm .223 .308 a set of hornady dies in 30 carbine

it gets my jobs done i got more time than money

i cast my own bullets for 9mm and 45acp

[swerv512]

really depends on your intentions...
what calibers will you be reloading?
how many rounds do you plan to shoot for each round annually?
what type of shooting will you be doing?? competition, plinking...?
it all matters...

[jimmyleost]

So i just bought the Lyman reloading manual edition #49. I am going to read it and then start gathering the required equipment. Any recommendations on which brand to go with?

I did the same thing. Then 2 weeks later I had a Dillon XL650 at my door and a RCBS Rockchucker as well. You may start slow, but when you see stuff you want/need, it will surely speed up.

[Bulleh]

I was going to get a Lee Hand Press - since I don't have a lot room in my house and am on a college students budget, but after reading a few threads here I'm just going to get the Lee Challenger Kit. Seems decent enough.

[sqroot3]

i got the lee pro 1000 a couple of weeks ago, and after a few hours of reading the xdtalk pro1000 tutorial thread, tinkering, watching lee's instructional videos, posting and reading responses on the high road, and tinkering some more, i finally started churning out decent ammo. very easy to run as a single-stage press if you want to start slow, and when you're ready, you can go progressive.

my only consideration for choosing the lee pro 1000 initially was low price for a progressive press.

[xbolt338]

Thanks guys! Looking forward to setting up shop.

[FieldsofFire]

As another member already said, it depends on what your reloading goals are. But, in general, I recommend Dillon. The quality of their products, design, and smoothness of operation just make them better presses than most anything out there, in my opinion.

[OB_WAN]

Another book that should be on the reading list is "the ABC's of reloading". Will give you some good background and technical details on all aspects of reloading in easy for your brain terms.

[knucklehead0202]

i bought the lee challenger kit, as well as a pile of LEE dies. quality is decent, cost is low, and they work. i'm not loading for benchrest, as i'm sure you're not either. no need to spend a fortune on the elite stuff when good old lee works just fine. i've got it all set up in my closet, lol. just for the record, it's a fairly large closet, and i don't have a lot of hang-up clothes. my wife's stuff takes up the whole other side.

[xbolt338]

yeah i am getting into reloading because I have to do something with all this empty brass I keep hauling home with me. I am sure eventually I will want to work up some loads for accuracy, but for right now I just need to get my feet wet.
you guys have me drooling over the dillon progressives. Really having to practice wallet control over here.lol.

[knucklehead0202]

progressive looks like a balancing act for me. i've always just spent an afternoon loading and usually come away with a couple hundred rounds and a clear head. one major reason most of my stuff is bolt action, i don't go through a zillion rounds at a time. i'll only be doing about 1-200 per-caliber at a time. anything more starts to feel like work, and this is all pleasure. as for accuracy, i should dig up some targets shot with my 6.5x55 we loaded with LEE dies. it's a 105-year old rifle that shoots better than i do. like certain cars, this thing can make even somebody who's not good at it look good. as far as quality goes, you've got a long life or a lot of spare time to wear out dies, and LEE has served myself and many i know as well as anything there is. if money is no object, by all means, blow it on the expensive stuff, no such thing as too good, but if you're like the rest of us poor working folks, follow your nose to the decent deals and don't worry about what you're missing, it's just a name. good luck and happy loading! BTW, i reload because i've got a bunch of weird old military rifles/calibers to load and can't get to the shows enough to keep buying ammo. mail order is out because i'm never around to sign for it. UPS drives me into a frenzy.