getting into reloading

[Cowboy T]

http://www.factorysales.com/html/xca.../rlpress2.html

what about the very bottom one here, lee anniversary pack, looks like that would work if im loading for myself. then i would need a set of dyes, shell holder (both .38sp and .357 mag) and a charge dispenser?

That was my first press and reloading book. That kit cost me $31 at MidwayUSA.

I loaded about 1,000 rounds on it (.357 Magnum and .45 Colt) before I went to the Lee Pro 1000 Progressive. I still use that little single stage a lot, and my g/f is now learning on it. Great press to get started with, and even if/when you go progressive, you will continue to find uses for it. Mine now does mostly cast boolit-sizing duty these days.

The book is also pretty good for lots of load data. Richard Lee is a shameless self-promoter, but if you can look past that, the book is chock-full of good information about reloading and how it's done. The cast bullet section is simply terrific.

[Sunday]

Dillon!!! The whole experience with them makes the setup worth owning. Buy a good manual. Also the Dillon dies are nice It is some what pricy but it is a good hobby.

[knucklehead0202]

i bought a lee challenger set and have reloaded a crapton of ammo for my old rifles without a problem. i did buy a digital scale, mostly because i had a bunch of pulled bullets i needed to weight and the cheap beam scale it came with only weighs up to 100 grains. other than that, i bought a lyman trimmer, which you won't need right away, a lyman turbo 1200 autoflow tumbler that came with media, and a plethora of LEE dies, which are inexpensive, easy to use, and of good quality without the insane price of the "GOOD" brands. it's my belief that many people buy the expensive stuff because it feels good and they think it must be better. i don't have a ton of money to spend and i can just about guarantee the quality of the ammo i reload is just as good, in some cases better than some folks with setups that cost hundreds or perhaps more than mine. reloading is like cooking a steak; it's not necessarily what you cook it with, but what you did to prepare it and how you cooked it. if you don't understand that metaphor you're probably a vegetarian and not fit to live. hope this helps.

[Chief-7700]

i bought a lee challenger set and have reloaded a crapton of ammo for my old rifles without a problem. i did buy a digital scale, mostly because i had a bunch of pulled bullets i needed to weight and the cheap beam scale it came with only weighs up to 100 grains. other than that, i bought a lyman trimmer, which you won't need right away, a lyman turbo 1200 autoflow tumbler that came with media, and a plethora of LEE dies, which are inexpensive, easy to use, and of good quality without the insane price of the "GOOD" brands. it's my belief that many people buy the expensive stuff because it feels good and they think it must be better. i don't have a ton of money to spend and i can just about guarantee the quality of the ammo i reload is just as good, in some cases better than some folks with setups that cost hundreds or perhaps more than mine. reloading is like cooking a steak; it's not necessarily what you cook it with, but what you did to prepare it and how you cooked it. if you don't understand that metaphor you're probably a vegetarian and not fit to live. hope this helps.

I started with a LEE around 40 years ago and still have it somewhere then:
A C&H press
Dillon series 400
Dillon series 500
Now a Dillon XL-650
The amount of .45ACP and 9MM that I shoot per year equals a machine higher on the food chain than a LEE. So the Dillon fits my needs, would rather spend hours shooting than reloading.

[killshot44]

Take a good look at the Lee Classic Turret press. It is pretty inexpensive and allows you to set-up your dies and leave 'em in. After you powder-drop, you can seat and crimp just by rotating the turret back and forth. Once you get moving, you can put the auto-index rod back in and use it as a progressive...best of both worlds, I think.

[Cowboy T]

Take a good look at the Lee Classic Turret press. It is pretty inexpensive and allows you to set-up your dies and leave 'em in. After you powder-drop, you can seat and crimp just by rotating the turret back and forth. Once you get moving, you can put the auto-index rod back in and use it as a progressive...best of both worlds, I think.

Well, the Lee Classic Turret Press is really a semi-progressive press. You still have to do four strokes to complete a round. But everything else said above, I agree with. I also have this press, and it's a very good one. If I don't rush, I can comfortably do 100 rounds/hour of any revolver cartridge that I shoot. If you had to pick just one press, that one would be a very good choice. It does pretty much everything well.

As for the Dillon recommendations, I have to strongly disagree for your situation. As Chief-7700 said, that kind of expenditure is really for those (like him) who shoot a whole lot, for example, IDPA competitors and such. These people might shoot 2,000 rounds in a week. I'm a hobbyist, so I shoot 1,000 rounds/month. The Lee presses work great for the hobbyist situation.