Reloading Greenhorn

[zeke2517]

I was looking to PM someone who had the most posts on the Reloading thread, but it seems that "ar15barrels" has the most and he has been banned. Anyways, i am looking for a set up that cna reload a variety of ammo from 30-06 to .5.56 and everything in between. What the most cost evective setup. It will divided by 5 guys in the family so need to be smoewhat interchangeable for all the different ammo. Thanks

[Boots]

Being somewhat new myself to reloading... I may be corrected here. But I would say besides buying a basic press for each caliber... a Turret press would be the deal and buy extra turrets for each caliper, each set up with their own dies. That way you can have one press and just change to the caliber you are loading quick style.
But again.... it may be just as easy to buy a progressive and just adjust each die, lock the setting with the nut and just unscrew the dies when you need to change them out.

my .02

[jwest]

Hello Zeke and welcome to reloading. It really is a fun hobby and eventually; theoretically, you save money too!

Dillon Precision is your friend. The RL550B is a good choice - and cost effective. Here's the URL:

http://www.dillonprecision.com/#/content/p/9/pid/23594/catid/1/RL_550B

Too bad about Randall - I didn't know he had been banned. The guy is a wealth of information and he'd tell you to go with Dillon too. First rate customer support as well.

Good Luck,
John W.

[BigBronco]

Every reloading press made is interchangeably. It is simply the more you spend the easier it is to interchange. I say the best band for the buck is the Hornady Lock and load. If you want the quickest change overs and your budget can handle it then the Dillon 650.

There are compromises and sacrifices with any type of press. learn how to reload on a single station press like the RCBS rock chucker on the Lock and load classic. First you will be glad you did.

With 5 guys chipping in about $250 each you could get set up real nice. But don't rush in go to a reloading class, these are often free ant some guns shops like Field Time Sports In Westminster. I would hate to see 5 guys with missing body parts.

Also the most posts does not equate to expertise. Some of us have been loading for over 30 years.

[sonnyt650]

The Lee Classic Turret Press requires a $10-12 turret to swap out dies and a shell holder that comes with their dies, while any progressive will need to swap a die head (similar function to a turret) as well as shell plates (the progressive counterpart of the shell holder) specific to a family of calibers. This Lee press is within $30 of their inexpensive single-stage presses but allows FAST caliber changes and multi-stage loading if you know what you're doing. I suspect other brands of turret presses will have similar requirements and benefits for changing between calibers.

BTW: the part that takes the most time for me when swapping between .223 and .308 is dialing in a powder throw. I only know of Lee's Pro Auto-Disk and Perfect Powder measures which work well enough for me. The Auto-Disk will allow for loading a complete round on the turret for some amount of volume loading, while the Perfect Powder measure gets me tighter tolerances off the press. Since I have one of each I should dedicate one for each caliber, but I'm still experimenting trying to find a good setup myself.

[tujungatoes]

Hey Zeke. if you haven't already, make sure to check out the stickies in this section. Randall did a couple of good write-ups on match/pistol ammo cost vs. production rate comparison.

my .02
if you guys are all noobs. get an inexpensive single stage press, and learn the process. it'll be a cheap start, and you'll still be using that press even if you decide to go progressive down the road.

If possible hook up with someone in your area, and have them show you the ropes. I learned to reload with nothing more than a few books and articles, and didn't blow myself up so it aint that hard, however it would've been nice to have someone experienced to guide me, and catch some of my f***ups. I still remember the first trigger pull thinking "well, I'm relatively certain I did everything right....here goes"

good luck.

[at_liberty]

I was looking to PM someone who had the most posts on the Reloading thread, but it seems that "ar15barrels" has the most and he has been banned. Anyways, i am looking for a set up that cna reload a variety of ammo from 30-06 to .5.56 and everything in between. What the most cost evective setup. It will divided by 5 guys in the family so need to be smoewhat interchangeable for all the different ammo. Thanks

With five cooks in the kitchen, I think a progressive is a bad idea, socially and technically. The turret press with turrets dedicated to a caliber would be my suggestion. I would even have dedicated powder measures left mounted on the turrets, each loader responsible for his own powder charges and measuring equipment.

[freonr22]

the Hornady lock and Load maybe an option due to the fact that once your dies are set, an 1/8 of a turn they can be removed

[J-cat]

I was looking to PM someone who had the most posts on the Reloading thread

Mistake #1.

[damon1272]

Dillon 550 or 650 are your best bet. Awesome customer service and a great product. Take your time till you learn the ins and outs. http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php? has a great dillon specific reloading section. Check them out when you get a chance.

[J-cat]

Recommending a progressive machine to a reloading novice is not a good idea.

[J-cat]

I recommend a quality single-stage press, like a Redding. With such a device you get near perfect alignment between the die and the shell holder, greater leverage for easier sizing, and simplicity that forces you to pay attention to each step of the reloaqding process. You'll make better quality ammo that way.

[damon1272]

Recommending a progressive machine to a reloading novice is not a good idea.

I dissagree. I started out with a 550. Yes it is a little more complicated but with a little instruction he will be up and running. I think it is a waste to have a guy spend a ton of money on a single loading press that he will never get his money out of. Then when he switches over he will ask why did I ever have a single stage press to begin with.

[Chief-7700]

I was looking to PM someone who had the most posts on the Reloading thread, but it seems that "ar15barrels" has the most and he has been banned. Anyways, i am looking for a set up that cna reload a variety of ammo from 30-06 to .5.56 and everything in between. What the most cost evective setup. It will divided by 5 guys in the family so need to be smoewhat interchangeable for all the different ammo. Thanks

The post count is reflective on how many times a person has posted on Calguns
and not in the reloading section only. The big questions here is:
How much money do you guys want to spend?

[Dhena81]

I've been saving the money for all the reloading components myself I was looking at getting a 650 w/casefeeder and a rockchucker. I really don't think a progressive press can be to much trouble if you take your time and be safe.

I'll get flamed for being a confident noob but if you can learn as much as you can from all the vets posts and read as many books as you can watch you tube videos and work up your loads from bottom up and check and double check for pressure signs powder throws and not be a moron you can be as safe as a vet. I think being new and getting a single stage could have a negative impact because of the time required to make ammo.