Reloading newbie advice?

[artichokie]

Hello,

I want to start reloading, so i'm looking for some advice.

First off, i live in an apartment and dont have space for a dedicated bench. I also wanted to keep my equipment down to a minimum, as storage space is also an issue. I plan to reload 45acp to start, then do .223. I shoot once or twice a month, around 200-300 rounds and plan to reload about the same. This is just plinking ammo. My reasons for reloading are to save money on ammo and I thought it'd be fun. I'd like to keep the setup simple and cheap.

My research has led me to the following equipment for 45 acp:
- Lee hand press kit
- Lee 45 ACP carbide dies - 4 die set (any reason to just go with the cheaper 3 die set?)
- ABCs of reloading book
- powder, bullets, and primers

I plan to follow the powder recommendations that are included with the lee dies and use the measuring spoon. Eventually, i will add on a scale, powder measure, and whatever I need to do 223.

Is there anything else i should add? Any other advice?

Thanks in advance

[XDRoX]

No reason to get the 4 die set, especially loading one stage at a time. Just an extra useless step. Get the 3 die set.

The hand press will get old real fast. I doubt you'll get through 300 rounds before you decide to get a real press. I'd spend the little extra and go with the cheapest single stage press you can find. I think Lee makes one around $30. You can mount it to your dining room table with clamps and throw it in a box when you're done.

The dippers are not the most accurate way to measure powder but will work and 45 is a nice low pressure round to start with. But a good beam scale and powder measure is really a safer system.

Hope this helps.

[BSlacker]

The hand press will get old real fast doing the amount of handgun ammo you plan on. A single stage would be better for rifle as well.
The dippers will work but a scale is not that much more and you will find dipping and trickling up is more accurate. I would put my labor in powder measuring instead of hand resizing with a hand tool.
Mount the press to a thick board and then clamp that to the table. If you mount directly to the table it won't be stout enough for rifle. I travel around and reload on the road. I use a Rock Chucker bolted to a piece of 2X12 and clamp that to the desk in the motel room. Sometimes it wrecks the cheap desk in just a couple of hundred rounds of resizing rifle.

[Arcaporale]

You really should just get a real press. Especially if you want to load .223. I'm reloading .223 and .40 S&W and I'm relatively new to reloading as well. I have a small apartment and bolted a lee turret to on old piece of crap nightstand made of particle board. I think it cost me about $800 to get into it, probably a little less, not including components.

At the very least start with some kind of actual press, Midway sells a Lee single stage press for around $30.

Also get a scale and a powder measure of some kind, it would be good for you to know exactly what kind of charge your throwing so you can work up loads and keep an accurate log of your charges, bullet weight, etc.

You will need some way to clean you brass if you want to reload your used brass. Look at vibratory tumblers. You will find they are not very apartment friendly especially if you have people below you, luckily I have a detached laundry room/storage area at mine with a concrete floor where I tumble my brass.

Once you get into .223 you will need a trimmer and chamfering tool, I have a possum hollow trimmer chucked into my cordless drill and runs like a champ, as well as a lee chamfer/deburring tool that I also run in my cordless drill.

You probably won't save money, just have a lot more ammo and use it up faster. You also need to consider how much your time is worth to you reloading, especially if you go with a hand press.

Here's a pic of my press in my apartment.

[rsrocket1]

You really should get a scale since the dippers are based on published densities with margin "usually" built in. A good set up that is not much more expensive is the Breech Lock Challenger Kit for $100 (was on sale for $90 and still might be). It includes a scale which is at least very accurate if not the most convenient for some folks. You can clamp the press to a desk or a Black and Decker Workmate and make a stand for the powder measure with a block of wood. If you don't want the breech lock system, simply screw the dies in an out like a conventional press.

[artichokie]

Watching youtube videos of people using the hand press made it seem fun . But I could see how it would get boring after a while.

Sounds like i should just get a single stage, the 3 die set, and a scale. For now, I'll just clean my brass in my sink .

I'm looking at the lee classic press (non breech lock). Seem like the breech lock is one extra piece to break. Or is it worth the extra cost?

[damndave]

Single stage loading handgun ammo will get old after the 1st batch. At the least, I would get a turret press.

[gunboat]

Asking about reloading gear is like talking to car salesmen - you go in looking for a fiat and they try to talk you into a mecedes --with a sun roof and two tweeters.

The Lee hand tool will do you fine as long as you do not expect to load a thousand rounds a night. 50 to hundred rounds is a comfortable amount.
You will need a hand primer or a ram prime tool.
The scoops are sort of OK, but as others pointed out you really need a scale. An inexpensive balance beam will do fine. A handy inexpensive accessory would be a "little dripper" for fine tuning on the scale after using the scoop.
I would suggest the lyman manual over the abc's if you can only afford one.

I started using a lyman tong tool set, pacific beam scale, dipper/scoop made from a cartridge case, small funnel, ink pad luber, and a rag dampened with lighter fluid to clean case when finished.

The sky is the limit when buying reloading tools - always need another widget.
my ha-penny

[Whiterabbit]

I load handgun ammunition on a single stage press. If you shoot 300-500 rounds a month and are the kind of guy that can invest a half hour a day into reloading (more like 2 hours on a Tuesday here, 2 hours on a Saturday there, skip a week here, get really into it a week there, etc) you'll have no problems feeding your habit via single stage.