Thinking of trying reloading

[paintballdad]

Thanks for all the good info. Definitely looking at the Lee but not ruling out other options just yet.
Is the kit that Bill Steele link to a Lee Classic Cast or is it the aluminum version?
I'm starting to think that reloaders are a very helpful bunch

[CSACANNONEER]

Why not join your local chapter of the CGSSA reloading club? Although the club is not officially started, a few local chapters are getting a jump on things. Then, you can get a better idea of exactly what will fit your needs best and maybe even take a class or two as well as try before you buy. I should be holding the first LA County Chapter meeting in a few weeks and holding a small class about the same time.

[sixoclockhold]

KISS principle works but takes more time. I started using it a year ago and have several thousand rounds loaded and couldn't be happier unless I wanted to spend more. Basic entry level gear to produce a viable round. $326 approx.

Lee single press $35
Dies $40
Tumbler/media $ 93
Bullet puller rcbs $ 22
Lee trimmer/accessories $ 20
Hornady electronic scale $ 35
Bullet tray $5
Calipers harbor freight $20
Lee ergo Primer/shell holders $38
Case lube $10
Lyman Electronic Scale Powder Funnel Pan $ 8 Great product !

And you're reloading.

[paintballdad]

Why not join your local chapter of the CGSSA reloading club? Although the club is not officially started, a few local chapters are getting a jump on things. Then, you can get a better idea of exactly what will fit your needs best and maybe even take a class or two as well as try before you buy. I should be holding the first LA County Chapter meeting in a few weeks and holding a small class about the same time.

Definitely interested and would like to attend. Thanks
.

[noplay6978]

I started reloading about 3 months ago and it is addicting. It is a challenge to get all your reloading componets(bullets, brass, powder and primers) in a quanity to make boolits. Get carbide dies when possible, try not to pay top dollar for everything (I paid 70.00 for a 4 set of 9mm lee carbide dies, which should have cost less than 40.00). I'm using a lee classic turret and hand priming all my cases. Finding a recipie and doing a batch of 9mm tonight.

[Divernhunter]

I would use a single stage press. It takes 15-30 seconds to change dies. I suggest hand priming which you can do while watching TV. Also if you batch process your brass(and you should) then the turret offers nothing but possible more flex.
Look at warr and service and you will not want a lee unit. I have 4 single stage presses and 2 Dillon 650's. Three of the single stages are RCBS and one Hornady and there is a good reason for that. WARR and SERVICE.
Same goes for dies. I use RCBS, Hornady, Redding and Lyman for a very good reason. Warr and they have REAL locking rings. If you get lee you will need to buy locking rings that do not move and that brings the cost up and they have poor warr etc from my expierence. Buy carbide type of pistol dies. Use RCBS spray lube on rifle brass. I and friends had allot of stuck cases with the Hornady stuff.
I do use a lee hand primer. I am on my 6th one but they are cheap. IF I were just starting I might opt for the RCBS unit since I could use the shellholders I use for the dies and not have to have seperate ones.

IF you find you need faster output then get a Dillon 650.

This is what I have learned after loading since 1962.

My 2 Cents

[Sunday]

Buy once and cry once buy a Dillon 550 and Dillon dies along with the complete tool heads,,,A great starter press.

[Bill Steele]

Buy once and cry once buy a Dillon 550 and Dillon dies along with the complete tool heads,,,A great starter press.

Starter? Heck, mine will be my LAST handgun press.

[kostner]

This is what I recommend to start: http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/...roductId/23840

It will let you operate in "single stage" mode while learning and yet provide reasonable output (120-150 hr for handgun) once you gain confidence.

You will have to buy dies for each caliber and some odds and ends, but $300 should get you going.

Good luck, have fun.

This is a great press and will last a life time. Have one and reload 380, 357, 9mm, 40SW 45 Acp, 223/5.56, 3030, 303, and 3006 on it. Its a hard deal to beat have been using Lee turret press since the 1970's and traded in two Lee turrets for one Lee classic. Have about a dozen turret with different caliber dies that save time not having to adjust them. Good luck and you will enjoy your new hobby.

[rm1911]

Buy quality. It will last a lifetime. Probably several. My dillon square deal b is 25 years old and kicks out ammo like a machine. My rcbs single stage press is older and works great for rifle. Look at it longer term. It will always work. It will always be there. Stock up on as much as you can. Loaded ammo will last decades or more. Hint hint.

I see mine as an insurance policy. In fact it's precisely why I haven't expanded my calibers only deepened what I already have.

Right now forget the cost savings thing. Sure you can and will. And even forget the accuracy part. I've got some great '06 loads for my rifles and especially the garand. That's a big part of reloading. She needs a special diet. But that's all secondary right now.

[paintballdad]

A lot of great suggestions here and i thank you all for your input. I think a bit more research on my part is in order before i decide. Attending one of the Calguns reloading chapters would be a good start. Thanks again.

[at_liberty]

for handgun I would just grab a hornady LNL progressive if money allows, I think it offers way more than the 550 for the money. You can always use it as if it were a single stage for your first loads. A single stage works fine, but once you start loading pistol you will start longing for a progressive. I load my rifle rounds on my progressive too I take my time though I'm not sitting there cranking them out.

The only thing I really use my single stage for is my 7.62x54r because I'm too lazy to buy a shell plate, and swaging brass. The dillon super swager is better at swaging than my press though IMO. You can also get a bullet puller for a single stage press, so if you starter there you may still find it useful later when you upgrade to a progressive.

I agree because I like the turret and can reload without stress, but after the first few thousand, it becomes boring, and the productivity of the progressive becomes more and more the siren call. I do like having a couple single stage, special-task presses, so starting there is not wasted money.

[Raralith]

Here are my notes on my recent foray into reloading 40 S&W. Bare with me, I'm an accountant so it may get boring, but I hope this helps:

This was the initial investment for the equipment
Cost Notes
$61 Lee 40 S&W carbide 4-die set (meh)
$17 Impact bullet puller (good price)
$15 Caliper (meh)
$205 Lee classic turret press kit (good price)
$28 Reloading manual (meh, wanted a book on cast bullets)
$11 Bullet tray (overpaid)
$337 Total

This was the initial cost of making 1,000 rounds:
Cost Notes
$30 HP-38 powder (overpaid, gives me 1,400 rounds, but for simplicity sake)
$55 CCI 500 small pistol primers (overpaid)
$112 Xtreme bullets, 180 grain (meh)
$45 Brass (not bad)
$242 Total

Based on my notes, it costs me $0.242/round buying brass or $0.197/round reusing brass. At the current $0.40/round, I am saving $0.158/round and $0.203/round respectively. For my initial invest to break even, I would need to make 2,133 and 1,600 rounds, respectively. I could save even more if reloading components were cheaper, but that's what I paid so that is what I will show.

To put it into a very simple buy vs. make perspective and assuming I bought range brass, if I had $242 to buy ammo, I could have bought 605/factory new rounds ($0.40/round) vs. reloading which cost me $146 (i.e., reloading 605 rounds), a savings of $96 or 39.7%. Assuming it takes me 30 seconds to make 1 round (120 rounds/hour), it would take me 303 minutes or roughly 5 hours to reload 605 bullets. $96 saved / 5 hours to reload = $19.20/hour in labor "savings;" think of it as paying yourself $19.20/hour to make ammo. If you were able to auto-index and churn out a round every 15 seconds (240 rounds/hour), it would take me 2.5 hours or $38.40/hour in labor savings. Using the above perspective with reused brass, it would cost you $119 to make 605 rounds which is a savings of $123 or 50.8%, and making 240 rounds/hour, $49.20/hour in labor savings. Please note again that this is a very simple scenario, and does not include a multitude of variables or other costs which are thankfully low anyways. Also, labor savings is completely irrelevant if you have nothing else to do, are doing this as a hobby to have fun, or replacing another hobby (aka time sink). Lastly, this also assumes that you won't be shooting twice as much either

Bottom line for me, I should reload if:
1. Can I shoot more than 2,100 rounds in my return of investment time frame of 1 year? Yes, I can shoot on average 175 rounds a month, break even, and all rounds after be at "cost" afterwards.
2. Do I have time, ~12 hours total (180 rounds/hour for 2,100 rounds) in one year to make these rounds? Yes, I can spare roughly an hour a month.
3. Will I be spending this time on another hobby anyways and therefore have available time regardless (i.e., I'm not working and/or spending time with the family 24/7 and have time for myself) and therefore labor savings be irrelevant to me? Yes, considering that my other hobbies require even more money, and give me no secondary benefits (e.g., reloading than shooting them), I would have spent this time doing something else anyways.
4. Am I going to shoot twice as much? Probably.

3 out of 4, I'm happy.

[at_liberty]

I think many load because they can control the specs and quality of the ammo. There may be a number of motives, but the issue is control.

[Asmodai]

+1

Just got my RL550B

Buy once and cry once buy a Dillon 550 and Dillon dies along with the complete tool heads,,,A great starter press.