Reloading 101

[s10rick]

Great thread. The wheels for reloading are just starting to turn in my head. For what its worth,

Thanks... To Writer and Mod


Now, I am a strong believer in buy good and buy once. Is this the Dilon setup? I plan on reloading .308 and .223... Probally .45 as well down the line

[Turbinator]

Great thread. The wheels for reloading are just starting to turn in my head. For what its worth,

Thanks... To Writer and Mod

You're absolutely welcome, thanks to depmac983ret for writing this up in the first place.

Now, I am a strong believer in buy good and buy once. Is this the Dilon setup? I plan on reloading .308 and .223... Probally .45 as well down the line

Dillon has my vote. I am biased becauase I've owned a Dillon Square Deal B for over 10 years now, and it is still going strong as ever. I did break a primer feed return spring once, and they sent me 3 of them for free batched with an order I was placing at the time.

You'll see it quoted elsewhere here as well, they have and will rebuild used Dillon reloaders for you for free, even if you aren't the first or original owner of the unit. I believe this coverage does *not* apply to the Super 1050 as this model is more geared towards commercial reloaders, or individuals interested in mass production of ammo.

Even their lowest cost pistol ammo progressive press (the Square Deal B) gets you cranking out rounds at a rate faster than you could probably use them up.. unless you're a serious competitor, in which case I'd figure you would have started reloading a long time ago and you'd already know the value of reloading and Dillon.

For the calibers you state above, rifle calibers, I think you'll find a lot of people here recommending the 650 - I have not personally used one but I would concur here, the 650 isn't the cheapest but it is very versatile and can do all the major calibers you'd probably be shooting.

Once you get started, it's hard to stop.. it's addicting and the ability to fine tune your ammo loads to your own needs is just fantastic. You'll also find yourself chasing every single piece of brass, if you're like me.. sometimes I feel like a tightwad, hunting down every last piece of my spent brass in the dirt or at the indoor range.

Turby

[ar15barrels]

I want to see Randall's bench as well.

Webhost is down.
I got an email today that their main switch went down last night and won't be back up until tomorrow morning.

[shonc99]

If you twist my arm, I'll post the picture of my reloading bench...

So I have to ask, what are your impressions of the case trimmer? Do you feel that it sizes and trims the brass to a high degree? I just got one to do a mass sizing and trimming of .223 and would appreciate any feedback or tips.

Thanks,
Shon

[ar15barrels]

So I have to ask, what are your impressions of the case trimmer? Do you feel that it sizes and trims the brass to a high degree? I just got one to do a mass sizing and trimming of .223 and would appreciate any feedback or tips.

Thanks,
Shon

When combined with a 650 with a casefeeder, the Dillon trimmer is the fastest way possible to size and trim large amounts of 223.

I run an RCBS lube die to decap and lube the cases.
I had to modify it to have a larger lube capacity otherwise you have to stop every 100 rounds and add lube to it.



Search "dillon trimmer" and you will find more specifics on how I do it.

[shonc99]

Thanks for the info.

[djbooya]

Do most people reload these days for the customized loads or to save money on the rounds themselves? Also, if you decide to sell your reloads are you considered an Ammo Manufacturer and then have to get a special license for it? What can one expect to spend on a good setup to make a few hundred rounds per day spending maybe 2-3 hours per day doing it? Or is this just unrealistic? I'm interested in making .223s 7.62x39m, 9mm, .45ACP, and 30-06, and perhaps even .308. From what I've read so far the different bullets sizes all are the same process but with different die sizes for the sizing of the cases, etc... Not sure if this belongs in the 101, feel free to move this post if it doesn't belong in this thread.

Thanks,

[jjefrey]

Do most people reload these days for the customized loads or to save money on the rounds themselves? Also, if you decide to sell your reloads are you considered an Ammo Manufacturer and then have to get a special license for it? What can one expect to spend on a good setup to make a few hundred rounds per day spending maybe 2-3 hours per day doing it? Or is this just unrealistic? I'm interested in making .223s 7.62x39m, 9mm, .45ACP, and 30-06, and perhaps even .308. From what I've read so far the different bullets sizes all are the same process but with different die sizes for the sizing of the cases, etc... Not sure if this belongs in the 101, feel free to move this post if it doesn't belong in this thread.

Thanks,

The Reasons to reload are:

1. Better quality ammo, ammo can be tailored to your gun
2. Save money

In order to sell your reloads you would need to be licensed as an ammo manufacture

Depending on what setup you went with you could spend from a few hundred to over a $1000 to get setup. I just spent about $500 getting set up with a Rock Chucker press, die for 3 calibers, scale, tumbler and a few other accessories.

[edfitzfish]

Lee Classic Reloader

would anyone here suggest the Lee Classic Reloader kit for a first-time reloader? besides the physical workout & noise, what's the upside to spending over $100 for a big fancy setup as opposed to $19 for the Lee Classic. i understand that other implements are necessary, such as case trimmer, tumbler, etc. all thoughts welcome. this is in reference to .308 Winchester, if that makes any difference.
ed

[Turbinator]

would anyone here suggest the Lee Classic Reloader kit for a first-time reloader? besides the physical workout & noise, what's the upside to spending over $100 for a big fancy setup as opposed to $19 for the Lee Classic. i understand that other implements are necessary, such as case trimmer, tumbler, etc. all thoughts welcome. this is in reference to .308 Winchester, if that makes any difference.
ed

In addition to owning a Dillon Square Deal B, I also own a Lee single stage - I think this is the classic you are referring to.

As a single stage, you'll need to change the dies every time you want to change operations. In a progressive press, you're going to save a lot of time, and possibly aggravation and frustration, because you won't need to change the dies at all if you are reloading a single caliber.

You can crank out many more rounds on a progressive than you can on a single stage, given the same amount of time. The speed overall given the time savings on the die changes and the simple repetitive motion used on a progressive gives you a tremendous efficiency advantage over a single stage.

The quality of the Lee single stage is ok, but it is not close to the feel and operation of the Dillon reloader. Both use cast metal, but the Lee cast metal just feels cheaper. The handle motion isn't smooth and easy, as it is on the Dillon.

You could effectively reload on a Lee - but if you want to get started, my suggestion is to get started at least with a progressive, and my bias is towards Dillon. You'll have so much fun reloading your own rounds, that it won't feel like a chore and you'll actually look forward to each session.

In my humble opinion, it's worth the money to save for a progressive and years later, you'll not need to upgrade to anything. If you start with a Lee single stage, you'll always keep thinking that one day you'll upgrade to a full progressive press.

Turby

[apoman]

If you twist my arm, I'll post the picture of my reloading bench...

Do you need a part timer to help you reload.

[scrat]

apparently he likes blue

[ar15barrels]

apparently he likes blue

I have a couple red presses too.
A Pacific 007 in my old shop and then a CH Tool Turret and a Lee Classic Cast.
I bought the Lee to load 50bmg, but it's really too short for that.
It does ok for sizing rifle cartridges so I leave it mounted to a piece of 2x12 and clamp that the the table out in the yard when I need to use it.

[code6charles]

I keep reading about Dillion and Lee preses, I was debating on purchasing a Hornady LNL progressive press. What is everyone's opinion on that press comparison to the Dillion and Lee.

[ar15barrels]

I keep reading about Dillion and Lee preses, I was debating on purchasing a Hornady LNL progressive press. What is everyone's opinion on that press comparison to the Dillion and Lee.

Better than a lee, not as good as a dillon.
Priced accordingly.

The vast majority of competetive shooters use dillon and have for a LONG time,
well before the internet was the source of information that it is today.

There are 4 kinds of Dillon users:
those that started with a lee,
those that started with an RCBS,
those that started with a Hornady
and those that started with a Dillon.