Getting ready to jump in

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Finally talked myself into reloading, been reading pages upon pages of info. Have made my decision on the equipment end of things, Hornady L-N-L. Yesterday I picked up a sierra reloading manual and now I am not as sure as I was about doing this. I guess my question is are the second thoughts I'm having normal and will all this info make sense once I get rolling. I am a mechanic and truck driver by trade and not afraid to tear into anything on a truck or an engine of any kind, but this has me concerned.

Thanks
 
I had the same trepidations even though I have reloaded with my brother. I took the GOAL class given by EddieCoyle (Jim). It was excellent. I am working on getting a bench to set up my stuff. Tumbling Brass as we speak. :) I would suggest you take the class from GOAL. Answers a lot of questions. Lays out safety rules and explains how to reload very clearly.

Much better than a book!
 
If none of the info is making sense you might look into a class, I know a few members here offer one on their own or through local clubs. I just got setup with a LNL AP and have been turning out my own 40SW rounds without too much trouble, but I read a ton on the forums and watched a metric ton of YouTube videos on the subject before I ever even ordered the press. The LNL comes with a DVD that goes from opening the box to making finished rounds and all of those vids are available on Youtube. for me everything was straight forward EXCEPT for the crimp, that part seemed a bit of voodoo science or a bit of an art; and it took a dozen or so dummy rounds to get right but I got it squared away.

of course now that I'm looking into loading match grade .308WIN rounds for my AR10 I feel like you're feeling all over again!
 
The class DukeinMaine teaches is an all day, 9 hour class from start to finish including making ~50-60 rounds of ammo and test firing. It's well worth the money. He also limits it to no more than 3 (preferably 2) students so it's basically you getting his undivided attention all day.
 
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I have recently started looking into reloading too, and it seems like the more I do the more intimidated I become. So I am right there with you. I think I will hold off for a bit till we buy a house right now i dont really have the space for the equipment (not even a spare closet) but good luck I intend to take a class i learn better hands on than from a book.
 
As others have suggested attending a class is a great intro and makes you feel much more comfortable when just starting out.
I took the one at KTP but as others have suggested there is members here that do a incredible job at getting you familiar.
Enjoy and be safe.
 
just follow the directions from your reload data book, press manual, die instructions. If you can follow directions and head the warnings its really not hard to do. There are many out there to help. I would take a class if you dont feal 100% about doing it yourself.
Just stop at any point you do not know 100% call or email the manufactures of the presses,dies,powder ect ect. They have been more than helpful to me.
Theres also many videos out there that may help
you tube has many many vidoes good or bad, theres tons
theres a few right here on nes stickies in reloading section.

I took the 6 or 8 months of saveing to look over and search many reloading websites,forums,videos I could find. I also went to my libray and found some older reloading books. they had a lyman,abcs of reloading, and another one that I cant remember but was for reloading cartridges for black powder.
keep it simple to start. just begin with a budget, what your goals are and start with one cal.
 
All good suggestions above. Take a class if you can, if not at least hook up with someone who has done it for a while so they can show you the basics. I have done this for a couple of members here already. I don't have the experience or credentials someone like "Duke" does, however I have been a professional technical trainer for many years and have been reloading for about 20 years.

Good luck.
 
My class INCLUDES reloading pistol and rifle ammo, and test firing it.
It's a 9 hour class, and I have seldom seen them go much less than that. There's a LOT to cover.
Class size is limited to four students, so that everyone gets FULL attention and answers to questions as they come up. You'll leave the class with full confidence in reloading both types of ammo, a copy of my book, all the NRA goodies, hundreds of $$$ of money savings tips, and a great sense for what kind of press, and what else you need to buy.

Maybe it's a distance to drive, but every student so far has left with a BIG SMILE on their face. To cover it all in one day is a plus.

Follow the link in my tagline for details, and the path to the schedule.

I'll even do a custom date class for ONE PERSON!!!
 
DukeInMaine, What type of presses doing you train people on? I know the principals are all the same regardless of press, but it would be nice to know that I'll learn on the press I have and can get understanding of the press technology and what to do with it. I purchased a Hornady LnL more then a few years ago, but didn't want to start reloading with proper information.
 
I train people on a single station press. It removes the idiosyncrasies of any individual press from the equation. It boils down the essence of what you are doing to simple, easy to follow steps. You apply what you learn on the single station directly to the press of your choice.

No class could fully cover all the peculiarities of every press made.

I do cover subjects like types of presses, ways that powder gets dispensed by the various presses, an how to be certain that you get the tools and powder measures set right, etc.

I've had more than a few students, who ran ammo on single station presses realize that they didn't need a $1000 worth of press to make the qtys they wanted. Maybe a turret makes more sense than a full progressive, etc. Or, maybe a lee Pro 1000 makes more sense than a single station.

Again, it has more to do with concentrating on what happens in every station, and how to actually reload, rather than dealing with tips to make a LnL or a 550b run better.

Not sure if that answers your question.

You can apply everything that you learn in my class to any press.
 
you need to be realistic with what your reloading intentions are, your budget ,and time.
I dont load a boat load of any one type of ammo.
I shoot several several different firearms
I have a good amount of time each weekday night to reload
I can reload about all I will shoot in several months with ease in a few week nights of loading.
Some ammunition like my 32S&W(short) have already paid for the dies and then some even though I shoot this gun only a few times a year.
my shooting tends to be seasonal
summer=trap
fall Garand and AR
winter pistol, indoors
so im not trying to load for all my guns all the time.
 
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