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I think I'm going to try it.

Martlet

Martlet

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Well, at least I'll buy a book. I have no idea what it entails, since the only reloading I've ever done was shotgun as a kid.

One thing I'm concerned with is space. Until I move into my new house this summer, I'm limited. How big/sturdy of a bench will I need?

Lee Aniversary Kit Does this look like a decent starter kit? Is that about everything I'd need?
 
Cross-X said:
Here we go again. Save yourself time, trouble, and aggravation. Get a Dillon.

My favorite model is the 550B. Can't go wrong with a Dillon.
Click to expand...

I read that whole thread, so you don't need to convince me a Dillon is better. I believe you. It's also several times the price without the extras and I'm not entirely convinced I'll be capable of producing good loads. I've never done it before. If I'm not satisfied with the quality, I'll get rid of it. I won't sacrifice safety for $$$.
 
Martlet said:
I read that whole thread, so you don't need to convince me a Dillon is better. I believe you. It's also several times the price without the extras and I'm not entirely convinced I'll be capable of producing good loads. I've never done it before. If I'm not satisfied with the quality, I'll get rid of it. I won't sacrifice safety for $$$.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but from time to time you can find amazingly good deals on used Dillon gear. People who find reloading isn't for them often dump complete setups on the cheap, cheap, cheap!
 
Funny how we hear the same story. The Dillon costs so much more... It costs a lot more when you start with a Lee or whatever press and THEN buy a Dillon. Just think of all the bullets you could have made for the price of the Lee. I know money is always an issue but if you want to make the best ammo you possibly can in the shortest time with knowing if you EVER have ANY issues with your press Dillon will help you at NO cost?

Take it from me I started with a Lee Progressive 1000 and used it about 4-5 times before buying a Dillon 650. Keep an eye on Ebay, the classifieds here and on www.brianenos.com, as well as the Want Ad. There was a Dillon 550 in the Want Ad this week for $175. It's been sold but there will be more.

Pete
 
Cross-X said:
Yeah, but from time to time you can find amazingly good deals on used Dillon gear. People who find reloading isn't for them often dump complete setups on the cheap, cheap, cheap!
Click to expand...

That's how I've bought all my reloading gear. I think I paid $200 for a complete 550B set-up. Just unloaded a Hornady Pro-jector kit on ebay for $150 (I paid $100). Used stuff can be found locally, just let others know you are looking to buy.
 
Am I seeing something wrong? I'm looking around online for bullet prices for reloading. Hornady .45 bullets were 21 bucks for 100. I picked up a box of .45 ammo for that yesterday. Are they cheaper somewhere?
 
Martlet,
That Lee kit is just fine. If you would like to get into reloading for short money yet STILL get quality equipment the Lee will fit the bill. If you do decide that later on, you want to get higher volume, then consider the Dillon, or other progressive press. You will still find your Lee useful, and will probably have it setup for a dedicated operation.

Adam
 
It's also several times the price without the extras and I'm not entirely convinced I'll be capable of producing good loads. I've never done it before.
Click to expand...
Trust me, it's not hard to get decent pistol loads with a Dillon. I'd never reloaded before I bought the Dillon. I got a good reloading book and read it. I read the Dillon manual and watched the VHS tape that came with the machine.

I've found that I've never regretted spending a lot of money for a quality product. In contrast, I've often found that buying a cheap product ended up being very expensive -- because I ended up being unsatisfied with the quality and then buying the more expensive version anyways. These days I skip the intermediate step and just buy the quality product from the get-go. YMMV.

My advice is to save your money and buy a Dillon 550. I got a lot of extras to go along with the 550 and ended up spending nearly $1000. With a little more discipline you can get started with a 550 for a lot less. But even after spending $1000 I found that I reached break-even in the first year.
 
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I couldn't agree with M1911 more... You always get what you pay for.

I guess you have to ask yourself what you want to get out of shooting? If you're going to shoot 100 rounds a month or so then a single stage press would prob. be OK. If you plan on competing and shooting a lot then you'll need a Dillon. I still recommend buying the Dillon because of ease of use but again I've learned my lesson and now only buy the best products I can afford.

Pete
 
I've been reading up on rifle reloading in Glen Zediker's book and he says somewhere in there something like that in reloading if you do your job (assuming you do the basic, correct steps and use good components) the worst you are going to make is going to be as good as the best factory and get better from there. Yes, you can mess up, but with relatively little effort, you are capable of very good, cheap ammo.

It doesn't really matter what press you buy...











... as long as its blue.
 
I've got two RCBS set-ups; one for sizing and one for seating, with a Lee press with a trim die that I can use for pulling a bullet here or there if the need arises. I load up 60 rounds a week during the match season(s) and this seems to work fairly well for me as I measure each charge separately anyway.
The real time saver is using a case prep machine to clean and uniform the primer pockets, brush out and chamfer the case mouths.
CJC
 
I've got two RCBS set-ups; one for sizing and one for seating, with a Lee press with a trim die that I can use for pulling a bullet here or there if the need arises. I load up 60 rounds a week during the match season(s) and this seems to work fairly well for me as I measure each charge separately anyway.
The real time saver is using a case prep machine to clean and uniform the primer pockets, brush out and chamfer the case mouths.
Click to expand...
I'm guessing that you are loading rifle rounds, which takes a fair bit more work than pistol rounds.

I only load pistol rounds. I can load about 300 rounds per hours without pushing.
 
I figured I could just go out and buy a small bench to toss in "my" room. It doesn't seem to be anywhere near that easy without dropping some cash. I'll have to keep my eye open for a used sturdy table or something.
 
Martlet said:
I figured I could just go out and buy a small bench to toss in "my" room. It doesn't seem to be anywhere near that easy without dropping some cash. I'll have to keep my eye open for a used sturdy table or something.
Click to expand...

You can actually get going on a remarkably small amount of real estate. Note, this is the vile Lee 1000 press, but in my defense, I got it for pennies on the dollar, so technically, I haven't even invested in a press yet:

press3.jpg
 
Martlet said:
I figured I could just go out and buy a small bench to toss in "my" room. It doesn't seem to be anywhere near that easy without dropping some cash. I'll have to keep my eye open for a used sturdy table or something.
Click to expand...

When space in your room is at a premium and your table needs to have multiple uses, you might try bolting your press to a sturdy board, and then clamping that board to the edge of the table.

When you are finished reloading, you can unbolt and store it in a closet.
 
Cross-X said:
When space in your room is at a premium and your table needs to have multiple uses, you might try bolting your press to a sturdy board, and then clamping that board to the edge of the table.

When you are finished reloading, you can unbolt and store it in a closet.
Click to expand...

I may end up having to go that route. While space is limited, it's not a horror show. It's more because I'm moving this summer and don't want to build a nice table in the basement only to build another one in a few months.
 
I used to do my reloading in an understairs closet when I was living in a Townhouse in El Paso. I used a portable work bench, and mounted an RCBS Rockchucker on it. I did 45 ACP, 45 Colt, 223 and 6.5 Rem Mag back then. If it worked for that, it'll work for you.

And that closet was really small.
 
There is a Dillon 550 for sale in todays Want Ad in Bridgewater for $275 with .40 dies and it says some extras. If you need the info on the ad let me know. I'm debating about buying it myself but I think I'm going to hold out for a 1050.

Pete
 
Ok, I picked up a Lee Turret press kit with the extras for 73 bucks. That way, if I like reloading and keep with it, I won't be ticked about losing money if I buy a dillon.

I'm ordering dies now. Anything else I should get? Do I need a tumbler?

edit: I'm looking at the dies for .45 ACP. I was told to get carbide, but I see a 4 die set that has a crimping die. One of the manuals I got said not to crimp .45 pistol. Am I missing something?
 
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I would suggest the Dillon 3-die carbide set. I tried some Lees recently. I didn't like the FCD at all and the adjustments on the seating and crimp just didn't seem to tighten in place enough for me. The Dillons are nice because you can drop in internals out for cleaning by pulling a pin without disturbing your settings. Also, they use 1in nuts that leave room to work around on the turret.

The Dillon set comes with a taper crimp. Just use enough to take the "bell" out left by the expander.
 
I also use the Dillon carbide dies but Unline GTOShooter I actually use and love the Lee Factory Crimp die. Ever since I've been using one I've never had any issues feeding into my tight chamber. I don't chamber check my ammo unless it is for a match and I still never have a problem. Good luck and safe loading.

Congrats on the press... Make sure to get a tumbler, dial calipers, a powder scale (preferably digital- Dillon of course) and a loading manual. You can look online at which ever powder manufacturers website for up to date loading data.

Pete
 
I think you made a good choice spending a little money on a cheaper set up in order to decide if you like reloading or not. I did the same thing, I got a bargain basement Lee 1000 against Pete's advice because I really didn't know if I'd stay with it. Of course, now I'm finding out I like reloading as much or perhaps a bit more than actually shooting. I caught myself about 2 weeks ago at the range with a box of reloads, mindlessly emptying a magazine into the berm so I'd have some brass to reload that evening.[shocked]
 
Mark,

After you load 20,000 + rounds you'll change your mind... I don't mind reloading when I have several thousands already loaded and I'm just loading to stay ahead but when I get lazy and run low on ammo and need to load because I need ammo for a match it isn't so fun... That's when you'll be really glad you own a Dillon. I can make 400 rounds in about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes including setup and clean up. Trust me you'll own a Dillon!!!

Pete
 

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