recomend an entry level reloading kit

[SnakeEye]

can anyone recomend a good entry level reload setup/kit ?
im shoooting primarily 9mm and .40, .45 .
i dont want to spend an fortune and i dont want to be so cheap as to simply screw myself. you get what you pay for.
any help would be greatly appreciated..

 

[Adam_MA]

You may want to consider getting a turret press as your first press. If you were mainly doing rifle, I would say go single stage, but with the volume of ammo you will want to be putting out for pistol, you might want to consider a turret press.

I have said it time and time again, LEE Precision, is the least expensive press out there, and you WILL get quality equipment period. Others will bash LEE equipment, but I now have 3 LEE presses and I am completely happy with all 3 of them. I figured I have saved enough money reloading, to completely pay for the presses, and all my reloading gear at least 4X over.

As for the press kit...

I have heard that the new LEE Classic Turret press, is a press that has been redesigned to be more solid, and overcome some of the customers recommendations from earlier models. It's auto indexing, so all you have to do is raise and lower the ram arm, and the die's move to the next station automatically. http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=814175 I don't see an actual kit listed with this press, however they do have one here. http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=622290 using the standard turret press (still a good press just not as heavy duty as the newer one) for $95 with everything you will need except dies. Again with dies, stick with LEE. They will give you the best bang for your buck. For only $8 you can also get extra turret plates. That way, once you get your dies setup, all you have to do is remove the turret plate, put the different caliber plate on, change the shell holder and powder measure, and you are ready to reload your next caliber.

I have used one of these presses before, and they are truly easy to operate.

Hope this helps
Adam

 

[Supermoto]

I have a LEE Pro 1000 progressive, at first it drove me nut. It wouldn't time properly, tipping primers etc. I then had a very patient friend look at it, he quickly had it running great, it has a few quirks that I need to watch, but so far it has loaded 2000 round without a problem.

 

[Nickle]

FWIW, I haven't seen of or heard of a Progressive that doesn't need an initial "tuning".

I'm frequently down a little on Lee. If you buy their upper end stuff (even it's reasonable), you'll be OK. Especially for making Pistol ammo. Their dies are good. I use some of their dies, and if they work for me, they'll work for you.

We even use some Lee Equipment at the shop.

Now, a more serious matter. Primer Seaters. Buy a Lee Auto Prime or Auto Prime 2. They are absolutely the best. Many Bench Rest shooters use Lee Primer Seaters, and if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for everybody.

 

[tele_mark]

I have a Lee 1000 too. I have it running nice now too, but had to work at it. It's definitly a "technician's" press, and I couldn't recommend it unless you're technically inclined. I don't know how the one I have ever worked -- it never stopped feeding primers, even when there were no cases present. After pulling my hair, I finally discovered the problem. The primer feed ramp where it it ends at the seating pin was too high, so even when the case sensor set the pin high, primers could still be pushed over the pin, which was only about 1/32" above the ramp floor. I removed the primer tube, split it in two, and with an X-Acto blade carefully dug the end of the ramp out so it would be about 1/16" below the primer pin in no-case condition, and beveled it back from there 2 primer lengths. It works great now, but like I said, I can't see how it ever worked.

 

[PistolPete]

SnakeEye- Do yourself a favor and buy a Dillon press. Don't try saving money and buy another brand because it will cost you more in the long run when you buy a Dillon. That being said there are deals to be had. As a matter of fact there is a Dillon 550 in The Want Ad this week for $175. Def. worth a call to see if it's still avail.

Otherwise keep an eye on Ebay and all the shooting forums for a used Dillon. You can get a Dillon SQD which is a great press. Just know that with any Dillon press you'll get a lifetime No BS warranty and great service.

I started reloading with a Lee Progressive 1000 and after using it 3 or 4 times I bought a Dillon 650 and never looked back. The Lee will work but isn't anywhere near as accurate and consistant as the Dillon.

Pete

 

[C-pher]

I can't speek for Lee as I've never used them.

But I have used Dillon, and I have a 550B. And I love it. I really don't have all that much to do with dicking with it to get it running smoothly. And I have a set of Lee dies, and RCBS dies, and don't use them and bought the same caliber is Dillon dies and gave the others to a friend. Dillon dies are a breeze to clean. You can take out the center die and clean out the lead, and not have to reseat the dies. With the others, when the lead build up was getting thick, I had to take out the whole die and then it was back to 20 min or longer getting them back to the proper length.

Anyway, I'm going to agree with Pete here and say look around for a Dillon press. May be a little more, but you're going to be happy with it.

And I've called on Dillon for parts that I've bought online and things weren't right. I bought a set of dies off of Ebay. They were .38/.357. When I got them, the sizing die was .38 super, so they were screwing up my brass. I called Dillon and told them what happened. They fixed me right up at no cost. Sent me a new sizing die, and a return bag for mine. Their customer service was great.

Like I said, I've never used any other loader, so I can't say if you would like them or not. But I do love my Blue Press. And the Dillon girls are freaking HOT!

 

[GTOShootr]

I've had the same experience as Pete and C-pher. I invested in a 650 after doing a lot a research and I've never had a problem. C-pher's point about the ease of cleaning Dillon dies is a good one. Pull a pin and the center of the die drops out for cleaning. The only tuning I ever do is adjusting the dies for OAL, belling, and crimp, which you'd do on any press. The autoindexing, case feed, and priming mechanisms didn't need tuning.

The Square Deal, 550, or 650 are great ways to go depending on how much you want to spend. If you buy a used one, Dillon will refurbish it for no cost.

 

[Hamar]

Dillon 550 or the 650 would be my suggestion as well. Youre going to end up with one anyway. We all know it. Buy it now and be done with it. My.02

 

[SnakeEye]

the dillons look pretty reasonable price wise, and there isnt a terrible difference between their lower and higher end models. So it might be worth the initial plunge to get a better model of theirs.
I really want to get into action shooting with the warm weather coming. im going to need to learn how to reload before i get beaten up buying ammo OTC all summer..

 

[PistolPete]

the dillons look pretty reasonable price wise, and there isnt a terrible difference between their lower and higher end models. So it might be worth the initial plunge to get a better model of theirs.
I really want to get into action shooting with the warm weather coming. im going to need to learn how to reload before i get beaten up buying ammo OTC all summer..

We can all help you out with getting a setup, choosing which one will be best for you, and how to reload, and what components we recommend. If you can swing the extra money for the 650 with casefeeder that is what I would recommend. Let me know if you have any questions.

Pete

 

[RKG]

Some might consider me overly conservative on the point, but I've advised EVERYONE who wants to get into reloading to start with a single stage press, the RCBS rockchucker. The investment isn't great, and even if you "graduate" to a progressive later, the Rockchucker will still be useful for some tasks and rounds.

Reloading is an exercise that requires a degree of attention to detail, patience, and care that in most folks' experience, is greater than they usually bring to daily chores. Rushing here, though, can have serious consequences. By definition, the Rockchucker (or similar press) will encourage a careful and respectful exploration of this hobby.

 

[Adam_MA]

I agree 100%
My recommendation of a turret press, was to give the ability to reload single stage if you wish, as well as later moving the operation for more quantity.

 

[C-pher]

I also agree. This needs to be done slow. While my 550B says that it will chuck out an ungodly amount of rounds an hour, I find that I'm about half that amount because you really do have to take your time. Even with a progressive. And even with loading with it for a long time.

It does several things with each pull of the handle, and you need to know what's going on at each station at all times. It's easy to get ahead of yourself with a progressive, but you have to keep it slow.

 

[Hamar]

True, but you need to pay attention no matter what press your reloading on. I wait until the kids are all in bed or not home before I sit down to load. 100% of my focus is on what i'm doing. No distractions. You cant afford to double load or miss seating a primer.

 

[PistolPete]

I actually disagree with the single stage press theory. I used one at first and I think it is easier to miss a step on that than on a 650. The Dillon 550 takes a bit more focus because it is easy to get a double charge.

On the Dillon 650 with the auto indexing if you take your time and watch what you're doing it is the way to go. On a single stage press you'll be lucky to get 100 rounds per hour where on a 650 going slow you'll do at least 400-500 rounds. I've never had any issues on the 650 ever. I've loaded and shot tons of reloads loaded on my 650 without 1 squib, double charge or anything.

If you plan on shooting a lot a single stage press won't be quick enough to load ammo in the way you'll shoot it. Unless, time isn't valuable to you and you have a ton of spare time then maybe the single stage would be great for you.

It would never work for me because I work full time, am a homeowner with a wife, shoot a few times a week, and ride my motorcycle. Needless to say time is quite limited.

Pete

 

[RKG]

One of the drawbacks of light loads (such as 2.7 grains of Bullseye) in a .38 is that a double charge won't overflow and thereby disclose itself.

My routine is as follows:

Take primed case, turn it upside down, and knock it once on the bench.

Put it under the measure. Handle up and knocked sharply; handle down and knocked sharply; two more knocks in the down position.

Every 20th round, the charge in the case is poured into the scale to confirm that nothing has gotten out of whack.

Refill the measure when the reservoir is down about a third.

After filling a tray, pass a flashlight over the cases to see if you spot a high charge.

You can't do these things with a progressive.

I shoot 2,000-5,000 rounds of .38 Spl. target loads a year, all loaded on a Rockchucker. Maybe I'm like the turtle in the Comcast add, but speed here doesn't appeal to me.

 

[Cross-X]

Count this as another strong vote for Dillon. Mine is a 550B. Had it for years, and love it!

 

[PistolPete]

RKG a typical action shooter will shoot 1000-5000 rounds a month never mind a year. Simple math will tell you that a single stage press just won't cut it. You need to be able to load in volume or it isn't worth it. The amount of money you save reloading will be lost in the hours spent doing the loading. Reloading can be enjoyable but it is def. not my favorite thing to be doing.

Pete

 

[Hamar]

My very first reloading press was a dillon 550. I had never reloaded a round in my life. I found it very easy to use. I used that press from 89-92. NEVER did I have a hot load, quib or any other non typical round. Before I quit, I was shooting 1000 rounds a week in practice and two to three matches a week on top of that. Thats roughly 5500 rounds a month.

I now have another 550 but I dont shoot nearly that much........

 

[Dan S]

If you're going to shoot pistol, and never have loaded a round previously, get the Dillon 550. The key to making good ammo is a bit of patience. The 550 allows you to keep track to the process easily. The linkage on the powder measure keeps it from sticking, but not a possible double charge. As Hamar stated, do not load when the wife, kids, dog, cat, etc require your attention. If you become so active in shooting that a 550 doesn't load enough ammo for your required practice and matches, then buy a 1050 in the caliber you use the most, and keep the 550 for the rest. on my bench I have a Dillon 550 ( I guess you can call it a B, I've had it a long time.) a Dillon 1050, and a single stage press. I've been loading for USPSA style shooting for over 25 years, and Dillon is the only progressive I'll own.