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Reloading question
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wiskie762
Instructor
My sugestion is go buy the abcs of reloading and the lyman manual. Start reading and get some basic idea if you want to make the jump. Then look at training. Eddiecoyle teaches this, go to http://www.massreloading.com/
headednorth
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Not sure about Fall River area. Took EC's course in Ayer, I believe. Good classroom type instruction followed by hands on stuff. You'l leave with a good idea of what it entails and a list of the basics you need to get going.
Don't waste your money on the ABC's of reloading. Until you find a class go to local library and see what they have for reloading books.
ABC's of reloading I found to be to generalized the same info will be found in the manuals such as hornady and Sierra reloading manuals. You will need these manuals for data also.
So save your money.... also NES reloading section http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/forums/22-Reloading
ABC's of reloading I found to be to generalized the same info will be found in the manuals such as hornady and Sierra reloading manuals. You will need these manuals for data also.
So save your money.... also NES reloading section http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/forums/22-Reloading
youtube
Here I posted this in a similar thread a few days ago.
That setup above is all you need to start tinkering around w/ .223 on a single stage press. Except the knowledge. That's where the manuals come in. But that kit is a relatively inexpensive way to get in to reloading and see if it is your thing. Rather than investing in the big dollar gear right away. You can always sell the gear here when/if you upgrade.
You should read the thread the quote is from, it was essentially the same discussion.
Here I posted this in a similar thread a few days ago.
That setup above is all you need to start tinkering around w/ .223 on a single stage press. Except the knowledge. That's where the manuals come in. But that kit is a relatively inexpensive way to get in to reloading and see if it is your thing. Rather than investing in the big dollar gear right away. You can always sell the gear here when/if you upgrade.
You should read the thread the quote is from, it was essentially the same discussion.
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dcmdon
NES Member
Whatever you do, don't buy a Lee progressive press.
They are cantankerous beasts. A lee single stage or turret is fine. But avoid their progressives.
If you want a progressive, stick with Dillon or Hornady. I own two 650s and am very happy with them. I also own a Lee turret for low volume calibers.
They are cantankerous beasts. A lee single stage or turret is fine. But avoid their progressives.
If you want a progressive, stick with Dillon or Hornady. I own two 650s and am very happy with them. I also own a Lee turret for low volume calibers.
I started with the RCBS Rock Chucker kit a few years back. It's pricier than the Lee kit mentioned above but I'm very happy with the press and most of the kit. Wrench75 has a good list to which I would add an electronic scale and manual case trimmer (read reviews on different sites, see what you want price vs quality). The reloading manual present in most kits will walk you through the process and soon you'll find yourself making cartridges over movies ![[popcorn]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/043.gif "Popcorn [popcorn]")
(don't eat and reload!).
(don't eat and reload!).
1. Take a class. (PM eddie coyle here on NES)
2. Take a class.
3. You do not need to go mental with equipment at first. Wrench75's list is pretty good, but I'd add a digital scale too. Don't spend a fortune at first, and don't try to learn on a progressive press. A decent Single Stage will give you good service, and if you decide to get out of it, you can sell your stuff and not be a grand underwater.
4. Take a class.
2. Take a class.
3. You do not need to go mental with equipment at first. Wrench75's list is pretty good, but I'd add a digital scale too. Don't spend a fortune at first, and don't try to learn on a progressive press. A decent Single Stage will give you good service, and if you decide to get out of it, you can sell your stuff and not be a grand underwater.
4. Take a class.
Cloverleaf Firearms Group
Instructor
Did anyone mention EddieCoyle yet? ![[rofl]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/013.gif "ROFL [rofl]")
ps. EddieCoyle
ps. EddieCoyle
dcmdon
NES Member
I disagree with the advice not to learn on a progressive.
The dillon 550 is so so so forgiving, its fine to learn on. Without a case feeder, a new reloader can run one round at a time until he gets the feel for it. With a manual index it doesn't do anything unless you tell it to.
My first press was a Dillon 650. This was possible without any frustration or drama because a friend showed me the basics on his 550, with one round traversing the stations at a time. Then we went full progressive.
Once I moved to the 650, I only had to worry about the auto case feeder.
Don
The dillon 550 is so so so forgiving, its fine to learn on. Without a case feeder, a new reloader can run one round at a time until he gets the feel for it. With a manual index it doesn't do anything unless you tell it to.
My first press was a Dillon 650. This was possible without any frustration or drama because a friend showed me the basics on his 550, with one round traversing the stations at a time. Then we went full progressive.
Once I moved to the 650, I only had to worry about the auto case feeder.
Don
ToddDubya
NES Member
+1
I learned on a Square Deal B and maybe it's a little more complicated to learn on, but after the first 100 rounds once you've gotten the feel for it, you're not wishing you had something faster.
I have a single stage that I bought for things I wouldn't load much. I wish it was a progressive.
Reloading isn't that hard once you learn the basics and the dangers. Spend time on Google familiarizing yourself with all the basic stages of reloading (prep, prime, powder, projectile) and the common terms (sizing, seater, criming, swaging, headspace, fast powder/slow powder, magnum/non magnum, case web, trimming, etc..), and you should have a pretty good understanding of it just based on the amount/type of material you read. ABC's of Reloading is cheap used on Amazon and a decent read. The basic info hasn't changed over the years, so you can probably get Lyman 47 or 48 for the cost of shipping. Castboolits and Thehighroad are good forums as well. Arfcom even has an active reloading section.
This. My first press was a Lee 1000. I learned a lot about patience and controlling my temper while using this thing. It would work fine for a long time and them go all to hell for no apparent reason.
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I totally agree with what you say here. Even more so after taking EC's class a few months ago. I wouldn't discourage a single stage press though, if someone has a really tight budget because the peripheral tooling is where you will spend a lot of money (dies, case prep equipment, scale, trimmers, manuals, etc.) and if you buy correctly, all of that stuff is usable when you can afford to buy something like a 550, 650, etc. so it is never a waste. Then you could sell the single stage, or as EC told us, keep it to do precision rifle loads, or to experiment working up a new load. From a learning perspective alone though, I agree there is no advantage to starting on a single stage if money isn't a factor.
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I DO use a lee 1000 for my .223/5.56, with the caveat that I do my brass prep and priming OFF THE PRESS. The primer feeder just plain sucks. I use station 1 for powder drop, station 2 for seating and station 3 for crimp. It works very well in that mode. I use a lee turret and single station press for everything else.
I learned on a Lee turret, and now have a dillon 550. I could have started in the 550 without an issue, and problems been much happier.
On the other hand, shelling out the $$$ for the Dillon without knowing what I was doing probably wouldn't have happened
As far as books go, I've reloaded 10's of thousands of rounds at this point and I still have never owned a book or manual ( you tube is your friend and free! )
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one thing to consider in your budget is powder primers and bullets.....
I went with a single stage and bought all my dies I needed for 12 cals I load for then bought enough powder and bullets primers to load approx 2 yrs worth of what I shoot in those I reload. some like my 32sw I only shoot about 50 rounds a yr vs 223 and 30-06 which at the time was a few thousand each.
I have a lot of time to reload and still have not upgraded to a progressive.
everytime I get 500$ for me to spend on myself I buy bullets primers or powder???
I went with a single stage and bought all my dies I needed for 12 cals I load for then bought enough powder and bullets primers to load approx 2 yrs worth of what I shoot in those I reload. some like my 32sw I only shoot about 50 rounds a yr vs 223 and 30-06 which at the time was a few thousand each.
I have a lot of time to reload and still have not upgraded to a progressive.
everytime I get 500$ for me to spend on myself I buy bullets primers or powder???
dcmdon
NES Member
One of the great things about the lee turrets is that if you are on a budget or want something that doesn't cost an arm and a leg to set up for a new caliber, its a great compromise.
A single stage is cheap. But very slow.
A dillon 650 is fast, but each additional caliber will cost you $160ish + dies.
A lee turret (classic cast is the one I have) can get you fast enough (about 120 rounds/hr) for about $180 complete. And each new caliber will only cost you $10 for a new turret head + dies.
I have two dillon 650s. One is set up for large primer, the other for small. I basically reload 9mm and 45 on the dillon.
The Lee turret is for all my low volume reloads. .38/.357, .44 mag, .460 S&W Mag are all run with the auto index in place. I can make 120 rounds per hour.
I also use the turret for my precision reloading of .308 and .223. For this I batch the ammo just like on a single stage, except I don't have to remove the die to go to the next step. I just turn the head. I've had great results with this system on the turret. My .223 and .308 loads are comparable to $1.50 per round commercial loads (Federal GMM, Black Hills), butI'm spending only a fraction of that to make the ammo. I really like my Lee turret. Its a perfect compliment to the 650.
A single stage is cheap. But very slow.
A dillon 650 is fast, but each additional caliber will cost you $160ish + dies.
A lee turret (classic cast is the one I have) can get you fast enough (about 120 rounds/hr) for about $180 complete. And each new caliber will only cost you $10 for a new turret head + dies.
I have two dillon 650s. One is set up for large primer, the other for small. I basically reload 9mm and 45 on the dillon.
The Lee turret is for all my low volume reloads. .38/.357, .44 mag, .460 S&W Mag are all run with the auto index in place. I can make 120 rounds per hour.
I also use the turret for my precision reloading of .308 and .223. For this I batch the ammo just like on a single stage, except I don't have to remove the die to go to the next step. I just turn the head. I've had great results with this system on the turret. My .223 and .308 loads are comparable to $1.50 per round commercial loads (Federal GMM, Black Hills), butI'm spending only a fraction of that to make the ammo. I really like my Lee turret. Its a perfect compliment to the 650.
This is exactly why I went with the Lee turret. I don't have the money or the space for a progressive yet.
