Want to get into reloading... where to start?

I paid a fair bit when I got my 550. Part of that was that I purchased toolheads, dies, conversion kits, etc., for three calibers -- 9mm, 45 ACP, and .38 Spcl. I figured out that I broke even in the first year.

If your press is too slow, it will take too long to load pistol ammo and you are more likely to go out and buy factory ammo. With a progressive, you decide to go shooting tomorrow, spend an hour tonight reloading and you're all set. Can't do that with a single-stage, I'd bet.
 
M1911,

AMEN!

It used to take me 45 minutes to reload 50 rds of 9mm/.380/.45/.38Spl ammo on my single stage press. I learned to HATE RELOADING.

That's probably why I have a Dillon 650 laying on the floor downstairs and have been dragging my feet about getting it setup and using it. I now have all the right equipment, but have been buying lots of factory ammo to shoot. First impressions never go away!

Take the advice! Buy a progressive and you won't regret it.
 
There is a Dillon Square Deal B in the Want Ad this week for $250. You could prob. get it cheaper. It's an Oakham which is Western, MA. 508-882-3058. Remember you get what you pay for. The Dillon presses are the best on the market. You'll get better results and better resale if you decide to sell it off.

Most people get into reloading by looking at the prices on the presses. Price can't be the deciding factor in getting into reloading. You need to look at how much of a hassle it is to reload. I have a Dillon 650 and am not crazy about reloading. I'm actually thinking of spending the $1500+ to get a Dillon 1050 so it will be even faster. If you get a Dillon you won't look back but if you get something else you will always want a Dillon and it will cost you more money because you'll end up buying the Dillon. Take it from me I did it. I spent the $150 for the Lee Progress 1000 and 2 weeks later bought the 650 because I did not like the Lee 1000 at all.

Pete
 
PistolPete said:
There is a Dillon Square Deal B in the Want Ad this week for $250. You could prob. get it cheaper. It's an Oakham which is Western, MA. 508-882-3058.
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I highly doubt it. WESTERN Mass. is 413. Oakham is, IIRC, the Cape.

And a used SDB would be a CHEAP, simple entry into reloading, with the option of upgrading to a progressive, for those who want to start simply and inexpensively. If I were to do it again, however, I'd start with a 550, probably used. I shoot WAY too much pistol to screw around with a Rock Chucker or equivalent again.
 
Oakham is in Western, MA. I should know I live near there.

Obviously the SQB isn't the same as a 650 but would be a good start to someone getting into reloading. I started with a 650 for the most part but many people might not want to spend the money.

You think you know everything!!!
 
I got an XL650 for Christmas last year and haven't looked back since!
Years ago I started with a Lee progressive for my 38/357 wheel guns. It was okay for what it cost.
Last night I wanted to get some range time in, but was running short on .45's.
In 20 minutes or so, I had 200 rounds cranked out and in my range bag.

The money you spend up front will more than make up for itself in time, money and frustration!
 
Lugnut said:
9MM
Primers (1000) $21
Bullets (1000) $55
Powder (Est/1000) $10
Used brass Free
Total $86

Depending on how you value your time and what you pay for bullets (I use FMJ) you can save some good money IMO. Most gun shops are charging around $8 a box of 50 now- that's $160/1000.
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Lugnut, have you purchased any supplies recently? I would be interested to see if your costs have gone up/down/stayed the same.

The cheapest I can find 9mm for is $7.41 for 50rds, at the local Wal-Mart. From what I see ammo prices are only going up, I'm curious to see whether reloading supplies stay the same -- or, at least, rise more slowly.
 
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You can get FMJ bullets for $1k/55? That seems way way low. Plated berries are going for $1k/82. 1k/55 sounds like the price of lead.
 
number9 said:
Lugnut, have you purchased any supplies recently? I would be interested to see if your costs have gone up/down/stayed the same.

The cheapest I can find 9mm for is $7.41 for 50rds, at the local Wal-Mart. From what I see ammo prices are only going up, I'm curious to see whether reloading supplies stay the same -- or, at least, rise more slowly.
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I think the prices I showed for bullets, powder and primers are still realistic.

Most gun shops are getting $8 plus for 50 rounds of 9mm. Brass is reusable and often can be found at ranges (although I swear it's getting more difficult as more are picking up brass).

Last prices for 9mm 100 pack of WWB at Walmart I've seen are ~$14 now. IIRC.
 
9mm 115 grain FMJ for $50 / 1,000 shipped. .45 230 grain FMJ for $82 / 1,000 shipped.

If you're going to reload pistol ammo get a progressive press. If you're going to reload rifle ammo get a Rockchucker single stage. I would suggest getting a Rockchucker, Reloader Special or Partner press (used) regardless of what progressive you end up with. It will always have a use.

I'm a die-hard RCBS guy. However, my advice is to find any auot-indexing press at the least money you can, RCBS, Hornady, Dillon, etc. Do not skimp on the powder measure or the scales.

RCBS, carbide 3-die set, is $35.

As I said, I recommend always having a good single stage press but there is no reason why you can't learn to reload on a progressive.

I hope this helps.
 
TonyD said:
If you're going to reload pistol ammo get a progressive press. If you're going to reload rifle ammo get a Rockchucker single stage. I would suggest getting a Rockchucker, Reloader Special or Partner press (used) regardless of what progressive you end up with. It will always have a use.
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I can't ask this any more directly, so here I go:

What if I want to reload rifle (in small quantities) and pistol (in medium quantities), but am an incredible cheapskate? That is, I'm willing to sacrifice my time to save money -- I'm a college student, after all. Should I go for a turret?

RCBS, carbide 3-die set, is $35.
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That's just for the dies, right?
 
TonyD said:
As I said, I recommend always having a good single stage press but there is no reason why you can't learn to reload on a progressive.

I hope this helps.
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Yeah- you can use a progressive as a single stage if you wanted... just only put one die on at a time. I just picked up some Hornady dies.. nice as well.
 
number9 said:
I can't ask this any more directly, so here I go:

What if I want to reload rifle (in small quantities) and pistol (in medium quantities), but am an incredible cheapskate? That is, I'm willing to sacrifice my time to save money -- I'm a college student, after all. Should I go for a turret?

That's just for the dies, right?
Click to expand...

Rifle rounds have to be done on single stage. Rifle rounds have to be cleaned before resizing. If it's military brass it has to be swaged. Rifle rounds have to be lubed before resizing. Rifle rounds have to be trimmed, chamfered and deburred after sizing and then need to be tumbled again to remove the lube and brass shavings. The only progressive steps you could perform is priming, charging and seating after all your case prep is done.

You can reload pistol rounds on a single stage press but you will quit doing that in short order. I'm an incredible cheapskate myself. My RCBS 4X4 Auto was free. Find a cheap auto indexing press and you can perform all the functions (except swaging) as you can do with a single stage.

I have no experience with turret presses. I suggest you look for a used progressive press (auto-indexing) and go from there.

Yes, that's just for the dies.
 
TonyD said:
Rifle rounds have to be done on single stage. Rifle rounds have to be cleaned before resizing. If it's military brass it has to be swaged. Rifle rounds have to be lubed before resizing. Rifle rounds have to be trimmed, chamfered and deburred after sizing and then need to be tumbled again to remove the lube and brass shavings. The only progressive steps you could perform is priming, charging and seating after all your case prep is done.
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Okay, thanks -- I didn't realize that rifle rounds couldn't be done on progressives, I just figured you needed a "bigger" progressive with some more steps involved.

You can reload pistol rounds on a single stage press but you will quit doing that in short order. I'm an incredible cheapskate myself. My RCBS 4X4 Auto was free. Find a cheap auto indexing press and you can perform all the functions (except swaging) as you can do with a single stage.
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If I wanted to only do 50 or 100 (pistol) rounds at a time, do you think I would not want to kill myself if I did them on a single-stage? The cheapest 4x4 (for example) I can see online is $240, which is quite a bit too much for my cheap self. I'm curious to see if I could handle reloading only 50 or 100 9mm rounds a week without wanting to pound sand...
 
You can reload pistol rounds on a Rockchucker just fine. True, the Dillon stuff is nice, and some people even think they are OK for newbies (I don't but I don't want to start an argument).

I batch my rounds. After coming home from the range, all of the spent brass is decapped and put in the tumbler. Could be 50 rounds; could be 250.

After they come out of the tumbler, they are sized and belled and are put into plastic pipe tobacco tins, suitably labelled.

When the tin gets filled and I feel like spending some time, I prime, charge and seat slugs on the entire contents of the tin; usually on the order of 500-600 rounds. This will take me about 2-3 hours. I make no attempt at speed, and I weigh every 20th charge thrown.

I am not trying to persuade you that my way is the "right" way; I don't think there is a "right" way, and it sort of depends on how you view reloading. (That is, some folks view it like cleaning guns: something to be gotten through as fast as possible, while other folks sort of enjoy it and aren't in any rush: I'm one of the latter.) But if your question is: am I foreclosed from practical reloading of pistol ammo if I choose not to spend what it takes for a progressive?, my answer is, "No."
 
RKG- I'm still not ok with not cleaning primer pockets either... and since some of my brass is range brass I choose to check it in a gauge.

My process is similar to yours. ;)
 
You CAN load rifle ammo on a progressive. You just have to do ALL the case prep (resize/deprime, trim, chamfer) first.

That done, .223 goes through my 550 fine.
 
number9 said:
If I wanted to only do 50 or 100 (pistol) rounds at a time, do you think I would not want to kill myself if I did them on a single-stage? I'm curious to see if I could handle reloading only 50 or 100 9mm rounds a week without wanting to pound sand...
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I reload a couple hundred pistol rounds of different calibers each week and have been doing so for the last 30 years or more. I started with a single-stage press (RCBS Rockchucker) and still do it that way. I'm sure it would drive some people crazy, but I find it relaxing. You definitely should spend the extra money for carbide dies, however - lubing, and more specifically removing the lube after resizing (as has to be done for rifle cases) - is a real PITA.
 
TonyD said:
That's basically what I said above.
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What you actually said was:

Rifle rounds have to be done on single stage. ..... The only progressive steps you could perform is priming, charging and seating after all your case prep is done.
Click to expand...

As this was a tad contradictory, I thought a bit of clarification might help.
 
I meant with your highpower shooting. On the BrianEnos board and the 6mmbr board, some of the rifle guys use the 650 or 550 with separate tool heads to resize in one pass, do their case prep, and then finish the rounds on a second tool head in a second pass (that's my new .223 set up with the 650). With the Giraud doing it's case prep thing in the middle, that would be one trick setup. Pretty expensive but I've read the Gracey/Giraud is worth it with high volume.
 
The Giraud is definately the cat's ass! In another thread there is a discussion of similar sorts. I used to use my progressive (as a single-stage) to load my rifle rounds. However, I found that resizing and bullet seating were not consistent as the single stage. I assume the difference was between the shell holder and shell plate.

If I were to load up basic .223's (non-match) I wouldn't have a problem priming, charging and seating on a progressive.
 
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Lugnut said:
RKG- I'm still not ok with not cleaning primer pockets either... and since some of my brass is range brass I choose to check it in a gauge.

My process is similar to yours. ;)
Click to expand...

1) I've found that my tumbler does a fine job cleaning primer pockets. I use media that comes from Thumblers, and I tend to leave the cases in for a long time (48 hours or so), which may account for this.

2) I don't shoot range brass, period. I check case length on once-fireds or factory new brass but then, for straight-walled pistol cases, I don't check them again; my experience is that case mouths fail from work hardening long before the cases stretch. (For bottleneck rifle rounds, it is a different story, but that is off topic.)
 
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This may sound silly, but I read that if you don't let the used brass hit the ground (e.g. revolvers) after firing, cleaning the cases is almost unnecessary. Is that true?
 

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