The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Reloading => Topic started by: garand4life on August 27, 2011, 02:43:07 PM
-
I've really come to the conclusion that I want to start reloading on a limited basis. Mainly only 9mm and later .45ACP but I'm not sure where to start. I know you can by kits from Hornady and the like that supposedly have all the hardware you need but how true is that. Also, does any brand of reloader tend to be easier to operate than another? When it comes to availability and cost of dies is there any advantage of one versus another? Empart some wisdom... If you were advising a good place to start and making a shopping list of needed items what would it include? Trying to keep the cost down and I don't need high volume. Thanks
-
Call Dillon, They will set you up with everything you need, Buy quality once and it will pay for itself 100 times over.I would recommend their 550 model.
-
You can always use your starter press should you want to move up.
I went the Dillon 650 route after using a 550 for several years...but sold the 550 and any accessories that wouldn't take to the 650 to a friend for his entry...gave him a deal.
If I were going to replace the 650 today, I would have to give very strong consideration to the Hornady Lock And Load. Alf has dong a very good series of posts on his experience with it and it does appear to have several advantages over Dillon's approach to the die setup and the functioning of the powder measure.
If you want to get in at that level, check it out.
I am glad I started with a single stage press (there were no non-commercial progressives available at the time)
(a RCBS Rock Chucker Combo, it was called http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=646599)
because it allowed me to really learn each step in the progress, check each case between steps and see the results and understand the process.
Lyman still offers their 310 had press
http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/dies/lyman-310-tool.php
Here is a video of using that press and it will show you everything you need to reload...this will be only for the gun the cases came from.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_9-1oEbr9Q
That is the most basic...not a whistle or bell in the whole set up.
If you want the very lowest entry level you can get, here it is
If you want to skip the manual learning experience of a single stage press, Mayer's recommendation of the Dillon 550 is a good press. If you do go progressive, and feel like jumping in at the Dillon 650/Hornady LnL level, you can't go wrong there either
There is a good book you can get to start you on your learning. ABCs of Rreloading
Amazon offers several versions of this book...one being a new copy of the one that got away from me selling on Amazon for $999.
They have a cheaper edition here. I'd guess it has all the information you need.
http://www.amazon.com/ABCs-Reloading-Definitive-Novice-Expert/dp/1440213968/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314475805&sr=8-1
Think about getting the book and reading up on reloading before you decide what you want for your setup. If the new version is as good as the one I cut my teeth upon, it will give you a good look at the benefits to be gained with the "extras".
If you do decide to go Dillon, Brian Enos has a site and he is very willing to work with you to be sure you get exactly what you need/want in your setup. I purchased my 650 through him and he saved me buying things Dillon would have included in a "cover all bases" setup. I did buy some of the stuff later when I expanded my reloading scope. I believe Alf may have contacted him when he was deciding between the Dillon and the Hornady
Good luck and I'm sure you will enjoy the endeavor.
Take care.
-
I have a Hornady Pro-jector (pre LocknLoad) If were to replace it I would buy a Dillon 650. The Hornady has some issues with the primer feed going out of adjustment.I've been loading ammo on it for over 20 years and have had to readjust the primer feed at least 10 times.The nice thing about the Dillon 550 is you can use it as a single stage (if I remember correctly) so You can learn proper loading technique.
-
I have been reloading for the past two years, so I'm not as experienced as some on this board. But here's my recommendation based on my own experiences:
I would start with a Lee Classic Turret press. It gives you the simplicity of a single stage press and some of the benefits of a progressive press. It is very well made and I have never had a problem with it. It allows you to see exactly what is happening every pull of the handle.
I have a Hornady LNL AP, like Alf, but I have had a very different experience with the press than Alf, unfortunately. I'll save those comments for that thread.
To me if you are starting out and you are not trying to load for volume, I would get my feet wet with a Lee Classic Turret and go from there. Here's the link to it on Midway:
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=814175 (http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=814175)
Best of luck!
-FA
-
I have been reloading for the past two years, so I'm not as experienced as some on this board. But here's my recommendation based on my own experiences:
I would start with a Lee Classic Turret press. It gives you the simplicity of a single stage press and some of the benefits of a progressive press. It is very well made and I have never had a problem with it. It allows you to see exactly what is happening every pull of the handle.
I couldn't agree more. Dillion and Hornady are great products, or so I've heard. ;D I plan on upgrading to one or the other soon, but for an economical basic system, you can't go wrong with Lee. For around a hundred dollars, you can buy a single stage kit that includes everything you need, except dies and expendables, to reload. Granted, you'll soon begin adding "stuff", that'll make the job easier, or quicker, but that will happen with any brand.
I don't regret for a minute starting with an inexpensive Lee setup. But like others have said, read/research all you can, pay attention to detail, and have fun!
Brian
-
I started reloading with a hand tool, anvil, and hammer. That was 40+ years ago. I was a poor E4 at the time and reloading 50 rounds of .38spl was......special. I worked up gradually over the years. Single stage, turret, and finally a progressive. The cost of getting into reloading with a progressive I think has come down significantly over they years (adjusted for inflation). In my early days, it was out of the question (out of the budget) to even think about a progressive, if they even made them back then.
All that to say, I'm not sure what's the best way to start to learn reloading. There is one way that I think would be ideal. To have a buddy (a good and knowledgeable buddy) who can let you use their setup and step you through it. But short of that, I'm not sure the best way to start.
If you have any doubts, or just want to start slow, get a good single stage press. Learn the step. Make the mistakes. When you upgrade you can keep that press for those one-off tasks that seem to happen a lot.
I've had a good experience with my Hornady LnL progressive. If you are committed to reloading, then that's what I'd start with. The LnL system make it easy to use it as a single stage press today and a full progressive 1 minute later. The ability to pop dies in and out individually is invaluable. At least to me.
I'll also say that if you're going to set up a press, for one caliber, one routine, then the Dillon would be a good choice.
I've had a Lee Classic Turret. I won't say I regret it, but I could have saved myself some time and money by just going directly to the progressive. The Lee is somewhat light weight and the plastic parts will not hold up with lots of use. I thought when I went progressive I'd keep it as a backup for one-off stuff, but I found almost immediately I didn't need it.
I did a lot of reading at the Brian Enos site. Very instructive. Recommend spending time there while you ponder you decision.
Alf <-- who can't seem to keep bullets and primers in stock. I just reload until I run out.
-
I've been reloading for 35+ years (and still have all my fingers and etc.) and I have a Dillon 550. The only reason I don't have a 650 is ceiling height in my upstairs (finished 1/2 story). I bought a 450 yeaaaaars ago when they first came out and converted it to a 550 when the kit came available. I load a number of pistol cals. and would load rifle cals. except I don't own any (no place close to shoot rifle!). Bought the Dillon and have never found it necessary to try anything else.
FWIW
Richard
-
The square deal B is also a good choice if you are on a tight buget and are only reloading hand gun. does have diffrent dies, but other wise its a great little press.
-
My first reloading experience was shot shells with my uncle on his Mec Jr. Years of working with him doing this taught me the attention to detail bordering on anal retentiveness that is important in reloading. I then graduated to a Mec 9000 for myself, and learned how to integrate that attention to detail into mass production bordering on the Cone Heads' mass quantities. Next a friend and I went into partnership with a Dillon 650 - the handgun and rifle version of the 9000. And finally I recently went all the way back to a Hornady single stage.
Your shooting volume will dictate whether you are happy with a single stage or progressive press. It doesn't matter which you go with when it comes to attention to detail, because regardless of the system you need to be just as careful with each and every step.
In my opinion it is your work station that is more important than the press itself. As long as you are purchasing quality equipment each press will do the same thing. It is all about how fast you want to crank 'em out that determines style of press, but quality will be determined by your research, application of knowledge, components utilized, how well you set up your work station to make your job easier.
-
This thread is making me want to go through some of those boxes that haven't been unpacked for a couple of moves and see if I can find my old RCBS Rock Chucker, etc. I'm pretty sure I still have the dies for .38s and maybe some others.
-
This thread is making me want to go through some of those boxes that haven't been unpacked for a couple of moves and see if I can find my old RCBS Rock Chucker, etc. I'm pretty sure I still have the dies for .38s and maybe some others.
A guy at the gun shop by me recommended that exact loader today.
-
A guy at the gun shop by me recommended that exact loader today.
RCBS and their Rock Chucker are probably the Jello, Kleenex, Band Aid or Lazy Boy of reloading. I haven't heard anyone refer to reloaders as RCBS's, but I have been to gun shows and in big box stores where single stage presses have all been called Rock Chuckers or just Chuckers. For many years I thought there were three companies supplying reloaders - RCBS, MEC and Lee. RCBS and MEC were heavily engineered and luxury, and Lee was economy. What a shock to start learning and see what is really out there.
I would like to know what RCBS pays for its positioning in most chain stores. Take a look at the number of slots for RCBS kits and their displays, and the end cap placement RCBS gets for their lines. Most other brands are in one location only and lumped as an entire group, and RCBS is there as well.
Not bashing RCBS by any means, bit it is interesting their strong marketing and public foothold.
-
RCBS stands for Rock Chucker Bullet Swaging. The company started making presses to swage bullets using spent .22lr cases as the jackets of the bullets.
Bullet swaging takes a lot more pressure than resizing standard rifle/pistol so when they moved into reloading presses they had the same strength built in. The RCBS "O" presses became known for their strength over "C" presses. Don't know if anyone offers a "C" press any longer, but I believe everyone offers "O" presses now.
In looking at single stage presses this morning, I see that Hornady offers a single stage "O" press that uses the LnL die bushing.
http://www.hornady.com/store/Lock-N-Load-Classic-Loader/
That would offer a very quick way to swap dies for reloading a single caliber or from caliber to caliber....and the parts would lend themselves for use in the LnL AP if that was your upgrade path.
-
I have an rcbs rock chucker master reloading kit seems really nice to me .
-
Garand4Life... if you are only going to load 100 or so rounds a month, a single stage like a Rock Chucker with compound linkage is a good option, and allow rifle calibers... many can be found in the used market, and a good set of carbide sizing dies, powder measure, and powder scale , primer flipper tray, and possibly a dial caliper is about all you need
if you want to get into the practical shooting sports, then by all means go with a Dillon... I went the following route, starting in the 80's...Lee pound in with hammer, RCBS Junior, CH444, Dillon 450, upgrade to 550 specs, Terry Phelps case feeder for the 450/550, second 550 (purchased from MB), and finally to a Super 1050
the first year with the 550 , I cast, sized and lubed, and shot over 33,000 rounds
-
I suggest buying a Dillon product, hands down, no question. Their customer service is second to none. A couple weeks ago, one of the link arms on my Square Deal B broke. I've had this press since 2002 and have loaded tens of thousands of rounds with it. I called Dillon, and the guy verified with me on the phone whether or not my press had the brass bushings (it did) and he mailed me two new link arms and told me to go ahead and replace both. No charge. They never charge me for anything. They stand behind their product.
If you are planning on reloading only handgun, then I strongly suggest the Dillon Square Deal B. You can easily reload 300 rounds per hour once you get the hang of it. It is also much less expensive than the 550 or 650.
I have told many people that I cannot more highly recommend any company and its products more than I do Dillon.
You will need a brass tumbler, a good set of scales, a set of hand calipers, a media/brass separator. Dillon can provide all of these in one neat package.
-
I have been reloading for the past two years, so I'm not as experienced as some on this board. But here's my recommendation based on my own experiences:
I would start with a Lee Classic Turret press. It gives you the simplicity of a single stage press and some of the benefits of a progressive press. It is very well made and I have never had a problem with it. It allows you to see exactly what is happening every pull of the handle.
I have a Hornady LNL AP, like Alf, but I have had a very different experience with the press than Alf, unfortunately. I'll save those comments for that thread.
To me if you are starting out and you are not trying to load for volume, I would get my feet wet with a Lee Classic Turret and go from there. Here's the link to it on Midway:
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=814175 (http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=814175)
Best of luck!
-FA
That's MY rig and it works great. I get very consistent ammo out of it and I've never had a "BAD" round. Just make sure you seat the primers fully or you'll get an occasional ftf on the first try.
-
I've really come to the conclusion that I want to start reloading on a limited basis. Mainly only 9mm and later .45ACP but I'm not sure where to start. I know you can by kits from Hornady and the like that supposedly have all the hardware you need but how true is that. Also, does any brand of reloader tend to be easier to operate than another? When it comes to availability and cost of dies is there any advantage of one versus another? Empart some wisdom... If you were advising a good place to start and making a shopping list of needed items what would it include? Trying to keep the cost down and I don't need high volume. Thanks
I would do a keyword search on the Craig's List major metropolitan area closest to you. Key words would be:
RCBS
Hornady
Dillon
Lyman
Lee
MEC
Redding
Texan
Star
Just now doing a google maps search has you closer to Pittsburgh:
for example:
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/search/?areaID=33&subAreaID=&query=RCBS&catAbb=sss
just be careful...meet in public if you can, or bring another person with you. definitely let somebody know where you are at or where you're heading.
-
if you were to be shooting competitions like IDPA or USPSA competitions, I would highly recommend a Dillon 550 or 650.
If you're not going to be shooting competitions, then I would just get a single stage press.
BUT....and this is a really big BUTTTTTT....I wouldn't buy anything unless I already a source lined up for cheaper primers. I guess right about now anything under $30 per 1,000 primers would be considered good.
-
If you want to reload just handgun ammo, there is no better deal then the dillon square deal b.
single stages are fine if you want to produce rifle ammo, but for common handgun ammos they are a waste of time.
Yes they use non standard dies. But its pretty much ready to go right out of the box. you can't say that about any other machine on the market.