To buy or reload?

[Traveler]

I'll take it one step further and say that I would suggest that a person that can not meet 1 or 2 should not reload at all. So... unless you are loading no more than around 2K a year, you should get a progressive reloading press as your 1st reloading press.

I don't think the 2k number is a good decision point. One of the greatest factors for me was that ammo was harder to find than a unicorn for quite a while. I am no longer at the mercy of ammo scalpers.
You also save a lot more making rifle rounds.
This is of course a very person decision. I like being in the drivers seat for my accuracy and ammo availability.

 

[OSOK1776]

I've said it before and I will say it again ... I would not recommend anyone new to reloading to start with a progressive press. Progressive presses will not teach you everything you need on reloading.. you will just be cranking out ammo and I have found that it will cause you to not triple check things. How much powder, primer seated properly, bullet depth, crimp, etc ... Do yourself a favor and learn the art before you risk a double charge and ruining your gun or even worse, yourself.

To start try the following:

RCBS Turret Deluxe Reloading Kit - Has Turret Press / Scale / Lube set / Reloading Tray / Reloading Manual

Electronic Digital Caliper

Get yourself 2 or 3 additional reloading manuals - I cross reference them a lot

I also am a big fan of RCBS dies

Also - buy lots of extra "depriming pins" - they are cheap as dirt and are a pain in the tail if one breaks in the middle of a reloading session

Once you get your stuff - post on the boards and someone will come by and train you .. after 2 reload sessions you'll be ready to do it on your own without any issues

This is a amazon list of what I would recommend - it does not include "dies" but does cover almost everything else.

http://amzn.com/w/272X2IULH5N5T

 

[azuluza]

I've said it before and I will say it again ... I would not recommend anyone new to reloading to start with a progressive press. Progressive presses will not teach you everything you need on reloading.. you will just be cranking out ammo and I have found that it will cause you to not triple check things. How much powder, primer seated properly, bullet depth, crimp, etc ... Do yourself a favor and learn the art before you risk a double charge and ruining your gun or even worse, yourself.

To start try the following:

RCBS Turret Deluxe Reloading Kit - Has Turret Press / Scale / Lube set / Reloading Tray / Reloading Manual

Electronic Digital Caliper

Get yourself 2 or 3 additional reloading manuals - I cross reference them a lot

I also am a big fan of RCBS dies

Also - buy lots of extra "depriming pins" - they are cheap as dirt and are a pain in the tail if one breaks in the middle of a reloading session

Once you get your stuff - post on the boards and someone will come by and train you .. after 2 reload sessions you'll be ready to do it on your own without any issues

This is a amazon list of what I would recommend - it does not include "dies" but does cover almost everything else.

http://amzn.com/w/272X2IULH5N5T

man that amazon list is very helpful, yea I got some guys that work with me that reload their own and they do single but tell me " I wish I would of got a progressive instead, mostly for time but being that they already have a one stage they dont want to buy another one"

 

[OSOK1776]

man that amazon list is very helpful, yea I got some guys that work with me that reload their own and they do single but tell me " I wish I would of got a progressive instead, mostly for time but being that they already have a one stage they dont want to buy another one"

I have spent a ton of time on both progressive and turret. I prefer turret because of the following:

1. Easier to swap between calibers. I can do this in seconds vs >5 minutes with the progressive.
2. Unless you get a bullet feeder and a case feeder with a progressive, you are still putting the bullet and case in the machine and so I have found that its not really saving that much time. A case feeder and bullet feeder really adds to cost.
3. Takes up less space
4. Minimizing risks of double loads / no powder / etc
5. More precise loads (OAL, Powder, Etc)
6. I never have a need to sit down and load 1,000 rounds. I reload about 500 rounds max at a time. I tumble it, sit on the couch and watch TV while I prime it, and then go in the computer room and dump powder, seat, crimp
7. I have tooo many calibers to reload for a progressive in my opinion. I have multiple "turret heads" and just 1 bolt swap them out for each caliber. Have the following turret heads all setup:
   
   1 for .45acp and 9mm
   1 for .223 and .308
   1 for .300 Win Mag
   1 for 380 and .40 S&W
   

 

[Traveler]

My Dillon 550 progressive is about two minutes to change calibers. It is slightly longer if you are changing primer sizes. I can turn out over 300 rounds of quality pistol ammo in an hour. That is without the case feeder. If it takes you >15 minutes, you are doing it wrong.

To be clear, you can run the 550 as a single stage press. It does NOT auto-index. You move the index with your hand. You can run one piece of brass at a time through each station. This helps a new person learn things. Highly experienced people like Bob at MarylandReloadR will train you in the proper operation of the press. Not everyone should be training people. Training is something not everyone is good at.

 

[OSOK1776]

My Dillon 550 progressive is about two minutes to change calibers. It is slightly longer if you are changing primer sizes. I can turn out over 300 rounds of quality pistol ammo in an hour. That is without the case feeder. If it takes you >15 minutes, you are doing it wrong.

To be clear, you can run the 550 as a single stage press. It does NOT auto-index. You move the index with your hand. You can run one piece of brass at a time through each station. This helps a new person learn things. Highly experienced people like Bob at MarylandReloadR will train you in the proper operation of the press. Not everyone should be training people. Training is something not everyone is good at.

Sorry meant >5 minutes not 15. As for the 5 minutes, yes that's how long it used to take me to swap out my bullet feeder plates, dies, change primer size/primers. Obviously I made up the time afterwards when processing ammo. But now that I do not shoot as much I couldnt justify that time/space/etc. It was mighty nice when only doing .45acp and .223 .. could knock out quality rounds in no time flat.

 

[sgt23preston]

My Dillon 550 progressive is about two minutes to change calibers. It is slightly longer if you are changing primer sizes. I can turn out over 300 rounds of quality pistol ammo in an hour. That is without the case feeder. If it takes you >15 minutes, you are doing it wrong.

To be clear, you can run the 550 as a single stage press. It does NOT auto-index. You move the index with your hand. You can run one piece of brass at a time through each station. This helps a new person learn things. Highly experienced people like Bob at MarylandReloadR will train you in the proper operation of the press. Not everyone should be training people. Training is something not everyone is good at.

Sgt Preston here...

My changeovers honestly do take 15 minutes or longer on average...

First I remove the old caliber parts & clean all the moving parts from the star wheel to the primer slide...

My machine does NOT run well when it dirty with unburned powder & spent primer crud that get under the star wheel...

Changing the hardware is quick but fine tuning the powder drop & tweeking the Overall Length & Crimp Diameter & checking the first issues in the the case gauge all take time...

And then if you change powder or primer size it will take additional time...

And I'm a little picky & don't start cranking the handle until everything is set 100%...

At that point it will run free & all I have to do is to keep powder & primers in it...

 

[Glock30Eric]

I disagree wholeheartedly with this statement.
I've been reloading for bout 20 years, three calibers, around $600.00 invested in hardware, much of it over an extended period, not just to get started.
You really cannot add consumables to the figure, there are just too many variables.
In fact there are too many variables to even put a price on the hardware to get started.

Course you could just be prepared to spend 2K if you want.

Not with Lee Press but with Hornaday or Dillion press, oh yeah that will go at least $2k with all equipments.

Bullets, Brass, Primers, Powder, Scale, Tumbler, Trimmer, Dies, Plates, Clipper measurement, Press, and it could go little further if you want to make your own bullets with leads.

 

[OSOK1776]

You cannot legally sell reloded ammo unless you have a license to produce it. Secondly before you plan on manufacturing all this ammo you need go and learn how to do it safely. Not trying to come across as rude but lets assume you sell some ammo to a friend which is illegal in the first place and it blows up in thier face. If you don't think they won't take you to the cleaners you are wrong. Be very careful how you proceed with this.

Your right, you cant. However you can use the press as a "co op". That's what I have done in the past. We all chipped in and got a nice Dillon Progressive and we all chipped in and bought the dies that we needed. After that it was very nice because we would order 50k+ "bullets" as a group, and tons of powder as a group and then split them up among us. It was nice to see how that "hazmat" charge disappeared when buying soo much powder / primer.

We all at home had our own tumbler/media seperator and hand primer. We would prep our brass at home and then go to a friends house (who had the press) and knock out our own loads. Made it very cost effective that way. The only issue was when 1 moves, they have to start over (like I did)

 

[mike_in_md]

Not with Lee Press but with Hornaday or Dillion press, oh yeah that will go at least $2k with all equipments.

Bullets, Brass, Primers, Powder, Scale, Tumbler, Trimmer, Dies, Plates, Clipper measurement, Press, and it could go little further if you want to make your own bullets with leads.

A everything you will need for a beginner that has no reloading equipment (scale, caliper, vibrator, etc) can buy all that and a Dillon 550 for $950.80 brand new. That price will let you load one caliber. Figure about $75 more for each additional caliber.

If you can afford to do so, get the 650 instead...it is worth the extra money and you will never look back. For one thing, you can not easily load rifle if you add a case feeder to a 550 because it feeds cases in almost half way up the upstroke. The Dillon 650 loads cases when the shell plate is at the bottom..


Here is my bench. The taller one on the left is a 550 and the one on the right is a 650.

 

[OSOK1776]

A everything you will need for a beginner that has no reloading equipment (scale, caliper, vibrator, etc) can buy all that and a Dillon 550 for $950.80 brand new. That price will let you load one caliber. Figure about $75 more for each additional caliber.

Based on that price you also buy / browse the Brian Enos Dillon Precision packages/builds =)

 

[mike_in_md]

Based on that price you also buy / browse the Brian Enos Dillon Precision packages/builds =)

Yup. He ships them free to.

 

[sgt23preston]

Yup. He ships them free to.

Sgt Preston here...

I bought mine from Brian Enos also...

His website has lots of good info about the benefits of the different Dillon models...

http://www.brianenos.com/store/dillon.html

 

[Biggfoot44]

You can spend as little or as much as you like to get started.

2K rd/ year isn't really a relevant measurement. If you do 200-300rd / week / per calaber , then you are at the point to consider switching.

And loading can take as much time as you care too. For someone who is obsessive about brass prep ( weight & sort , trim , neck turn , square primer pocket , uniform and chamfer flash holes ) you can take all night to prep À handfull of brass.

 

[byf43]

Here is my bench. The taller one on the left is a 550 and the one on the right is a 650.

Nice set-up!!!

Tell me, though....... with that bench being so cluttered - how do you find anything????









Honestly..... VERY nice set-up!!

 

[sgt23preston]

Sgt Preston here...

Another big time waster I almost forgot about is loading primers one x one into the pick up tubes...

The point is that there are a lot of steps to reloading...

It's just not pull the handle 300 times & your done...

And then lets remember we still need to separate 45ACP's with big primers from the 45ACP's with small primers...

And if you forget, try forcing an 1/8" diameter primer into a 3/32 diameter hole a couple of times...

Or do the opposite, put a small primer into a large hole & have the powder spill out & get under the star wheel...

Reloading is not like cooking something in the microwave...

 

[Traveler]

I like my ammo in the microwave.

I agree, reloading is not a trivial task, and not for everyone.

I do some of the mindless tasks while watching TV shows I would watch either way.

 

[Machodoc]

What seems to get left out of a lot of discussions like this is how much the person enjoys creating things. I've noticed over time that people who get into reloading only because they want to save money generally end up finding that reloading is too much of a hassle for them, and they go back to buying factory rounds.

If you can get into reloading because you like the idea of making ammunition, and the act of doing so interests you as a hobby, you'll eventually get to the point that your gear is paid off and your ammo is cheaper than store-bought. You'll also be likely to get to where you are making rounds specifically developed for a given purpose or firearm, you'll be able to make rounds for many different uses, and you'll understand a lot more about shooting.