Reloading press for .50 AE-good deal

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speros

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What is a good price for a quality reloading press for 9mm. /.45 and .50ae?

How much should I be paying and where should I look?
 
easyrider604 said:
A few questions need to be answered first.

How many rounds per months per caliber are you going to reload?-only --.50 ae maybe .45

What is your budget?--whatever the cheapest .50 ae press not sacrificing quality as I do not want to have my hands blown off. HAHA :S

Do you have more time than money?
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----Most definitely have got the time on my hands
 
Thats a fine single stage press, if you are going to be loading a large volume you may want to have some sort of turret press, but just starting out I dont see anything wrong with that unit, RCBS is a good name.

That being said I dont think I would buy one on Ebay, shipping from the US would be killer plus customs and duty, There are plenty of dealers on CGN that could get you a good deal on a reloading setup... Even, dare I say it, Wholesale Sports.
 
That RCBS is a good single stage press. Single stages are inexpensive but slow. The Lee Classic Cast Single Stage is cheaper and available here in Canada from CGN sponsors.

So the question is, how many rounds per month do you need, or another perspective...how many rounds per hour do you want to make?

On that RCBS single stage, I'd say 25-50 rounds per hour is tops, if you are fast. And it takes a lot of precise set-up work. I will not go into detail why and how because there are lots of material on the web about this.

I personally use my Lee Classic Cast Single Stage to resize cast bullets only. I lent it to a buddy to reload 45 acp and his needs have outgrown the single stage's slow output. He has moved to a Lee Turret now.

If you got more time than money and are satisfied with about 150 to 200 rounds per hour production rate, I suggest a $300+/- budget for a Lee Classic Cast Turret, Auto Primer feed and Auto Disk Powder Measure, one set of dies and a powder scale.

A Turret Press requires 4 pulls to produce one round vs. one pull per round on a progressive.

If you want to go progressive, the Lee Loadmaster may work for you at about a 100 bucks more. Then the other brands like Dillon or Hornady just go up in price from there.

You have to decide which press type and which brand, balancing your budget and needs. I like Dillons and have had them 20 years but my needs have changed so I sold my 550B two months ago. The Lee Classic Cast Turret is perfect for my current needs.

See this link for the Lee Classic Cast 4-hole Turret in action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB6OS0LoRPE&feature=related
 
So the lee classic turret press would be best? About $300 isnt too much money and i definately want more than 25-50 round per hour. will it reload my 45 acp, 9mm AND .50 AE?
 
speros said:
So the lee classic turret press would be best?
[...]
i definately want more than 25-50 round per hour.
[...]
will it reload my 45 acp, 9mm AND .50 AE?
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1) take your time finding out; you'll be living with your decision for some time
2) with a good rhythm, you can get 100 rounds/hour out of a single stage, once you know what you're doing.
3) yes

How many round/hour do you want? Depends on the value of your time and how much shooting you do or will do. Everything else flows from that.
 
your amazing help!

I think im going to get that lee classic single stage because i dont know too much about reloading and i do have lots of time on my hands.

Im most likely going to buy 1000 empty cases new for the desert eagle

Wheredo you reccomend i buy my press in canada for the best deal?
 
speros said:
Im most likely going to buy 1000 empty cases new for the desert eagle

Wheredo you reccomend i buy my press in canada for the best deal?
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1) that's a lot! Will last a long, long time - which is OK
2) if you want the lee classic cast, Higginson Powders. If the RCBS kit, just about anywhere. The Lee is the better deal and has through-ram primer disposal (which is a faster and cleaner way of managing them).

The first thing you should buy is one or two reloading manuals - i like the Sierra and Lyman ones. Then read and understand.
 
Would you say the lee turret press is the best quality for the money?

Also will i be able to load 9mm 45 acp and 50 ae?
 
speros said:
Would you say the lee turret press is the best quality for the money?

Also will i be able to load 9mm 45 acp and 50 ae?
Click to expand...

The Lee Classic Cast Turret is the best Turret Press for the money, IMO, because it is strong as heck due to its base and linkage being made from cast steel. They use recycled railroad rails for their cast steel, and this is high tensile strength and abrasion resistant steel. There are only two plastic parts that can wear out or break and they cost 6 bucks and .50 cents. It is much more convenient to use a turret over a single stage press because with a turret press, you can buy several turrets and set up each of your dies for 9, 45 and 50.

When you want to change calibers on a turret press, just flop in the appropriate turret set-up, easy. With a single stage, for every caliber, you need to set at least three dies for every caliber. Each die has to be set precisely and that is tedious, time consuming and could result in inconsistent ammo.

Lee makes a Turret Press with an Aluminum base....you do not want this model for the simple reason that the Classic Cast Turret is available for a few dollars more.

The Classic Cast Turret will load 9mm, 45acp and 50 AE. See this link. Lee makes dies for your desired calibers as well.
http://factorysales.com/html/xcart/home.php
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/Lee-Deluxe-Turre...item27acc678a9

This set will get you started for sure.

Later on, you may want to buy the Safety Prime and the powder die riser. for faster priming.

That Lee powder scale is Ok and will definitely work.

You still need to buy your 9, 45 and 50 pistol dies.

Go to this website. They have everything you need. Use USPS, not UPS to ship. UPS brokerage fees will shock you. USPS does not charge brokerage. Or look for a Canadian supplier or dealer. I bought many of my Lee equipment, i.e. Classic Single Stage Press, Lee Melter Pot, various bullet molds and dies, etc. from Reliable Gun in Vancouver. But I bought my Classic Turrets and other stuff from Lee Factory Sales.

http://factorysales.com/html/xcart/home.php
 
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