Absolute beginner to reloading - My intent is to NOT waste your time.

[wallz]

FWIW, I'm having good luck with my MEC Marksman single-stage press. One out of every ~50 primers or so misses the plastic catch basin, but meh. Primers are managed through the ram on this model. It's a compact, but solid press. What sold me on it was the floating shell holder, size, smooth operation, and rigidity. It's beefier in person, but in a good way. Lots of decent Youtube reviews on it.

Note: On-press priming is not available on this model, so you either have to do that separately or buy a priming die.

You want a true "floating" press look at the Forster.

You want a decent de-primer - https://www.amazon.ca/latinum-Series-Handheld-Depriming-Tool/dp/B00RPABDZO

This keeps all the spend primer carbon out of your press. Plus it is faster than your press. Lets you clean the primer pockets before you size.

I generally de-prime, clean neck, primer pockets, then anneal, then size, then tumble, then finish off with expander mandrel. Length cutting is measured in between and done when necessary. The factory expander ball is removed from all my dies.

All this talk about what equipment. Get some of the stackable or wall mounted bins. They work great for brass storage. To work on, and ready to load brass in different stages. Those little things go a long way.

 

[saskgunowner101]

Just incase your oven set @ 200f actually reaches 600f ? Lol. I'll take my chances.

I think the only way you could even "maybe-possibly, and even then I have my doubts" mess up brass in the oven, is to throw your brass in and set the temp. That's the only time that you would see high temps. Otherwise, set it to 200-220 F, throw brass in after it beeps, and 20 minutes later you're done. An oven that has temp swings of 400 degrees needs some Jesus or a trip to the train station lol

 

[saskgunowner101]

I dont recommend the Lee C press for your main press. Maybe for some light tasks. Just broke the base doing depriming sizing. Just a heads up if you're looking at buying a first press

And to counter this, mine has never given me a hint of trouble in 15-18 years. While I don't think this is the best or only press one should choose, for starting out it will work fine until you figure out which fancier press you want. If you tend to be hard on equipment, it just shows up earlier on lower quality equipment. We all know someone who should be named Rammy or Ram-Jam, the typical "this guy could wreck an anvil with a glass hammer" and if it's you, this little press is not gonna cut it!

 

[SteelonSteel]

Start with a high quality single stage, used is fine (i would recommend green, or orange, but not red). You will never wear out a quality single stage, and will continue to use it as long as you reload.

Dont even think about a progressive until you are confident in reloading on a single stage, definitely not a lee progressive.

There are ways that you can blow up your gun, or worse seriously injure yourself. Always verify what powder you are using (especially if you have pistol powder and rifle powder on hand). With pistol watch out for no charges or double charges.

Edit: I guess I forgot about the other red presses, and YMMV, but personally I have never had luck with Lee gear. Buy once cry once.

If you buy a Lee press ONLY BUY THE CLASSIC CAST, it’s real iron. Their other presses are an alloy that has failed and cracked on way more than one reloader.

It’s hard to go wrong with a Redding Big Boss or a RCBS Rock Chunker.


Edit,…..buying used well cared for quality presses and tools can save you a bundle.

 

[stubblejumper]

I personally won't own a press that isn't made of cast iron. I have helped people that had cheap aluminum LEE presses, and they definitely aren't as powerful or rigid as my Rockchucker.

 

[SteelonSteel]

I personally won't own a press that isn't made of cast iron. I have helped people that had cheap aluminum LEE presses, and they definitely aren't as powerful or rigid as my Rockchucker.

Yep, they’ll do just fine usually for straight wall pistol ammo. Sometimes if you get a hard resize task like trying to size 7.62 machine gun fired brass (loose chambers) to use in a regular gun the resistance is greater than the material can handle. Camming over the dies too far can do it even faster I bet.

 

[Potashminer]

Buy as much as you can used. I bought evertthing new when i started. It was costly then. Now the prices are ridiculous as with everything today.

Yesterday I was in a store - too lazy to load some 6.5x55 - talk about a "learning lesson" - holy crap - cheapest store bought shells cost $89.58 for 40 rounds - looked at "modern" retail prices for powder / bullets / primers / cases - holy! And the cost of reloading gear would knock my socks off!!

 

[dcalf]

Yesterday I was in a store - too lazy to load some 6.5x55 - talk about a "learning lesson" - holy crap - cheapest store bought shells cost $89.58 for 40 rounds - looked at "modern" retail prices for powder / bullets / primers / cases - holy! And the cost of reloading gear would knock my socks off!!

I feel like that anytime I take a look in the store, I dont know how anyone can afford to shoot centerfire without reloading.