Advice for beginner reloading setup

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alpining

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Hi all - I'd appreciate any advice on a starter reloading kit. I've looked through the threads here a bit and I'm pretty well convinced that I'll be best served by some sort of a single-stage operation at this point (given the volume that I think I'll be shooting). Maybe you folks can give me more info relevant to my particular situation:

I have plenty of experience shooting, but none reloading. My primary motivation is to save cash (I've been away from shooting for 15 years, and ammunition is a bit expensive). I'm aware that it may take years for me to pay off the cost of the equipment, and I'm fine with that. It will be nice to be able to build some accurate loads, too, but I haven't (yet) found factory ammunition to be the limiting factor in my accuracy. I'll be shooting mostly 308 and 45ACP. A bit of 300WM, too, but I have no idea if that's even possible or smart to reload.

First, what sort of factory ammo do you recommend that I shoot while I build up my brass collection? Or does it matter?

Second, does it complicate things since I want to reload both rifle and pistol? Do all presses handle this?

Third, is there any equipment that I'd be able to use later on if I decide it's also economical to start reloading 12ga?

Anything else you think I should be aware of in my situation? Oh, and any recommendations for your favourite shops in and around Calgary?

Many thanks in advance...
 
Ok well i think i might be able to help you with a few of your questions although i am a new reloader myself i spent months before i chose my press.

1. how much 45 ACP will you be shooting because that will be a big factor in deciding between a progressive vs a single stage also do you expect to be shooting any other pistol calibers anytime soon? The reason i ask is because single stages are slow and loading large quantity of ammo on them can become a tiring task like pistol ammo. But a single stage is always good to have even if you end up getting a progressive in the future.

2. as far as factory loads i would try to use matching head stamps. but i would look into Canadian bdx ammo for your 45 as they make nice reloaded ammo for a much better price than factory.

3.doing rifle and pistol on the same press IMO isn't a real big deal depending on the press. although i don't have a ton of experience in the matter so advice from someone that has been doing it longer may be better.

4.i have not seen any machines that do shot shell and metallic reloading but i have never looked either.

5. most importantly go buy 2 books 1 being the ABC's of reloading and the other being a good reloading manual i hear good thing of Speer Lyman and Hornady manuals. I bought the Speer #14 and the ABC's of reloading and they are a wealth of information i also just got the Hornady 8th edition
 
A Dillon 550 will do nicely for both rifle and pistol reloading if you want one press to do it all. The same shellplate will work for .45 and .308 and the same powder funnel works for .308 and .300 WM. The .45 and .300 WM conversion kits will give you all the conversion parts you need (besides dies) for the three cartridges. You would need the extra large powder measure charge bar for .300 WM.

If that seems like overkill, a turret press is another option if your pistol shooting is fairly low volume. You could also buy a single stage for rifle reloading and a progressive for pistol reloading. Dillon's Square Deal might actually make sense if you only ever plan on using it to load .45: it uses proprietary dies and calibre changes cost more and take more time than with the 550.

You don't want to load pistol ammo on a single stage unless you want to truly know the meaning of the word monotony.

For .45, I would buy a supply of commercial reloads from Wolf or Combat Masters (aka BDX) and save the brass to tide you over. Pro Line sells once-fired brass; they might have .308 and .300 WM.

Shotshell and metallic cartridge reloading use different equipment. I don't think that loading shotshells is worth your while unless you are loading something like 16 or 28 gauge. You can buy a case of 250 12 gauge target loads at Wholesale for about $65.00; I doubt you can load your own for less.
 
alpining said:
Hi all - I'd appreciate any advice on a starter reloading kit. I've looked through the threads here a bit and I'm pretty well convinced that I'll be best served by some sort of a single-stage operation at this point (given the volume that I think I'll be shooting). Maybe you folks can give me more info relevant to my particular situation:

I have plenty of experience shooting, but none reloading. My primary motivation is to save cash (I've been away from shooting for 15 years, and ammunition is a bit expensive). I'm aware that it may take years for me to pay off the cost of the equipment, and I'm fine with that. It will be nice to be able to build some accurate loads, too, but I haven't (yet) found factory ammunition to be the limiting factor in my accuracy. I'll be shooting mostly 308 and 45ACP. A bit of 300WM, too, but I have no idea if that's even possible or smart to reload.

First, what sort of factory ammo do you recommend that I shoot while I build up my brass collection? Or does it matter?

Second, does it complicate things since I want to reload both rifle and pistol? Do all presses handle this?

Third, is there any equipment that I'd be able to use later on if I decide it's also economical to start reloading 12ga?

Anything else you think I should be aware of in my situation? Oh, and any recommendations for your favourite shops in and around Calgary?

Many thanks in advance...
Click to expand...

Okay.

1. Whatever shoots the best in your particular rifle.
2 & 3. I do not load pistol, but, I do know that a single stage system is slow. If you don't mind slow, then carry on, and no, I do not believe that there is a press available that you can load shotshell and metallic cartridges. You would have to design dies yourself.
4. The only one I know in Calgary is Wholesale Sports.
5. While I wouldn't bother with the buying factory ammo to build up your brass supply. 50 pieces of .308 brass is about $30. 100 bullets is $30 or so. Powder is also about $30. 100 primers is about $4. So; brass, bullets, powder primer to make 100 rounds (50 rounds twice) will cost you $100. 100 rounds of commercial .308 is around $110. Each additional 50 is progressively cheaper. However, I am not you.

My suggestion would be that you pick one firearm to reload for. Pick up a Lee Anniversary Kit for $130, it contains all you need to start reloading and when you eventually upgrade, it didn't cost an arm and a leg. Buy 50 pack of brass ($30). Pick up a box of primers ($3), powder ($30), bullets($30), and a die set($35). Unfortunately, it will cost you close to $300. You may have to spread that out. If you do then I suggest that you buy the components first. Then the press. If you do it the other way around, you will go crazy wanting to get into loading those rounds.
Enjoy, RW
 
i agree on the shotshell reloading i looked into it alot as i shoot probably 10,000 rounds of target load a year and i decided it wouldn't be worth it also if your looking at progressive dont count out the hornady lnl
i also think IMO that if you get 100 factory loads for 110 dollars and 100 (50 twice) reloads for 100 dollars start with factory as it will give you a extra 50 brass
 
only reason to look at reloading shotgun is cuz factory slug ammo is a buck a shot. if you're shooting trap or skeet, there's no point. i shoot PPC Slug Gun so it's only slugs, and for that i'm gonna reload (and cast my own crap)

for pistol, i have and like a Lee Pro1000. but it won't do rifle (except .223Rem). the Lee Loadmaster will do it all for a few bucks more. but i shoot 500 rounds a month in the summer, so i can't deal with anything other than a progressive. and i don't need supreme accuracy so the simple low-cost Pro1000 works great for me.
 
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