affordable reloading setup for lazy apartment dweller?

[t-star]

so after some reading and browsing, i'm really thinking that the Lee Pro 1000 progressive is the most likely candidate for me. it's maybe a bit tall, but in all other respects it seems to be what i need (and will be comfortable with). it's not too expensive either, from what i can see.

thanks for the pics and ideas that some of you provided when it comes to mounting it for minimal space! i think i can make it fit and be unobtrusive.

get yourself a lee hand primer- the autoprime, and be prepared to miss the odd primer, which you''ll have to clean station no 2 with compressed air to rid yourself of the powder charge, and clear the trough- ask the guy that has 3 of them-and keep the TROUGH FULL, that means filling the tray when it gets empty, so there's ALWAYS 10/12 in the system- the primer feed relies on gravity, and there must be sufficent primers in the cue to advance the feed- other than that, you can help things along with a 15 degree foward tilt , putting o rings or twist ties on the primer column, or use a pencil to advance the feed manually

 

[BP7]

if you look at the pics i sent you, you'll see THREE of them on the LARGER TABLE

i did. looks like you've got 5 setups on that!!! looks fairly compact, and actually gave me some more appreciation as to their size.

 

[t-star]

thanks! i'd appreciate some pics!

yeah, the price is around 250 or maybe less if i can score a great deal, and seems to come with 95% of what i'd want and need. evidently there's a bullet loading attachment too that's not too expensive and could speed things up some more, and adjustable powder system for a few bucks (either a dual-disk type or the knob-slider thing)

only thing left to figure out is - which caliber to start with? i shoot 40, 45, and 38/357. i've got a stash of 40 ammo so i'm kinda ok there (around 800 rounds left), and the 45 gun needs some tweaking before it'll see real use (got 100 rounds for that), so probably 38/357 as the kit. but do i use the exact same setup for either 38 or 357, or do i have to change a part or two when going between 38 and 357?

FORGET THE BULLET FEEDER- IT'S TROUBLE from the get-go=the 38/357 use exactly the dies, but you turn the seater die up a half turn for the 357- the dual disk is exactly what it says it is- 2 disks on top of one another, and in my opinion, not necessary unless you have large cap cases- get the adjustable charge bar- when you go to the 45 auto, you'll need a BENT z-bar to get it to feed right- and you'll need a second cheap single stage press for the FACTORY CRIMP DIE for the revolver- that ensures that EVERY CASE CHAMBERS IN EVERY CYLINDER- i have one, and i even spent the 11 bucks to get it- without it YOU MAY not have every case go into every chamber, -i just do everything else, then run the lot through the factory crimp die as a last step

 

[t-star]

i did. looks like you've got 5 setups on that!!! looks fairly compact, and actually gave me some more appreciation as to their size.

that's right , there;s 5- the collator is that big red thing on the top of the columns- if you want to take up you can always dismount the columns- they just pull out- -45, 9mm , and the turret( which i have unoccupied at the moment- it usually is set up for 338 win mag, then you SPIN THE TABLE AROUND and you have 223, and 308 win on the other side- all on a 16x24 table- if i use the ends where the bins are , i can mount another 2 presses

 

[BP7]

...and you'll need a second cheap single stage press for the FACTORY CRIMP DIE for the revolver- that ensures that EVERY CASE CHAMBERS IN EVERY CYLINDER- i have one, and i even spent the 11 bucks to get it- without it YOU MAY not have every case go into every chamber, -i just do everything else, then run the lot through the factory crimp die as a last step

isn't that also possible using a 4-hole turret and the 4-piece die set? or does the kit only come with a 3-die set?

 

[Jarlath]

isn't that also possible using a 4-hole turret and the 4-piece die set? or does the kit only come with a 3-die set?

The lee kit only comes with a 3 pc die set.

1. Sizer/Decapper
2. Throat expander/thru powder die
3. Seat/crimp die

Now I've loaded literally thousands of .38 & .357 on my Lee-1000 with ONLY the above dies. I have never once had an issue of my rounds failing to chamber (except after 75+ rounds of dirty .38spec clogging up the cylinder chambers). So do you NEED the extra die? No, but it cannot hurt. The Lee Seat/Crimp die roll crimps for you, however, you need to ensure the dies are setup properly. Most revolver calibers (rimmed that is) usually have roll crimps, whereas more modern loads have taper crimps.

 

[Jarlath]

I do agree that the bullet feeder is meh in usefullness. It works OK with lighter bullets like 124gr 9mm, but on 180gr .40 and 230gr .45 the feed arms are weak. Plus loading the tubes is a pain in the ass.

 

[t-star]

you were talking about the 1000- that's a 3 holer, and you have to gain a hole somehow for the factory crimp die to work- as far as that goes, i shoot a ruger redhawk with lead reloads, and that's probably why i needed it-as an aside, i found i could feed bullets as fast with a handful kept near the seating die was what the bullet feeder did, and my FINGERS DON'T BREAK- which is what the bullet feeders did- my brother GAVE me his, which was in 9mm , and i changed it to 44, and now it sits on the closet shelf- oh, sure, i replaced the parts that broke- the fingers-now if you go turret m you don't get a CASE feeder, but it is CHEAPER, but you still have to do 4 pulls to get one round-as far as repairs go, you need only a length of that stupid ball chain( 3 bucks for 10 yards at canadian tire) and at least one set of nylon ratchets, jic- i bought my LAST 1000 in 1992, and you know what this year is- and you can GUESS the volumes i go through if i don't have time to change calibers

 

[Lef T]

Here you go.
Get a used Dillon SDB..2 c clamps and rock and roll.
A primer tray,a couple of primer tubes,a small electronic scale,
a set of Calipers when they go on sale at CT for $14.95
and a bucket of Iosso brass cleaner.
When you're done,throw it all in a closet and put plant in its place.

[/IMG]

 

[beltfed]

Go Dillon, you won't regret it.
The Lee press on the other hand...you are taking a bad bet it will work for you.

12,000 rounds a year is a lot of ammo to build. I'd recommend a 650 with a case feeder.

 

[redddogg69]

X2 on the 650. I love mine and wouldn't trade it for anything. I use the lee for rifle only and crank out the pistol on the dillon.

 

[Jarlath]

A few images of my old setup.

My single stage RCBS and the Lee-1000 mounted on 2x8 wood pieces just prior to removing the Lee-1000 for the Hornady LNL-AP (You can see the box in the upper right). You can see the primer feed tray (black circular disk with clear cover) which works just like a standard primer flip tray. Dump the primers in and shake to orient the primers, insert into feeding slot (I retained them with a twist tie bend to a hook for inserting).

You can see the spare 3 hole carrier which I had the universal decapper installed. I decapped everything and then cleaned the brass, for tumbling it was no different than with primers in it, some media still in flash holes, but a lot nicer for the liquid cleaning methods as no trapped pockets for water to sit. And yes I like duct tape

Showing the height difference, the case feed tubes and the case collator accessory are in the bag just behind the presses. My 4 case feeder tubes held 92 .40 cases plus those in the collator.
In my case, the 2x8 boards are wedged under my hutch's lowest shelf and you can see the simple clamp that holds my progressinve in place.

Yes that is my homemade workbench which just a little cluttered and that is 1700 rounds of .40 in cases in the background.

 

[tjhaile]

Here's how I do it:

My Dillon RL550B on the strong mount bolted to a piece of 2x12 makes for a nice, unitized assembly that can easily be stored in a closet when not in use. I can easily load at a cyclic rate of 500-550 rounds/ hour with this setup.

For the volumes you're looking to shoot, a 650 with case feeder would be a reasonable option to consider. I strongly recommend going with a Dillon over Lee; in the long run, component costs will be far higher than the cost of loading equipment, so you might as well spend a little more for the better setup. Blue Kool-Aid is good Kool-Aid.

 

[redddogg69]

Here's how I do it:

My Dillon RL550B on the strong mount bolted to a piece of 2x12 makes for a nice, unitized assembly that can easily be stored in a closet when not in use. I can easily load at a cyclic rate of 500-550 rounds/ hour with this setup.

For the volumes you're looking to shoot, a 650 with case feeder would be a reasonable option to consider. I strongly recommend going with a Dillon over Lee; in the long run, component costs will be far higher than the cost of loading equipment, so you might as well spend a little more for the better setup. Blue Kool-Aid is good Kool-Aid.

X2 on the blue kool-aid

 

[BP7]

hmm, i was about .357" away from buying the Lee 1000 today. what's the comparable setup in parts if i want to Go Blue for 38, 357, 40, and 45? how many different attachments and change-over parts? and who sells it CHEAP? i'm on a budget, after all. the Lee stuff was getting VERY affordable through factorysales.com

 

[Jarlath]

hmm, i was about .357" away from buying the Lee 1000 today. what's the comparable setup in parts if i want to Go Blue for 38, 357, 40, and 45? how many different attachments and change-over parts? and who sells it CHEAP? i'm on a budget, after all. the Lee stuff was getting VERY affordable through factorysales.com

The basic 550 includes:

•Machine with caliber conversion kit (shellplate, locator buttons, powder funnel) in the caliber of your choice.
•Powder measure with standard large and small powder bars (small installed), Small bar throws from 2.1 to 15 grains of powder Large bar throws up to 55 to 60 grains of powder.
•One prime system with large and small priming parts.
•One large and one small pick up tube
•One toolhead
•One powder die
•One loaded cartridge catch bin
•One written instruction manual
•One set of standard Allen wrenches
Dillon 550 is about $400USD without dies.

Also not included but shown in the above image are the following items:
Strongmount (raises the dillon 8.5" of the woden plank) ~ $50
Toolholder on the back of the press ~ $20
Bullet tray mount (to mount to strongmount) -$25

 

[tjhaile]

There is also an empty case bin and bracket in the picture that sells for $24US. The bullet tray is $40US. I buy Dillon stuff from The Shooting Edge if they have it in stock (since I'm in Calgary), and eguns.com if not.