affordable reloading setup for lazy apartment dweller?

Here are the pics of my apt. sized walk-in closet/gun room.
First pic is the view straight in from the bedroom:
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Next is the cleaning bench to the left of the door:
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Then the right side of the room where i keep the safe and gun cases:
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I also installed a locking door handle onto the closet door so that when i go out i can lock it. Even if the super did enter my unit he wouldn't be able to access the room. As it is a closet he shouldn't have to either.
 
BP7 said:
ok, so let's say it's 1,000 per month of whichever caliber i'm running low on. i guess i'd like to be able to do at least 500 in one sitting, and ideally do the full 1,000 in one sit and have it be a done deal for the rest of the month (or at least 2 weeks IF there's a match coming up). does this sound like i'd be best served with a progressive setup? or will a basic turret still be fine for that monthly volume?
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Those volumes say progressive to me. I have a Lee Classic Turret Press and it works well when set up as a semi-progressive, but I couldn't see getting more than 150-175 rounds an hour even when you really have it down. A full progressive will top that by a bunch with no sweat at all.

As noted several times, you are better off spending a bit more now to really get set up properly and then you never have to worry about it again and you will get years of trouble free service from your equipment.

There are basically two kinds of reloaders. The first is doing it simply for economy and wants to get the job over with in the minimum time. That sounds like you. The second is more interested in producing precision ammo and is not so worried about volume. That is usually the rifle guys more than the pistol guys and they tend to work slower in the interests of quality over quantity.

In your case, invest in a quality volume production system and you should never look back.

Mark
 
thanks! good to see the pics - and the volume estimate of a turret press. 150-per-hour would mean i'd be there for 6-7 hours churning out ammo. ouch, that's a long time. if a progressive will shave that down to 2-3 hours, then that would definitely be more to my liking. time is money and since my only free time is on weekends, those extra few hours are probably worth saving.

guess it's just a matter of finding the most compact fully progressive one...
 
BP7 said:
thanks! good to see the pics - and the volume estimate of a turret press. 150-per-hour would mean i'd be there for 6-7 hours churning out ammo. ouch, that's a long time. if a progressive will shave that down to 2-3 hours, then that would definitely be more to my liking. time is money and since my only free time is on weekends, those extra few hours are probably worth saving.

guess it's just a matter of finding the most compact fully progressive one...
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The progressive will load double or more of pistol calibres compared to the turret press, from what I have seen. I know a buddy borrowed some time on a friends full progressive setup this spring and knocked out 500 rounds of 9mm in one evening with no issues. That sounds like the kind of thing you are looking for.

I would say that you will probably be able to find other bits of time as well, even if you don't think so. Once you are set up for loading, it only takes a few minutes to sit down and crank off a few rounds if you leave everything organized and ready to go. You could sit down before bed for 30 minutes each night and hammer off 150+ rounds without working at it, that adds up over time.

Mark
 
At 1000/month you're definitely in the progressive range. If I get all my components ready ahead of time (powder measure checked, brass and bullets sorted and primers pre-loaded into pick-up tubes) I can turn out 500/hour quite easily. During the IPSC season I focus on 9mm and leave my press set up that way. I load 45 and 38 during the winter (a couple thousand of each) and that keeps me supplied all year.

edit: The cost of reloads vs factory is what draws people to reloading. But the real benefit is having the load exactly the way you want it.
 
BP7 said:
well, it's not just a matter of not having space for it overall, it's also a matter of not wanting to have a rig take up too much space. back in my electronic tinkering days (and then in my automotive tinkering days), i've had workbenches set up and they just clutter and clutter and clutter some more. after a while, it's like this old anchor reminding me of what i one blew inordinate amounts of money on. so, it's partly actual physical space, and partly psychological clutter. a buddy of mine has a massive garage / workshop where he does his race car stuff, and i can't seem to get past the "old, cluttered, dirty" aspect of it whenever i hang out at his place.
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For physical space, the large the volume you want to crank out the greater the real estate you take up in general.
Lee Progressives are by far the smallest of the progressives, and are the cheapest.

If you buy a Lee-1000 or Loadmaster press new, you also get a set of dies and a manually loaded case feeder (You stock the feed tubes manually, which hold roughly 100 .40 cases). However, I would say a Lee-1000 is only really good for up to 250 rounds/hour with a case collator (which is a very effective and simple case-feed loading tool). Dunno about the loadmaster. The powder thrower is OK, but not truly adjustable like those in more expensive press setups.

Higher end presses cost more $$$ but rates can go 400, 600, 800+ rounds per hour. Mostof the larger presses take up a greater footprint and with casefeeders, a much higher ariel presence.

BP7 said:
i guess to make it easier - imagine i'm a banker that likes to shoot and for one reason or another will be reloading. the last thing i'd want is to have reloading stuff that takes up more than the minimum possible space, and invites more clutter and mess.

as to how much ammo i go through: well, the 22LR is a brick each day i go to the range. when i did a "service pistol" day with a few IDPA courses of fire (just starting the whole IDPA thing), i went through just shy of 180 rounds - and i was being conscious of how much i've got left since i only brought 250 with me and didn't want to run dry ahead of time. shooting .40S&W means i can't buy a few rounds from the next guy since they mostly shoot 9mm.

so yeah, for any one caliber (aside from 22LR), i can see myself going through 250+ each week. i might change which caliber i shoot each week, but it'll likely be 250+ of that caliber in that week. i've got 3 calibers to choose from (not including the 22LR which is just target practice stuff)

EDIT (update):

ok, so let's say it's 1,000 per month of whichever caliber i'm running low on. i guess i'd like to be able to do at least 500 in one sitting, and ideally do the full 1,000 in one sit and have it be a done deal for the rest of the month (or at least 2 weeks IF there's a match coming up). does this sound like i'd be best served with a progressive setup? or will a basic turret still be fine for that monthly volume?
Click to expand...

How long would a sitting be? 1 hour? 4 hours? How much is your time worth?
Lee-1000 w/case collator: 250 rounds/hour
Pros: Cheapest progressive available (Under $250), small loading area, comes with dies
Cons: Primer feed is a flaw, powder thrower is pre-set volumes, cheaply made (lots of plastic).

I upgraded to a Hornady LNL-AP because of time constraints from a trio of Lee-1000's. The LNL-AP w/ case feeder was 4x the cost of a Lee-1000. Mind you it is easy to do 600 rounds an hour. (I can crank out a round every 2-3 seconds w/o trying.)
 
Jarlath said:
For physical space, the large the volume you want to crank out the greater the real estate you take up in general.
Lee Progressives are by far the smallest of the progressives, and are the cheapest.

If you buy a Lee-1000 or Loadmaster press new, you also get a set of dies and a manually loaded case feeder (You stock the feed tubes manually, which hold roughly 100 .40 cases). However, I would say a Lee-1000 is only really good for up to 250 rounds/hour with a case collator (which is a very effective and simple case-feed loading tool). Dunno about the loadmaster. The powder thrower is OK, but not truly adjustable like those in more expensive press setups.

Higher end presses cost more $$$ but rates can go 400, 600, 800+ rounds per hour. Mostof the larger presses take up a greater footprint and with casefeeders, a much higher ariel presence.



How long would a sitting be? 1 hour? 4 hours? How much is your time worth?
Lee-1000 w/case collator: 250 rounds/hour
Pros: Cheapest progressive available (Under $250), small loading area, comes with dies
Cons: Primer feed is a flaw, powder thrower is pre-set volumes, cheaply made (lots of plastic).

I upgraded to a Hornady LNL-AP because of time constraints from a trio of Lee-1000's. The LNL-AP w/ case feeder was 4x the cost of a Lee-1000. Mind you it is easy to do 600 rounds an hour. (I can crank out a round every 2-3 seconds w/o trying.)
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check my pics. My dillion XL650 takes up about 1.5" more space than my lee breechlock (not including the cartridge catching bin) I spent a few hundred more on the dillon but it was well worth it. My loading stand is a walmart microwave stand with a reinforced top.
 
redddogg69 said:
check my pics. My dillion XL650 takes up about 1.5" more space than my lee breechlock (not including the cartridge catching bin) I spent a few hundred more on the dillon but it was well worth it. My loading stand is a walmart microwave stand with a reinforced top.
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A few hundred more on the Blue? Are you including the optional case feeder in that cost? Are you comparing width only? What about depth and vertical real estate?

I am not saying that the 650XL isn't a great press, but the OP did want the smallest presses to deal with a specific volume of reloading. Most of the problem will be how much free time the OP considers to be a sitting.

You will also note I said Most, not all presses which cost more :)
 
Jarlath said:
A few hundred more on the Blue? Are you including the optional case feeder in that cost? Are you comparing width only? What about depth and vertical real estate?

I am not saying that the 650XL isn't a great press, but the OP did want the smallest presses to deal with a specific volume of reloading. Most of the problem will be how much free time the OP considers to be a sitting.

You will also note I said Most, not all presses which cost more :)
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i'd probably skip on fancy attachments like case feeders, bullet feeders, and other catchers and whatnots - at least up front. gotta be economical, after all! in both money and space.

as to a single sitting - i'd say that i'd rather sit ONCE and churn them out for 4 hours and be done with it for the next 3-4 weeks. if i start splitting up my time - a bit today, a bit later on, come back 2 days later, etc - then i'd probably get TOO distracted and never finish it. i know myself when it comes to slices of time - it's either one good block of time, or it never gets done.

oh, and just in case it makes any difference, this is handgun ONLY. there will not ever come a time that i will do rifles. the absolute largest caliber i could see myself doing on this would be 44Mag, and even then i doubt i'd shoot that much of it since it's not a practical caliber for IDPA (which is my MAIN activity in this sport).
 
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.
 
BP7 said:
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.
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Don't forget that NRCAN regs require you to lock up your powder and primers, you will need some space for that if you want to be 100% legal.

Mark
 
BP7 said:
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.
Click to expand...

When I get home tonight I'll post an old image of my Lee-1000 next to my RCBS Rockchucker. I have mine bolted to 2x8 pcs of wood and c-clamped down so that there are easily removable.

The Pro-1000 is a decent press. For $250 you get a progressive press, which includes dies (and a case collator, make sure you get it!).
Simple to load the primer feeder, just read up on how to ensure that primer feed remains consistantly reliable. With the case collator, you can load 100 cases of 100 in a minute, and with the primer tray style feeder, loading the primer system with another 100 is 20 seconds of work. Biggest setback will be the lack of adjustment in the powder measure system (uses non-adjustable discs) which make tailoring loads a lot tougher to duo.
 
mmattockx said:
Don't forget that NRCAN regs require you to lock up your powder and primers, you will need some space for that if you want to be 100% legal.

Mark
Click to expand...

ya, those are easy. can be inside a closet on the shelf, so i'm ok there. silly regs, but at least easy to deal with.
 
Jarlath said:
When I get home tonight I'll post an old image of my Lee-1000 next to my RCBS Rockchucker. I have mine bolted to 2x8 pcs of wood and c-clamped down so that there are easily removable.

The Pro-1000 is a decent press. For $250 you get a progressive press, which includes dies (and a case collator, make sure you get it!).
Simple to load the primer feeder, just read up on how to ensure that primer feed remains consistantly reliable. With the case collator, you can load 100 cases of 100 in a minute, and with the primer tray style feeder, loading the primer system with another 100 is 20 seconds of work. Biggest setback will be the lack of adjustment in the powder measure system (uses non-adjustable discs) which make tailoring loads a lot tougher to duo.
Click to expand...

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?
 
You know, for a few dollars more you can get a Dillon Square Deal. Better press. I had a Lee 1000 and it was unreliable, parts broke, it jammed frequently and primer feeding was not 100%. Now, maybe quality has improved over the last 10 years... but I love my Dillon, and they have a great warranty/customer service philosophy.

Williams Arms in Port Perry is a Dillon dealer too if you want to avoid the US to Canada shipping BS. Just a thought, when I moved, I scrapped the Lee and kept the Dillon.
 
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