Approximate cost of getting set up?

Bonecrusher90

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Hi guys, new to the forum so hope this is the right spot. Just wondering exactly what equipment is required and what the general cost would be to get a good reloading setup. Would be looking to reload 45/70govt, 30-06 and 308. Thanks
 
Sounds like you need a single stage. The good news is, its the cheapest way to start.
The guys that have dropped more primers on the floor, than rounds I've reloaded, should be here to set you on the right path in 3...2...1...
 
You can get the RCBS single stage starter kit for between $300-400, look for sales. It has quite a bit of starter eqpt. You then need a die set for each calibre (approx $75/each) brass prep equipment such as a tumbler ($100?), caliper (50?), case trimmer & case prep kit (100$?). So roughly $800-$1000 new depending on quality, but there should be used eqpt significantly cheaper you could look for. I'm sure I have forgotten some things and as you do more reloading you will likely need more than one reloading manual and will replace some starter equipment with better quality items.
 
Lots of us started out with one of the Lee kits. I bought an anniversary kit for around $120 a few years ago. Came with everything necessary to get reloading except the appropriate dies. May not be top tier stuff but made lots of good quality, accurate ammo with it before I started upgrading parts of it. First thing to go was the scale. Worked, was accurate, but I never liked it. I still use most of the other stuff at times though.
 
When I first started I had a lee hand press($50), lee hand trimmer and brass prep tools($75+/-) and a rcbs scale($120)which I hand trickled each charge. Add on 50$ for dies and your reloading slowly but surely. Mid you I only went this way because I was in camp more than at home so it helped pass them time, I've since upgraded everything but the scale. I really like the fact I have a very mobile reloading setup for load testing. Big waste of $ if that's not something your after though I guess.
 
When I first started I had a lee hand press($50), lee hand trimmer and brass prep tools($75+/-) and a rcbs scale($120)which I hand trickled each charge. Add on 50$ for dies and your reloading slowly but surely. Mid you I only went this way because I was in camp more than at home so it helped pass them time, I've since upgraded everything but the scale. I really like the fact I have a very mobile reloading setup for load testing. Big waste of $ if that's not something your after though I guess.


If money is an issue, this is the best way to start out. You don't need a bench. The kitchen table will work fine. As far as a caliper goes, I agree but one of the cheap Chinese knock offs will do anything you need done with it. One tool I would recommend would be a good power weighing scale. Hornady makes a small cheapie that sells for around $80. Lee neck sizing dies will do the trick and are reasonably priced as well but you can go to gun shows and pick up used dies for $30 per set for RCBS/Hornady/Redding etc. A powder measure may be in the cards if you are planning on doing a lot of re loading but if you're only doing three cases just cut off a case to appx the length that holds the amount of powder needed for a load to use as a dipper then finish the charge off with the scale.

Lubricant application pads can be made up from an old pad of cloth nailed/screwed to a block of wood.

A case neck chamfer tool is nice to have as well but you can make do with a counter sink tool and a hand file for the outer edge. Takes a bit more time is all.

Just to show you how accurate the Lyman hand tool is, I used one in a pinch for reloading match ammo at a Hunter Bench rest shoot. I couldn't tell the difference between the cartridges made up on the Wilson arbor press and dies.
 
With the dollar what it is just now expect to pay more.

So I see Lee rifle die sets are around $50 a set. So for three sets that's $150'ish right out of the gate.

A Lee 50th package kit is listed at $180 at Cabela's canada. So it looks like around $360 to $380 after taxes for the main gear to get started.

You'll want to add a way to clean the brass to that. I tried tumbling and gave up on it. I tried ultrasonic and liked it well enough that I still use it. I don't doubt that the stainless media wet tumbling works superbly. But just pain US cleaning gets my rifle brass looking like new already with a 15 minute cleaning cycle. So I don't see any reason to switch. If you go this way you don't need an overly large unit. I've got one of the smaller heated units (roughly 600ml) that cost me $70 a few years ago. I would be able to clean around 25 45-70 casings at a go. But at around 10 to 15 minutes per bunch it doesn't take long to do a few hundred while you're doing something else. With prices what they are if you opted for this method then figure on as high possibly as $150 for a 1 to 1.3 liter model that would do around 40 to 50 cases per cleaning cycle.

After that I guess it's up to you.

Oh, if you'd rather go with the "buy once, cry once" idea then Hornady and RCBS make single stage kits that are up around $450 to $500.
 
If you're loading rifle get a single stage press to start with. Cast iron or steel will outlast aluminum but which you buy will depend on your budget. Aluminum presses are perfectly acceptable but they will show wear faster. Stay away from Frankford Arsenal presses, they sell a lot of cheap junk.

The TOOLS you need as a minimum:
1. press, (most presses c/w primer seating tool) $75-$150
2. case preparation kit (mouth inside/outside chamfering tool, primer pocket cleaners) Lyman kit is good. $60
3. beam scale $75
4. kinetic bullet puller - because everyone makes mistakes. :redface: $35
5. cantire digital caliper $20
6. dies $50 per cartridge
7. loading blocks - you can make your own pretty easy with a 2x4 and a drill. $10
8. Lee powder measure dipper kit - handy and cheap. Use it to make your beam scale powder dispensing go faster. $15
9. Lee trimmer kit for you cartridge. $10
10. powder funnel. $10

You can make good ammo with that setup.
 
If you're loading rifle get a single stage press to start with. Cast iron or steel will outlast aluminum but which you buy will depend on your budget. Aluminum presses are perfectly acceptable but they will show wear faster. Stay away from Frankford Arsenal presses, they sell a lot of cheap junk.

The TOOLS you need as a minimum:
1. press, (most presses c/w primer seating tool) $75-$150
2. case preparation kit (mouth inside/outside chamfering tool, primer pocket cleaners) Lyman kit is good. $60
3. beam scale $75
4. kinetic bullet puller - because everyone makes mistakes. :redface: $35
5. cantire digital caliper $20
6. dies $50 per cartridge
7. loading blocks - you can make your own pretty easy with a 2x4 and a drill. $10
8. Lee powder measure dipper kit - handy and cheap. Use it to make your beam scale powder dispensing go faster. $15
9. Lee trimmer kit for you cartridge. $10
10. powder funnel. $10

You can make good ammo with that setup.

Forget the primer arm on most single stage presses. Worthless. Get a proper priming tool. I prefer the RCBS hand primer. Otherwise the list of items is pretty good in my opinion.
 
The press price in jethunter's reply is optimistically cheap. Only the open sided and very cheaply made Lee Reloader press can be had for that. And if the goal is better quality ammo then I really feel that a person should start with a closed loop frame or something properly stiff and longer lasting. And that means starting at around $140 and going up from there.

But otherwise the list looks good. Although I can buy a REALLY NICE digital scale for what the beam style ones are costing. In fact I can buy a nice digital scale AND a powder tricker for that much.
 
Lee Precision 50th Anniversary Reloading Kit $ 160

frankford arsenal digital scale $ 40

dies $ 35

calipers $ 20

bullets $ 20 - $ 50

powder $ 40

all prices are approx and other than the projectiles and powder the gear will last a very long time
 
Jet hunters list is good.
I tumble all my cases, but it's only because I like how they look. A balance beam scale is more reliable than most electronic scales. I have and use both, for some things electronic is nicer, but for you to start out I still suggest mechanical.
I suggest that to start out with you don't buy a case polisher. Shiny cases shoot NO better than tarnished cases, they just look better.
 
This is a very, very difficult question to answer because it depends on how far back you start from and how far forward you're planning to go.


Did you get some manuals? Plan on two to four manuals ($40-$100). Lyman's and the ABC's of Reloading seem universally recommended, and you will probably want something from your bullet or powder maker to get their load data.

Do you have a workbench? You can't reload off a kitchen table, as a rule. A good, solid bench with shelves and drawers weights 150-200 pounds and is typically $300 (you can make your own for less than $100, of course). Do you need more light on your work area? Is there an electrical outlet close by? Have you got a comfortable stool to sit on?

Do you already have storage bins, shelf space and basic tools? Boxes and trays for your cartridges? You'll likely need good quality measuring tools (caliper and balance): don't trust your firearm's safety to cheap $20 calipers or a kitchen scale! Plan on $150-$250 on tools. Don't forget a bullet puller ($20-$30) and a powder funnel!

You'll want to prepare the cases. Dry media tumblers start around $80, wet media (stainless steel pins) are getting very popular I hear (they get great results) but cost around $300.

You'll need trimming, chamfering, deburring and cleaning tools for the cases and/or primer pockets. Lube for bottleneck cases. Depending on bells and whistles (manual tools vs powered tools), plan on $40 to $250.

What kind of reloading are you looking at? Will you be making large batches of good-enough handgun ammunition? Small batches of very consistent precision loads for a long range rifle? Shotgun shells? That determines the kind of press you'll need. You can usually reload most handgun and rifle cartridges on the same press. Shotgun shells require their own reloading press. Single-stage presses are cheap and slow, you reload in batches ($150-$200), one operation at a time. Turreted presses are a tad faster and costlier: you still reload in batches, but the setup between batches is much faster ($200-$300). Progressive presses are fastest and costliest, they're like a mini-assembly chain that perform multiple operations at once ($500-$700 without motorized accessories).

Whatever the press you chose, you need shell holder plates ($10-$40), and dies ($50-80 per set). Some shell holders fit multiple calibers, the dies are usually specific to a single caliber/case/shell size.

Progressive presses usually include a priming tool ($30-$40) and powder measure/throw tools($50-$100). Plan on buying them separately for turreted and single-stage presses. Plan on different priming tools for the different primer sizes. A powder trickler is practical but not mandatory ($20-$100).

Will you be annealing your brass to prolong its life? Will you be casting your own lead bullets? Will you be making wildcat cartridges? Those are entire new set of tools for each application.


So, to conclude: approximate cost? Anywhere from $500-800 for the simplest of setups (see Jethunter's post) to $1500-$2000 for a progressive with a complete set good quality tools to $4000+ for the true enthusiast that can do it all himself. :d


And then there's the cases, powder, bullets... :p
 
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When it comes to choosing a press, all I can suggest is watch a lot of YouTube videos on the ones you are trying to choose from. You will see their features and how they function. I found this helped for me because you're going to be operating this machine for extended periods of time so liking the features and it's method of operation helps a lot.
 
Forget the primer arm on most single stage presses. Worthless. Get a proper priming tool. I prefer the RCBS hand primer. Otherwise the list of items is pretty good in my opinion.

Maybe for you, but I did use the primer arm when I first stated and it worked ok for thouisands of rounds. It's one of the things that can be upgraded later.
 
This is a very, very difficult question to answer because it depends on how far back you start from and how far forward you're planning to go.


Did you get some manuals? Plan on two to four manuals ($40-$100). Lyman's and the ABC's of Reloading seem universally recommended, and you will probably want something from your bullet or powder maker to get their load data.

Do you have a workbench? You can't reload off a kitchen table, as a rule. A good, solid bench with shelves and drawers weights 150-200 pounds and is typically $300 (you can make your own for less than $100, of course). Do you need more light on your work area? Is there an electrical outlet close by? Have you got a comfortable stool to sit on?

Do you already have storage bins, shelf space and basic tools? Boxes and trays for your cartridges? You'll likely need good quality measuring tools (caliper and balance): don't trust your firearm's safety to cheap $20 calipers or a kitchen scale! Plan on $150-$250 on tools. Don't forget a bullet puller ($20-$30) and a powder funnel!

You'll want to prepare the cases. Dry media tumblers start around $80, wet media (stainless steel pins) are getting very popular I hear (they get great results) but cost around $300.

You'll need trimming, chamfering, deburring and cleaning tools for the cases and/or primer pockets. Lube for bottleneck cases. Depending on bells and whistles (manual tools vs powered tools), plan on $40 to $250.

What kind of reloading are you looking at? Will you be making large batches of good-enough handgun ammunition? Small batches of very consistent precision loads for a long range rifle? Shotgun shells? That determines the kind of press you'll need. You can usually reload most handgun and rifle cartridges on the same press. Shotgun shells require their own reloading press. Single-stage presses are cheap and slow, you reload in batches ($150-$200), one operation at a time. Turreted presses are a tad faster and costlier: you still reload in batches, but the setup between batches is much faster ($200-$300). Progressive presses are fastest and costliest, they're like a mini-assembly chain that perform multiple operations at once ($500-$700 without motorized accessories).

Whatever the press you chose, you need shell holder plates ($10-$40), and dies ($50-80 per set). Some shell holders fit multiple calibers, the dies are usually specific to a single caliber/case/shell size.

Progressive presses usually include a priming tool ($30-$40) and powder measure/throw tools($50-$100). Plan on buying them separately for turreted and single-stage presses. Plan on different priming tools for the different primer sizes. A powder trickler is practical but not mandatory ($20-$100).

Will you be annealing your brass to prolong its life? Will you be casting your own lead bullets? Will you be making wildcat cartridges? Those are entire new set of tools for each application.


So, to conclude: approximate cost? Anywhere from $500-800 for the simplest of setups (see Jethunter's post) to $1500-$2000 for a progressive with a complete set good quality tools to $4000+ for the true enthusiast that can do it all himself. :d


And then there's the cases, powder, bullets... :p

Shell holder plates? Not used in a single stage press, but probably you meant shell holders. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing in the hands of an internet expert. :)
 
I reload for a few of my rifles, but they are hunting rifles, so not reloading hundreds of rounds at a time - more like 50 rounds (because I load premium bullets which usually come in a box of 50).

Because of that the Lee presses that come in the kit form are "enough" for me. No they are not top of the line. No they won't last as long as some of the (more expensive, better built) namebrands out there.

But I look at it like this. For under 200 bucks I got a Lee Breech Lock Challenger press (maybe a little over 200 now with the buck) - had the press, scale, powder measure, full set of shell holders, had a bonus hand primer, funnel, case prep tools and even included the EZ-Trim.

I added dies which I was getting from a Lee dealer in the US for $28 a set (when the buck was at par).

So maybe the press won't last for more than 10,000 rounds (and I just pulled that out of the air), but given I only load maybe 500 rounds a year, it will likely outlast me. I load so that I can get 20 A-Frames for my moose rifle for 30 bucks instead of 60 if I bought "off the shelf" (and it's a great way to kill a bit of time).

So depending on how "prolific" a loader you are going to be, one of the "everything in a box except dies" Lee kits would also be more than enough "for you".
 
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