If you were going to do it all over again...

c-fbmi said:
Don't do it..........get counselling............stay completely away from it, it's worse than heroine or cocaine.......you will never be normal again, you'll start to obsess about things like how far apart 5 bullets are in a piece of paper at 100 yds, then 200 yds and before you know it, it'll be 1000 yds. Then you start buying guns because you got a great deal on a set of dies you have no rifle for..........and you'll actually convince yourself that there is nothing wrong with that. Your admittedly small apartment will look like an ammunition factory in very short order and you'll be eating off a loading bench that now takes up 2/3 off the space in your apartment. Your cupboards will slowly change from holding dishes and food to holding powder and primers and dies and hundreds of pretty green boxes with all kinds of various cartridges and test loads for every one. You'll convince yourself that you are saving so much money handloading that you can afford another 2 or 3 rifles a month, which by the way are now taking up the remaining 1/3 of your apartment. Pretty soon you'll be staying up all night because you just have to finish that new batch of test loads for 12 rifles with a "new" powder you've just discovered that is supposed to shrink your groups by 1/16" or give another 12 fps. It isn't long before you're calling in sick to work because you absolutely have to get to the range and prove out that 1/16" smaller group or see the magic chronograph confirm those 12 fps. If you have a significant other, she has already left you or soon will......doesn't matter you tell yourself, that just leaves more time for loading and buying guns..........oh ya and let's not forget the case trimmers and neck turners and Chargemasters and chronographs and case prep stations and case cleaning tumblers and progressive loaders and gauges and calipers and reamers and run-out indicators..........THEN you start thinking what if I took a 378 Wby and necked it down to 23 caliber..............now you have hit the lowest point, you are a full blown ADDICT, you prefer the scent of gunpowder, burnt and unburnt, to the stench of feminine perfume, you can speak of nothing that doesn't relate to internal, external and terminal ballistics. All of your old friends shun you because of your single minded obsession and you are finding new sick people to talk to on forums like (shudder) CGN. Everything you knew before in life has changed....................Run Dorian run, don't let the gunpowder permeate your soul and take over your life............BUT if you still decide to continue against my best advice, welcome to the wiccan, for you are about to be bewitched and your life changed forever more.
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There's a lot of wisdom and experience in this post... best heed the advice OP... it bites all of us...
 
paisley70 said:
The loading manuals can be found online in PDF format. I would prefer hard copies but I want to see which ones I like first. Everyone seems to have differing opinions, and no one manual has every powder type or bullet grain size listed. Of course I want to compare as well for accuracy reasons. But now I know who I will shout out to when the time comes c-fbmi! What is that acronym anyways, is it aircraft related?[/QUOTE]

That was the registration letters of my twin engine Cessna T337B that I rolled into a ball a few years back. My latest one is a Piper Cherokee Six PA32-300 whose letters are C-GDXI and is affectionately known as "Dixie" for obvious reasons. The 337 was known as Miss Piggy for reasons of appetite for avgas and personal hygiene. That was the oil leakingest dirtiest aircraft I have ever seen, but she was MY filthy pig and I loved her right up till I killed her.

Sorry for the brief hijack there DG.
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All good Doug, I had always wondered about your handle as well. Glad you made it out ok from the wreck. Thanks very much for the advice. I laughed out loud through most of it. Not because I think you're full of it but because I know you're 100% right lol.

Also, thanks very much to everyone else. Me getting into reloading right now is more about volume than it is about precision. Though one day I'll surely end up going that route as well. I know places when I can easily get out to 1000 yards or more and have often wondered what it would be like to be able to accurately shoot that distance. I'd only be loading for 30-06, .454 Casull and .223 right now so costs should be reasonable to get started. I think you guys are right about the digital powder scale and calipers. That'd make life a little easier. But first things first I guess. Gonna have to go shopping for a good bench. Ugh, I hate furniture shopping. :)
 
If u r shooting one calibre definitely for a new guy to loading a lee loader I have one for my 270 and I love it very easy and way cheaper and way better accuracy
 
Reload Addiction

Hey Dorian, c-fbmi is Hilarious! & scary close to being in my head. Seriously, money, time & whether your a lil' OCD pretty much covers your main criteria to decide to reload. I like to refer to it as the hobby within the hobby, some months ( talking gun related now) all I want to do is reload & other times I only want to target shoot. I was one who upgraded but kept most of the original equip for specific jobs; ie, single stage press for rifle, Lyman Gen5 electronic powder dispenser for rifle & Lee load master for pistol calibers only. A lot of people end up keeping equip't for specific stages of reloadn' for ease. I would recommend a kit too then your have everything & in the future you can add on if u get a lil' crazy like c-fbmi & myself! Lyman has a good all purpose manual & then u may fall for a particular bullet manufacturer, most will buy that bullet brand book. I have Speer,Lyman,Lee,Sierra,Hornady, & each has other sections about reloading that are different from the other reloading companys, can be very insightful & informative. Load data.com is an on-line pay resource which has reams of all the caliber loads & dozens of related articles to read or print off, very good for $30. annual fee. Anyway, Happy Reloading! SgtRock
 
c-fbmi said:
Don't do it..........get counselling............stay completely away from it, it's worse than heroine or cocaine.......you will never be normal again, you'll start to obsess about things like how far apart 5 bullets are in a piece of paper at 100 yds, then 200 yds and before you know it, it'll be 1000 yds. Then you start buying guns because you got a great deal on a set of dies you have no rifle for..........and you'll actually convince yourself that there is nothing wrong with that. Your admittedly small apartment will look like an ammunition factory in very short order and you'll be eating off a loading bench that now takes up 2/3 off the space in your apartment. Your cupboards will slowly change from holding dishes and food to holding powder and primers and dies and hundreds of pretty green boxes with all kinds of various cartridges and test loads for every one. You'll convince yourself that you are saving so much money handloading that you can afford another 2 or 3 rifles a month, which by the way are now taking up the remaining 1/3 of your apartment. Pretty soon you'll be staying up all night because you just have to finish that new batch of test loads for 12 rifles with a "new" powder you've just discovered that is supposed to shrink your groups by 1/16" or give another 12 fps. It isn't long before you're calling in sick to work because you absolutely have to get to the range and prove out that 1/16" smaller group or see the magic chronograph confirm those 12 fps. If you have a significant other, she has already left you or soon will......doesn't matter you tell yourself, that just leaves more time for loading and buying guns..........oh ya and let's not forget the case trimmers and neck turners and Chargemasters and chronographs and case prep stations and case cleaning tumblers and progressive loaders and gauges and calipers and reamers and run-out indicators..........THEN you start thinking what if I took a 378 Wby and necked it down to 23 caliber..............now you have hit the lowest point, you are a full blown ADDICT, you prefer the scent of gunpowder, burnt and unburnt, to the stench of feminine perfume, you can speak of nothing that doesn't relate to internal, external and terminal ballistics. All of your old friends shun you because of your single minded obsession and you are finding new sick people to talk to on forums like (shudder) CGN. Everything you knew before in life has changed....................Run Dorian run, don't let the gunpowder permeate your soul and take over your life............BUT if you still decide to continue against my best advice, welcome to the wiccan, for you are about to be bewitched and your life changed forever more.
Click to expand...

Yeah; and right after that it starts to get bad.
 
Dorian Gray said:
All good Doug, I had always wondered about your handle as well. Glad you made it out ok from the wreck. Thanks very much for the advice. I laughed out loud through most of it. Not because I think you're full of it but because I know you're 100% right lol.

Also, thanks very much to everyone else. Me getting into reloading right now is more about volume than it is about precision. Though one day I'll surely end up going that route as well. I know places when I can easily get out to 1000 yards or more and have often wondered what it would be like to be able to accurately shoot that distance. I'd only be loading for 30-06, .454 Casull and .223 right now so costs should be reasonable to get started. I think you guys are right about the digital powder scale and calipers. That'd make life a little easier. But first things first I guess. Gonna have to go shopping for a good bench. Ugh, I hate furniture shopping. :)
Click to expand...

Real men build their own benches ;)

But seriously, 4 or 6 4X4's plus 2 X 6 and 2 X 4 with a double thick 3/4" plywood top. Done and Done. To get a solid bench to support all the stuff and to be strong enough when you're FL sizing a big case - you need something fairly sturdy.
 
Here I figured you had to do like I did. Started out with a Lee Loader in 30-30 a box of primers and a $5 dollar can of 748 and bullets I found onsale at the Eatons gun counter and then bought a mould and casted 110 grain bullets. Did that for years until I found a RCBS press for almost nothing at the Calgary gun show and then I ended up reloading for everything I own . Still have cans of 748 with the under $10 price tag on them sitting around.
 
I wouldn't start with a kit. I'd do what I did. I like my hobbies but with a little bit of time, efficiency is everything ! Plus I have an obsessive nature with anything I get into.

Bought a single stage Redding Big Boss II I believe press. RCBS Chargemaster and electric prep station. Sinclair loading blocks. Rcbs bullet puller (hammer), forester trimmer. Redding funnel, imperial wax and dry neck lube. Rcbs hand priming tool. Redding dies. OAL gauge by Sinclair. Caliper from CDN tire.

If I were to do anything different I'd try to get the trimmer in a kit with all popular collets and pilots included with a holder / case for that stuff. Buy projectiles on demand until you've worked up loads. I've got a bunch of stuff pre bought Id thought if use but it is sitting there that I probably should just sell at a loss.

If you are shooting 223 our of a semi or AR, get a turret press to start.

Don't expect you will save money if you are shooting something popular like 223 308 or 30-06.

I reload for accuracy and because it has become my primary hobby. Once I have loads all worked up for a rifle, I start looking for a new rifle. The old one sits in I the safe along with some dream of a future hunt it is sure to be perfect for!

It IS a disease. The dollar bills will fly. If you get into reloading you start chasing oddball calibers like my 280AI.

For caliber like a 308 or 223 that I have target rifles for, wish I has bought micrometer dies.
 
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Mr. Dewglas left owt the cost of the d.i.v.o.r.c.e. lawyerzs..........times........eye, veye, treye........

I started out with a Rockchucker press, new in the box found under a set of stairs.
Then proceeded from there.
I suggest the kit on sale.
Get rid of the RCBS hand primer and use the ...cawf........Lee......cough.....hand primer one instead.
Then awf to the gun shows with your WSS catalogue just to remind yerself whut the stuff you are seeking
is worth new.
Find yourself a gun shop that specializes in new and used and you can save some funds.
Good used odd ball dies are far less s'pensive than having to order in new.
Thanks Del............. :wave:
 
c-fbmi said:
paisley70 said:
The loading manuals can be found online in PDF format. I would prefer hard copies but I want to see which ones I like first. Everyone seems to have differing opinions, and no one manual has every powder type or bullet grain size listed. Of course I want to compare as well for accuracy reasons. But now I know who I will shout out to when the time comes c-fbmi! What is that acronym anyways, is it aircraft related?[/QUOTE]

That was the registration letters of my twin engine Cessna T337B that I rolled into a ball a few years back. My latest one is a Piper Cherokee Six PA32-300 whose letters are C-GDXI and is affectionately known as "Dixie" for obvious reasons. The 337 was known as Miss Piggy for reasons of appetite for avgas and personal hygiene. That was the oil leakingest dirtiest aircraft I have ever seen, but she was MY filthy pig and I loved her right up till I killed her.

Sorry for the brief hijack there DG.
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I'm CF-UHP
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A Dillon 550 is a good match for your needs:

-Good production rates.
-Quick conversion between multiple calibres at a lower cost compared to some other progressive presses.
-Bolting the press to a piece of 2x12 using the Strong Mount gives you a unitized package that can be easily clamped to a suitable surface when in use and removed for storage.

Contrary to what some may tell you, it is entirely possible to both learn to reload on a progressive press and produce accurate rifle ammunition with one.

You will also want some sort of powered case trimmer. The ideal solution is a Giraud, but this might be a bit spendy with all the other equipment you will have to purchase. Some other alternatives include:

-Conventional case trimmer with electric drill adapter.
-World's Finest Trimmer. These are calibre-specific drill attachments that sell for $70 each.
 
paisley70 said:
The loading manuals can be found online in PDF format. I would prefer hard copies but I want to see which ones I like first. Everyone seems to have differing opinions, and no one manual has every powder type or bullet grain size listed. Of course I want to compare as well for accuracy reasons. But now I know who I will shout out to when the time comes c-fbmi! What is that acronym anyways, is it aircraft related?[/QUOTE]

That was the registration letters of my twin engine Cessna T337B that I rolled into a ball a few years back. My latest one is a Piper Cherokee Six PA32-300 whose letters are C-GDXI and is affectionately known as "Dixie" for obvious reasons. The 337 was known as Miss Piggy for reasons of appetite for avgas and personal hygiene. That was the oil leakingest dirtiest aircraft I have ever seen, but she was MY filthy pig and I loved her right up till I killed her.

Sorry for the brief hijack there DG.
Click to expand...

Still got the letter registered though? I guess "If we can't fix it, it ain't broke" was a little disingenuous.
 
BigUglyMan said:
Still got the letter registered though? I guess "If we can't fix it, it ain't broke" was a little disingenuous.
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It still applies, but within the limited context of the company name........Industrial ELECTRIC Services Ltd. I don't fix airplanes, I just break them...........there is also the other half of that motto which is "understood" but not verbalized........"as long as you can afford it"
 
c-fbmi said:
It still applies, but within the limited context of the company name........Industrial ELECTRIC Services Ltd. I don't fix airplanes, I just break them...........there is also the other half of that motto which is "understood" but not verbalized........"as long as you can afford it"
Click to expand...

Ain't that the truth.

Still, one of the best mottos I've heard in a long time.
 
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