Looking to start reloading my own ammo, need advice

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daonhathai

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Hey guys, I'm new to the whole reloading thing and am looking for some in-depth opinions and advice. I will be reloading 9mm and .223/5.56.
These are the 2 presses I am looking at an not sure what to go with. Huge price difference too so leaning towards the cheaper one just because I am a complete newb at this.

http://www.amazon.ca/Lee-Precision-Breech-Classic-Press/dp/B004TABU74/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439935222&sr=8-1&keywords=ammo+press
or
http://www.firearmsoutletcanada.com/reloading/reloading-presses-parts.html

Is the 1st link missing extra parts needed to make it a complete setup hence the lower price or?

I have unfired Sellier & Bellot 9mm Luger FMJ (7,5g / 115grs) that i will be reloading once I use them. As for .223, I am using Remington 55gr UMC.

The reloads I have is from Canada BDX for 9mm. I have not bought primer or powder yet and would like opinions on that as well.

All advice is greatly appreciated.
 
A number of points.

First, if those links are working correctly, you're trying to compare apples and oranges. The one is a Lee single-stage press, which is a very basic, Chevy-level item. The other is a Dillon progressive setup, rather at the Peterbilt semi level. That's not to say that the Lee press is no good, just that you shouldn't compare them on price alone. The one can make very good ammo but the other will (at the cost of price and complexity) churn out very good ammo like a little factory.

I would strongly suggest that you pick up a copy of any later edition of ABCs of Reloading and spend some time getting the basics of reloading down. Good book, easy to read and will answer most of your questions before you know you have them.

Last point - S&B makes good ammo, but their brass has a reputation (deserved, IMO) of being difficult to reload because the primer pocket is just a hair tighter than normal.


Welcome to the world of reloading.
 
I'm new to reloading too but it's been a quick learning curve. I use a Lee Classic 4 hole turret press and so far so good. A few hiccups along the way but nothing scary.
Your biggest problem will be powder. It is hard to find anybody that has a decent selection. I've bought from 5 different vendors so far. Primers are easy and so are projectiles. What ever powder you can get will determine the loads. But it is a hoot and shooting your own ammo is pretty nifty.
 
dirtybarry said:
I'm new to reloading too but it's been a quick learning curve. I use a Lee Classic 4 hole turret press and so far so good. A few hiccups along the way but nothing scary.
Your biggest problem will be powder. It is hard to find anybody that has a decent selection. I've bought from 5 different vendors so far. Primers are easy and so are projectiles. What ever powder you can get will determine the loads. But it is a hoot and shooting your own ammo is pretty nifty.
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Is this what you bought?
http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Precision-Deluxe-Turret-90928/dp/B00162PT16

What are you reloading?
 
ATOM said:
A number of points.

First, if those links are working correctly, you're trying to compare apples and oranges. The one is a Lee single-stage press, which is a very basic, Chevy-level item. The other is a Dillon progressive setup, rather at the Peterbilt semi level. That's not to say that the Lee press is no good, just that you shouldn't compare them on price alone. The one can make very good ammo but the other will (at the cost of price and complexity) churn out very good ammo like a little factory.

I would strongly suggest that you pick up a copy of any later edition of ABCs of Reloading and spend some time getting the basics of reloading down. Good book, easy to read and will answer most of your questions before you know you have them.

Last point - S&B makes good ammo, but their brass has a reputation (deserved, IMO) of being difficult to reload because the primer pocket is just a hair tighter than normal.


Welcome to the world of reloading.
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I couldn't agree more about the abcs of reloading.
 
Start with a single stage press. If you out grow it, no big deal. I have 4 presses. Some are dedicated to a single task.

Lee dies are good. For the pistol, buy the 4 die set.

For 9mm, try to get Titegroup or 231 or N320.

For 223, one of the medium speed powders will work. BLC2, H335, 748. 4895, Varget, RL15.

You need both Small Rifle and Small Pistol primers. And a good loading manual. Read all the educational stuff at the front of the book.
 
Like Ganderite says, start with a good single stage and learn the basics. It will always be a useful press for reloading rifle.Once you have the basics down and find that reloading is for you, move onto a progressive press to increase your ability to churn out ammo.
 
i'd have to say i went backwards and started with the lee loadmaster (comes with everything for your first caliber, i.e. buy for 9mm, then buy other cals as you need them.) I then bought a single stage press, mostly because I needed a larger die ( snider and martini henry ) that would not fit in the standard size.
 
Okay so i found that press for around $80 cheaper. I'm assuming its the same pres based on model number (http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Precision...qid=1439937949&sr=1-11&keywords=lee+precision)

I would just need to buy the dies for 9mm and .223, one of the aforementioned powders and primer for either caliber correct?

I'm in mississauga so hope LeBaron or SAIL has them. Thanks alot guys and I will definitely read up on the provided links.
 
daonhathai said:
Okay so i found that press for around $80 cheaper. I'm assuming its the same pres based on model number (http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Precision...qid=1439937949&sr=1-11&keywords=lee+precision)

I would just need to buy the dies for 9mm and .223, one of the aforementioned powders and primer for either caliber correct?

I'm in mississauga so hope LeBaron or SAIL has them. Thanks alot guys and I will definitely read up on the provided links.
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Be careful, by the time you pay exchange (because Amazon.com is in US dollars) shipping and brokerage, it probably won't be. You'll need different primers for the two cartridges. Small pistol for the 9mm and small rifle for the .223
Also get some trimming tools for the .223. I haven't had much luck with the Lee Quick Trim dies but the pilot style and a small cordless drill worked fine for me.
 
It's actually in canadian currency when i "checked out" but won't ship to my address lol.

Anyways, I did some reading and while Lee presses have had great reviews, I get the consensus that RCBS is more "bulletproof" in terms of quality and reliability? It's also about $100 more expensive from the Lee kit but $100 cheaper than the Dillon. Are Dies interchangeable between different brands of presses of is it all very specific?
 
New dies and new presses are all interchangeable as all uses the same standard (BMG50 excluded).

I like my Hornaday LNL AP (from Henry at Budget Shooter, banner on top) for handguns and Forster co-ax for precision.
 
Just get the Rcbs kit , it got most of what you need to get started. You'll need a trimmer and a a set of calipers. The dies come with instructions . Some of the powder you can use is listed in the Speer book , that is included in the kit. Other powders are listed with hodgedon reloading, vihvatouri,etc. I got a media tumbler also. Make sure to set up your dies correctly, rifle brass isn't to long,and that the right amount of powder is used. It's not that difficult really. I started 9 months ago, had a couple of minor hiccups( stuck case,etc). I enjoy the process , but I'm now loading for 9mm,.357, .45LC , .223 , .308. And really need a progressive press. I still think it was a good idea to start on a single stage though .
 
Reloading is not difficult but it can be incredibly unforgiving of error or carelessness.

Having said that, take anything (everything??) that you see online with a grain of salt.

The first thing that you should do is to get a couple good reloading books and read them. Don't read just the Load Data parts, read the front part of the book where it discusses safe reloading procedures and the theory. (Yes I know that it is dry & boring, but it is good knowledge to have in your "toolbox".) Personally, I like the Lyman 49th Ed. and the Hornady 7th Ed. You also might want to bookmark the Hodgdon Load Data website and/or the Nosler Load Data website.
After you have read and understand the material in the books, start acquiring your gear.

Reloading 9mm can (will) get very tedious on a single stage press. That is why most people who reload 9mm use a progressive press. Avoid the temptation to get a progressive as your first press. There is a compromise though; I would recommend a good quality turret press such as the Redding T7, the RCBS Turret Press, or the Lyman T-Mag II. The advantage that these offer, is that they can be used as a single stage press, for when you are learning and are doing one deliberate step followed by the next deliberate step, but they can also be set up with multiple dies to speed things up a bit when you begin to get comfortable. (Note that I said "comfortable" not "complacent".) There are lower cost options out there, and only you will be able to determine where your "threshold" between low cost and cheap lies. Sometimes, the lowest cost option is not as good of a bargain as it seems at first.

After that, you will need your kit/tools:
  • Powder thrower/measure
  • Scale
  • Powder trickler
  • Chamfer/deburr tool
  • Primer seater (Personally, I like the Lyman EZ Prime)
  • set of Calipers
  • a way to clean your brass (a tumbler)
  • your dies

your expendables:
  • Bullets
  • Primers (both Small Rifle and Small Pistol Primers - they may look the same but they are not interchangeable)
  • Brass
  • Powder

When you first start reloading, it can be fairly expensive for the initial outlay. Fortunately, if you are shooting primarily 9mm & .223 there are low cost commercially available options for both of those until you start your reloading. (With the advantage that the more commercial ammunition you shoot, the less brass you will have to buy when you do start reloading.)

BTW, I use a Forster Co-Ax Single Stage press to reload .260 Rem and .223 on, and an RCBS Turret Press for my 9mm.

I hope this helps.
 
That was an awesome post, thanks a lot. Right now I'm just shooting S&B 9mm and Remington .223 and (this may sound stupid) I'm thinking I'll hold off on making a purchase until I have 1000 casings for each (flamesuit on). That way it'll give me more time to do my research and increase my budget a bit and get everything in one go.

again, thank you and everyone else for the contributions.

BTW: Why do you have 2 different presses for 2 different ammo if on can do both?
 
daonhathai said:
BTW: Why do you have 2 different presses for 2 different ammo if on can do both?
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I am going to assume that your question was posed to me. (If not, I will answer it anyways from my point of view.)

I reload my .260 Remington on my Forster Co-Ax Single Stage press because with the Forster, I can produce an extremely accurate round made to very precise tolerances. I got into reloading .223 when the only press I had was the Forster and so I set up my .223 to be done on it. This works well for relatively low volumes. Whether .260, or .223, when I reload on the single stage press, I seldom if ever do more than 100 rounds at a time. To be honest, I probably should pick up a second turret head and reload my .223 on my turret press.

I reload my 9mm on a turret press because I can speed up my production significantly over the Forster, and while I still "spot check" my ammunition, I am not as concerned about it being to the same tolerances as my .260 Remington is. (I'll never get my 9mm to have a 5 shot group go through the same ragged hole at 200m, but I can do that with the .260. It does give me ammunition though that is as accurate as I will ever need at the distances that I shoot the 9mm.) Although a turret press is slower than a progressive press I personally prefer it because I can watch what happens each time the ram goes up into a die.

In short, my Forster Single Stage gives me ammunition that is extremely precise but it is a slow process. My turret press is significantly faster, and produces ammunition that is good enough for what I use it for.
 
on youtube, I saw people have as many as 7-8 progressive sitting side-by-side, just for themselves because they shoot a lot and don't bother to adjust the settings as not just inconvenience, but also could change the settings from time to time which matters a lot to precision shooters. I am the lazy, but poor one, so I went with the compromise. one progressive press with multiple toolheads and die sets to fix the settings. even between 44spc and 44mag, they are the identical dies, just different sitting depth, I still bought one of each set.

daonhathai said:
.........
BTW: Why do you have 2 different presses for 2 different ammo if on can do both?
Click to expand...
 
I can only say read as many reloading books as you can, ABC's of reloading is excellent. As a second one Hornady or Lyman though the others are good to. I have 4 presses, a single stage RSBC for most of my rifle, a Dillon 550 for semi auto handgun and rifle, a Redding T7 for revolver and a 50 BMG for the big stuff. I hand load for 175 calibers so use them a lot.
 
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