New to reloading, a very long welcome (.45ACP)

S

Super_Chicken

CGN Regular
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Toronto, ON
Hey all,

I've been lurking and reading on as many threads and forums as possible trying to gain lots of knowledge before diving in head first (or posting for that matter). Me and a few friends are just getting into firearms and we're still in the very beginner stages of using/handling firearms. I knew I'd eventually want to reload my own cartridges after a few years of shooting. However, after reading many threads and watching some videos, I've decided to start earlier rather than later. The one general consensus amongst all reloaders is that so long as you take your time, reloading not only saves you money (unless you spend the same and shoot more:)), but is easy and fun as well.

Anyway a little about me, I'm only 22, just finished working 16 month internship and don't have a girlfriend so I've got a lot of disposable money. However I'm still a student, back in 4th year and am trying to save as much as possible for my future. So I'm trying to keep spending as low as possible, but that doesn't mean I'm going to skimp out. It just means a Dillon Progressive isn't the first thing I think I should go invest in. As for my habits I've got some OCD tendencies, so I'll be the person to write down and record as much as possible when doing this and ensure I'm double checking along the way until I become more comfortable with what I'm doing.

Anyway onto the actual reloading section.

As it stands now I'll be reloading only .45 ACP and shooting around 100-500 rounds a month (could easily change if I get more addicted to reloading). Down the line I'll eventually be reloading .223 (or 5.56) and much later in the unplanned future 9mm and .308 or 30-06.

I've looked at single stage presses, turret presses, and progressive presses and the associated costs of each. I was originally thinking a progressive press to just pump out .45 quick and easy and be done with it. But I read that as a beginner I should start on something simpler (single-stage or turret) to better understand the steps with reloading. Plus later on down the line I can still benefit from using a single stage press for more accurate target/hunting rifle loads (.308 or 30-06).

With that being said the first two presses I began to look at were the RCBS Rockchucker kit, which has most of the fixings for beginner reloaders and the Lee Deluxe Reloading kit which is an inexpensive turret press. Now the difference in price for these locally are $385 for RCBS compared to $155 for the Lee. However with the lee press, it lacks a few accessories I'd need and after adding in a hand priming tool and a few accessories the RCBS includes I'd be looking at a price closer to $250ish.

I was originally leaning towards the Lee turret press, because I could operate it as a single stage press to learn how each step worked and after that, use the auto indexing to speed up the reloading process. Additionaly once I set my dies for .45 ACP, I wouldn't have to adjust them. Simply change the turret for each different caliper I get in the future. What turned me off it is the cheapyness of the press, especially the power thrower and Auto Disc Measures.

The RCBS on the other hand seems like a well built press that I can learn on to get a hang of reloading. If I decide to start shooting a lot more, I can easily move up to a progressive press to pump out larger quantities, and this single stage press would still be useful if I decided to get into accurate rifle shooting. The one main thing that is turning me off of the RCBS single stage press is the method of changing dies and ensuring they keep their position.

For this I was considering possibly even getting the Hornady Lock N Load kit (ht tp://www.realguns.com/Commentary/comar37.htm) for the press, so after I set up the depths I can swap dies easily without having to worry about them losing their measurements.

As for manuals, the RCBS kit comes with the Speer manual and after hearing it praised almost everywhere I will probably buy the Lyman #49 reloading manual before investing in a press.

For those of you who have taken the time to read all this I thank you. All I'm asking for is more information or guidance as to which press/kit I should get to begin into reloading. And if anyone is in or around Toronto or the GTA and would be willing to give me an up close tutorial, I'm a much better visual and hands on learner. So please PM me if your willing to help.
 
i did the single stage press for pistol... i lasted 150 rounds then went out and bought a lee classic cast turret press, its s solid press and i can churn out 200-250 rounds an hour and you can use it in single stage mode for rifle calibers.
 
Since you're reloading for the .45 Auto, I'd go directly to Dillon, and avoid the Lee train wreck along the way. If you were just doing rifle cartridges, then I would recommend a good single stage press like the Redding or Forster Co-ax.
 
RCBS all the way.

I owned both, and I learned on the Lee Turret press.

The Lee always ends up being a never ending stream of money into accessories and upgrades, whereas the RCBS Rockchucker has what you need to get going.

Start out with single stage, get the hang of what you need to do, and what you should not do before moving to a more advanced press.

Once you load your first batch of ammo and get your dies calibrated, you will be surprised how easy it all is.

Decap/ Resize - Prime - Add powder - Add bullet - Crimp.

Easy as pie.


One thing I will stress from first hand experience.

GET A GOOD DIGITAL SCALE FOR LOADING!!!!!

It is absolutley, horribly, mind numbingly slow to have to wait for the balance scales to even out at the right weight. Even the cheaper digital scales can be a pain in the buttocks.

I finally upgraded to a Lyman 1200 DPS3, and it was the second best investment in my loading setup, next to my press.

lyman_1200DPS3.jpg



You don't have to fill it manually if you don't want to, and you can also auto repeat the charge for loading many rounds. A smart design.

[youtube]HWZWnUw-5MM[/youtube]


http://www.chuckhawks.com/lyman_1200DPS3.htm




Once you have learned the basics, start saving up and get a progressive press such as a Dillon 650. You won't hear anybody who bought them complaining about the quality and durability of the Dillon Products.
 
My god son...you do have OCD! lol Well you are asking all the things you should but as i'm sure you'll find out.... you'll get lots of different answers. Lots of Lee haters out there for sure. I just got the pro 1000 used and it works so good it makes me laugh sometimes due to all the bad reviews out there. Sure there are better, as with everything, but unless i have the only one in the universe that works great, I'd recommend it. Plus you can run it auto on or off / single or pro. Takes time and tuning but thats where your OCD will come into play.lol. Best value for a student or average guy...like me!
 
Keep it simple for awhile.
Reloading is entertainment.
You will never run out of things to learn, or to experiment with.
Volume has it's merit's if thats what turns your crank,... accuracy, however, is what holds the interest for most of us.
It may take you quite some time at the bench to develop both. Consistently.
After 40 yrs. of loading I've long since given up on a speedy evenings worth of just turning them out. Got tired of pulling rounds that weren't 'good enough'.
Never have tried a good progressive so I may well be just blow'in smoke.
 
In my opinion... If you are planning on shooting as much as 500 45 acp a month definitely look at a Dillon. I bought a 650 to load 9mm for IPSC while I was finishing my last year of school (and working part time) and I haven't regretted it one bit. Especially if you are considering loading high volume .223 and 9mm in the future. I wouldn't even consider going single stage for pistol ammunition... its just too high volume.

That being said I initially started off with an RCBS rock chucker for loading .308. I shoot around 1000 rounds of .308 a year, and this press has been great for me. I would definitely recomend the RCBS supreme master kit for starting out reloading rifle cartridges, but I stand by my recomendation of the Dillon if you're mainly looking for handgun reloading.
 
dudley2112 said:
i did the single stage press for pistol... i lasted 150 rounds then went out and bought a lee classic cast turret press, its s solid press and i can churn out 200-250 rounds an hour and you can use it in single stage mode for rifle calibers.
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I'll be honest this is one thing I kinda fear if I do go the RCBS (single-stage) route. Turning out that many rounds is good, especially since I'm still I may not have as much time as I'd like to be reloading. In terms of reloading rifle rounds, I've read that .223 isn't a problem but some of the larger rounds are. Can anyone comment on that?

ben hunchak said:
Since you're reloading for the .45 Auto, I'd go directly to Dillon, and avoid the Lee train wreck along the way. If you were just doing rifle cartridges, then I would recommend a good single stage press like the Redding or Forster Co-ax.
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Every time I look at picture of videos of peoples Dillon 650 setups I wish I could simply have it. However after looking and pricing out how much it would cost to get just the press alone. And then having to get the add-on's like case feeder, etc, not to mention I'd still have to buy some of the smaller accessories, I think jumping straight to that isn't what I want to do just yet.

Kevin M. said:
RCBS all the way.

Once you load your first batch of ammo and get your dies calibrated, you will be surprised how easy it all is.
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In relation to swapping in and out dies. Once set, used, and removed, how well do they hold their position the next time I put them in to load a new batch? As well see below for my question about the Lyman powder thrower.

Aero_Plane said:
My god son...you do have OCD! lol Well you are asking all the things you should but as i'm sure you'll find out.... you'll get lots of different answers. Lots of Lee haters out there for sure.
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Yeah I definitely do. And I love how the different responses are coming in. Keep them coming guys!

One question when it comes to power throwing is why do some people measure their powder on a scale and trickle each and every time. Meanwhile others fill the cartridges using a funnel straight from the power thrower or in the case of turret/progressive allow it to be done automatically at that step.

I'm assuming for rifle ammo you'd want to ensure accurate (equal) charges into each round so measuring is a must. And down the line if I get into long distance rifle shooting or even hunting I'd be doing this on the single stage just to ensure each round is as close to identical as possible. But in the case of higher quantities of pistol ammo, can you simply set the thrower, run and measures, say 5-10 pours. This way it's consistent. Then simply start filling the brass, measuring every xth case to ensure it is is still providing an accurate charge? Or does it really come down to the shooters preference of wanting that "extra accuracy"?

And again I greatly appreciate everyone's input.

BeerBaron said:
That being said I initially started off with an RCBS rock chucker for loading .308. I shoot around 1000 rounds of .308 a year, and this press has been great for me. I would definitely recomend the RCBS supreme master kit for starting out reloading rifle cartridges, but I stand by my recomendation of the Dillon if you're mainly looking for handgun reloading.
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Yeah, the rifle aspect is something I have no short term plans for, but see myself buying in the future. It's more a reason to justify a single stage press, then eventually upgrade to a progressive press. I currently have two friends shooting 9mm who are buying reloads off of another person so I'm assuming they would want me to start loading for them as well. As for the .223, I hopefully plan to build a poodle shooter next summer, so like the .45 ammo, I'd be turning out that as well.
 
If you and your friends are willing and able to share in the purchase of a reloader, then I will highly recommend the Dillon 550B.

If you will go it alone, I will say go with a Lee Classic Turret. It is rock solid and it works, as well as the Safety Prime and Pro-AutoDisk Measure. Anybody who will badmouth this turret has probably not used it, or was expecting too much from it. I get 150+ .45acp rounds/hour on mine, relaxed pace. I am very happy with mine. As well, I am a former and very satisfied Dillon 550B owner (had three of them over the years). As mentioned in Post #2, you can use it as a single stage for rifle ammo, but you can also use the indexing feature when reloading rifle calibers with shorter cases.
 
My first press was a single stage. Loaded a lot of ammo with it. Size a Tupperware container of brass, then prime it. Then use a powder thrower to drop in a powder charge and put piece of brass in a loading block (buy several blocks - each holds 50). Change die (yes, the die holds its setting, so no set up required after first time) and then seat the bullets.


After a few years I sold press and bought a turret, which i still use. This allows me to, say, size and then bell mouth the pistol case in one operation.

I later got a Dillon 550 and 650 for a few special calibers, but use the turret press almost daily.

Do not hesitate to start with a single stage. or a turret.
 
I Agree with Ben!!!!

ben hunchak said:
Since you're reloading for the .45 Auto, I'd go directly to Dillon, and avoid the Lee train wreck along the way. If you were just doing rifle cartridges, then I would recommend a good single stage press like the Redding or Forster Co-ax.
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Hi there....

Just wanted to put in my 2 cents. I just started reloading for pistol and rifle in the past 2 years. I did the same thing and all my buddies say "Go Dillon!". I saved my money and purchased a 550B .. and never regretted it once. I load for 9 mm, 40 S&W, 45 ACP as well as tried to load .223 on it. They say you can load up to 600 rounds an hour.. but i can only do 300 if i am lucky because i too am very careful and write everything down :). You can also get a Dillon Square Deal, which is for pistol calibers only at a reduced cost. I picked mine up in the US when i was there on a vacation... much cheaper and yes you can bring it back into Canuk land.

For Rifle I bought a Forester Co-Ax press and i can tell you that wow it works like a charm. Used it to load up some .308 Win bullets i used to shoot at the PGW long range competition this year and i was able to hit the V-bull (5 inch circle) at 1000 yards. For all those that care.. i now load .223 on my Forester.. does a great job.

So my advice is "GO DILLON" They are unconditionally warrantied. Anything ever breaks.. you get a new one.. For Rifle GO FORESTER!

Good luck with your reloading.

RDG
 
The Dillon 550 would be a good choice for your volume requirements. The extra up-front cost is worth it in the long run. If you don't want to start reloading right away, I suggest that you buy a large supply of re-manufactured ammo and save the brass to tide you over until you do start to reload.

I would consider a progressive virtually mandatory for most pistol shooting. You can start out by running one case at a time through the press (like a turret press) until you get the hang of it.
 
I am starting to consider a progressive. Where can I get a Dillon in or around Toronto? Buffalo being the closest trip in the US, I'd be willing to make a run if the costs were worth it. Otherwise I ran a quote for a 650 with case feeder and it came out to around $1100 shipped from their website. I know there are cheaper alternatives.
 
Henry Nierychlo sells Dillon and is very good price wise, send him a pm. If I were you I would go the Dillon route, a progressive is the only way to go for that amount of ammo. The 550B is a good simple press for a first time user. The 650 is finicky and with the auto indexing a Pita when problems occur. The good thing about the 550 is you can do everything on it. When you get needing serious ammo the 650 or 1050 is the next step, and you can keep the 550 for the rifle rounds.
 
I have a Lee deluxe kit (bought for $145 from Henry here on CGN, he is a dealer and can fix you up with everything).

It is a 4 hole turret press, you can use it as a progressive press or turn it by hand.

The auto powder works excellent, I recommend the auto disk riser for $10 so it doesn't interfere with the dies. You don't have to buy the safety primer, you can just load the primers by hand. Other than that, you need dies and then you are ready to go.

No need to buy an expensive scale, the Lee safety scale is working fine and the powder disks will tell you exactly how much you need depending on the powder you have.

You can load about 2 rounds of .45 ACP/Minute, I showed my 11 year old son how to do it and he can do it after a few minutes of supervision, very easy. Just set up the trays for cases, primers, bullets and finished rounds ergonomically and you will not encounter problems.

Also make sure that the press is setup properly on the workbench and doesn't tilt forward when you resize or charge the casing. Otherwise it will not be lined up properly when the bullet/case goes into the seating die. With the Lee Load Master for example you should have an empty die on position 2 just to line up the case. I am saying all of this because people are not willing to spend some time getting used to the machine, forcing cases into dies and pulling the handle with massive torque, breaking everything and then blaming it on the equipment.

If you want to load different calibers you only have to change the dies or buy an additional turret for $14 and leave the dies in there without having to adjust them again.

If you decide to load more rounds, you can buy a Lee Load Master which is 50 % off the price off the Dillon 550B and it will even come with automatic case and bullet feeder for that 50 % price, so you don't have to do anything.

There are horror stories out there for all kind of presses, don't forget to read the ones about Dillon too.

.
 
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I have started reloading within the last 12 months, mainly for 9mm but alos for 30.06.

I was lucky enough to discuss with a good friend who is fantical on reloading and I went with his suggestion, Dillon 550B / Redding Comp Dies.

With the exception of the dies, I have obtained the entire kit from a well known internet auction site, and this has really helped in keeping the price down. Anything electronic I have bought new, anything machanical is either Blue (Dillon) or green (RCBS/Redding).

Cost to date well under a $1,000 for everything.

Whilst I'm just starting out I really would recommend the Dillon, it's well made and works a treat.

Candocad.
 
Totally new at this.
I'm looking to do my own reloading for: 7mm (Tikka M695 bolt action - Remington Magnum), 9mm (Glock), .45 ACP (1911) and later 5.56/.223 (AR 15).

Any good places around GTA to buy reloading supplies? I can try Bass Pro but I have no idea how prices compare to others.

May you can recommend some online stores as well.



Thanks

D.
 
Any thoughts on the Hornady LNL AP Progressive guys? The only thing turning me off the Dillon 550 is the manual indexing. If I were to go that route I'd spend my money on the 650. However the Hornady LNL I can grab for $530 press by itself but then I'm still left grabbing all the needed loading equipment, such as scales, calipers etc...

F22, as for brass sales the Bass Pro off the 400 prices for brass are ~30$ for 100 cases. Another place you can try is Le Baron just south of Hwy7 and 404 (woodbine). They are the two main stores I check first for all my needs. If you become a member for $25/year you get 10% off everything that isn't on sale. It's already paid off for me.

Also any online stores for reloading supplies would be greatly appreciated too.

I also picked up the Lyman #49 reloading manual due to lots of people recommending it. $20 at le baron I couldn't say no.
 
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