New to Reloading, Need help with the shopping list.

The Hackmaster

The Hackmaster

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Well, here goes the plunge into the world of reloading. I've been involved in shooting sports for a while now, and its no longer economical for me to buy 500 factory rounds every weekend I go to the range, so it's time to roll my own. That being said, I have no idea what I'm doing. I tried the search function which only further confused me. I need to know what to buy, keeping in mind that I will be doing mostly high volume reloading. I get the general idea, but its the nuances like case length trimming and brass cleaning that are still a litte fuzzy. Any help would be great.
 
high volume reloading.. so your talking pistols?
we need to know the caliber you intend to reload before we can give you much advice.
all your questions can be answered and most your " ahh crap!" situations can be fixed.

it may take a little to get you started, but then you'll be lovin it.
 
Hack have you got a budget for all the gear you want to purchase, its very helpful to know when other start to give you advice.
You may want to invest in a wack of powder, primers, from a place back east called Higginsons, they also carry the full line of Lee brand loading gear. I don't use Lee but thousands of others do. FS
 
If you belong to a shooting club or range, why not ask one of the guys there to show you the ropes (there must be a few guys you know that reload?) I would think the best way to learn is by personal instruction. Anyway, after the you crank out the first hundred rounds (and then find out the you have to pull the bullets on 50 of em and then 25 more had primers go in upsidedown and backwards...of the last 25 only 15 got powder and of those only 5 of them got the right amount of powder for the bullet you were using...;)) you'll be a pro then and production really kicks in. I hardly ever screw up anymore now..but..wow..that first hundred...I thought I was never gonna get it right!!

Good luck, have fun and be safe. :)
 
We need more info.

1. What caliber(s) will you be reloading?
2. How many are you reloading (I know you said 500 for each trip, but is that every week, or do you go once every other month
3. What's the budget like for equipment ?
4. Are you in a position to start casting your own bullets?
5. How much time do you think you can dedicate per week to reloading?
6. Are you mechanically inclined and a patient person, or do you shun machinery and want it over with as quickly as possible?

We'll help you out, but give us as much info as you can so we can get you going in the right direction with the right equipment for your circumstances.
 
Remember to take your credit card!!! I went to pick up a Lee Turret Press for $129 and I walked out with a bill of $650ish and I've spent another couple of hundred since then. But, technically the press has already paid for itself with just my .44 mags/spc!!
 
Ho Man! Lotta questions. Were talking mostly pistol rounds here (9mm and .45 ACP) I also would like to do some 5.56 for the Bushmaster, and some higher pressure hunting rounds for my .270 Winchester. Depending on whats required, I might also get set up for shotshells. Also, I think I can usually dedicate a couple of hours a week to this. Budget, however seems to be the recourring question here. To put it simply, I have enough socked away in the gun fund to get it right the first time, which means not having to run back to the sporting goods store every time I want to load somthing different. I also happen to be a machinist (apprentice type) so there is not a lot I can't figure out mechanically (except how cylindrical roller bearings are put together...grrr). Frequency of range trips? Once every two or three weeks.
 
I think you put the rollers in - all to one side, then the inner race, then spread the rollers out and install the cage. That's my guess.
 
I, like most, opted to start with a single stage press. However, given your experience as a machinist, you'd probably be fine getting a progressive right off the hop. It's all fairly easy if you take your time and learn to do it right, which I'm sure you would. Personally I use RCBS gear, seems to last the longest, for the moderate price range anyway. You can buy starter kits, or if you take the time to figure out what you want you can just get every individual piece you really want, instead of just what they figure you need. As you'll likely end up buying better vesions of some of the items that come in the kit.
 
I would suggest a Dillon 550. There is a guy local here who can have it in 2 days.
You can pump out 400-600 rounds per hour, and I do all my 9mm, .40Cal and .223 on it.
For my hunting rifles I have an RCBS single stage ( due to the fact I only need a few bullets at a time, and precision is paramount).

After you get a progressive press, it will pay for itself in no time at all. The cost of reloading 9mm will be somewhere between $5-$6 per 50.

1000 9mm 115gr fmj bullets= $90
1000 primers = $33
1lb powder ( 1770 rounds worth) = $26
(once fired brass = $25 per 1000)

1000 rounds for $150, and about 3 hrs work.

you'll need a tumbler to clean your brass,a media seperator to get all the corn cobs out or walnuts... (its like a bingo ball turner thing) and recommend carbide dies. No lubing, no trimming with straight walled pistol cases.

You will need a good set of calipers, a scale a case trimmer ( for rifles) a lube pad, lube, a deburring tool and a primer pocket brush.

rifle calibers take more time, but its well worth it. Pistol calibers are very fast to do. Minimal case prep ( basically just clean them) and away you go.

get a decent manual or you can opt to get software that will help you with all your loads. when you get a set of dies, and probably with your press, there will be instructions on how to set up your dies.

once you get all this stuff, I expect you to be posting about " my bolt wont close, or its stiff..." that kind of stuff. It will be an easy fix.
We are here to help you out.

good luck and I guess we'll hear from you soon?

cheers,
 
Well, that pretty much nails it.

+1 for the Dillon progressive for your pistol stuff.

Pick up 2 decent reloading books and read them cover to cover. 50% of each one is load data, so not literally cover to cover. If you buy the Lee one, take what he says with a grain of salt. Richard Lee probably does more reloading research in 2 months than most of us will do in a lifetime.....but he kind of stretches the truth a bit when it comes to "this is all you need so, this is all we designed into product X"

+1 for a single stage for your .270. Pick up the RCBS beginner kit that has the Rockchucker press in it. I believe it comes with a scale, powder funnel and some other bits and pieces that you'll need. You'll have that press for the next 25 or more years. They're really well made.

Then there's the odds and ends. A couple of reloading trays for holding your rifle rounds.

A powder measure if you're doing quite a few larger rifle rounds. It'll make your life a lot simpler. The RCBS one is accurate to within 1/10th of a grain and is around $100.

A bullet puller. The kenetic hammer type is fine unless you have to pull a ton of bullets. They're around $20........ If you're so inclined, there are bullet pulling dies you can buy, but you need a collet for each caliber. I think the die is around $25 and each collet is $13, but they're a lot easier on the hands than the hammer type and a lot faster doing "bulk pulls"

A tumbler for sure. The one I have is a Lyman Turbo 1200 and I love the thing. It's got literally hundreds of hours on it and it's still going strong. Around $120.

A media/shell separator is a great time saver as well. As mentioned before, you can get one of the one's you crank, or just a dish type that sits on top of your tumbler. I've got the latter. I just turn on the tumbler and run my fingers through the shell pile for about 30 seconds or so to separate the media. The dish type is about $12, and the rotary hand crank type I think is around $48

A hand held priming tool is good too. I have the RCBS one, but from what I've been told, the Lee one is ok. I think the RCBS one was around $50.

Ok guys....fill in the blanks.....what am I missing? I'll go have a look in the garage in my tool box.


EDIT: Case length gauge and trimmer. I use the Lee one that you put in a drill. The cutter head, spindle, spindle nut, and length gauge for one caliber is about $20. After that, the spindle nut and length gauges are I think around $4.59 for each caliber. You use the same spindle and cutter for all calibers. Also I've got a neck deburring tool. I think it was $4.
 
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