Newbie looking for help

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city hunter

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Hi I know nothing about reloading but I would like to get more info before starting,any help would be appreciate,thanks a lot!!! my question is if I want to do 30.06 ( rifle )and .357 mag (revolver ) how can I start with ? what kind of kit I have to buy? which one is inexpensive ( included everything to do reload ) ?what's the brand name ? how about the head of bullet /powder and primer ? what is the procedure ? any books I can buy and follow ? any important things I have to pay attention ? anythings I miss pls let me know,thanks again!!!
 
I got the Lee Anniversary Kit, ordered direct from their website (www.leeprecision.com) and it came to about $160 canadian, w/shipping. Comes w/powder scale, powder measure, challenger press, lee handheld priming tool & shell-holders, case trimmer & deburring tool, AND the lee reloading manual, etc etc blah blah blah. Good deal, if you ask me, and it's more than adequate for my needs as a beginner. The only thing you'll need to start packing your own ammo is the dies & shell holders, and those can be found for cheap here on the EE or you could order a Lee RGB die set from SIR mailorder or something. Hope that helps!
 
poweredbybeer said:
I got the Lee Anniversary Kit, ordered direct from their website (www.leeprecision.com) and it came to about $160 canadian, w/shipping. Comes w/powder scale, powder measure, challenger press, lee handheld priming tool & shell-holders, case trimmer & deburring tool, AND the lee reloading manual, etc etc blah blah blah. Good deal, if you ask me, and it's more than adequate for my needs as a beginner. The only thing you'll need to start packing your own ammo is the dies & shell holders, and those can be found for cheap here on the EE or you could order a Lee RGB die set from SIR mailorder or something. Hope that helps!
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WOW......that helps me a lot!!! thank you so.....much buddy!!! any more help???
 
city hunter said:
WOW......that helps me a lot!!! thank you so.....much buddy!!! any more help???
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Try the reloading equipment section of the equipment exchange forum. Like I said, dies can be found there for around $25/set used (for a good RCBS 2-die set), and there are a few reloading manuals to be found as well. If nobody's got any spare reloading manuals, try Amazon.com, I got a Speer no.11 reloading manual for $20 CAN shipped off there!! Beware; you need shell holders!! Dies on the EE are just that, a set of dies w/no shell holder. Lee RGB (RGB=Really Great Buy) dies also don't come w/shell holders, which is why they're so cheap (check SIR Mailorder's website for prices). The Lee Deluxe 2-die sets DO come w/shell holders as well as a factory crimp die, which is why they cost $10 more than an RGB set.

For JUST shell holders, if you're not sure what # shell holder you need it can be ordered from the Lee website, they have a chart that tells you which shell holder you need for every rifle/pistol round ever made. Or you could just order a whole set of shell holders, it's only $27 US :p

Before packing any rounds, my advice is to get your hands on at least 2 different reloading manuals, and read all the articles. The Lee one that comes with the Anniversary kit is especially good, since it's aimed at beginners who know zilch about reloading. Do your research and you won't blow anything up :D I've only packed a couple boxes worth of ammo myself, but I'm gaining confidence daily. If you had someone who was willing to show you the ropes (monkey-see, monkey-do), it would speed you along greatly. Good luck!
 
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any important things I have to pay attention ?
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I'd say that everything in reloading is important. This is not a slacker hobby. That said, its not brain surgery either :D .

x2 on the Lee Anniversary kit. Get it with the manual and read it. Just to cover your ass, get another manual (Lyman's, Hornady, etc) and read it as well. No such thing as too much info.

(E) :cool:
 
I don't use a tumbler, I use an ultrasonic cleaner with a vinegar/dish detergent/water mix in it. The acid in the vinegar cleans the tarnish and the detergent degreases & gets rid of the burnt powder residue. Brass comes out ridiculously shiny :D Low-end ultrasonic cleaners can be had REALLY cheap (around $25 US), I got mine from eBay.
 
Hi Powerdbybeer could you pls tell me what exactly of stuff have to be on hand before doing reload ? like...presses/powder-scales/powder measures/dies/reloading manual/ shell holder what else I miss ?that's so cool,use the ultrasonic cleaner instead of tumbler,is it cheaper than those tumbler ? where can I buy one in Vancouver ? how much for it ?how did you do to made them dry ? blow or wipe ? thanks again!!!
 
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The Lee kit mentionned has just about everything you need. You will need dies and shellholder for each calibre. Read the manual. If you don't buy a kit, get a manual as your first purchase. It will answer all your questions. A tumbler or other case cleaning system isn't essential, but certainly is worthwhile. I wouldn't be without one. Ammunition doesn't have to be shiney, but its better if its clean. Get catalogues, or use websites. All the big mailorder companies carry reloading supplies. Go to w ww.higginsonpowders.com. Links to the Lee and Hornady websites. Check your Yellow Pages for retail outlets in your area.
 
city hunter said:
Hi Powerdbybeer could you pls tell me what exactly of stuff have to be on hand before doing reload ? like...presses/powder-scales/powder measures/dies/reloading manual/ shell holder what else I miss ?that's so cool,use the ultrasonic cleaner instead of tumbler,is it cheaper than those tumbler ? where can I buy one in Vancouver ? how much for it ?how did you do to made them dry ? blow or wipe ? thanks again!!!
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Whoa whoa whoa, keep in mind that I'm a novice myself, I'm probably (correction; definetely!) not qualified to be giving reloading advice :p There are many members on the boards who are more experienced than myself, just browse threads in this forum and pick up bits of into where you can, there's TONS of great tidbits to be had.

I second tiriaq's advice as well, get a reloading manual first and read it a couple times, it'll clear up a LOT of questions you might have. The Lee manual that comes w/the anniversary kit is very good, I've read it several times myself and it's my primary reference at this point. Most (if not all) reloading manuals also contain advice on case inspection and detecting signs of impending failure & excessive pressure, things you need to know before reloading. Start out slow, you don't wanna KB yourself!!

As for drying my brass after it takes a bath, I put it in my toaster oven at the lowest setting (65C/150F) for about 20 minutes. Then I take 'em out and let them stand overnight. I was leery about doing this, since I didn't want to accidentally anneal the entire case, but the temperature & time in the oven is low enough that I don't think the brass is affected. I've only reloaded two batches (ie; 2 boxes of 20) this way, and the brass still looks new. Time will tell :D
 
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One thing that you will need, that doesn't seem to come in any of the kits, is a vernier caliper. You need this to measure case length and over-all cartidge length. If you use the Lee case trimmers and trim everytime, you wont need to worry about measuring case length, but you will still need the caliper for over-all cartridge length. Your better off to get this at Canadian tire, Princess auto, Busy Bee Tools etc.

If your going to order a kit direct from Lee, you could order your dies, shell holders etc at the same time. I would look into Higginsons Powders first though, they seem to beat most of the factory pricing on Lee equipment, plus they are great guys to deal with.
 
Wow.....I always say the guys from this website are so nice and generous,you see....I am 100% right!!! if I reload 9mm and .357 mag how much cheaper than I buy from factory ammo or what will it be cost ? thank so much for all of you!!!
 
Dunno about pistol ammo, someone else can probably answer that. You may find that reloading actually end up being more expensive than buying factory ammo, but the difference is in the quality. You can produce your own top-notch premium ammunition for very close to what it costs a big factory to produce budget commercial ammo. It's like cutting the price of premium ammo in half, pretty much. I can load 30-06 hunting rounds that would normally sell for upwards of $40 per box (that's $2 each!) for less than the cost of Cambodian Tire junk ammo. Plus, I can tune the ammo to my gun. PLUS, it's fun :D
 
poweredbybeer said:
Dunno about pistol ammo, someone else can probably answer that. You may find that reloading actually end up being more expensive than buying factory ammo, but the difference is in the quality. You can produce your own top-notch premium ammunition for very close to what it costs a big factory to produce budget commercial ammo. It's like cutting the price of premium ammo in half, pretty much. I can load 30-06 hunting rounds that would normally sell for upwards of $40 per box (that's $2 each!) for less than the cost of Cambodian Tire junk ammo. Plus, I can tune the ammo to my gun. PLUS, it's fun :D
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yes...I agree with you that reloading your own ammo is much more fun,it's so awesome and quite satisfy.
 
poweredbybeer said:
Dunno about pistol ammo, someone else can probably answer that. You may find that reloading actually end up being more expensive than buying factory ammo, but the difference is in the quality. You can produce your own top-notch premium ammunition for very close to what it costs a big factory to produce budget commercial ammo. It's like cutting the price of premium ammo in half, pretty much. I can load 30-06 hunting rounds that would normally sell for upwards of $40 per box (that's $2 each!) for less than the cost of Cambodian Tire junk ammo. Plus, I can tune the ammo to my gun. PLUS, it's fun :D
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I 100% agree what you said. For 9mm I don't save much, end up about $13 for a hundred, but also $13 for hundred .357 which is almost half of the price. I have used Winclean for my 9mm and the result is so poor. Reload can help me to fine tune the charge that fit my CZ nicely. I used most Lee equipment but added a Hornady M2 scale which is very accurate. I am not reload for cost saving but it is very fun. I shoot for reload not reload for shoot.

Trigun
 
Your savings on reloading will vary from caliber to caliber. 9mm, not so much. I save about 1/2 on 45ACP, even more on 44 Mag and 44 Special rounds. Plus, as others have said, it's tailored to your gun.

(E) :cool:
 
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