reloading set up advice

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Xterra282

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been doing a bit of reading the last few nights regarding reloading. been going over the pros and cons, now I am more looking at various set ups. I am looking to reload 9mm and .40 S&W at the moment. ( i do not own a long gun yet but I am thinking about picking up something along the lines of 308)

the advise I am more looking for is should I start of with a single stage press( something like the Lee 50th anniversary re-loader kit) and get used to the process. or should I pick up a progressive press with a 3 or 5 hole for the dies.

I know for sure I am heading into to town this weekend and will most likely be stopping at Cabelas to take a look at some of the set ups as well as hopefully picking up a book or 2 on reloading

any advice or recommendation welcome.
 
When I started reloading, I bought a RL Dillon 550B for handguns (with converter kits)... (now replaced with the RL 550C) and for rifle calibers such as .308, a single stage press RCBS Partner. Personally, I prefer spending my money on the best product on the market and Dillon and RCBS are IMO the best... And after all those years, they are still working like new!
 
Until you are sure it's something you are going to stick with I wouldn't run out and spend huge money.

How many rounds do you plan to reload? If your into competition and are going to be reloading thousands and thousands of 9 & 40 rounds, then a progressive press like a Dillon may be the way to go. If not the Lee progressive press or even a turret press may suffice. Same with rifle reloading. You can load very accurate ammunition without spending big bucks. All the bells, whistles, and doodads are nice but are not necessary for everyone. I would recommend going with something like the Lee kit to get started. you can always upgrade things as you go along. Or, depending on your needs, you may find that the Lee is all you are going to need.
 
I have seen so many new loaders stock up on expensive gear then sell it at a loss a few years later, not having loaded enough ammo to fill a single range day. It's one of those hobbies that has a very high dropout rate, for whatever reasons. So I second the motion to keep your startup costs reasonable until you are certain you will get into it.

For the loader of moderate amounts of handgun ammo, I am a huge fan of the Lee Turret Press. The one step at a time motions help build a good understanding of the process, while the efficient handling of the cases means you will go 2 or 3 times as fast as a single stage, for 1/4 of the cost of a good progressive setup.
 
Start off with a turret. Eventually you’ll get a single stage too.

Check out the Lee Auto Breech Lock Pro. Great for low to moderate volume of pistol rounds.
 
If you're going to Cabelas, get yourself a Lyman 8 turret press. You won't be disappointed, especially once you start reloading a bunch other calibers.

Also, a great YT channel to check out is "Johnny's Relaoding Bench"
 
I have been reloading for over 40 years now and I still use a single stage Lee.

I realize that some people need a progressive but I do not. I only load about 100 rounds at a time and usually no more than 200 per month. If you will be into high volume then you may need something bigger and better.

I never saw the wisdom in buying a Ferrari so I can go to the store to get some milk - sometimes an old beater is enough. And don't get swayed by the guys that have mortgaged their first born to buy the best. They will say "buy once - cry once" I bought once and have never cried about it while I see them crying every time they remember they paid 6 or 8 times what I did.

If you ask most reloaders they will tell you that they started with a single stage and if they moved up they will say they still use it for part of the process. Your money won't be wasted.

Make an honest assessment of how much you shoot, how much you think you may shoot in the future and how much time you are willing to spend reloading. If it is going to be a labour then by all means get something that will do a dozen different jobs at a time.

I enjoy reloading and use it as a vehicle to relax - like Zen and the art of reloading bullets.
 
I started with a Lee single stage back in the mid 80's. It served me well until I started loading in higher quantities for pistol. I would not recommend a progressive press to someone just starting out and learning. The only exception would be a Dillon 550 with it's manual indexing. It is easier to catch and rectify any mishaps. A good turret press like the Lyman or Redding would be a good choice as well.
 
Before you get into reloading 9mm compare the prices of the components, vs store bought ammo. With some of the sales lately I find that its barely worthwhile reloading 9mm, plus you get new brass in the deal.
 
I'd personally start with a decent quality single stage or turret press.

A progressive press can be quite overwhelming to learn to set up properly without running through the setup on single stage machines.


I just loaded ~2k pistol cartridges on my single stage with my buddies help over a few 6 hour sessions. I can and will say it is a damn pain to do that though, a turret or progressive is the way to go for that kind of volume.

For a few hundred rounds here and there, turret and single stage is the way to go. If you are going up to the thousands in your loading sessions, go progressive. Generally I think it is good advice to tell people that if you aren't sure if you need a progressive press, you almost certainly don't need a progressive press to start off, you generally have a good feeling of when it is time to make that leap.

I put additional loading off till I have time to pick up my Dillon 1050 from storage and get it up and running. That machine is an absolute bear to set up, lots of maintenance and it can take hours to set up just right when changing calibers for the first time, but you can crank out 1000+ rounds an hour when it is ready to go. For precision stuff like my 338LM or small volume pet loading projects like 6.5-06 or 9.3x62, I just stick to the trusty old single stage. Here is my super old video the 1050 in action though, it is very much needed when you chew through ammo like I do in some calibers lol.
 
A single stage press is too slow for reloading pistol ammo. It will make you crazy after the first hour of reloading!
I recommend a Lee Classic Turret Press Kit. It will do a moderate amount of pistol ammo & when you get a rifle, it will do those too. You can do the ammo one at a time or have it work like a semi-progressive press. The kit comes with most everything you need to start reloading pistol ammo except the die set.
You won't be disappointed with this setup! Look at some YouTube videos on it.
I have a few of them in stock.

Regards, Henry
 
It sounds like you will get a rifle at some point so I'd say get a good single stage.
This will get you used to all the steps of the reloading process and when you shoot a lot of pistol ammo you will likely add a progressive press.

If you do get into higher volume reloading you will likely not be happy with a turret press so I would skip the turret unless perhaps a great deal comes along.

Nothing wrong with buying used. All my presses were used and if you buy hornady, rcbs or Dillon it's still backed by great warranty.
 
Magellann said:
Before you get into reloading 9mm compare the prices of the components, vs store bought ammo. With some of the sales lately I find that its barely worthwhile reloading 9mm, plus you get new brass in the deal.
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I'm set up for reloading, I don't reload for 9mm, for that exact reason. It is also a very tiddly round to work with, so if you want to reload for 9mm, my thought would be that you'd want a progressive. Several of my friends have Dillon 550's, they work well, and if a rifle comes your way, they will do that as well. Initially a bit more money, but in the end they are into their setups for less than I am into mine.

40 S&W ammo is a bit more spendy, but unless you can bulk buy components at a decent price, the savings vs buying ammo on sale equation is about equal. Both my friends have 40's, and they were buying ammo at the last gunshow. At $20 a box, they weren't going to reload.

Being set up for reloading is good for when ammo prices go silly, like the time Obama did his funky slight of hand with the American arms industry.

I bought a used Lyman turret for pistol. When I went to use it I discovered it had been damaged. I was able to fix it, but the point is, people usually sell for a reason, and sometimes the goods are really bads.

Someone suggested a complete kit they usually have on sale at Santa time. May be the way to go, look into it.

A Lyman T8 would handle both calibers on one turret fairly easily. I have 6 stations on my T-Mag II, I change turrets fairly often.

Sooner or later, you'll look at some of the LEE stuff, and IMHO, it's not the best choice for the beginner. Too many nuances that can be frustrating. For an experience reloader, usually not a problem. Again, just my opinion, based on having my own LEE stuff and helping set-up a kit for my brother.

Lee's latest, the Auto Breech Lock Pro looks interesting, perhaps someone that owns one can chime in. The price appeals to my cheap nature.

Nitro
 
I started with a single stage, and still prefer it for most rifle rounds. (I have 2 single stage and one progressive.)

Don't buy the Lee Load Master progressive. It's a piece of crap.
 
TrollGRG said:
I have been reloading for over 40 years now and I still use a single stage Lee.

I realize that some people need a progressive but I do not. I only load about 100 rounds at a time and usually no more than 200 per month. If you will be into high volume then you may need something bigger and better.

I never saw the wisdom in buying a Ferrari so I can go to the store to get some milk - sometimes an old beater is enough. And don't get swayed by the guys that have mortgaged their first born to buy the best. They will say "buy once - cry once" I bought once and have never cried about it while I see them crying every time they remember they paid 6 or 8 times what I did.

If you ask most reloaders they will tell you that they started with a single stage and if they moved up they will say they still use it for part of the process. Your money won't be wasted.

Make an honest assessment of how much you shoot, how much you think you may shoot in the future and how much time you are willing to spend reloading. If it is going to be a labour then by all means get something that will do a dozen different jobs at a time.

I enjoy reloading and use it as a vehicle to relax - like Zen and the art of reloading bullets.
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Well said I still use my single stage unit even though I have a Dillon 650
 
I have both a single stage and a progressive. The single stage is a must. It can do everything. A progressive is a specialized tool, for high volumes of pistol cases. Unless you shoot vety high volumes of pistol rounds, a single stage is all that you need.
 
I recommend you start with a single stage press. Lee products produce accurate ammo like all the others at a more economical price. This way you can concentrate on the process of each stage. Mistakes and mishaps will occur and are more easily dealt with on a single stage. Avoid rushing through the process, avoid distractions. If you stick with it you will likely spend the cash on a manual progressive like the dillon 550, which still gives good control of each stage and allow dealing with issues easily and will produce about 300 rounds per hour. The next step would be the more automated 650,750,1050 with case and bullet feeders. Then there is fully automated options.
Mike
 
BAAC said:
Don't buy the Lee Load Master progressive. It's a piece of crap.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I've had two for over 20 years. Both are still running fine and have broken very few parts. Once you learn the tweaks they work as well as any and at 1/3 to 1/2 the cost. The vast majority of their problems are caused by operator error or the failure to keep them clean.
 
thanks for all of the suggestions and info. the reason for wanting to reload 9mm is that i recently picked up a CZ P10F and ended up putting 1000 rounds through it in a month's time frame.

the bulk ammo market around here isn't the best. I can find 1000 rounds of 9mm for $400-450 and 500 rounds of .40S&W for $230. I've just placed my first order for 1000 rounds of bulk 9mm from Tenda last weekend. couldn't pass up the price ( I guess I am a little sceptical ordering ammo and firearms online)

I will keep looking up prices for reloading supplies and keep an eye out on deals for ammo for the moment. still going to keep looking for info and looking up videos on youtube.
 
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