OP...
Well, luckily almost everyone who has answered knows exactly what you need based on the info you supplied. They know that you are shooting 3,000 rounds of .45ACP a week, 2,000 rounds of .223, 500 6mmBR for competition practice, and about 500 rounds of large centre-fire in 5 different calibres.
Before you start spending your money, determine your needs.
1. Do you shoot competitvely (or want to)?
2. What do you shoot? Handgun, benchrest, hunting?
3. How much will you shoot?
4. How many rounds will you need to make each week/month/year?
5. How expensive are commercial rounds for your firearm?
6. Do you value your time at all?
7. How big is your budget?
I started reloading in 1980. I started with a Lee Loader for my .303Br. Reason? I was a father at 17. If I wanted to hunt, I needed it to be cheap. Reloading allowed me to shoot more making me a better shot. I could do 20rds in an hour without breaking a sweat. I could shoot maybe 20rds a month doing it this way, instead of 20rds just before hunting season. The tool was $8 at a flea market. I had saved brass for years not knowing why, just not wanting to throw it away. All kept in their original boxes.
I met a few men later on who stood as good mentors and helped me along quite well. Few of these guys loaded with $1000 set-ups. And they led me well as far as I am concerned. Many of them even made the equipment they needed.
My first press was a second-hand, $10, Lee Challenger (the cast metal toggle was cracked when I got it and I had to tape the handle in to keep it from slipping down when I used it). I used that press for quite a few years (as a matter of fact, I just got a new toggle for it 4 years ago when I need a part for another Lee Press. My son now uses it) and loaded everything from 7.62x39mm to .300 WM. I moved to a turret press (second-hand, original Lee) when I started shooting .223 and to keep my .303 dies standardized (I have 7 and I hated setting up new each time). I shoot .45 now, but I don't shoot 1,000 a week, so I can keep up pretty good on the turret press (about 200 or so an hour) and don't need any progressive presses. Since I still shoot rather modestly (handgun enough to remain competent) for hunting (only about 1000 rounds per cartridge per year) my winter's are quite pleasurably spent doing case prep and stockpiling components so that when I need a particular round, I simply add powder and a bullet. I can de-prime and resize hundreds of cases one evening watching a movie with my wife. A couple of winter evenings probably nets me 1000 cases. Another couple of evenings, (if new or once-fired pick-ups) I would uniform flash hole and primer pocket and trim to length with a Lee Trimmer and my cordless drill, still while watching another movie and spedning time with SWMBO.
Another evening, I would prime those cases, segregate into units of 50, based on brand, no of firings, etc. I can easily do 5000 cases in a winter without even stressing and ALL while watching movies with my wife.
I get home almost 2 hours earlier than she does in the evening, so I can do the actual loading then while she is away. NEVER taking time away from her to reload. A HAPPY wife since, at this point, my hobby now extends into hers, she likes to hunt..
If this is the type of reloading you are going to do, DO NOT spend thousands of dollars on gear. I can't be sure that I have spent $2K on gear yet, let alone $5K
As for a loading block?
.
This was my first one, still going today. My wife brought home some fabric, still on the styrofoam bolt. I hacked a square piece off the end, drew some lines on it, chucked a 5/8" forstner bit in the drill press, and made this. Works very well for rimmed cartridges.
I use these now for all of my rimless cases. The smaller (50 ct) one is from a box of 45ACP I salvaged from the burn barrel at the range (I have several of them), the larger styrofoam one is the top of a package of blood specimen vials, I got from the hospital lab when getting some blood work done.
None of these cost me anything and I have had them for years, one pretty much since I started.
