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Looking to start reloading and need advice

3K views 24 replies 17 participants last post by  One Shot 
#1 ·
Hey there folks, I've finally made the choice to start reloading my own ammo but don't know where to begin with equipment needed. I have countless long guns and handguns in many different calibers and want to be able to reload ammo for all of my weapons. Are there any full set up's on the market that come with all the equipment needed for reloading rifle, shotgun, and handgun ammo? And if so what would be a few good suggestions? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
 
#2 · (Edited)
Shotguns use a different kind of press and it is not something I am familiar with. However, shotguns and pistols often use the same powder so there is a little crossover there. What you might want to do is buy the "ABC's of Reloading" book as it covers all types of reloading in detail and will give you a good idea of what you need in the way of equipment.

Pretty much any press that can do rifle can do pistol ammo too. For about $300 you can get a Rock Chucker kit or Hornady Classic kit. Each has their differences but either will serve you well for pistol and rifle reloading. I've got the Hornady kit and am very fond of their reloading manual and find it very useful and accurate. Once you have a manual you can plan out which firearm you'd like to load for first then go find the components. Straight walled revolver cartridges are the easiest to start with, though the semi-auto aren't too hard either. Bottle necked rifle cartridges are a little trickier in that you can easily end up with a cartridge that wasn't sized enough and won't fit into the firearm, but once you get the seating die set properly it's smooth sailing and very rewarding.

Due to the challenge in finding powder you may have to start reloading rifles. Yesterday I saw several good rifle powders such as RL15, RL17, IMR-4064, H4895, and others, but not a single can of pistol powder. It does show up from time to time, but it takes some diligent shopping to catch it before it sells out.
 
#5 ·
Just to round out your collection, if you get a RCBS kit, I think all of them come with a Speer manual, so if you've got the other two, you're off to a great start with a third reliable source! I started out with the RCBS Turret kit, and love it.My collection keeps growing, and the hobby is one I find enormously rewarding. Welcome to our addiction!:D
 
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#11 ·

That's a good point on the manuals. You don't want to double buy manuals. The Hornady Classic and Classic Deluxe kits comes with the Hornady manual and the RCBS kits comes with the Speer manuals. Both of these manuals plus Lyman are what you want in your reloading library.

Also as Carver mentioned on bullet pullers, the Hornady kits included one but I can't recall on the RCBS kit.
 
#6 ·
First I would set a budget, think about how many rounds you want to reload per month and how much time you have for it.
When you have answered those questions we can give you a better answer on what to buy.

A Rockchucker kit may look like a good and cheap option but if you want to reload a couple of 100 rounds a week with it you may want to consider something else.

At the start it is not useful to reload for every caliber you have/want, first you have the startup costs ($75 - $150 per caliber depending on press. This includes the die set and shellplate/holder) and second changing between calibers can take some time depending on the press.
Best to stick with the caliber you really want to reload and/or the one giving the most savings.

Read up as said above and we will hear back from you :)
 
#7 ·
In 2012 I started reloading again after about a 40 year layoff and made a listing of what I thought I would need and the prices. I've attached a copy below. The list is for loading 9mm and .40 S&W. Since then I have started loading .223 and .45 ACP and the only basic items I needed were the dies, shell holder plates and die bushings. The listing is for basic start-up items and you will find that you add more and more items as you go along (everyone does).

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#8 ·
Welcome aboard! You haven't picked the best time to get started! Right now powder is kinda hard to find because so many folks are reloading. For a while there bullets, primers, and brass, along with powder was almost impossible to find, but things are getting better. As far as equipment goes, they all do the job, spend what you want. I choose to use Lee, but a lot of folks like RCBS, or Maybe the Hornady presses. It's your choice. They all sell a set up for beginners that will have almost everything you need to get started, with some exceptions. Dies. You must have a set of dies for every caliber you reload. Calibers like .38, and .357; .44 special, and .44 magnum, can be loaded on the same set of dies, they just need to be adjusted for the difference in case length. Hand gun reloading is different that rifle, and about as simple as shotgun, but they are all different. You might want to start simple, with pistol for example. Get yourself at least two reloading manuals, read them. Use them for every load you build. There are bullets out there that might not be in any reloading manual that you have, so stick to what's in your manuals, and follow the load warnings closely. Again Welcome! Good luck, and happy reloading. And don't forget to get a kinetic bullet puller, you will need it, and I don't think they come in the kits.
 
#12 ·
Buying reloading equipment is like buying a pickup truck. Do you want a three speed manual or a six speed automatic and 4x4 drive. They will all do the job but some will do it easier or faster. Buy the best quality you can afford and it will last a life time. I bought my RCBS Rock Chucker kit back in the '70s and it is still going strong and does everything I need. I reload a variety of handgun calibers and very few bottle necked rifle cartridges. Quantity wise I reload in the 100s of rounds rather than the 1000s of rounds so a single stage is fine for me. Many here use the turret or progressive presses that make large quantities of reloads easier and faster. It just depends on what your needs are but you can do everything you need with a single stage press. Get ready to add "stuff" because you are going to continuously change your mind on how you do something like priming with a hand primer as opposed to using the press and then there are case guages and different scales or calipers and it just goes on and on as you continue to expand your reloading. Do you want to seat and crimp in one step or do you want to have an additional die to crimp in a separate operation. Choices and choices will continue as you get into reloading. One mistake I made way back was not buying the carbide sizing die which meant I had to lube each case. That quickly becomes a pain in the neck so I bought a carbide die and every die set since I got the carbide sizing die set.

I batch the work on my cases rather than doing everything in one sitting. I mean by that I clean a batch some evening and then set them aside. An other evening I will size and deprime a batch. Then bell them at another time and finally some day I will prime them and put them in a container to wait the final reloading step of powder and bullet. I have containers of all my calibers with cases sitting there ready to get powder and bullet and one evening I will pick the caliber I need and finish them by adding the powder and seating the bullet. Everyone will develop the methods that work for them.

Keep an eye out for some used equipment and spread the word around the station house. If you can find one of the fellows that is a reloader there is nothing more helpful in the beginning to have an experienced reloader act as a guru and look over you shoulder.
 
#13 ·
Welcome. Lots of great advice on this thread. I started reloading in about 1980, and for years I only loaded 30-06 and 22-250. Living in Northern CA the stores are dominated with RCBS stuff, (RCBS is located in Oroville, CA about 60 miles from where I live) so that's what I've always used. A few years ago I started loading other calibers and I continue to expand both my system and my knowledge base; I learn new stuff all the time.

The starter kits offered by the major companies will all get you started just fine.

Ask questions, read the ABC's of Reloading from cover to cover and keep it handy. Read the manuals and articles and anything you can find. Use this forum and ask when you don't understand something, the people here have an amazing amount of knowledge and experience and are very generous with it. As you progress you will find that information and knowledge and ultimately experience are more important than equipment.
 
#15 ·
I would start with the ABCs of Reloading. Read that and see if reloading is for you. If you think it is, set your budget. You can get started for under a couple hundred bucks or you can spend thousands. I'd say start small and add to your set-up as you go. There will always be new gadgets and toys that you will just have to have.
 
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#17 ·
Jim (aka Bill Morgan) has a series that will go on for a lot of subject matter. His initial splash into vids I think started with that gives nice overview of the Hornady LNL AP. Later, he introduced Redding and Dillon. He does a series on bullets and brass, etc. Between reading the forwards of several reloading manual, think about your budget. If you go too cheap, you might end up with a Lee balance beam. While it works, you need the patients of a clam making a pearl. Avoid impulse buying. Think about a list of items you want to purchase and ask the folks here for opinions. They might give you some alternative ideas and save some money/frustration over time. Don't be bashful on questions. Welcome aboard.
 
#18 ·
I like his line of thought. Some calibers are more trouble to reload than they are worth and less room for error. In my view, .40 would be one of those versus the simpler .38/.357. Short and small brass coupled with a powerful charge is different from mild target loads, especially for a beginner. A very accurate scale and powder measure is important. I used a Lee O press and later switched to an indexed press. I always started with carbide dies and used new brass, if possible. Don't be shy about tossing brass that shows the least little split at the mouth; the savings is not worth the risk. Double check the powder charge if you do not use an indexed press (double charging a .38 target load and blowing a dimple into a .38 cylinder will convince you). Always protect your eyes and be VERY careful at first until good habits are built. Get an experienced and KNOWLEDGEABLE person to show you what they do and why.
 
#19 ·
I'm at this stage too. I have never shot enough to warrant reloading but now that the kids are out of the house, I have more time. I've always saved my brass so I have something to work with. I'm thinking that I might go shooting more if the ammo is readily available. Low volume works for me so I'm looking for a single stage. It seems everyone is happy with whatever brand they start with, at least of the main names out there.

I read one place that most of the equipment in the kits is low quality and will need to be upgraded right away. (i.e. scale) RCBS rock chucker and Hornaday seem to be common around here.

Is there a problem with used presses? Do they wear out? Half the guns and tools I own are used so I am curious since I am very frugal. (some call me cheap) I would rather buy a good used tool than an inferior new one. Thanks for your input and all the good info already here.
 
#20 ·
I would highly recommend (like others) to start with a single stage press. I'm, for all intents-and-purposes, a newbie to reloading. (I actually reloaded a ton of shotgun with my dad when I was a kid. But this is the first time in reloading that I've been in control and had to take responsibility for everything.)

I think starting with a single stage is analogous to learning basic marksmanship on a bolt action, and then moving up to a semi-automatic. When the device you're dealing with is more complex you have to deal with the complexity of the device. Dealing with learning the basics of the hobby itself while also dealing with the complexity of the device just makes it that much harder. I remember well the focus and effort it took my dad to get the progressive shotgun press "up and running". Once it was it was fabulous, but it was non-trivial.

I have a RCBS Rock Chucker and I love it. If I want to do 5-10 rounds of some load I want to test I can do that very easily since it's a single stage.

The only caliber I'm doing right now is .223. On the one hand I don't have any regrets starting there - but necked cases like that certainly are more involved than pistol. (With pistol, given the right dies, you don't have to mess with case lube, or case trimmers, etc.) So in theory it might make sense to get your feet wet with some pistol, then move to rifle. But (knock on wood) it hasn't been an issue for me. I've got roughly 500 reloaded rounds down range. I've had one misfire - due to an insufficient primer pocket clean. That was a minor error from an outcome perspective but profound learning experience in terms of demonstrating to me the care and attentiveness the hobby requires.

I started reloading for the cost savings. I'm enjoying much more than I thought I would and I'm staying with it because of the personal gratification I get out of putting my own manufactured ammo down range. If the cost was equivalent to factory I'd still do it myself.

OR
 
#21 ·
My take is buy a turret press. It can be used as a single stage press. When you know more about what you are doing that turret press can be made to automatically turn for you. Allowing you to load more, faster than a single stage. The best of both worlds.
 
#24 ·
I agree, $100 tops if the dies are included.
 
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