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Old 10-08-2012, 12:32 PM
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hotrod150 hotrod150 is offline
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Location: western Washington
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My first handloads were 45acp using a (used) RCBS Jr single-stage press back in 1983, when Dillons were first starting to become the big thing. I've loaded over 15,000 round since then & never really felt the need to upgrade to a progressive-- still using that RCDS Jr. Nothing wrong with Dillons at all, if you really need to load in volume they're the way to go, but I wouldn't suggest one for a beginner-- too much going on at once & too easy to goof something up because of it.
I have a friend interested in getting started loading for handguns, & I suggested a Lee starter set-- you can get most of what you need for $200 or less. I've always used RCBS dies but this last time around I bought a set of Lee carbide 38 sp dies & while no RCBS's they're not bad. Lee sells a little C-style press-- it's only like $30 & should be plenty enough for handgun cartridges. A set of Lee carbide dies, a Lee autoprime tool, a modest powder measure & scale, a vibrating case cleaner, & a reloading manual, and for about $250 you'll be in business.
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