For a lot of reasons, both political and economic, my best friend and I have decided to start reloading. We will set up in my garage and split the costs down the middle. Due to the cost and limited availability we want to start with .380 and 38/357. We will add 40, 45 and 9mm eventually but neither of us are hunters and won't be loading any rifle rounds. We simply want the reloads for target shooting. Defense rounds will continue to come out of box made by folks who know a lot more than we ever will.

While my first and only experience with Midway USA was not a happy one they seem to be the big dog in this area, also Cabella's has been mentioned as another source for equipment and supplies. So here are few questions:

What equipment do we need to get started? While our needs are simpler than most we know that we definitely want a high quality digital scale. Can someone enumerate the additional proper equipment, what it should cost and what we can expect?
What sort of net cost (not the equipment, but the cost per box of reloads), can we reasonably expect?
What sort of time frame can two reasonably intelligent (I refer to Paul who is a commercial airline pilot and not myself here), guys expect to produce a box of reloads?
What basic safety tips would you offer a couple of nubies?

This is my first visit to this portion of the board but have no doubt some of you will take pity on our admitted ignorance and fill in a few of the blanks. Thanks in advance for all of the good info that will surely flow. (o;

Well I should have started by reading the new guy thread posted below before I posted some redundant questions....duh! I'll due some reading here but feel free to steer me in the right direction.

The only suggestion I'd make is....don't do it as a partnership. Get your own stuff, 'cause it will probably come to that in the end.

Don't ask me how I know.

Call Dillon Precision and get their catalog ( the blue press) of reloading equipment. There is no finer equipment to be had, and their no B.S. warrantee is the best in the business.

As stated, get your own stuff............this type of equipment is really not for sharing (IMHO).

Go buy a reloading manual, I like the Speer and Nosler books personally, read it, decide what equipment pertains to your needs and then buy it. I recently got into reloading and got an RCBS rock chucker kit, the only thing out of it that I havn't used is the lube pad everything else I have found useful. In addition to the kit I bought another RCBS powder measure, forster original case trimmer, and a used Midway tumbler. As far as dies go I can recommend RCBS and Lee dies, carbide is definitly the way to go with pistol dies you don't really want to mess with lube unless you have to.

I have bought most of my stuff from MidwayUSA or NatchezSS, I prefer midway just because their site is easier to navigate and the sales catalog is bigger. I have also bought primers from wideners because I couldn't find large pistol primers anywhere else.

As far as tips go, just take your time do not worry about speed, if you find that there is something you don't know go look it up online or in a reloading manual do not guess at anything. Read as much about reloading as you can there is a wealth of reloading information online.

Most will agree that getting a couple of reloading manuals and reading thoroughly is the best place to start. Each type of press has it's advantages and disadvantages. If you do your homework, you will probably change your mind at least once about the type of press you want to start with. Originally, I wanted a turret, but decided to go with a single stage, breech lock press instead. I have a different single stage - C frame set up just for de-priming. I'll probably add the turret later. Everyone evolves their loading equipment set-up differently over time. Next best thing to do if you can is get with someone who knows about reloading and get some hands on time. Another good way to get a feel for what you're in for is to view some of the videos on U-Tube of the different press types.

RR

You said no rifles and pistols only. Take a good look at the SDB Dillon. Don't let people tell you to start on a single stage press first. It's a waste of money.You can go here and get everything you need to have a first class setup out of the box. Brian Enos - Competition Shooting Books, Slide-Glide, DVDs & Reloading

+1 on the rcbs rockchucker kit...everything you need and backed with a GREAT warranty...super nice company to deal with

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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

The Rockchucker is hard to beat for a first press!
My only other suggestion is, forget loading the .380! Unless you are a little bitty guy with little bitty fingers the .380 cases are very hard to handle.
Dick

Get the Dillon 550B. It's a grreat press and will do all your pistol loading. If you decide to do rifle in the future it will handle that as well.

I've had a Dillon for 30 years, from their original 300 then a 450 and a 550 and now a 650. I load all my .38s on the 650 and everything else on my 550.

Lifetime guarentee that can't be beat. And go with the Dillon dies. They are great. Although you can use anyone's dies with the machines.

When I load I like to know that I can nock out a few hundred rounds in an hour and leave it alone.

+1 on the Dillon 550. If there is zero chance of ever adding a rifle caliber, look at the Square Deal also, but note that caliber additions are somewhat more costly than with the 550 which uses standard dies. I use Lee carbide dies in my 550, and I am very pleased with the performance. As others have suggested, buy your own stuff. Friends come and go. A 550 will last your lifetime and beyond.

Forget the digital scale. Buy a Dillon or other high quality beam balance scale. The digital scales are usefull for loading rifle rounds where every charge is weighed.

It's always good to get a good Dillon/Hornady thread going. I looked at both in 2004. Bought the Hornady. 650 features plus for 550 cost. I have 122,000 through mine. Everything from .380 to 300 WSM.

I started loading with a friend who bought the Lee Loadmaster. He fought that for 5 years. Went Hornady last year with no regrets.

Mine had an issue with the set screws holding the subplate on at around 85,000. Complete rebuild of the entire press for the cost of shipping one way. They might have picked that up, I didn't ask.

Lots of guys at my club are happy with their Dillons, and some go with RCBS. Be sure to get a progressive. You can load one at a time until you are comfortable, then go full production. Single stage for pistol is ridiculous.

I don't recommend a progressive press for a first timer and a Dillon SDB for five calibers would end up costing you a small fortune.

Take your time. Study and learn. Then take your time. Did I remember to say, "Take your time?"

For reloading supplies, I've had good service with Powder Valley.

Powder Valley, Inc.

Equipment wise... I use the RCBS Rock Chucker, Lee dies for depriming, sizing, belling and seating. The Dillon crimp dies are my favorite. I use a Lee hand prime tool. I've been using the RCBS Little Dandy powder measure for years with excellent results.

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Centennial Every Day

Don't discount used equipment either. Most of my stuff came to me used at a good price and I've had excellent luck with it. You may not be able to get the same warranty on the tools, but your up-front costs will be less. Many times you'll find people who decided to start reloading, bought a bunch of equipment and supplies, and then decided against it.

It took me over a year's worth of preparation before I ever turned out my first round of ammo. A good part of that was the primer shortage and the Obama-mania, but components are starting to come back in stock many places. I would suggest giving MidwayUSA another try. I have also done business with Wideners Reloading and PowderValleyInc.

Good Luck!

Just tagging this thread since I now live somewhere where I will be able to start reloading (when there is money for gear).

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I miss my 4546 the most.

Hi steve
you do not need to buy from out of town. everything is available in tucson for a beginner. primers powder and cast bullets I would go to murphy's on the east side and sportsman's warehouse on the west side of town.

pm me if you have more questions.

I would go with Dillon. You can use a Dillon 550 to mimic a single stage press till you feel comfortable using it as a progressive with the added advantage of not having to change dies.

I started with a single stage but once I had the Dillon I wonder why I ever bothered with the single stage.

I think most people here started with a simple, single stage press, Lee has one for south of $40, buy a good scale, perhaps a good powder measure, Lee dies work fine, start with low cost simple equipment, simple makes it very easy to see what is going on, the equipment is always useful for working up loads.
Personally I would wait until I had a little experience before buying a progressive press.
As someone mentioned, you each may decide to buy your own equipment latter.

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Ipsis Rebus Dictantitbus

I have loaded rifle and pistol ammo for 40 years with a single stage press and simple scales. RCBS has been my pick over other brands, but that don't mean other brands aren't good. In rifle, I load 22 Hornet, .223, 22-250, .243, .270, 30 Herrett, .308, 30-06, 8x57, and 45-70. In pistol, 38/357, 44 Special, 44 Mag, 45 ACP and 45 LC. For precision rifle shooting I use Forrester in-line seating dies. I hand trim cases when needed, and tumble cases only when they get really tarnished or dirty. Reloading ammo is not rocket science, but you do need to read carefully the load data, paying close attention to what you are doing (no drinking or watching the ball game while making ammo). Last but not least, take your time and enjoy the process.

Rafter-S

Wow! I knew I would get a lot of good info but this is amazing. Obviously I have a lot of homework to do. I have bought 3 guns from Murphy's and and will definitely stop in to talk reloading. Frankly I am a little bit intimidated by all I don't know but it is time to start learning. Thanks again one and all for all of the good info and suggestions. I'll keep you posted on my progress, which undoubtedly will be slow. (o;

Dillon Square deal press at a min. Have not used a 550 but my son has one and loves it..many years ago used single stage, but would never have one again

I am of the school that you start with a single stage press and go on from there. You can sell everything within a few days if you decided you didn't like it. Turnover for well cared for equipment is very rapid in this state..
I started with an old lee loader in 1971 for my model 27 that I bought at the old oshmann's sporting good store at the El Con Mall for 10 dollars. Three weeks later I bought a lee mould and sizing kit for 15 dollars. I then assembled at least 6000 to 7000 rounds for that single revolver. It was a lot of work but I was able to develop my shooting skill with that simple set up.

If you want to ease into this without lots of initial expense, consider buying a Lee hand press and Lee dies. This is great tool capable of manufacturing quality ammo, albeit at a slower pace than with machines like the Dillon progressives, which in inexperienced hands are capable of making lots of bad ammo in a hurry, and causing considerable aggravation. The slow and steady, one step at a time process of loading with the handpress or single stage benchmounted tool provides a good learning opportunity, without the aggravation of learning to operate an elaborate and sometimes finicky tool, along with the ammo manufacturing process. One thing I've come to like about the handheld press is that I can use it wherever I wish, i.e., am not tied to a bench in the garage or basement, etc. You could easily make ammo while camping in your A-liner. You'll still need some basic tools, case tumbler, powder scale & trickler (get some of the Lee dipper measures if you go this route), Lee Auto-Prime tool or etc., calipers for measuring OAL of cases, deburring tool, eventually a case trimming device, etc., but you'll need most of these things anyway you go. If straight wall pistol cases are all you intend to reload, I think you'll find these inexpensive handpresses effective and enjoyable to use. I'm not knocking the Dillon progressives --- they're great for production runs of prodigious quantities of ammo (try feeding any "assault rifle" economically without one), but the little handpress is a great tool.

Dillons are great reloaders....I have one. I also never had a double charge of powder until then I got the Dillon. I also have a single stage RCBS that I used to reload pistol ammo for 15+ years prior to the Dillon, with no ammo defects of any kind.

Once you've had the pleasure of a double-charged load go off in your gun, you begin to realize the value of the quality-control step of single-stage loading where you inspect all the cases in a loading block for powder.

Lucky for me, my double was a light load of 231 which got shot in a Redhawk, which contained it. I had to beat the case out of the cylinder with a punch and hammer, but no real harm done except to my confidence in progressive reloading. Had it been a heavier load or a less sturdy gun, the outcome could have been way different.

+1 on the single stage. I started with the Rockchuck Kit and have loaded thousands of rds...each one indiviually inspected. Also, read the manual that comes with it..I try and steer away from loads on the internet..never can tell how much one has had to drink while posting. Don't forget a good inertia bullet puller for the mistakes that will come to pass. And don't ever hesitate to ask questions, whether here or other sites, just cross reference everything....plan on saving a ton of money. I also cast my own now and a round now costs around .06 per shot which equals 3.00 a box!! Good Luck

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You'll shoot your eye out kid

I have been looking to get started reloading for the past few months. Two of the reloading kits that have my attention are the RCBS RockChucker Supreme, and the Hornady Lock-n-Load. They don't have much difference in price. The RockChucker has a $10 rebate with it, and usually runs around $300. Hornady's kit runs around $320, but they are running a "Get Reloaded" promotion, which includes 500 rounds of lead--which I think is $14 s&h, so kit total is around $325. The other difference in the kits are: RockChucker has balance beam scale, and Hornady has electronic. However, have read several negatives reviews about the Hornady electronic, due to it not reading to .01, instead it reads by .02.

I'm not big on starting out with a progressive either.

I just started back after more than 35 yrs of being out of it.

I started like many with a Lee Loader while in high school.

I picked up an RCBS Partner single stage press. Yes, I started to go cheaper. Had a good friend and active reloader talk me out of it. RCBS has a lifetime warrenty. Plus you get the $10 rebate. Also purchased the RCBS adapter plate to mount the press on. This is a really neat item to have and helps in setting your press up quickly.

Then I found the dies at another store. Another $10 rebate.

Went with the Lee powder scoops and priming tool.

In all less than $300 to get started making my revolver ammo. This included pound of powder, primers, lead bullets. I've already made up my investment. Plus started out slow with a single stage press. Doing my research on loads, etc. It's a lot of fun and saves a ton of money.

Made some overtime last week. Next I'm buying a RCBS Little Dandy powder measure.

Good luck and there are lot's of guys on here to ask questions.

I to am also thinkiong of reloading and by chance I picked up a business card of a NRA certified reloading instructor, and after speaking to him a couple of times I decided to take the class.

I am very glad I did, the class was held at my local Gander Mountain where the instructor set up all the equipment and materials for the class.

The class lasted all day and I learned so much in one day about how to start reloading, I was fortunate that the he agreed to hold the class during the week because that resulted in only two of us attending the class.

He normally conducts the class on the weekend and the class is full

This resulted in us being able to have more hands on experince actually reloading.

You can go on the web to the NRA homepage and find a NRA certified reloading instructors in your area, the class cost $120.00 which is not cheap but I found it worth while.

If you take the class you begin to develop a sense for what type of reloading press you want to start with.

Good Luck

I just started reloading (.38/.357 and .45ACP) 5 months ago with the Lee Classic turret kit from Cabela's.

I'm VERY glad I didn't start with a single stage press. I would go nuts. IMO there's just as much room to screw the pooch with a single stage as with a turret if ya don't pay attention.

For me, the turret press is plenty fast enough and I like that I have to handle each piece before & after. Each piece gets inspected. And you can even set it up for single stage operation if you want. Handy when you just want to size & decap a K or so of brass.

FWIW so far I have no desire for a progressive.

No, it's not a Dillon, some of the accessories are kinda cheesy, but the press itself is rock solid and I like that I can change calibers quick & easy. And the cheesy plastic accessories seem to be working just fine so far.

Whatever ya get, spring the few extra $$ for carbide dies. You won't be sorry.

You won't save any money. You'll just shoot more.
Have you tried to get .38 or .357 at ANY price lately?

I pick up a lot of .45 brass at the range and scour message boards for people selling both new and range pickup .357 & .45 brass. So brass is anywhere from free to around $.10 or so apiece for used.

Primers are about $.035 apiece
Powder about $25/pound. IIRC a 5gr load is about 1400 loads/pound. Could be wrong.

Boolits, all depends on caliber & type.

I'm not the sharpest hook in the pack. Knowing this is an asset.

I did a lot of research beforehand and had a lot of help on this and other boards. After a couple hiccups I was turning out .357 target loads in a few hours. Mind, these were .38+P loads in magnum cases. Pretty hard to screw up bad enough to hurt an N frame S&W.

Ummm... Which reminds me... you'll be wanting to buy a bullet puller. hehe...

BTW, .357 & .45ACP are both good calibers for beginners. .45ACP is an inherently low pressure round and .357 has a very wide safety range. And there is plenty of published data available for both calibers.

This is almost a certainty.

Lot's of good advice here. My vote would go for a single stage press to start, then upgrade if you need more production. Nothing wrong with starting out with a progressive though, lots of folks start out that way and never look back.

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Andy

Most people started on a single stage press. Absolutely true because back in 1965 a progressive press cost 5X as much as a Rock Chucker and Richard Lee wasn't selling his junk dies and presses. Thats my opinion!

Buy a Dillon 550 and use it like a single stage press until you know what you are doing. Resize, deprime, reprime at station #1. Advance the SINGLE case to station #2 and put powder in the case. Did you read the powder measure instructions? You better! Advance the SINGLE case to station #3 and seat the bullet. Over all length correct? Advance the loaded cartridge past station #4 to eject it from the press. Congratulations, you just loaded round #1.

Before I bought my Dillon 450, I wore out a Lee Disc powder measure, Lee primer, 2 Lee bullet molds, and 4 Lee melting pots. The Lee carbide crimp die is the FINEST piece of reloading equipment in the world. It makes Glocked brass work in anybody's auto (or revolver). I have a Lee carbide crimp die for all my handgun die sets except .30 Herrett. Yup, that's my opinion also, again.

Good luck reloading. It is not: rocket science, heart surgery, or credit counselling. And you will not save any money reloading ammo!

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S&WHF 366

When I started (middle 50s) I started with “tongs”, dies for tongs did not fit a standard press, so everything was Lyman. Most people I knew used Ideal or Lyman dies.
Although I don’t have many Lee dies beyond crimp dies, I don’t consider Lee equipment ”junk” by any means. I don't like Alum. molds whoever makes them.

It is altogether reasonable to me at least for a new reloader to start with a low cost single stage press and lower cost equipment. When and if you decide to spread your wings you will have a better chance of buying equipment that will make you happy in the long run.

I personally don’t like using progressives or most turrets as single stage presses because there is not enough room for my fat fingers.

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Ipsis Rebus Dictantitbus