I have just purchased a 10mm carbine. And as a part of the purchase I'm getting this: set of Lee Carbide dies, a Lee 175gr TC 6 cav bullet mold, and 100 pieces of brass. Bullet mold has been used for one casting session,

I am just assuming these components are significant parts of reloading 10mm bullets. I don't currently reload but am thinking about getting into it.

Am I correct? Or have I just acquired miscellaneous parts for reloading?

Well if they are for 10 mm they are. The dies will say what they are for and the brass has it stamped on it most times. Of course those are just a few things for that caliber but not even close to being set up to reload until you have a some kind of press, powder, scale and primers along with a reloading manual. Also lead for pouring the bullets or bullets. Primers are hard to find these days as are most components so not a ideal time to try and get started but I am sure it can be done with a lot of effort and a little luck.

You have the beginnings at least. Like Tim said, you'll need a lot more to make ammo. Start with a book called "The ABC's of Reloading". It's crammed full of information on getting started reloading.

You need a good sturdy bench and good bright lighting for a start. Do Not Get in a Rush! Do Not Start Loading at the Top End, start slow and low.

Oh, we need a picture of the carbine too!

Don't have a pic, but it is a Hi -Point 1095 carbine.

ONE HALF of the gun cost is usually what it takes to support it..........In my case I have to add
Dies
Molds
Bullet sizers
Brass
Holsters
Cleaning brushes etc.

IF it's a caliber i don't already have.

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S&W Accumulator

I got a great price on a sniper rifle in 2010 at a Labor Day sale!. We were out for our annual camp out and a buddy and I went into town for Ice. I came back with another sniper rifle. My wife ask why I did that? I had been telling her I was after one for 6 months! She agreed, and as she walked away she turned to my buddy's wife and said, "It isn't the cost of the gun, it is all the accessories that cost so much!"

I kept track for the first year:

The Savage 110 BA in 338 Lapua cast $1700 OTD

The Nightforce NFX 5.5-22x56mm scope was $2300+tax

Ammo until reloading was $4 each for junk and $10 each for real good stuff.

Lapua Brass/200, Sierra Bullets/500, Burger Bullets/500, scope rings ($80), tactical bipod ($210), Redding Competition die ($325ish)

TOTAL OUTLAY: $5400 (I already had powder, primers, and very good press & ect.) So my wife was right (as usual) the accessories were right at double the gun cost!

To start over with what I learned from that rifle/kit, it would be over $8500 today and not really be any better! To be better I'd be in the $12,000 area!

Ivan

You are starting just as I did after getting my first Army Special in .41 Long Colt. Little by little I put a reloading kit together.

Don't worry about doing it fast, worry about doing it right. As stated by another poster, get the right books on reloading and you'll be on the way.

I started reloading with one caliber (41 long colt) and now reload 15 + calibers. If a dummy like me can do it, anyone can...

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OGCA Member.

The very first thing you need is a good reloading manual. I recommend the Lyman Reloading Handbook for step-by-step instructions for the beginner and in-depth information for the more advanced user and trouble shooting problems, along with excellent laboratory-tested loading data for most handgun and rifle cartridges.

Good sturdy bench is a must. A good reloading press, powder scale, powder measure, and several reloading trays to hold your brass during the various operations. A decent dial caliper is always handy for checking dimensions.

You can get started with a couple hundred bucks. Most of my equipment was purchased used, or on close-out sales, years ago and I have added more advanced equipment as needs and budget allowed. Lots of people try reloading and decide not to continue, so the equipment can be purchased for half retail price or less. Estate sales can be a source of good quality equipment that no one in the family has any idea what to do with.

Bullet casting will require some more reading, knowledge, and experience to get it right. A good lead pot, sources for lead alloys suitable for the uses you have in mind, bullet lubricant and a means for application. Again, the Lyman Handbook will serve as an excellent source of information and training.

You have an advantage many of us older guys never dreamed of 50 years ago. It is called the Internet, filled with websites containing great information from manufacturers, and forums like this where you can connect with dozens of others who have years of experience in this stuff.

We are now stuck in the third or fourth serious ammo shortage of the past 20 years. While thousands of others are having anxiety attacks over their inability to feed their firearms, or crying over scalper prices for everything, I continue cranking out handgun ammo with homemade cast bullets for about the price of decent .22 LR ammo (average 6 cents per round in most handgun calibers), and I also keep a dozen vintage and antique rifles in discontinued calibers working regularly.

I started reloading 48 years ago so that I could do a little shooting without damage to the family budget. Now I enjoy the reloading at least as much as the actual shooting. While many other people spend their evenings watching stupid TV shows I spend my time at the loading bench cranking out handgun ammo by the thousands and rifle ammo by the hundreds. The most serious stress I have is keeping my supply of primers and powders for the next year or two of weekly range trips.

Last time I saw .45-90 Winchester ammo offered it was about $4 per round. I continue shooting my old Winchester for about 20 cents per shot. Several other calibers I enjoy (.25-20, .32-20, .45-70, .44-40, .33 Winchester and others) are seldom seen for less than a buck or two per round, but I keep them all working for 10 or 15 cents per trigger pull.

I'm down to my last few thousand primers and 20-odd pounds of powder. Only about 300 lbs. of lead alloys for the bullet molds. Only about 6000 rounds of loaded ammo, maybe 10,000 rounds of brass prepped and ready to load. I'll have to keep my eyes open for more supplies.

great information so far!

My last question. With the reloading parts I have coming with my gun purchase, will I be able to use them with any brand of reloading kits that are on the market?

Reloading equipment uses an industry standard 7/8-14 thread, Lee, Lyman, Redding, Hornady, RCBS, CH-4D and a vast array of small companies use that standard.

Everything you listed should be interchangeable with most brands of presses. The small internal parts change all the time and some will interchange some will not. Just go with the flow! Many companies customer service stand behind their products for years after the warranty expires, Lyman is the exception (1 year that's it!)

I load 117 various cartridges and often mix and match parts to keep going when I force and break something.

The pin that drives the used primer out is considered "Disposable" and not a warranty item by any company. Redding includes two with their dies. I keep spares for everything but Lee in my parts kit. between sizes and design differences, I have 9 different primer pin types. All these companies stayed in business a long time, by taking care of customers! (Lyman changes owners, and hasn't got the memo yet!)

Ivan

In the early 1970s, I bought out a friends reloading outfit. Press, scale, measure, die sets, molds, Lyman 450 sizer, HG&I for same and a grundle of brass. Sold off the excess(for a profit) and kept what I wanted. In the bunch was a set of 45 acp dies and a couple of Lyman single cavity molds(most of which , as I found out, belonged to another of my friends and was on loan to the guy I bought the outfit from. I returned the items. (I was still ahead in the deal) I was left with a three pound can of 45 brass. It is plane to see that I needed a 45 acp to use the brass. A few months later another friend offered me his 1911 (USGI, made in 1919) for a good price (75 bucks). Still shoot it and probably some of the brass also. So yes, I have bought guns because I had the gear to reload for it on hand and vice versa. This has happened on more than one occasion. I am sure that when I cross the river and someone will go to my basement, or garage, look around and say: "What in the world was he thinking". Reloading has become a lifelong hobby and while more expensive today than in the 70s when I started, is still a good way to shoot more for the dollars you spend.

Good start! But like others said, just a start. I would suggest you learn to reload before you start casting, one undertaking at a time. First, as noted above read The ABCs of Reloading. It will give a good idea of what reloading is all about with mainly "how to" and equipment needed. If you decide to continue, get a good reloading manual and find and load start shopping for bullets and other components now as they are fairly scarce. By the time you get your equipment together, hopefully you will have found components. Right now components are scarce, but that shouldn't last. After Trump is reelected, guns, ammo and reloading component availability will return to normal...

BTW, I have an HP carbine, but mine is in 45 ACP. My first outing with it was great. I got accuracy hovering around 2" @ 25-30 yds. and it fed everything I put in the magazine. Factory 230 FMJ, reloads of 225 cast RN, 230 cast and coated TC, Hi-Tec 230 RNFP, 230 gr JHP, and 200 gr cast SWC. In about 150+ rounds, zero failures. Plus the "fun factor" is right up there with my 10-22 and my Garand...

Well not because of a firearm purchase...because of an ammo purchase. Bought 18 boxes of Federal 327 Federal ammo and 5 boxes of 32 H&R mag at an auction. Paid 75 bucks...and I didn't even have a 32 revolver of any kind...So I bought a Ruger SP 101 4 inch gun in 327 Federal and a 4 inch 16-4 just so I could shoot that ammo up. That 327 is really loud

One of my oldest friends is a local gun dealer that has a knack of finding the exact firearm you’re looking for.

If you’re not looking for anything he’s been known to give people a really nice holster, etc for something they don’t own. The rest of the story, something that’s a perfect match for your gifted holster will appear on the shelf.

It has worked quite well for him.

To the OP, you have enough to get your interest up. That’s usually enough to get me started on something!

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GOA
USA Shooting Supporter

The best part of doing reloading for a gun is not the low cost of the ammo,,
the best, for me, is that I can make the ammo exactly for the needs of the gun..

Prior to my 10MM purchase, my reloading was for low power ammo to plink in a 629 Smith revolver.

The 10MM I bought, happened to come with dies, and even the bullets, brass, and a couple packs of primers.

After firing factory ammo, I soon learned that I did not like the high power of that ammo.

With reloading, I was able to progressively reduce a load, until the reload would just cycle the action,, and still hit the evil aluminum soda cans sittin' on my target horse,,

Reloading allowed me to shoot the gun,, a LOT,, without beating the gun to death with the high power factory ammo,,