Reloading Help For New Shooters

[Lon C.]

Hello Everyone! Been a shooter for about 4 years now, my XYL and I. Very grateful for all of the info that is provided herein on a daily basis.

We are very concerned about the growing absence of ammo. Should Joe Biden get into the White House...[well, I don't want to think about that here] it could get a lot worse for us in CA or anywhere for that matter.

Is there a book that you kind folks would recommend for my wife and I? I mean really basic stuff for hand loading?

Financially speaking, what are we looking at for a basic set up to begin hand loading? We have a S&W R8 and are soon to be in the market for a basic .22 rifle, so we'd be looking at hand loading .22, .38 special and .357 magnum.

Our local range has NRA instructors for the initial hand loading instruction, but I'd like to get an understanding before hand, just to make sure it's something we can handle financially.

If there is anything that you might suggest for us 70+ owners that I may not have asked, please don't hesitate to add it in any post you'd care to make. Can I purchase this equipment online, or..?

As always, many thanks for taking the time to respond!

 

[mogwan]

Howdy Lon,

A few things to think about...

first off, .22 cannot be reloaded...
Second: reloading powders, primers and bullets become scarce as ammo gets scarce.

Third: to get yourself a decent setup with a good "entry level" progressive press like the Dillon Square Deal setup in .38 / .357 is $459.00 before shipping,

Below: all prices approximate-

powder per lb: $20-$30 lb.
primers per 1,000: $30-$40
bullets: .10 to .30 ea depending on the use- range stuff usually $25-$40 per 500 - Defensive stuff- 2x to 3x more. By the Way, my reloading supplier is currently OUT OF STOCK ON 86 of 87 .38/.357 style bullets!

brass case tumbler: $40-$80
brass cases (new or once shot- you'll want 500-1000 on hand to start) $15-$20 per 100 cases
a good powder scale (personally I don't like digital scales and have two mint vintage O'Haus 10-10's now @$125 ea.)
Plastic 100 cartridge boxes- approx. $5-$7 ea.
Misc. accessories (case lube- go-no go gauge for .38 & one for .357- digital calipers-etc.) $50-$100.



So you're in for approx. $750-$850 before you 'pull' one finished cartridge.

Go cheaper? get a single stage press and 500 rounds will take a few days instead of approx. 2 hrs with a progressive.

You can buy 1,000 rounds of .38/.357 for a fair bit less...

If you do 'get into' a reload setup and you don't like it, the equipment-if it's quality- is pretty easy to re-sell.

Best-mog

 

[MarkL_01]

The OP asked about books on reloading. Reloading manuals tend to start off with a chapter describing the basics of reloading. I started with Lyman, but Hornady and Lee are also good, as are others.

It is not necessary, and maybe not desirable, to start with a progressive reloading setup. I loaded with a single-stage RCBS press that I got in the 1970s until a few years ago. Now I use a Lee turret press ($126 at Midway USA), and I have it set up to use as a single stage press. The Lee single stage press is $44, and will serve you well unless you decide you really want to load lots of ammo quickly. I'm not able to go shooting often enough for the time spent at the reloading bench to worry me, and I don't load batches of 500 cartridges. Besides, I enjoy reloading and don't mind if it takes a while.

Also, and I'm open to correction here, every reloading mishap I hear about happened on progressive equipment. Slow down, take your time, learn, and enjoy.

-Mark

 

[DanWales]

New Reloader

Mogwan pretty much hit it on the head.

Here is a couple plus's for rollin your own.

1. Once you get rolling ..... you have ammo and don't need to go looking and pay crazy prices. You learn from others some of the elders on here for example when and where there may be a deal, or at least where they have had some sucess buying supplies. You also learn to stock up. .

2. For range shooting you can reload much cheaper than over the counter I will say usually unless someone is really looking to close out some ammo.

3. Be careful it's addictive, I like it ..... because of 100% concentration you don't think of anything else for a while kinda takes you mind off all this extra bull for a while.

4. Absolute satisfaction seeing a great score on your target in practice or competiton knowing you were were a player on both ends.

That's my story and I'm stickin to it.

Dan

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Personally, over the years I have come to enjoy reloading ammunition as much as the shooting. Learned a lot!

I started reloading in 1972, then started casting my own bullets in 1973. Many, many thousands of rounds later and I'm still at it on a regular basis.

For the new practitioner I recommend the Lyman Handbook very highly, excellent resource for everything from the basics through troubleshooting techniques and advanced stuff.

Speer, Hornady, Lee, and others have published excellent reference manuals as well. I own several of everything.

Very engaging hobby activity. While others are watching some stupid TV show I am usually processing a batch of 500 or 1000 cases at some stage of the reloading cycle (decapping, resizing, case mouth expansion, priming, powder charging, bullet seating, crimping, etc).

While others complain about no retail supplies I check my inventory to see what I need to restock next. Might be primers, might be powder. At this point I have tens of thousands more cartridge cases than I'm ever likely to use (most of which came for little or nothing) and hundreds of pounds of scrap wheel weights and printing type to cast bullets with.

I try to go to the range weekly, and usually shoot 50 to 100 rounds every trip. Most handgun calibers loaded with my homemade bullets cost me at or about $3 per 50-round box. My ammo locker is usually stocked with a year's supply of the various handgun calibers I use regularly.

I have not been dependent on factory-made ammo for several decades. Every time I add a new caliber the first thing I do is order a set of reloading dies and a bullet mold. Most of my reloading equipment is older than my adult children (who are grandparents themselves), so I don't think the expense can even enter the discussion anymore.

 

[MarkL_01]

There are no wrong answers in the above responses. As you go along, you'll gather up a lot of gadgets and manuals. My suggestion is to keep it simple and economical until you decide that you want another hobby to go with your shooting hobby <smile>.

None of us has mentioned dies. Usually, a different die set is needed for each caliber, but .38 special and .357 magnum can use the same dies. A basic die set will cost about $50.

Start with one caliber, say .38 special. You won't need a tumbler or the gauges mentioned above to start with. A digital scale will work fine, and will cost $30-50, but can go up and up.

As also as mentioned above, you could buy a lot of loaded .38 ammo for the price of getting started in reloading. For what it's worth, my usual advice is to not start reloading purely for economy. Only start if it's something you're interested in and will enjoy.

-Mark

 

[serger]

For reloading manuals, go to gunbroker.com. At the top of the
page type in reloading manuals. When that screen comes up look
down the left side of the page and select the filter "used" under
item condition. You should be able to get a fairly new, decent
manual by Speer, Hodgdon , Nosler to name a few for a little bit
of nothing.

It costs a dollar to join gunbroker.

While you are there look at the used reloading gear. Once you
know the mechanics of the process you can get set up to load 1
caliber for about the cost of 10 boxes of loaded ammunition.
With the 38/357 you can use the same set of dies. You just
have to change the adjustment on the neck expander and
seating die.

 

[stamper]

The OP asked about books on reloading. Reloading manuals tend to start off with a chapter describing the basics of reloading. I started with Lyman, but Hornady and Lee are also good, as are others.

It is not necessary, and maybe not desirable, to start with a progressive reloading setup. I loaded with a single-stage RCBS press that I got in the 1970s until a few years ago. Now I use a Lee turret press ($126 at Midway USA), and I have it set up to use as a single stage press. The Lee single stage press is $44, and will serve you well unless you decide you really want to load lots of ammo quickly. I'm not able to go shooting often enough for the time spent at the reloading bench to worry me, and I don't load batches of 500 cartridges. Besides, I enjoy reloading and don't mind if it takes a while.

Also, and I'm open to correction here, every reloading mishap I hear about happened on progressive equipment. Slow down, take your time, learn, and enjoy.

-Mark

+1 on not starting with a progressive press. I have one but I actually prefer my single-stage.

 

[littleriver1]

The ABCs of Reloading: The Definitive Guide for Novice to Expert. Amozon $27.94. can't find better info. Don't worry about being too hard to learn. The only mystery is the unknown.

 

[robertrwalsh]

I have been reloading for over 50 years and I am still happy with a single-stage press. I find the process to be therapeutic. Nothing against progressive loaders, I just find I don't need one.

 

[Drm50]

I use a single stage press. I’m not engaged in any shooting games that require hundreds of rounds per week. I load for quality. Every rifle load is trickled 0, every 10th pistol load is check weighted.

To get started just for loading small batches for a few cartridges you don’t need to spend a lot. All major companies have starter kits. I think Lee is the cheapest. Most of the major bullet companies sell loading manuals and they have foreword on loading process for beginners. Also You Tube has serval good videos on the subject.

 

[lrrifleman]

OP,

You are getting a lot very good insight here, tainted by experience. I will toss in my two cents based on almost 45 years of reloading experience.

Concerning reloading books, I would lean towards either the Sierra or Hornady reloading manuals, solely because they have very good tech lines, and it is nice when you are posing questions based on their recipes. The not would go to the Hornady manual over the Sierra manual, because the Hornady manual includes data for their (swaged) lead bullets.

You mentioned that you are looking for a 22 rifle, would that be a rimfire or centerfire rifle? Rimfire ammo CAN be reloaded, but it is not common and can be tedious ... I would avoid it.

Are you looking at reloading any rifle ammo, or just pistol, since this can impact your equipment selection. Do you expect to load just 38/357, or might you add different ammo?

If you are looking at reloading just 38/357 or maybe one other PISTOL cartridge, the Dillon Square Deal press would be a good starting point. If you're looking at reloading multiple pistol cartridges, or even just one rifle cartridge, go with a single stage press. With a single stage press, you should also consider a powder scale and a powder measure. Auction sites like FleaBay can be your friend, here.

For a tumbler, since you won't be doing thousands of rounds at a time, I would give Harbor Freight's ultrasonic cleaner a shot for about $70. For cleaning media, you would use about 2 quarts of water, a squirt of Dawn, and a little Lemi shine, and your cases can be clean in under ten minutes. Just rinse the cases, dump the rinse and the now dirty cleaning solution, and start fresh. This can be a lot easier and cleaner than other media in a vibratory tumbler.

For reloading dies, always lean towards carbide dies, they are less messy.

The prices cited by another member were accurate for pre-pandemic pricing. Who knows where they will go back to!

 

[mikerjf]

I've been reloading for maybe 5 years and do 3 pistol calibers. I just have a simple Lee single-stage press with Lee 3-die carbide sets and they do everything I need.

I don't have any way to clean brass, except a few times I've simply rinsed them in a bucket (a little soap etc). Not a problem so far.

I don't have a powder measure. For low power range loads I usually "scoop" (see Lee scoops), and I have a small electronic scale to individually weigh anything more powerful.

I started with a Lee Loader and thank the heavens for the day I got a press instead.

 

[IAM Rand]

The one correction to the above statement is that you can reload 22LR. I wouldn't want to but, should you have the absolute urge to do it you can. Google it. It would probably cost you too much initially but, if you plan on loading thousands and thousands of rounds then maybe it will pay off.

Can't go wrong with a RCBS Rock Chucker. Started reloading hunting rounds with my father. Then moved onto 357/38. Now I am working loads for my 460mag.

 

[ggibson511960]

Lee Loader

An elderly gentleman advised me to buy a Lee Loader 50 years ago, and that's how I started on a poverty stricken budget. It's all you need unless you don't have a hammer. Forget .22 LR reloading (near impossible) and .357 Magnum. The simple Lee Loader is slow and only neck sizes cases, so it won't do for autoloading pistols or higher power cartridges like .357 Mag. You might have trouble chambering reloaded rounds in every single chamber of your revolver, but .38 Special target reloads should work fine. I don't believe Lee makes Lee Loaders any longer, but Ebay is has them for a song. I paid $10 for mine. A big advantage of the Lee Loader is that it doesn't require mounting on a bench. Neither does the next step up, a Lee hand press, but it does require dies. Next step up would be a single stage press, then a progressive press, but start at the bottom of this continuum and migrate up if you get hooked. You won't have much money in the investment and you can easily sell stuff you outgrow. OTOH, if you know you're committed buy what makes you happy, but be advised you will mash and mis-load some rounds. Have fun. It's a cool hobby.

 

[IAM Rand]

I have no experience with a Lee loader. With my RCBS I have had no issues reloading 357 or 460 mags. To the best of my knowledge, you should be able to switch reloading dies between most if not all of the reloaders. I have used Lee, RCBS, and Hornady dies on my Rock Chucker.

Don't be afraid, just be careful.

 

[CScott]

I bought an RCBS JR single stage press in the early 70's and that is all I use today. I shoot about 4 or 5 tbousand rounds per year. I load the common cartridges from .327 FM up to .300 Weatherby Mag with no trouble. I process 38/357 and 44 Spec 500 rounds at a time which maximizes efficiency by doing one step in the process at a time on all 500. Rifle ammo is different. I only load about 20 to 50 at a time for fine tuning hunting rifles and then one cartridge per elk (with hope).
If I were to do anything different, I would have gotten an RCBS Rockchucker press to begin with which is heavier duty but it has never been really needed.
I use RCBS dies(carbide for straight walled cases), a Lee beam type scale, RCBS powder measure, and several manuals, esp. Lyman.
As someone else said, handloading is almost as much fun as shooting. I bet there are some on this forum who have shot up some ammo just to be able to get back to the reloading bench! I know of one for sure!
All in all, I give hardly any thought at all to the "ammo shortages" that come around from time to time.

 

[mikld]

Welcome to the wonderful, oft confusing and frustrating word of reloading!

In my limited reloading experience, 40+ years; I normally tell new reloaders their first purchase be The ABCs of Reloading, read it and decide if reloading is for you.. Asking a question like this on a forum will result in 98% personal opinion and "what I use..." and often some really biased opinions. Just be aware and read all posts carefully and think.

Read the ABCs before you start researching tools and equipment as it will give you a good idea of the "how to" the "why" and show the the equipment used and explain components also. Next a Lyman Reloading Handbook 49th or 59th Edition is a very good choice for a reloading manual. Along with a lot of good reload data, it has an informative "front half" and it includes good cast bullet data. The second choice for a manual is one published by the manufacturer of the bullets you choose. This will get you started.

K.I.S.S.!

Go slow. Double check everything. Most important, have fun...

 

[Babysitr]

After retiring, thought I'd try it....went cheap route to start...RCBS partner press....E-bay .38/357 dies....beam scale from E-bay....dipper set for powder..already had a caliper....already had Red Dot and Unique.....158 Mo. Bullet SWC....away we go! 1000 rounds ago, not an issue so far...RCBS makes some good looking starter sets, almost as cheap.....It's slow, but fun

 

[glenwolde]

Everybody has an opinion on this, here's mine...

Reloading equipment are tools. As with any tools, there are various levels of cost and efficiencies. If you need to remove 20 nuts from their bolts you could use an adjustable wrench, a box end wrench, a ratchet and socket, or an electrical or air powered tool. Cost and speed tend to go up together. They all get to the same place. The only difference is speed.

If you want to load 50 rounds an hour the equipment is a lot cheaper than if you want to load 500 rounds an hour. It's important to note that the ammo quality is the same with both.

I haven't checked prices lately (I imagine they are up) but normally a basic setup (tools only) would be under $200. Depending on how basic you want to go.

Be honest with yourself about your skill level. If you have a high level of mechanical aptitude you might actually get bored with the simple tools. If you are a methodical plodder then the simple tools might be best.

But as others have said, when the ammo goes our supplies go. If you can't find powder and primers there's not much sense paying what may now be elevated prices for equipment. I'd collect the components first. A pound of (appropriate) powder. 1,000 primers. Then you can worry about what equipment to buy.