Need the advice of the seasoned reloaders out there. I've been on the fence about reloading ammo as a hobby so my wife and I can shoot more when we go to the range, and for our EDCs.

My wife and I took a reloading class last week and I now have been bitten by the bug. Presently we're only shooting .380 and 9mm, but as we get more experience we would probably add calibers to that list.

My question is now that I have the bug...where to begin? Should I start by reading Reload Manuals (if so, which ones) or should I start picking up supplies where I can get them at a reasonable price?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Happy Holidays to all!!

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YNC(AW) USN '72-'93

A manual or two would be good and then you need to figure out how much ammo you'll use in a month and how much time you're willing to spend at the press.

My best guess is that we would probably be shooting between 600-800 rounds a month to start. Since I'm home all day, I'm willing to spend as much time as necessary at the press to learn to do it the right way.

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YNC(AW) USN '72-'93

Get a starter kit, some powder primers, bullets,and cases (if you haven't been saving them), some dies, and get started. It ain't rocket science! Good luck, handloading is a hobby unto itself!

That would work out to 8-10 hrs on a single stage,which an hour or two at a time isn't bad if you enjoy the process and your back isn't touchy.

Buy 2 manuals so you can cross reference between them. Sort of like a second opinion.

Kevin

Any of the books from Lyman, Speer, Hornady.. just about any of the major reloading companies, would be a good start. You'll need a book, or two, for loading data anyway. So find a couple few that have general reloading how-to stuff in them.
For a couple hundred pistol rounds a week, you could get away with a single stage press. But, they are somewhat slow. You said you had time.. you'll need it. Especially if you add more cartridges, later. Next fastest is a turret press. Not a whole lot more money, but much faster. Top of the line is a progressive press. You'll knock 'em out pretty quick.

The Lyman is a good one if you plan on using cast bullets,the data for lead in the others is for swaged bullets

manuals ...
Lyman and Speer are the canonical volumes in this forum.
Lyman also has a manual for loading cast bullets ... worth adding to the pile.

It would also be a good idea to back this with some software as well.
There are freebee ballistics calculators here and there that will help you pick components with specific yield goals in mind.

Source said components to those ends.
Right now kinda sucks to be a noob due to availability of components. Thus I recommend doing your hunting now, before you even think about a press. This way when all the planets align ... your crunching ammo rather than experiments.

Dies ... carbide is your friend
Press ... theres a whole world of perennial debate ... by all means search this forum for press recommendations for noobs, you'll save us all a lot of keyboard wear and hot tempers which may go a long way towards helping us like you.

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it just needs more voltage

You will need a couple of manuals first, Lyman’s 49th should be among them and whatever other one(s) you fancy. Read them over and over again until you have a idea of the process. Start slow don’t be in a hurry, remember safety first. Any questions and we will be happy to help in any way we can, don’t be afraid to ask. For handgun ammo, you will want a turret press sooner or later so why not start with one?

Yep, read up first. Any of the common manuals should give you the basic info you need. Might not hurt to look at some online videos, just beware. Some are made by yahoos with more reloading equipment than good sense. The videos by companies that produce the equipment should be a trusted source. Sometimes seeing it done clicks better than reading how it should be done.

I would advise looking at a turret press for starting out, especially with the volume you are talking about. You might want to use it in single stage mode for a while before getting into continuous mode. A powder check die might be a good investment.

Keep an eye out for pistol powder. That seems to be the only thing in real short supply right now.

For 9mm you can get by with the faster powders, if you load jacketed, plated or coated bullets. My preferred powders for 9 are Universal, followed by Universal. Failing that Power pistol, CFE pistol, Tightgroup, even HP38.

If you are going to try cast, then stick with the medium speed powders like Universal. My recommendation is to stay away from cast in 9mm until you get some experience under your belt.

If you can find someone in the area who is willing to spend a little time with you, that would be great.

That's a fair amount of ammo. If you are going to keep it up you might start with a turret press.

Also, the answer is YES! Get some reloading manuals with good 'how to' sections and study, study, study.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Lots of videos on the net. RCBS has some good ones:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP4p6HEEEUM

I created a thread that may help, if you are eager to start reloading. I'll bump it back to the top.

Manuals are pretty important, I tend to reference Speer #14 most but dont forget the powder makers sites,excellent info there. Powder is starting to be more available as are primers and brass. Xtreme bullets are also very good. Proper powder measurment and overall length are important so dont cut corners there. Dont be afraid to ask questions here, many very knowledgable folks here. Good luck and have fun.

Speer makes great manuals, from the very basic all the way to loading ammo.
It explains all the steps in great detaile.

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John

Just so you know 9mm and ecspecialy.380 auto are not the easiest rounds to reload much less learn on. That said reloading is not all that hard so you can do it.

I would also like to recommend the Speer and Lymans reloading manuals. Carbide dies are nearly a must. A digital powder scale will make things easy. I would stay away from lead bullets for your first couple batches. Most of all learn to enjoy the process

Hard to make decisions on equip much less components w/o doing quite a bit of research. The abc of reloading is a good source. Lyman #49 & Speer #14 are my go to manuas, but all have basic info. Read up, then you'll have a better idea what direction to go.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

After a recent move, I'm rebuilding my favored Lee Classic Turret press with a few upgrade options from Inline Fabrication:



Wow did that turn out to be a crummy cell phone photo. Only a lamp in that room still until I install better lighting.

Point is, the Classic Turret comes in a kit form that just add what dies you need and it's the bare bones of what you need to get started. you need to add some calipers, a bullet puller, and a few other odds and ends but that kit will cover the most bases. With the Pro Auto powder system (add the riser, it really helps and should just be added anyways), and the Safety Primer system that press will easily crank out about two hundred an hour with a steady rhythm not rushing.

Inline Fab offers a reverse indexing kit that kicks out the case after the final crimp. This shoves the cartridge down that little chute into the empty bin. The plan so far (I've not got everything dialed in and setup just yet) is for the empty brass supply to be in the next bin over as pictured and the sack of SNS Casting Hi-Tech coated bullets are resting on a little set of bins just so they are in easy reach. That missing bullet tray option is the only stinker Inline Fab needs to work into this kit. I've installed a roller handle from another press which is why it doesn't look like it fits but it works. The wooden ball handle will eventually wear a blister if you keep at it long enough, ask me how I know...

I took the pic and rambled on a bit because I've found this is my own favored middle ground between slow moving single stage batch processing loading and painful to keep it running in perfect running order progressive reloading. Progressive can really crank out the loaded ammo but wow mess up one thing and you just cranked out a pile of bullet puller fodder. And let one primer miss and you have powder dribble everywhere and you have a puzzle piece system to break apart and clean out. The Classic Turret will never be as fast as any progressive but it's at least half as fast. And it really consolidates a lot of the individual steps of single stage press batch loading. Yes, it takes four pulls of the handle to load one cartridge, but from a single stage that's the same four pulls plus some extra steps done much slower or off the press. And the Classic Turret's auto indexing between stations means unless you short stroke the lever arm you can't mess up. You can, but it's pretty obvious if you do. The Pro Auto doesn't like the bulkier flake and stick powders which is the same for most any powder measure but the smaller flakes like Power Pistol and pretty much any flattened ball or ball powders always flow well in anything. So I stick with the easy flowing stuff if I can.

Just some extra bits to think over in the process.

I'm forgetting to mention a huge point in the Inline Fabrication upgrade... They started offering a mount system that is genius. You buy a mount for each press or gear you want to mount to the riser or they offer a flush mount unit as well and you can keep multiple presses from clogging up your whole bench. I have my Classic Turret setup and my RCBS RC on another mount and they take seconds to hot-swap out. They also offer some kind of rack system that lets you store the unused press but I've not delved into that just yet.

After 40 years of reloading, I do not recommend lead bullets for these rounds. I load lead in everything else, but use jacketed in 9. Just never took the time to slug the barrel, actually barrels, as I have a number of 9's. I recommend a used single stage press. You will also need some carbide dies, powder measure and a set of scales. You have to be careful on these small cases as you can get in trouble in a hurry if you get too much powder or the bullet gets set back. It is a great hobby and it is most enjoyable. If you were closer, I would volunteer to assist you all I could.

I never use a load unless I can verify it from numerous sources and I have never loaded a maximum load. For these rounds, a fast powder like 231 works well.

I recently started myself, well its been a bit over a year now but still pretty recent.
I always thought I might someday so I started saving my brass, figured when I got up to a few thousand rounds I could start planning. Well factory ammo dried up so I ended up buying some brass when I found a deal.
Many say to buy a few books but then I see a lot of "book a says this and book b says that" so instead I bought just one book. I bought the Lee book because I see a lot says they are real conservative with their loads and I just wanted soft target/plinking rounds so that seemed to be the best to start.
I read through the whole book then bought stuff to clean with then finally a press and decapped all the brass I had cleaned. Just kept going one step at a time referring back to the book to make sure I didn't miss anything.

PICKING OUT AND SETTING UP A PRESS

What about those reloading kits?
Complete reloading kits are sold by RCBS, Hornady, Lyman, Lee and perhaps others. They contain all, or most, of what you need to actually start reloading. Some kits are more extensive than others and contain things like powder dispensers, case trimmers and the like. All contain the basics, such as a load manual, powder scale, press and small tools. In addition, you’ll need the proper loading dies for your caliber and expendable components such as primers, powder, bullets and brass shell cases. One tool you’ll need, but is never provided (don’t ask me why!) is a set of calipers to measure loaded ammo and spent cases. Eventually, you’ll be adding a powder dispenser, a micrometer, a case trimmer, a brass tumbler and lots of other goodies. But for now, the basic kit, some components, dies and a caliper will load real ammo.

My first press was a LEE turret press. It is still with me and has never let me down in over 30 years of service. All but one of my rifle loads are still made with this press.

If I was starting over with a limited budget and I wanted ammo as good as standard factory stuff I would get a LEE turret press, Lee dies, a digital scale, a set of LEE powder dippers, a couple reloading manuals downloaded from the internet and a caliper.

Once you have picked the press for you mount it on the most secure bench you can. I have used portable benches with a whole lot of weight on the lower shelves for stability but by far the best I have used is a 2x6 bench screwed to 2x4s that are in turn screwed to the studs in the wall. Again the more solid the better.

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Shoot fast & live long
Warren

Look at estate sales and garage sales. You can often find lots of equipment from those who have ceased reloading. A good press can't be worn out. I'm still using a 1950's Texan turret press as one of my presses. A Dillon for volume loading.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

The best advice I can give is to find an experienced reloader who is willing to coach you through the early stages. I generally don't recommend multi-stage presses to beginning reloaders although you'll eventually end up with one.
There are a number of things to learn and doing it right requires some investment. Based upon my experience, I'm a big fan of uniforming the primer pockets to insure perfect primer seating but others here might tend to differ. A high primer will often prevent a gun from firing. As someone else said, you should not use lead bullets. Go with plated bullets. They're inexpensive and prevent leading.
The main danger of a multi-stage press for a beginner is becoming pre-occupied with a problem at one station and inadvertently throwing a double charge. With some rounds, a double charge will overflow the case while in others, they don't. A double charge will get you into trouble real fast.
If you go with a multi-stage press, get into the habit of looking into each and every case as it leaves the charging/belling station to guard against either a double charge or no charge at all.

Read up on reloading then buy one press and make it be your last. You don't want to out grow your first press to soon . A single stage press makes good ammo but that's a lot of time and steps. If time is a factor then go with a progressive.

There is some good advice already posted in this thread for you. One book I haven't seen mentioned that I think a lot of is the Sierra reloading manual. The present edition is getting a little old, but they have some of the best explanations I've read for the reloading process in print and the manual is done in a binder format where you can add and remove individual pages instead of a bound book. Another book I bought in the last few years is the Hornady 9th edition. It is also an excellent book, with a lot of help in the front for new reloaders.

If I were starting from scratch nowadays, I think I would go ahead and start with a turret press instead of a single stage, as the turret will be a bit faster and you can still use it as a single stage press. But either would do the job splendidly. I still load all my rifle stuff on my old Pacific 007 single stage press, including mass quantities of 223 in batch loads (200-500 at a time).

If you buy a kit, it will probably come with some sort of scale, be it mechanical or electronic. The one in the Lee Deluxe Turret kit looks to be a cheapo, for instance. A good, accurate scale is a must-have, so be prepared to spend for a good quality scale over the cost of the kit. I can't help you if you want an electronic scale as I still do mechanical, but the best mechanical scale on the market IMO is the RCBS 1010. It is spendy as hell, but it was designed by Ohaus, whose specialty is scales. I don't know if the present ones are still built by them or they farmed it out to China, but the design is still the same. You will also want a powder measure to go with the scale if your kit doesn't already have one. I am using a Lyman 55 I bought in the 70's or early 80's. It is a good powder measure, but I think that time and other companies have caught up with it. The main drawback I see to it nowadays is the small powder capacity without having to buy a larger powder reservoir.

Also, if your kit doesn't contain one, think seriously about getting some kind of vibratory case tumbler for cleaning cases before reloading them. Cleaning the cases will keep you die sets from getting scratched up if the cases are dirty. You don't have to spend a lot for a vibratory tumbler.

Read this thread carefully and then decide how you want to go. There is a wealth of information for you already posted here. I just wish there would have been this kind of information available to me when I started reloading, but there wasn't even home computers then, much less the internet.

Good thread here -

So you're thinking about getting into reloading...

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Really? U saw it in Wikipedia?

I forgot to mention one of the most basic and widely practiced safety measures: store your gunpowder somewhere other than your reloading bench. Have but one powder on the bench, the one you're loading. It's too easy to replenish the throw with the wrong powder. Put a sticky on the powder throw to identify the powder and the charge weight you're using. This comes in handy if you take a brief hiatus and forget for the moment, what powder is in the throw. Many also empty the throw when they're finished loading as long term storage of powder causes the clear reservoir to become yellowed or cloudy with time.

Although not as critical, but I believe the same holds true for bullets, and ALL expendables for that matter. I unknowingly ordered two different bullet weights from Xtreme and had both boxes on the bench. I caught it BEFORE I actually used any but nonetheless, I did have my hand in the wrong cookie jar!

Someone else in some thread gave me the idea. I've got 3 separate cabinets in my room, on the OTHER side of the room, Powders, Primers, and Bullets. Only the product being assembled gets a front row set on the bench!

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Really? U saw it in Wikipedia?

My thanks to all of you for all the information and advice, it provided me with a much greater insight on where to begin. Based on all this information, I'm going to first purchase a couple books and start reading, and while I'm reading start the process of accumulating supplies.

Again, my thanks to all of you for your replies. I appreciate the benefits of all of your experiences.

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YNC(AW) USN '72-'93

Merry Christmas Chief,

I wrote a simplified book on reloading that I sell along with a class I teach. Pm me if you would like a condensed copy that I could e-mail you.

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Shoot fast & live long
Warren

Chief, keep your ears open. There are forum members down your way who may be willing to give you a little hands on help. I'm a little too far away, but there are some folks closer who MAY chime in.

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Reg. Magnum wants/Rossi wallet

Hello , All .
The only thing I can suggest is , it is a good a good day when you go home with all your spent brass , better if you go home with some one else's discarded once fired cases .

Merry Christmas

Many good suggestions here. I have reloaded for years and use Dillon 650 & 550 so I can crank them out if I desire to do so. Even the best press can have fallacies so I learned long ago to use a good case gage for all my semi auto loads. If a length problem, size problem, etc, shows up the gage will normally catch it. Of course the gage will not determine powder charge. I don't gage each one as I load but run a batch and then test them. Better to catch them before going to the range to shoot a match. Have fun! Be safe!!!

Plenty of good advice already posted. I'll just add a plus for the Lee manual. I have several but 95% of the time that's where I go. Most of the other manuals have a slant to them, Lee's is a compilation of lots of other's data so it gives you a more rounded picture and more useful info. The ABCs is pretty much a standard that most everyone has used when starting out and the Youtube videos are great, wish they were around when I started. Personally, I have never seen one promoting any dangerous practices but they may be out there.

My best suggestion (don't think anyone else has said it) is don't start out on a limited budget. Well made quality equipment will last a lifetime so don't regret buying something based only on price. A few years down the road you will regret it when you are buying it's replacement. Its a great hobby, and how many hobbies can actually say they save you money. Enjoy.

Based on everyone's advice I just ordered Lyman's 49th Edition and the 2nd Edition Lee Manuals from Amazon, and will be ordering Hornady's and Speer's Manuals shortly. Let the studying begin.

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YNC(AW) USN '72-'93

If you are "that type of person", the Hornady manual is available on iTunes (I know) and Google store (I think).

UPDATE: looks like iTunes and Kindle. Anyway, came in handy on my iPhone during the "will this powder that is is stock work" times we've been through!!!!!!

http://www.hornady.com/store/Hornady...k-9th-Edition/

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Really? U saw it in Wikipedia?

While I started on a single-stage press, whatever the smallest RCBS was back in the '70s, and a single-stage seems like a sensible thought today, I suggest going with a progressive or at least a turret style. I started with .38 Specials but when I expanded into rifle reloading, I needed a press with more leverage and bought a Rock Chucker. Years later, I started loading long cartridges like 7mmSTW and the Remington Ultra Mags and needed a Rock Chucker Supreme's larger window opening. I should have bought that one up front as I would have saved money and I still use it for all my rifle reloading.

Then I expanded my handgun reloading to six calibers and since you shoot a lot more handgun rounds at a sitting than rifle ammo, I was spending a LOT of time at my loading bench and my arthritic shoulders were complaining about all the arm movements required with the Rock Chucker. I broke down and bought a Dillon 650 for those handgun cartridges and my shoulders enjoy reloading again.

Based upon my experience (and money spent), since you can use a progressive loader as a single-stage until you learn its nuances and they are easier to sell if you loose interest in the hobby, I suggest starting with one.

Ed

Yes, start with a couple of manuals and imagine there may be some youtube videos that show the process.

If you don't know someone who can go over the steps in how to do it, check around locally at places like shooting ranges, gun clubs, hunting and gun related stores to see if they know of a class being offered.

Is it required to take a course, no, but having a mentor can make it go a bit smoother and inspire confidence.

FWIW, I was in the same boat a year ago. The first thing I bought was powder. It was already drying up, and I didn't want to be stuck when I was finally ready. The next thing was primers, though those seem more available now.

I had a goal in mind (.44 Mag max loads), used freely available load data, forums, etc, to get a list of suitable powders, and then bought when something from that list was available. I didn't buy a press and such until about 4 months later, at which point pistol powder was all but impossible to find.

So, my two cents, if you want to start gathering stuff but aren't quite ready to buy everything, start by gathering the things that are hard to find, as they will take the most time. The day you are ready to take the plunge, you won't have trouble buying a manual or a press or whatever.

I'm in favor of having a mentor as well. We all know most shooters like to talk about anything shooting and handloaders like talking and showing off their stuff even more. I've had a number of new handloaders come over and watch what I do and ask questions. They haven't always bought the same equipment and used the same processes that I do, but that's OK too, I've told them about different methods and equipment during their "introduction" and they were able to make intelligent choices. I feel good about passing on the knowledge and passion of handloading. I've also made some lasting friendships doing this. Ask around, I'm pretty sure you'll find some handloaders willing to share their knowledge with you.

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Minimize the variables

I am sure there is a wealth of videos on youtube. Watching a video often is helpful because you can watch the process you are reading about in the manuals.
I bought a Dillon 550 and as a novice me and my buddy made 500 in an hour the day after we put it together. We do 38 and 9mm so far. And we are not fast both because we are novices and because we are extra careful to get it right since we are not experienced.
Also, you will find everybody has a different opinion about what components to use. Due to the time I started there were limited choices ( you know, the shortage)so I had to use what I could find. So far I just used the manuals that had the data for the components I bought and everything has turned out well.
Good luck

Start with one well known book, say from RCBS. Get a single stage press, and buy a very good scale. Add to this a Redding 3BR powder measure.

Everything else will fall into place. Use the book and well known powders.
You will have fun.

I caution against buying powders on the fly like that. Sure, if it's something common, you might be ok, but without some study & knowledge of load data, just buying powder can get you stuck with something not suitable for your eventual needs. Even when things are really short, you can often find something powder wise to load with. Primers are about the only thing I can recommend being bought in advance. There just isn't a lot of diff between brands, especially if you are working up loads from scratch anyway. Plus, I don't care how much powder you have. you aren't loading a single round w/o primers. I can always find a powder to make do, but you MUST have primers, lots & lots of primers.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

Back in the day I would have said buy a good ss press. Today, with more options, I would say it depends. If you are loading for handgun or feeding an ar, a ss press gets old fast. So a Lee Classic turret or the Dillon 550B makes a ton of sense. You can run them both a single round at a time. The 550B has the advantage of being a full on progressive once the learning curve has been flattened. Think of the 550B as in inverted turret press in the beginning.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

At the present time, I'm confident that I'll only be loading handgun rounds (starting with 9mm/.380). Being relatively new shooters, the wife and I want to get proficient on these calibers, by shooting them exclusively before deciding what comes next. That being said we've decided on a progressive press with the idea of starting the learning curve by reloading one round at a time in the very beginning.

Without starting a "color war" the only thing we need to decide is if we're Team Red or Team Blue. I've read and researched as much of the pros and cons of each as I can find and I find I flip-flop daily.

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YNC(AW) USN '72-'93

Then pick one and get a move on! Take Welsh up on his offer first

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Really? U saw it in Wikipedia?

If you've never reloaded before, read ,study, ask people that do reload I have been loading .223, 9mm and 40 cal for about two years did it originally to save some money, the prices have dropped since then. Now I load Colt 45's and Sig 357 they are still up there in price. One more thing be careful, very careful and concentrate when loading, usually you wont find a mistake till your shooting

It is hard making a decision on presses given the number of options. I have a Dillon 550 which I switched to from a Redding T7, that had a RCBS Uniflow set up with Case Activated Powder linkage kit. I liked the turret setup as I was used to a single stage, and it allowed me to have my 3 pistol calibers set up at once (see below). However, I didn't care for adjusting the Case Activated linkage when switching between calibers. Yes, I could have bought more powder dies and linkage kits, but then they are about $100 combined--plus really cramped working space on top of the turret.


I got a good deal on my Dillon 550, which allowed me to make the change from the Redding T7 without much additional investment...until I bought the caliber conversion kits, and additional toolheads. I like that the 550 is manual indexing, as it isn't much of a change between it and the T7--basically just rotating a shellplate instead of a turret head with added priming feature.

Really still haven't put much mileage on the Dillon 550, and my initial impression, is that I preferred the drum style powder dispenser of the Uniflow with Case Activation kit for powder dispensing, instead of the sliding powder bar of the Dillon. Felt the charge weights were more consistent--but my last batch of 9mm on the Dillon was did good.

I think a definite pro for the Hornady is the Lock N Load system of secure the dies--which allows you to use the same toolhead--but will require you buy LNL Bushings for all your dies.

I believe each press will keep up with your ammo demands, and I don't think you will go wrong either way. There are plenty of videos on YouTube, with helpful tips & tricks for each press--as each does have it's own little quirks. Which ever one you do get I would suggest getting a light kit for the shellplate area: either the Light Strips for the Hornady LNL AP, or the Skylight from Inline Fabrications for the Dillon 550.

Best of luck, and hope you are able to start reloading soon!

One thing to consider when making the color choice is "What brand do the competition shooters use?" These are the guys (and gals) that spend bunches of money and time to be the best and won't accept any compromises. The latest figures I find (4th quarter IDPA Tactical Journal) show 95% Blue, 4.5% Red, and .5% everything else. A lot depends on how many rounds you load per week. During the season, I normally load between 900 and 1200 rounds per week.

All that said, any of the brands will work, some just work easier and faster than others.

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Minimize the variables