Newbie on the Fence About Reloading

[halco46]

Reloading.

Please go to your local Library and find ALL the books you can regarding reloading,educate yourself First!. Lee does make very good components but I would stay away from the progressives at this point. I use a Lee turret press for my .45ACP`s. All I need. Education and Safety is Paramount Always!.

 

[Mphstiger1981]

Also, FWIW you don't always need the best when you're getting started out. Sometimes good enough is fine to start with then you can add better if you stick with it or as you can afford it.
With the RCBS Partner Press being $82 bucks now I'd say that'd be more then enough to spend on a press. Like I said, I've used mine for over 25 years without a hitch. Just clean and lube it every now and again and it'll last a lifetime.
Lee Dies are fine and you get a shell holder and loading info with them also the Lee Perfect Powder Measure has been great and it's half the price of what the other powder measures cost. For a scale I'd spend the money and get a good one like the RCBS 5-0-5, I've had mine for years and it's still working perfectly, I use it then put it back in the box and take care of it so it stays calibrated.
Main thing is to get started with something to get your feet wet so you can see if it's for you or not. If you don't like it you can always sell your stuff but if you do like reloading ammo and saving money then you'll have found yourself a hobby that'll give a lifetime of enjoyment and you'll be shooting quality, inexpensive ammo when other guys are wishing they had the money to buy a couple boxes of stuff from WalMart.

Good points Frank. I picked up some components at the gun show this weekend, one pound of Bulls Eye Powder, 1000 CCI primers and couple hundred 9mm JHP bullets. Now comes the hard part and finding a press and dies, along with the powder measure and a scale, and also calipers to measure with. This purchase coupled with the Lyman Reloading Handbook are at least the first steps on the journey.

 

[fredj338]

Good points Frank. I picked up some components at the gun show this weekend, one pound of Bulls Eye Powder, 1000 CCI primers and couple hundred 9mm JHP bullets. Now comes the hard part and finding a press and dies, along with the powder measure and a scale, and also calipers to measure with. This purchase coupled with the Lyman Reloading Handbook are at least the first steps on the journey.

Now why would you buy a powder without completely understanding the reloading process & how to correctly choose components? IMO, BE is NOT a beginners powder & especially for the 9mm. Yes it will work, I can make just about any powder work in any caliber, but you want as much safety margin as you can get starting out. Powders faster than W231 are NOT good starters powders. I prefer them even slower than W231 for noobs. Just a bit safer to use, especially in small volume/high pressure rounds. See if you can take it back & swap it unless your heart is set on it. If not, put it aside & get something slower. If you need to know what slower is, turn to the brun rate chart in your Lyman. Also Lyman lists powders in their data from fastest to slowest.

 

[Mphstiger1981]

Now why would you buy a powder without completely understanding the reloading process & how to correctly choose components? IMO, BE is NOT a beginners powder & especially for the 9mm. Yes it will work, I can make just about any powder work in any caliber, but you want as much safety margin as you can get starting out. Powders faster than W231 are NOT good starters powders. I prefer them even slower than W231 for noobs. Just a bit safer to use, especially in small volume/high pressure rounds. See if you can take it back & swap it unless your heart is set on it. If not, put it aside & get something slower. If you need to know what slower is, turn to the brun rate chart in your Lyman. Also Lyman lists powders in their data from fastest to slowest.

Thanks for your input. I can't take it back as it was purchased at the gun show this weekend. I have a friend who has loaded for a long time. I'll swap it to him for something milder, or just put it back until I get a little more experience. I read the burn chart before I went, but I confused the Bulls Eye with Unique. Appreciate you catching that and pointing it out me before I get started.

I also purchased a Lee Anniversary Kit and it should be here this weekend. I've talked to my friend about coming over once I get it assembled and helping me get started the first time or two, just to make sure I'm on the right path.

Thanks to everyone who has responded for all of your input.

Tiger.

 

[arjay]

Just save the bullseye til you get some experience.It's a great powder for target loads in 38 special and 45 acp.The amounts used are quite small so you just need to be sure of what you are doing and really take a good look in each case before you load the bullets.It's a great hobby.Enjoy!

 

[GT1]

Yeah, bullseye kind of scared me off because it is easy to double charge, maybe easy isn't the right word, but the possibility goes up.

It is why I picked AA#7 for(I'm pretty new to reloading) 9mm, it is slower, and a starting charge can't be doubled, it would overflow the case. So it has a built in safety factor. When I am more comfortable I will try other powders, HS6, W231, Power pistol(PP is also a case filling powder for 9mm, I think). I am saving bullseye for my .45, mostly.

 

[blujax01]

Now you're gonna scare the poor boy to death. There is no such thin as "beginner powders". My first loads were Titegroup on a progressive in 45 caliber.
Any reasonably intelligent adult can do this. There is no magic and it sure ain't rocket science.

 

[novalty]

Flamible dirt, I mean Unique is what I started with, and given the volume needed for most cartridges it does reduce the chance greatly for double-charges.

 

[Skip Sackett]

Now you're gonna scare the poor boy to death. There is no such thin as "beginner powders". My first loads were Titegroup on a progressive in 45 caliber.
Any reasonably intelligent adult can do this. There is no magic and it sure ain't rocket science.

Right ON!

While I hate Titegroup, I have to agree with the last part of this statement.

It just ain't that hard for an adult to grasp.

 

[arjay]

Nope, it aint rocket science,but advising caution over the net seems a smart way to go.I've got a few real world friends I would never teach reloading to ;-)

 

[TNFrank]

You know, in all the years I've been reloading I've never used Bullseye. Always stuck with Unique, you get a good amount of powder in the case so it's harder to get a double charge and it works with just about any handgun ctg. that you'd care to load.
If it was me I'd just pick up a $99 buck Lee Kit from Midway USA and upgrade your press at a later date. Then you can add to it as needed but at least you'll be reloading and saving a few bucks in the mean time.
I'm not crazy about Lee presses but it'll do fine for 9x19mm until you can get a better one, ditto on the little Lee powder scale that comes in the kit, it'll work but an RCBS 5-0-5 is better but you can get by with what's in the Lee kit for now. Not sure if it comes with dies or not, if not just get a set of Lee dies too and be very careful with your loads, it's real easy to double charge with Bullseye because you use so little of it that it doesn't fill the case much.

 

[Mphstiger1981]

Thanks TNFrank,

I did buy one earlier this week. Should be here Friday or Saturday. Bought the Anniversary Press with all the stuff that comes with it. There are still some things I'll need to pick up, .38 special bullets, dies for 9mm and .38, digital calipers and some other, perhaps slower burning powder than Bullseye.

As an aside, I noticed that Lyman's manual lists the "most accurate load" in bold face for each bullet type. Now, I'm still reading and hopefully learning, but I do not remember reading how a guy just starting out is supposed to figure out the right powder for "me". My instinct tells me to use the powder with the largest suggested starting load for that particular bullet, meaning it's probably a slower burn rate powder, and large loads help to decrease the chance of a double load or overloading the charge. Am I getting close on this, or am I just missing the boat entirely? The kit I purchased also includes the Lee Reloading Manual, so I'll have at least one more source for recipes, assuming that helps.

 

[lougotzzz]

thanks guys. Perhaps the best way to get answers to all the questions rolling around in my head would be to ask how much should someone expect to spend to get started with an average grade bench system?

You are going to spend alot of money

 

[Mphstiger1981]

You are going to spend alot of money

Do NOT let my wife see you say that.....

 

[blujax01]

...
As an aside, I noticed that Lyman's manual lists the "most accurate load" in bold face for each bullet type. Now, I'm still reading and hopefully learning, but I do not remember reading how a guy just starting out is supposed to figure out the right powder for "me". ....

I started out with a jug of Titegroup and loaded 9mm, 38 special and 45 with it because that was the only powder I had. Everything went "bang" and no one got hurt.
There are lots of sources for "recipes" in books and on line and you can usually find one somewhere to fit your components.
Obviously there are better combinations and I am learning what my guns like by experimenting with different powders, bullets and loads, which of course is half the fun!
An oldster who runs a little basement shop near me doesn't buy into the hype at all. He swears by W231 and uses it for everything.
Sez "It ain't the arrow, it's the Indian".

 

[Mphstiger1981]

I started out with a jug of Titegroup and loaded 9mm, 38 special and 45 with it because that was the only powder I had. Everything went "bang" and no one got hurt.
There are lots of sources for "recipes" in books and on line and you can usually find one somewhere to fit your components.
Obviously there are better combinations and I am learning what my guns like by experimenting with different powders, bullets and loads, which of course is half the fun!
An oldster who runs a little basement shop near me doesn't buy into the hype at all. He swears by W231 and uses it for everything.
Sez "It ain't the arrow, it's the Indian".

Thanks. I appreciate that insight...more than you can know.