Starting reloading, what is needed

[dave1918a2]

Read at least one paper handloading manual first. A new Lyman manual, #50, about twenty dollars, has a list of the minimum basic items needed and explains the use of each. This is a credible publication and much better than an Internet source. Good luck in your endeavor-

What He said. I have been reloading for over 55 years now and still have My original RCBS press. Redding powder measure, Forster trimmer which is necessary for rifle, Redding and RCBS dies, Rcbs scale. Don't pay much attention to the children of Bass Pro and Cabelas as They try to impress with their knowledge. Read, read and read some more. Ask questions here and then go to the store with a written list of what You want and stick with it.

 

[muddocktor]

Since it hasn't already been posted, in the Notable Threads sticky above is a very good thread with plenty of links in it to help you on your way getting into reloading. Here is a link to it for you to look at.

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

 

[oddshooter]

to start:
A MAN SHOULD KNOW HIS LIMITS; safety is always FIRST.

First, let me describe the other side of the tools coin.

Several post here gave good advice, do one stage at a time; start with a single stage press. That can be safe, when you know your own limits.

I want to give close, but opposite advice; do one stage at a time, but start with a progressive press.

I learned on the top of the progressive press line, the Dillon 550b. I only did one stage at a time to start. That lasted about a month before I started doing two stages at a time. It was about a week later I went to all four stages at one time.

First stage:
Sizing the case, decapping, and priming was easy and straight-forward. I saw no reason to question anything there. Pulling the die, replacing with a new die, setting up the new die, and then starting again seemed ridiculous.

Second stage:
Single stage presses also meant I had to buy a powder trickler and blocks. I found I hated moving around filled cases of powder. I kept bumping them.
After I put powder in, I immediately wanted to seat a bullet on top and protect.

Stage three:
I immediately started seating bullets; which kept my carefully measured powder, covered and protected.

Stage four:
Of all the stages, Crimping is most problematic; strong, soft, taper, or profile.
It can show the error of the other stages, or mask them, or fix them. I try to never correct other stages's errors at stage four.

Cases that aren't trimmed to length can cause seating errors of too much or too little which are compounded at crimping when not caught in the seating stage. Bullets without defined crimp grooves can cause issues when starting. Too strong of a crimp can cause case bulge just below the mouth.

A progressive press where only one round is produced at a time, is best at showing errors before hundreds of one stage errors can be made before they are discovered. One bad round, I can handle; several hundred and I can start belly-aching big time.

But if there is one recommendation I always make, it is to find a Mentor who can teach. Someone with experience who can show you the ropes and then watch you, can save months or years of frustration and danger.
You may even discover what type of press and accessories you like.

I only got about two hours worth my first time and I am still thankful I went that route.
If you learn through trial and error, then you MUST get a mentor. People learn from reading, others learn from watching, some just have to pizz on that fence themselves to find out. If you are the last type, GET A MENTOR.

Prescut
IMO, Redding is the best and most expensive dies by far. RCBS are excellent dies, price, and customer service. Lee FCD and Lyman "M" are nice specialties.

 

[DWARREN123]

This is where I say try to find a good mentor to show you the ropes and answer questions. Being told is one thing, being told then shown is a lot better.

 

[typetwelve]

I started reloading from scratch this time last year...I landed up buying even more equipment over the year, but here's what I started with to load 38/357, 44 mag/spcl, 9mm:

For mass loading:
-Dillon 550 with necessary dies/conv plates, etc (comes with primer pickup tubes)
-case gauges
-Primer tray
-scale (digital, bar...pick either. I have a bar scale)
-resizing lube

For loading a few at a time/load development I added:
-powder trickler
-powder funnel set
-brass trays
-Powder scoop set

For brass cleaning:
-brass tumbler (and tumbling media)
-Handheld case reaming tool (cleans case mouth, primer pocket)


I added many other things this year...but this is what I really needed to get the ball rolling...

 

[Oracle]

Thank you for your guidance, I plan on loading .45 magnum, .357 magnum and maybe just maybe 5.56 way down the road. I will pick up a Lyman manual, an opportune time to read and study will be after my ankle replacement surgery in two weeks.

Thank you one and all, the forum members on this site always provide excellent information.

 

[Peak53]

Oracle - Your plan to read up while recovering from your surgery sounds perfect. Then even more recovery time at your bench. The fact is, there is too much to know if you just ask the question "what do I need?" But, get your feet wet with the basic tools, and I would recommend the single stage press route, then come back here with specific questions when they arise. Since you mentioned .357 as a preferred caliber, that would be a great place to start - except at .38 Special levels. Your call on whether to load 38 or 357 cases, just keep them in the lower range. That particular load is one of the most forgiving and perhaps the easiest to learn on. That's what I did. Probably best to start with one of the medium burn rate powders like Unique or BE-86 so that you aren't just loading some tiny amount of powder like Bullseye. Shooting your own loads, customized for your needs, is one of life's great pleasures. Then, when you are confident enough to load a true magnum, you close your eyes, squeeze the trigger, it goes BANG and you are off and running! Have fun. Ask questions.

 

[AlHunt]

Thank you for your guidance, I plan on loading .45 magnum, .357 magnum and maybe just maybe 5.56 way down the road. I will pick up a Lyman manual, an opportune time to read and study will be after my ankle replacement surgery in two weeks.

Thank you one and all, the forum members on this site always provide excellent information.

Those straight walled pistol cases are a great place to start. Bottle necked cases are a slightly different beast.

 

[muddocktor]

I will also recommend starting out on a straight wall case such as 38 Special or 357 Mag. Both are forgiving and easy to load and they will teach you the basics.

As to dies for reloading, I have had good success with the Lee carbide pistol sizer dies on my Dillon. Dillon's dies are good too. But I have a set of Redding 9 MM dies that the carbide sizer die that is hard to get the cases to feed into. I don't know if that's the way Redding made the die or if it's a defect, but it's not a good progressive press die at all.

I started out on one of the more tricky cases to load for, the 22 Hornet, when I was a kid. But I had my Dad as a mentor too. I didn't start reloading pistol cartridges until I bought my first 357 when I turned 18.

 

[Oracle]

Thank you for your guidance, I plan on loading .45 magnum, .357 magnum and maybe just maybe 5.56 way down the road. I will pick up a Lyman manual, an opportune time to read and study will be after my ankle replacement surgery in two weeks.

Thank you one and all, the forum members on this site always provide excellent information.

Thank you! I had a typo and stated .45 magnum, I meant .44 magnum. I shoot three times more .44 magnum than .357, when I get rolling I will most likely start off with .44 magnum loaded in the lower ranges.

 

[WR Moore]

If you're loading .44 Magnum, you'll pay for your equipment in fairly short order.

One important thing no one has mentioned: an inertial bullet puller. You'll need this to break down your mistakes. You will make mistakes.

 

[max503]

I'm not a big fan of lee dies for expanding. They don't work that well with cast bullets, rcbs or the Lyman m dies are better for lead bullets.

I've learned this the hard way. My 9mm Lee dies are a bear to use with lead bullets. When you adjust them to flair the case mouth it becomes very hard to lower the arm and remove the case from that stage. Wouldn't be an issue if you were using jacketed bullets and didn't have to worry about shaving lead.

 

[glenwolde]

You'll need to do an honest assessment of your needs and abilities and try to match the equipment to fit that.

1. The volume of ammo you want.
2. The time available to load.
3. Your own mechanical aptitude.

I started with a single stage and shortly regretted it and upgraded to a progressive. Why?

Do you expect to reload a lot of ammo? 200 rounds a month is one thing. 200 rounds a week is another. Depending on how much time you have available. At the time I started I had a job that required overtime, two small children, a house......

I don't do well with simple repetitive tasks. Sitting there batch processing on a single stage actually bores me to death. For me, it's actually less safe than a progressive. When I get bored my mind has a hard time focusing on the task at hand.

I am however fascinated by more complex machinery and enjoy using it and watching it work. Which is probably why I spent my entire working life with equipment far more complicated that any reloading press. It's easier for me to pay attention on a progressive. But that's me.

If you are not mechanically inclined start with the single stage.

But don't get too hung up on single-stage vs progressive. Everybody I know with a progressive also has a single stage. Sometimes it's just easier to use the single stage for a small quantity of test loads than to convert the progressive. So it's your call. The single stage is less expensive and if the hobby doesn't stick you won't have as much at risk. Just be aware that if it does stick you'll probably want a progressive if you're primarily a handgun shooter. We tend to go through a lot of ammo.

 

[max503]

IMHO The internet is not a good place for in-depth information on any subject, especially something like reloading. Too many distractions, too many opinions. You need to sit down with a good book.

 

[Amp]

I recently gave up loading and kind of miss it.
That said I like the dillion square deal for pistol and rcbs rock chucker for rifle.
Cabela no longer carries dillion.
Shop around and gather a few more bits of advice.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

When I started I was making house payments and feeding two kids on the skinny paychecks of a young police officer. Economy was the goal and my guiding light.

I second the suggestion of looking for used equipment. Good presses simply do not wear out. My RCBS came to me used in 1972 and is still going strong. I added another used press the same way. Ohaus 10-10 powder scale is a fine piece of equipment, which I bought for next to nothing. Lachmiller powder measure has been accurate and easy to use for decades. Garage sales and estate sales frequently include someone's lifetime accumulation of good equipment that can be owned for pennies on the dollar.

I tend to purchase reloading dies new rather than used. Sizing dies in particular can be damaged by carelessness or sloppy use. Good die sets are not terribly expensive and last a lifetime (or two) with proper use and storage.

Heavy duty workbench is a must. I build my own using framing lumber, top faced with plywood (everything glued and screwed) and covered with linoleum. Make sure that the design allows heavy use without tipping over (I extended the braces on the lower legs about 8" so I can do heavy case sizing work without moving the bench).

Probably the best reference book available is the Lyman Reloading Handbook. Complete rundown on essential equipment and proper use, along with more advanced articles that will come in handy over time. The covers and bindings on my Lyman manuals have fallen apart after years of use, so they are permanently mounted in 3-ring notebook binders.

I have also picked up a dozen other manuals and books over the years, usually at gunshow tables in good used condition for a couple of bucks each.

For at least the last 35 years I have made a practice of adding a set of dies and at least one bullet mold every time I add a firearm in another caliber. A couple of my rifles were purchased new and have never been fired with factory ammunition. Several more antiques in long-discontinued calibers are kept shooting with homemade ammo.

I enjoy making my own ammo just about as much as I enjoy shooting. While many others like to spend hours watching movies or TV, I spend much of my time at the loading bench

 

[typetwelve]

I recently gave up loading and kind of miss it.
That said I like the dillion square deal for pistol and rcbs rock chucker for rifle.
Cabela no longer carries dillion.
Shop around and gather a few more bits of advice.

I've had to learn what works for me, something everyone must do. One thing I've learned this year, "what kind of ammo" is just as important as "how much".

Currently, when it comes to 38 spcl and 9mm, I'm honestly a 1500 rd/yr shooter presently. 44 special/magnum much less. My 550 is just fine for that as I'll typically run 500 or so rd lots and that's good enough to last me a few months.

I wanted to get into match 223 loading, so I bought a single stage for that and given the lots I run, don't regret that decision. I now run my 44 magnum on the single stage as well due to the small lots.

I'll say this...much more than 500rd lots, I think I'd want the 750 over my 550. If my 9mm/38 shooting ever really picks up that much, I'll probably just "bite the boolit" and get a 750 with all the bells/whistles. If I ever want to seriously run 223 and 9mm...I might even move to a 1100.

If I REALLY get into shooting bulk 223...I guess I'd consider a CP2000 AND a 1100...but I'd have to do some serious AR shooting to justify probably $4000 in reloading presses.

 

[fredj338]

Waaay to many variables in your question. Just what do you want to accomplish? It is the first question I ask my reloading class students. That generally dictates the gear you buy. You can cobble ammo together with a Lee hand press for about $50. Slow, yep, but the ammo will go bang.
Trying to make precision rifle for hunting or 1000y shooting, a solid single stage press will be fine for the low volume. Need 800rds a month for pistol competition or training/practice, for me that means a good progressive press.

 

[fredj338]

IMHO The internet is not a good place for in-depth information on any subject, especially something like reloading. Too many distractions, too many opinions. You need to sit down with a good book.

Or find a reloading class to take. Understanding the process & getting some questions answered, far better than trying to figure it out on your own IMO.

 

[gfors]

Go to a gun club or library - some place that has several handloading books or manuals. Find one that you enjoy reading. Read it.

My favorite is just a book, not a manual. It's an oldie. It's called "Handloading for Handgunners" by Maj. George C. Nonte. I lost my copy years ago, but the library can get it for me if I put in a request. I can spend hours reading that book.
I keep the Lyman reloading manuals for reference.
I started with this. All it took was a mallet, powder, bullets, primers, and time.

I’ve been reading this thread with great interest, as I will soon be setting up my own reloading bench. I thank everybody for all the comments. Regarding this book by George Nonte, I just found one on Amazon, used for $7. Also, ordered Lyman #50. Can’t wait to start reading!