Want to get into reloading...help

I just bought the RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme kit from Brownells, since they had a good deal on it. Starting out reloading .44 magnum, since I have about 2k empty brass I’ve saved up for the past 10 years or so.

Now if I can just find primers…
 
Start with a single stage press. Then buy a Dillon progressive when you feel ready. I don't think it matters much which press. I bought the MEC press. Die sets are personal preference. Prime with a hand primer like Frankin. You will need a digital scale to check drops. I bought the Lee Perfect Deluxe powder dropper for my single stage work. I am now mostly loading on my Dillon SDB but still use my single stage press to deprime and sometimes to finish off round that fail my caliber checkers. The SDB will of course deprime but I like to take the primers out before I wet tumble my cases. The Lee Factory crimper is good for fixing the ones that are tight in the checker.
 
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In case nobody's mentioned it, you could post what you want in the "Want to buy" sub forum . Betcha there is a lot of dusty tooling out there.
Also keep an eye on the classifieds for "accessories".
 
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I started with a Lyman 4 turret press in the 70s' and it's still in use. I can't imagine using a non-turret press. The new Lyman 8 position turret is intriguing. The ability to backstep one or two steps without having to remove/insert a die is incredible.
 

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I loaded thousands of rounds of 38 Special wadcutters for years on a Dillon 550B. Loved the machine and found the progressive part of it a benifit. Probably any of the name brands would work fine.

If you shoot 150 rounds per session and shoot often, you will curse a single stage. I woud buy a Dillon 550C or whatever model has the removable tool head but not the model with auto case feed etc.You can always load single stage on it to learn, but your going to end up wanting more output for your effort. Make sure to get a primer flip tray. No need to clean primer pockets, trim cases etc for normal loads. I only loaded one caliber and one load so never changed out anything. Additional calibers can get costly if you have extra tool heads loaded with dies and powder charger but that is the way to go.

Don't prime by hand or do any of that manual stuff for everday ammo. There is no need. My practice ammo was my best ammo simply run through the machine and what I used in matches. I was fortunate in that I had an endless supply of brass so only loaded it twice or three times and was dealing with a very light load.I failed to mention you will need a powder scale to calibrate your powder measure.
 
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I started in the spring of 2008, which was a bit of a drought time but laughable compared to now. Haven’t seen one box of primers on the shelves of the two places I used to get them from in three years. People get all excited when they see 5 bricks on the shelf at Bass Pro and post pictures. I bought a single stage Hornady Lock N Load kit and I’m still using it, with no plans to ever go beyond a single stage. I weight every charge and can load 50 rounds in about 20 minutes. I’m in no rush.

I’ve advised friends against reloading for the last three years. The search for components is maddening. Ordering by mail is expensive with the Haz Mat fees and component prices are sometimes triple what they used to be as it is. I’ve got about 3000 pistol primers left. When I start seeing them on shelves, even at double the old price, I’ll change my tune, but right now, I don’t know how any of these reloading companies sell any equipment at all.
 
Don't make the mistakes I did starting out. As in the ONLY Lee products that give you good value for money are the reloading Die kits.

Lee Safety Scale. JUNK. It is really fiddly to set and if set on a reloading bench the Zero Setting WILL drift.

Lee Perfect Powder Measure. JUNK. Extremely fiddly to set and with fine ball powders it leaks badly and jams up solid.

Lee Load All shot shell press. Notorious for being very cheap and taking two to four years of practice in order to start getting repeatable results.

Basically if it's made by Lee and uses plastic in it's construction you'll be either throwing it against a concrete wall or into the trash within 6 months of purchase. On the flip side their die sets are excellent. I'll also note that the Lee Reloading Manual is quite useful and a very good read on the basics of reloading.

Now look to RCBS. The Rock Chucker Supreme kit does come with some fluff items but most of it comes with basics you will need and every single item is well thought out and very well made.

Final note. Primers are coming back but a lot of powders that you'll see recommended are NOT currently available. One such powder is Unique. Some good news is that there are alternatives and in many cases will measure much more consistently than Unique with features a Standard Deviation of 0.17 grains. If you want an excellent metering powder for 38 special I would recommend Vihtavouri 3N37. It has no position sensitivity and the SD in a volume based powder measure is 0.07 grains. It also seems to be tuned specifically for 38 or 9mm caliber ammunition. For 357 Magnum the hot ticket is H110. It is one of the best metering powders in existence and you can build some "holy ****" hand loads with this powder. Note much milder loads are also possible, it's a real favorite for 9000-10,000 psi 410 loads. Other suggestions are any of the Accurate Handgun powders such as #2, #5, #7, or #9. All meter wonderfully and the range has enough variety to cover almost any handgun load.

Primers. These are in short supply and often quantities are limited per purchase. So, use what you can find and if possible stick to Small Pistol wherever possible. Most small pistol primers produce energy levels in a very similar range and are interchangeable if you are loading about halfway between the maximum and minimum powder charge. Magnum Pistol primers are a fair bit hotter and there is more variation between brands for these primers so you'll want to stick to listed recipes as closely as possible.

Bullet substitutions. Hard cast lead bullets of the same weight can be considered interchangeable between brands as long as they feature a matching profile such as Lead Round Nose, Wad Cutter, or Semi Wad cutter. However you cannot swap between profiles, using a Wad Cutter for a LRN recipe is asking for problems or unexpected spikes in pressure. FMJ bullets are also interchangeable as long as the profiles and weights match. Note FMJ may be either Plated or Poured in Jacket and this really doesn't matter, the drag produced in the bore will be the same and most plated bullets have plating as thick as the jackets for poured in jacket bullets.

Finally, as a rule you will want to use loads that are roughly 1/2 way between the maximum and minimum for most of your practice loads. This will allow a "reserve" for variations in the powder charge and for minor variations in the bullet profile or seating depth. If or when you want/need a maximum energy load you want to work up to that power level carefully and once you have a good recipe established take the time to hand weigh the powder charge for every single cartridge for at least 50 rounds. I would also suggest you write every one down and do NOT throw out the "flyers". Statistically powder charges thrown will fall into a bell curve and those "flyers" are the ones at each end of that bell curve.
 

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