I have been into shooting my entire life, and have always wanted to get into reloading. With the steady increase in the prices of ammunition I cannot wait any longer. I have many questions but first I need to ask what do I need to buy to get into reloading? I have absolutly no equipment so can someone fill me in on where to start and what to buy? I don't want to spend a fortune I just want to ease into reloading and learn the basics on handgun and rifle reloading before I start getting all the fancy rigs. I know very little on reloading so I will need to know everything I need to buy. Thanks for any help.
Brand New to reloading and need some help
- Thread starter bayoudealer
- Start date
I want to stay under 1k if possible.
If saving money is the goal, I would say Lee is the best way to go on most things as long as you know which to get,they do have some good things to go along with the cheap stuff that breaks easy).
Lee classic press or Lee classic 4 hole turret press is very solid with a lifetime guarantee and either can be had for <$80 on sale.
I have both,along with other brands) and both are good smooth strong presses, The turrets are nice because you can switch calibers in a matter of seconds without reseting all the dies every time just by changing out the $9 extra turret.
3 piece Lee collet die sets are around $25 per caliber and allow you to FL or neck size only. They work well.
I would skip the beam scale at first because they will wear on your patients when getting started reloading. Many electronic scales can be had in the $100 range like the RCBS rangemaster 750, Dillon determinatorII, ect.
You need a set of calipers, I find the digitals are the easiest, Midway had the Frankford arsenal digital calipers on sale last month for $13.
Plain jane Deburing/chamfering tool for case mouth is around $3.
A Lee auto prime is a cheap easy way to load the primers and runs about $15.
You need a reloading book to learn what to do and give load info, anywhere from $15-$50.
Powder funnel is a few dollars.
Case lube pad, and loading blocks are cheap.
Case trimers have a wide range, anywhere from $3 for the Lee lock stud and pilot that goes in a drill for a few dollars up to the kind that mount on the bench in a wide variety of prices.
You will also need a bullet puller to take apart rounds you mess up.
That will get you reloading and the equiptment will last for years. Later on when your more familiar with the process you might want to get a powder thrower or chargemaster to speed up the process, or primer pocket uniformer, flash hole deburrer,ect to get more precise but its not NEEDED to reload.
Then brass, bullets, powder, and primers.
I started with the supplies mentioned and have since "upgraded" on almost everything and have all kinds of little tools and gagets. Except for my technique being better I dont think I really gained a noticable amount to justify the additional money spent. In other words, I could go back to using the old stuff now and shoot just as well.
Good luck.
Lee classic press or Lee classic 4 hole turret press is very solid with a lifetime guarantee and either can be had for <$80 on sale.
I have both,along with other brands) and both are good smooth strong presses, The turrets are nice because you can switch calibers in a matter of seconds without reseting all the dies every time just by changing out the $9 extra turret.
3 piece Lee collet die sets are around $25 per caliber and allow you to FL or neck size only. They work well.
I would skip the beam scale at first because they will wear on your patients when getting started reloading. Many electronic scales can be had in the $100 range like the RCBS rangemaster 750, Dillon determinatorII, ect.
You need a set of calipers, I find the digitals are the easiest, Midway had the Frankford arsenal digital calipers on sale last month for $13.
Plain jane Deburing/chamfering tool for case mouth is around $3.
A Lee auto prime is a cheap easy way to load the primers and runs about $15.
You need a reloading book to learn what to do and give load info, anywhere from $15-$50.
Powder funnel is a few dollars.
Case lube pad, and loading blocks are cheap.
Case trimers have a wide range, anywhere from $3 for the Lee lock stud and pilot that goes in a drill for a few dollars up to the kind that mount on the bench in a wide variety of prices.
You will also need a bullet puller to take apart rounds you mess up.
That will get you reloading and the equiptment will last for years. Later on when your more familiar with the process you might want to get a powder thrower or chargemaster to speed up the process, or primer pocket uniformer, flash hole deburrer,ect to get more precise but its not NEEDED to reload.
Then brass, bullets, powder, and primers.
I started with the supplies mentioned and have since "upgraded" on almost everything and have all kinds of little tools and gagets. Except for my technique being better I dont think I really gained a noticable amount to justify the additional money spent. In other words, I could go back to using the old stuff now and shoot just as well.
Good luck.
I agree with nonliberal here. Handloading for extreme accuracy is a bit overwheming to some and especially if you are a beginner. Start with the basics. Read everything you can get your hands on and make sure you understand what you are reading but try to gate yourself and question things that don't connect for you. There are as many techniques out there as there are opinions. Some may work for you some may not. There is a wealth of info here and most of these guys will help you out any way they can. Good to see new guys crank up a reloading bench. Just remember, it could be hazardous to yout wallet thickness. Bill
Just to echo some of what Bill said, read a lot on forums like this one. There's a two-fold benefit: You'll get to hear what experiences others have had with particular products as well as learn some of the techniques and tips that people use. You'll also have a chance to see a variety of used bits and pieces come up for sale.
$1k is a decent budget for a starting set of stuff if that's just for your base set of equipment and a couple of different cartridges. But, you're going to have to determine what's important to you. Some people are happiest with a Dillon setup 'cause they just want to crank out enough rounds with little fuss. Others enjoy, or at least are willing to put up with, turning case necks for hours just to get the possibility of a little extra accuracy.
If your only goal is to save money on ammo and have some opportunity to tailor rounds to your rifle, I'd look for a used Dillon setup myself. OTOH, if you think you'd enjoy the pursuit of squeezing every bit of accuracy out of your rifle, hang around here and we'll tell give you thousands of opinions of how to do it
$1k is a decent budget for a starting set of stuff if that's just for your base set of equipment and a couple of different cartridges. But, you're going to have to determine what's important to you. Some people are happiest with a Dillon setup 'cause they just want to crank out enough rounds with little fuss. Others enjoy, or at least are willing to put up with, turning case necks for hours just to get the possibility of a little extra accuracy.
If your only goal is to save money on ammo and have some opportunity to tailor rounds to your rifle, I'd look for a used Dillon setup myself. OTOH, if you think you'd enjoy the pursuit of squeezing every bit of accuracy out of your rifle, hang around here and we'll tell give you thousands of opinions of how to do it
Thanks for the help, I am going to start shopping around the prices.
Are there any particular books recommended?
Are there any particular books recommended?
I have seen a lee 50 anniversey kit that claims to have everything needed to get into reloading,less dies powder, digital scales, digital calipers) can someone look at this link and tell me if this would be a good way to get into reloading?
http://www.leeprecision.com/html/catalog/anivers.html
http://www.leeprecision.com/html/catalog/anivers.html
I think buying used equipment is a good way to go too.
There was a complete set up listed on Benchrest Central recently, I don't know status.
1k is enough to get very good basic set-up
Do your research 1st, Don't buy until you have a complete understanding of what you want to accomplish, and how best to achieve your goal.
Buy a few loading manuals like Sierra, Hornady, Nosler, ect.. They will have plenty of "general info" and a good place to start
I like Precision Shooting's Reloading Guide once you get a handle on basic concepts, it will help fine tune your specific tool list
Sinclair Co is going to love you!
Do some reading, then post up questions about specific items on your start up list.
I'll give you a couple items to start;
Wilson case trimmer on sinclair base
K&M priming tool
good dial micrometer
good micrometer
Study first
Then buy, no point buying something you will replace later or worse don't need.
Scott
There was a complete set up listed on Benchrest Central recently, I don't know status.
1k is enough to get very good basic set-up
Do your research 1st, Don't buy until you have a complete understanding of what you want to accomplish, and how best to achieve your goal.
Buy a few loading manuals like Sierra, Hornady, Nosler, ect.. They will have plenty of "general info" and a good place to start
I like Precision Shooting's Reloading Guide once you get a handle on basic concepts, it will help fine tune your specific tool list
Sinclair Co is going to love you!
Do some reading, then post up questions about specific items on your start up list.
I'll give you a couple items to start;
Wilson case trimmer on sinclair base
K&M priming tool
good dial micrometer
good micrometer
Study first
Then buy, no point buying something you will replace later or worse don't need.
Scott
The ABC's of Reloading and Lyman's Reloading Manual, 48th Ed.bayoudealer said:
Unless you are looking for the cheapest equipment, Lee may not be what you want. In O-frame presses, I like Redding's Boss or Big Boss. Their 3BR powder measure is highly regarded and is available with both rifle and pistol meters in the 3BRK. Their beam scale, as well as an RCBS, is also good; you need one to keep an electronic device honest. Forster's press is very good. You are better off with cast iron rather than aluminum in presses for both rigidity and longevity.
Redding and Forster make the better dies. Both versions of Forster's seater has an alignment sleeve, as does Redding's micrometer-head seater. I like Hornady's pistol die sets for the sleeved seater design. Lyman's M-die is useful when firing lead bullets.
Examine the different brands of equipment before buying. You should be able to detect differences in fit and tightness.
If you are just starting out Lee is the cheapest way to go. Decent quality at 1/3rd the cost. Why is that important because you will need more equipment than you think. All the small stuff adds up. Not to mention brass and bullets, primers and powder. Do not buy the scale from Lee it is really junk you will need to spend about $50 to $75 for a decent beam scale.
Good luck and go slow that way you will have fun for a long time.
http://targetshooter.jmlco.com/reloading%201.htm
Big Jim
Good luck and go slow that way you will have fun for a long time.
http://targetshooter.jmlco.com/reloading%201.htm
Big Jim
I am also very new to the game. has anyone used and have an opinion on the hornady "lock-n-load" kit. looking at what the cost to shoot my 7mm UM, reloading this is really the only way to get some performance out of it over what is available off the shelf. this is not the only gun that I will need to reload. do other dies from other presses work with this setup? like I stated I'm new to this.
Newbie reloader here as well. I started with the Lee Anniversary kit for $85 and it came with the device to prime on the press so I bought the hand operated Lee Auto Prime.
When I saw the scale that came with it, I thought "why bother". I had 2 other scales anyway, but I tested it against my Lyman and digital. The Lee scale is funky to read but I must have gotten a good one as it works as well as the other two. A shooting bud is giving me his Dillon digital so I will have 4 scales to keep me up at night.
All in all, I like the Lee Breach Lock Challenger press and the Lee collet dies for my .308. The other posters are right. The ancillary stuff adds up. Loading blocks, shell boxes, bullet puller, powder, bullets, primers, caliper, and so on.
I did what these gentlemen advised and read all I could and bought a manual before the first piece of hardware was bought. Great advice can also be had right here!
When I saw the scale that came with it, I thought "why bother". I had 2 other scales anyway, but I tested it against my Lyman and digital. The Lee scale is funky to read but I must have gotten a good one as it works as well as the other two. A shooting bud is giving me his Dillon digital so I will have 4 scales to keep me up at night.
All in all, I like the Lee Breach Lock Challenger press and the Lee collet dies for my .308. The other posters are right. The ancillary stuff adds up. Loading blocks, shell boxes, bullet puller, powder, bullets, primers, caliper, and so on.
I did what these gentlemen advised and read all I could and bought a manual before the first piece of hardware was bought. Great advice can also be had right here!
Upgrades & Donations
This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.