Searched and read need help with equipment choice

[Guest pfries]

OK situation:

We shoot a lot…. Job change recently and I need to start cutting costs. Options shoot less or start reloading.

For us this is family time and has always help put food on the table.

I am pretty sure I will need to use a progressive as the quantity will be fairly high (just started saving brass a month ago approximately 1500 cases so far). I do not want to drop the money this will take for an appropriate set up and have the need to do all over in the near future, I am not saying it has to be the “top of the line†just needs to be what I need. I anticipate between 1500 and 2000 monthly (yes I can make time) and I realize as I get into it there will be some tweaking of equipment. Any input is greatly appreciated.

P.S. The whole family practices regularly 5 kids plus me and the misses.

[Caster]

Someone will likely say Nay Nay! but i have been loading a long time and I have never owned a progressive press. Too much $$$ to invest in, especially if you're new to loading.

If you have 5 kids and a wife and this is a family thing, then reloading should be just the same. Delegate loading chores. I've loaded about 3K 9x19's this year and I usually load around 10+ a year easy. All on a Lee.

Get one of their anniversary kits, sell the powder measure and scale (they are crap) buy a Lyman or RCBS scale and measure. Buy Lee dies and get diggin' with a lot more money in your pocket.

First step though, buy a good manual. Lee's manual or Lyman either one are great.

[Westwindmike]

Ok, I'll play.

Nay Nay!

I started with a single stage press and still use it for rifle loads. For high capacity, I went with the Dillon 550. I'm slow and check my powder charges a lot, but I average about 200 an hour with it. I know some folks are faster with it, but I'm happy with this speed.

If you go with a single stage, then just get in the habit of doing batch loading. When you have time, size 500-1000 cases. Have some more free time, bell the same cases. Next, prime all of them. That way when you are ready to "load", the cases are prepped and ready to drop powder into.

Best of luck with your loading project.

[Caster]

If you go with a single stage, then just get in the habit of doing batch loading. When you have time, size 500-1000 cases. Have some more free time, bell the same cases. Next, prime all of them. That way when you are ready to "load", the cases are prepped and ready to drop powder into.

.

That's exactly right. Maybe I take working in a machine shop for granted. I assume everyone knows simple production. I only load small batches for development. Once I find the load I like, I will wait until I have a minimum of 1K. I prefer 2 or 3. Get a hand primer and watch TV while you prime. Oh BTW, start saving coffee cans if you don't already. They are a reloaders best friend!

[gregintenn]

If I were loading high volume, I'd definitely buy a progressive setup. Since I just backyard plink and deer hunt a bit, a single stage suits my needs.

[LngRngShtr]

Dillon 550 buy once cry once,.. a NO BS warranty that is not matched by anyone,.. I have even admitted to Mr. Dillon himself ( yes he answers his phones sometimes) a true bonehead act caused the parts demise.. and he apologized to me " for not making it strong enough" and sent new parts FREE no hassle

Kept 3 very active shooters up in ammo for many trouble free years until me and my brother moved out and bought our own...and has started several others on a long reloading career...

IPSC, Bullseye, PPC, CMP Rifle ammo it does it all... and you can run it like a single stage if you feel the need to... it is all in how you set up the die block/tool head.

I have routinely loaded 400 .45ACPs an hour without working very hard,.means more practice time to me... 1 handle stroke = 1 loaded round instead of a single stage 3 or 4 (separate crimp ) to 1 ratio ..... 5 shooters = a lot of press work...

if you only see handgun volume then a Square Deal B may be the ticket but if rifle is in your future 550B is the ticket.. My M-1 Garand is well fed thanks to the Blue Press

John

Edited March 22, 2011 by LngRngShtr

[East_TN_Patriot]

You can't beat the Dillon 550, but if you are on a budget, you really can't beat a Lee Classic Turret Press, which is a progressive lite reloader. That's what I have and I can easily crank out a couple hundred rounds in an hour or so. The entire set-up can be purchased as a starter kit with powder measure, balance scale, and a couple of other goodies for around $100 if you shop around. Lee die sets and accessories are reasonably priced, and Lee backs up their products well.

[Guest canebreaker]

First off, how old is the youngest?

We were loading on a Lee anny kit. sometime 1,000 per week, 38spl., sometimes every 2 weeks. I would show her where we were in the reloading stage and she would go from there. Sit and hand prime while watching tv, only time I do watch tv. I would wake in the middle of the night and hear her in the living room doing something, decapping, expanding, priming. All of the reloading was done while watching tv. She didn't like the smell of alox and afraid of powder, so that was my part. I cast bullets, she didn't want to be around that part. Lubing and sizing, gets the alox in the fingers and nails, she didn't like the smell. Kinda hard to wash out with soap.

Get the Lee anny. breech kits. Use it til you move up. You can still use it or parts of it in other areas of reloading.

I'm thinking, I've loaded over 2 million on my single stage.

[Jonnin]

I got a lee steel progressive 4 stage and totally set up for under $500 total. Already made most of it back, doing just one round of 500 .380 was over $100 saved, and I have also done a ton of 45 and more. Soon as I do the .40s I will be ahead of the game.

I wouldnt go back. Progressive is very easy for simple handgun rounds and makes a ton of sense. If you do mostly rifle, I would get a single stage. If you are flat broke, get a single stage. If you make it a family event, maybe get 2 single stages and go at it... consider your options there. But one guy pulling the handle for simple handgun ammo, progressive is awesome.

[Guest highvoltage]

i have the lee turret press great little press for the money. can run about 200 rounds in a hours time over 5000 rounds and its still going strong. can load as a single press also. i did upgrade the scale to the rcbs charge master combo.

[dlm37015]

come over to my house i have a camdex 5000 rounds an hour .i load only 9mm with it most everything else i use redding turret

[Guest pfries]

First off, how old is the youngest?

The kids range from 22 to 2 1/2.

I have 4 different hand gun and 4 different different rifle loads will be 5 if I can find some good 54R brass.

So far 2 books read and many hours researching.

I do hope this to be as much of a family thing as it can, obviously much of it being age dependent.

Even the two year old gets involved in our home range time. When the range bags come out he gets his and puts on his glasses, he already helps with the brass and sorting of it.

(before any one jumps me all of my kids have to wear proper PPE respective to what they are doing)

[McAllyn]

I have a CH single stage, a Dillon Square Deal B, and a Dillon 550b. If I were to do it all over again, I'd just buy the 550b and get it over with.

Buy the 550 with whichever caliber conversion kit you shoot the most, a set of dies, at least one reloading manual, a scale, a bullet puller, calipers, and a primer flip tray. Then, you're off to the races.

There is a constant arguement over whether reloading actually saves you money. Some say no, because you shoot more. I say yes because at 2k rounds per month, I really can't shoot more than that, and I was shooting that much before I started reloading.

Best of luck to you, and the guys here will be able to answer any possible questions you can come up with.

Mac

[Guest pfries]

I have a CH single stage, a Dillon Square Deal B, and a Dillon 550b. If I were to do it all over again, I'd just buy the 550b and get it over with.

Buy the 550 with whichever caliber conversion kit you shoot the most, a set of dies, at least one reloading manual, a scale, a bullet puller, calipers, and a primer flip tray. Then, you're off to the races.

There is a constant arguement over whether reloading actually saves you money. Some say no, because you shoot more. I say yes because at 2k rounds per month, I really can't shoot more than that, and I was shooting that much before I started reloading.

Best of luck to you, and the guys here will be able to answer any possible questions you can come up with.

Mac

First of all I apreciate all the in put .

I will most certainly invest in a progresive set up.

Dilon seems to be the name to go with (although the camdex is tempting dlm37015 if you can set me up here pm me I like the idea of comodity staying home)

I am going to start with the 9mm and .40 and will expand from there.

now to research primers and powder respectivly I will start with home range brass.

Don't let the thread die here I have much to research and learn all the input I can get is apreciated and acepted with open arms.

techniques and recipies ar short to follow target and HD ...

Thanks again

Pat

[Jonnin]

I cant tell one primer from another. Lead free maybe for indoor use is about the only thing to take note of (?).

I like accurate powder, #5 for the 9 and 40 is probably a decent choice, still learning myself so it may not be the best for both, but try to find a powder that fits both (easy to do for those calibers). I am not sure the brand matters here either, what matters is picking the type within a brand to fit as many of your calibers as possible so you only have a few types to keep track of.

If you have any poly guns (glocks, for example, only a few less common guns besides glocks have this in the USA) lead slugs can be an issue (research that online). If they are regular rifling, lead is fine.

Just some starting points, researching your loads is part of the fun of it but that will narrow it down and get you started.

[LngRngShtr]

You said 4 handguns and 4 rifles,.. then if the name be Dillon the 550B will handle them all... McAllyns quick laundry list is fine for pistols when you graduate to rifles theres a few more pieces..case trimmer being one of them,then depending on caliber/purpose some other accessories..

Also a case tumbler will add to the life of your dies and brass....besides reloads just look better with tumbled brass and I believe feed better.

One item to consider if you are reloading .40

Redding Grx or Hornady Bulge Buster... Glock .40s sometimes have generous chambers and will not resize all the way down and not feed once reloaded..

These 2 dies are a "push through" resizer and will resize a .40 or a 10mm casing to factory specs..

it is on my "to get" list... as I have about 3 ammo cans full of 10mm brass and am accumulating quite a few .40s

Wilson makes case gauges,.. basically a block of steel or Aluminum that has had a chamber reamed into it... or you can dismount your semi-autos barrel and use it as a final check before the newly reloaded rounds go into your match ammo bin, if they hang up in the least they are deemed practice rounds..

Powder : choose 1 powder that works for both,.. saves you the dreaded thought of wrong powder in the cases.. ( possible BLAMMO ) if you settle on 2 different powders establish a 1 powder (component) out on the bench at a time policy I have tried some WW 231 powder in my .40 but haven't worked seriously with it yet... I am also considering using HS-6 as I will also be working up a new 10mm loading once the WSL (discontinued powder) runs out..

Primers,.. ( I'm not starting that argument again,..) you will have good luck with Federal and Winchester or Remington.. CCI can be a harder primer

John

P.S. a quick search on the 762x54R only netted me some Lapua brass.. at almost $1.00 a casing... ouch..nice thing is that if it is a bolt gun casings can last you a long time if you reload them right...

[McAllyn]

I mainly load 9MM and 40, using Vihtavouri N320 powder and CCI 500 Small Pistol Primers. 4.1g with Zero brand 125g JHP in 9MM, and 5.0g with Zero brand 180JHP. These are competition rounds, not self defense rounds.

When I do load .223, I use Sierra bullets, Varget powder, and CCI 400 Small Rifle Primers.

One thing you'll notice is that EVERYONE uses a different mix of powder, bullets, brass, and primers. There are almost as many pet loads out there as there are weapons to shoot them in. The reason is reloading is a very personal experience. You get to build and customize your load to what you want to feel and what your weapon wants to use.

And, as pointed out, the items I listed are pretty much the absolute minimum to get reloading safely. Once you get into it, you'll find that there is ALWAYS another gizmo or widget that you need now or will need sooner or later.

Mac

[Guest pfries]

One thing you'll notice is that EVERYONE uses a different mix of powder, bullets, brass, and primers. There are almost as many pet loads out there as there are weapons to shoot them in. The reason is reloading is a very personal experience. You get to build and customize your load to what you want to feel and what your weapon wants to use.

Yes I had noticed they are all well thought out pet loads as you call them,

I figure I will gear up over the next several weeks and had planned on finding a lighter "safe load" if you will and run a few smaller batches just to get familiar with the equiptment, process and ins and outs for a good bit before I start to play with dreaming up any of my own mixes. The concept is simple however the art of of reloading and customizing loads is a bit further down the road. I for one want to survive the trip with all digets and such intact to fully enjoy the fruits of my labor.

I am curently looking at some of the powders sugested and a plethera of others, I plan on first utilizing one powder to take some of the extra things to watch for off my plate, at least for the first bit. I don't own any Glock's so the issue with the .40 should not be a problem unless the same is to be said for the XD. Primers are proving to be a bit harder to understand the finer details of. Definatly still in serious research mode there...(and I am not trying to reopen that thread/argument here) that battle can be compared to the battle of the Glock...

As far as tumbling the brass I was considering modding an old dryer in the basement and am looking into that because it looks as though it would be economical to have a fair quantity of pre-prepared brass on hand.

When they coined the phrase "There is more than one way to skin a cat" I am starting to think they reloaded brass...

[Guest pfries]

..case trimmer being one of them,then depending on caliber/purpose some other accessories..

Also a case tumbler will add to the life of your dies and brass....besides reloads just look better with tumbled brass and I believe feed better.

John

P.S. a quick search on the 762x54R only netted me some Lapua brass.. at almost $1.00 a casing... ouch..nice thing is that if it is a bolt gun casings can last you a long time if you reload them right...

Would a case trimmer also benifit the hand gun rounds to make them more uniform? it is one of the things on my initial shopping list.

My search for the 54R brass netted about the same as yours, my thoughts as I like to hunt and plink with my Mossin and dragunauv is some brass for hunting loads getting as close to the military surplus load as I can( as stated properly reloaded rifle brass lasts a while) and the surplus loads for plinking if you can call it that with that round (even my 9yr old boy likes to plink with the dragunauv )

[Jonnin]

Would a case trimmer also benifit the hand gun rounds to make them more uniform? it is one of the things on my initial shopping list.

My search for the 54R brass netted about the same as yours, my thoughts as I like to hunt and plink with my Mossin and dragunauv is some brass for hunting loads getting as close to the military surplus load as I can( as stated properly reloaded rifle brass lasts a while) and the surplus loads for plinking if you can call it that with that round (even my 9yr old boy likes to plink with the dragunauv )

The 54r might be better off if you buy loaded factory (surplus, whatever, just make sure its reloadable) ammo FOR the brass, at those rates (??). I am in the same boat for my 1909, going to have to buy $1 a round factory ammo to get a brass collection going, or tools to make it from 30-06 (not sure how it even works yet). I didnt google it. Straight handgun rounds like 9mm (while a 357 sig is necked, to differentiate) do not need the case trimmed for practice loads. The only reason to do that would be for high precision loads for competition shooting, or similar performance loads. I have a trimmer for 9mm to cut it down to makarov size, because mak brass is hard to come by, but thats the only handgun loads that I trim so far. I may do the 45 AP later, for accuracy loads, but have not reached that point yet.

I just use a cheap (less than $15 for both pieces) case trimmer. Its a shell holder that fits into your drill, and a handheld blade with a guide rod. Put a deprimed case in, turn on the drill, and hold the bladed thingy on the case until it stops cutting. Easy, but wear goggles with it, it throws bras shavings out, and clean up after, they are SHARP.

[McAllyn]

FYI, the GRx and Bulge Buster dies are technically for brass that has been shot from a Glock. The issue that they solve (this is under arguement) is that those cases can be bulged at the bottom to where they won't fully chamber in another weapon. So, if you use range pickup .40 brass, eventually you will run into a piece of brass that is beyond spec.

Mac

[Guest pfries]

Thank's

I will need to invest in one as soon as I start tring to collect brass from places other than home.

[LngRngShtr]

Case trimmers are for mostly bottleneck rifle cartridges, they grow upon firing/resizing causing possible pressure problems if it gets too long..

most handgun brass is straight walled(.40S&W) or slightly tapered (9mm) and actually shrinks as it ages if anything they tend to split before it becomes an issue

with one exception semi auto handguns I have tested don't measurably respond to uniform case length, I have tested my .38Super,10mm,.45ACP and .38 Spl.

the only one that showed any measurable difference was my S&W M 52-2 but then again,..that is not an ordinary semi-auto

if you want to hold off on buying the GRx a case gauge will tell you if you need to worry about out of spec brass,.. or you can use your pistols barrel (dismounted) as a gauge resize the brass and see of it drops in and falls out..if it does,..load it up..

John

[LngRngShtr]

The 54r might be better off if you buy loaded factory (surplus, whatever, just make sure its reloadable) ammo FOR the brass, at those rates (??). I am in the same boat for my 1909, going to have to buy $1 a round factory ammo to get a brass collection going, or tools to make it from 30-06 (not sure how it even works yet). I didnt google it.

Jonnin,

making which caliber from .30-06 ? 54R is a rimmed case,.. maybe a .30-30 or .303 Brit would work ?

John

[1gewehr]

If you just want to crank out 9mm and/or .40 rounds at minimum cost and fuss, I would recommend the Dillon Square Deal B. It is the simplest progressive press out there. The reason it is inexpensive is that it uses dies that only work with the SDB, and it only does common pistol calibers well. But for 9mm, .40, .38spl, or .45acp, it is probably faster than anything short of the Dillon 650 or similar.

I have a SDB I leave set up for only 9mm. I shoot and reload more 9mm than any other caliber. I also have a 550B I use for everything else.