recommendations

[john455]

Ok, I've talked myself into starting reloading my .38/357 ammo. I am a complete novice to this so I am asking for some suggestions on good research sites, and a good starter kit in the under $500 range. I've been toying with the ideal for a while now, and since my son finally got his stuff moved out of my building I now have plenty of space to do it away from my 4yr old son and grandson. So any advice from the more experienced reloaders on here would be greatly appreciated.

[Trekbike]

It may be best to search this subforum first since there are already a ton of threads on the "help me get started" subject.

Those threads already have the suggestions of the various items you will need and links for suppliers. Edited January 24, 2015 by Trekbike

[john455]

It may be best to search this subforum first since there are already a ton of threads on the "help me get started" subject.

Those threads already have the suggestions of the various items you will need and links for suppliers.

will do thanks, I have actually already been doing that after I made this post lol. ALOT of info here may take awhile to sift thru it :rofl:

[wolverine]

Hi john455 

 

Try Hornady single stage complete kit  $310 no dies  http://www.midwayusa.com/product/749997/hornady-lock-n-load-classic-single-stage-press-kit

 

Hornady Classic single stage press kit $449 no dies http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/23675

 

Everybody loves Lee products Here is there single stage complete kit $129  http://www.midwayusa.com/product/121744/lee-challenger-breech-lock-single-stage-press-kit?cm_vc=ProductFinding

 

I love my Redding Turret T 7 press. I can do a run of ammo without any adjustments(checking the correct powder grains every 10 pieces, it is a no hassle system

 

If at a later time and you need to make more ammo a progressive is the ticket,Dillon is the best bar none

 

Then check out the pawn shops and craigslist and keep an eye here in the for sale system

 

The links i gave for examples i used Midway and Graff and sons websites are only examples and i am not employee or salesman for either.

 

Midway has fantastic customer service although they will not offer any sugestions

 

I called  Graff and Sons and told my plans and they set me up with a complete system.

 

hope this helps

 

hickok45 video http://youtu.be/irC3NuIKDm4

 

P.S do you know anyone that works at Bass Pro employee discount

Edited January 24, 2015 by wolverine

[txbrown]

I started out with a dillon 550 after a lot of research and use it often (this morning). Recently I bought a Lee Loader kit in 357 to stick in camper. I enjoy sitting and knocking some rounds out while camping. you can load 100 before you know it. recommend using a scale if you go this way. you truly learn the basics and invest $25 + a mallet, scale and calipers. key point is focus on what you are doing.

 

you don't actually save money but you shoot a lot more for the same money  ;) then you become a reloading addict and a brass scavenger.... a hobby in itself.

good luck and enjoy

[owejia]

A good reloading manual has a lot of the information you need in it. I have " Modern Reloading " second edition by Richard Lee. If you decide to cast your own boolits, check out Cast Boolits forum, more information there than you can read in a week. I find developing good loads for my firearms as much fun as actually shooting. Have always used a Lee single stage press and have loaded thousands of rounds with it. My reloading room  is in my basement which makes it easy to reload about anytime for me. May be some one near you to help in learning the ropes about reloading, always remember safety first.

[RED333]

My only advice is start slow (single stage press) then as you get more confidence if you want move on to a progressive.

I have 2 singles and a Lee 3 hole turret, I use the singles more.

[Ron45]

^{I just started reloading about 6 months ago and I bought the lee classic turret kit. I like it a lot and if I want to use it as a single stage, it only takes a second to deactivate the auto indexing. You can set up your dies and never have to remove them. I have 3 turret heads set up. Someday I will step up to a progressive, but as a beginner I have enjoyed the slower speed. I can do about 150 rounds an hour in 9mm or 45acp.} 

[leroy]

john... I'll take the time to echo what other posters above have said...  I would get a good reloading manual (...hornady, speer, lyman...) and do some reading... I would recommend a single stage press to start on so ya can see how the various steps of reloading work (... and to see how they can go wrong...)...

 

Spend the money on a good powder scale and a good powder measure... I like redding (...the best i think...) dies and a good, sturdy single stage press (...i have an old RCBS Rockchucker...)... We load for everything (...pistol and rifle...) and work up all our loads on a single stage press... I think ya always need one to load a few rounds...

 

One final note on presses, dies, and reloading equipment in general... Don't buy the cheapest thing out there... Buy the best ya can at a price ya can afford... Presses and dies need to be manufactured to close tolerances and they need to be made of good stuff... Buy the best ya can afford...

 

As ive said before; i like RCBS presses, Lyman, and Redding single stages... I like their dies as well... I use Lee stuff from time to time; factory roll crimp dies, hand priming tools and that sort of thing... I do not use Lee presses or powder measures, but that's just me... There are bunches of folks here and other places in the reloading world who do...

 

As to the progressive presses... There is nothin better than a Dillon (....and Dillon dies, as well...)... Any flavor of a Dillon 550 up will do a great job on anything ya want to reload; but ya need to get the recipe figured out before ya start usin a progressive reloader...Changing things up on a Dillon is a pain, even with the dies set up... I would recommend buying one of these a bit later, after ya get the feel of reloading and see that ya really like the reloading thing... More than that, they are pricey (...and worth the $$$'s in my opinion...)...I would take the dollars that would have to be spent on these tools to load ammo and get the feel of the reloading craft, and gain valuable experience...

 

Finally, and most importantly, the reloading thing depends on doing a bunch of common sense things right and in the right order... There is nothin hard about reloading... The problem is that ya can get hurt or tear up something ya wouldn't rather tear up if ya do the wrong thing... The thing that immediately comes to mind with me is the use of "fast powders" (...Bullseye, WW231, Unique, AA2, AA5...) to load pistol rounds...

 

When ya use low charge weights for target loads (...and lots of people do...), ya have to be doubly careful not to double charge a case with powder... If ya do, ya run the risk of blowing up a perfectly good firearm and loosin maybee an eye or a digit off your hand... I know this sounds severe, but it's true...

 

There is one sure way to prevent this sort of thing; its to physically double-check and look into each case after the powder is charged to verify for sure that the powder charge is right...That is the real beauty of the single stage press... I look in every single case before i seat a bullet on a powder charge... I simply cannot stress this enough... I will not load low charge weight reloads on a progressive reloader because of this very issue...

 

What im taking about now is, in fact, the main objection to the progressive loader... It's hard to see into the cases as the loads move around to the next station...  I always try to use powder that fills the case up enough so that a double charge of powder will spill out with my Dillon progressive... There are some other things that work very well, like powder checking dies that alert you to this problem, but it's very real....

 

Reloading is a great hobby and a real money saver... I've been reloading since the middle seventies and have reloaded for every imaginable cartridge; from the tiny 32ACP to the mighty 458 Winchester Mag... I still have both my eyes (...such as they are...), thank God, and all my digits on my little fat fingers as well... None of the guns in the safe are damaged from over-loads nor blown up; but ive seen several handguns that were...

 

I ain't the smartest feller that ever was, so i am a testament to the "it can be done" thing... I am also very slow and very thorough... It's a good habit to get into...

 

Have fun and be careful...

leroy

[wolverine]

Well said Leroy

[Clod Stomper]

I second everything Leroy said.

[DWARREN123]

I started years ago with single stage press and a couple of years ago got a Lee Classic Turret Kit. I like it and have used the devil out of it. Some months I shoot over a thousand rounds. 

The ABC's of Reloading has a lot of info on set up and equipment. Lee is possibly the least expensive way to go but mine have always done what I wanted.

Figure out what you want to do and the equipment you want. Better to start out the way you want instead of getting it later.

[jaysouth]

When you get up to speed on what you want, post WTB ads on this site for used equipment.  Check craig's list.

 

I have a less-than-$40 Hornady digital scale which has served me well.  You might consider that when you are looking at more expensive beam scales.  

 

Lee dies are a great start and you will not outgrow them.

[Omega]

I would just get the Lee turret press kit, it has everything except the dies and consumables for just $200 at Midsouth:  https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/0000690304/Classic_Turret_Press_Kit_

You can use it as a single stage or allow it to index for a semi progressive press once you get comfortable with the process. 

[Jamie Jackson]

Excellent post Leroy. Sage advice.

 

Every novice or soon to be handloader should read Leroy's post imho.

 

 

 

I have a Dillon and it gets used a lot...but I spent my first 3 or so years on an old Lee single to learn the ins & outs. I still use that same press frequently and it's over 25 years old. It's served me well.

[ttocswob]

I started with a Lee Challenger Anniversary kit. Later added a Lyman digital scale, and a Lee Reloader single stage press ($28) which I use as a auxiliary press for decapping, bullet sizing, etc.

 

I'm a low volume reloader of mostly pistol/revolver calibers, yet I've probably run 6-7k rounds thru this setup. I personally don't need anything larger.

 

 

I'm unworthy to add to Leroy's excellent post; but there's a couple of other potential hazards I've experienced:

 

I've had flakes of powder stick to the powder through expanding die, resulting in an undercharge followed by an overcharge. Too small a difference to catch by visual check, but realized from the chronograph that something wasn't right.

 

I also have an inexpensive Franklin scale that sometimes sticks at a reading when hand trickling; again, resulting in a slight overcharge. Hence, the Lyman.

 

Most digital scales can be set to weigh grams, as well as grains - difference of g vs. gn on the display of the Franklin. That could have ruined my day, had I not paid attention.

 

Take your time, pay attention, and double check everything - load data, powder labels, charge volume, charge weight - everything.

[john455]

I already have a nice digital scale (and a smelting furnace incase I decide to start casting my own bullets,) that I use in my small silver scrapping hobby I've been into for several years, I plan to use it with the reloading.  

 I have seen on some kits they list the die for .38 and .357 differently, but on some they have just the .357 or .38 I was wondering if the one die makes both on the kits that only list one or the other or am I just reading it wrong somehow?

[wolverine]

I already have a nice digital scale (and a smelting furnace incase I decide to start casting my own bullets,) that I use in my small silver scrapping hobby I've been into for several years, I plan to use it with the reloading.  

 I have seen on some kits they list the die for .38 and .357 differently, but on some they have just the .357 or .38 I was wondering if the one die makes both on the kits that only list one or the other or am I just reading it wrong somehow?

Hornady 38 357 die set              http://www.hornady.com/store/38-357-357-Max-.357-3-Die-Set/

 

I like to use the reloading manual from the bullet manufacturer ie Hornady,Speer.Sierra and Barnes to name a few. Although you cannot get too many manuals

 

I use this reloading website as a  reference tool        http://www.handloads.com/loaddata/default.asp?Caliber=38%20Special&Weight=All&type=Handgun

Edited January 25, 2015 by wolverine

[Omega]

I use mostly lee dies, never had an issue with them that didn't come from not setting them properly.   They may be cheap in price, but their quality is right up there with the other brands IMHO.  All my pistol dies I try to get in carbide, since most straight walled cases don't need to be lubed.  I know many who really dislike lee equipment because its cheap.  They just can't reconcile the fact that cheap in price does not mean junk.  Lee does have some equipment that leaves something to be desired, but everything in their anniversary kit does work.  And if anyone tells you you will save money by reloading, they are only fooling themselves.  It's expensive to get started and will take a lot of shooting to break even.  So by starting with these machines that cost upwards of $500 you are just making it all that much difficult to catch up.  I am not one of those shooters that shoots thousands of rounds a month so if you are then maybe you will break even much faster but I did go through thousands of rounds using my Lee single stage before I upgraded to my Lee turret press.  Now if you find one of those expensive presses at a good price go for it, they are definitely good presses but that does not mean Lee presses are trash.

[BigK]

Man, you picked a fantastic round to get started on. If you get Lee .357 dies, they will not turn down far enough to do .38 spl. I don't even know why Lee makes .357 dies, because you CAN use .38 spl dies to load .357 (the only difference is how far you screw them down).

I'm a tinkerer, so measuring tools and fine tuning come natural to me. That made the turret press the best choice for me starting out. I just fiddled with the sizing/decapping operation until I got it perfect. Then I added the next die and fiddled until I got it perfect. To me this was the same (in concept) to starting on a single stage. I didn't just screw in all the dies and test my setup by shooting the ammo.

That brings me to what I think is the most important choices...the tools. I hated the beam scales with a passion, but the darn things work real good. I just don't have the patience. I lucked up and got a real good digital scale real cheap on my first try thanks to Dolomite's advice (Franklin Arsenal mini digital). The other important tool to become good at using is calipers. You're gonna need to be able to use them to check the over all length (OAL) of a finished cartridge, check the flare you put on the brass (less = better), the crimp, and even the brass length.

I respectfully disagree about some things others have said, like powder choice. Low volume powder like Bullseye has been around for over 100 years for a reason. It meters well and is very economical. Unless you are trickling each cartridge's charge using a scale, you're probably converting a weight to an estimated volume. Small powder converts from grains to cubic centimeters the best. So, it's a good choice for case activated powder measures on turrets and progressives. No denying it's less forgiving than bulkier powders, but you don't start reloading if you don't think you can be careful. If you can't measure accurately with small amounts...save yourself a hospital bill and buy ammo at Walmart.

[wolverine]

I believe no one mentioned that when you first start reloading,load up some dummy rounds(minus powder and primers) until you get it right and gain confidence.

 

Keep your best crimp as a sample.

 

Start with used brass or range brass

Edited January 27, 2015 by wolverine