Getting started reloading....advice?

[TN_Mike]

I am thinking about reloading. I have never done this before and I am completely clueless about how to get started and what to get.

So, any of you old salts out there care to dole out some advice to a reloading noob? I want to be able to reload 9mm, .40 and .357 to start out. I am looking to invest maybe $500. If that is unrealisticly low, please tell me.

What equipment do you recommend? Please, educate me or at least point me in the direction of education on this subject.

Thanks!

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[rocky]

check out Dillons website, might give you some idea what it takes to get started. $500 might be a bit low price wise to start, especially for 3 calibers.

[P95Carry]

Hi Mike .......... well first - get books!!!!

ABC's of reloading by Dean Grenell is a good baseline and then get maybe Lyman #47 - altho #48 is IIRC the current one. Speer #13 is useful and Richard Lee's second edition "Modern Reloading" is also handy.

Equipment? Well most will say get a 550 or 650 Dillon - progressive. I'd like one but too late. But you have to remember there are other things needed too - decent scales are handy plus a number of bits and pieces I almost forget these days.

Many folks think a start with a simple single station like a Rock Crusher is good and I do feel that a spell of slow (if tedious) handloading is a good beginning.

I started Lee for economy reasons 25 or so years ago and stuck with lee stuff as a result. It suits me Ok and these days I use it more for rifle and large cal pistol stuff.

Anyways - books #1 . get data. Also if possible at all .... find someone who reloads and learn from them. That has to be best start IMO. Otherwise ask us here and we'll hopefully help you along.

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To add - remember, reloading is the easiest way to blow up guns LOL! That said, baby steps are good and no need to be shy of it all. Your proposed volume might dictate your choice of equipment too.

[Bud White]

i would say get a book first and read about it lyman #47 if you can find it on ebay not #48 it sucks

then look at dillon presses trust me in the long run if you are gonna reload a ton like i do you wanna pay it out first and not more than once

[rocky]

i would say get a book first and read about it lyman #47 if you can find it on ebay not #48 it sucks

then look at dillon presses trust me in the long run if you are gonna reload a ton like i do you wanna pay it out first and not more than once

Yep ,turret presses are much faster for mass loading. you can always load 1 single round at a time with em too. That is how I started out

[Bud White]

i still have my lyman tmag press works well for rifle stuff better than aprogressive

[lowflyer]

I worked with all major brands of reloading equipment as a ballistics lab tech for Hercules Inc. (now Alliant) in the late '80s. Not much has changed since then and you can't go wrong with any of the major brands.

I developed an affinity for the blue Koolaid back when reloading put food on the table. I now use the RL550B with complete interchangeable toolhead set-ups for .45, .44, 7mm RM, and soon to be .38/.357. I have loaded tens of thousands of rounds with it over the last 10 years without any problems. I have never used it, but their stuff all comes with a lifetime warranty.

[Bud White]

lowflyer love the primer tray that took some effort

[lowflyer]

lowflyer love the primer tray that took some effort

Thanks, but I had to pick them up with that green-tipped tube anyway so it wasn't too bad.

[40FIVER]

I think I'm still on subject with these questions.
Does anyone know if the digital caliper that Harbor Freight sells for cheap is any good?
Are they accurate enough for reloading?
Has anyone compared the accuracy to the high dollar ones sold by Dillon and others?

[P95Carry]

Charlie ........ my thinking is - you can get a very reasonable caliper at a low price but, reckon there is some luck. Meaning, one might be real good and another way off.

That said - I bought a pair of digital ones from them or a similar outfit and they are fine for the job. I have pure mechanical ones which are top quality and all I did was take test readings to check. The tolerancing is well adequate for my reloading useage.

So - I think it's worth a try - but if at all possible ''calibrate'' the inexpensive ones against known standards or other quality measuring gear. That way if they measure + or - a smidgeon you can then take that into account as a correction.... as long as that is, they perform in a linear manner.

[Bud White]

cheap calipers should be fine as chris said just try to see how close theya re if you dont have a set of higher end or access to a set

see if someone ya know does and can measure something and you measure same thing and compare

plus always error to teh long side and you will be safe

[newmexiglock]

$500 for reloading equipment can be a lot of $$. I do not have turret (mostly because I first started loading for rifles but also cost). I load one at a time and it works for me. I have the RCBS Master Supreme kit which I purchased used for less than $200. I have everything that I need for it. As mentioned above, Lee is a good way to go. Certainly, they are the least expensive and their equipment works. I purchased the RCBS because this is what I learned on. I load for 9mm Mak/9mm/.38/10mm/.44/.45/30-06. Pistol cartridges are faster to load on the turret, but I don't mind. Afterall, we only pull the trigger 1 pull at a time.

+ on the book. I have a few and they all have a primer on loading. I think that Speer #13 is a good place to start. Additionally, get with someone whom you know personally that hand loads (safely). This will allow you to see the motions and ask face to face questions.

Good luck, and watch out for double charges.

[Pete]

DarwinTe on YouTube has some interesting tutorials for the Lee presses.
You might not get a Lee press but the principals of handloading remain the same and it is an interesting watch even if you never intend to reload.

LINK to part one, other videos linked on page.

[lowflyer]

Part of the enjoyment of rolling my own for me is that I don't have to spend a lot of time doing it. I find speed maximizes the economy of it for me. I can load a dozen boxes of .45 ACP in an hour. I go through about 4 boxes per hour at the range.

My free time is worth enough to me that if it took me an hour to make a box or two, I would sooner just buy factory loads and save myself the time. Reloading pistol ammo is not a hobby for me. Shooting it is.

Rifle ammo is different. YMMV