Getting started reloading....advice?

TN_Mike · February 3rd, 2007, 11:48 PM

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!

rocky · February 3rd, 2007, 11:52 PM

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 · February 3rd, 2007, 11:54 PM

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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 · February 4th, 2007, 12:00 AM

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 · February 4th, 2007, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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

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 · February 4th, 2007, 12:22 AM

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

lowflyer · February 4th, 2007, 12:34 AM

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 · February 4th, 2007, 12:37 AM

lowflyer love the primer tray that took some effort

lowflyer · February 4th, 2007, 01:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bud White

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 · February 4th, 2007, 04:47 PM

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?

February 3rd, 2007, 11:52 PM	#2
rocky Senior Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: MI Posts: 11,768	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. __________________ "In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." Thomas Jefferson Nemo Me Impune Lacesset Link to my kydex builds:http://rocknloadkydex.blogspot.com/

February 3rd, 2007, 11:54 PM	#3
P95Carry Assistant Administrator Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: South West PA Posts: 25,366	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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. __________________ Chris - P95 NRA Certified Instructor & NRA Life Member. "To own a gun and assume that you are armed is like owning a piano and assuming that you are a musician!." If a BG dies as the result of pointing a gun at me, then he has merely succumbed to an occupational hazard of being a thug

February 4th, 2007, 12:34 AM	#7
lowflyer Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Middle Earth Posts: 1,162	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. __________________ Whatever doesn't kill you postpones the inevitable.

February 4th, 2007, 04:47 PM	#10
40FIVER Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: North Central Texas Posts: 246	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? __________________ Charlie - 40FIVER Why I carry: "The heart is deceitul above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9

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February 3rd, 2007, 11:48 PM	#1
TN_Mike VIP Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Arlington, TN Posts: 5,298	Getting started reloading....advice? 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! __________________ The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. -Thomas Jefferson A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. -Barry Goldwater 1968

February 4th, 2007, 12:00 AM	#4
Bud White VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Elsewhere Posts: 17,476	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

February 4th, 2007, 12:22 AM	#6
Bud White VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Elsewhere Posts: 17,476	i still have my lyman tmag press works well for rifle stuff better than aprogressive

February 4th, 2007, 12:37 AM	#8
Bud White VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Elsewhere Posts: 17,476	lowflyer love the primer tray that took some effort