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If you were to budget $2000 to buy equipment to start reloading 9mm, 5.56, and 300 aac what would you recommend to spend it on? Not including consumables, bullets, etc...
 
Start out with a nice big sturdy table/bench.

Comfortable chair

If you're loading that many rounds of each per year, I'd think about a progressive, or turret press.

Good quality carbide dies for the 9mm (RCBS or Dillon).

I like Forster micrometer seating dies for rifle cartridges. The sizer seems less important.

Good tools to measure. Calipers, headspace/bump gauges.

A high quality trimmer and chamfer tools.

Some way to clean the brass (dry or wet tumbler).

This is a good start. I'm sure I'm leaving a few things out as its late and an old man like myself is ready for some sleep.
 
If you were to budget $2000 to buy equipment to start reloading 9mm, 5.56, and 300 aac what would you recommend to spend it on? Not including consumables, bullets, etc...


Start with a single stage or turret press, it will teach you the process. After a thousand rounds you will know if you need the expense, complication and speed of a faster machine. If you go with a turret press or a progressive machine you will still find uses for that single stage.



You might want to take the NRAs Basic Reloading Class:

NRA Explore



There aren't many instructors that teach this class but if you can find one he/she will help you avoid some mistakes.
 
You could get a nice setup for $2K. RCBS Rock Chucker is a good single stage or Redding T7 turret press. Shop around there are many kits available for way less than MSRP. I prefer RCBS because its availability in the local area. There are some good reloading videos on YouTube. MidwayUSA has a great selection to look around and read reviews.

You will need a press, powder scale, powder funnels, shell holders for each caliber, die set for each caliber (small base dies for 223/556/300), priming tool, case trimmer, among other things, etc. If you get a kit, it will usually come with the basics then you just have to purchase the dies and shell holders.
 
Buy a single stage press and you will want to upgrade to a progressive in a month. :confused: A progressive can be ran like a single
stage. I can load 100 rounds of 357 mag in 3 hours on a single stage. Once I am set up it takes 15 minutes on my Dillon 550.
The Dillon by far is the most popular press. Big national pistol matches do a poll on type of press, guns, gear and ect. they use.
Dillon presses account for over 95% of the shooters.;) Because of the removable tool head once you adjust and set up your
Dies your done.:D I use mostly RCBS rifle dies and Dillon pistol dies. I have some experience in reloading. I started
reloading on a RCBS rock chucker in 1978. For the past 30 years I have reloaded thousands of rounds annually on my Dillon 550.
I reload for multiple rifle and pistol cartridges. My .02$. Opinions may vary.:):p:D
 
$22-2400 is what the dillon xl750 with all the bells and whistles for 3 calibers. That not including scale trimmer calipers books, etc. I would start with a good single stage or turret press. I'll +1 on the redding t7. A couple scales an electric and a mechanical. I'm kinda picky on my dies. Lee collet neck die, Lee factory crimp die, redding body die and forster micrometer seater die, all for rifle then dillon dies for pistol with a lee factory crimp die. All in Hornady die boxes. Buying dies separately cost more but you get what you want. Setting a single stage up for 3 calibers can be done easily under a grand. T7 turret gonna push the grand make and any progressive closer to $2000 then the add ons. Just pieced a dillon together for a friend in Arizona 4 calibers $2311 without dies and $2633 with dillon dies.
 
If it was a good freind or family member - I would recommend spending about 400$ and saving the rest for once you understand what you are doing. I mean no disrespect. Buy used the first time but by quality. Reloading presses normally dont get worn out. Look for a good RCBS rock chucker. I have picked up reloading scales for 25$ and even had one given to me ( RCBS 10-10). The point I am trying to make is though it is simple process there are a lot of basic things to learn. I have been reloading since 1986. Its amazing how many times I need to relearn to use enough lube on my brass. It is easier to fix a reloading problem on a single stage then on a progressive. The better you understand the gotchas the safer the process will be.
 
Couple of things you need to ask yourself first. Do you have a good workspace, reasonably clean and uncluttered by other stuff? Good lighting, no drafts, and no/minimal distractions? Do you tend toward the OCD, or are you more slap dash? Are you likely to get interrupted/called away in the middle of a reloading session? A little bit about my situation might make sense of some of that. I'm a full time caretaker for a disabled wife. She can get around under her own power, but can't be on her feet for long, and gets worn out easily, among other things. So I'm basically on call 24/7, if she needs something and I'm in the middle of a loading session, I have to drop it where ever I'm at. Sometimes I can get back in a few minutes, sometimes it can be a day or more. Under those circumstances, I much prefer a single stage press, I'm only ever doing one operation at a time, and I have my procedures setup in such a way that's it's virtually impossible to mess things up, which I define as either a squib or a double charge.

I did speed things up recently by adding one of the new Lee APP's, that speeded up the bulk of the processing by a large factor, and even speeds up bullet seating/crimping for pistol ammo, haven't tried it yet with rifle ammo. Most of my rifles are "precision" shooters, so I switch into OCD mode and load on my Rock Chucker for those, weighing each and every charge, as well as being extra meticulous about brass prep. With the APP on pistol ammo, I figure I'm good for around 250 rounds per hour, that's more than enough to keep me in all the ammo I need, and I can squeeze in a batch in any odd 15-30 minutes I can spare. Not sure I could do the same with a progressive, I've read stories of folks getting distracted, or something getting gummed up in the works, that have resulted in unpleasant surprises at the range. Besides, for the amount that I actually get to shoot, the cost and complexity of a progressive just doesn't make sense for me. Reloading is almost a second hobby in itself, I enjoy being at my bench with my music and a cold beer :D. Note, that's A beer, not a six pack :rolleyes:. BTW, last time I looked, you can get the Rock Chucker master kit for under $400, that includes everything you need to get started except dies and components. You'll never wear it out, and even if you end up with a progressive, you'll still find plenty of uses for it. Hope that helps, later.

Dave
 
If it was a good freind or family member - I would recommend spending about 400$ and saving the rest for once you understand what you are doing. I mean no disrespect. Buy used the first time but by quality. Reloading presses normally dont get worn out. Look for a good RCBS rock chucker. I have picked up reloading scales for 25$ and even had one given to me ( RCBS 10-10). The point I am trying to make is though it is simple process there are a lot of basic things to learn. I have been reloading since 1986. Its amazing how many times I need to relearn to use enough lube on my brass. It is easier to fix a reloading problem on a single stage then on a progressive. The better you understand the gotchas the safer the process will be.
Yea, he doesn't even reload. He might not even have any interest in it no matter the rig.
It's like someone who has never driven a car before deciding buying an F-1 racecar would be a great way to dip a toe into the commuting world.
 
There's a lot of wisdom with the advice to dip your toe in the water with some inexpensive gear, before going whole hog. I've helped a lot of friends get started with reloading over the last 30 years, and if there's anything I've learned, it's that everyone is different, and reloading is definitely not for everyone.

I've seen a lot of guys who get started, and find out that it's just not their thing. Maybe they're not detail-oriented enough, too bored with the process, too busy with life, whatever. Their expensive gear sits in the garage unused, and they just pick up some factory ammo when they shoot. A few others find that they like it and they take off and run with it. One friend even started casting his own.
 
If it was a good freind or family member - I would recommend spending about 400$ and saving the rest for once you understand what you are doing. I mean no disrespect. Buy used the first time but by quality. Reloading presses normally dont get worn out. Look for a good RCBS rock chucker. I have picked up reloading scales for 25$ and even had one given to me ( RCBS 10-10). The point I am trying to make is though it is simple process there are a lot of basic things to learn. I have been reloading since 1986. Its amazing how many times I need to relearn to use enough lube on my brass. It is easier to fix a reloading problem on a single stage then on a progressive. The better you understand the gotchas the safer the process will be.

This is what I would have said. But I wasn't sure it was right with all the "Go BIG" from the get-go folks.
 
I've seen a lot of guys who get started, and find out that it's just not their thing. Maybe they're not detail-oriented enough, too bored with the process, too busy with life, whatever. Their expensive gear sits in the garage unused, and they just pick up some factory ammo when they shoot.

:( :s0058: :s0157: :s0099: :s0058:
 
$2k is what it will cost for all the right tools and fixtures with a nice turret or single stage. It may not be enough to be honest.
Things you will need (or should be using)

A good Turret Press
Inline Fab Mount
A big sturdy Bench (The big husky benches from HD are great)
Good Dies ($$$)
Good Powder Measure ($$)
Decapping tool
Hand Primer
Wet tumbler with Media
Dehydrater
Annealer
A trim system ($$$)
Good measuring tools, gauges and fixtures
Magnetospeed or LabRadar (Why load ammo if you don't know what its doing)
Swage Tool
Various Books & Data

And that's before you start into brass, bullets and powder.

This is what you will need to make good, accurate, reliable ammo not at a snails pace.

Decapping and Priming should be done away from the press, helps keep everything clean and you will get betetr primer seating.


9MM is not worth reloading unless you shoot alot of high quality JHP bullets
5.56 is not worth reloading unless you shoot alot of match ammo.
300 BO may not be worth reloading as prices for plinking and subsonic are coming down.

Reloading is worth if you want to shoot accurate ammo and combos that are A. way cheaper than commercial and B. not available commercially.

For example:

Warner Flatline 6.5CM bullets are like $1.25 each, Add Brass, Primer and some RL 26 and you can load it for around $30-35 a box. There is nothing on the market that comes closes, and if it did, it would be $50+ per box easy. It will smoke every 6.5 commercial load on the market, and by a long shot.

300WM match ammo is $40+ per box and most of the loadings suck. You can load match ammo for about $20 box.

The more you shoot the more money you will save. OR what really happens is you can afford to shoot much more instead of buying factory ammo.

Alot of good factory ammo out there (Hornady black 200rnd boxes for $140-160) makes reloading not worth the time unless your time is worthless.

Some guys like to reload, some don't. I personally don't so I look for ways to speed up the process and make more efficient use of time.
 
There's a lot of wisdom with the advice to dip your toe in the water with some inexpensive gear, before going whole hog. I've helped a lot of friends get started with reloading over the last 30 years, and if there's anything I've learned, it's that everyone is different, and reloading is definitely not for everyone.

I've seen a lot of guys who get started, and find out that it's just not their thing. Maybe they're not detail-oriented enough, too bored with the process, too busy with life, whatever. Their expensive gear sits in the garage unused, and they just pick up some factory ammo when they shoot. A few others find that they like it and they take off and run with it. One friend even started casting his own.
Truer words have never been spoken. I am on my 4th try at reloading after selling the whole setups the previous 3 times. Finally got it to where it should be and that does NOT involve a progressive pres. Redding T7 Turret is where its at for quality rifle ammo and ease of setup/tool swaps.
 
Dive in whole hog. Get as much Dillon as you can afford. If you're average intelligence or better, have mechanical ability and DO pay attention to details, you'll do fine. There are plenty of tutorials on UTube, as well as a whole lotta wizards on this forum.
If you find that the swimming pool had no water in it, you can dump your gear on here for 70-80% or better of what you paid.
Point I'm trying to make: reloading is not for pu55ies and requires commitment. Go large or stay home.
 
reloading is not for pu55ies and requires commitment. Go large or stay home.

I have to disagree. It's all in what you want and expect. Millions of guys have gotten by just fine for generations, loading smaller quantities to fit their needs on inexpensive, single stage presses. I used single stage presses for my first two decades of reloading, and turned out many, many thousands of rounds of perfectly good ammunition. I didn't spend $2,000 total on equipment in all those years.

If you're a heavy roller who burns through lots of ammo, and place high value on your time, then by all means go big. To each their own. There's nothing wrong with going small though, if that's all you need.
 

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