Help me get into reloading

[jordanka16]

I'm not a fan of the *scale in the kit though:
Lee Classic Turret Reloading Press Kit - Graf & Sons

Grafs' shipping is a flat rate of $7.95

*edit: oops...changed from powder measure to not liking the scale.

Ahh yeah, the scale is pretty slow. Mine is just as accurate as my RCBS but it does get old if you are weighing each charge, ( which I rarely do), but it still prompted me to upgrade.

 

[bbbass]

The Dillon RL550B/C is hard to beat for pistol calibers. If you think you might ever go that route, IMO Dillon dies are the best to have. Also, their powder measure is great for pistol and shotgun powders.

I use an RCBS single stage for all my rifle loadings. I started out with hunting loads, then when I got into .223 I just kept using single stage for all my target and varmint loads. For burning up plinking .223/.556, I just buy what I can find cheap.

Have fun, and never be afraid to ask someone you trust for help. Internet is good for general advise, but IMO trust only official sources for loading data.

Never use another persons reloads. If you didn't reload it yourself, it is to be treated as suspect.

 

[Member 5605]

Too bad you are so far away, otherwise I'd say come by, burn three hours and learn hands on a LOT

 

[Josh89]

Ok have the Lee turret kit in my Amazon cart.it was quite a savings from the Lyman,so I got a bit of cash to play with,would anyone recommend anything to go with it.

 

[Mistman]

Been reloading a while, both pistol and rifle. I use a 550B for handgun calibers. Cost is a little higher for change overs but once you have separate heads ready to go changing is literally less than 5 minutes (still have to change the base). I have a Lee 1000 w/case and bullet feeder setup for 40, these are tricky to get running right but can crank out decent ammo, you basically never want to change them over. 1 press per caliber, got it cheap, actually works pretty well once it's all 'tuned up' but heaven forbid anything goes south, then they're a PAIN. Not recommended for beginners or anyone for that matter.

I think back in the day (the early '80's) very few of us looked at progressives seriously unless maybe for competition, at least in my small circle. I would reload thousands of rounds on my Rock Chucker, very time consuming but very accurate. Hand priming is a huge help w/single stage, some folks will even hand prime for progressive. Once I started shooting a LOT of handguns progressives not only made sense but are the way to go. In light of all that I still have a Rock Chucker on my bench for the rifle calibers that I don't mag dump. I also use it for magnum pistol as again, I don't shoot those 100's of rounds per session. A single stage allows you to take you time w/every step and is where precision reloading happens, you can use a progressive but I believe one would find it unnecessary and maybe even cumbersome for precision loading.

So basically even if you get a progressive a single stage will still have value on the bench. I bet almost everyone who has a progressive has a single stage setup also. If you're completely new to reloading you need a single stage so you can learn reloading and not just how to run a press. Like a lot of us it will lead to a progressive but when you get it you're already a 'reloader' and will be able to hit the ground running.

 

[jordanka16]

Ok have the Lee turret kit in my Amazon cart.it was quite a savings from the Lyman,so I got a bit of cash to play with,would anyone recommend anything to go with it.

That's a solid choice that you won't regret, mine has served me well for many years.

Get at least one other loading manual, a Lyman for sure, and then one to go with what bullets you use the most. And you'll want a dial caliper for measuring cases and loaded rounds. And a bullet puller will probably come in handy as well.

Oh and obviously dies for the calibers you use, and Everytime you buy a set of dies get a turret, a powder measure riser, and a round red storage box for the dies mounted in the turret.

 

[Josh89]

That's a solid choice that you won't regret, mine has served me well for many years.

Get at least one other loading manual, a Lyman for sure, and then one to go with what bullets you use the most. And you'll want a dial caliper for measuring cases and loaded rounds. And a bullet puller will probably come in handy as well.

Oh and obviously dies for the calibers you use, and Everytime you buy a set of dies get a turret, a powder measure riser, and a round red storage box for the dies mounted in the turret.

So are loads different for each type of 9mm brand of bullets,or just different types like fmj to hp

 

[jordanka16]

So are loads different for each type of 9mm brand of bullets,or just different types like fmj to hp

Generally the same as long as they're the same type, but some are fairly unique, and the load data a company puts out for its own bullets is usually the best place to start for the best accuracy.

Plus having 3 manuals won't hurt.

 

[Bodyguard]

I stated reloading three years ago. I went with a Dillon RL 550B. It works well, and I can load most rifle and pistol ammo. Like they have talked about in the previous comments, it is a rabbit hole that does not end. With that said, it is fun and makes shooting a little more affordable.

 

[Josh89]

Are loads brass specific,the brass I'm using is going to be mixed brands.all of it will be for plinking and paper.does anyone have any good recommendations on inexpensive bullets and powder that I could look into for 9mm.

 

[jordanka16]

brass does not matter that much, if you get into high pressure magnum rifle and precision rifle the internal volume will make a difference for powder capacity, accuracy, and pressure, but for 9mm no it does not matter.

I like titegroup for 9mm, it is very economical and clean, and more important easy to find now, bi-mart almost always has some. Plated bullets are good for plinking, they are clean as well, xtreme is my go to for that. 9mm- 115 RN

Precision delta makes excellent jacketed bullets that in high volume are nearly as cheap as plated or coated, I buy them 2k at a time. <broken link removed>

 

[Member 5605]

Whatcha wanna know?




Suggest an in depth reloading book:
Lyman
Hornady v.10
Speer v.14

Case gauge:
Lyman makes really nice multi caliber case gauges.

 

[Member 5605]

Are loads brass specific,the brass I'm using is going to be mixed brands.all of it will be for plinking and paper.does anyone have any good recommendations on inexpensive bullets and powder that I could look into for 9mm.

I shoot a lot of cast lead bullets. Depending on the pistol and rifling type you may or may not be able to do that.
If you shoot hard cast it's about $.068/bullet when bought by the 1000 from T&B Bullets with free shipping. Move towards plated such as Berrys Bullets and 1000 will run about $90/1000 + shipping.

TiteGroup is a cheap powder. Sincepowder is sold by weight, look at the weight required per bullet. It costs me $0.014 per charge to load 9mm with CFE-Pistol at $28/lb. 1.5c isn't much in the scheme of things when it comes to pistol. Rifle I'm more particular for cost savings.

CCI primers are around $32-35/1000 and are the only recommended primer for Lee reloading products.

 

[Josh89]

Whatcha wanna know?

View attachment 341513 View attachment 341514


Suggest an in depth reloading book:
Lyman
Hornady v.10
Speer v.14

Case gauge:
Lyman makes really nice multi caliber case gauges.
View attachment 341515

What are the case gauges for?havent seen those yet

 

[Member 5605]

What are the case gauges for?havent seen those yet

You can spend $35 on a single caliber or $35 on 6-8 calibers in one block.

 

[Josh89]

Do they just tell you if there sized right?

 

[F2CMaDMaXX]

I think you bought the same unit i did.

Dies are cheapest from amazon for pistols and cabellas for rifles (i think that's the right way round )

 

[Josh89]

I think you bought the same unit i did.

Dies are cheapest from amazon for pistols and cabellas for rifles (i think that's the right way round )

On the dies,do I need the 3 or 4 set.it seems the 4th just crimps.do I need to crimp them.seems like if you had to they wouldn't just sell the 3 pack one.or is it just certain types of bullets need crimped?i feel lots and lots of reading and questions just building up.i wish I would have decided to do this during all the bad weather last month.

 

[jordanka16]

On the dies,do I need the 3 or 4 set.it seems the 4th just crimps.do I need to crimp them.seems like if you had to they wouldn't just sell the 3 pack one.or is it just certain types of bullets need crimped?i feel lots and lots of reading and questions just building up.i wish I would have decided to do this during all the bad weather last month.

The 4th is a factory crimp die, which is not strictly necessary, but they are very nice, they put a nice crimp on cases without any danger of crushing one, and since you have to do 4 motions to get the press back to the first station why not.

For me: 1st sizes, deprimes, and reprimes. 2nd drops powder and bells the case for pistol. 3rd seats bullets. 4th crimps.

 

[Josh89]

The 4th is a factory crimp die, which is not strictly necessary, but they are very nice, they put a nice crimp on cases without any danger of crushing one, and since you have to do 4 motions to get the press back to the first station why not.

For me: 1st sizes, deprimes, and reprimes. 2nd drops powder and bells the case for pistol. 3rd seats bullets. 4th crimps.

Thanks,I was just looking at a pocket primer crimp picture.is that just when there's the ring inside where the primer goes?i read that it's mostly in .223/5.56.is it just firing the round that causes this or what and if I remove it does it just happen again?