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Say your goal was either:

  1. Scenario One: Low round count of magnum cartridge (say .44 Magnum or .50Æ), with significant variation in loading.
  2. Scenario Two: Large round count 9×19㎜, with next to zero variation (115-grain ball all day long).
What equipment and supplies would be required for those? What study?

Thanks.
 
Low round count (200-300 per year) : Lee Loader.
Medium round count (1000 - 10,000 per year) : Single stage press
High round count : Lee 1000 / Load Master / Hornady LnL / Dillon 550 or XL750

Study : Lee loading manual | ABCs of Reloading | Lyman manual | Zen and the Art by Robert Pirsig....
 
Couple of questions for you...

What is low round count?

What is high round count?

How much time can be designated to loading?

When I started, it was on an older rock chucker by RCBS. I did bulk and small quantities on it. Time is all you need with a single stage press. If you shoot weekly for competition, you'll need a lot of time behind a single stage. If your shooting more than 1000 rounds a month, maybe then a progressive makes more sense. If you can designate 1-2 hours a weekend, and shoot 1-2 times a month, you can easily work up a couple thousand rounds at a time using a single stage in a months time or less.

Key to single stage bulk loading is doing every step in bulk. Deprime a few thousand in one sitting, through them in to clean. Resize and prime them the next weekend. Following weekend, powder charges and seated bullets.

I usually get in the routine of having all my brass "prepped" or in other words all that is remaining is to put powder in it and seat a bullet. I'll have thousands of cases ready to load, so when I need to, I can.

Small scale stuff, stuff like 30-30 for me, I'll perform the whole process in one sitting. Usually starting with new brass or brass I've already partially prepared by depriming and cleaned. Size, trim, prime, and load. Usually 20-50 at a time.

For something like the BFR in 50AE you picked up? You could totally load up 50-100 rounds rather quickly (after you get the hang of loading) and test them that weekend. Take the spent cases, deprime them in the living room watching tv with the kids, throw them in the tumbler, and they are ready for the next time you need to load them.

Glad you are taking a good look at this! I think you'll enjoy it once you get settled in with it.
 
IMHO if you only want to load a few thousand a year a single stage should be fine. If you want to crank them out look at a progressive. I'm a Dillon fan. I can do a few thousand in a half day or so with my 550.
 
I would start with a single stage press. If I'm loading less that 300 or so I still use that press. If you are not keeping up add a faster press, But keep that single stage for small jobs. DR
 
I usually get in the routine of having all my brass "prepped" or in other words all that is remaining is to put powder in it and seat a bullet. I'll have thousands of cases ready to load, so when I need to, I can.
Ditto this ^

It is really important to have a 'system' to your reloading. It will be different for nearly everybody but important nevertheless.

Simply put Mine is typically preclean fired brass soon after shooting then this brass goes into storage. Next is Size, trim, flare etc. , then 2nd cleaning if necessary. This brass goes into storage for final loading.

When ready I prime, charge, and seat bullets.

Having a system to break up the 'steps' to reloading makes it much more enjoyable and not so 'hurried' if you are short of ammo but want to go shooting soon.
 
Im just starting to get into reloading and so Im really going out on a limb with this question but Im not certain "minimalist" fits in with reloading even for low volume production. Seems like every step I read about there is more than one tool that needs to be purchased to achieve it or more than one way. This is not meant to dissuade, but my shopping list is turning out more than just a single stage press, scale and a set of dies.
 
I love the turret style single stage presses. They are much more efficient and versatile in my opinion. You can use it as a traditional single stage, or you can also ramp up production speed if you wanted. Caliber change is as simple as placing in a new turret; takes less than 5 minutes.
 
Seems like every step I read about there is more than one tool that needs to be purchased to achieve it or more than one way. This is not meant to dissuade, but my shopping list is turning out more than just a single stage press, scale and a set of dies.
I agree. You need to study this carefully, ask questions and NOT get 'hustled' into thinking you need the newest, greatist, all electronic or the fastest.

After over 40 years (with a few minor extra items along the way) I am essentially still loading the way I started out.

Reloading is a lot like fishing lures hanging on the rack in the store. A lot of reloading accessories and trinkets are designed to catch RELOADERS and do not necessarily contribute to faster/better/more efficient reloading.
 
I'm going to say Lee classic turret press. If you can find the basic kit it has everything you need to do either. You can crank out 9x19 around 1-200 a hour depending on how fast you get and a quick change out and you can be running any other caliber. For pistol loading the kit comes with everything you need.
 
I agree. You need to study this carefully, ask questions and NOT get 'hustled' into thinking you need the newest, greatist, all electronic or the fastest.
The problem is there seems to be a large range between basic reloading and precision reloading so the components one decides to buy need to fit the individual goal of the reloader. For example, even if I just wanted to crank out 9mm its hard to know as a beginner whats the most efficient, vs cheapest.

I dont mind having to buy more than I thought, Im just trying to avoid buying more than I need. It doesnt seem like there is an easy way to get advice on what one needs as there are different ways people setup to reload the same goal. For example do you neck or full re-size? Can you size dirty brass or do you now need a tumbler, if you full resize do you need a case trimmer? This list of what to do so one knows what to buy has been an endless cycle for me. Im still trying to figure it all out. I think this is what the OP is after too with his question.
 
The problem is there seems to be a large range between between basic reloading and precision reloading
Basic reloading (with quality equipment - but still basic) CAN produce precision ammo providing the person does his part with prep, attention to detail, and follow through.

Most of reloading is in the preparation. A set of quality RCBS dies work the same out of a basic Single Stage press as they do in a high end progressive.

I'd call these rounds pretty 'precision' - yet they were produced on very 'basic' equipment.

IMG_1297.JPG
 
And of course.....like with most people.....there is usually a budget and time issue.

For me, the answer was a single-stage press and multiple progressive presses (Lee M1000s). Why a multiple of progressive presses?

Well.....I got them cheap enough (complete with dies and powder measures). This way.....I merely switch out the press from the bench when I wish to change calibers. But of course.....I rarely change the settings.

Aloha, Mark
 
Basic reloading (with quality equipment - but still basic) CAN produce precision ammo providing the person does his part with prep, attention to detail, and follow through.
That's true, I meant to express the range of different reloading goals between individuals. One person might only want to crank out 9mm target loads another might be a benchrest competition shooter.
 
If you are starting out, good used equipment can be found at yard sales, on line for sale ads, Facebook ads or just run an ad that you are looking for reloading items.

If you decide to go progressive, there lots of good ones. However, I prefer 5 station progressives as it eliminates the need to double up a function in a single station when loading handgun ammo. IE, first station decap/size, second station case mouth bell, third station powder, fourth station seat bullet and fifth station crimp using a Lee carbide crimp die.

Another tip, use carbide expander balls in your rifle dies.

I don't like case mouth expansion as part of the powder station. I prefer using Lee carbide crimp dies which requires a station a fifth station and this crimp die is not designed for bullet seating. This crimp die insures that all rounds will chamber without an issue and I don't have to worry about case lengths being exact.

Dillon and Hornady both excel at customer service. I've owned both but I currently use a Hornady progressive and a Redding single stage.
 
Since all I reload is ammo for bolt guns and single shots, I use a single stage for everything. They are more solid when it comes to bottlenecked stuff. The gun I reload for with the highest rate of fire is a Winchester 94 in 30-30 and I might not burn up more than 20-60 rounds when I take it out.

Some of the cartridges I reload are fairly long, so a single stage press works great.
 
It all is going to settle on how much you want to spend. I used to have a couple full auto guns that were a ton of fun. I rolled a lot for them on my Lee press but it was far from fun for that. I often found myself buying commercial reloads for them due to time. So if you want to spend the money on a progressive for your bullet hose? Dillon is of course how others are judged and offer a few price points. The more you want to pay of course the less time spent rolling, but, its still how much do you want to spend to save time?;)
 
That's true, I meant to express the range of different reloading goals between individuals.
This is true and unfortunately a lot of peoples' reloading goals (or should I say fantasies) FAR outweigh the reality of how much they really shoot.

I know people who have spent fortunes on high end reloading equipment - and I shoot more than they do.

I have also seen over the years MANY FS ads for reloading gear, unused and still boxed, and much of it way beyond the scope of what probably 80% of most 'newbee' reloaders even need, or could comprehend.

My advice? evaluate your shooting disciplines & styles, estimate the # of rounds you average a year and choose equipement commensurate with these 'values' you have arrived at.
 

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