Where to begin?

[Mikej]

Avoid plastic or aluminum on high stress parts, do not over load the press, maintain it properly, and every one of them will outlast your grand kids.


It's not about fan boi sheite.
I started with a Lee Loader for .270
Next press I bought was a Lee Load master and did tens of thousands of pistol rounds on that.
Then bought a Hornady LnL AP
First single stage was a Rock Chucker, added a Rock Jr.
Things I later purchased because they were at fire sale prices:

• Dillon XL 650 - after using it a week, sold the LnL AP because there is no comparison
• Lee Classic Cast press - this one handles Rum, Rigby, Lapua and Edge cartridges much better than the RCBS.
• Forster Co-Ax - and after using it a day, got rid of all my RCBS presses
• Lyman Turret - it's useful, but I only pull it out once in a while.

What's mounted to my benches? Dillon, Forster and Lee.

Yup, start small. Though I'd not recommend the Lee Loader as a starting set-up. To have on hand for a SHTF scenario? Yes.

 

[RobMa]

Perhaps I was mistakin? I thought there were new ammo restrictions comming to Wa state? BGC? I double checked and I did not see any taking effect in Jan of 2024. No doubt the zealots in olympia will push legistation for it soon though. I would be nice to learn this reloading stuff before having to rush everything because of any pending new laws.

 

[dangerranger60]

Perhaps I was mistakin? I thought there were new ammo restrictions comming to Wa state? BGC? I double checked and I did not see any taking effect in Jan of 2024. No doubt the zealots in olympia will push legistation for it soon though. I would be nice to learn this reloading stuff before having to rush everything because of any pending new laws.

And you may find you really like reloading! I enjoy it almost as much as shooting!
I did not load much 9mm but when it got hard to find I broke out the old steel die set, and was able to make ammo to keep me shooting. Having the tools on hand made the difference. When 9mm ammo was in short supply the dies were hard to find also.
One other thing is if you know a reloader, ask if you can hang out while they load, and see what they use.
When I was shooting two matches a month, [ near 500 rounds a month] a progressive loader was the only way to keep up. I would set up the progressive and crank out a couple thousand at a time. But right now, I'm only shooting 50 to 100 rounds at a time. It's hardly worth setting up the progressive for that.

I load in batches,
I get all my cases deprimed, washed, trimmed [ if they need it] and resized. I put those prepped cases up for loading later.
When I'm ready to load I prime the number of cases I'll use, charge them, and seat bullets.

even with a single stage press I'm less than an hour loading 100. with the setup time the first 100 from my progressive takes about the same hour. After that it's just about supplying materials and pulling the handle.

Just remember a progressive loader is a complex machine that does at least 4 functions with each pull of the handle. and although you can single load one station at a time all the other stations are still working, that makes it more difficult to get your hands in there, where a single stage is open on three sides.
Both tools have their place, And having started quite a few new reloaders, I always start with a single stage. even when you move to a higher volume loader the single stage will still have a place on your bench! DR

 

[Mikej]

I load in batches,
I get all my cases deprimed, washed, trimmed [ if they need it] and resized. I put those prepped cases up for loading later.
When I'm ready to load I prime the number of cases I'll use, charge them, and seat bullets.

I keep dirty brass in the garage. After I run it in the tumbler it will come in the house. I take from the cleaned brass and process fully with "RTL" (ready to reload) on the label. Using the RCBS powder drop you have two cylinders, small hole for pistol calibers and large for rifle. The small works for .223. I've got 50, fresh primed, RTL .30-06 brass on the bench ready to load up today. I'll change the cylinder in the powder thrower and do a couple hundred or so .223. And then load up some other pistol calibers.

 

[dangerranger60]

I keep dirty brass in the garage. After I run it in the tumbler it will come in the house. I take from the cleaned brass and process fully with "RTL" (ready to reload) on the label. Using the RCBS powder drop you have two cylinders, small hole for pistol calibers and large for rifle. The small works for .223. I've got 50, fresh primed, RTL .30-06 brass on the bench ready to load up today. I'll change the cylinder in the powder thrower and do a couple hundred or so .223. And then load up some other pistol calibers.

I process and sell range pickup brass. I have buckets full of mixed brass in the common calibers. But the ones I save for myself are sorted by caliber and headstamp. Once they are deprimed and polished I pack them in 300 to 500 rounds per bag, resize them and mark them ready to load.
The rest get cleaned, tumbled, sorted and sold. DR

 

[RobMa]

I process and sell range pickup brass. I have buckets full of mixed brass in the common calibers. But the ones I save for myself are sorted by caliber and headstamp. Once they are deprimed and polished I pack them in 300 to 500 rounds per bag, resize them and mark them ready to load.
The rest get cleaned, tumbled, sorted and sold. DR

So you take other people's brass at ranges?

 

[2ndtimer]

So you take other people's brass at ranges?

Only if they abandon it. At my club, it isn't unusual to find 100 5.56 cases and upwards of 200 9mm fired cases laying on the ground.

 

[dangerranger60]

So you take other people's brass at ranges?

Yes, I also buy range brass. If I can get range pickup brass for scrap price it saves my back and knees from bending. I buy mixed brass from ranges, and clean up our local ranges for the brass.
Its a win win, it gets me to the range often, keeps the ranges clean and pays enough to keep me in ammo components. The one year I tracked it closely, between the reloadable brass and the scrap I made around $5000. These days I buy a lot of brass; it cuts the profit on one side, but my labor time has gone way down. I have also automated the sorting. DR

 

[RobMa]

Yes, I also buy range brass. If I can get range pickup brass for scrap price it saves my back and knees from bending. I buy mixed brass from ranges, and clean up our local ranges for the brass.
Its a win win, it gets me to the range often, keeps the ranges clean and pays enough to keep me in ammo components. The one year I tracked it closely, between the reloadable brass and the scrap I made around $5000. These days I buy a lot of brass; it cuts the profit on one side, but my labor time has gone way down. I have also automated the sorting. DR

So like the other poster said, you only take brass that is abandoned. I only asked because I had jackasses in the past that would go while I was still shooting and start to pick up my brass until there was an altercation, in those particular instance the people didn't come back. (didn't really care too much about the brass, it was just the peoples arrogance in thinking that they could just take other peoples property as if it was no big deal).

Always despised thieves..

 

[dangerranger60]

I don't even pick up brass if someone is there shooting. Although I could get so much more If I used a butterfly net and stood behind the shooters catching the brass before it hits the ground! Good Plan! DR

 

[Mikej]

I don't even pick up brass if someone is there shooting. Although I could get so much more If I used a butterfly net and stood behind the shooters catching the brass before it hits the ground! Good Plan! DR

It good clean fun too!

 

[RobMa]

Any quality rifle and pistol powder, bullets and primers?