Reloading advice

[GhostofWinter]

OK, I have been watching prices and have come to the realization that if I want to shoot with any kind of quantity and regularity that will need to start reloading. At this point in time I am only talking about 9mm, .40sw, and 12 gauge. I am thinking I will want to have the flexibility to also reload rifle with little more than a few minor additions to what I will buy for reloading pistol and shotshell rounds.

At this point I am not too worried about cost but at the same time I don't want to spend a mint on it either. With this in mind I am curious as to what all I would need to not only reload, but to do it easily and fairly quickly. I read in this thread by MTK469 what he suggested for reloading 9mm and .45acp. (https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...nking_of_starting_to_re-load_my_own_ammo.html)

Are there any other ideas suggestions that can be made to point me in the right direction? From what I have read up on a progressive press seems to be the direction I am leaning, but any and all ideas and suggestions are more than welcome. Thanks!

Greg

 

[42769vette]

i was just asking pretty much the same questions as you i bought a lee chalenger kit for 105 at midway i just finished setting it up a few minutes ago i went with single stage instid of progressive since i was new and wanted to take my time and make sure i didnt screw anything up i am set up to load rifles but all i would have to do to load pistols is buy dies and components good luck

 

[GhostofWinter]

I read your thread as well. I still think I would be better served by a progressive press and not a single stage unless someone can give me a good reason. I am not real worried about screwing anything up to be honest. Your thread was one of the reason I actually posted my question. Wanting to be able to do all three shotshell, rifle as well as pistol rounds and not have 3 separate presses if I don't have to.

Greg

 

[mtk469]

I read your thread as well. I still think I would be better served by a progressive press and not a single stage unless someone can give me a good reason. I am not real worried about screwing anything up to be honest. Your thread was one of the reason I actually posted my question. Wanting to be able to do all three shotshell, rifle as well as pistol rounds and not have 3 separate presses if I don't have to.

Greg

You can do pistol and rifle on the same press but I am not sure you can do shotshells on the same press as well.
Matt

 

[indyjoe]

You could do worse than picking up the Dillon 550 available on here.

 

[Jack Ryan]

If you want to reload quickly ANY cheaply you are going to have to buy used equipment. If you searched all the Indiana hunting and shooting boards you could probably enough used equipment to get you started at any one time and pick up other handly little odds and ends as you realise you want them.

 

[GhostofWinter]

If you want to reload quickly ANY cheaply you are going to have to buy used equipment. If you searched all the Indiana hunting and shooting boards you could probably enough used equipment to get you started at any one time and pick up other handly little odds and ends as you realise you want them.

Cheaply is NOT a requirement. I have no problem spending some cash to get good quality equipment. be it new or used. At this point I am just looking for ideas and or suggestions on what I should be looking at.....

Greg

 

[mospeada]

I can recommend the Dillon 550B, its a helluva press and does rifle as well as pistol. That said, it is pricey and converting from caliber to caliber will cost you ~$150.

Horandy Lock-n-Load looks to be a good press with nice features like the snap-out powder measure barrel (so you don't have to buy another measure or adjust a single measure), but I haven't used one, so I can't recommend it. The early ones had issues with primer feed, but that's supposedly fixed. I'd probably buy one if I didn't already have a Dillon 550b.

Lee progressives are supposedly finicky, I steered clear because of warnings I've read.

RCBS? Pricey and good from what I've read.

I started with a single stage press because it was given to me, I see no need o start with a single stage, you CAN learn on a progressive, just do one cartridge at a time until you get the hang of it.

 

[NEOCON]

You will need a shotsheel press to reload the 12g but can use the same press for the rifle and pistol.

I believe that a person should learn on a single stage press or turrent press rather than a progressive. There is much more to learn about than just how much powder to drop into a case and pull the lever. After you learn the ins and outs of reloading you can still use the single stage for load development or smaller batches of precision ammo. Then buy a progressive to crank out the bulk ammo.
Most of the reloading time is spent in case prep rather than actually loading of rounds especially rifle cases. You will have to do this no matter what kind of press you have and it will be the bottleneck of the operation. Case trimming, deburing, chamfering, primer pocket cleaning, uniforming, flash hole deburing, swedging if using military brass, then the endless measuring of the rounds, checking and double checking. As far as the loading of the rounds I can load 200+ rounds an hour with my single stage press after I have developed a round, and done all the case prep.

You really should be worried about screwing something up, as it may be you or someone else.

 

[BE Mike]

Just remember that you get what you pay for. I am not a fan of Lee equipment and I have used it. I like Dillon, RCBS, Lyman, and Hornady.

If you need to load fast, then you need a progressive. The Dillon presses are the most popular, but they aren't the cheapest. Check them out at Dillon Precision Reloading Press Reviews

Like anything, if you buy used, you could get something with broken or missing essential parts. You also could get something that has been neglected for years. It would behoove you to take an experienced reloader friend with you to help you inspect any used equipment. I have bought used stuff, but I was a very experienced reloader when I bought it. It usually took some time and effort and parts replacements to get the equipment up and running.

For shotgun, it is hard to beat MEC presses. There again, a progressive will load a lot of shotgun shells, but costs a lot. Generally, you will not save much money loading shotgun shells, if the cheap Wal-Mart type shells suit your purposes. You will save more reloading metallic cartridges.

For loading pistol cartridges, make sure you get the more expensive carbide die sets so that you don't have to lubricate the cases before resizing.

Here is a checklist I made up a couple of years ago:

Reloading Setup Checklist​

· Reloading manual
· Press
· Dies for each caliber (Dies included with Dillon Square Deal Only)
· Shellholders or Caliber Conversion Kits as appropriate
· Powder Measure (included with Dillon presses)
· Powder Trickler
· Scale, balance beam or electronic
· Case Tumbler
· Media for Tumbler
· Case Lube (not absolutely necessary if loading with carbide pistol dies)
· Case Lube Pad
· Case Trimmer (Not necessary for straight walled pistol cases)
· Case Deburring Tool (Only if getting Case Trimmer)
· Vernier Caliper (Dial or Digital is easiest to use)
· Loading Tray/ Loading Block (Only if using single stage press)
· Primer Flipper
· Bullet Puller


Dillon Extras
Extra Tool Head (If loading more than one caliber)
Toolhead Stand (If loading more than one caliber)
Toolholder with Tools (nice to have, but absolutely not necessary)
Strong Mount (Highly recommend, especially with Dillon 650)
Dillon Video Tape (Worth the money)
Extra casefeed plate (You will need more than one if loading other certain calibers)


Reloading Components
· Bullets (Lead are cheapest)
· Brass Cases (Buying new Winchester or Starline at first might prevent problems)
· Powder
· Primers

 

[m_deaner]

I have the Hornady LnL progressive; it was quite an upgrade from the Lee I was using!

I almost bought a Dillon 550b instead of the Hornady, but the Dillon lost out because of the expense of caliber changes ($150 for the Dillon vs. $28 for the Hornady) and I liked the powder measure design better on the Hornady. And the Hornady gives you an extra station so no need to use a through-powder flare die when you want to run a taper crimp die on the final station. The extra station might also come in handy if you want to run a powder cop.

The Hornady was also quite a bit cheaper than the Dillon and came with 1,000 free XTP bullets in your choice of caliber (I chose .45ACP 230gr).

The downsides of the Hornady:

1. Powder measure doesn't provide consistent charges with light loads of high-density powder, especially if it is extruded flake powder like Clays. My first two batches of reloads using the standard powder measure were a disaster. I bought the pistol-specific powder measure and the micrometer powder measure barrel (total of about $60). After this expensive upgrade the press dispenses powder VERY accurately.

2. I had a problem with the primer feed plate for large primers. I had to flatten the part on a diamond stone before the press would run correctly.

3. The retaining wire is fragile and needs to be replaced once in a while. I called Hornady and they sent me a bunch of them for free.

4. There aren't as many accessories available for the Hornady as compared to the Dillon presses. Hornady does have a case feeder now, but still no bullet feeder.

5. Earlier versions of the LnL used a wire to eject loaded shells. It takes some tweaking to make the ejection reliable, and the wire prevents the use of a Lee factory crimp die on the final station (I don't use this type of die, but many do). The LnL design has been changed and no longer uses the wire for shell ejection.

 

[GhostofWinter]

I understand that using a progressive press is not a substitute for precision and accuracy. I also know that I am planning to do my reloading in large batches (1000+) of each caliber at a time, so I was thinking a progressive would be the best option for me. What I have in mind is to do all of a single caliber at once (for target shooting) and I don't want to spent all day doing a single caliber. If I can speed things up a bit and be able to knock out several thousand total of multiple calibers in a single day it would be easier for me. It is my understanding that once you get your weights dialed in on powder charges you only need to double check it with some frequency to insure that you are getting the correct amount in your cases. If I am wrong here feel free to let me know.

So it's my understanding that I will need separate reloaders for shotshell and rifle/pistol rounds. Mec has been suggested for shotshell. As for the rest I have heard both dillon and hornady.....any other ideas? I have EVEN considered hooking up with someone that already reloads to watch/learn from....

Greg

 

[NEOCON]

So it's my understanding that I will need separate reloaders for shotshell and rifle/pistol rounds. Mec has been suggested for shotshell. As for the rest I have heard both dillon and hornady.....any other ideas? I have EVEN considered hooking up with someone that already reloads to watch/learn from....

Greg

You are understanding correctly about 2 different loaders. I have also heard good things of the MEC. The 2 metalic cartridge loaders you mentioned are good quality as well. I believe if I was going to buy a progressive I would go with the Dillon. I do have a several pieces of hornady equipment and it is top notch stuff as well.
It is a good idea to go watch someone and learn from them.

 

[BE Mike]

One caution, when loading a large quantitiy of ammo, you must make certain and double and triple check that everything is set exactly right. You frequently need to make sure that everything is still in adjustment as you go. Loading a large quantity of ammo when something is not right will ruin your day. I also quit reloading when I get tired, and that comes a lot quicker these days. When I get tired I tend to make mistakes. I usually limit my loading to a couple of hours now. At one time, I'd spend the whole day casting bullets or reloading. If it were me, I wouldn't load a high volume of ammo until I had a very good handle on the process and machine operation. Even though I have two Dillons, one a 550 and the other a 650, I always try to load very high quality. Quantitiy is a distant second.

 

[dice dealer]

Everything i have read says you should check your measurments frequantly ...i dont load yet but i am getting ready to start and have been doing ALOT of research on the matter ..
from what i seen if you use a progressive loader you should check things around every 25 -50 rounds ...

being a novice like myself i am probably going with a turret press or a single stage and i will probably (at first ) check my measurments every couple rounds ...
last thing ya want is a round stuck in the barrel from no powder ..or a gun exploding in your face from a double shot ,,,

 

[Dr Falken]

I just got my Lee turret press st up and loaded some 9mm last night. For the priceand quality, I gotta say that I love it! It's easy to double check charges and if there is a problem, it's easy to abort. I haven't tried it on necked cases yet, but I think it will do ok. It is probably slower than a progressive, but compared to the Lee 1000 that I had, it's great. I also gotta say, don't do too many rounds at a time, it's easy to get tired or complacent and miss something, kinda like chain sawing, take a break, and only do so many at a time.