Welcome to reloading and thanks for asking our advice.
The Lee Loader which uses a mallet to load with is the cheapest, smallest way to go, but it is noisy and unnerving to anyone watching you whack live ammunition with a mallet (not a hammer).
A hand press is next in line, but for 30-06, I suspect you will tire of it quickly.
A bench-mounted press does not have to be mounted on a bench. As Sport45, jj320, twobit, and zxcvbob suggested, there are alternatives.
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Originally Posted by GunXpatriot
So I'm looking to get into reloading. I don't shoot box after box, but I shoot enough to know (through a little research) that I can save a fair amount of money. That... And I'll soon have to go through a background check every time I buy ammo in the store... Since reloading supplies aren't considered ammunition, I guess I can load round upon round to my heart's content.
So I live in an apartment. No bench is available and there is no space to put one, or to mount a regular single stage press. I'll have to use a hand press. I can live with that. The Lee Breach Lock Hand Press Kit seems to be pretty good from what I've seen. A little slower than a mounted press, but I've got a decent amount of spare time, so this is no problem at all.
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Everything I need aside from manuals, a brass tumbler (cleaner) and components (powder, primers, bullets and brass) to load 7 calibers fits in three toolboxes, the larges of which is 10"x10"x23" and the others are 15x8x8 and 15x7x7. This includes a 2x6 I wedge into the drawer of an end table with the press to it by three carriage bolts and wing nuts. These days, I use a folding, portable workbench.
Nice setup for an apartment. I can take everything I need to load over to a friend's hour with three trips to the car. I can set up in about 10 minutes, including setting my scale to zero.
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Originally Posted by GunXpatriot
What I'm really looking for is the most minimalistic *ahem* cheapest setup I can get. I will be reloading mostly .30-06.
So if I were to ask you what is the absolute minimum one would need Besides a Press, Dies, Lyman manual (I'll likely pick up a Hornady as well).
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Absolutely crazy to load without eye protection and manuals. But you only
need three things (
physically) to load ammo.
Press because fingers are not strong enough to form metal
Dies because fingers are not accurate enough to form metal to SAAMI specs
Scale (or calibrated dippers) because eyeballs are not accurate enough to mete gunpowder
Everything else can be done without, substituted for or improvised until you can afford to buy good quality gear. (e.g., Funnel can be made from paper, bullet puller can wait until you have need to disassemble a cartridge.) You will need a case trimmer sooner more than later, though. If your brass gets too long, you will have to set those cases aside until you can trim them. I got along without calipers for a long time, through ignorance and the good graces of the makers of components who sold me bullets that happened to always be properly sized. I also shoot only straight-walled cases, which rarely need trimming.
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Originally Posted by GunXpatriot
The real thing things that I want to make sure of are all the miscellaneous little tools that you'd need. For example, I see everyone trimming cases with a drill and the case trimming tool. Can this be done by hand? I don't have a drill (available) and of course, this adds cost to the setup.
I probably won't actually order any reloading components, at least until I get the Lyman's manual. Also, I'm getting all this stuff off of MidwayUSA. Would there be a better place to get these items? Thanks, any help would be appreciated, A LOT!
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Yes, case trimmers can be powered by a motor or by hand. Some attach to a drill, some have their own motor, some powered by a pull string and some powered by twisting your wrist.
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Originally Posted by GunXpatriot
The real thing things that I want to make sure of are all the miscellaneous little tools that you'd need. For example, I see everyone trimming cases with a drill and the case trimming tool. Can this be done by hand? I don't have a drill (available) and of course, this adds cost to the setup.
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You will have to shop around for the best price. I suggest you learn all the steps of loading by reading (as many as you can get) manuals. The early chapters of almost all manuals have descriptions of the process and you will want to read as many different authors as possible because what some authors cover well, others don't. The "ABC's of Reloading" is a compilation of many different writers which is revised periodically, so if you visit your local library you can get a good grounding there for free.
Then, review the contents of as many different kits as you can find. What the marketing wizards at RCBS, Hornady, Graf's, et al put together is usually pretty complete, though all kits (as a general rule) will have things you will not need and will lack things you do. List the contents of a half-dozen kits and you will see. You will also get a shopping list you can winnow after reading through the descriptions of the loading process.
After that research, you will be as expert as any novice can be.
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Originally Posted by GunXpatriot
I probably won't actually order any reloading components, at least until I get the Lyman's manual. Also, I'm getting all this stuff off of MidwayUSA. Would there be a better place to get these items? Thanks, any help would be appreciated, A LOT!
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Wise decision. In today's market, not only is it hard to find some stuff (shortages and backorders), but prices are high. Also, even if you get decent prices, you do not yet know what you will need, or where best to find it.
Shopping around will yield dividends three ways. Better prices, you will have chosen your equipment to fit your needs more closely after some study and, best of all, when you actually do set up and start loading you will have some past knowledge steeped into your brain.
Good luck.
Lost Sheep