Newbie Reloading set up

[Bugcola]

Hello everyone Names Tom. I just got into reloading, did some research and ordered a new press. Just looking for some friendly advice on my soon to be set up.

It contains: 5 slot Lee Precision Load Master 9mm, it came with a basic 3 carbide set ( full length, powder through expanding and seating die ), i opted in picking up a factory crimp and a bullet feeder for it.

As for tumblers my college professor gave me two one is a very old model the other is a newer looking one brand Chicago. His choice is Lyman median corncob green. which he also gave me.

Also a lot of lead bullets iffy on using them for fear of *leading* but ive seen people swear by them which is making me think of stocking up on lead scrap to cast my own later.

Another and final thought, He gave me some of .38 and 9mm RCBS dies with shell holders. If i was to pick up another press say another lee turret will those dies work or is there an issue.

Anyway hope you guys have advice or similar set ups so i can learn from some vets to learn and one day teach my future kids this

[histed]

First, welcome to the forum - and a life long addiction. Next, I mean no insult, but two words - reloading manual. There are a great many very good ones out there and you should have several. (BTW, I just learned a valuable lesson. NEVER throw an old manual away). Next, read the sticky on beginning reloading at the beginning of this forum. As you start to reload, follow your manual as you would your Bible. Use the exact recipe, including primer, powder, BRAND and weight of bullets. Yes, different brand produce different pressures with the same powder charge. Start with the lowest charge listed and work up slowly. Not more than 0.2 grains at a time for handguns, not more than 0.5 grains on long guns. All of this is explained in detail inmost manuals. As for your dies and shell holders, all I have ever encountered are usable in any other press. Last, but not least, don't fear lead bullets in handguns. Read Lyman's manual and follow the casting threads here. It takes practice and patience. BE SAFE, read everything twice, and follow a set procedure.

[Bugcola]

None taken and I agree just shooting was addicting but seeing how people reload bullets with pride and even mold their own it just got worse for me lol.

For the book I've been reading some online but I"m sure to invest in a Lee one.

Good advice for the different brass pressure, I would have never guessed that was possible. Primers I'm gonna using since lee recommends is CCI and or Remington.

for the powder charge this press has one of those chain fed ones. so ill just have to adjust.

in the end these don't have to be super powerful since i want them just for range time.

But to close while i lurk the website, thanks for the post and advice and hope for more

[lamarw]

I would think the RCBS dies would work with the Lee turret press. You should not have to buy another press. You can simply buy another 4 hole quick change turret (Lee part # 90269) to load other caliber dies in. You would then quick change from one turret to the next with all your dies properly adjusted thus saving time between caliber changes in reloading. I think you said you were using a turret press but your comment about a bullet loader threw me. I am not familiar with a bullet loader for either of the Lee Turret presses.

[Fire_Moose]

How long do you have to wait on the press?

Afaik, the dillans square deal b is the only press that uses non standard dies. Shells holds should work on any.

I've read mixed reviews about the load master, seems if you follow lees directions it should be fine, but Lee is not known for crystal clear directions.

Where will your reloading area be? You will want a nice solid bench, secured to a wall preferably.

[Misssissippi Dave]

The press mentioned is not a turret press. It is a progressive press. Use it as a single stage press when you first start out. This will keep things simple and avoid problems. Once you are comfortable with everything you can start using it like a progressive press. Remember when working up new loads only make 5 to 10 of a given charge at a time for testing. I don't like having to take too many bullets apart and that is what you should do with the ones that just don't cut it.

[Bugcola]

lamarw: you know you're right i forgot that i could just set up another disk stupid me :< and its the lee load master it has a side attachment that loads bullets in the same way it would the casings in the plastic tube.

Fire_Moose: well it will be here around Tuesday or Wednesday so not to long of a wait even though I'm excited to get it. Yeah, it has bad reviews but its from people who have had bad customer service when i see videos of it just goes so smooth. Loading area will be in my play room or what i tell my fiance *office*.
Harbor freight has a nice solid wooden bench on sale for $139 and has drawers. pretty sure i could mount it to the wall with a few brackets.


Bench-http://www.harborfreight.com/60-inch-workbench-93454.html?ccdenc=eyJjb2RlIjoiNTkxODQyNTIiLCJza3UiOiI5MzQ1NCIsImlzIjoiMTM5Ljk5IiwicHJvZHVjdF9p%0D%0AZCI6IjQ0MDgifQ%3D%3D%0D%0A

and for those curious about my press: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[lee n. field]

Also a lot of lead bullets iffy on using them for fear of *leading* but ive seen people swear by them which is making me think of stocking up on lead scrap to cast my own later.

Shooting lead bullets is perfectly fine, with very few exceptions.

Another and final thought, He gave me some of .38 and 9mm RCBS dies with shell holders. If i was to pick up another press say another lee turret will those dies work or is there an issue.

Get the Classic Turret.

The RCBS die set will work fine with the Lee turret press. You will need to get Lee's lock rings. The dies are closely enough spaced that any larger lock rings will interfere with each other.

You may want to pick up Lee's powder through expander die, to replace RCBS' expander die. Lee's automatic powder measure is made to work with that die.

[Moby]

I assume you'll eventually get to rifle reloading.

Some products that will assist.

Case length headspace gage

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/880...ter?cm_vc=S014

Redding Competition Seater Die

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/200...ter?cm_vc=S014

Hornady Cam-Lock Case Trimmer Kit

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/315...se-trimmer-kit

And above all READ, YOUTUBE, ASK, LEARN, PRACTICE!

And write everything down! Get a laoding manual and keep track of what gives you the best groupings. Work your loads up accurately. inspect your cases carefully, do each step by the book ensuring you are doing everything the same way (and the right way) every time. After working up a series of loads you'll find what works best.

[Bugcola]

lee n. field: yeah i was thinking of just a small turret one to mainly focus on different rounds like the .38 set he gave me. The nuts you are talking about are to go around the rcbs instead of their stock ones?

[Bugcola]

Moby: much thanks but now you got me thinking of getting a rifle and i just picked up a .22 handgun =P

[Lost Sheep]

About the Lee Turret press. It will take the ECBS dies, but since it only has 4 die stations and RCBS does not (that I know of) offer a powder charging die that will work on a moving turret, what lee.n.field said is valuable. However, since the RCBS die set only occupies 3 stations, you could set a powder funnel in the one empty station and simply dump a measured charge of powder through the funnel.

The chain reset on the Lee Auto-Disk powder measure (which is what I think you have, based on your mention in post #3) will not work with the turret press. There is no place to connect the chain (which resets the powder measure), and if you managed to rig up a connection, moving the turret would wind up wrapping the chain around the press. HOWEVER, Lee makes a spring-powered reset arm. Lee might even send you one gratis if you let them know your situation, but it is only about 4 dollars anyway (Pullback Lever, part # 90479 is the chain-operated one and is also known at the "T" lever. The "F" lever is spring operated and I don't know the part number.). Or you could reset the powder measure manually with the chain-operated "T" lever.

You should, when selecting your turret press, be aware of these facts:

The Lee Classic Turret (not to be confused with the Lee Classic Cast, which is a single stage press) and the Lee Deluxe Turret operate in exactly the same manner. (Except for some older, now discontinued models of the Deluxe which have 3 die stations - and, no, the 4-hole turrets do not interchange with the 3-hole turrets.)

Same speed, many of the same parts and same operating mode and technique.

But there are differences.

Evolution: The Classic Turret is the newer design of the two.

Durability: The Classic Turret's base is cast iron, the Deluxe is cast aluminum. Iron wears better than the softer metal, aluminum.

Ease of use: The Deluxe has a 1" smaller vertical opening than the Classic Turret. Though either is capable of taking rifle cartridges, the Classic Turret will take longer ones and if you have big hands is the clear winner

Spent Primer Handling: The Deluxe drops primers out of a slot in the ram to fall into a cavity inside the press base. But only about 90% succeed in their intended journey. The Classic drops primers down the center of the hollow ram and into a clear plastic tube which can contain a few hundred primers or be directed into a receptacle of your choice. The difference in the behavior of the debris (products of combustion) from the spent primers is even more striking. With the Deluxe, you wind up with primer detritus all over and have to dismount the press and sweep up the pile of spent primers every several hundred rounds.

More on Durability: The Deluxe ram is smaller in diameter than the Classic's ram. This gives a much different bearing surface for the ram to be guided as it moves up and down. The Classic press will last much longer because of the increased surface area and because iron resists abrasion better than aluminum.

Even more on Durability: The Deluxe's linkage is aluminum and stampings. The Classic's linkage is more robust.

In summary:

The Deluxe is aluminum, spills spent primers and has a 1" vertically smaller opening (which you may find important when loading long cartridges or long bullets.

I think that's about it.

Good luck.

Lost Sheep

P.S. My Classic Turret drops right into a medium size toolbox when not in use. I do not leave it set up between sessions and I also do not need to have it affixed to a bench "bolted to the center of the earth". A heavily weighted folding workbench that doesn't flex is sufficient for me. But the better secured a bench is, the more convenient, as Fire_Moose suggests.

P.P.S. In shopping for a turret press, be sure to check out Kempf's Gun Shop online. Their press kit does not force you to take a scale or much of anything else you do not need. But it does include a set of dies. Since you will already have a manual and scale with your Loadmaster, any other kit will have those items redundant.

[Bugcola]

Lost Sheep: thanks for the information

still looking to find some Winchester brass as ive read that they are a nice brass to reload over and over. and find some bullet heads.

Which brings me to another questing my professor gave me a good bit of lead shots that are covered in what looks like some sticky residue and dirt. There is a small lip that has dirty ( looks like it was in a lube press ) lube best way to clean these to shoot? or what can be my options

[histed]

Here' another link http://stevespages.com/page8.htm that you may find helpful. Winchester is good brass, but so is Federal, Remington and most of the other major brands. A lot of the reloaders here use Starline. Good idea to pick one and stick with it, at least at first.
Depending on the bullets you're looking for, I've had good experiences with Moyer Bullets - http://moyerscastbullets.com/
Penns Bullest - http://www.pennbullets.com/index.html
as well as the major suppliers.
Sounds like the "bug" bit you hard! Enjoy and shoot safe.
BTW, here's a couple of examples for load logs and labels for you ammo
reloadlog.pdf

[lee n. field]

lee n. field: yeah i was thinking of just a small turret one to mainly focus on different rounds like the .38 set he gave me. The nuts you are talking about are to go around the rcbs instead of their stock ones?

The "Classic Turret", with the heavy iron base, is a higher quality piece of equipment.

The lock rings, yes, would go on the threaded part of whatever die set you install. Lee dies will come with them. The ones that come with other brands of dies tend to be largeer in diameter, and will cause you problems if you use them on the Classic Turret on account of the die spacing. It's not a big deal or expense to swap them out. You just need to be aware that you would need to do that.

However, since the RCBS die set only occupies 3 stations, you could set a powder funnel in the one empty station and simply dump a measured charge of powder through the funnel.

There is a die with linkage available that will let you use a different brand of powder measure (ex. RCBS' Uniflow) in the Classic Turret. That part alone costs more than Lee's Pro Autodisk measure.

Lee makes a spring-powered reset arm. Lee might even send you one gratis if you let them know your situation, but it is only about 4 dollars anyway (Pullback Lever, part # 90479 is the chain-operated one and is also known at the "T" lever. The "F" lever is spring operated and I don't know the part number.). Or you could reset the powder measure manually with the chain-operated "T" lever.

Yup, and that spring Lee sells for the spring kit is strong. It's not easy to install. It works fine once installed.

[Bugcola]

histed: thanks for the information, i just went through some of the casings he gave me and some are Winchester,Federal and i think Remington. On a side note cabela had 115 fmj 9mm bullets so i just ordered me 400 while they had them. Just need to find some extra primers and some new brass to have on the side

[Bugcola]

lee n. field: much thanks on the fast reply. Yeah, he made a reference of me inheriting a .38 when i mentioned id need one to make use of the dies and hes the only one i know who owns guns besides me. So Id like to have a press mainly for revolver rounds because either way my next gun will be one

[Bugcola]

morning all, before i make my dash to bass pro to pick up some Remington rounds. some questions - is Hodgdon a good brand and the difference between HP 38,HP 110 and lil gun. and like i stated before the tumblers i have came with corncob green media to clean the brass. is there anything else i should do before that or is that all.

just wanna get a shopping list to get in and out before i buy more things

[Misssissippi Dave]

HP-38 is a good powder for 9 mm and .38 specials. H110 is a good powder for .357 magnum but you do have to use a magnum primer with it. I have never used Lil Gun powder. HP-38 is the same as Winchester W231 and H110 is the same powder as Winchester 296.

[Bugcola]

Misssissippi Dave: much thanks dave bass sold out before i got there so ill be checking for it some more. just trying to get prepared and ready i want to reload a few rounds for my practice run when i get my press in a few days.

[Bugcola]

how good are those Lee reloading stands. do they work just as a mounted bench

[Lost Sheep]

Originally Posted by Bugcola

how good are those Lee reloading stands. do they work just as a mounted bench

If you mean the little trapezoidal plate you clamp onto your bench, I understand they had a problem with the plate slipping out from the anchors. They fixed that with a pilot hole/cotter pin arrangement.

However, my opinion is that mounting your press on a 2x6 which you then clamp onto your bench will work better, faster and be cheaper.

If you mean the three-legged stand, it looks pretty good, but for the price I have passed. A folding workbench works just as well, provides more counter space and can also serve as an actual workbench on which you can do carpentry and stuff.

Lost Sheep

[Bugcola]

lost sheep: yeah the 3 legged stand is what i was referring too. i was thinking of it since i found it brand new for 100 but was not sure on how others feel from experience of reloading if it would suffice. reason im asking is because ill need to make a bench of some sort to work on in the house

[Bugcola]

well everyone got my lee load master but it seems i have to bolt it down for me to really work on it. but of course its raining in good ol sunny florida ill have to wait before bringing it into my shed to mount it for the time being. ill be back when its set up with pictures wish me luck when it gets done and be safe reloaders

[Bugcola]

hello firing line its been awhile. Anyway my last post i did say i will get pictures up but had to stall since florida is having such crappy weather i wasnt able to get it out to the shed to work on it right. anyway dont laugh but just to get it i would say * together * i screwed it into a crappy dresser. i will get it bolted down before i get to reloading 100% but this is what i have so far and everything seems to work pretty well.

setup includes the lee load master with its stock 3 dies and powder dispenser. i have added the case collator and for those who ask yes it works well i have tested it by dumping brass in while testing the cycles. I also added the bullet loader since i found it for $30. cant say ive tested it since im waiting for cabela to send me my FMJ 115 bullets. and still need to really set up the powder drop once i find some and get a scale to make sure im getting the right amount.

last is i have reused a spent primer to get it set up right and i think it came out good. looks flush with the brass. so let me know what you think as well much thanks guys and be safe