Basics question

[Gunforall]

Hello all, i am getting into this hobby and have a few questions that probably seem crazy to you but i am starting to purchase odds and ends and want to be sure. What i mean by odds and ends is that i have not got a press yet but starting from the little things like tumbler, primers, scale, brass and so on. Tight budget if you catch my drift. So i am looking to start with 45ACP but when i look around i see large and small primers. Does this depend on the manufacturer or is all 45ACP large. When i get my first reloading manuel will it tell me what takes what, or is there a secret reloader handshake to get started. Also i see mixed headstamp stuff for sale is there something that i should stay away from. O and i about forgot, can you reload the nickle stuff or just brass. Thanks for any help in the right direction.

How can i order/buy powder and primers? Do i need hazmat something or other. And if so do i take a class.. Sorry i am such a newb.

[Bud Helms]

Forget about Manuel, he won't tell you a thing. Get two or three good reloading books (manuals). Read them before going to a reloading forum and asking questions like, "... is there a secret reloader handshake to get started." I realize it was humor, but hear me out.

Read this thread in this forum: For the New Reloader: Equipment Basics -- READ THIS FIRST.

No offense, but there are no shortcuts in learning how to reload. There is no way we can make you get there quicker and still be safe. Knowledge is key here and there is no substitute. Reading and understanding is the quickest way to get to the point where you are ready to ask good questions. And this is a pastime that requires some real understanding before you practice.

You may have noticed that this is a very informative site with some very knowledgeable reloaders/handloaders that are willing to help, but first you must help yourself with an elementary education.

Go read your manuals and read here. Read, then read some more, then read it again. It will make you a better practitioner. I recommend Hornady and Lyman reloading books to begin. They both take the time to explain the basics in a way that only needs reading once. They are great reference books that you will keep on your bench.

Lastly, do not enter into this lightly with a desire to get going quickly. You can cause injury to yourself and to others. Done correctly and methodically, it is a most rewarding hobby.

Good luck. Be careful.

[Gunforall]

Sir i have read New Reloader and it didnt have any answers to the questions i asked. I am currently deployed and dont have anything as of yet. I appologize for my spelling; and humor, i wont do it again. I just intended to gain a little knowledge before i return home. i am NOT looking for shortcuts or anything to that effect. Again i am sorry, and wont ask anymore questions that seem dumb to experienced reloaders.

[alloy]

I'm almost sure Mr. Helms was only trying to stress the seriousness of possible reloading errors thru improper preparation, and not trying to sway you from posting humorously.

The Lee manual will give you lots of step-by-step info as to how to start your first reload, so will the Hornady, or Sierra. Other manuals I can't speak to....except that some like the Hodgdon freebie won't help except with various loads...not much step-by-step info. Many are available used on Ebay on the cheap.

Straight walled pistol cartridges seemed to me, to be the easiest, and a lower pressure round like .45 auto might let you proceed with the most confidence.

Many places you can buy powder and primers, at your local gun store with no hazmat fees, or places like Cabelas, Powder Valley, Midway, Wideners. Those places have just about everything I needed to get going. You will not have to do any haz-mat training to receive the goods, only pay the extra fees. Locally buying...there will be no fees.

[Gunforall]

Thank you so much alloy. At the moment i have ordered the ABCs but still want to gain knowledge until i can get home to read. Sorry to all for my post if it has made everyone a little dumber for reading it.

[spacecoast]

I've been reloading a couple of months using a Lee hand press, powder dippers and die sets at just about the lowest cost you can get into it. The hardware to get started (press and one set of dies) is about $75, and the press kit includes the Lee ram prime which will handle large or small primers. You'll need brass, powder, primers and bullets, those will cost in the range of 10-15 cents a round for .45 ACP. I have yet to buy a manual or a scale, and probably won't, although I did spring for another $12 for the Lee powder dippers, which includes a very handy chart telling you how many grains each dipper holds for all the most common powders.

There is load info included in the die set, on the powder manufacturers' web sites (Hodgdon and Accurate for example), and at sites like reloadammo.com and handloads.com. Without the use of a book I make sure I have load data in agreement from at least 2 different sources before I try a load (and would do so even if I had a book), and load conservatively while I am working out the optimal amount of powder. I have loaded and shot .45 ACP, .38, .357, 9mm and .380 cartridges, both plated and lead bullets, without any problems at all.

Good luck, I have a son in Army Boot Camp right now and have nothing but respect for all those who serve and have served.

[alloy]

It was a bit overwhelming seeing all the gear in catalogs etc and not understanding the basic 1,2,3....process, when you read thru the Lee manual, the thread that was linked to will become much clearer.
It is not so bad, actually it's great.

A single stage press, set of scales, hand held primer, a complete set of dies, a set of calipers, a powder trickler, a powder funnel should get you going along with your new LEE manual. It will be a bit slow at first while you decide what powder measure and accessories to buy, but maybe that's the best way to start....slowly.

Might pick a caliber and start rounding up brass and primers(might be the hardest to find) and building a bench to keep it all rolling along. Many reloading gear companies, Lee and RCBS for instance...will gladly mail you a free catalog. Maybe google them and get some of that free stuff coming in too. Same for IMR powders etc....freebie catalogs, free powder manuals...free info.

[Gunforall]

Thanks for the input spacecoast, Handloads.com answered alot. Do you try to stay with all Lee or a combination of others. Curious if different makes are interchangable. Or should i stick with a particular brand starting out.

[alloy]

Alot of it is interchangable, and alot isn't. I stuck with LEE, no complaints. Of course my hand primer(RCBS), and beam scale(Hornady M), and calipers(Starrett), powder trickler (RCBS), powder funnel(LEE) don't really need to interchange. They work alone so to speak. Same with powder measures they stand alone sort of....until you try to mount them to the press set up to pick up the process a bit, and then it becomes a matter of this fits that.

Which is why i didn't mention them really, it is possible to start...without one...with only a scale and funnel and trickler.

[Bud Helms]

Alloy is correct. I was not trying to beat you up. I was trying to help. I was making fun of you there, though.

Remember we have no way of knowing how far along you are. There's no rule against questions and certainly no rule against asking for help. With all the instant gratification types that come along and aren't willing to work for gain, sometimes we make assumptions that aren't fair to the new guy.

Hang with us and pretty soon you'll be quoting that New Reloader thread to another new guy. In fact, pretty soon as you read more, you'll see the reason for some of the tone my first post.

If you are deployed, accept our thanks for the sacrifices you and your buddies are making. That also means you are entitled to a little humor in your postings now and then.

Welcome to TFL.

[Uncle Buck]

The sticky that Bud linked to is a great starting place. As well as the manuals. (I guess Manuel would be also, if he reloaded.)

Believe me, a lot of the information will not be 100% clear until you are sitting at your reloading bench, manual open, trying to set the dies and actually reloading.

When I reload, I have the manual open on the bench, or actually manuals. Because I can be anal retentive when it comes to messing with something that can not only blow up my gun, but also my hand and possibly disfigure my handsome face.

This forum has helped me a lot, be it getting started or finding the ideal load for what-ever cartridge I am loading. But there are a few rules and the biggest is to read, read, and read some more about the hobby. (The secret handshake is secret and is not discussed in the forums.) Once you have the manuals and have read the stickies on reloading, you will have a much clearer picture of what you are wanting to get yourself into. If you try to do it on the cheap by using a weight watchers scale to measure your powder, an arbor press to size and seat your bullets and only the internet to obtain powder loads and info, you are going to be very disappointed and end up getting yourself and someone else hurt.

I hope you come back and enjoy the forum, get answers to your questions and contribute to the discussions. Welcome aboard.

[Rod38um]

I've bought mostly Hornady but I have some Lee and Forster dies. Dies are usually standard. Since you arent ready to buy yet, that gives you some time to research and decide what brand press you want. Asking on a forum though starts the whole ford verses chevy debate on presses because naturally everyone owns the best... lol Which is why I bought the Hornady.... lol

[spacecoast]

Gunforall - as the others said, there is a lot of interchangeability but I have thus far chosen Lee hardware, it seems to be the least expensive, but you might find something locally used for less. You can pick up the brass at the range (at least most ranges), there is usually a lot of .45 laying around. One thing I forgot, you will also need a case tumbler and 5 lbs of crushed walnut media to clean the brass, which will cost in the neighborhood of $60. Take a look at the Cabelas.com and MidwayUSA.com web sites for all the stuff you need if you want to buy it online.

[alloy]

A classic thread showing how little or how much gear it takes to reload. Does not show how much is between the poster's ears. I'm in there around post 179 with all my simplicity. Good luck, stay safe!

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/...eloading+bench

[Gunforall]

Sitting here wishing and wanting is killing me, I dont really want to learn from trial and error as i have seen what the error can do. Thank you all for such great knowledge. And cannot wait to post stating my first load. All will come with time im sure.

Thank you all for your patience

God bless America!!!!!!!

[boxerrider]

Primers:
Four basic sizes - Small Pistol, Large Pistol, Small Rifle, Large Rifle
Each of those are available as standard or magnum. Your manual will identify which was used in their testing.
As a rule .45 ACP uses standard large pistol primers, but, there are some cases out there that use small pistol.

I mail-order most of my components except for powder and primers. The carrier charges a hazardous material (Hazmat) shipping fee for those. You don't need a class/certificate/license. I just don't buy in enough volume to make it worthwhile.
There are shops that carry primers & powders in Lampassas, San Saba, Goldthwaite and Copperas Cove if you don't want to go all of the way to Austin. They have all had difficulty keeping things in stock lately.

Mixed headstamp brass doesn't bother me for general range use. With experience you will find some that seem to work better with your equipment than others but they almost all work. Cases headstamped Amerc, however, are universally hated and better used as scrap than reloading. Nickel-plated is fine unless it starts flaking off. Probably still be safe to load and shoot but I don't think it is good for equipment.

The more you learn the more questions you'll have. Keep them coming.
I thank you for your service.

[dmazur]

I've read a lot of questions related to bullet seating and crimping. Many kits come with a "combination" die to do this, and that's the problem. It can be tedious to get the durn thing to do both correctly.

Even if you're using a single stage press, you might consider getting a separate crimp die for .45ACP. (It isn't really a crimp die, like the roll crimp used for revolver cartridges...it just removes the bell and makes the case straight again.) These may be called a taper crimp die.

A reloading manual usually has 100 pages or so in the front which describe the reloading process, followed by 500 pages of "load data" for different cartridges. You need to study the first 100 thoroughly, and then follow the "recipe" for your cartridge...and ignore the other 498 pages for cartridges you don't have.

Lyman's manual is good. So is Speer's.

[257]

this website has some good articles in it and its searchable http://www.realguns.com/Commentary/comar177.htm this is the first of a 3 part article that would be helpful to anyone new to reloading

[ragsxd]

45 is large pistol primers/xcept cases marked nt/non toxic uses small pistol primers.

[gregjc9]

Gunforall, First off, thanks for your service, and be safe.

I also just started reloading. As others have stated, I can only attest to the value of reading, reading some more, and reading more, ..... This forum is a great place to start. The stickies, as well as each thread, you will always glean something from each one.

I started with "The ABCs of Reloading". It was a good overview, most of it was a little dry reading. I also like the Honady and Sierra manuals. I also have the Speer manual. I have gone over all of them front to back.

Getting the gear is the simple part. Understanding what you are doing, the process, and what you want to achieve, is IMHO the tricky part - and where the fun is. After getting the manuals, I had reloads in mind for 9mm and 45ACP. I made a spreadsheet of the various loads for each that I found the manuals and online, like Hodgon's web site. I read some more, tweaked my loads, read more, tweaked more, etc, until I came up with loads that seemed to make the most sense. So far they have been working just fine.

Good luck in your reloading.

Oh yeah, you have a PM, I'm also from Lampasas!!!