would like to start reloading

[wover98]

I would like to start reloading my own amo. I am looking at starting off reloading 30/06 rifle and .40S&W Pistol.
I gather that a LEE Turret press is good to begin with and also allow for fast change between calibers. Can someone give me a model number and suggest the best place to purchase one? Also what should I budget to get started?

Thanks for any help

Will

[kyle663]

the lee turret press is good, if you can get it in a kit, it will cut down on the extra's you have to buy. for rifle especially i would get a good digital scale, also a case trimmer, lee makes caliber specific trimmers that are cheep.but i prefer a regular case trimmer foster and rcbs make very good ones. also a caliper, digital or not as long as its a good one, primer tool,shell holders,chamfering tool lube pad and case lube. and on and on. other will add to this but figure 2 or 3 hundred after you get the press not counting bullets cases, powder and primers. it gets a little costly at first and you can get buy on less money. but it pays for itself in no time. welcome the reloading habbit.

[mkl]

For a beginning reloader, I would argue to get a balance beam scale first, and then later the digital. Stay away from the Lee brand balance beam.

The digitals are good, but if you are just starting out, voltage and temperature variations causing fluctuations in the reading could be dangerous.

You can use a good balance beam to check the accuracy of the digitals, but not vice versa.

[tiberius10721]

why would anybody stay away from lee balance beam?ive used it for years and never had a problem

[benzuncle]

When I bought my Lee Classic Turret Press in kit form, I added along with the Pro Auto Disk Powder Measure and the Safety Prime System the Lee Scale. I have since bought a digital scale. The digitial scale has shown me what I already really knew: That the Lee Balance scale was indeed accurate to withing a tenth of a grain. Works for me. If you decide to purchase a Lee Turret, the Classic Turret Press is really the only one of them to consider. Good luck to you in your deliberations and decision.

[wover98]

So.........to recap.
Buy the lee classic turret press "Kit"
Looking at MidwayUSA I see the 4 hole classic turret press kit.
I would need a set of dies for each calibur and also a spare 4 hloe turret for the second calibur. I would need to purchase a good case trimer for the rifle brass, and lube. What else am I missing? Hate to sound like a total nube.....but I am. I have stuff such as calipers and wrenches. but is that all I would need to start reloading? Other than powder and bullets of course.
What is a tumbler for?

[kyle663]

you'll need case lube, either spray or liquid (you'll need a lube pad for this). always lube rifle brass before putting it in the dies or it could get stuck. a tumbler is for cleaning brass after it has been fired. some say its a must others dont. i tumble brass after its been fired. they also have a liquid brass cleaner and some guys use dish soap, if you do this make sure it doesnt have amonia in it,

[Tex S]

Wover,

It would be real nice if you could go look at different presses before making up your mind. Y'know, actually be able to touch them and see first hand how they operate.

We have a Cabelas here in town, and they have unboxed and mounted presses for you to play with right in the middle of the reloading aisle.

Sure helped me make up my mind.

[mikld]

I would suggest a single stage press to begin with. On a single stage press you do each "step" in order and learn the "Why" (theory) of each operation.. You also learn to adjust the dies and the results of each adjustment on the finished round. You'd be suprised at how many guys post questions about problems chambering rounds and most of the answers coming back are on how to adjust the dies. Besides, changing dies only takes a minute to a minute and half!

I have used a Lee scale a lot and I think it is safer than the others by way of the poise locking feature; the poise cannot get bumped or "mysteriously" wander off a few tenths of a grain (I was once loading some near max. charges for my 44 Mag. when I noticed the 1/10 gr poise had moved 3 tenths heavier. I guess I bumped it when replacing the pan. Since I didn't know when it had moved, I dumped all previous charged cases). I now use a Lyman/Ohaus scale and it is very good but for a beginner I still say a Lee scale is safer and trouble free.

Reloading is a very rewarding part of my shooting hobby and I enjoy it almost as much as shooting.

Look at the sticky at the top of the page about equipment for the new reloader.

[45Marlin carbine]

I ditto mikld, and add that if you don't shoot over 300 rounds yearly handloading may not be worth the time/space you need to dedicate to it UNLESS ammo gets very expensive or un-obtainable.
if you shoot over 500 rounds year than you are getting into some real saveings if you have space to dedicate to handloading.

[tuck2]

Before buying any reloading tools get a Lyman 49Th Ed Reloading Handbook. Read the front section in front of the cartridge reloading data.. After reading go to a store the has various brands of equipment and look it over and check prices.. Go to the various reloading equipment web sites and order up their free cataloges... Then you can pick up the equipment that best fits what you would like to do.

[benzuncle]

Wover98, when I mentioned that I had purchased the Lee Classic Turret Press I forgot to mention a couple things:
It is a 4-hole turret
It can be used as a single stage to learn those things that mikld mentioned. (Some loaders choose to use the LCT as a single stage exclusively and just rotate the turret by hand when they are ready to proceed to the next step.) Either way you can adjust the dies to perfection. (Do yourself a favor and dry load your rounds until you have the seating depth set where you want it. I built a couple "laughers while getting the depth, the OAL where I wanted it.)
When you are ready, simply add the auto index rod and the press moves into a semi-progressive mode; 4 pulls produces one round
Changing turrets/calibers is a 1 minute task including unscrewing the Pro Auto Disk Powder Measure from one caliber turret and screwing it on the other.

Tex S has a very good idea. Just like purchasing a firearm. If you can look and feel it so much the better. I did not have this luxury and bought my kit from Kempf Gun Shop as they had everything in stock when I had the burning desire! I did my order over the phone with Sue and my order came posthaste.

One more thing: The initial cost of whatever press you choose, whether from Cabela's, Midway, Kempf Gun Shop, Graf's, etc. won't be all that much different. If a vendor has everything you want when you want it, go with them. In your case, if Cabela's not only has it but has some expertise to share with you that would be worth any difference in cost. Of course, if the guys working there just came over from Wal-Mart that's another thing altogether. I would have bought locally if that had been an option. I've been running my LCT for over a year now and am way more than pleased with the cost and the ammo it turns out. I invested $436 for everything I needed to load 45acp including a tumbler, calipers, the workbench ($75) and 4ft fluorescent light fixture ($31).

[TEDDY]

I have 15 presses.herters/lyman/lee.I use the lee turret as a batch loader.I also have 2 lee 1000 and a RCBS green machine.30 molds and a saeco and lee pots.I dont load hot loads,I like accuracy not power.my pistols are set as target guns.my military rifles as shooters.

[billcarey]

Consider the "tinker" factor when buying reloading equipment. Some has quirks and needs tweaking often to stay 100% functional. This can frustrating to a newbie reloader and dangerous. There are always threads that ID these problems. Buy cheap and deal with quirks or buy quality and have hassle free reloading.