help me build my dream reloading setup for a first timer

[Magnum Wheel Man]

OK... been reloading for a long time, I reload about 75 different cartridges...

here's my 2 cents...

... I really hate to see new shooters or reloaders start out with a progressive... if they don't really need one... IMO, if you are not going to reload 500 rounds of the same caliber, at a time, then get a turret or single stage... if you are wanting to reload 5-6 different cartridges, get a single stage 1st, & work your way up to a progressive, you'll likely still want the single stage for brass prep, that a progressive won't do ( swaging primer pockets on 223, file trimming rifle cases maybe, hand loading new loads is much nicer on a single stage, which can then be switched over to a progressive, after you've worked up a load, or you may want to load accuracy loads on the single stage... I use mine with a universal decapping die, to de-prime before I wet tumble )

I don't own a progressive, & had many try to talk me into one, however, I have a tendency to take 4-5 guns out at each shooting, & rotate those guns / calibers each time out, so I get up to 100 rounds of 4-5 calibers each time I go out... a progressive just doesn't make sense for how I shoot...

I have a very well educated buddy whose wife gave him a Hornady LNL, as it was the most expensive she could get at Cabela's, at the time... I've been mentoring him on reloading, & basically every time I'm not there when he reloads, something goes awry( this is going on two years now )... he has a couple bullets stuck in the barrel of one of his guns right now, from his last session loading with his adult son...

my experience has been, that too many new reloaders are in too much of a hurry, & things suffer... buy yourself a good single stage ( RCBS Rock chucker is a "rock" solid starting point ) I have a Junior, that I use for case prep, & a pair of Rock Chuckers, & am setting up a 2nd bench, & will be adding a Turret Press for a little higher volume loading...

I'd suggest you find a "good" local mentor, & start with the same type of press they load with...

[mattL46]

+1 magnum wheelman. It is I'll advisable to start at the highest bracket when you have never been to the race. I can't suggest a progressive myself...

[billy396]

Dillon RL550 B. It's the best and Dillon offers the best customer support that you're ever likely to see. I've called them for small parts and had them send them out to me the next day, FREE OF CHARGE. I've heard that same story from more people than I can count. The machines are well-built and very well engineered. If you want to load 300 to 500 rounds per hour. you can do it once you learn everything you need to know about reloading. The Dillon has repeatable results, time after time. When I changed over from a single-stage RCBS Rock-Chucker, a fine single stage press, I was worried about how well this would work. I should have done it years ago. The output is great.

[dahermit]

Single stages have less "play" in their assemblies than any other press type, leading to better alignment and uniformity.

That is an assumption that may not be true. The dies do all the "alignment" and produce the "uniformity". Years ago, it was a common procedure to weaken the spring that holds the shell holder on single stage presses to allow the shell holder and the cartridge case to "float" as it entered the die. "Play" is not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to hand loading presses and if it were not there, it would result in problems. Therefore, the amount or difference in rigidity and play between a progressive and single-stage is a moot point.

[dahermit]

I'd suggest you find a "good" local mentor, & start with the same type of press they load with...

Not a logical suggestion. A newbie will not know if the mentor is good or bad. Doing such would only be a benefit if the mentor is good at choosing presses/equipment/safe techniques. If he is not good at those, he will nevertheless, pass on exactly what he does.

[boondocker385]

I batch load on a rockchucker between 500 and 1000 pistol rounds a month. A progressive would be faster but I am content. I also use it for 100+ rounds per month of 243 and 30'06 and love it for my rifle rounds.

I use a rcbs hand priming tool....watch TV with my bride while doing so.... makes her happy, happy happy and makes chick-flicks almost bearable.

Seriously though, learning a step at a time, either on a single stage or turret or a progressive is very valuable.

[David Bachelder]

Been there done that. Get the press you want. I suggest that you go Progressive from the start. You will save a bucket full of money and an equal amount of time. You can run a progressive in single stage mode, a Hornady LNL anyway, not too sure about the other brands.

I also suggest:
Avoid LEE progressive presses. They are not built to the same standards as the others. I'll not go into that, the LEE users are a bit sensitive.
LEE dies seem to be pretty good, they work but there are better die sets available, it is my opinion that steel is better than aluminum (Your opinion may be different).
I have a Hornady LNL and it's great for pistol rounds. I have never tried to load rifle on it. I understand that many do and have great results. There is a learning curve with any press you buy, be prepared to spend the time getting to know it. It took me about 1500 rounds to get familiar with my LNL.
If you decide to purchase a single stage they are all about equal, including LEE. The LEE cast iron single stage is as good as any. At that point its better to consider customer service first and ignore brand name. Hornady and RCBS probably have as good or better customer service as anyone. I have never dealt with LEE, Lyman, Dillon or any others, I assume they are as good. I have read that Dillon has the best warranty in the business, I can't imagine how it could better than RCBS or Hornady .... then again I'm not in a position to know.

Weather you go progressive or single stage there most likely will always be a spot on your table for a single stage press. I have both and use them both regularly. There are some jobs that are better suited for single stage presses like sizing cast bullets, loading precise rifle rounds (again only my opinion), and more I can't think of at the moment.

A word about LEE tools. There are a lot of very good LEE tools. Bullet molds, sizing dies, lead pots, BHN testers and bullet lube are all pretty good stuff. I own several LEE tools and I prefer LEE for many of these products.

[JimDandy]

You're focused on one step at a time. Much less likely to miss this brass being crimped because it's out of place while you're watching that brass get it's powder charge, or vice versa type stuff.


I would only progressive .223 and pistol cartridges. I have a Hornady Ammo Plant, and smack right next to it is a Lock N Load classic.

For cleaning, I can't plug the thumler's Tumbler Model B enough. It's a wet tumble with stainless steel pins. You stick a gallon of water, 100ish brass, two tablespoons of dawn, and a quarter teaspoon of lemishine and let it spin for 4 hours, then sit on a towel overnight to dry.

[kilimanjaro]

My setup :

Dillon RL550B $400
Conversions for 12 calibers $550
Dies for same $600
Thumler's Tumbler & pin media, media sieve, etc. $200
Thumler's Tumbler from a pawn shop three weeks later, $60
Toolheads and couple additional powder cans $400
Scale, calipers, etc. $150
Manuals $200
Assorted trays, bins, Tupperware, etc., for parts, brass, sorting, all from yard sales and thrift shops $40


Probably another $650 expected for one or two more die sets, media, etc., and of course additional manuals, a primer pocket swager, that sort of gear.

Yep, it's expensive to reload, but factory ammo is not coming down in price fast enough to suit me, and my reloads are half the price.

[hifiaudio]

Thanks for this informative thread... I would like to lay out my needs and see if I can get some pretty specific recommendations not only for the press, but for all of the "extras", like tumbler models, scales, etc.

I own a small home based FFL with a partner. We do around $75k in business a year. We want to get into reloading mainly for ourselves. There is a third person who will also be involved in using the equipment, so in all this would be rifle and pistol reloading for three people.

We plan to reload, probably in order of quantity, .300 blk, 9mm, .223, .308, .45, .38, and possibly shotshell at some point since we want to have subsonic shotgun loads.


Also, since this is used in the business, this is a writeoff, so the cost here is a VERY minimal factor. We have been considering a Dillon 1050, but I am open to all suggestions. I am new to reloading, my partner is not. I have been both encouraged and discouraged from getting the 1050 by various people. I do like the idea of the primer seating on the downstroke and the related reliability of doing it correctly, but the hassle of changing calibers on the 1050 is of course a negative. We would be willing to buy tool heads for all the calibers as we go along to speed that up.

I just have a poor idea of all of the extras, and what brand, model, etc. I should get alongside the press. Can you guys make specific suggestions for "tried and true" and "best in class" models for those items?

Thanks for all advice!

[Reloadron]

Considering the age of this thread and your specific needs you may do better to simply start a new thread or maybe get a moderator to split your post off into a new thread. You may also get some pointers as to how to treat investments in reloading equipment as part of the business, such as teaching reloading classes.

Ron

[Old 454]

A Dillon 650 is the way to go for a progressive press and there customer service is the best.

Also you might want to consider a good single stage for working up loads. A Rock Chucker or a Redding press.

For casting a Lyman Mag 25 furnace ... pick your molds carefully. There are some really good mold companys out there.

Ask in the bullet casting section on molds. Them guys there are really good about helping out.

Personally i have not seen any panick buying for reloading components lately. There are plentiful in my area.

Welcome to the world of handloading....

[DaleA]

I'd recommend putting this in a new thread too.

Also list approximately how many rounds of each caliber you're going to load.

Good luck.

[ShootistPRS]

I just want to list the mistakes that I, and others I know well, have made when reloading. It may not make your choices easier but it might.

1. Contaminated primers - - - - this happened to me when I was handling each primer before insertion into the case. It cause misfires and frustration. I even went to using a pair of tweezers without success. The primer feeder tubes didn't always drop a primer so I could not trust them. I went to using an RCBS hand primer that you never have to touch a primer and have had no problems since.

2. Seating primers - - - - seating primers with a press without examining them is fine once everything is set perfectly but high primers and crushed primers are never a good thing. Using the hand primer I can run my finger over each primer as I set the case in the block and know it is right.

3. Powder charges - - - - I put all my primed cartridges into a loading block and charge them all before going on to seating bullets. I can visually check powder levels compared to the others around each cartridge and see if a level is high or low. No guessing and no "faith" in a mechanical plungers accuracy. I have never loaded a double charge but I have missed charging a case and it is easy to do. If you check them all at the same time you get good loads.

4. Split and cracked cases - - - - Every step in my reloading process is another chance to find something I missed. I have found split necks on pistol brass only after they were flared - just before charging them with powder. I have found body splits after sizing that I didn't see after polishing.
(you are likely to miss subtle splits and cracks using a progressive press)

5. Bullet seating depths - - - - Just because you have used the book to set your overall length does not mean it will fit in your chamber, especially with auto pistols. You need to check the first round to see if it will chamber. If it does then you can likely load the rest and it will be fine. If you change make, type ot weight of bullets then you need to check again. Trust me, it is easier to pull and reseat one bullet a few times than it is to do it with 150 or more rounds.

6. Crimping - - - - If your gun has a tubular magazine, are shooting a semi-auto rifle, or a high recoil revolver then you need to crimp. Crimping introduces one more variable into the making of accurate ammo. Yes, neck tension will vary and can cause inaccuracy too but crimping just adds to that. Crimp when you have to but otherwise don't do it! (there is likely to be some discussion over this because some feel it evens out the neck tension. For me it did the opposite)

These are some of the reasons that I sold my progressive press and kept my Rock Chucker and Lyman presses.

[ed308]

I started out of a Dillon 650. And I knew absolutely nothing about reloading. I bought it since I wanted to buy once, cry once and I wanted the powder check system. When I was learning how to use the press, I broke down the the reloading process into easily managed processes like with a single stage. Once I knew what I was doing, I went full progressive. About the only problems I had was with spilled powder, high primers and figuring out how the press worked and where to look when I had a problem. The biggest problem I run into with it these days is some high primers. So I visually check all my cases when done. I used my 650 for .40, .45, 6.8, .308 and .223/5.56. I use a single stage for my precision cartridges and a M1 Garand.

The 650, 550 and 1050 are all great presses.