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Old July 4, 2013, 03:13 PM   #51
tahunua001
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yeah I don't want to know how much I have invested. just in components and dies I could have bought a new gun... a nice one. and I use someone else's reloading bench.
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Old July 4, 2013, 05:43 PM   #52
osirus82
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I've spent 3x on guns over the years on guns vs. reloading~ but i just started to reload. if I buy any more guns they would be a glock 23 to compliment my sub2000k, and a bolt .308- I already have a sweet Fnar 10x40-50 optics- bipod its ready to eat some ammo. ~ this was my first good argument to start reloading.
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Old July 4, 2013, 07:34 PM   #53
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My setup

Three years ago I replaced almost all my loading equipment, informed by my 30 years loading. I got the perfect setup to fit my needs, without compromise and money no object (well, almost).

I updated the prices to 2013.

I assume you have manuals already, so I left those off the list.
$0 Eye protection. (In know you have them, but novices will be reading this list, so I include the reference.)
$110 Press, Lee Classic Turret (Chosen because Lee makes the only turret presses that auto-advances at the discretion of the operator and the Classic is superior to the Deluxe for several features.)
$45 Dies, carbide. Lee because it includes a shell holder, a plastic dipper for powder and the very convenient "powder through" design.
$10 Bolts to Mount your press on a plank of scrap 2x8 and secure it to a (padded) coffee table.
$0 Dropcloth to catch any spilled powder or lost primers (dead or live). Use an old sheet. Quieter than plastic, less static and drapes better.
$165 Subtotal - plus shipping At this point, you can reload, but are limited in flexibility and speed.
$15 Lee Scoops/Dippers. Cheaper than any powder dispenser/measure and repeatability/cosistency is excellent.
$4 Powder funnel. Lee's funnel fits right in the their "powder through" die.
$184 Subtotal - plus shipping At this point, you are minimally equipped to load well. Not too convenient, but not handicapped to the point of terminal frustration, either.
$25 Lee Safety Prime. You can use your fingers, but this is so much better. Fits on the Lee Press.
$25 Scale, any brand. Lee's, at $21 is cheapest. You can do without, with the full set of Lee Dippers, but better to weigh. For peace of mind if nothing else.
$234 Subtotal - plus shipping At this level of investment, you are decently equipped
$41 Lee Auto-Disk powder dispenser/measure. It mounts atop Lee's "Powder through" die. With this, you may not need the funnel or dippers. The Pro Auto-Disk is better and 18 dollars more.
Loading Bench. A folding workbench works fine for me. You can get a kit or build your own, too.
$275 Subtotal- plus shipping Now you are well-equipped as most reloaders, except for convenience accessories or tools you will use only occasionally.

Other stuff:
$20 Bullet puller I never used one for my first 20 years of loading.
$30 Calipers I had none for 30 years. Now that I do, I find uses.
$50 Tumbler Never had one. Got one now. My brass is prettier. Shoots the same.
$25 Powder Trickler - handy if you weigh each powder charge.
$400 Subtotal
$30 Difference to get a more user-friendly scale than the Lee

$50 misc accessories & tools, (e.g. chamfer tool)
$480 Subtotal
$55 each for Turret and Dies for any extra calibers, $85 each if you want a dedicated powder measure on each set of dies.

I still have my original RockChucker single stage press and extra dies and stuff, but since those are extra, I did not list them.

Silver00LT, It seems to me you jumped in with both feet, rather than a little bit at a time. But no more than a lot of people. You have a first-class setup. Much more than I would need for my needs. I expect you will grow into it just fine.

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Old July 4, 2013, 07:53 PM   #54
zxcvbob
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I inventoried my powder a year ago and scared myself. ==(8-O I don't want to know how many primers I have.

Also have a 30 gallon tote full of ziplock bags of brass, about 10000 rifle projectiles, and maybe a ton (literally) of lead for casting pistol bullets.

I just buy the stuff whenever I can get it cheap, and try to accumulate a little faster than I'm using it up. Haven't done much of either this year.

The equipment is the cheap part.
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Old July 4, 2013, 09:18 PM   #55
Silver00LT
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Larry,

I find to enjoy a hobby sometimes you have to jump in. I started tip toeing into it and like we talked about through PM the past few months I just jumped in both feet.

Not regretting it as I love reloading and this setup meets my current needs and didn't break the bank(just a minor heart attack).
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Old July 4, 2013, 11:56 PM   #56
redrick
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Just starting out.

I have around $1550 not counting brass, bullets and primers. That's for 4 calibers.

I still need powder so I can make my first cartridge.

I still want a Thumbler Tumbler, L.E. Wilson micrometer cast trimmer and Lyman case prep. center.
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Old July 5, 2013, 07:18 AM   #57
Sure Shot Mc Gee
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I've met & had conversations with a few retired professional fellows and a Iowa farmer {as He refers to himself as being} that travel to different sanctioned shoots including my Club facility's. They travel all year round to these events and have custom built reloading tools just for their purpose along. Mounted stored and pulled behind in separate trailers is the usual way seen. Most of these folks travel the distances between events in very large comfortable motorhomes with their wife. One gent even fly's his own plane to certain events. Would this equipment apply here?_

Apparently there's no limit or ceiling to the amount of $$$ one can spend on this shooting & reloading hobby were afflicted with._

S/S
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Old July 5, 2013, 01:52 PM   #58
wvscotsman
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Let me make a list. VERY new to this hobby and I still dont have everything I would like to have in this area.

Lyman Spartan press(used) $60.00
Lyman calipers $30.00
308 win RCBS Dies $30.00
RCBS 502 Scale $80.00
RCBS powder funnel $ 6.00
Case lube pad $10.00
Case lube $5.00
RCBS hand priming tool $42.00
Total Hardware $263.00

I am not including what I paid for components. This is just equipment. It adds up fast.
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Old July 5, 2013, 02:07 PM   #59
Silver00LT
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Yes it does. lol
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Old July 5, 2013, 02:41 PM   #60
Poindexter
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I would guess I am at about $1500-2000 for actual gear. I started reloading with about $500 of gear in 2008 at 2008 prices.

I don't count expendables like primers, and etc; that is ammunition cost. I have saved enough on ammunition by buying primers and so on instead that my reloading gear has paid for itself many times over.

I am running 3000-4000 rounds annually through currently a single stage Rock Crusher. I have worn out two of the smaller "Partner" presses over the years, but they both had paid for themselves many times over. I would like to add a Dillon 550 for high volume pistol, but I don't have bench space for one.

Looking back, I am very glad I splurged on a nice electronic scale in the first place, no telling how many balance beam scales I could have wrecked by now. I hardly ever use my RCBS casemaster, it would have been better to buy a six-pack, take my problem to a buddy's bench and save the hundred bucks. I also have the electronic powered "case prep station" or some such. I useit every once in a great while, but it is mostly back in its box on a shelf.

Besides the excellent powder scale, my next favorite, most used component is the powder filler for the Dillon 550. It is just like any of the other name powder throwers, but it has 7/8-14 threads on it and I can charge a host of calibers with three funnels. I have caliber specific funnels for .22 rifle, .308 rifle and .500 S&W - as parts of the 550B caliber conversion kits for .223Rem, .338Fed and 500Smith. Charging .38Special and .45Colt in particular is no problem.

With .38 and .45 I prime and bell using the belling die in one step, and then use the "wrong" size funnel for charging on a second pass through the press. Then seat and crimp on the last pass.
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Old July 5, 2013, 04:26 PM   #61
serf 'rett
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Two years and six months since I fell over the cliff..

Equipment (single stage Rock Chunker with assorted bells and whistles) - $743.66

Components - $4,055.89...

...or was that $4,055.98...

but who's counting?
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Old July 5, 2013, 05:50 PM   #62
buffalo
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Over the last several years I probably have 3k in reloading tools but the real cost is the components like others have mentioned. When I lived in AZ I shot every week so in Powder,Primers,Lead,etc,etc i'm guessing well over 4k.
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Old July 5, 2013, 11:02 PM   #63
velillen
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Equipment wise...im probably around 2-2.5k. Component wise i dont even want to know. I know in the last 2 months ive spent close to 1k on bullets and powder....but those should last me a while.

Its my hobby though so instead of dumping money into bars every weekend like friends do i buy stuff to shoot
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Old July 5, 2013, 11:56 PM   #64
medalguy
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I have no idea. Too much to try to add it all up, and I really don't want to know anyway. I sure don't want the wife to know either.
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Old July 6, 2013, 08:59 AM   #65
Sure shot wv
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Hey all, well for me unfortunately I didn't start reloading when I started shooting. I kept saying I didn't have the time. Well a couple years later I started competing. After my first year of competing I said I'm literally going completely broke shooting, time to reload. So I started with lee products mostly and some misc odds and ends. My initial investment was maybe 300 dollars or so.

Well, after 6 months of loading single stage I could not keep up with shooting. I started getting very good and practicing more and more. Next thing I new I'm shooting 3-5k rounds a month. Well at that time one of my newer friends I made in the shooting world who holds 27 sponsors said let me see what I can do. So he called up dillon and told them about me and a week later for a VERY GOOD price I had a completely new set up in the mail to me. At this time I sunk roughly another 1200 dollars into equipment to load.

So fast forward 3 more years and I'm now sitting on around 2k of equipment. Retail for everything would be around 3500. So I've been lucky on my prices.

Now components I've become very very lucky on. I started off paying retail for everything. Again my now best friend called up rainier and hodgdon ( 2 more of his sponsors ) and spoke to them about me and sent them some shooting videos. Ive since been very blessed to receive thousands upon thousands of free bullets and about 60 pounds of powder. If it wasn't for my buddy and rainier and hodgdon helping me I wouldn't be where I'm at now.

So since I started loading I have fell in love with it and now make time for it lol. All in all I've spent maybe 3k on components in the last 4 years. The rest have been sponsor provided. And let me tell ya using dillon presses ammo just flys out. But then again I shoot even more than ever!
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Old July 6, 2013, 09:52 AM   #66
g.willikers
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Careful you don't wear yourself out.
The average shooter is only good for about a million rounds, before needing an overhaul.
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Old July 6, 2013, 09:52 PM   #67
Sure shot wv
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G. Willikers, I thought this whole trigger finger getting raw and sore would go away. Nope!! No matter how much I shoot after about 400 rounds in a day I'm sore. So my tune up may be due prematurely.

I'm actually on vacation right now and brought 1800 rounds with me to take to a local range I found online. But there's a few buddies that are gonna help me fire all that off. After all I am on a "vacation" right. lol
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Old July 6, 2013, 10:39 PM   #68
Silver00LT
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Be nice if I could score sponsors. lol

I have been thinking about taking up competition shooting though, but do not want it cutting into my family time on the weekends.

Plus note...my equipment will be here on Monday.
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Old July 7, 2013, 02:01 AM   #69
orionengnr
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Dillon RL550...about $400, four or five years ago. (Not a whole lot more these days)
Roller Handle and Strong Mount, about another $100 (another $10 each these days)
Dies, maybe $50 per caliber (new, you can find them for a lot less).
Powder dies, tool heads, etc, another $30-50 per caliber (likewise).
Calipers, scales, manuals...probably $200...again, if you buy used, you can cut that in half.
Quote:
Equipment (single stage Rock Chunker (sic) with assorted bells and whistles) - $743.66
Wow. I've seen used Rock Chuckers for $60--got mine for free.
I have less in my Dillon 550, with the peripherals, than this dude has in his single-stage "Rock Chunker".
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Old July 7, 2013, 07:46 AM   #70
Rifleman1776
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I was lucky when I started. I got a Lyman turret press and a box full of 'goodies' for $25.00 at a yard sale. Other items came over time.
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Old July 7, 2013, 09:34 AM   #71
Silver00LT
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Awesome on the yard sale find!
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Old July 8, 2013, 04:44 PM   #72
serf 'rett
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orionengnr - here what I stated:

Quote:
Equipment (single stage Rock Chunker (sic) with assorted bells and whistles) - $743.66
What I didn't detail was the assorted bells and whistles included over 90 items; such as, dies sets for 4 calibers, additional crimping dies, scales, powder measure, pair of calipers, Uniflow small pistol drum, Uniflow micrometer, Hornady quick change bushings, 31 Berry's ammo boxes, etc. and etc.

Only things I've gotten free are three pounds of W-231 powder and a Dillon 450 press.
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Old July 8, 2013, 05:00 PM   #73
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Thank Goodness for this thread! I'm at work but when it gets slow I jump on the internet and start buying more reloading equipment and accessories - was feeling guilty about it but now I realize I ain't the only one spending literally HUNDREDS of dollars for my hobby. Reckon I got all I need for now, but it definitely added up to a lot more than what I originally figured it would cost.
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Old July 8, 2013, 05:48 PM   #74
Silver00LT
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Figures UPS delivers my new equipment 5 minutes before I leave for work.

I'm going have tomorrow morning though. I'll probably have to buy more components soon now since I upgraded from single stage to auto index turret.
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Old July 8, 2013, 06:03 PM   #75
super6
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No,No, Nova, The hollywood single stage has to be purchased, after that you're gonna want the turret and ALL the junk that goes with that, It never ever ends. I speak of my obsession. Just be prepared for yours. LOL.
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