So you want to reload but you don’t know where to begin (??)

[Duke Short]

Newbie Reloaders

This was put together well. I was lucky when I started reloading. I had Pete take me under his wing and was shown old school, he had been doing it his whole life. There is always more to lealrn and ALWAYS go by the book or better yet cross reference books. Do not short cut or guess and preparation is the key. You will always have a few that wont make the cut put them in a coffee can address them later. Look for old manuals at gun shows etc. read them and try and find another Pete. Always look and double check enjoy and be careful.

 

[navy4422]

What would be some good products for the following?

10.Case Trimmer
11.Deburring Tool
12.Primer Pocket Cleaner

I'd don't want to pay an arm and a leg but I dont want something that will fall apart on me either if that helps.

 

[mikescetme]

Thanks ,
great info

 

[Simmy]

Thanks for the info!

 

[DAB-CC]

navy4422:
Not a great deal of experience with reloading or with these products I'm about to mention. I have started and been actively reloading since November 2012. All my experience in with pistol calibers 9, 40, 45 using Dillion RL550B. For 10,11, and 12 I went to Lee precision for all of them.

1. Gage / Holder 9mm, 40 S&W, 45 ACP each $5.98 (90153,90154,90162)
2. Cutter with Ball Grip (90275) $9.98
3. Zip Trim (90899) $25.98
4. 3 Jaw Chuck (90608) $15.98
5. Case conditioning Combo (primer pocket cleaner, debur tool, manual case holder) (90950) $12.98

What I found was that the Zip Trim works well especially if the gages are the correct size. After ~1000 rounds the little knot attaching the handle to the string ran through the hole. I cut the line, melted the tip, and put a fishers knot back on. I would suggest starting off with a bigger knot to begin with before it becomes to tight to untie. You will need a bench top for this trimmer to bolt it down freeing up a hand for pulling and a hand for running the cutter down the case. It makes a decent size mess after a while. Shavings go about 2 feet to the open side so make sure you account for it.

The 3 jaw chuck, mounts to the zip trim, is the best part. Quick loading with a real grip. The holders in #1 that come with the gauge are good for shell plates and that's it. I tried ~20 rounds without the chuck and had bass spinning out of the holder.

Due to the increased torque from spinning the zip trim up I found that the ball grip was a good purchase. Not required for all but as a desk jockey 5 days a week my frail and delicate hands could use the help after 1000 rounds of trimming. Plus I figured I'd try to get the wife to do some case trimming. As you might imagine that hasn't exactly worked out for me.

Gage/Holders. The holders are completely bad if you don't have an extra one. I use them in the kinetic hammer when required. The gages are good but be prepared to customize for your rounds. I chose not to mess with the length measurement. However on my 45 ACP I was forced to taking down the gage diameter slightly to get all my brass to run smoothly over the gage. I still have 5% or more brass that I have to hold one end of the zip trim and rotate the cutter to trim the brass because the pull on the little string is too much.

The combo kit is the final one. I use the primer pocket cleaner and the debur tool. If you find a better cost incentive to buy these separately then I would go that route.

Finally I did little to know shopping around but I found the Lee website to be a one stop shop for all my needs. The electric trimmers look awesome but it is hard to spend $200 for my 10000 rounds a year. Which brings me to another tool that I use. A case length gage.

I found that after de-prime and size that the case length grew between 0.002 and 0.006". That being said I de-prime, size, clean, inspect for damage and inspect for length before trimming the cases. Once I got my gages from Lee I ran 10 cases off the trimmer. Measure them, check the manual to see where that was for each caliber. All three were good enough for me. Based on that I machined out a gage for 380,9,40, and 45 out of an aluminum block. For each caliber this gage is not to the manual but to my case gage cutting length so all my brass is either shorter or at the cut length once I'm done.

This has eliminated many issues with lead bullets.

Hope this helps.

 

[Flyingbrian]

Great Info thanks you for taking the time to post all that information

 

[Jeepers]

I started with a kit from Kempf also and in fact still run it. Works fine for me for the money.

 

[navy4422]

navy4422:
Not a great deal of experience with reloading or with these products I'm about to mention. I have started and been actively reloading since November 2012. All my experience in with pistol calibers 9, 40, 45 using Dillion RL550B. For 10,11, and 12 I went to Lee precision for all of them.

1. Gage / Holder 9mm, 40 S&W, 45 ACP each $5.98 (90153,90154,90162)
2. Cutter with Ball Grip (90275) $9.98
3. Zip Trim (90899) $25.98
4. 3 Jaw Chuck (90608) $15.98
5. Case conditioning Combo (primer pocket cleaner, debur tool, manual case holder) (90950) $12.98

What I found was that the Zip Trim works well especially if the gages are the correct size. After ~1000 rounds the little knot attaching the handle to the string ran through the hole. I cut the line, melted the tip, and put a fishers knot back on. I would suggest starting off with a bigger knot to begin with before it becomes to tight to untie. You will need a bench top for this trimmer to bolt it down freeing up a hand for pulling and a hand for running the cutter down the case. It makes a decent size mess after a while. Shavings go about 2 feet to the open side so make sure you account for it.

The 3 jaw chuck, mounts to the zip trim, is the best part. Quick loading with a real grip. The holders in #1 that come with the gauge are good for shell plates and that's it. I tried ~20 rounds without the chuck and had bass spinning out of the holder.

Due to the increased torque from spinning the zip trim up I found that the ball grip was a good purchase. Not required for all but as a desk jockey 5 days a week my frail and delicate hands could use the help after 1000 rounds of trimming. Plus I figured I'd try to get the wife to do some case trimming. As you might imagine that hasn't exactly worked out for me.

Gage/Holders. The holders are completely bad if you don't have an extra one. I use them in the kinetic hammer when required. The gages are good but be prepared to customize for your rounds. I chose not to mess with the length measurement. However on my 45 ACP I was forced to taking down the gage diameter slightly to get all my brass to run smoothly over the gage. I still have 5% or more brass that I have to hold one end of the zip trim and rotate the cutter to trim the brass because the pull on the little string is too much.

The combo kit is the final one. I use the primer pocket cleaner and the debur tool. If you find a better cost incentive to buy these separately then I would go that route.

Finally I did little to know shopping around but I found the Lee website to be a one stop shop for all my needs. The electric trimmers look awesome but it is hard to spend $200 for my 10000 rounds a year. Which brings me to another tool that I use. A case length gage.

I found that after de-prime and size that the case length grew between 0.002 and 0.006". That being said I de-prime, size, clean, inspect for damage and inspect for length before trimming the cases. Once I got my gages from Lee I ran 10 cases off the trimmer. Measure them, check the manual to see where that was for each caliber. All three were good enough for me. Based on that I machined out a gage for 380,9,40, and 45 out of an aluminum block. For each caliber this gage is not to the manual but to my case gage cutting length so all my brass is either shorter or at the cut length once I'm done.

This has eliminated many issues with lead bullets.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the help, I actually ended up getting a redding trimmer off of ebay, and a Lyman case tool/deburrer

Also 50

 

[Jhumpal]

Thanks for the info - I have been trying to figure out were to start with reloading.

 

[gemihur]

Basic Reloading setup outlined

Linkpimp,
We owe you a debt of gratitude. Thank you for that compilation.
I couldn't have been more all encompassing than that!
Thanks,
Jimmy

 

[ajenglert]

I like my Lee 4 hole turret press. It works great.

 

[Curtis]

I really like the posts here. However I am not sure if I want to get into reloading. Given the current prices for ammo it sure is getting tempting. How do you decide if it is economical or not? Any suggestions? Is it price per bullet or how often you shoot? Not quite sure how to work it out. Any suggestions appreciated

 

[DAB-CC]

Curtis,
I look at the whole thing from cost/round. Reloading isn't going to be cheaper it is going to get you to the range more often so you can shoot more rounds. My wife and I are able to go every two weeks to a range for a 100 rounds out of each gun.

Consider you starting cost as bench, machine, dies, bulk components (powder, bullets, brass, primers), training, mistakes, time.

Your job is to get the first functional round off the press in the cheapest way possible.

Bench, machine, dies: Find a friend willing to let you use his press to reload with some help so you don't end up buying his/her new dies sets. Also if you live in Indianapolis I know Profire Arms and Supply Welcome to Profire Arms and Supply - Indianapolis, Indiana's ONLY Full Line Reloading Supply Shop !! have benches downstairs and they offer classes.

Buying components in bulk is the way to go. It is an investment and a household decision. There are groups on this forum that do group buys to help reduce the investment cost but get you a cheaper cost / round price.

Time: Time is the killer. If you have someone at home that is going to get their panties in a wade because you are at the bench all the time then please don't go buying bulk, the best machine, and then be forced to give it all away on this forum later down the road. Set goals and expectations. Single stage, (once you get up and running) will take ~ 50 - 100 / hour. Multi stage will get you more / hour. The ratings on the machines won't mean anything at first. The main thing to take about time is that it will take you hours of setup time if you start it all at home. Then a continual draw of hours to make the rounds.

Storage of all this new found property is also addressed in this forum. Something to consider when you are setting up your bench and supply area.

 

[jmb1031]

Maybe I missed it, but exactly how much space should I have available for all of this? Would having a reloading room in an outdoor shed be ok or would it be exposed to too much moisture?

 

[whippo]

Amazing post thanks a ton!

 

[sdunsworth]

Great starting point for a newb. Thanks for the info!

 

[sdunsworth]

Just ran through my cost numbers
Lead bullets from Standard Bullet Company 9mm 115 GR RN - $0.058
primers between $30 and $35 / 1000 = $0.035
powder $125 / 8 lbs = $0.0128
Case free


$0.1058 / 9mm round

Another way to look at it:
bullets purchased as bulk 500 and 1000 $58 / 1000
primers $35 / 1000
Powder 1lb = $17 - 1200 - 1400 rounds

$110 / 1000 9 mm rounds.

That's what I've been thinking about. ~$.10 / Rd for 9mm + my time. On a progressive press, I could (eventually) crank out a couple hundred per hour (I hope), so maybe I start with my 45 since those are more expensive per round to purchase. In the meantime, save my brass to be ready.... Also, looking at the Lee progressive models. Reloading, or a new gun ... hmmm ...

 

[SNAGGLE TOOTH]

Wow! Thank you! Very comprehensive. I guess smart Money would start with a simple reloader like a Dillon Square Deal then an grow from there?

 

[SNAGGLE TOOTH]

I appreciate your comments about the investment in time and the link to Profire. I think I need to see someone else doing this in real like ans not just on YouTube

 

[seamonster]

extremely good information for someone like myself thinking of reloading....thanks for posting