Reloading necessities

[MeltonLaw]

Ladies and Gentlemen I have decided to dive into the world of reloading this fall. Finally tired of being unable to shoot due to the pangs why wallet feels when I shoot a few hundred rounds off in a day. I will be reloading 9mm, 40 S&W, 45 auto, 38, 357, 223, and 308.
In order to do this I need to pick the fine folks of Ingo's brains in order to compile a list of necessities.
First I am going to go with a turret press, I'm thinking one of the Lyman 6 stage turrets.
Now is where I get fuzzy. I know I will need: A powder dispensing unit; priming apparatus unless it can be done with the press; scale; case trimmer; bullet puller; and ???.
As far as dies go my father generously gave me carbide dies in 9,45, 38/357, and 223. Thus I just need to get 40 and 308.
As far as components go I have been collecting my brass as well as my shooting buddies brass for the past 6 months. That and I have about 700 already primed 308 cases due to an unfortunate event that is another story altogether. I also have several thousand 9, 45, and 223 bullets, again generously donated by my father.
So I guess I need to know which primers I need to acquire and possibly where I could find them in the current climate. As well as what type of powder is the correct type for the different loads that I am attempting.
Just looking to make a "shopping" list so as to have a guide when purchasing. Thank you in advance.

 

[jtmarine1911]

STUCK CASE REMOVER!!! Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it!!

What do you need, what do you need? There is a bazillion things that you could get but only a few that you need.

My first question is how are you set on manuals? I always recommend several! Different manuals use different powder/bullet combos, certain manufacturers give wonderful data for their own bullets/powders. Several are a good idea if you are unsure where to start and you can fall back on these to compare where the manufacturers started.

I noticed you said that you were looking at a turret press, which is all good but I still stand by the belief that it is best to start out on a single stage press, preferably an O-frame. It is not such a big deal with pistol cartridges but turret presses that are C-frame or I-frame they tend to deflect. Like I said, this isn't such a big deal most of the time with pistol cartridges but if you are going to load rifle cartridges especially for accuracy the the deflection can cause issues with consistency.

If you are going to be shooting a lot I recommend after you get up and running and feel comfortable with it upgrade to a Dillion system. You look like you already have a good start with what you have and I can't stress that purchasing good second-hand equipment will save you alot of money.

There are several threads here on INGO that cover this topic well and I have yet to see any bad info. Hopefully someone will shortly supply you with links to some of these, I would but running short on time.

All I have time for now is to say Welcome to the Art of handloading and Good Luck and Good Shooting!

 

[rookie0014]

i second the single stage press it will do what you want till you decide to upgrade or just need to do more ammo faster. I started on a rock chucker and went to a lyman turret. truth be told i still use the single stage more than the turret. you will probaly want a tumbler to clean your brass. books ,books and more books some have loads that others do not. what i did when i got in to it was got a book first looked at what i was going to load then made my list of what powder i needed to get. Some will say that primer does not matter as long as it is the right style ex. small pistol for small pistol not small magnum pistol if it calls for small pistol same with rifle. I use what the book calls for most of the time have used dif brands from time to time with no ill effects. so for how it is now i would say if you find cci use them if you find fed use them it may be what is around when you go you may not get to make much choice. depending on what dies you have i would say get some extra decapping pins for them if you brake one you are done if you do not have anymore. There is no fun in setting down to reload and braking a pin shortly after you starte and then being done for the day till you get a new pin. you said a powder disp. that is great but get a scale to check it when set it up to see what it is throwing out. your rifle brass will need to be lubed when you size them so you will need a lube pad or need to spray them with lube. this is the last thing i will add is dont forget you will need a way to measure your finished round to make sure it is not to short or to long get a dial or elect caliper. there are other things i'm sure i am missing but it is 3 in the morn and i just got off a 12 hour shift so i will let other add them but get a book first and then make your list. Hope this helps.

 

[briand212]

Tumbler with media
dial calipers
Cartridge guages 1 for each caliper
scale
case trimmer
case lube
loading block
a good bench
reloading manuals
military crimp remover ( depends on the brass you have)
Kinetic bullet puller ( yep you will screw up and you will need this )
press
powder measure/dispenser
priming tool
some place to store all your stuff, I use a bunch of the rubmaid containers that are a little bigger than a shoe box.. holds tons crap

ok guys what did I miss

you could always buy a Lee starter kit. it comes with a lot of stuff you can do rifle and pistol, but you will still need to get a few items.

MidwayUSA - Lee Challenger Breech Lock Single Stage Press Kit

 

[kludge]

A turret press is a good choice, but I still have (and use) my first Lee Challenger single stage. The Lyman turret is a good press but I prefer the Lee only because I can change/setup quickly. The Lee kit is a great way to get started. Make sure you get the one with shell holders.

Primers:

9mm = SPP
40S&W = SPP
45ACP = LPP
.38 SPL = SPP
.357 Mag = SPP (most data does NOT use magnum primers - check first)
.223 Rem = SRP
.308 Win = LRP

In place of a bench, you can mount the press to a block of wood C-clamped to the kitchen table.

Must haves:
manual, press, dies, primers, powder, powder measure, priming tool, shell holders, scale, calipers, resizing lube (for .223 and .308, straight wall pistol cases don't need lube IF you have carbide dies), case trimmer for the rifles (I use a Lee case trimmer chucked in a drill press with the appropriate gauge), chamfering tool, loading blocks (you can make or buy these, but I used the plastic inserts from ammo boxes when I started)

First additions:
Tumbler, chronograph, bullet puller, bench

If I had to do it again, I would have gotten chronograph a lot sooner. For range blasting pistol ammo it's not a requirement, but if you want to develop a rifle load it's hard to do just using data from a manual.

 

[jtmarine1911]

SNIP
If I had to do it again, I would have gotten chronograph a lot sooner. For range blasting pistol ammo it's not a requirement, but if you want to develop a rifle load it's hard to do just using data from a manual.

+1 on the chronograph! Especially if you are going to shoot the rifles for accuracy. With my rifles I work up the most accurate load combo and then chrony it so I can plot a ballistic chart for it. Some people load to achieve a certain velocity, which in some firearm/caliber combos velocity and accuracy go hand in hand.

A chrony is also good for pistols(if you can keep your buddies from shooting it) if you plan to work up an indoor range load, some ranges limit velocity on certain handguns.

 

[samrothstein01]

Below are a couple of great links to this topic. There are many more you can search for on the forum, but this should get you started with some additional info!

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/ammunition_and_reloading/26135-reloading_essentials_imho.html

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/ammunition_and_reloading/27213-need_help_on_what_i_need_to_reload.html

 

[BE Mike]

When you get your reloading manual, it will specify what primers and powder you will need for each cartridge you want to load. All primer brands are good and different brands can be readily substituted. Rifle and pistol primers are usually further divided into groups of magnum and standard. There are also benchrest primers which are supposed to be more accurate. Just follow the reloading manual, the Lyman #49 is good, regarding whether or not you need magnum or standard primers (brand doesn't matter) with a specific recipe. To confuse the issue, some primers, like Winchester Large Pistol Primers, can be used with standard or magnum loads.

 

[IndyGunworks]

come to one of my FREE reloading classes!

 

[El Cazador]

The one thing that's really important in handloading is attention to detail, so a complete and "verbose" log of your activities is a very important item in the list. Anything that makes you think "hmm" while you're working at the bench (pertaining to reloading...or not) ought to go into your log. A good assortment of manuals, a set of measuring tools for keeping track of your brass and round wear and measurements- including a chronograph at some time- is invaluable.

 

[kludge]

Good call!

and a roll of labels to put on your ammo boxes.