Reloading press for beginners

[Hutchelly@1121]

LEE BREECH LOCK CHALLENGER PRESS KIT

LEE BREECH LOCK CHALLENGER PRESS KIT This kit now includes the Value Quick Trim to prep your cases on the press. This kit replaces the popular 35th Anniversary Kit features the same components as the 50th kit but we have replaced the Safety Prime with the Auto-Prime XR and a set of Auto-Prime...

www.titanreloading.com

Something like this would get you going cheapest just need dies, brass, primers, powder, and bullets.

thank you so much. looks good deal to try and start with.

 

[Hutchelly@1121]

so i found someone selling 400 168gr Sierra Match King HPBTs, 400 Winchester primers, and 2lbs IMR 4166 powder. whats a good price for this plus a lee loader and hammer in .308

 

[42253]

You will love reloading. I started with a Lee Pro 1000 It was a little much in the beginning but I got it. I know it not the press of choice for a lot of people. I really like it. I load 38 and 357 on it. A friend of mine gave me another one and I use it for 9mm again great press for me. Like it was stated earlier in thread There is a lot to watch feel and hear when you reload.

 

[harleymac1]

I am well aware of the bad timing scenario. I waited until now to decide to get in the ,223 reloading game. I am lucky I already have a Dillon XL650 I do 9mm on but I do not have any of the press or prep items to do z.223. I am getting it one piece at a time right now, kinda like Johnny Cash's Cadillac

 

[warren5421]

I started with a Dillon 550B, it is about as good as a single stage to learn. You are not doing one operation, ie deprime/sizing 50 brass, priming 50 brass, belling 50 brass, putting powder in 50 brass, seating 50 bullets, crimping 50 brass. My seating/crimping die I only do one step at a time, seating then go back and crimp.

On the 550 first stage you deprime/size and prime. Rotate case to next stage.
Second stage you'll bell case and drop powder. Rotate case to next stage.
Third stage you seat the bullet. Rotate case to next stage.
Forth stage you crip the round. Rotate case to exit loader.
Insert another case in first stage.
After this every pull of the lever you endup with a loaded round.

To change if you have extra tool heads just remove the tool head leaving the dies in it. You should not have much if any adjusting of dies to load the round next time. I have tool heads for each caliber I load and powder measures for each tool head. Till you get enough of the tool heads and or measures you can use the same one over but then you have to set each die again.

 

[4651feeder]

Hornady LnL Classic Kit

Imagine it'll be sold out again within the next day or so.

 

[bdybdall]

I started on an RCBS Rockchucker 40 yrs ago and glad for it. I've since acquired a Lyman turret press and a Dillon Square Deal. I can't reccommend the Square Deal because it uses proprietary dies. I don't believe the 550, 650, or bigger do. That is the only thing I would do differently is get the 550 or a Hornady LNL. I don't care for Lee but they do make an inexpensive single stage press that is supposed to be quite capable.

 

[sheepdog697]

so i found someone selling 400 168gr Sierra Match King HPBTs, 400 Winchester primers, and 2lbs IMR 4166 powder. whats a good price for this plus a lee loader and hammer in .308

500ish +\- $100. What’s included with the press? Dies?

 

[spencer rifle]

I started out with a Lee Classic Turret. I don't regret that choice in the least, as I think it was the best of both worlds. It has auto-indexing capability, but I don't use that. I run it like a single-stage, with the advantage that you can buy multiple turrets, set your dies up once, and never have to change them again unless you change bullets (and even then, the adjustments are pretty minor). When loading a batch of ammo, you just have to index the turret to go to the next step, rather than having to set up a new die in the press for each operation.

After a couple of years with the LCT, I bought a Hornady LNL progressive, mainly because I was loading so much 9mm that I needed a way to increase my output. That press is dedicated to 9mm now, but I still use the turret press for my other pistol calibers (I ended up getting a single-stage for rifle loading, swaging, and decapping...but that was the 3rd press I bought, and was primarily for convenience, not because I actually needed it). The turret is far simpler to switch between calibers than the progressive, and saves a ton of time if you're only loading a couple of hundred rounds per batch.

This. I did a bunch of research and reading, and skipped the single stage for a Lee Classic Turret (have 3 now). The turret is for rifle rounds, and I've shot quarter-size groups at 100 yards with rounds made on it.

Added a Lee Loadmaster with case and bullet feeder for 9 mm. It takes a lot of looking after and tweaking, though it can crank them out when working properly. Thinking seriously of going blue after this blows over. Too many experienced reloaders love Dillon for me to ignore their opinions.

 

[2A_Tom]

Official Reloading Bench Picture Thread - Now with 100% more Pictures! - AR15.COM

Firearm Discussion and Resources from AR-15, AK-47, Handguns and more! Buy, Sell, and Trade your Firearms and Gear.

www.ar15.com

 

[B40B]

You can always keep an eye on Craigslist, Ebay and Marketplace. You'll see a deal once in a while in those apps.

 

[92FSTech]

Added a Lee Loadmaster with case and bullet feeder for 9 mm. It takes a lot of looking after and tweaking, though it can crank them out when working properly. Thinking seriously of going blue after this blows over. Too many experienced reloaders love Dillon for me to ignore their opinions.

I am actually thinking along the same lines. I have a couple of buddies with Dillons, and have gotten to play with them some. They're great presses. My .45 ACP consumption has gone up markedly in recent years, and I think I'd like to get a 550 to dedicate to that. No point in doing it right now, though...I can't find enough primers to keep my single-stage busy, much less another progressive. At least it gives me time to work out how I'm going to squeeze it in on my bench!

 

[Hutchelly@1121]

Hornady LnL Classic Kit

Imagine it'll be sold out again within the next day or so.

I got very lucky because I must’ve bought the last one. I actually ordered my Hornaday classic lock and load press last night. I have to wait for the dies and the bullet seat but beyond that they actually had the press in inventory

 

[indyblue]

I've made several recent backorders from Brownells and Natchezss. Even though it told me it'd be 2-4 months lead time they have all shipped within a few days to a week or so. The Redding competition dies I backordered (2-3 month lead time) are already on the way to me now.

I must have added my email to more than a dozen suppliers of primers to notify me, almost two weeks now and not a peep.

Many thanks and kudos to several INGOers for selling primers at less than the going ridiculous prices out there.

 

[4651feeder]

Have had a LEE PRO 1000 on backorder from Titan since before Thanksgiving. Apparently they're no longer accepting backorders.....

 

[gmcttr]

Hornady LnL Classic Kit

Imagine it'll be sold out again within the next day or so.

It's back up for the moment...https://www.midsouthshooterssupply....load-classic-single-stage-press-reloading-kit

 

[Hawkeye7br]

You're loading rifle rounds, you're not shooting 10,000 rounds of 9mm. A used single stage press is entirely suitable. I've been using the same single stage that Dad gave me in 1975, and I shoot a lot of competition bottle neck rounds plus 357. I have a Hornady progressive, but I found the time it takes to change the dies, shell plate carrier, etc often is more than if I just knock out a function on the single stage. With depriming, tumbling or washing, waiting for them to dry, etc, I often have several calibers in various stages of reloading.
Besides, if you only have 50-200 cases (Lapua cases often run $1 apiece) I will have half of them loaded and loading only the other half. 30-06 I rarely load more than 40 at a time.
Keep an eye out for yard sales or club members aging out and selling their stuff.

 

[JeepHammer]

I started out with a Lee Classic Turret. I don't regret that choice in the least, as I think it was the best of both worlds. It has auto-indexing capability, but I don't use that. I run it like a single-stage, with the advantage that you can buy multiple turrets, set your dies up once, and never have to change them again unless you change bullets (and even then, the adjustments are pretty minor). When loading a batch of ammo, you just have to index the turret to go to the next step, rather than having to set up a new die in the press for each operation.

After a couple of years with the LCT, I bought a Hornady LNL progressive, mainly because I was loading so much 9mm that I needed a way to increase my output. That press is dedicated to 9mm now, but I still use the turret press for my other pistol calibers (I ended up getting a single-stage for rifle loading, swaging, and decapping...but that was the 3rd press I bought, and was primarily for convenience, not because I actually needed it). The turret is far simpler to switch between calibers than the progressive, and saves a ton of time if you're only loading a couple of hundred rounds per batch.

I recommend the same to beginners.
Reasonable cost and all manual operation allow for learning, while die sets & case prep tools can stay adjusted in tool heads.

If you decide to stick with reloading, and get into larger volumes, the Lee Classic Turret makes a great, quick change partner press for something bigger, more complicated.
Bending cases that didn't want to cooperate, tearing down Quality Control (QC) fails, never leave a 'Mystery Round' on the bench, tear down immedately and recover components.
Easy to do when it's a 5 second tool or caliber change on the Lee Classic Turret.

Also handy for the low volume, only do a few calibers you don't have the bigger press set up for.



If you get into bench rifle/hyper consistency rounds, you can always get a single press for that function opposed to volume.
The Turret is a good way to start out and will remain relevant & useful.

 

[JeepHammer]

I started on an RCBS Rockchucker 40 yrs ago and glad for it. I've since acquired a Lyman turret press and a Dillon Square Deal. I can't reccommend the Square Deal because it uses proprietary dies. I don't believe the 550, 650, or bigger do. That is the only thing I would do differently is get the 550 or a Hornady LNL. I don't care for Lee but they do make an inexpensive single stage press that is supposed to be quite capable.

My grandpa had an old Herters, but you had to buy a new ram/shell holder for every caliber,
So about 45 years ago the first press I bought was a Rock Chucker.

Excellent repeatability with a RC, my biggest peeve was having to swap dies,
So the second was a Lee Classic Turret,
Despite the fact it isn't a Turret press, it's a tool head press (marketing propaganda).

I'm sure it had something to do with the real turret presses being the top end at the time.
My actual, real turret presses weren't as repeatable as the RC, and were slower than the Lee, so they went with people that loved them.
I still have the RC and the Lee, still relevant and still doing a great job in their respective rolls.

 

[4TheResistance]

I recommend starting with the Lee O frame, I believe it's called breachlock classic. It's priced right usually...

Also get a few different books as well. I always recommend at least the Lyman the Lee books.

Casting will save you a bunch of money too. Also it will give you something to do while you wait for primers too come back!