Newby reloading 'kit' for various calibers.

[Mntrucker]

Hi. Long time lurker, finally decided to post here and thanks in advance for any/all advice.
Now that the cost and scarcity of ammunition has gone up so much, I've decided to try my hand at reloading.
Are there such things as an 'all in one kit' that I can/should buy that would make economic (bang for the buck) 'cents' (see what I did?) =) here?
Is there any particular manufacturer that stands above the rest or are all things reloading created just about equal?
I'm reasonably mechanically inclined but hate wasting my time.
The calibers I use mostly are 9mm, .38/.357, .45 ACP and of course my trusty .223.
My budget to start would be in the ballpark of $600.

Cheers.

[Jack's My dog]

I would recommend starting by getting the ABC's of reloading, and reading that to get a start. It seems like most manufacturers will have kits that are made up of different equipment. Lymann, Redding, Hornady, RCBS, Dillon, Lee all have their fans and plus and minuses. RCBS and Hornady seem to always have rebates that help with the purchase or gets you free bullets.

If I was going to do it all over again, I would make sure I bought a kit with a decent beam scale. In my experience the cheap hornady scale that my kit came with was a bit glitchy, and less than confidence inspiring. For the majority of kits you will still need to get dies, and check to see if you have the correct shell holders.

Youtube has piles of reviews and set up videos for presses. The reviews for Midway, Cabela's, etc. can also be helpful. What ever you decide I would recommend taking it slow, and verifying any information you receive on the internet...including this post .

[Pat Cannon]

Yes there are.

Like anybody talking about anything, I want to think I was smart with my choice, so I think you should do what I did, so I say: the best deal is the Lee turret press kit. I've been happily cranking out cheap .38 and .357 ammo for four years now. The confusingly newer Classic Turret, from what I hear, is better than the Deluxe Turret I bought.

This is what I bought: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/622290 ... -value-kit
I soon added a caliper (you'll want one right away for any semiauto ammo), and a little later, a bullet puller (You won't need one of these if you are perfect).

If I was buying one today I'd spend the additional bucks and get the Classic model: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/785993 ... deluxe-kit

[JJ]

Because it looks like you are going to be doing plenty of pistol ammo, so progressive or turret should be top of your list.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/626633 ... deluxe-kit

First thing is to beg/borrow/rent/steal a manual to start learning. If you are around Anoka/ER/Princeton you are welcome to borrow one of mine. OldmanFCSA here on the forum has been generous in volunteering time to teach folks the ropes to help them figure out what they need.

[LarryFlew]

Plus another on getting at least one manual first, maybe even 2 or 3. Get all the info you can b4 deciding which way to go.

[MXGreg]

Does your $600 budget also include buying powder, primers, and projectiles?

[Mntrucker]

Hi. Thanks for the replies.

No, the budget doesn't include powders & whatnot. Figure those are extras.

[shooter115]

Get ahold of OldmanFCSA here on the board. He does reloading lessons and will give you the opportunity to check out different press types before you plunk down the cash.

Question is how much do you realistically shoot. If you shoot several thousand rounds per year I would say jump to good basic progressive like the Dillon 550. The faster you can reload the more you'll shoot, the more you shoot the quicker you can justify the initial cost of getting into reloading. If the RL550B puts you over budget I would suggest getting the BL550 which is the stripped down version of the same press. Then you can just add the auto prime and powder measure as you wish.

Seriously though I would get the ABC's of reloading and read cover to cover as a first step. Second would be to get ahold of Oldman.

[crbutler]

+1 for getting involved with someone who knows what they are doing first.

Lots of stuff is really useful that is not in a beginning kit. Some of the stuff in a beginning kit is useless.

Read the lyman or lee book first, then find someone who loads, offer to come over with components, and learn what they do. I don't know oldman, but he's gotten good reviews around here from many folks. It also sounds like he's got a variety of equipment, which is something you might want to see. You can probably find someone close to where you live too, albeit not as varied.

Loading the .223 will be quite different than the straight wall pistol stuff.

Also, cast bullets require different techniques than jacketed, so you need to learn that as well if you are going for cheap vs. high performance. (not that cast lead can't be really accurate, but it can't be pushed as fast without "issues") When you get in with your mentor, this should be a discussion.

Good luck. Have fun. Reloading isn't rocket science, but it does require a modicum of attention to detail.

[Beretta96CT]

Go see the OldmanFCSA - he has all kinds of equipment to use.

He recently showed me a Redding T-7 turret press with a Dillon case activated powder measure on it.
He used cases that were SS Pin tumbled cleaned after sizing and de-priming.
He was priming with a handheld Lee tool, put in press, added powder on one station, rotated turret to next station where he inserted bullet , then rotated turret again to crimp, then back to start to do another case.

He said the older versions of Dillon powder dump worked best, but a newer version would work with a minor revision. Case activated powder dump worked well with a weight instead of a control rod as used on his Dillon 550's.

[Erud]

Go see the OldmanFCSA - he has all kinds of equipment to use.

He recently showed me a Redding T-7 turret press with a Dillon case activated powder measure on it.
He used cases that were SS Pin tumbled cleaned after sizing and de-priming.
He was priming with a handheld Lee tool, put in press, added powder on one station, rotated turret to next station where he inserted bullet , then rotated turret again to crimp, then back to start to do another case.

He said the older versions of Dillon powder dump worked best, but a newer version would work with a minor revision. Case activated powder dump worked well with a weight instead of a control rod as used on his Dillon 550's.

What, did "he" get banned again or something?