Press Recomendations / Manual Loan Request

[mlmmitchell07]

You might want to check out Bullseye Shooters Supply in Lake Elmo. they have the presses set up and if I remember correctly they provide classes on reloading. I could be wrong but I think the classes might be free. I know I am thinking about taking the class just to get an idea for the future. I am sure you could call them and get more information.

[Shipyard]

wow - a manual AND press for under $35? that is AWESOME! thanks so much for the tips you guys - you just saved me a TON of money!

i love this place

[Stradawhovious]

Yep, and when you make the jump to progressive (and if you are cranking out blasting ammo for pistols, you WILL make the jump to progressive............ Probably...........) You will want to have a single stage press for small batch runs and other assorted tasks. I'm still kicking myself for getting rid of mine.

[mnglocker]

Yep, and when you make the jump to progressive (and if you are cranking out blasting ammo for pistols, you WILL make the jump to progressive............ Probably...........) You will want to have a single stage press for small batch runs and other assorted tasks. I'm still kicking myself for getting rid of mine.

I think I'm going to buy that combo deal that was posted just to have a 2nd single stage for dedicated decapping/sizing.lubing/ect... Can't go wrong plus I get a very good book to boot.

[Pat Cannon]

Last spring when I got started, I got a kit from Midway and I'm very happy, but I went with the Lee 4 Hole Turret Press Deluxe Kit. It's $109.99. Plus dies at Gunstop for $35.

The only other things that I've added so far to it is books and a digital caliper.

Maybe you saw this thread about getting started.

If you're still looking to borrow manuals, I've got the Lyman 49th Edition, which was the one most recommended to me, Lee's Modern Reloading, and "The Complete Reloading Manual for the .38 Special", which is a small spiral-bound collection of load data copied from the various manufacturers' manuals. It's not really complete and not really a manual, but it was six bucks at Cabela's. I also have The ABC's of Reloading, the other highly recommended book.

[Shipyard]

yeah - i've read a lot of the background stuff - just had some more specific questions about how to get into this whole thing right. i do enough shooting that the return on investment is well under a year for even the fanciest of set ups.

Strad and Sam - i like that you point out that a single stage is a decent thing to have on hand even if i upgrade to a progressive. i think that was my major sticfking point. i KNOW that i want to go progressive in the long run and i'm the kind of person who has no issue buying the biggest and badest out the gate so i don't have to upgrade later. Thanks for saving me some headaches and probably some blown up fingers

i'm going to order that manual/press deal and sit in with some of the nicer folks around here to get my feet wet. thanks everyone for enabling yet another dimension of the wonderful gun addiction!

[Stradawhovious]

i'm going to order that manual/press deal and sit in with some of the nicer folks around here to get my feet wet.

In the mean time, I have the Speer, Sierra, Lyman and Nosler manuals, as well a all of the PDFs from the powder manufacturers if you would like to read them. Just say the word.

[Joe Camo]

Last spring when I got started, I got a kit from Midway and I'm very happy, but I went with the Lee 4 Hole Turret Press Deluxe Kit. It's $109.99. Plus dies at Gunstop for $35.

As I contemplate getting deeper into reloading myself, I've been looking at the above kit also ... along with these Lee single stage kits with quick-change dies:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=121744

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=423081

These two look nearly identical, except for the priming tools, one includes a manual/hand primer whereas the other uses what looks like press-mounted priming tools. Not sure which priming method is "better" at this point.

Any feedback or reviews folks that have used these press kits and/or the priming tools? Also, how accurate is the Lee scale and how consistent is the Lee powder measure? (sorry if I'm hijacking the thread)

JC

[DeanC]

one includes a manual/hand primer whereas the other uses what looks like press-mounted priming tools. Not sure which priming method is "better" at this point.

Seismic Sam and I use the hand tool.

I like the better feel you get from the hand tool. And stacking 50-100 primers on top of each other gives me the willies. The hand tool also liberates you from the press. You can prime anywhere.

[ex-LT]

Yep, and when you make the jump to progressive (and if you are cranking out blasting ammo for pistols, you WILL make the jump to progressive............ Probably...........) You will want to have a single stage press for small batch runs and other assorted tasks. I'm still kicking myself for getting rid of mine.

I think I'm going to buy that combo deal that was posted just to have a 2nd single stage for dedicated decapping/sizing.lubing/ect... Can't go wrong plus I get a very good book to boot.

If you're talking about the one I linked, be aware that Widener's is currently out of stock, and IIRC, they don't allow back orders. However, you can get the same kit from Midway for $31.99, and they have it in stock.

Here's the link

[Pat Cannon]

As I contemplate getting deeper into reloading myself, I've been looking at the above kit also ... along with these Lee single stage kits with quick-change dies...

These two look nearly identical, except for the priming tools, one includes a manual/hand primer whereas the other uses what looks like press-mounted priming tools. Not sure which priming method is "better" at this point.

My turret press has what Lee calls their "Lever Prime System". You pick up a primer, stick it into the end of a little lever. The lever swings into a groove in the ram when you raise the lever (lower the ram) and the primer gets pushed into place as you finish the up-stroke of the lever. I think the single stage presses have the same system. There are primer feeders you can add, but this is working just dandy for me so far. You can feel the resistance vary among cases, and my primer seating seems to be consistent, so don't listen to those hand-priming snobs.

Also, how accurate is the Lee scale and how consistent is the Lee powder measure?

The Lee Safety scale claims to be accurate to 1/20th of a grain. I don't get how you can read its vernier better than 1/10th grain, maybe it's a matter of "hmm, the beam's a little high, let's call that a 20th", anyway it seems accurate enough to me. Supposedly the nature of its design is, if it's not broken it's accurate. It's not speedy but it works. I'm even more satisfied with it after readings Seismic Sam's rant about electronic scales.

The Auto Disk powder measure is consistent for me within a half a grain or so -- depending on the powder. It measures, usually, light compared to their chart, so you need to weigh a few charges to see what it's really dispensing; I find I often go up to the next bigger aperture than the one in the chart. It's consistent as long as it doesn't stick, a problem I had the first time I used a fine grain ball powder. It doesn't stick now that I've learned to lube it with graphite.

[Seismic Sam]

One other thing - as far as progressive presses are concerned, there is really only one choice, and that is Dillon. yes, the Lee 4 station can be set up to be progressive, but it just doesn't compare to a system that was built from the ground up to be a progressive, and the people at Dillon are very nice, ANd publish really HAWT calendars!!

As far as priming, I got the Lee autoprimer when it first came out (nearly 30 years ago) and have never looked back. Screwing around with primer tubes just so you can prime your brass in a progressive system is a PITA, and it takes LONGER to fill up the primer tube that it does to just prime 50 cases with the Lee Autoprime.

The Lee single station press is very useful, so you can hang onto it. If I had a choice of a 4 station turret or a 6 station turret I would go 6, because you can go with at least two claibers without farting around.

Lastly, don't assume that you will wind up getting a progressive and talk yourself into it without REALLY looking at how much you shoot. I've been reloading for 38 years, and I will never get a progressive, and I can afford any press I want. It's just that I load so many exotic calibers, and generally the big, azz-kicking ones that I have no need for a progressive. I mean really, how many hundred 500 S&W loads do you want to load up at once?? If I really want to, I can go through 100 rounds of 500 Smith ammo in a single trip to the range, but there are damn few people that can pull that trick off. Same for 50 Action Express. Same for 440 Corbon Magnum. Same for 45 Super.

So, get the single station press and the book, and load up a couple of thousand rounds before you make any more decisions about where you think you want to go.

[Shipyard]

excellent advice. I've got the book and single stage on order. Came to just over $40 from Midway after the shipping thief had his way. i'll be back with a ton more questions i'm sure!!

[Pat Cannon]

I've been reloading for 38 years, and I will never get a progressive, and I can afford any press I want.

This just means you don't shoot enough! According to my math, you could make IDPA power factor with a 300 grain .50GI bullet going 550 fps. That would be fun.

Seriously, you make a good point about progressives. I shoot the monthly steel shoots and weekly IDPA in the summer, so in the ballpark of two thousand or maybe three thousand rounds a year, and assembling ammo on my turret press has yet to become a tedious chore. And it's really not significantly faster than with a single stage, it just eliminates some of the moving stuff around. If I win the lottery so I can afford to start shooting IPSC and Cowboy Action and 3-gun and such, a zillion rounds a year, sure I'll drink the blue Kool-Aid, but I get by fine for now on the delicious red Kool-Aid.

[MNBud]

This has been great reading and I wanted to offer something that I discovered a few years back. The metal handle on my Lee hand primer broke at the pivot point after many years of service and I called Lee and they sent me a new one, and I honestly don't remember if they charged me or not but I needed to do some reloading in the mean time so I went to Cabellas and purchased a RCBS universal hand priming tool. The Lee has been collecting dust ever since.The ergonomics of the handle is far superior to that of the Lee and I believe the distance from the pivot point is farther and you get a great feel of each primer as it is being loaded. I'm sure this isn't going to sway the mind of any of the older die hard Lee users, but if there is anyone that is willing to give the RCBS a chance I'm sure you will be as convinced as I am.