Newbie reloader

[Lougotzz]

I have been shooting for over 20 years but with ammo going through the roof I want to start to reload. I have a lot of brass saved up for this day. The calibers that I will reload is 45 acp, 223 rem, 308 win(no brass as of now) 30 06 Greek brass from cmp and some LC and 9mm if the prices keep going up.

I was looking at the dillion 550. I want to start in single stage first. can I buy that press and run it single stage until I get comfortable with progressive? My ultimate goal is progressive. Or can I run 1 round through the process in progressive?

Does the dillion 550 do 223 rem as well as 308 and 30 06?

Can you guys recommend a place to get the stuff local or on the net. I need to buy it piece meal to spread out the cost.

What book is simple to read so I can learn the basics?

[rwilson452]

I won't comment on the 550 press I will leave that to the blue mafia. I'm a Red guy. Just to let you know If the blue press is like the rest you can save some money on shell holders as the .45ACP, .308 and 30-06 use the same one. I would suggest you separate out the Greek from the LC brass as they will have different volumes. For accuracy they will use different amounts of powder to obtain the same velocity/ pressure. If your loading 30-06 for a Garand. you don't want to be loading hot rounds you can bend the op rod. that would be bad ju-ju. I would say the book to get to get the basics of reloading would be "The ABC's of Reloading". You will still need a data book or two or three. If your really short on money I would take another look at the Lee Classic Turret press. I also suggest the Lee 4 die set for pistols. I take that back your going blue. I guess your stuck with the 3 die set.

Originally Posted by Lougotzz

I have been shooting for over 20 years but with ammo going through the roof I want to start to reload. I have a lot of brass saved up for this day. The calibers that I will reload is 45 acp, 223 rem, 308 win(no brass as of now) 30 06 Greek brass from cmp and some LC and 9mm if the prices keep going up.

I was looking at the dillion 550. I want to start in single stage first. can I buy that press and run it single stage until I get comfortable with progressive? My ultimate goal is progressive. Or can I run 1 round through the process in progressive?

Does the dillion 550 do 223 rem as well as 308 and 30 06?

Can you guys recommend a place to get the stuff local or on the net. I need to buy it piece meal to spread out the cost.

What book is simple to read so I can learn the basics?

[bert304]

I would not suggest starting with a Dillion press they are expensive unlees you are really sure. One book is the Lee Guide to Modern Reloading or the ABC's of reloading. I am a red man also, Lee equipment is good and is less expensive. Hornady has a great promo right now if you buy their equipment they send you free bullets. Check Hornady's web site.

[daschnoz]

Midway USA often has RCBS or LEE reloading kits on sale. A press, scale, case trimmer, priming tool, and book. They are nice because they include everything you never knew you needed to reload. They also save you a few $$ over buying 1 piece at a time.

For bulk loading, progressive presses are nice. I have a Lee Pro 1000 that I run my 9mm out of. For my rifle needs, I use my single stage from start to finish.

I think you should start with a single stage press. Since you are new to reloading, a single stage press limits you to one operation at a time; limiting you to one place of screw-up at a time. This should help to keep errors to a minimum, or at least allow you to catch an error on some number of rounds before they get to the next stage. Once you get your single stage reloading process down to an error free science, move up to a progressive press.

Get a single stage press that has a closed frame. The RCBS Partner Press, RCBS Rock Chucker, Redding Big Boss, Lee Challenger, Lee Classic, etc. all have a closed frame ("O" frame). They can handle more stresses than an open frame ("C" frame) design.

[Flash3x]

I, like the others in this thread, am a RED kinda guy. I cannot complain about the products that I have gotten from LEE. I am not going to tell you to buy a LEE press but let me say that there is nothing wrong with them. My Uncle just picked up a Hornady Lock'n'Load and it also seems to be a very nice press, and with the free bullet offer, the price comes down to around Loadmaster prices.

The Dillion fans will no doubt chime in very soon and tell you that every other press made is junk. This is normal. Do not believe them. If you want a Dillion then by all means, buy a Dillion. They are very nice presses and they have a reputation of quality for a reason, but there are other presses made that will do the same job for less money. Just wanted to put that information out there.

I purchased a LEE Loadmaster not too long ago because, like you, I wanted to be able to shoot without spending 2 weeks pay for an afternoon of shooting. I used to reload back when I was a teenager with my dad's RCBS Jr's. I was very good at it and rarely made a mistake. If I did screw up I usually caught it quick. When I started loading again on the Loadmaster I found it very easy to screw something up because of all the operations happening on each stroke. I do not know about the Dillion but you can load "single stage" on the Loadmaster if you want to, I do sometimes. I am guessing you could on the Dillion as well but I cannot say for sure. Can't see why you couldnt.

If you know you are going to be reloading for a long time and want a progressive then I see no reason not to get a progressive as long as you learn how to use it properly. If you want to try to reload but are not sure if its something you will continue to do then it might be a good idea to get one of the starter kits mentioned to try it out. You can get them for around $100 if you look close. You can always sell it later when your ready to step up to a progressive or step out of reloading all together. Besides, its always handy to have a single stage press around for small runs of new test loads or odd jobs like swaging military brass.

Regradless of the press you get, just take your time and learn how the machine operates. Get a "feel" for it and once you master the operations, you can load ammo till it piles up to your ears!

[Lougotzz]

Is there a press that I can buy single stage but later add onto it and make it progressive. I dont want to rebuy anything. That is why I thought of getting the dillon and and use it 1 stage at a time. Then when I get use to it move to progressive.

My ultime goal is to pump out ammo at a fast rate. I am not looking to do that right now. I want to be safe and learn the right way.

How do you find out the depth of your chamber and decide what length you should make your round?

Do these load books tell you loads for the M1 Garand as well as M1A?

What about military primers to prevent slam fires?

[bert304]

Yes the Lee Pro 1000 can be used as a single or the Lee Turret presscan be a single stage or semi progressive. I load 45 acp on the Pro 1000 and .223 on a Lee turret. For the Pro1000 just only put 1 case in untill it comes out the other side.

[lethal93ta]

Im new to reloading to but I decided to buy a hornady LNL AP Im more than happy with it so far. right now I just put one round in there at a time so I can keep an eye on whats going on every pull. Im not ready to do 5 at a time yet, but in time I have a press that will do it.

[Dave in PA]

I have a Dillon 550B, but I bought it after using an RCBS Special 3 single stage for about 15 years. I load 9mm, 45ACP, and 223 on the Dillon. I load 30-06, 30-30, 30 carbine and process crimped primer pockets on the single stage. Don't get too hung up on brands, most will do what you want it to do..... if possible, try to check out the ones you are looking at in person.

[Karys]

I started on a Dillon 550B too and I have no complaints. If you want to start off slower and at a lower cost you can buy a Dillon AT 500 and convert it to a 550B later. Dillon has an awesome customer service department and you can call them anytime if you have questions or issues. They helped me a lot when I started and I'm sure the customer service reps were sick of hearing my voice but they were always patient and helpful. Dillon also has a lifetime warranty. If anything breaks, they'll replace it without charge. The 550 is the only press I've ever used and I have no experience with any other brand.

I've only loaded pistol ammo on it so far, so I can't comment on .223, .308 or .30-06.

I buy powder and primers locally from whoever has the best prices. It's too expensive to order them online because of the hazmat shipping fees. All my brass is from factory ammo that I shot or acquired by trading once fired brass with friends.

I really like the Rainier plated FMJ pistol bullets. I order those online from Midway USA. I went with the Rainiers because I mostly shoot Glocks and I can't use lead bullets and the Rainiers are less expensive than the typical FMJ's. It's cheaper to buy bullets in bulk. I usually buy anywhere from 2000 to 5000 at a time.

I would highly recommend the Lyman reloading manual. There's a basic reloading section in the front and I read that section several times until I was sure I understood what I was doing. It really helped me when I started since I had to pretty much teach myself how to reload. I also use the Lyman and Speer manuals. Now that I think of it, I should replace my Lyman and Speer manuals before I start reloading a new caliber. My Lyman is close to 20 years old and my Speer manual is close to 10.

This is a good place for info on reloading too. There's lots of guys with much more reloading experience than me and I've learned a lot just by reading the responses to other peoples questions.