I want to start reloading

[wakefield724]

My father in law and I both enjoy shooting. We are looking into getting a reloading station but do not know the first part of it. I shoot a Ar15 and various other weapons. How much would it cost to start up a reloading station for just a 223 and how much more would it cost if we wanted to do .40 s&w. what do we all need????

[rwilson452]

My father in law and I both enjoy shooting. We are looking into getting a reloading station but do not know the first part of it. I shoot a Ar15 and various other weapons. How much would it cost to start up a reloading station for just a 223 and how much more would it cost if we wanted to do .40 s&w. what do we all need????

If your shooting a lot of AR15 you might consider a progressive press. to add another chambering it takes another set of dies and shell holder. for the .223 you need a case trimmer too. Lee makes a cheap trimmer that is about fool proof.

Your first purchase should be a reloading manual. There are many but for a first one I would suggest the Sierra manual. Get a manual and read it before you buy anything else. it will help you decide if you want to reload and what you want to get. Many years ago when I started with a low cost setup I calculated it would take 2000 rounds to amortize my investment. in todays world I have no idea. you will find your going to need several different powders. If you decide to reload with some testing you can vastly improve your firearms accuracy. With my 22-250 varmint rifle I went from around a 3 M.O.A. group. to less than .5 M.O.A

[Twoboxer]

This thread - "Everything You Wanted to Know About Reloading But Was Afraid to Ask" - may also help.

Check the major press manufacturers for videos and/or tutorials . . . Lee, Lyman, RCBS, Hornady, Dillon.

The ABCs of Reloading can be read HERE.

[hornady]

As said above there are plenty of resources for the new reloader. Forums, Goggle, and you tube. Reloading is not that difficult, however it’s not for everyone. You could also post at the bottom of the home page in the Mercer County area, you may find someone in your area willing to walk you through the steps.

One thing to remember most of use Dinosaurs that started reloading 45 plus years ago had none of the resources available to you today. And those that paid attention to the details in the one or two manuals we were able to scrounge up, Never blew a gun up, and still have all our fingers.

Good luck with your new hobby. Equipment and components are still spotty but out there if you look hard enough.

[wanneroo]

When I first developed an interest in reloading, I did do some reading on forums and in the available media out there, but what helped me along was Youtube. Every night I'd watch a youtube video or 2. For example if you do a search for .223 reloading you'll find tons of videos. You'll get to see the process first hand and see what other people do and what equipment they use.

I don't think you can go wrong with a good single stage press to start with. Some will recommend a progressive press but that is a costly start up. Start simple and cheaper, learn what you are doing, determine how much you will actually reload and whether you even like it or not. Once you figure out what you are doing and determine the quantities you need to crank out, if you want to expand to a large progressive press you can do that.

In terms of cost, if you are on a budget, Lee is the answer. If you want to spend more, you can go Hornady or RCBS. For the most part Lee works just fine and gets the job done. Also you have to think beyond just the cost of the press, but the other pieces of gear as well. It all adds up. The good thing is once you have your setup to load another caliber you just need a set of dies for that caliber.

[theunrulychef]

When I first developed an interest in reloading, I did do some reading on forums and in the available media out there, but what helped me along was Youtube. Every night I'd watch a youtube video or 2. For example if you do a search for .223 reloading you'll find tons of videos. You'll get to see the process first hand and see what other people do and what equipment they use.

I don't think you can go wrong with a good single stage press to start with. Some will recommend a progressive press but that is a costly start up. Start simple and cheaper, learn what you are doing, determine how much you will actually reload and whether you even like it or not. Once you figure out what you are doing and determine the quantities you need to crank out, if you want to expand to a large progressive press you can do that.

In terms of cost, if you are on a budget, Lee is the answer. If you want to spend more, you can go Hornady or RCBS. For the most part Lee works just fine and gets the job done. Also you have to think beyond just the cost of the press, but the other pieces of gear as well. It all adds up. The good thing is once you have your setup to load another caliber you just need a set of dies for that caliber.

I agree that starting on a single stage is the way to go 100%. Even if you advance to a progressive in a short period of time, nothing beats the focus of a single stage press to really teach you what you're doing & what each die is for. A progressive is much more complicated to get running, especially if you're unfamiliar with the function of each station. A single stage press is also the way to go for many rifle calibers & it's better if you're going for super-duper-precision / weighing each charge & case etc.

It's a pretty good bet that most of the people reloading on a progressive also have a single stage.

[IronButt]

My advice is to get a single stage press, then in a few years, if you feel the need, step up to a progressive. Progressive presses will let you pump out more ammo in a shorter period of time, with less work. If you make one small miscalculation, it's also possible to screw up a lot of ammo in a small amount of time, possibly creating a dangerous condition. When you're new to reloading, I think it's best to do one step at a time & learn to do the process correctly.

I started reloading with a RCBS Rock Chucker Master Reloading Kit in 1976, or thereabouts. It's still set up & still gets used quite a bit, although I bought a Dillon 650 just a year ago for high volume jobs.

If I remember correctly, I paid <$100 for the whole works. I just checked on Midway's site & it goes for $325. As far as I'm concerned, it's still a good buy, because you'll probably be able to hand it down to your grand kids. They're way over engineered.

A Lee reloading kit will run you about $125, but I'm not sure how they hold up. I haven't heard of any breaking though.

Hope this helps.

[Twoboxer]

A reasonable starting point for 223 might be the RCBS Rockchucker Supreme Master Kit . . . dies and shell holder . . . a trickler (to fine-tune the last few 0.1gr) . . . a tumbler, media separator, and Lizard Bedding from Petco (crushed Walnut) media to clean the cases . . . a Lee case trimmer tool and case gauge for trimming until you get serious . . . and a caliper for length etc measuring. There will also be loading blocks to hold cases/cartridges, cases for finished ammo, and miscellaneous small tools. An initial budget of $500 delivered for all this is not unreasonable.

Don't forget you will need to buy supplies in large quantities and pay upfront for them too.

At today's Midway and Powder Valley prices - if they had the stuff in stock -, 1k Hornady 55gr FMJ are ~$0.10ea, 8lb of H335 (enough to do ~2250 rounds) will cost $183 or $0.081 including hazmat and shipping, primers about $0.04 for a total of $0.22 excluding brass (which I hope you are saving). Maybe $300-$500 worth of supplies - the more you buy at once the cheaper each reload becomes.

If your all-in delivered cost for 223 ammo is $0.50 per round, each reload of that brass (maybe get 6 or more) will save you $0.28. 1,800 reloads will pay back your investment - assuming you have the time to invest.

You can adjust these numbers as you fine-tune your equipment list, decide whether to purchase once-fired brass, find home-made ways to do stuff, etc.

[SauerGrapes]

Buy a Lee Turret Press. You'll thank me later...lol. Nice thing about the press, you can remove the rod and use it as a single stage.
If your a regular at your range, you might as well get something that can keep up with your shooting. Up grade the powder measure and your set to dial in more precise measurements. I''ve loaded 1000s and 1000s of rounds on mine.

Changing dies is a snap with a separate turret head for each caliber.

[wakefield724]

Pfaoa...... the forum of endless knowledge