Reloading Noob

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  • Reloading Noob

    i searched the forum but couldn't find anything. is anyone has a link to a thread that already talks about this please point me towards it.
    which press should be my first? (never reloaded before) i've seen some rcbs and lee kits that look promising. i have been told that hands down a turret press should be my first. just wanted to know what y'all think. i will be reloading 6.5 grendel and pistol ammo. (9mm,45acp)

  • #2
    I got along fine for about 15 years with a Lee Classic Cast Press kit, but when I started doing heavy resizing/reforming, I just recently went with an RCBS Rock Chucker. It's a nice press. I'm not living in a constant state of not having enough disposable time to enjoy reloading, so a single stage works just fine for me. If I shot tournaments every weekend, or prairie dog hunted regularly, I'd probably opt for a turret. If the difference between the turret press you like and the single stage adds up to th price of a dispensing / weighing powder handler, I'd get the single stage and the dispensing scale, but again, that's me. I love my Lyman 1200 DPS III. You can throw a charge while seating the previous charge's bullet. Times out great.

    Hoot

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    • bwaites
      Moderator
      • Mar 2011
      • 4445

      #3
      Originally posted by YutYut View Post
      i searched the forum but couldn't find anything. is anyone has a link to a thread that already talks about this please point me towards it.
      which press should be my first? (never reloaded before) i've seen some rcbs and lee kits that look promising. i have been told that hands down a turret press should be my first. just wanted to know what y'all think. i will be reloading 6.5 grendel and pistol ammo. (9mm,45acp)
      How much money do you want to spend? The Rockchucker is solid, (its what I reload on, but doing a single stage again, I would go about it differently, and get a Forster CoAx for a single stage.)

      A Redding Turret press is a good investment, too. A little more difficult to set up initially, but they turn out great ammo, as do some of the other turrets.

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      • #4
        my budget for a press is around 300.

        Comment


        • #5
          Get the Redding turret press. It is solid, and will facilitate multiple functions between your different dies. I regret getting a Lee press just to save money. It has a lot of play in it, the threads have become damaged, but was a good press for the money. It works fine for de-priming, but struggles in re-sizing. Its only saving grace is the quick-change breech lock bushings, so I can have dies already set-up in the bushings, then just drop them in. Unfortunately, the spring-loaded detent that indexes the bushings is stuck in the down position, so I have to tighten the dies down against the press. It also sucks bigtime for seating, as it will offset long-action cartridges so that the projectile is crooked in the case...

          Get the Redding, unless you want these problems. Also, buy a reloading manual, such as the Hornady or Lyman, and read the distractions that come with your dies that tell you how to set them up. Gain an understanding of basic physics dealing with pressure and volume, and don't be afraid to ask any questions.
          Last edited by Guest; 09-27-2011, 08:31 PM.

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          • #6
            I still think a person should learn the basics on a single stage press. RCBS makes a really good starter kit with just about everything you need to get started for just about 300 bucks. You'll still need dies, but those aren't too awful expensive.
            Last edited by Guest; 09-28-2011, 04:09 AM.

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            • #7
              I bought the Hornady Lock-n-load Progressive....love it and am glad I didn't buy a single stage. plus....the 500 free bullets with the Hornady rebate makes it even better!

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              • #8
                I would not recommend using a progressive press for precision auto-loaders. I've done it on two different types of progressive presses, and it's ok if you treat it like a single stage. It's a lot easier to have powder charges get spilled all over, without proper loads getting into the cases, and encountering seating problems with primers, which you can't afford in an auto-loader. On a single-stage, I check each and every primer seating twice: once when I seat them, and after I seat bullets while checking COAL. I don't want to risk a slam-fire in the AR.

                Progressive presses are ideal for competitive pistol shooting, or cranking out high-volumes where precision isn't the main priority. If you can isolate the stages and use one successfully as a precision rifle press, hats off, but it isn't ideal for the task really.

                Comment

                • LR1955
                  Super Moderator
                  • Mar 2011
                  • 3355

                  #10
                  Originally posted by YutYut View Post
                  i searched the forum but couldn't find anything. is anyone has a link to a thread that already talks about this please point me towards it.
                  which press should be my first? (never reloaded before) i've seen some rcbs and lee kits that look promising. i have been told that hands down a turret press should be my first. just wanted to know what y'all think. i will be reloading 6.5 grendel and pistol ammo. (9mm,45acp)
                  YY:

                  Before you buy, type 'Reloading Press' into the search feature. There are a number of good threads on the subject.

                  LR1955

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                  • #11
                    Do not get a press that the frame is made out of aluminum. GET THIS instead!

                    Hoot

                    Comment

                    • bwaites
                      Moderator
                      • Mar 2011
                      • 4445

                      #12
                      Originally posted by Hoot View Post
                      Do not get a press that the frame is made out of aluminum. GET THIS instead!

                      Hoot
                      +1000

                      BUT...Do what LR1955 suggested!

                      Comment


                      • #13
                        That's exactly the kit I started out with. It's a good setup good quality and you can't beat it for 300 bucks. It has everything you need to reload.

                        You won't be dissappointed with that RCBS press that HOOT has listed in the post just above this one.
                        Last edited by Guest; 09-28-2011, 04:07 AM.

                        Comment

                        • LR1955
                          Super Moderator
                          • Mar 2011
                          • 3355

                          #14
                          Guys:

                          You are focused only on the press in these kits. How many people here still lube using a stamp pad? How about a low end magnetic scale that isn't dampened well. And a powder measure that doesn't have an adequate stand included in the kit? Or a little book where you can record your loads. Or a pseudo reloading manual with information that is easier to gather from the powder and bullet company web sites?

                          These items are fillers that RCBS charges top dollar for, knowing no one will use them after the first or second time, so they can end up buying the right thing at more cost and hopefully from RCBS in this case.

                          The individual does not need to buy a little record book he won't use, doesn't need to buy a reloading manual containing information easily acquired off of official web sites, and will most certainly end up spending another hundred plus on a scale within his first five reloading sessions. The tiny bottle of lube ought to be enough to charge the stamp pad and load fifty rounds. And after using that stamp pad and finding out it really doesn't hit the parts of the brass that need lube, while getting too much lube on the parts of the brass that don't need the lube, the pad will head into the trash and he will search for a better way of lubing brass. He will soon find the little plate for the powder measure that screws onto a table top isn't ideal and spend another hundred on a real stand for his Uniflow measure.

                          So, when looking for a kit, people tend to look only at the press and assume the company is giving them their money's worth with the rest of the kit. In fact, most companies are filling their kit with useless or low end components, forcing the buyer to buy better components within the first couple of sessions.

                          Look real close at the components. Don't accept kits who are filled with the low end scales, powder measures, and are filled with things no serious reloader would use.

                          LR1955

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                          • #15
                            LR1955 is right. Find the press that suits your needs the best! whether it is a single stage, a turret, or a progressive. Buy the press and then start buying all the accessories that you'll need. Even with the all-in-one kits, there are alot of other items you are going to need/want, too.

                            For me, I knew I wanted a progressive press. I looked at the dillon 550 units initially, and was about to pull the trigger...but then I found the Hornady. The Hornady L-N-L AP had more of the features I wanted (auto-indexing, quick change dies, etc). I'm not a precision shooter. I like to take my son to the range and punch paper, shooting dueling tress, reactive targets.....recreational shooting. So, I was not looking for a press to make a handful of cartridges. I want to make a minimum of 100 at a time, and cut the cost of grendel plinking. My needs are different thant most on this board.

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