Cost to start reloading.

I picked up a single stage Lee for $65 last summer. Add in the other necessities like scale, dies, powder scoops, calipers, tumbler, plastic cases to hold finished cartridges, tray to hold in process shells etc, Lyman manual......all in I'd say $250.

Paid for itself in about a month of shooting twice a week pins and plates. I make 45acp for about $10 for 50 rounds using plates swc, 38 special for about $7 for 50 rounds using cast rnfp, and 357 for about $15 for 50 rounds using jacketed soft points and h110 powder. The savings adds up quick.

reloading 357 38 and 45acp. Worth every penny.....makes quality ammo.....and is simple and fun to operate.

I can make 50 rounds in about 30 minutes now that I have my dies set up. When changing bullet type it takes a little longer because you have to reset the seating and crimping die.


Now imagine if you started casting and cut those prices by 60% or more.

shameless plug for the seminar

 
I'm more annoyed by the classified ads that are bumped for 3+ year now with no price reduction than a necrobump. They should be just closed at this point.
 
I'm more annoyed by the classified ads that are bumped for 3+ year now with no price reduction than a necrobump. They should be just closed at this point.
Just waiting for the value to catch up
 
I'm more annoyed by the classified ads that are bumped for 3+ year now with no price reduction than a necrobump. They should be just closed at this point.
I've been tempted to pick up a used progressive press from time to time, but the OK deals always seem to be 1000 miles away and they won't ship. Or it's a package and I already have most of the stuff and they won't separate.

That and I have had a sinking feeling I will somehow mess up a progressive or won't get it to run correctly.
I think (at least this is what I am telling myself) that for a progressive I'd only need 9mm and maybe 223. Everything else I can stick to the single stage.
 
If you can run a single stage, you can run a progressive - only difference is speed (you make both ammo and mistakes faster)

For cost, look at the Auto Breech Lock (I don't have one) run it as a turret or progressive. Not going to be as fast as a true progressive but will still load a few hundred rounds an hour.
 
Another recommendation for the Lee Classic Turret on this necro-thread.

The four-hole turret heads for the Lee are inexpensive enough that you can leave your dies all set up for any given caliber. With the powder through expanding die, dispensing powder automatically is easy. And no need for batch loading, with trays and all that. Load as many or as few as you like and quit when you feel like it. Far less expensive than a progressive, and not much more than a single stage. And you can run it as a single stage if you really like. For the small price increase over a basic single stage press you're getting a world more capability and ease of use.
 
Lets say I decided on the Lee precision breech lock challenger kit. What else is needed besides brass, bullets, primers and powder.

That's what I started with, and I'm still using it. I don't do high volume, and it's relaxing to crank out a batch one at a time, plus I know I can take my time and not make errors. I started reloading because I shoot .455 Webley, so "cost to start reloading" was "less than not reloading." But these days I mostly do 9mm, .45 ACP, and .38 special, all nice SD loads that would be pricy at an LGS. Cheaper ammo, I still just buy.

You do need a tumbler. The kit comes with the rest.

What's priceless is that I know my SD ammo intimately, I'm 100% certain it'll go right where I aim it, and I've increased my self-sufficiency.
 
Don't even need a tumbler unless you want shiny brass
Lemishine, a squirt of dish soap and some hot water will clean your cases up perfectly well enough for reloading.
 
I've been tempted to pick up a used progressive press from time to time, but the OK deals always seem to be 1000 miles away and they won't ship. Or it's a package and I already have most of the stuff and they won't separate.

That and I have had a sinking feeling I will somehow mess up a progressive or won't get it to run correctly.
I think (at least this is what I am telling myself) that for a progressive I'd only need 9mm and maybe 223. Everything else I can stick to the single stage.
If you by a package deal dump the extras on ebay. I bought the Hornady classic kit I ended up selling the Hand primer for $30 and the scale for $35 I did not like either one. I paid $180 for the complete kit,
 
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