WANT TO RELOAD

M

Michael

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I am considering reloading ammo for cheeper shooting at the range, This is something i have never done. Can anyone please give me some info on where to start and what I will need to get started? I plan n reloading .40 and 9mm for now, But would like the option of reloading different sizes later. Can I start with just .40 and 9mm for now ? Do I need two presses or just one with some type of changeable part(s)...any info is helpfull.


Michael
 
Go to Dillon Precision's web site and request a copy of the "Blue Press". This won't answer all of your questions, but the material is free.
 
EddieCoyle said:
Before you buy anything, invest a few dollars in this book and read it cover to cover:

The ABC's of Reloading
Click to expand...


Very good point. Read up, it's suprising easier than you think...you just have to pay attention, and go slow. That book will give you a good basis to make some decisions on how to proceed and what to do when you do start.

Also, I like the Lymans books for data...
 
welcome

welcome to a new universe. All of the recommendations are excellent.

Most relaoding forums will have "stickies" regarding starting out etc.

You really should visit them.

The other thing to watch out for is "brand bias" don't let that
influence you.

JimB
 
Michael, I just recently started reloading. Ditto on The ABC's of Reloading. It helped me a lot. Also the Lyman manual mentioned is outstanding. Do a search in this section as there is some great advice already posted. I will say that I did not heed some of the advice and was sorry. I bought a Lee Turret and a single stage. A month later I bought a Dillon 550 and wish I had just started there. Especially check out EddieCoyles comments along this line. A Dillon or Hornady is the way to go. Especially for reloading handgun. Single stage gets old very fast.
 
Michael,

After reading the books, get a single stage press and the equipment you need to start. You need dies and shell holders to reload every type you want to reload. Start with a single stage so you can learn what each stage does.
 
WVBob said:
Michael,

After reading the books, get a single stage press and the equipment you need to start. You need dies and shell holders to reload every type you want to reload. Start with a single stage so you can learn what each stage does.
Click to expand...

I will disagree with this. I started with a progressive, as have MANY, and suffered no ill effects. Remember, with a progressive, you can still do one round at a time until you are confident with how the machine operates, and what actions are being performed.
 
WVBob said:
Start with a single stage so you can learn what each stage does.
Click to expand...

When I got into reloading, I followed this "get a single stage" advice, and now strongly disagree with it.

The OP is going to be reloading handgun cartridges, presumably in large quantities. Using a single stage for this work is as exciting and productive as watching teeth rot.

If he can afford it, he should start with a progressive. Let's face it, he can learn "what each stage does" very quickly. While reloading requires constant attention to detail, it ain't rocket science. After reading the books, anybody with normal intelligence and mechanical aptitude can figure it out pretty quickly.

Besides, if he wishes, he can learn each step individually on a progressive by installing one die at time until he feels comfortable with the process (which should take all of a few minutes).

If he can afford it, he should start with a good progressive press like a Dillon 650, Hornady L-N-L, or Dillon 550. I wish I had.
 
Even if you were doing Precision Rifle loads, I'd avoid the single stage and go with a turret Press as you can set all your dies once and then just rotate them into position.

I can see getting a single stage as your Second press for large jobs like Swagging Milsurp ammo.
 
My 2 cents

Single Stage Presses:
Single stage presses are good for loading small amounts of rifle and pistol ammo. If you want to learn the intricacies of loading very accurate ammunition, get a good single state press. There is a lot to learn about reloading precision ammunition and there is no better way to learn it then one repeated step at a time.

You can repeat a single process on a Turret press or a Progressive press but they will not be as repeatable as a Single stage. They are just a bit more “sloppy”.


Progressive Presses:
If you wish to load larger quantities of rifle and pistol ammunition, that are still accurate, get a good progressive press. You can learn most everything on a progressive that you can on a single stage and the only difference you are likely to see in your ammunition is one of tolerances, with the single stage being more “repeatable”.

Accuracy:
Accuracy is a relative term but it is based on repeatability. That is doing the same thing the same way with the same components and coming up the same results. Ultimately that means putting bullets in the same hole.

Need:
What need do you have? In a single evening, do you need to produce 50 rounds of ammunition that can produce very small groups that will be scored with a caliper? Or do you need to produce 500 rounds ammunition that will be scored by the “zone” it hits?

I’ll leave it to others to argue which press you should get. But understand no matter which press you buy one side will commend your insight and other condemn your foolishness.

Like 9 vs 45, Plastic vs Steel, or Round Gun vs Bottom feeder, Single Stage vs Progressive is a very personal choice.

Good Luck!


Respectfully,

jkelly
 
jkelly said:
Single Stage vs Progressive is a very personal choice.

Good Luck!


Respectfully,

jkelly
Click to expand...

All good points.

Actually, it's pretty handy to have both (if you have the $$). It's a matter of which one to get first. If the OP said that he wanted to reload 20 rounds of .270 WSM per month to get sub-MOA groups, then a single stage would be the press to get.

If he wants to reload pistol ammo to save money (as this OP stated), then a progressive is the way to go.

Misapplication is the potential problem here. If you buy a progressive for the .270 WSM application, you'll end up with an overly complex and (as you stated) less accurate solution. The other side of the coin is when someone starts out trying to reload hundreds of plinking handgun rounds on a single stage. It can be done, but he'll probably lose interest.

I started with a single stage (misapplied because I wanted to load 100s or 1000s of handgun rounds at a time), then ended up giving it away (because it was a piece of crap), buying a progressive, and then adding a better single stage later on to load small quantities of accurate rifle ammo, and to uniform primer pockets.
 
The 223 ammo I load on my Dillon 450 will group five rounds in .343 at 100 yds. I think that a good progressive will equal the accuracy of a single stage. David Tubb loads his ammo on a 550.

Beginners can reload one round at a time on the progressive so they can observe all of the steps and then move on to full progressive mode when they have gained some experience.
 
The 223 ammo I load on my Dillon 450 will group five rounds in .343 at 100 yds.---Gammon
Click to expand...
Wow, if you can do that 10 times in a row I’d say you have something there. My old Single Stage loaded ammo, that my rifle put 5 rounds in less then .200 inches, and have done that once in a row.

I think that a good progressive will equal the accuracy of a single stage. .---Gammon
Click to expand...
I think that a good progressive will not equal the repeatability of a good single stage.

David Tubb loads his ammo on a 550. .---Gammon
Click to expand...
What do the worlds most accurate shooters use?


If he wants to reload pistol ammo to save money (as this OP stated), then a progressive is the way to go.---Eddie Coyle
Click to expand...
I think your problem starting up (and I’m guessing here) was following the suggestion from someone who thought he knew what you wanted and pushed his preferences/biases on you.

I’m not advising him to choose either a Single Stage or Progressive but rather to give him my bias of the relative merits of both types of presses.

Misapplication is the potential problem here.---Eddie Coyle
Click to expand...
Absolutely! But do we really know what the application is?


This portion is just for fun and shouldn’t be construed as any thing else:

This is how I look at the OP’s post.

If we were to look only at his Original Post we’d see that he never mentioned the amount of ammunition nor the time he had to spend to make it. He also never told us the “different sizes” he would like to load later. We really need this information to give him our best answers.

So it’s possible that the volume the OP wants to produce could exclude one or both the Single Stage or the Progressive press. The “different sizes” he would like to load later could allow for one type and exclude the other. He may very well “need” both types, he may need neither.

We really don’t have the information to give a definite answer, and we may not have the expertise should the information put us outside our comfort zone.


Respectfully,

jkelly
 
Last edited:
Adam_MA said:
I will disagree with this. I started with a progressive, as have MANY, and suffered no ill effects. Remember, with a progressive, you can still do one round at a time until you are confident with how the machine operates, and what actions are being performed.
Click to expand...

Some of us even started with Lee progressives and managed to live to tell about it! [/jab at dillon enthusiasts] [wink]
 
I have a Dillon 650 with bullet feeder and a Dillon 1050 and they're both great presses. I started out on a Lee Progressive 1000 and the press wouldn't do what I wanted it to do. I still have this press but when I moved out of my parents house many years ago I just left it behind. I'm thinking of buying a Dillon 550 for misc. rounds that I shoot in small quantities. This way I can have my 650 setup for .40, the 1050 for .38 super and the 550 for all the misc. calibers I shoot from time to time. I started with a progressive and didn't have any problems. I did take a reloading class and we used a single stage press. My time is more valuable than loading 50 rounds per hour. If money is a big concern look at the Dillon Square Deal B.

Good luck,
Pete
 
jkelly said:
Wow, if you can do that 10 times in a row I’d say you have something there. My old Single Stage loaded ammo, that my rifle put 5 rounds in less then .200 inches, and have done that once in a row.


I think that a good progressive will not equal the repeatability of a good single stage.


What do the worlds most accurate shooters use?


Respectfully,

jkelly
Click to expand...


I'm not going to speak for Gammon and his loads, but to get sub-.5 MOA groups from a progressive press is not outside the realm of possibilities. I've done it with my .223 on my 550. Obviously not from position, but on a bench with a scope, ten five-shot groups, average .443" (the rifle and the load are up to the task, now to work on the trigger-puller[thinking]).

I've modified my 550's powder die by reaming it to get a more tapered drop. It will drop charges more consistantly than my RCBS Uniflow. I also use a Forster precision seater. I don't think it makes a more accurate load, but it makes it a lot easier to find my settings when switching between 77 and 80 gr weights.


My advice to any potential handloaders: buy a good used single stage press and other stuff. Most shops around here have a Rockchucker or an old Lyman gathering dust which can be had for very little money. Just thinking of my local shop, you could get a used Lyman press, a used RCBS 5-0-5 scale, a used Uniflow, and a set of used dies for less than $100. That set-up is perfectly capable of churning out quality ammo. From there, you can upgrade to a progressive if you want (recommended if you want to make a lot of ammo). Keep the stuff you bought earlier, or sell it off for probably what you paid for it.
I think LEE makes a starter package with everything you need, too. I've never been a big fan of LEE stuff, but many here like it and put it to good use. Re-sale value is less with LEE, so you probably won't get your money back out of it, but it doesn't cost much to begin with.
 
PistolPete said:
I have a Dillon 650 with bullet feeder and a Dillon 1050 and they're both great presses. I started out on a Lee Progressive 1000 and the press wouldn't do what I wanted it to do. I still have this press but when I moved out of my parents house many years ago I just left it behind. I'm thinking of buying a Dillon 550 for misc. rounds that I shoot in small quantities. This way I can have my 650 setup for .40, the 1050 for .38 super and the 550 for all the misc. calibers I shoot from time to time. I started with a progressive and didn't have any problems. I did take a reloading class and we used a single stage press. My time is more valuable than loading 50 rounds per hour. If money is a big concern look at the Dillon Square Deal B.

Good luck,
Pete
Click to expand...

Pete,
Got any plans for the Lee?
I could use another press to supplement my 650 for smallruns...
 
I'm not going to speak for Gammon and his loads, but to get sub-.5 MOA groups from a progressive press is not outside the realm of possibilities. I've done it with my .223 on my 550. Obviously not from position, but on a bench with a scope, ten five-shot groups, average .443" (the rifle and the load are up to the task, now to work on the trigger-puller ).---PatMcD
Click to expand...
10 5 shot groups in a row, now that’s good shooting and I believe you did it!

But I don’t think a progressive is as repeatable as a single stage. There is just too much slop in a progressive to be as repeatable as a single stage.

My post was to give the OP (biased) information rather then suggest a solution to a problem I don't have enough information to answer.

Pete,
Got any plans for the Lee?---Whitey627
Click to expand...
I think JimB also has a Lee he's trying to.... ahhh, pass on to another shooter. I bet it's at a good price too. :)


Respectfully,

jkelly
 
Jim,

It is tempting but the opportunity just presented itself to me to purchase a pre-lock S&W 610. I have been wanting a 10mm revo for a long time. I gotta pick it up. As a result I have a serious shortage of money this month.

Gotta love unexpected purchases! ;o)
 

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