[MrPeter]

I put this in revolvers instead of Reloading because I thought if I put it there, everyone would answer my question with "START RELOADING DUR!" I thought I could get a more balanced demographic with my question here.

So here's my situation:
I got a cashcard from Cabela's in the mail the other day which offers a free $150 gift card with any purchase of $500 or more. So I decided this would be a good time to buy that Taurus .44 Tracker I've always wanted from there at $509, just enough to qualify for the gift card. Now I have no other .44mags, so I'll need to get some ammo for it. I've been planning on reloading eventually anyway, but I've never done it and honestly don't know much about what it entails. So I need your wisdom High Roaders. What should I do with my $150 towards ammunition?

I should probably add that in the future I intend to reload for .44 special, 45ACP, and .40S&W eventually, as well as .44mag.

[Sam1911]

There's much better choices than Cabela's for almost all of your reloading needs, but they're giving you $150 and you're spending about the very minimum you have to to get it. The most bang for your buck, pretty much literally.

You could get a Lee Turret press kit for not much more than your gift card's worth and that would be perfect to learn on while still giving you the ability to reload at a reasonable pace. (I don't recommend starting with a single stage if you're reloading handgun cartridges. But you can if you think you'll really not load very much and you want to save a little more money.)

Factory ammo is just absurd. No one would encourage that kind of wanton waste of your money! :) $150 gift card? What's that, one box these days? ;) Reloading, that could be almost 1000 rounds of reloads, if you shop around, choose your components wisely, and re-use your brass. (Buy 100 and load them each 10 times.)

Also, unless you're really (really) going to be satisfied with the accessories Cabela's carries -- meaning holsters, primarily -- spend that money elsewhere, too. There's so many great holster makers and many of them offer really beautiful and/or innovative products, that settling for the plain-jane field holsters Cabela's carries is pretty short-sighted.

Good luck! And enjoy your new gun!

-Sam

[Robert Wilson]

Give a man some ammunition and he can shoot for a day. Give him a handloading setup and he can shoot for the rest of his life.

Or at least that's how I recall the saying.

[sonier]

yea 150 bucks gets me about 1000 bullets for my 357 mag. so yea get some reloading equipment. it takes me abotu 2 hours to load up 100 rounds with single stage, and a powder throw. go to ebay and see what you can find ;) i found my rockchucker press for 30 bucks

[Valkman]

I'd start reloading - I have calibers like 44 mag and 10mm only because I reload and they've never shot factory ammo. I can make heavy or light loads too!

[MrPeter]

Any suggestions on what I should get then?

[Valkman]

Now that you should ask in the reloading section. I load on 2 Dillon 550's but you aren't going to be able to afford something like that at this point.

[Robert Wilson]

You will find a great deal of advice in the handloading forum. A search is in order, with an emphasis on "first time handloader" etc.

Chances are the bug will bite and you'll someday end up with a bench full of fancy tools, but for now I would recommend keeping it simple and affordable with a small single stage press from a major manufacturer (we all have favorites, but they all work) and the strictly necessary items like dies and a scale.

[angus6]

Any suggestions on what I should get then?

Sam1911 hit it pretty good if you want a decent setup the Lee Classic Turret , it'll crank out 200/250 rds and hour fairly easy. http://tinyurl.com/pj37wd
@ .62 per round for factory loads or .144 for hand loads I'm going to shoot twice as much for half the cost but thats just me
in less your going to process military brass there is no real need to go with a single stage , yes 1 is nice to have but I'd never tell someone to start out that way

[Gunfighter123]

You can NEVER start reloading to late ---- last night , out of boredom I counted and indexed my reloads --- almost 15,000 rounds of .32mag/38Spl/357/9mm/10mm/40s&w/44mag/ .45acp/45LC/.223/308/ 12ga. and 45/70.

For every calibur , I also keep some factory ammo.

I started reloading at about 14/15 years old --- I am now 52 --- I know I've reloaded well over 500,000 ----- to get GOOD ya gotta shoot !!!

As others have posted --- a good single stage press is ideal to start with.

I started with the Lee Loader where you had to hammer a case into and out of the die etc.

Right now I have a Dillon 550 , 6 Lee 1000s , a RCBS turret press , a lyman single stage press , and two reloaders for shotguns !!!

[Sam1911]

So you're going to start reloading! GREAT!

Now you have to choose what kind of press you want to start with.

Conventional wisdom always seems to say start with a single-stage first. Nothing wrong with that idea, really. You can start out pretty inexpensively and produce ammo that's 99.5% as good as anything out there.
Probably the best value in the reloading world is the Lee Anniversary Kit. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat602007-cat20847&id=0003080216577a&navCount=9&podId=0003080&parentId=cat20847&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=9IS&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat601233
That kit comes with most of the small bits you'll need to actually load a round. (Scale, powder measure, priming tool, etc.) Cabela's lists that kit for $94.

If you want a single stage that you will NEVER outgrow, it is really hard to compete with the Lee Classic Cast Press. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat602007-cat20847&id=0028426215501a&navCount=12&podId=0028426&parentId=cat20847&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=9IS&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20847&hasJS=true
That press gets very good reviews and is a rock solid device. Strong enough and large enough to load .50 BMG when you get around to that. :D The press by itself is $86 at Cabela's.

And, of course, you can spend more money than either of those with a different brand of single-stage press. I can't say that I fully appreciate why you would unless you want to load bench-rest competition ammo, maybe, but you can. Other manufacturers' single stages run between $130 and $250 or so, plus the other equipment.

Now, as I said before, I don't recommend new reloaders who are starting out with handgun cartridges to buy a single stage press. Yes, it is the absolute simplest method of reloading. You will set up one die, run your cases through it, remove the die, set up the next die, run your cases through, remove that die, and so on. It is effective. It is SLOW. All that die set-up every time you change procedures is very time consuming. And as soon as you're done with 50 or 100 cases, you lose the effort you spent on the set-up because you have to remove the die to install the next one.

A turret style press is really not a bit more complex, until/unless you make it so. You can still load one step at a time, and set up one die at a time, if you want to -- just like a single-stage press. And then, when you're ready (which is going to be like your second or third night, not a number of years from now) you can get all the dies set up (more or less permanently) and start running through each case through all the steps in sequence.

If you're capable enough to follow directions and safely produce ammunition on a single stage press, you are competent and capable enough to do so on a turret press. But that turret press will give you the ability to load 100 rounds in a half hour or so, instead of an hour or two. And that can make a big difference in how much you enjoy your new hobby.

If that makes sense to you, Cabela's does have the Lee Classic Turret press KIT (with the extras) for $189. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0044122216337a&navCount=21&podId=0044122&parentId=cat20847&masterpathid=&navAction=jump&cmCat=MainCatcat602007-cat20847&catalogCode=XJ&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20847&hasJS=true

Again, there's lots of turret presses out there. Some have features or strengths that the Lee version doesn't. When you get to the level where you really will appreciate those differences, you can choose which of the other versions to purchase.

Of course, by then you'll just buy a Dillon progressive and be done with it! :evil:

Seriously, good luck and be safe!

-Sam

[Valkman]

Of course, by then you'll just buy a Dillon progressive and be done with it!


Amen! I started on a Dillon 550B and do not regret it one bit since you can load one round at a time if you want to, or crank 'em out. :D

[stoveboltgunnut]

I have been reloading for 12 years now. I have loaded thousands of rounds on a lee challenger anniversary kit that I bought way back then. IIRC, I paid 69.00 for the whole shebang then, it has more than paid for itself. I have no desire to upgrade...yet. (OK, I admit that I have been itching for a progressive, I think it is time for me to go progressive).

Point is, you do not have to spend a fortune on your reloading set up. I say pick up a Lee kit that meets your liking, turret, single stage, etc., and start cranking out loads. You will never regret starting to reload. It adds a whole new dimension to shooting. I believe EVERYONE should start with a single stage press, or at most a turret press, to learn the basics.

Do pick up a couple of different reloading manuals to load from.

Good luck, and have fun!!!

[nulfisin]

The sad fact is that you may not be able to start reloading now. That's because primers are scarce or more expensive than they are worth. So, you could buy a box or two of factory ammo. Shoot it when you get around to it and SAVE THE BRASS. Then, when primers become available, you can reload them. Not the cheapest way to go, but you get a fair combination of instant gratification and economy down the road.;)

[Sam1911]

The sad fact is that you may not be able to start reloading now. That's because primers are scarce or more expensive than they are worth. So, you could buy a box or two of factory ammo. Shoot it when you get around to it and SAVE THE BRASS. Then, when primers become available, you can reload them. Not the cheapest way to go, but you get a fair combination of instant gratification and economy down the road.

I can't disagree entirely with this, of course. Primers are still not the easiest thing to find. But it is getting better than it was. And it depends a lot on where you are.

The price is still a little inflated. At the very beginning of this year, I was still buying large pistol primers for $19.99 / 1000 at my local shop. In April, I bought a flat of 5,000 for $137 (about $7 a box more). I haven't bought any since then, and I know it got *bad* for a while, with people spending $30-$40 (sometimes more!) for a single 1000-count box of primers, but that's not reality at this point...in most areas.

They very well may be still inflated. Up to $30 a box is probably the going rate. But the supply seems to be getting better, from what I hear.

However, factory ammo is SUCH a crazy expense usually that it's hard to bear the thought of it! Recently I've seen boxes of .38 Special on the shelves at major chain shops (Gander, etc.) going for as much as $49! A dollar a shot. :what: (And found none under $30 a box or $0.60 a shot.) I can still load my .44 Specials for around $0.13 a shot. Makes my practice nights a lot easier to afford!

Seriously, he's got a $150 gift card. The cheapest bulk .44 ammo Cabelas.com lists is $189.99 for 300 rds. That's still $0.63 a shot. So he'd be able to afford about 238 rounds on that card. That's going to go by pretty quickly. If you value the brass at what Cabelas charges for 100 cases, though, that's almost $50 worth of brass, which isn't bad.

I still vote reload. The sooner you get set up, the more you'll save (and/or the more you'llshoot!).

-Sam

[KenWP]

Remember also that if you buy a 44mag set of dies they work for 44 special also so you can do both. Haveing never used a 38 special or 357 I have no idea if the dies are different or not. I reloaded 38S&W with a Lee Loader all the time anyways as I never shot it much.

[GRIZ22]

I should probably add that in the future I intend to reload for .44 special, 45ACP, and .40S&W eventually, as well as .44mag.


I think you've answered your own question.

As has been said there are better deals on components and equipment from Cabela's but you may as well spend that $150.

[earplug]

Don't forget to add the HAZ-MAT shipping fees into the deal if your buying primers or powder mail order.

[ArmedBear]

I have found Cabela's to be a good source of some components. Good prices on some stuff, great availability (except primers lately). OTOH I have a store about a mile and a half away, so I can go back if they are out of something.

I have never found the HAZMAT fee to be worth it, but I guess if I ordered 10,000 primers at once it might be.

[MrPeter]

Thank you all for your insight and advice. I think I'll go with the Lee Classic Turret Kit.

Last question. Is the only difference here the Primer feeder? Is it worth the cost difference?:
Lee Classic Turret Press Kit for $189 (http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0044122216337a&navCount=21&podId=0044122&parentId=cat20847&masterpathid=&navAction=jump&cmCat=MainCatcat602007-cat20847&catalogCode=XJ&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20847&hasJS=true)
Lee Deluxe Turret Press Reloading Kit $109 (http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/pod/standard-pod.jsp?id=0032404&navCount=4&parentId=cat20847&masterpathid=&navAction=push&cmCat=MainCatcat602007-cat20728-cat20847&parentType=index&indexId=cat20847&rid=)

[lawboy]

I think you should get reloading supplies. I differ from some others in that I advise that you buy bullets, powder and primers with the 150. You can get excellent, used reloading tools on craigslist and ebay and much reduced prices over Cabelas. So, I would buy 1000 primers, 1lb of Unique, 1lb of W296, a box of cast lead bullets (500). You are up to about 125 now. Take the remaining 25, add another 20 to it and buy a set of carbide reloading dies. Now start shopping ebay for a press, hand priming tool, shellholder, powder scale and powder measure. It will take another 200 or so to get GOOD tools but once you have them you will NEVER look back and will grow to feel sorry for people shooting factory ammunition at prices that are simply usurious.

[stchman]

Remember the Trackers are 5 shot revolvers. The Raging Bull series are 6 shot and don't cost a lot more.

[Sam1911]

Lawboy does make a fine point. As I said before, you can do better than Cabela's pricing on reloading stuff. That includes the tools as well as the componants. I happen to think that their prices for componants are way easier to beat than their prices on equipment, though.

Further, I'm leery of telling a new reloader to buy used equipment. At least when buying a new kit, you've got most of what you might need and the factory instruction and packing sheets, and a reasonable expectation that they didn't leave anything out of the box. If you don't know your way around reloading, starting off with someone elses' pile of mis-matched, worn, perhaps abused, reloading tools (no matter how much you might save over new stuff) could lead to a lot of frustraion and wasted time.

If you don't know exactly what you're purchasing when you're shopping "used" and you don't feel qualified to identify on sight if all the parts are there and functional, save the worry and let the folks a Lee introduce you to the hobby like they've done for so many of us.

I've bought a used press and got it running fine. But I'd been reloading for 10 years at that point and was up to the challenge. Your mileage may vary.

-Sam

[nulfisin]

I'm not asking anyone to divulge state secrets here, but you can't buy large pistol primers anywhere within 50 miles of where I live. And, with the $20 surcharge to the Federales, you are probably going to pay about $50 for a box of primers if you get them my mail. If y'all have some supply sources in northern Illinois that you don't mind "outing," I'd be most grateful.

To be clear, reloading equipment is a better investment than new ammo. All I'm saying is sometimes you can mix a little rash behavior (a box or two of new .44 ammo) with long-term prudence (using the brass to shoot again and again). The incremental cost of your initial purchase goes down every time you reload.

[BCRider]

For loading handgun stuff where you do it in bulk the first option with the auto primer add on is the way to go. Yeah, it's a little more bucks but long term will speed things up a lot.

[MrPeter]

Remember the Trackers are 5 shot revolvers. The Raging Bull series are 6 shot and don't cost a lot more.
I want the 5 shot on purpose. Lets me carry it concealed more easily. It's also lighter.

I differ from some others in that I advise that you buy bullets, powder and primers with the 150. You can get excellent, used reloading tools on craigslist and ebay and much reduced prices over Cabelas
I very much appreciate your opinion and respect it. However, in this instance I will take Sam1911's advice and purchase the new kit. I would feel much more comfortable with that.

For loading handgun stuff where you do it in bulk the first option with the auto primer add on is the way to go. Yeah, it's a little more bucks but long term will speed things up a lot.
An auto primer feeder for $80 sounds steep to me, but I also realize I'm less experienced that you likely are, so I will take your advice if this is the consensus.

Thanks so much for the info guys. I'm so excited to start reloading!!! :)

[Gunfighter123]

GREAT to hear you are taking the plunge ---- YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY !!!

[Landric]

Mr. Peter said:

Thank you all for your insight and advice. I think I'll go with the Lee Classic Turret Kit.

Last question. Is the only difference here the Primer feeder? Is it worth the cost difference?:
Lee Classic Turret Press Kit for $189
Lee Deluxe Turret Press Reloading Kit $109

There is a significant difference between the two other than the "safety prime" system. The safety prime is an excellent priming system, but its not an $80 system. It goes for $20-$25 if you buy it separately. However, the Classic Turret Kit has the "Classic Turret Press" which is made of cast iron with steel linkage and the ability to load just about anything. The "Deluxe Turret Kit has an older design aluminum press. It is much lighter duty and not nearly as nice as the Classic Turret. Get the classic turret kit, its worth the extra $60 (if one doesn't count the $20 for the safety prime in the price difference).

[zxcvbob]

Buy one box of factory ammo and enjoy shooting up half of it, and save the rest. Spend the rest of the money on a Lyman's 49th Reloading manual, some primers, powder, and 240 grain cast bullets. Start looking for a good deal on used reloading equipment.

Use the other half a box of factory ammo to benchmark your first few batches of reloads.

[hydraulicman]

Lee classic turret kit from https://kempfgunshop.com//index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=630&category_id=26&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=41

This set up will allow you to load 150+ rounds an hour.

[huntsman]

If all you got to spend is $150. Buy ammo I don't believe you'll get up an running for that with total reloading equipment and components.

If money is the issue get something besides a .44mag.

[Lost Sheep]

Welcome to your new obsession.

Now, here are my Ten Advices.

So much is a matter of personal taste. All advice carries this caveat, "your mileage may vary".

I put together an arbitrary list that I think is illuminating. I call them my Ten Advices.

When I bought my first gun (.357 Magnum Dan Wesson revolver), I bought, at the same time, a reloading setup because I knew I could not afford to shoot if I did not reload my own ammo. It cost me about 1/4 of factory ammo per round and paid for itself pretty quickly. I did not use a loading bench at all. I just mounted the press on a 2 x 6 plank long enough to wedge into the drawer of an end table. Good leverage meant the table did not lift or rock. I still use the same plank, but not it is mounted in a Black & Decker folding workbench. A loading bench "bolted to the center of the earth" would be more stable, but I do not feel deprived without it.

Advice #1 I found "The ABC's of Reloading" to be a very good reference. Short on data, yes, but I found it full of knowledge and understanding of the process. Check out offereings in your local library. Dated, perhaps, but you can taste-test their writing style. Richard Lee's book "Modern Reloading" has a lot of food for thought, and does discuss the reasoning behind his opinions (unlike many manuals, and postings). Whether right or wrong, the issues merit thought, which that book initiates. It is not a simple book, though and you will find it provocative reading for many years.

Read as many manuals as you can, for the discussion of the how-to steps. What one manual covers thinly, another will cover well. As far as load data in older manuals, the powder manufacturers and bullet manufacturers may have better information and their web sites are probably more up to date. But pay attention to what the ammunition was test-fired from. (regular firearm vs a sealed-breech pressure test barrel, for example)

The reason you want more than one or two is that you want to read differing authors/editors writing styles and find ones that "speak" to you. You also get better coverage of the subject; one author or editor may cover parts of the subject more thoroughly than the others.

Only after you know the steps can you look at the contents of a reloading kit and know what parts you will use and what parts the kits lack.

The public library should have manuals you can read, then decide which ones you want to buy.

There are instructional videos now that did not exist in the '70s when I started.


Load mid-range or slightly light at first so overpressures are not concerns. Just concentrate on getting the loading steps right and being VERY VERY consistent (charge weight, crimp strength, seating depth, primer seating force, all that)

You will probably spill powder or drop a primer eventually, so consider what you have for floor covering when you pick your reloading room. (Note: my worktable is portable, a folding workbench with two presses mounted on a board that I simply clamp into place. One press has a large primer feed, the other a small primer feed.)



Advice #2 Almost every manufacturer of loading equipment makes good stuff; if they didn't, they would lose reputation fast and disappear from the marketplace. Better equipment costs more generally. Cast aluminum is lighter and less expensive. Cast iron lasts practically forever. Lee makes good equipment, but is generally considered the "economy" equipment maker, though some of their stuff is considered preferable to more expensive makes. Just think about what you buy.

Almost every manufacturer makes a kit that contains everything you need to do reloading (except dies and the consumables). A decent way to get started without too much prior experience. Eventually most reloaders wind up replacing most of the components of the kit as their personal taste develops, but you will have gotten started, at least..

Advice #3 Learn on a single stage press or a turret press. Do not learn on a progressive press. Too many things happening at the same time are hard to keep track of.

Advice #4 Tungsten Carbide dies for your straight-walled cartridge cases. They do not require lubrication which will save you time. Carbide expander button for your bottlenecked cases. Keeps lube out of the inside of the cases.

Advice #5 Find a mentor. There is no substitute for someone watching you load a few cartridges and critiquing your technigue BEFORE you develop bad habits or make a dangerous mistake. (A mistake that might not have consequences right away, but maybe only after you have escaped trouble a hundred times until one day you get bit, for instance having case lube on your fingers when you handle primers 99 times, no problem because primers are coated with a sealant, but the hundredth primer may not be perfectly sealed and now winds up "dead")

I started loading with the guy who sold me my press watching over my shoulder as I loaded my first 6 rounds to make sure I did not blow myself up, load a powderless cartridge or set off a primer in the press. There is nothing like a tutor, or better yet, a mentor. A longer mentoring period might have changed my reloading style, but I learned a lot in those first 6 rounds, as he explained each step. Then I educated myself after that.

After you have been mentored, mentor someone else. Not necessarily in loading or the shooting sports, but in SOMETHING in which you are enthusiastic and qualified. Just give back to the community.

Advice #6 Wear eye protection, especially when seating primers

Advice #7 Don't pinch your fingers in your press.

Advice #8 Read previous threads on reloading, here are a couple I recommend.
http://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve
http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=13543
http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=11&sid=1efda7af229b625361fbd5ae1f754eec
The second one is a thread started by a new recruit to reloading which the moderators thought highly enough of to make it "sticky" so it stays on the top of the list of threads.

Advice #9 When you buy the very best, it hurts only once, in the wallet. When you buy cheap (too cheap) it hurts every time you use the gear. The trick is to buy good enough (on the scale between high quality and low price) to keep you happy without overpaying.

Advice #10 Verify for yourself everything you learn. Believe only half of what you see and one quarter of what you hear. That goes double for everything you find on the internet (with the possible exception of the actual web sites of the bullet and powder manufacturers). This advice applies to my message as much as anything else and especially to personal load recipes. Hare-brained reloaders might have dangerous habits and even an honest typographical error could be deadly.

good luck, and don't pinch your fingers in your press.

Lost Sheep

P.S. I usually buy factory ammo and fire it once to get the brass. If you can spend your $150 for something of good value and purchase decent reloading equipment for a better price at some other store, you might consider it. Simple economics.

[BCRider]

Landric raises a good point about the two presses.

I was recently given two older loading presses. One is the Lee Deluxe and the other an older heavy cast iron Lyman model with 6 die positions in a rotating turret wheel. The Lee is fine but while it'll do what I want a more solid cast iron base would ensure that the ram will not wear at the hole in the base over time. I don't know what my Lee was like when new or how many rounds it's loaded but mine has a minor bit of slop in the ram fit.