New to reloading, please help

[Will Learn]

I'm trying to get into reloading and was wondering if you all could help me out. I have a budget of 1k and would like to reload for the following calibers:
.308, .223, 45 ACP, 40 S&W, and 9mm. I've been looking at Dillon's 650 and 550b. I know that I'm gonna need other things i.e... tumbler/cleaner, case feeder, powdercheck system, dies, etc.. I also need a bench and am trying to decide if I should build or buy one. Please bear with me guys, I'm new to the reloading game and have a lot to learn. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Hawken50]

I have a budget of 1k

wow, even if i had to start all over i'd be hard pressed to spend 1k on relaoding hardware, but it's a problem i wouldn't mind having.

i think most people will tell you to start off with a single stage press, to get a better understanding of the reloading process. you'll probably want to have one anyway for small batches, load development, and other odd jobs. so if i were you i'd start off with one. they can be had really cheap used.

next, or first if you like, get a reloading manual and read it. brand of manual is nothing more than personal prefrence, every one i've seen will give you the ins and outs of reloading, what to do, and more importantly what not to do.

then get some dies. again brand is a matter of prefrence, some are better than others, but all will get the job done. for pistol calibers, i would get carbide dies. not necessary but speeds up the process as you don't have to lube cases.

powder measures of some type are obviously absolutly necessary. you can get anything from lee dippers (nothing more than calibrated spoons) for $10 to the most expensive auto dispensing scale. i started out with the dippers and went quickly to a balance type scale.

powder dispensers are not necessary, as you can weigh charges individually, but do save time. i don't use one cause i tell myself it's more accurate to weigh each charge (which it probably is), but in reality it's cause i'm a cheap bastard.

you will also need case prep tools, i.e. trimmer and such. there are case trimming stations, which i have no experiance with. i use lee trimmers, which are simple to use and impossible to f-up. you will also need to chamfer and deburr the cases after trimming. there are special tools for this, but i use a old reaming bit i "borrowed" from work and sandpaper. some people will tell you you need a primer pocket cleaner. it's a tool that costs about $5. i've been reloading for 5 calibers, rifle and pistol for about 5 years now and have never once wished i had a primer pocket cleaner or even had the desire to clean a primer pocket. in addition to being cheap, i'm also lazy. it's a combination that works for me.

tumblers are great and save a LOT of time cleaning cases, but are not necessary, they can be cleaned by hand. this is one area where my lazy side won out over my cheap side. i cleaned cases with steel wool for 3 years before getting my tumbler. now i would give up reloading before i gave up my tumbler.

as far as a bench, i started out on a old door laid across 2 saw horses. it works, but is not ideal. ideal would be a bench that is bolted to the floor or wall so it won't move or wobble. as far as size, i would think something as big as an average office desk would be good for a beginner.

it would probably be a good idea to invest in some sort of organizing system too. small parts bins on an old book shelf is what i use.

finally, my advice to you would be to start small. by only what you would need to reload a hundred rounds of one caliber. then after reading the manual and reloading the hundred round, ask yourself, "what do i need to make this easier/faster/more precise." you will save yourself lots of money on stuff you don't need or won't use. after all, you can use what's left of that $1,000 to buy another gun!"

 

[Hazzard]

If you have 1k to spend, my advice would be spend $3-$400 on the tools to get started and I'll PM you the list of stuff I want to buy! Just kidding, of course!

My advice? Don't try to buy everything at once. Start small and build up. There are a lot of tools out there and once you develope your own "style" for reloading, some may not be necessary. A good example is the tumbler. Many people say it isn't needed, but to me it's a lifesaver. YMMV.

The Dillons are good and many people swear by them, so I don't think that you can go wrong there, but you may want to consider a turret press to start. I believe the 550 fits the bill, although I don't own one so others may be more helpful here. That way you can use it as a single stage to start until you learn the ropes.

Get a good scale and a powder trickler. You'll want it for rifle calibers. I use an RCBS 1010, but other manufacturers will work as well.

A good powder measure will speed up reloading those pistol calibers. Just remember to check it against the scale every 10-20 rounds. Lyman and lee both make measures that are very accurate and the Lee autodisk is fairly inexpensive. I have 2 and they work very well.

Ther are some other tools that you may want. Case trimmer, champher tool, bullet puler (yes, you need one, trust me). Hope this helps.

 

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Buy a couple books on reloading, such as the ABC's of reloading and Metallic cartridge reloading. Read them. Read this forum and a couple of others back for a good while.

You've got several cartridges listed and some are rifle cartridges. The means you'll want to consider and look into how many shellplates and such you'll need for the calibers you have to get a progressive operating in all those calibers. This can be costly, so before you got and buy a progressive, make sure the quantities you have and the demands you have require that sort of expenditure. A progressive is about producing a lot of rounds fast in one caliber. You have multiple calibers listed, but no list of what quantites you want to produce.

You may find when you think about the quantities involved that a progressive may not be what you need. Instead, a single stage or a turret press may be a better alternative. After all, you'll also have to buy components (Primers, powder, bullets, brass) to feed that beast once you buy it. Not much fun to buzz through a couple thousand 30.06 and suddenly find out you are out of components and money to buy more, because it's all spend on reloading equipment parts.

Understand your problem better before spending your money on a solution that may not end up being what you want.

For example:

A few years ago, I shot a lot of competition (hundreds of rounds a week) in a single caliber and a progressive was ideal for that. Now, I shoot small quantities of ammo (20-25 rounds or so per caliber) in a fairly wide variety of calibers. I'm wishing I had a single stage (Lee Classic Cast single stage press) and a turret press (Lee Classic Cast Turret) for these tasks. Why? Because they'd do the job more effectively and more fun for me than my progressive. Why? Because they can more easily be changed over to other calibers and various loads for a lot less money, allowing me to spend money on components and keep reloading, thereby keep shooting, all the various guns I have and I have a couple safes full. BTW, I did get the Lee single stage, but college boy son took it back to college with him after his most recent visit.

It truly is worth it to not just say: "I need ammo and don't want to spend the slow time with a single stage, so I gotta buy a progressive."

Instead, you may find you'll be happier with versatilty and the ability to add another caliber with minimal costs. Caliber changes can be quite expensive on a progressive.

Think about this: With a single stage, a caliber change is just the cost of the dies. With a turret, it's the dies and a turret. With a progressive, it's dies, possibly a shellplate (or caliber kit) for the press, possibly a shellplate for the case feeder and the list can go on for a bit. So when you're tight on money, it's tough to add another caliber with a progressive. Much easier with the single stage and turret.

You have a lot of calibers to reload for. Think a bit more on what quantities you want to load for and what amount of time you want to invest, then pick the most appropriate press for your situation. Time is money, but so are caliber change kits.

Hope this helps,

Dave

 

[distra]

Will, I'll tell you my recent experience. I picked up a Dillon 550B on eBay with all the trimmings, 3 caliber conversions with dies, 2 powder dispensers, 3 tool head blanks, etc. Caliber conversions can be expensive, ~$100 for dies and shell plate. Although some calibers use the same shell plate. I load .45ACP, 9mm, .44mag, .38sp/.357mag, and have dies and shell plate for .223. The reason I choose Dillon was based on the advice I received from several experenced reloading shooters. Most have atleast 1 550B and some have 2 550s and 650. Now they do shoot a lot and have family members who shoot as well. As for the bench, I opted to build my own, but I have a wood shop in the garage. It took me a day to build the bench and three drawers to store all the goodies. Bench is ~33" high, 72" long, 30" deep. Good luck.

 

[ironhat]

I like ditra's idea of buying used presses. They are all built like tanks and hard to wear out. I took a little different course - mostly because there was no E-bay at the time - and watched the local PennySaver for presses. Heck I even advertised for free for some stuff. You can get a pretty complete set-up from someone who has decided that it's not their kind of hobby. I have an RCBS Rock Chucker (strange name) and a Piggy-back, progressive attachment that attaches to the single stage and is ideal for pistol cartridges and rifle carts up to 223 in length. It's kind of the best of both worlds but I'm certain it's not as smooth as the Dillons - the Rolls Royce of presses.

Whatever you choose you probably won't be sorry. Support from these companies is great and you're gonna love the hobby.

 

[Will Learn]

Thanks a lot for the response guys. I just purchased a reloading video from dillon and am probably pick up the ABC's of Reloading. The reason I was looking at the dillon 650 is because in my current living situation(dorms) I don't have very much living expenses but I know that will change in the long run. I do go through ammo relatively quick so I might need to reload for bulk. I'll be moving out of here soon and will have to deal with rent and or mortgage, so the more rounds I can turn out (cheaply) the more I will be able to sustain my hobby. Not saying that starting out small is a bad idea but I just don't know if I will be in the position to upgrade within the foreseeable future after I move off campus. I plan on doing some more research before I decide what to do and I appreciate your guys' help.

 

[ironhat]

After the cost of the press the cost of materials is the next biggest one. Buying a less expensive press wold allow you to buy and sockpile more bullets, primers powder, etc. But, it sounds like you're enamored with the 650 so, go for it. You won't be sorry!