Sorry this is long....hope it helps!
can someone please tell me if I should get the Hornady LnL progressive or classic?
I bought the ABCs of reloading... it's ok...
My birthday is on the 19th, so I guess I'll get the reloading kit then... I need the dies and powder with the LnL classic right? what else do I need?
is there any reputable and knowledgable place I can order from online? and they will help me in choosing things?
I went to my local basspro shop, and they didn't have hardly anything (seriously) for reloading...
thanks!
Jack
PS I don't mind ordering from someone online...
Ok, Jack, here's the important thing. Eventually you will probably want both a progressive and a single stage press, and here's why:
For fast loading of pistol rounds a progressive is all you need, because generally there is no case prep. If you bought the progressive, you would learn how to use it quickly, if you have half a brain. The only catch is you would need to slow the process down while you learn, so you don't load a bunch of trash...maybe even dangerous trash. Its easy to get carried away on a progressive before you understand all the steps to safe and exceptional self-loaded ammo. That's why more than a few people recommend a single station press first. If you have patience and self-control go ahead with the progressive....but first consider the following, if you want to load RIFLE.
Loading rifle ammo is a whole difference animal, because case prep is almost always necessary. You can do it all on a progressive...but you have to do it in separate steps...not all at once as you would load pistol.
Step 1 (assuming you have good clean brass) is lubing, removing old primers, and sizing the brass. You can do that on your progressive, but you have to remove the other stations such as priming, charging, seating...because case prep needs to happen BEFORE you get to the next station.
Many of us who load rifle, using progressives, still do step 1 on a single station press, like the LnL Classic, Lee Classic Cast, or RCBS Rock Chucker. Why? Because we want to prep the brass before we start the progressive operation, because we don't want to set up the progressive
twice! (There are people with big bank accounts that buy two progressives and set up a Dillon trimmer on the first one and cut things down to two steps....but they are a privileged few...unless you are one of them, no need to get in to that.)
So then for my purpose,
Step 2 is done OFF press, where we trim, chamfer, deburr, (at least) and maybe even uniform primer pockets, swage or ream them (if the brass is military and has crimped primer pockets), remove flash hole burrs if we want, and even tumble the lubed brass so its clean again after the lubing and case prep it got.
NOW is the time for the final
Step 3 and where a progressive makes magic. The shiny prepped brass needs new primer, powder, and bullets.... and with every pull of the handle all that happens and perfect, finished ammo drops into the bin.
So you see, the point of this narrative is to show you why it might be worthwhile to get that single station press, green or red, and learn the process, and then keep it primed and ready to do rifle step 1...forever....even after you talk your sweetie into a progressive...next birthday!!!
The other advantage...you got a whole year to find out which progressive, Dillon, Hornady, or RCBS will fit what you want to accomplish...the best.
Having started on the RCBS Rock Chucker 38 years ago, my upgrade to a progressive, only two years ago, was a year long methodical analysis of my needs, and how the several great presses available, met them. I ended up with RCBS's progressive, not because it was best, but because it was best for my needs. Your needs and choice may be different...but make sure you have time to figure out what they are....and so I vote...get a single stage first and find out if you really love to reload. Next Christmas....Birthday...whatever, will come plenty soon.