hi, im interested in getting into reloading, most likely 9mm parabellum and 12 and 20 gauge shotgun shells. i have no experience and no equipment yet, the only person i know with reloading experience is my father and he told me he can't really help me because he used to reload rifle calibers and it's "a completely different ball game." Sooo... where do I start? Also are there any laws associated with this I should know?
I want to learn how to reload
- Thread starter greenr18
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Master Blaster
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The first thing you should do is to get a reloading manual, and read it thoroughly.
I would recommend Speer 14, or Lyman 48, Both of these manuals have a good introductory section that explains reloading procedures, equipment types etc.
This is the best thing you can do spend the money on a good manual and read it. Then you can begin to make an informed decision as to what reloading equipment you want to buy.
I would recommend Speer 14, or Lyman 48, Both of these manuals have a good introductory section that explains reloading procedures, equipment types etc.
This is the best thing you can do spend the money on a good manual and read it. Then you can begin to make an informed decision as to what reloading equipment you want to buy.
Jimfern
Member
video tutorials
You should definitely get a book, but for a nice overview, check out the videos on the bottom most link of this page:
http://www.rcbs.com/general/videos.aspx
You should definitely get a book, but for a nice overview, check out the videos on the bottom most link of this page:
http://www.rcbs.com/general/videos.aspx
djs764
member
You can do a search on you tube for reloading. There's a few good videos that explain the process and set up of different presses. Just don't rely on anyone advise when it comes to what they use for grains in their load online. Get a good reload book for that and start from there. I'm just getting started myself and have learned a lot from reading, videos, and all the forums.
http://www.youtube.com/user/PorterhouseV.... This guys video goes through teh set up process for a Dillon 550b
http://www.loadbooks.com/... These are good books if you want to just load specific calibers.
http://www.youtube.com/user/PorterhouseV.... This guys video goes through teh set up process for a Dillon 550b
http://www.loadbooks.com/... These are good books if you want to just load specific calibers.
bullseye308
Member
Get the Lyman 49th and read the stickies at the top. That should answer most of your questions. No laws to be concerned with unless you start stockpiling components in very large numbers.
Jim Watson
Member
Loading shotshells IS a completely different process from rifle or pistol.
Lyman has a dedicated shotgun manual and you will need a dedicated shotgun press; MEC makes a variety of machines and the entry level 600 Junior is not very expensive.
Lyman has a dedicated shotgun manual and you will need a dedicated shotgun press; MEC makes a variety of machines and the entry level 600 Junior is not very expensive.
DickM
Member
Get a copy of "The ABC's of Reloading," originally by Dean Grennell, latest edition by Bill Chevalier as Grennell is no longer with us. I've been handloading for about 40 years and I learn something every time I pick it up. Available at Amazon, among others.
rfwobbly
Member
Jim Watson said it first. Pistol is so completely different from shotgun that it takes 2 different machines.
To your advantage though, they do share a lot of the same powders. So it's not a complete mis-match.
I'm not aware of one manual that covers reloading both types of ammo. "The ABC's of Reloading" might, or at least might come the closest. Also check your local library and borrow from reloading friends. Some used books appear on Amazon. From time-to-time I see great books for $5 and $7.
YouTube has numerous videos, but like anything else on the internet, there are good videos and there are completely misleading videos made by idiots with a death wish. Reading first will help you sort some of this out.
A word of warning: A new pistol reloading setup is going to cost you around $450 no matter what brand you buy. So this can be an expensive hobby to get into. However, with every "pull of the lever" there is definite FUN and quick payback. It's just that not everyone has that kind of money right now. There are, however, really good deals on used setups via your local Craig's List. Again, reading about it first will help you sort the junk from the good deals.
Hope this helps!
To your advantage though, they do share a lot of the same powders. So it's not a complete mis-match.
I'm not aware of one manual that covers reloading both types of ammo. "The ABC's of Reloading" might, or at least might come the closest. Also check your local library and borrow from reloading friends. Some used books appear on Amazon. From time-to-time I see great books for $5 and $7.
YouTube has numerous videos, but like anything else on the internet, there are good videos and there are completely misleading videos made by idiots with a death wish. Reading first will help you sort some of this out.
A word of warning: A new pistol reloading setup is going to cost you around $450 no matter what brand you buy. So this can be an expensive hobby to get into. However, with every "pull of the lever" there is definite FUN and quick payback. It's just that not everyone has that kind of money right now. There are, however, really good deals on used setups via your local Craig's List. Again, reading about it first will help you sort the junk from the good deals.
Hope this helps!
coloradokevin
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rfwobbly said:
It doesn't need to cost that much! Like anything else, the sky is the limit on this kind of equipment.
I used a turret press to load for rifle and pistol, and it cost far less than $450!
Lee Classic Turret:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat602007-cat20847&id=0044122216337a&navCount=1&podId=0044122&parentId=cat20847&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=XJ&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat601233&hasJS=true
There are faster (and more expensive presses) out there, but I've been happy with the turret press, and it is still a time saver when compared with a single stage press for pistol loading!
Dodahdude
member
Me too. I have been searching the web looking at everything. The more I look the more I get confused on what brand and type to buy. I'll pick up some books this weekend and start reading. But, what would be a good reloader?
I shoot about 1,000 9mm and .45 calibers a year. My main question is... Is there a die holder (?) that holds a 9mm, .45, 38 special and .357 all at the same time? Without changing die's all the time.
I shoot about 1,000 9mm and .45 calibers a year. My main question is... Is there a die holder (?) that holds a 9mm, .45, 38 special and .357 all at the same time? Without changing die's all the time.
ljnowell
Member
Amen to that. I started reloading with a 25 dollar press, 25 dollar set of carbide dies, a cheap used scale, a lee powder funnel, and a couple of cheap reloading trays. A tumbler is not needed at the beginning. Since starting I have invested another 40 dollars in a lee auto disk powder measure, adjustable charge bar. If I added up all the costs of everything i have (tumbler, etc) I would still have less than 200 dollars involved in equipment. Yes, I am not loading 500 rounds an hour, but for a few hours of my time I can load several hundred dollars worth of quality ammo that far exceeds the accuracy of what I was buying. Plus, after a while I started liking to reload as much as shooting.
bang_bang
Member
Lee has some great prices on introductory kits, around $125 or so for a nearly complete set-up.
I thought for a while that reloading was hard. But after testing the waters, it's mostly about safety and how precise you want to take a load. Easy stuff, just read instructions carefully, and double/triple check everything.
I thought for a while that reloading was hard. But after testing the waters, it's mostly about safety and how precise you want to take a load. Easy stuff, just read instructions carefully, and double/triple check everything.
lee precision has this:
"LEE 50th Anniversary Kit
Includes the new Breech Lock Challenger Press and three Breech Lock quick-change bushings. You get a complete powder handling system, with the most convenient and repeatable Perfect Powder Measure. Plus the Lee Safety Scale, the most sensitive and safest of all powder scales and fill your case with the included Powder Funnel. A value of $157.00.
Case Preparation Tools include a cutter and lock stud to trim your cases. Order the correct case length gauge for the calibers you will be loading, it’s only $5.50 extra. An included Lee chamfer tool chamfers the inside and outside of the case mouth and a tube of premium sizing lube is included. A small and large primer pocket-cleaning tool completes the case preparation package. $13.92 value.
But that’s not all! You get the Large and small Safety Prime. Prime with push button convenience and is safe with all brands of primers. Never touch the primer from box to the case. $30.00 value.
Compare it to others priced at hundreds of dollars more. Reloading saves money and you save right from the start with Lee equipment.
Purchased separately, it's a $200 value! "
Can someone tell me what that'd reload? Rifle ammo, pistol ammo, or shotshells? or should i read a book on reloading before i buy anything
"LEE 50th Anniversary Kit
Includes the new Breech Lock Challenger Press and three Breech Lock quick-change bushings. You get a complete powder handling system, with the most convenient and repeatable Perfect Powder Measure. Plus the Lee Safety Scale, the most sensitive and safest of all powder scales and fill your case with the included Powder Funnel. A value of $157.00.
Case Preparation Tools include a cutter and lock stud to trim your cases. Order the correct case length gauge for the calibers you will be loading, it’s only $5.50 extra. An included Lee chamfer tool chamfers the inside and outside of the case mouth and a tube of premium sizing lube is included. A small and large primer pocket-cleaning tool completes the case preparation package. $13.92 value.
But that’s not all! You get the Large and small Safety Prime. Prime with push button convenience and is safe with all brands of primers. Never touch the primer from box to the case. $30.00 value.
Compare it to others priced at hundreds of dollars more. Reloading saves money and you save right from the start with Lee equipment.
Purchased separately, it's a $200 value! "
Can someone tell me what that'd reload? Rifle ammo, pistol ammo, or shotshells? or should i read a book on reloading before i buy anything
Dodahdude
member
greenr18... Are you a sales person?
coloradokevin
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dodahdude said:
How'd you get that from his posts in this thread?
Greenr18,
That setup would work for rifle and pistol ammo. Shotshell is another animal entirely, and you need different equipment (not saying it is necessarily harder, just different... I don't currently load shotshell, so I couldn't help you on that one).
Anyway, that kit would certainly work for loading rifle and pistol, though it wouldn't be as quick as using a $500-1000 progressive press. FWIW, I load rifle single stage anyway, so it is a moot point for the speed of rifle loading, at least to me. And, you can certainly load pistol ammo on it if you only need a couple of boxes at a time (I wouldn't try to load 1,000rds/wk on a single stage, but most people don't need that capacity anyway).
If you do feel that you need more speed, you may also want to check out the turret kit I linked to above. It isn't as fast as a progressive, but is faster than a single stage.
Also, read before you buy!!! I found that my local library carried the ABC's of Reloading, as well as a few other shooting books. You should also check out the Lyman 49th Edition loading manual. You'll need a manual anyway, and this book has a lot of "how to" information at the beginning.
When I started loading (about a year ago) everyone told me to read up on the topic first; I'm glad that I did.
280shooter
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- Jan 31, 2008
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- 707
buy some good reloading books go to ebay and buy them,, used book stores will have them too..lyman has great books.old or new.. the system of reloading is all the same,and its done the same way as it was 20 years ago.
I would buy a single stage,, do one at a time.then, if u want to load faster then look into a turent set up
I would buy a single stage,, do one at a time.then, if u want to load faster then look into a turent set up
I HAVE found that 12ga is alot easer then rifle or pistol ammo to reload, I HAVE a MEC, its about 12 years old and back when i was younger my dad would set it up and me and my couisns (13-14yrs old) WOULD crank out massive amounts of shells,we reloaded so many shells that we ran out of stuff to shoot!
buy a good book, get a good setup and u will be surprized on how fast you will learn!
buy a good book, get a good setup and u will be surprized on how fast you will learn!
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