I want to start reloading...

[Edmond]

I hear that the Lee Press is a good one for starters like myself. I looked on the Natchez site and they have a Lee Anniversary press that also comes with a guide.

I would be reloading .45acp mostly. It's getting so expensive to buy new ones every time.

I have some questions:

How much would a die set for .45acp cost? How long will it last?

Can I also reload JHP as well?

Is there a certain ammo that reloads better than others?

 

[only1asterisk]

45 ACP dies cost $10-35.

You can load whatever bullet you like. Some instances may require you buy/modify the seating stem, but that's $2-3 part.

Is there certain ammo that reloads better? Many people like one brand of brass more than others for specific uses. Maybe you could rephrase your question? It isn't exactly clear to me what you are asking?


David

 

[P0832177]

You need to get several reloading manuals. Read them cover to cover and then ask questions. Your investment in yourself will answer most of your questions. My first thought is ABC's of Reloading is a good place to start. You must read the book! Sierra and Lyman are good books. Then download every powder mfg. data to your computer for additional references, too. You must invest in yourself first. You will not learn to reload by asking questions which are rather self evident. Check out this web site NRMA it has online video of the reloading process. With the internet you get of hit and miss information. :banghead: You can look at any online dealer's web site to price stuff. Use the search function for dealers. There are just too many to list!

Reloading is like growing up! No short cuts! Safety is job one!

 

[Edmond]

I'll go down to Borders tomorrow and see if they have any books on reloading.

What I meant by what kind of bullets, I meant what kind of brass is good for reloading. I know that Wolf brass can't be reloaded. Are Winchesters good for reloading?

 

[Valkman]

Winchester brass is great for reloading. Federal is good too. In new brass Starline is king, but right now you could just buy some mixed brass from someone like The Brassman. I get all my brass from him because he's local to me. All of his stuff is good, and if anyone loads .223 he'll soon be about the only one that has quantities of Lake City brass.

 

[P0832177]

I have been reloading the 45 ACP for a long time! I sort brass by application.
I use Federal and Win for the 625's. No particular reason just do!
I use PMC and RP for outdoor use where I can recover it from the USP's.
I use all the rest, except you should stay away from AMERC headstamped brass, for the USP for use at indoor ranges where I might not recover it.

The brass will split and that is when it gets retired. I have brass that you can not even read the head stamp on any more! I had a stash of some TZZ Match brass that lasted a good long time!

Beware of military brass as it has a crimped primer. It can be removed with a deburring tool.

 

[only1asterisk]

Better brass for the .45 ACP is: Military, IMI, Winchester and Starline. Some bullseye folks like Federal, but I don't find it as good as the others. Remington and Sellior & Bellot are reloadable, as are Speer and PMC. American is total crap and best avoided.

Assuming this is for your glock, lead bullets are out. Bullets with a nice, rounded profile feed best, but your glock shouldn't be that picky. I suggest buying your bullets in small lots until you find one that your gun and your wallet are comfortable with.


David

 

[NavajoNPaleFace]

Depending on your .45 a factory crimp die might be needed also.

Of all of my .45s I have a couple tha won't allow the reload to full battery without the factory crimp whereas the other guns are not as precise and picky.

Beware of some bullet manufacurers who DO NOT clearly state that the bullet is for .45 ACP or .45LC. Long Colt bullets will not work in .45 ACP guns. And if the box is not clearly marked it can be confusing (although I have learned to notice the difference by simple observation others might not be able to) since the diamter can be the same, etc.

 

[ruger270man]

I just bought a used Lee Anniversary kit, and read the entire book last night... a speer book is on the way, gonna read that one too.. figure I'd do some reading before I got my feet wet. Also gotta head down to lowes one of these days and pick up some wood for my bench! I'm excited.. doesnt sound too hard.

 

[Wedge]

For Christmas my wonderful wife gave me a whole reloading setup:

Lee Anniversary Kit w/ Modern Reloading
Frankford Arsenal Tumbling Kit
Calipers
Micrometer
Lee Deluxe Pistol Dies for .45 Colt - they are carbide - they will be here forever

That stuff was only ~$260

Then I got bullets (Laser Cast 255 gr. LSWC), powder (1 lb. Unique) and primers (1000 CCI 300 - large pistol) for about $70

I also got a few more manuals for like $30.

So for around $360 I am all set for .45 Colt, which costs a fortune at the store...but it is still going to take me about 500 rounds to break even. I don't shoot a whole lot (it was -7F yesterday...and we are getting 10-20" of snow today) but the ability to make ammo that I wanted and that was more accurate outweighed any cost savings.

Good luck.

 

[flip]

Edmond

Before you start reloading, get a tumbler, corn cob, walnut, and some akro bins or 5 gallon buckets. Sort and clean all of your brass. This is the most tedious part of reloading. If you think sorting sucks, give away your brass to all of us whores at the range and sell your tumblers.

If you don't mind sorting, get some manuals.

Start asking around the range were you shoot about there setups (remember to double check all reloading data wherever it comes from). It is very easy for somebody to type the wrong nember on thier keyboard when giving out data.

From there see if somebody will teach you. Most reloaders don't mind sharing

Do a search on this forum and others. There is a wealth of info here.

Flip

 

[Edmond]

There wouldn't happen to be a "Reloading for Dummies" would there?

 

[Waitone]

The search function here and at the TFL has all the info you'll ever need for reloading.

 

[Dennie Suman]

About 2 weeks ago I went to a Bill Goodman's Gun and Knife Show for the first time. I wanted to start reloading and find some equipment. I ended up buying a Lee Turret Press, .45Colt carbide dies, and a Lee 2nd Edition reloading manual. All this including tax for $135.29. Went home and read the manual for a couple days, then bought a pound of universal powder and 250 lead round nose flat point bullets. This was a recommendation in the Lee manual. Using Winchester primers a 6.5 grains of powder I put together 80 rounds using new Winchester brass. It took me 5 rounds to get my dies set properly. The 6th round looked fine so I put it in my new Vaquero stainless and let'er fly. Wow, way cool! Loaded more and did some plinking.
I am hooked! Can't wait to do more!
I have seen the price of Lee Carbide dies range from $19-33.
Depends where you get them.
Give reloading a shot! I know, not very punny.

 

[cottontoptexan]

Starting Reloading

Edmond,
I would go a step farther and get an RCBS starter set with a good press and really good scale. I do like some of the Lee products. Their scale and powder dump are 2 things i do not care for. I think the RCBS or Redding powder dump are 2 of the best. The RCBS scale i have been using for over 20 years is made by Ohaus and is called the 505 . The Speer Manual which is available just about anywhere is a very good manual to read and understand what is required to reload. Hey many people are here on this forum to help. Just ask. We will help with whatever we can. By the way the Lee 45 ACP dies come with a factory crimp die. Someone else here stated you may need a taper crimp die , in addition to the regular die set. That is true with some guns with tight chambers. I also crimp on a seperate operation from the bullet seating. It works well for me. I load on 2 presses. I have 2 of the Lee turrent presses set up where i don't have to mess with anything. One is for 45 and one is for 357. I do not use the auto advance part of the turrent moving with each stroke of the handle . If loading handgun only they are excellent presses to use. One has loaded many rounds since 1984 and has no play in the linkage. I clean and lube my presses occasionally. Like i said when you have questions just get on this site and many will help . Curt