I'm really thinking of starting to reload!

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Springfield_1911SS

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I am still saving the money to buy up the equipment, so I not 100% ready yet. I have started to read The ABC's of Reloading book.

I have made a list of the items I was thinking of buying. I would like to run this by everyone here to make sure im not missing anything or anyone has any advise.

I am on a low budget, I do have a C&R so I can get dealer pricing.

My list does not include brass, bullets, primers, or powder. Just the equipment.

I will start out on .45ACP


MY LIST

Press:Lee 4 hole turret press kit

other stuff for press:Lee Safety Prime (to use the press to do priming)
Lee Powder Measure riser (to allow the use of safety prime and power measure)

Case Tumbler kit: FA quick-n-ex tumbler kit

Dies: Lee deluxe 4 die handgun 45acp

Others: Lee Reloader Pack (manual and an extra press)

no need to link:
Buller Puller
Reloading trays
Ammo boxes
 
Don't forget a set of calipers. They don't have to be expensive. Take care of them and they will last a lifetime.
 
I hope (if you're married) you have a tolerant wife. It is a time consuming hobby. I would't give it up!
 
My wife got me into reloading. I was spending too much money on .45 Colt ammo so she got me set up for under $200 on a single stage. Well I picked the stuff out but it was her suggestion. I went with the Lee Anniversary Kit and have been very happy. Plan to get a Lee Pro 1000 in the next month or two.

Enjoy!
 
I started reloading very recently, using a lot of the resources available here at THR. Lots of good info availablem to help ya along.
 
I just got everything I need to start reloading. Its all LEE stuff but everything to reload 1,000 rounds of 45acp cost me 250 bucks. That works out to 12.50 a box which is still cheaper per box of 50 than what i was payin in the store. Next 1000 should be closer to 4.50 a box.
 
I am essentially just half a step ahead of you too. Except my budget for reloading just went from 100 to 500 fast. I went from getting a Lee single press to buying my dillon 550 last Sunday. I still haven't set it up, will set it up soon. Still have to clean my garage.
 
im a college reloader too. i started my sophmore year (or end of freshman) and now just finished undergrad work.

im gonna go out on a limb and say your gonna be shooting a sprinfield armory 1911. .. . .when it comes time to purchase bullets, i shoot hard cast lead out of mine, and it runs like a top. if you want pm me and i'll tell ya more specifics. I love the lee stuff, i have a pro 1000 and a turret (3 hole) on the bench. wouldn't trade either of them. if you are going to use the safety prime, you probably need the riser for your powder thrower so they don't clunk together. i think they beat you up for six bucks.
 
A used Lee turret press and scale I bought, W231 on sale and the cheapest cast .45 bullets I could find at the gun shows was how I reloaded when I was a young man on a very tight budget. Sometimes we forget how that was like when we reccommend all this expensive stuff to new reloaders. :)
 
I have a Lee Classic Turret. The one you are looking at is the Deluxe Turret. I have heard of people loading with the Deluxe for years and the press has served them well. The Classic IMO is a much better press and not that much more money. You can buy the Classic in a kit for $150 at http://kempfgunshop.com/ or http://cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0044122216337a&navCount=1&podId=0044122&parentId=cat20847&masterpathid=&navAction=jump&cmCat=MainCatcat602007-cat20847&catalogCode=IH&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20847&hasJS=true. Kempf will be more helpful when you call on the phone to make sure you have everything you need. The Classic has a spent primer disposal through the ram and into a tube. From what I hear the Deluxe press will end up putting a lot of primers on the bench and floor. The Classic is also taller and will load larger rifle calibers if you need to. I have found the safety prime on the Classic to be flawless when setup correct. I made one small mistake and thought it worked good. Once I made the correction it has been great.
Good luck with whichever press you decide to buy and load safe.
Rusty
 
well im getting closer to buying the stuff I should be able to buy all the equipment and the stuff to make .45 rounds in the next few week, im waiting for some stuff to sell on ebay(this semester's tuition was a killer). Im going to buy at bullets and equipment from midway because i get dealer pricing and the powder and primers from cabelas(getting one in my area at the end of the month) or gander mountain to avoid the excessive shipping fees on hazardas materials. I bought a desk at a garage sale for $8 and I am going to add to it to make it reloading friendly. I can't wait.

I have a side quesion: In rifle dies, does the sizing die also expand the case neck so a bullet can be seated?
 
I have a side quesion: In rifle dies, does the sizing die also expand the case neck so a bullet can be seated?
Click to expand...
Yes. The decapping rod on the sizer has an expander ball on the lower part just above the decapping pin which expands the neck on the way back out after sizing. Forsters expander balls are a bit higher on the rod than most.
 
+1 for getting the "Lee Classic" turret rather than the one you linked to. (I have both). Had I known there was a difference I would have just gotten the Classic, which is a better press. I had the deluxe for a few months and liked it so-so, then I bit the bullet and bought a classic to fix some little things that were driving me nuts with the deluxe. My deluxe has been sitting in the box it came in ever since...

1) the "classic" press contains decapped primers MUCH better, the "deluxe" always spewed them all over the floor for me
2) the classic press index works more cleanly and consistently than the deluxe, at least in my case
3) the handle on the classic press is much better made than the handle on the deluxe. The deluxe has an aluminum handle, the classic (better) has a steel handle. Firmer and doesn't come loose unlike the handle on the deluxe. The stupid wooden ball on my deluxe press handle kept coming off too, really annoying.
 
I have the deluxe turret press.... I load 45acp as well.
If you're looking for brass, I know a guy in colorado who sells it for $53 (includes shipping) per 1400 pieces, all previously fired... all shiny. nice guy.

go to powdervalleyinc.com for all your components. Everything there is cheaper. Remember 1 pound = 7000 grains. that's a lot of powder... one pound lasts a long time in pistols.

I got the lee pro auto disk, and you need a riser with the lee safety prime. I like my setup, it's quick (about 100 rds per hour if you go slow) and you can easily use it while doing other things because each round is completed with a few pulls of the handle, so you're not stopping between steps. I like to load while doing laundry on a saturday. there's about 100 rounds to a cycle of my washing machine, so it gives me a good break to put things on the clothesline and grab a smoke away from my powder. ;-) My point is, it can TAKE UP THE WHOLE OF YOUR FREE TIME, because it does take a lot longer to load than to shoot and if you're doing both frequently, you'll be spending a lot of time reloading. I like to integrate it in with my chores and since my press is mounted high enough that I can't sit and operate it, it keeps me from getting lathargic. In a usual Saturday I can load about 1000 45acp rounds while doing other chores on my turret press. My wrists don't get tired because of all the breaks and my wife doesn't give me a hard time for spending the whole day making ammo and not keeping the place up.

This post is more about the stuff that isn't talked about in reloading, it's a lifestyle. If you're like me, you start saving everything because it can be either used as a target, or used to hold brass or bullets. I became a lot more frugal after taking up reloading because when I save 10 cents on a gallon of gas, that's 5 primers! or two bullets, or a bunch of powder! If you think about it, just getting the change out of your old sofa will probably buy a few hundred primers...

Good luck, I hope you enjoy the hobby as much as some of the rest of us.
 
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