Just bought my first press. Needs some info tho.

[SimplyChad]

Its the kempf kit turrent. I wont get to play with it for a few months but thats ok. My question is what else do i need? Im getting a Lee loading manual and a scale that is to .1 gr. What else? I know I need powders but I dont know what kind to get. primers and dies arent up just yet.
.327 mag
.380/ 9mm
.38/357 mag
.223
.243
30/30
.7mm-08
.308
.30-06
8MMjs
.45-70
.45 acp/colt
.454 casull
.44 mag

Can anyone group these into powders for me so I know what to order? Im assuming all the 06 variants and 8 MM would go into one group and most of the pistols inyo another but I really dont know. I have 200 bucks left in my budget for powders this payday. So someone please tell me what Ill need.

 

[kingmt]

You could use Bullseye in everything but rifle you may want ether Varget or BL(C)-2. I have never found anything that Varget works well in but I don't think you could get enough in any cartridge to hurt yourself. BL(C)-2 works well everywhere that I have used it.

 

[gahunter12]

First off I would get more than just the Lee load manual. I would get the ABC's of reloading, and read front to back then read front to back again. Also pick up a copy of Lyman's reloading manual, Speer manual, and Hornady Manual. I have all the above including the Lee manual, and haven't picked up the Lee manual since reading it after I purchased it.

Do yourself a favor and get yourself a good set of scales. Something along the lines of the RCBS, or Dillon Eliminator scale. The Dillon scale is the same as RCBS, but about $15 cheaper. Scales are not the item to skimp on.

For rifle reloading you will need case prep tools. ABC's of reloading will explain the tools and how to use them. I don't load rifle loads yet. All my loading is for pistol. Sorry. No need to worry about trimming straight wall pistol cases. Only case prep tool I have is a primer pocket cleaner, and have only used it once.

Tumbler to clean cases. You can wash them, but it's a pain. Get a tumbler and media. This will save time for more loading. Pickup your media at Petsmart. I use Lizard Litter (crushed walnut). Bullet puller- I have the impact style and works fine for me.

I know I'm missing something. As for powders: what do you want out of your pistol loads? Do you want full power, near max loads or light target loads. Most of my loads are light target loads for IDPA and practice.

 

[weeniewawa]

get a good set of calipers, some case gauges for the calibers you will be loading. and I would just concentrate on one caliber till you get to know what you are doing to eliminate the confusion.

don't load up too many before you go out and shoot to make sure they cycle correctly

also a chronograph would be handy to see exactly what your loads are doing in your weapons

 

[Mike 27]

I would recommend start with a pistol round and a rifle round and start working those up. The 38 spl is a good easy one to start with, and one of the rifle rounds maybe the 223 or 243. As always especially if you won't start for 2 months grab the books mentioned above and read. I would not recommend trying to work all of the rounds up and buying all of the powders at one time. I recommend this until you get your feet wet and get comfortable with the process. I may be completely off base but it's my 2 cents. I recommend the 38 because it is a straight wall case and a low charge round compared to say 44mag or others. I started on 30-06 and it wasn't that bad either. Hope this helps...again my 2 cents....Welcome to the hobby...

Mike

 

[Josh45]

I have to agree on getting the scale and the calipers next.
Get either one that GaHunter12 mentioned. There worth the cash.
Easy to zero as well. Bullseye would work well but I would have to steer you towards Unique because it is an easy powder to work with because you can see a double charge easily. Plenty of case fill to let you know where your at.

Get some reloading trays while you are at it. They help. You may or may not want a powder trickler. For me, It helps when I make a small batch of ammo like 5-10 for testing purposes. Make sure you get carbide dies for all your pistol calibers. They will save you a ton of time.

As mentioned, You can wash your brass but it is a bit of a pain. Get the tumbler and media when you can to clean up your brass some. And I do agree with needing more manuals. You can use the online manuals from the powder mfgr for load data but Lymans 49th edition is a good book to explain many things to you about loading pistol or rifle.

For now, I would suggest you get

Calipers
Scale
Reloading Trays
Lyman 49th Editon Reloading Manual

I would worry about powder after I get the appropriate things that will help my reloading session be safe. Just a tip tho, I like W-231 in .38 Spcl and works well in .45 ACP. So does Bullseye. For the 9mm, I prefer Universal and for the .40 I use Power Pistol.

But like mentioned, Don't worry about powders yet. Get the equipment together to make sure your session is safe!

 

[kingmt]

Sence your budget is tight I wouldn't buy all this crap they are throwing at you. You can get books from the library. Data from online at powder manufactures. If you have to skimp on a scale the Lee should be safe & no more annoying then any other beam but the scale isn't a must & digital isn't much more expensive. I you are going to try to start now I would pick the cartridge that you will save the most on over the next month. If you can buy everything you can in one place at one time you will save more money. Considering you shop for the best price. All your powder & primers in as biggest shipment that will go with 1 hazmat.

 

[SimplyChad]

Ok ive added the lyman and nosler guides. Hornady scales and caliper, lyman tumbler and universal case trimmer. I already have the ABCs at the house with the case tools. I wont be home for a few months and would like everything to be waiting on me. (Im in afghanistan)

 

[jfrey]

You need to check the manuals first, but I would think that Unique would be a baseline powder in the pistol calibers. 4895 is the standby powder for most all rifle calibers and you can develop specific loads from there. The type and action of rifle you are using will also depend on how hot you want to load them. That's where the various powder burn rates come into play. At this point, it gets very interesting and fun to roll your own ammo. Just read the books and go slow.

 

[J_McLeod]

For powder and load research, Hodgdon has a great website. www.hodgdon.com I'd start with Win 231/HP-38 for the pistols. It's great for 9mm, 380, 45 and 38, and will work in the others, though it won't produce full power loads. Varget is a good choice for the rifles and will load most if not all of them.

 

[4895]

If I had a small budget for powders/primers and wanted to limit myself to avoid confusion, I would buy the following:

1 lb. of Winchester 231 (ball powder) for all of the target level pistol ammo. It doesn't always give top velocity, however, it meters great and shoots very clean. Uses standard primers.

1 lb. of Alliant 2400 (ball powder) for all of the magnum load pistol ammo. It meters very well and isn't limited to only the highest velocity like some powders. Uses standard primers, but mag primers will work fine. Be sure to start low and work up.

1 lb. of Hodgdon 4895 (stick powder) for all of the bolt action rifle as it works for almost everything with clean burn, temperature insensitivity and high velocity. Similar to Hodgdon Varget, however, H4895 can also be loaded for reduced recoil for novice/young shooters and even lead bullets in some rifle calibers such as .30-30 Winchester. I like to weigh each charge as it is an extruded (stick) powder, however, it usually throws to +/- .3 grains which is fine if not loading at the max.

(optional) 1 lb. of Hodgdon BL(C)-2 (ball powder) for semi-auto .308 or .223 if using in large quantity. It is a ball powder that will meter well and give acceptable results.

Getting more than a lb. of a powder is a bit premature as you will discover what you want later on down the road. This list is not comprehensive, but should get you going with what you'll need. Ball powders are usually easier to work with since they meter nicely.

Hope this helps.

 

[SimplyChad]

4895 thank you. I think i will just get a pound or 2 of everything mentioned so far. I know it might be a waste but i really am just so excited about this.

 

[4895]

You're heading down a dark path my friend. Next thing you know, you'll be hoarding brass and buying bullets by the case! Lol. Reloading, handloading, experimenting, etc. is so much fun. I hope you find as much enjoyment as the rest of us. Take care.

 

[SimplyChad]

Is the fact I already bought a chrono and casting kit bad?

I like the dark side, they have cookies.