New guy contemplating handloading

[cavman]

Trimming 45ACP is a good exercise to learn trimming and having the equipment on hand can be useful but you will find the cases won't change much.

It may be good practice to get to know how to do it for rifle, but it is not needed for pistol. I know of zero people who do this for pistol.

(my pool may not be the biggest, ~30-40 maybe, but they are all Bullseye shooters who shoot a lot of 45 ACP)

 

[GLOOB]

Brandon:

That's almost the exact kit I got. (I got the Cabela's version for 8 dollars more, except it includes the Lee Autoprimer which I don't use, anyway.)

The powder thrower that comes with it is pretty accurate for pistol-size charges. You definitely don't need a powder trickler to start off with. I will warn you that this powder dispenser likes to leak powder out the side, especially with smaller, denser powders. I use it with Unique, but I prefer to use a scoop with W-231, else 1 charge out of 20 ends up on the bench.

You definitely want a tumbler, IMO, unless you reload only for revolvers. With clean brass, you don't even need to lube .45 ACP. And 150 .45 ACP cases is just about what a small tumbler will hold in one load.

And don't forget to buy a bullet puller.

Also, don't forget to pick up 1/4" or 5/16" bolts and nuts to secure your press. They are not included. You'll need 3 of them. The length of the bolt holes of the press, itself, is 1". So add 1 1/4" to the thickness of your bench, to allow room for the press and the nut.

 

[cfullgraf]

Yes, a tumbler is a good thing. I like to clean brass after it is fired and before resizing. particularly it cleans off range grime on semi-auto brass.

 

[qajaq59]

And don't forget to buy a bullet puller.

And if you are going to be doing rifle cases in the future get a stuck case remover as well. You may never need it, but if you ever do, you'll be real happy that you have it.

 

[brandon_mcg]

bullet puller almost slipped my mind. i'm excited about jumping into this hobby. went and picked up some lumber to fabricate my reloading bench. all the advice listed in this forum and topic is invaluable to me. thank you for your wisdom and patience.

 

[cfullgraf]

And if you are going to be doing rifle cases in the future get a stuck case remover as well. You may never need it, but if you ever do, you'll be real happy that you have it.

Also, yes. When you start loading rifles, have a stuck case remover in the tool box.

I reloaded for 25 years and did not need a stuck case removeer or have one on hand. It was always on the list of things to get but I would either forget, or needed to economize on my order. Then, I got a case stuck.

Fortunately, I knew what they look like and have a lathe in the car shop but I spent the better part of an afternoon whittling out pieces. Without that capability, you are dead in the water for a while.

I think with Lee dies, the decapping pin can be removed from the top of the die and then you can use a punch to remove a stuck case. This may be easier said than done.

The stuck case remover uses the power of the press to remove the case.

 

[brandon_mcg]

Ok, I feel that I have completed a fair amount of research on the equipment needed for reloading. I feel that I have found a good deal and a good basic set-up for starting out, still I have some reservations. Is this normal? I know it is a big undertaking and responsibility. Just checking to see if anyone else had these thoughts.

 

[Seedtick]

Go for Brandon, it will be fine. If you have any questions....just ask.

We'll be right here.

ST

 

[DMF38]

I don't think you can lose with the Lee Classic Turret press kit. I can handload 200 pistol cartridges an hour with mine. And I use it for .30-.30, and .45-70 too, and it works just fine for that. For the .30-.30 I use the Lee Auto disk (double disk kit) and it measures quite accurately. With the double disk kit I think it would work well with .308.

 

[RidgwayCO]

The fact that you have some reservations is actually a good thing in my mind. That means you'll probably be a good, careful, responsible reloader that I won't have to worry about should I ever find you next to me at the range. Just read your reloading manual thoroughly, and don't feel like you need to make "firewall" loads every time. The best advise I've ever heard about reloading is: "If you need more performance than a cartridge can safely give you, then chose a more powerful cartridge."