New to reloading. Getting setup.

[stillquietvoice]

Welcome to the forum and reloading.
I have the same scale, given to me 25 years ago, it's been flawless for the entire time I've had it.

There are a couple of suppliers that offer 5% discount for high road members two are Missouri bullet company and rmr with discount code.

Hodgens web site has reload data for rifle, pistol and shotguns. Check out their site too. Their site covers all imr, Winchester, and hogden powders.

Stay safe and let us know how it's going

 

[starnbar]

There is a lot of good advice right here so far me i started on a ss press still have it and still use it for my varmint rifle loads start small and sell or trade to move up or like i did just keep it and add to your collection. teach your kids a skill set that none of their friends will probably never acquire and it won't hurt them knowing they are capable of more than just punching keys on a keyboard. just my 2 cents

 

[AJC1]

If you want data for free the western powders load book is free to download.
https://www.accuratepowder.com/load-data/

There are also several older manuals free to download. If you have the lyman 50th, the cast boolit manual is a great companion.

As stated unique is a wonderful first powder and can load just about everything including rifle, and is great with lead. It also has great volume for starting loaders to help prevent over/double charge. In this shortage if all you can find is #8 then that would be one of the only ones I would encourage that type of commitment. Lastly there is published load data for all those loads a big win.

 

[Highland Lofts]

Welcome aboard the forum. I like seeing new people join our ranks. You sure did some home work and built up a nice catch or needed equipment to get started.

There is always videos on YOUTUBE to watch if you want a visual of what ever process you are not to sure of.
Any questions you have can and will be answered here.

Look an ebay for more used reloading manuals, they are cheap enough and explain things a little different and make excellent reading and you get more reloading data.
You will notice for instance where Hornady stops at their maximim load some of Lee's charges starts out just under Hornady's maximum and goes up higher.
Plus having several manuals from different sources you will have data for different types of powder.
For some of my calibers lee uses a lot of vita powder, locally it is hard to fine.

Once you get started and get out shooting your own ammunition it gives you a good feeling. I enjoy reloading just as much as shooting.

If you deprime your brass before tumbleing media will get stuck in tye flash hole. I bought a little pick set from harbor freight for a couple of bucks to poke the media out of the flash hole.

I always remove the primers before cleaning the brass.
For this process i use the Lee Universal Decapper die. I process a lot of range brass and wet tumble it before I do anything else to it.
So I bought two of the universal decapping dies and a package of the primer pins. They do get bent and need to be replaced.

For your 38/357 reloading I suggest you pick up the Lee Factory Crimp Died for each caliber and also for the 9mm and 40 caliber.

Have fun & stay safe.

 

[sr1971]

To you all,

Thanks for taking the time to welcome me and provide vital tidbits that are definitely valuable! I'm very excited and I won't walk the line of what-ifs. That being said my kids all ride two wheels and help with repairs on the vehicles, as I'm too stubborn to trust in anyone with safety other than myself and those I teach or have lifelong relationships with.

I will take the time to gather some more 2400 to get these wheel guns rolling safely and efficiently. We've got a host of snubs and some old S&W trade-ins to feed. I'll begin as soon as the honey-do's are in check!

The mention of older manuals has been dually noted and has logging the data for each process and small batch work. I'm going to order up some cast "boolits" when time permits, just not sure on which flavor, though Missouri and RMR are on the list. I've got a fair supply of older pulled GD's for all three and Berry's plated HP.

Again thank you for the warm welcome and I hope to share some insight of my new experiences soon. Have a great day and may the guns graze on brass and bullets!

 

[sr1971]

Just an update as I get closer to having workspace in the house. Thank you all again for the experience and knowledge shared here and throughout this forum. I've almost completed the first stages of my bench.

The bench is 49" wide x 26" deep x 39" tall, +/- 3", due to elevator bolts to level the worksurface. I hope this will be a sturdy enough first bench, it's not a torsion box or made of substantial lumber, but #2 pine some 1x and 3x3 poplar legs. Staining is done and am awaiting some dryer weather for a few coats of polyurethane to seal it up.

The next phase will be the upper storage and lightning when time allows. This should get me going having a dedicated place to assemble, maintain, and tune. The project was about $120 give or take and I'm thinking there's enough lumber left to build the upper shelf storage. This has been a fun project for me and the boys. It's nearly furniture grade finish and that's okay cause I'm finicky and persnickety at times if I have to live with the results day in and out.

Worth noting before I add photos of the assembly and finish, is that this is modular. The white-wood top is sacrificial and bolted on, the top frame is bolted to the legs, and the leg portion will fit through my 28" door opening to the basement. I was in a conundrum at first but my oldest teenager helped with ideas and it really helped with execution. I'm blessed to have 4 good kids to share in these projects.

Without anymore delay here is the captured process:

 

[sr1971]

These were the inspiration for the build and my sketch.

 

[sr1971]

Waiting for polyurethane.

 

[dh1633pm]

Excellent work. I like it.

 

[sr1971]

Excellent work. I like it.

Thanks dh.

 

[Walkalong]

Very nicely done.

 

[JJFitch]

Welcome to the forum and reloading.
1. Never use a recipe unless you can verify it in a bullet or powder manufacturer's manual!
2. Be sure that you understand powder burn rates, case capacity, COL and their effect of pressure!
3. Be sure that reloading is done without distractions or interruptions.
4. Be sure to carry a squib rod whenever shooting reloads!

Smiles,

 

[sr1971]

Very nicely done.

Thank you. I love working with metal but there's something about woodworking.

 

[sr1971]

Welcome to the forum and reloading.
1. Never use a recipe unless you can verify it in a bullet or powder manufacturer's manual!
2. Be sure that you understand powder burn rates, case capacity, COL and their effect of pressure!
3. Be sure that reloading is done without distractions or interruptions.
4. Be sure to carry a squib rod whenever shooting reloads!

Smiles,

1. I'm very good about following the rules, Ha! I(Millwright craft instructor, CWI, OSHA instructor, etcetera. Wink!)
2. I'm reading all the charts for the powder manufacturers I'm planning to use for straight walled cases to begin.
3. The space I have planned is very quiet and my kids and dogs are all teenagers snd up.
4. Noted. I'll see if I can turn down some brass/bronze stock or hardwood.

 

[Highland Lofts]

Welcome to the forum. You will not save any money, you will be shooting more better quality ammo.
I like your bench, remember peg board is your best friend between your bench and your shelf up above.
If useing floresent lights they can tamper with an electronic scale.
When useing your balance beam scale mount a shelf at eye leval so you have a right on sight plane to read the scale.
If you throw your powder just under the amount you need a Hornady electronic viborator trickler is the cats azz for a around $40. A regular trickler will cost around $20.

One thing you will need is a red Folgers coffee can, all reloaders have atleast one of them.

I use to dry tumble my deprimed brass and used the Harbor Freight little straight pick that comes in the little four pack of picks for around $3.
When I bought the Frankford Arsenal (wet) Rotery Tumbler (FART) i retired my dry tumbler. The cases come out as clean as could be.
I made drying racks to place my wet tumbled brass on and hit the cases with my air hose to get a lot of the eccess water off of the cases. If the weather is nice & sunny I let them sit outside in the sun. If the weather is crappy outside I let them sit inside for a day.
I deprime all my brass with the Lee Universal Deprimeing Die before I tumble the brass.

If you get into 223 or 7.62X51 (308) calibers you will run in to crimped primers that you will need to remove to get new primers in the cases.

I bought the Lee Crimp Dies for every caliber I have that needs to be crimped.

You don't need lube on your carbide straight walled diesn but I use a little every forty or fifty cases resized.
I use to get some 223 cases stuck in the resizing die useing Hornady One Shot Spray.
I switched over to the home made 10% Liquid Lanolin and 90% red can of Heet (dry gas)
Spray it on, let it sit around 5 minutes and then have at it.
For most of use we find reloading just as much fun as shooting.

 

[45 long]

Lee's Modern Reloading is 1 (just don't buy into all of Lee's hyperbole)

I got into reloading because Lee made it affordable for me. Besides pushing his own products in the manual, what do you consider "hyperbole" ??

 

[Highland Lofts]

Lee really slaps his own back a lot in his book.

 

[sr1971]

Welcome to the forum. You will not save any money, you will be shooting more better quality ammo.
I like your bench, remember peg board is your best friend between your bench and your shelf up above.
If useing floresent lights they can tamper with an electronic scale.
When useing your balance beam scale mount a shelf at eye leval so you have a right on sight plane to read the scale.
If you throw your powder just under the amount you need a Hornady electronic viborator trickler is the cats azz for a around $40. A regular trickler will cost around $20.

One thing you will need is a red Folgers coffee can, all reloaders have atleast one of them.

I use to dry tumble my deprimed brass and used the Harbor Freight little straight pick that comes in the little four pack of picks for around $3.
When I bought the Frankford Arsenal (wet) Rotery Tumbler (FART) i retired my dry tumbler. The cases come out as clean as could be.
I made drying racks to place my wet tumbled brass on and hit the cases with my air hose to get a lot of the eccess water off of the cases. If the weather is nice & sunny I let them sit outside in the sun. If the weather is crappy outside I let them sit inside for a day.
I deprime all my brass with the Lee Universal Deprimeing Die before I tumble the brass.

If you get into 223 or 7.62X51 (308) calibers you will run in to crimped primers that you will need to remove to get new primers in the cases.

I bought the Lee Crimp Dies for every caliber I have that needs to be crimped.

You don't need lube on your carbide straight walled diesn but I use a little every forty or fifty cases resized.
I use to get some 223 cases stuck in the resizing die useing Hornady One Shot Spray.
I switched over to the home made 10% Liquid Lanolin and 90% red can of Heet (dry gas)
Spray it on, let it sit around 5 minutes and then have at it.
For most of use we find reloading just as much fun as shooting.

Thanks for the detailed response Highland. I think I'm tooled so far and the note about the scale at eye level and pegboard is very helpful.

 

[Bat Rastard]

Welcome to THR.
If your loading aspirations start and stop with straight wall cartridges, you might want to go with a progressive press.
You can run one at a time until you are confident, and then let it rip.
Straight walled cartridges are made for progressive presses.

 

[sr1971]

Well, it's done for now. 3 coats of poly today and 800 over last coat to even the finish, followed by a buff. Buttery smooth finish and very matte top. Don't mind the dust, it'll get a good shot of air outside late Organization and mounting for the bench later this week.

 

[sr1971]

All the tooling is out to remind me to mount it and get the upper shelving done this week.

 

[Cemetery21]

If you are not bolting it to the wall, stack a lot of bullets on that bottom shelf. It may not be an issue for the straight wall calibers you are using now.
Every bench I have now or in the past is/was bolted to two walls in a corner.
And

Use a flashlight if needed.

Or maybe a little LED light designed for sewing machines mounted so you can check powder level in the cases. The Lee Turret is pretty safe with a press mounted powder throw. As long as you don't short stroke the handle, the die plate will rotate and prevent a double charge.

I think you said you have a Lee Auto drum with multiple cylinders. I tried that when I first went to the turret. But, getting just the right tension on the cylinder screw is difficult for me. Either I didn't get full rotation, or I got some leakage, or it was just right. So, I ended up with a complete drum measure for each tool head and I don't touch the tension screw once I find the sweet spot. I hope your experience is better. BTW, I still think it's the best system for the way I load straight wall ammo.

 

[sr1971]

If you are not bolting it to the wall, stack a lot of bullets on that bottom shelf. It may not be an issue for the straight wall calibers you are using now.
Every bench I have now or in the past is/was bolted to two walls in a corner.
And

Or maybe a little LED light designed for sewing machines mounted so you can check powder level in the cases. The Lee Turret is pretty safe with a press mounted powder throw. As long as you don't short stroke the handle, the die plate will rotate and prevent a double charge.

I think you said you have a Lee Auto drum with multiple cylinders. I tried that when I first went to the turret. But, getting just the right tension on the cylinder screw is difficult for me. Either I didn't get full rotation, or I got some leakage, or it was just right. So, I ended up with a complete drum measure for each tool head and I don't touch the tension screw once I find the sweet spot. I hope your experience is better. BTW, I still think it's the best system for the way I load straight wall ammo.

I planned on multiple powder drops, one for each caliber, they're just not in the picture. Lighting is coming in the mail and 65# of lead should be delivered today and some in a couple weeks. I thought I would try some MBC and Bayou projectiles in bulk first. I plan on bolting it but the weight under should do the trick for now. Thanks for the enlightening information.

 

[1RedSoxFan]

hope you have some primers already.

 

[sr1971]

hope you have some primers already.

I have a few. (Grin)