new to reloading

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trashman4515

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as well as new to the site. looking for some advice, im thinking about getting into reloading, and was wondering what the must have items would be. i know the press and dies...but what press would you guys with more experiance reccomend? i was thinking of a progressive press. i would be reloading 45acp, 40 s&w, 9mm, and 5.56/.223, maybe eventually .380. was looking at a lee progressive press, looks like a good deal, but i have heard bad things about them...thoughts?

which brings up another question. when reloading 5.56/.223...i started saving some of my 5.56 brass...how does that work? i know their virtually the same dimensions but different pressures....so is it you could load a 5.56 case to 5.56 or .223, and just .223 cartridges to .223? would the dies for 5.56 be the same as the dies for .223?

thanks for any help!
 
Use search words in this forum and you will be full of knowledge. Google bullet load data and up will pop many a site for further studying and info.

Oh and welcome to the group. You Tube has alot of vids on the subject also. could keep you busy for a good while.

be safe.
 
Welcome to the addiction!

You will hear all kinds of bad stuff about lee progressive presses... Most of it from folks who have never owned one.

I have had mine for a couple of years now (pro-1000) and love it. I have never seen the need to "upgrade" to something better. I reload everything from .380 up to .44 mag. I don't do any rifle calibers so it is a perfect press for me.

It is very simple for someone starting out though it may not be a bad idea to get a single stage press to learn the ropes. I personally don't feel that this is 100% necessary but many do recommend this.
 
Welcome to the forum.

.223 brass is .223 brass even when marked 5.56. No one sells 5.56mm dies, only .223 dies so that tells you something right there.

At the top of this forum is a sticky thread, "Reloading Library of Wisdom."
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=649184
There is a sub-thread specificaly written for new reloaders, "For the New Reloader: Thinking about Reloading; Equipment Basics -- READ THIS FIRST." That will tell you most of what you need to start. I suggest you read through the information, get a better understanding of what you need and then come back with targeted questions to fill in the blanks. There are many reloaders on this forum who are more than happy to help. (I'm one of them)

IMO you came to the right forum, again, welcome to the forum and reloading...
 
Can't help but notice your an autoloader fan. Kinda sucksasa reloader because so many autos launch brass into orbit. If you shoot indoors great, use a broom to collect your brass. If not you can position a curtain on a PVC pipe rack to knock them down. Bunch the bottom into a bucket and you have a cheap brass collector.
 
Welcome aboard! Seriously look at a single stage and learn in great detail all of the little things. You can load a lot of ammo on a single and I think most people kid themselves about how much they are "going" to shoot. I have both and a few years ago made the leap to a LNL and love it. Still use my single for 223 and 45 to work up loads and do some small batches. I enjoy reloading as much as I do shooting. There is a learning curve to a progressive with a lot going on at one time. I know nothing about the Lee press.
 
Welcome to THR

A SS is best to learn on but a AP can be used. With an AP you will use 1 die and 1 piece of brass just like a SS press. The bad thing about a AP for starting out is that you have 4-5 things going on at one time. Takes your full concentration to keep up with every thing. The Lee progressive will work but you will have a lot of tinkering to do to keep it running. If only one caliber it works ok, once every thing is adj. The Hornady, Dillon are the front runners when it comes to progressives and Auto progressives.

If you will be doing a lot of switching the Hornady or Dillon will be the best choice. Look for used equipment too. Sometimes you can get a good bargain on someone upgrading. The biggest issue these days is finding powders. With a progressive your selection is more critical due to the automated process.

btw. AP takes a lot of supplies to keep them running.
 
trashman4515 said:
was looking at a lee progressive press, looks like a good deal, but i have heard bad things about them...thoughts?
Click to expand...

Do some internet searching on the Lee progressive presses. While I do not have direct experience with them, what I read, they can be a tinker's dream and probably are not a great place for a beginner to start.

The Lee turret presses are a different matter. Lee makes two models and one is lots better than the other but I do not remember off hand which is the better. One advantage to the Lee turret is it has an index system. The press can be operated in single stage mode while learning and then activate the index system and get the reloading rated up a bit.

In my opinion, a single stage is a good place to start and it is always handy to have a single stage around. That are certain specialized tasks that just do not lend themselves to anything but a single stage.

Also, any dies and such will transfer to a progressive if you want one later. Shell holders and shell plates are not interchangeable though.
 
Thanks for the replies. So the hornady and Dillion presses would be better for switching calibers?
 
Welcome aboard trashman, both to THR and reloading.

Definitely go to that link ArchAngel posted in post # 4. It has tons of great information that will answer your questions in depth.

I always recommend that new reloaders start out on a single stage press so you will know in detail what each and every step entails. You have to perform each operation seperately so the temptation to go too fast is minimized (important when you're learning).

Some people don't ever feel the need to step up to progressive. There are folks who load for 40 years on the same single stage press without ever wanting something else.

If you shoot a lot though, you may very well want to step up to one. You mention Dillon. I'll just say that there is nothing wrong with Lee equipment. While I've never used their progressives, I use their single stage, auto indexing turret press and dies on a regular basis and it is good stuff. HOWEVER, if you can afford a Dillon, get it. I've never heard anyone who got one and said, "Damn, this thing sucks. I should have went with xyz brand." Not once.
 
trashman4515 said:
i was thinking of a progressive press. i would be reloading 45acp, 40 s&w, 9mm, and 5.56/.223, maybe eventually .380. was looking at a lee progressive press, looks like a good deal, but i have heard bad things about them...thoughts?
Click to expand...
I think much frustration you read about Lee progressive presses like the Pro 1000 stems from new reloaders not familiar with basic reloading principles and reloaders who did not take the time to become familiar with mechanical operation of the progressive presses which is essential regardless of brand/model. Many of us have successfully learned the way of "tinkering" with our Pro 1000 to reload without much frustration and these solutions are outlined in this support thread - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=507454

I was trained on both Dillon 550B and Lee Pro 1000 and both produced consistent match grade reloads but I went with Pro 1000 because it had auto index versus manual index of 550B.

Over the years, I have helped set up many new reloaders on Pro 1000 and would suggest any new reloader to start out with an "O" type single stage press to learn the basics of reloading steps and safety. Obvious benefits of Pro 1000 are that due to lower cost, you can set up both single stage and progressive press on your bench with lower initial cost outlay, cheapest caliber changes and the option of having dedicated caliber set up. I have 3 Pro 1000s set up now for 9mm/40S&W/45ACP and it is very convenient to just walk up to a press to start reloading instead of fussing with caliber change process, adjusting powder measure, checking powder drops for consistency on the scale, etc.

If you have the funds, I think Hornady LNL AP or Dillon 550B/650XL would be a good choice for progressive reloading. I also have Dillon 650XL set up with case feeder and 2 C-H "H" type presses (for load development) along with Lee Classic Turret press (for rifle reloading) but would not give up my Pro 1000 for high volume pistol reloading nor C-H 205 single stage press for reloading rifle cartridges.

So as many suggested, consider starting out with an "O" type single stage press but once you learned the basics of reloading, do consider Pro 1000 as a viable option for reloading pistol cartridges. Regardless which progressive you end up with, having an extra single stage press will always come in handy for load development without having to change out the settings on the progressive press.
 
Welcome to THR, trashman!

Compare Cabelas, MidwayUSA, Natchez, Midsouth Shooter, and Grafs & Sons web sites for pricing. These usually carry a good variety of reloading supplies. :)
 
I think many reloaders will agree that RCBS Rock Chucker kit would be a better choice in that the kit comes with the 5-0-5 beam scale, almost a gold standard for reloading scales.

Natchez has the Rock Chucker kit for $279 - http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm?contentID=productDetail&prodID=RC09357

BTW, if you spend $300 on RCBS products, you get $50 rebate. So spend $21 more on RCBS products (like bullet puller, etc. that you'll need) and essentially get the kit for $230 - http://www.rcbs.com/pdf/2014RCBSrebate_FINAL.pdf
 
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Yes, Lee Classic Turret is another good press to start out as it can load both pistol and rifle cartridges with quick turret swap out for caliber changes and can load faster than single stage press.

Although the Lee Safety Scale is accurate, it may be more difficult to use for a new reloader and 5-0-5 scale is much faster. Also the Pro Auto Disk (even with the double disk kit) can be limiting depending on the rifle caliber you choose to load unless you use modified charge bars or you will end up using a different powder measure which will slow down the turret mode reloading - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=9444436#post9444436

BTW, FS Reloading has the same kit for $180 but if you factor in $50 rebate to reduce the price of the RCBS kit, I think the kit I would recommend is the RCBS kit - https://fsreloading.com/lee-precision-classic-turret-press-kit-90304.html
 
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My 2 cents

I would recommend a single stage press. If you're looking at the Hornady I would go with the kit with Auto Charge. The Classic Kit has a cheesy electronic scale which you're going to want to replace anyway. The Auto Charge kit definitely has a better powder measure set-up.

I bought the Hornady Classic kit recently and replaced the scale after using it a bit. It's not very good quality. As you start reloading you'll find that many powders are subject to static and will clump in most powder tubes giving inconsistent powder drops. This can be remedied somewhat by rubbing the inside and outside of your tube with a spent dryer sheet. This will dissipate most of the static in the tube.

You want your powder drops to be as consistent as possible. If you're using a progressive press and start taking things for granted you may miss an inaccurate drop. This could be dangerous. Squib loads can ruin your day.

Have Fun
 
I think many reloaders will agree that RCBS Rock Chucker kit would be a better choice in that the kit comes with the 5-0-5 beam scale, almost a gold standard for reloading scales.
Click to expand...

+1. I have been reloading for 35 years primarily using RCBS gear.

Don
 
" trashman4515

new to reloading
as well as new to the site. looking for some advice, im thinking about getting into reloading, and was wondering what the must have items would be. i know the press and dies...but what press would you guys with more experiance reccomend? i was thinking of a progressive press. i would be reloading 45acp, 40 s&w, 9mm, and 5.56/.223, maybe eventually .380. was looking at a lee progressive press, looks like a good deal, but i have heard bad things about them...thoughts?

which brings up another question. when reloading 5.56/.223...i started saving some of my 5.56 brass...how does that work? i know their virtually the same dimensions but different pressures....so is it you could load a 5.56 case to 5.56 or .223, and just .223 cartridges to .223? would the dies for 5.56 be the same as the dies for .223?"

As you can quickly see everyone has their favored equipment. I can't argue with them, I do to.

But to your questions:

"the must have items". That is a tall order. You list 3 pistol rounds and a rifle. In most ways these are handled the same but... straight walled cases (tapered) grow so little that constant checking and trimming is not needed. A bottle neck case grows in length with every firing and/or sizing operation. They get longer and longer, some times to the point that the bullet becomes pinched in when the round is chambered. This is NOT good! So, what a .45 needs is a little different from what a .223 needs. Referring to what others have stated, read the stickies. And get a 'reloading book' and read that too.

"thinking of a progressive press". I've got one of those, it's great.... As you are just learning, a progressive press is doing lots of things all at the same time. At any one time each stage could be producing dangerous loads. Learn to crawl before you walk and walk before you run. The Lee Classic Turret, listed above looks good to me.

Lee progressives. I have a Pro 1000 and it does what I want. It does require constant observation (something all should have) and minor adjustments from time to time. I didn't get mine until I had been reloading for over 45 years.

"reloading 5.56/.223". In all practice, these are the same. Same DIEs, same powder, same primers, same bullets, same.... Factory loads are loaded to different specifications. It is not the round, it is the chamber configuration the round is fired in. And yes, they are loaded to different pressure levels and in a pinch the 5.56 could be fired in a .223 chambering but it may not be a wise thing to do. Load for the weapon, not the head stamp of the brass.

I know of no competition to 'get loading' quicker, so take your time and do it right the first time. Less waste and unneeded or wanted tools. Enjoy yourself and be safe.
 
I use a Lee Classic Turret press for handgun loading and sometimes rifle cartridges too, especially the .223. For the 30-06 and other big cases I load on an RCBS Rockchucker.

If you are going to load mostly handgun ammo with the exception of the .223 I highly recommend the Lee CLASSIC 4 hole turret press. I have loaded plenty of rifle cases on it too. Just remove the Auto-Index rod and it acts as a single stage press with all the dies set up on a turret.
 
Welcome and good luck with your reloading. I only neck size for a .223 bolt action rifle so I don't know a lot about the progressive presses but I do know that when investing in equipment customer service matters, and in my experience I've found Lee to have very good customer service. From what I understand, the 5.56 basically has a longer lead-in to the rifling than the sporting .223 chamber, possibly for reliability. Again, welcome and good luck to you.
 
I'll tell you what everbody told me when i posted similar questions: you should get a few manuals and read them, and then read them again. And then a couple more times, until you know what's comin next. Check up on THR Reloading Forum daily for a month (or more). Then decide on a press.

Nobody says that anymore, so I guess Im taking up the flag and being the "tell everyone to get a manual" guy from here on out.

Couple more nuggets of wisdom:

1) Start low and work up.
2) Read Lost Sheep.
 
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