Your first step is buying the best reference book or what I call Reloading for Dummies or The ABC's of Reloading from Krause Publications. Read it cover to cover, and then read it again while taking notes! Look for a mentor at your local club, range, or purveyor of supplies! Another more technical book, is Handloading for Competition by Glen Zediker.
There are several great reloading manuals of the real kind not the freebee ones! Freebee manuals are good for cross referencing data, at times. For meaty manuals a person can not go wrong with the Lyman49th, Hornady, and Sierra. One must always look up loads when you compare/cross-reference data. Especially in larger calibers as some data might be using different brass from yours. Case in point Hodgdon used WW brass to work up loads with, whereas Sierra used Fed cases in their 308 Winchester loading information.
Press - Single Stage or Turret presses are the best way to learn before advancing to any kind of progressive press. You will always have need for a single stage press. Redding and RCBS are good sources of all kinds of presses. RCBS Rockchucker Supreme for a single stage and Redding T7 for a turret press are basically the gold standard for the two different types.
Dies - I like Redding Dies, and I would get the carbide expander ball upgrade for bottle neck rifle cases. Dillon makes carbide rifle sizer dies, but you still need to use case lube and make sure you lube the inside of the case neck, too. I would just stick with regular dies for rifle cartridges. Dillon makes die sets specifically for their press so to speak, meaning that it does not come with a case mouth belling die; Redding makes a set of dies for progressive presses, too. I like Forster competition seaters, and they can be had as an individual item. Dies are pretty much threaded universally, except for Lyman 310 dies, and Dillon dies for the Square Deal B. Accuracy nuts will use hand dies, and they require an arbor press be used.
Shell holders (if the die set doesn't have them like Lee) or the appropriate shell plate for the progressive press. Remember that many shell holders work for more then one cartridge. I would do some home work, especially if you get a Dillon. Some cartridge conversions might only require you to get powder funnel for the new cartridge.
A tumbler will be a good investment, as clean cases will not harm you dies. There are vibratory and rotary tumblers out there. I like corn cob media treated with some Iosso case polish. You can get walnut in bulk at Petco or Pet Smart. Bulk corn cob grit is a great way to reduce the cost of commercially supplied media, because you pay through the nose for the treated media from other vendors.
MTM makes great loading block tray that handles most cartridges.
Case Lube is great for both conventional dies, and to treat your brass used in a progressive press even with carbide dies. That extra lubricity makes the cycling of the press a tad slicker! Dillon spray lube works well for shake and bake application. I like Imperial Die Wax for rifle cartridges when FL sizing.
Case Neck Brush to clean bottleneck rifle cases, copper bore brushes work well for this.
Dial Calipers either mechanical or electronic
Case Trimmer (Lee works, but Possum Hollow is better, Wilson makes the best hand powered Lathe trimmer, and Giraud is the best powered Trimmer)
Deburring/Chamfering Tool – like the Wilson one chucked into the Sinclair Deburring Tool Holder. I like the K&M VLD chamfering tool.
Primer Pocket Cleaner, reamer like the Hornady, and uniformer just remember that small primers are same size, where as large pistol and rifle are different sized in terms of height not width.
Primer pocket swager is an optional tool, RCBS makes one that mounts on single stage presses. Some will use the Hornady Reamer. Some will use the Dillon Super Swage.
Flash hole deburring tool is good tool to have
Primer Flip Tray is needed for loading pick up tubes for some primer systems like the Dillon.
Priming Tool (I like the RCBS (now even better with universal shell holder, but Sinclair makes the best)
Powder Scale - remember that is always better to have a mechanical scale as a back up to any electronic scale.
Powder Funnel kit with drop tubes especially if you intend to use powders like Varget.
Powder Trickler (used to tweak powder charges)
Powder Measure (nice for faster powder charges it does require a bit of learning curve to get consistent powder charges sort of rhythm thing) standard with progressive presses, but the RCBS Uniflow is nice! Redding makes a better one, and Harrell is the gold standard!
Hammer Type Bullet Puller (for taking down the boo boo's), and you will always need one of these. The Collet type work great for most rifle rounds, to keep from making a mess. The Hornady Cam Lock is nice tool.
Ammo boxes and labels, you can make your own labels with Avery Labels. I sometimes pick up the boxes from range trash, as the ones with plastic trays serve as a good loading block.
A notebook for recording your results! Saves covering the same ground twice!
A chronograph is great when working up loads, but is more a luxury in the beginning.
. I am leaning towards a nice progressive press that has the potential to cover diverse calibers. I like the hornady LNL AP and the dillon 550b. Is there even a progressive that can accomadate the massive 500 mag? I did not see it listed under the shellplate selection from hornady. I have tons of questions and only limited time to type so any and all advice is very welcomed. Thanks
even with reloading (it's still EXPENSIVE). I do have quite a few of the items mentioned already at my disposal, ie: tumbler, scales, calipers. Matter of fact, I think my dad has a single stage press and other reloading stuff in storage...... but I think some are right, they get outgrown in a hurry (like other things) and I would like to be ahead of the curve if ya get my drift. Been thinkin about getting into reloading for a while now and the .500 is as good of an excuse as any to pull the trigger (pun). I have a feeling that because I like to experiment and do technical things, I will have a blast (another pun) reloading. Correct me if I'm wrong.
