reloading again- after 18 years away

[bender]

I used to reload all my ammo back around 1985-1988... learned all about it, had all the supplies & stuff.

Now I want to start doing it again. I checked out natchez shooter supplies (same outfit I ordered from back then) and everything looks about the same as before. I still have my old press (Lee turret press) and dies (Lee & RCBS).

Back then, I bought the Lee turret because... well, it was way cheaper than RCBS presses and back then I couldn't afford rcbs presses. Plus I wanted a turret press and I don't remember rcbs having one back then. Now I see RCBS has a turret press.

Since I've been away so many years, is the rcbs turret press a good thing? any other good turret presses out there? Is natchezss.com still a good outfit to buy from? Any other good outfits for reloading supplies that maybe have better prices?

Thanks!

 

[BobCat]

Your Lee turret will work fine until (and unless) you decide to go with a progressive. There is a 4-hole plate that will fit it, if you want to add a die (like the Lee factory crimp die for pistol, it is kind of a crimp plus final sizer).

You can order from Powder Valley, Midway, Graf & Sons, and MidSouth - among many others, in addition to Natchez. Other people will add plenty of alternatives to this list.

I only wanted to pipe up to encourage you. I started reloading again in around 1993, after having fallen out of it for almost 20 years. In 1971 my brother and I started reloading .38 special on a second-hand Rockchucker press. He hung on to all the gear and I went other directions. Now, I have that old Rockchucker, three old Dillon 450s, a Lee turret, and a Lee "O"-frame I use exclusively for seating .223 - don't have to mess with the seating die. You will have fun getting back into it. All the principles are the same; only the loads have changed, to protect the loading manual companies (tongue in cheek, ok?)

Regards,
Andrew

 

[Sistema1927]

Your Lee turret will work just fine, but if you just have to buy a new turret press, let me recommend the Lee Classic Turret Press. With the auto-disk measure and safety prime feature this is one great indexing press. Additionally, for pistol cartridges, the four hole turret allows you to use the Lee factory crimp die. I have extra turrets for all the calibers I load, and the dies remain in place and store in the original round die boxes. I can load 125-150 rounds per hour, easy, and that includes periodically weighing random charges (which is a bit superflous, since the auto-disk throws consistently, at least for the powders I have been using).

If you don't need a Dillon for high volume, then the Lee Classic Turret is the way to go.

 

[bender]

only the loads have changed, to protect the loading manual companies (tongue in cheek, ok?)

sheesh... what, are they on the weak side? I still have the Speer #11 manual - which I assume is from back during the late 80s period.

I've never used a progressive, but I'm sure I'd prefer the turret style, since that's what I'm used to.

Yeah, I remember Midway, that's where I got all my bulk brass & bullets back in the 80s.

 

[Doug b]

New data

Bender load data was changed because of new and better pressure sensing tools.I've found a few that were increased in fact.Welcome back bro.

 

[1911user]

I've never used a progressive, but I'm sure I'd prefer the turret style, since that's what I'm used to.

If you are planning to load higher quantities of ammo, it would be worthwhile to learn about progressive presses. You can reload the same amount of ammo on a progressive in roughly 25-35% of the time it takes using a single stage or turret press. Every handle stroke makes a loaded round on a progressive, not 3-4 handle strokes per round.

 

[BobCat]

In the old TV program, Dragnet, a serious voice came on and said, "The story you are about to see is true. Only the names have been changed, to protect the innocent."

I was making a joke about the loads changing. It was just a joke.

Some loads listed are lower than in the old manuals, perhaps because the cannister powders have changed a little over the years, and certainly (as Doug b said) because the pressure sensing technology has improved. Some may be higher than in the old books. There has been a lot of discussion about this, and someone always pipes up that the loads have been reduced in order to pad the safety margin, for the benefit of the publisher. I do not know if there is any validity to this view or not - I was making a joke, with the implict suggestion that you check out current loading manuals for your data.

You Lee press is just fine. If you decide you want to load more rounds, faster, you can look into progressive presses. I like the progressive because I can load enough ammuniton for the entire week, in a couple of hours, without compromising the "quality" or accuracy of the finished rounds.

Anyway, have fun!

Regards,
Andrew

 

[bender]

Me & my shooting buddy are getting set-up now - with all my old equipment. The only items I'm missing are a tumbler and a scale. I'm thinking about the lyman 1200 tumbler (the same as I used to use way back) and maybe an rcbs 5-0-2 scale (used to use the 5-0-5). I see this stuff is alot more expensive than it used to be...

I dug out the boxes that have been buried in my garage for 10 years... I still have my powder (hmmm... thought I disposed of it way back when) and lots of primers. Is the powder still ok after being in a garage for 10 years? (texas - 100 degrees in summer, 30's in winter). One powder I looked at in my hand looked ok, but I don't know how to tell. What about the primers? They are still in the original packaging. The powders are all still in their original containers also.
Thanks!

 

[BobCat]

The powder and primers may be just fine.

You might want to call the powder company, or e-mail them, and ask for signs the powder has gon bad. My understanding is that it starts to smell very acrid (the nitrates decompose to nitric acid and other reaction products) when it is bad. Note I am not a chemist or Energetic Materials Specialist - so contact the manufacturer if you want authoritative word.

If I were you I would smell the powder. If it does not smell bad it is probably fine. I have an 8-lb cannister of Green Dot that is at least 15 years old, that is just fine (almost usd up by now).

Primers - I left several boxes in a cardboard box in the barn by mistake, for several years. All worked fine when loaded and fired. The worst that happens if they are bad is they don't go when hit. Never had it happen, myself.

Digital scales have gotten much cheaper. I still use a 505 though.

Have fun!