So I've been looking at Presses and Kits...

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Field Tester

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...for the past few years and I am finally pulling the trigger. Super Bowl Sunday is my birthday and the Kin Folk have banded together to buy me a present. Firearm or reloading gear, my choice.

So I moseyed on down to a few LGSs after lunch with the little ol lady and took part in the past time of handling some boom sticks. A few are falling off the approved roster today but nothing that sets a panic to my heart. Browning X & A Bolts, Tikka T3s and Ruger Americans all met my shoulder fairing very well.

One LGS offered a semi good deal (good deal for San Diego anyhow) for a Ruger American with a Leupold scope. The Ruger American runs for $300 by itself I believe. Looked at both the .308 & .30-06.

I got home a decided to explore the other side of their offer. So after tons of reviews for the past few years I may have settled on Hornady. Nothing is set in stone though. I don't plan on reloading right away, perhaps a few months down the line. I'm not going to rush out and buy powder and bullets, but I want to start to accumulate the gear.

The Hornady Lock N Load Classic Kit Deluxe caught my eye. I'll put a link to it after my post.

I was wondering if I get this kit, what will I need to swap out and what is missing?

I have about $800 to spend. I'll be reloading .45 ACP, .38/.357, .223/5.56, 7.62x39 and .30-06.

I know you guys get these types of questions a lot, heck I've read a ton myself, so I tried to be a bit different by narrowing it down, giving a price point, calibers, and letting you know that nothing will be reloaded for a few months.

Thanks all!
 
That kit isn't bad but you can definitely find it cheaper. On top of what's in the kit you'll probably want a decent/good balance beam scale. I started out with the electronic scale that's in that kit, and while mine works just fine, they can be a bit finicky and some people report them being all out terrible. You'll also need a shellholder, Hornady #6, for .38/.357, same one works for 7.62x39. You'll need 5 sets of dies, all ranging from $25-50 if you stick with fairly basic dies. You'll want some form of case trimmer. And if you plan to take full advantage of the LNL bushing system you'll need enough bushings and lock rings to have one on every die. I may be missing something, but I think you could easily get all of that for under $800 with a little shopping around.
 
With a $800 budget I would get a dillon progressive. That said, I didn't have $800 and got a lee classic turret. I am happy with it. Quality is good. A single stage would be a good deal slower than a progressive or even a turret.
 
Hey Field Tester,

I researched the heck out of reloading kits when i first began. Im no expert, but i DO reload for 9mm, 357, 30-30, and 30-06 now and am still typing with all 10 fingers.

If you decided to go with a single stage press, which i did as well, you m ight want to look into the lee 50th anniversary loading kit


http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Precision...ords=lee+50th+anniversary+reloading+press+kit


It can be had for about 130$

Some people think that the scale isnt great, but its never done me wrong and i have a electronic scale for double checking and some people complain about the powder thrower. Ive never had issues with it metering. You could get this kit, test it out, buy used scale and/or powder thrower and still have a ton of cash left over from your budget to spend on dies and whatnot.

I would invest in lee case trimmers for the rifle rounds at least too.

Basically, if i can remember correctly, You buy this kit, a die set, a shell holder for the caliber, lee case trimmer, and if you have a drill you can use that to trim your cases, and then you are pretty set.

I didnt like the lee lube that came with the kit, so i bought some rcbs spray lube that is less messy and makes my life easier. Hope this helps.
 
With that list for reloading I'd suggest you jump in with a progressive press right from the beginning. And if you go for a Dillon 550b you then have the option of making as progressive or single as you wish because of the manual indexing. That keeps things flexible for now and promises faster bulk loading for a little later when you sort things out.

Having typed all that I did just buy a Hornady single stage LnL press to use for rifle reloading where I prefer the more open frame of a single stage machine. It sits right next to my Dillon 550b machine. But if I had to downsize to just one machine it would be the blue brand that I would keep. The 550 will do it all and do it well.
 
When it comes to the starter kits you really need to sit down and look over what is included in each kit. The Hornady kit you are looking at has:

Universal Loading Block
Chamfer/Deburr Tool
One Shot Case Lube
Hornady’s Handbook of Cartridge Reloading 8th Edition
Powder Funnel
Handheld Priming Tool with additional primer tray
three Quick-Change Die Bushings
L-N-L Auto Charge Powder Dispenser
Primer Catcher
Positive Priming System and the following shell holders: No.1, No. 2, No. 5, No. 16 and No. 35.

The main focus it seems is the L-N-L Auto Charge Powder Dispenser. I like the hand priming tool also. Next you can move along to other starter kits from other manufacturers and see what they contain. The Hornady kit is a good choice and as mentioned can be had for much less than the MSRP. Once you know what a kit has you can decide what you will still need, like a caliper for example.

Finally there will be those who point out that you can order all the needed items separately and sort of make your own kit. That works if you have the time and patience but overall a kit can save a few bucks in most cases.

A few years ago I bought my brother a RCBS Master Kit for Christmas and it worked out very well for him. I went with the kit simply because it was easy. "Russ, here is a reloading kit. Merry Christmas. Now go buy..... :) .

While your budget allows a higher end press I would focus on the single stage presses and put some bucks in needed components like powder, brass, maybe a tumbler, bullets, primers and other needed items.

Ron
 
With that list for reloading I'd suggest you jump in with a progressive press right from the beginning
Click to expand...

I don't believe I would for buying my first one press. Your loading to many calibers to spend half or more of the money on a progressive press at the start. I would also start out with a Lee classic cast turret press instead of a single stage. I can be used as single stage if you choose to but is also self indexing on the turret which is faster than a single stage.

You'll have to piece out all the other things you want and need but that's fun also, or give your family a mission" if they choose to accept this mission" give them a list of the reloading equipment and supplies you need.

I'm speaking for myself but consider about half of the budget for bullets, powder, and primers so it doesn't bite you later on. Besides, how nice would it be to receive your new press set up and have the supplies on hand to start learning and playing right away.
 
While all of the progressive presses are very neat things to have, if you are just starting out, there is real merit to beginning with a single stage setup like a Rock Chucker or its Lee equivalent. You will learn a lot about setting up the dies, about careful measurement and powder weights, and primer handling.

It is slow, but as a new reloader, that is a good thing. You will not replicate an error 12 times before you notice and fix it. And you will look (usually with a good bit of pride) at each and every round as you pull it off the press.

My opinion only, but I think its worth consideration of a single stage setup.
 
^^^ I also feel that you should learn to walk before you learn to run. A good SS press or kit will do you for a lifetime or two.;) In the future add something faster if you wish but you are reloading just as well for less in the beginning with a SS.

Don't listen to those that say that Lee stuff is not worth buying. A majority of my dies and all my case trimming setup is Lee. The other dies were purchased used and worth buying. Others will say different things but I am happy with my stuff.
 
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I've been wresting with this question myself for quite some time. I understand the rationale behind those who advoate the single stage press as well as those who feel that the progressive is the way to go, and I respect those opinions equally. Does anybody feel that the Lee turret press is a good compromise between these two camps?
 
If you want a single stage its hard to beat the RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme Master Reloading Kit. As for a progressive I would look in to a Dillon RL550b. Below I listed everything you need except dies to load the calibers you listed above. Even a copy a Lyman's 49th. Over time you could add powder measures to all of your tool heads, but its not a must right now. You will need dies, and a set of calipers to complete your setup. This will carry you over your budget, but you could start with your 2-3 most often shot calibers first to save money up front. Just wanted to toss this out there.
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Here's the way I see it.

• You'll be learning to load some rifle and some pistol. I agree with your premise to learn on a single-stage press.
• At some point your pistol ammo needs may become high enough to warrant a progressive press. The "gotcha" with progressive presses is that they hardly ever share any accessories with any single stage press.
• The one exception to this is the Hornady LNL Classic and AP, which both use the LNL bushing system. Within 2 years on the Classic, you may have as much as $150 tied up in LNL bushings.
• IMHO, the ability to carry that tool investment over to the new press makes a lot of sense. And saves you a lot of future money.

► Either go that way, or start with one press that can be used as a single-stage now, and then converted to a progressive when you're ready, such as the Dillon 550 or Lee Classic Turret. The fact is, changing presses in mid-stream can cost you a lot of money for new press accessories that you can't see right now.


Thinking out your possible progression in the hobby from the get-go will save you a lot of time and money in the future.
 
I like both the RCBS Rockchucker kit and the Hornady kit. Either will allow you to make good ammo and last forever.
 
Its amazing how people can't read. HE DID NOT ASK WHAT PRESS TO BUY He asked what else he would need with the press he chose.

A good beam scale
a good set of calipers
tumbler
Case trimmer
kinetic bullet puller
ammo storage containers and labels
with 800 for a budget I would add this http://www.midwayusa.com/product/81...d-dispenser-110-220-volt?cm_vc=ProductFinding
The auto charge will make charging rifle cases with stick powder much faster and easier

I feel like I am leaving something out, but this should get you going.

The Hornady Kit will come with the Hornady book and it is a good one.
I think picking up the Lyman book would also be a good idea.

If you plan on using rifle bullets other than Hornady, pick up the book for their bullets.
 
He said he was thinking of Hornady but it was not written in stone. That said, grubbylabs is correct on the supplys you will need. Also in the Lee kit you get the Richard Lee book which I find gives very good ifo.
I like Lee classic turret press. With the money you will save you can put it toward a gun. Just my .02:)
 
I got the Hornady classic kit and I have enjoyed it... I ended up having to buy more of the bushings as I've added calibers to make it easier to switch.. The electronic scale worked good for me.. I've kinda wished I'd got a progressive from time to time, but I think learning on this single stage has helped me understand the process better. The Hornady loading manual is good, but the Lyman 49th is better... Good luck....
 
Field Tester – That looks like a great starter kit. Not sure about the price. The kit seems very complete. It even comes with a caliper. I looks like
the only thing you need to add to load for your pistol calibers is a die set (with a shell holder) and some components. Maybe a case gauge.

Were it me, I would start with a pistol cartridge to get my feet wet. Just me.
 
Most kits have everything you need except dies and a gauge to check OAL - if reloading rifle, make sure your kit has a case trimmer. Carbide dies will save you time on case lubing.

The trade off with kits is that you generally save money, but everything will be the same brand and most of us prefer to mix and match after a while. I recommend buying the best kit you can afford - you won't go wrong with any of the name brands, but you do get what you pay for and buying cheap equipment now probably means upgrades next year or the year after: it did for me.
 
Besides, how nice would it be to receive your new press set up and have the supplies on hand to start learning and playing right away.
Click to expand...

+1
Nothing worse than being all dressed up with nowhere to go.
 
Put me in the LCT camp..

Get a bullet puller, If you're not perfect youll probably have to pull one now and again.

Also, I think check weights are undervalued and not mentioned often enough in these threads. Pretty important to know if your scales are accurate or not.

Ive loaded a few thousand rounds and just bought weights and found that my electronic is mostly inaccurate. Fortunately, I figured this was the case and Ive barely loaded anything without the trusty beam.
 
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