thinking of getting into reloading, anyone got good websites they use to buy stuff?

[Lord Teapot]

got no equipment atm; what should i buy and where?

what kind of primers, looking into doing 9mm and .223 particularly; .223 will be in ar15s, thought i read somewhere that ar15s need harder primers because the pin touches the primer due to free floating. what kind of powder for each? what kind of equipment do i need? hoping to not spend more than $500 on the equipment (reloading tools, not the actual reloading components). good places to buy brass? bullets? cost of casting equipment/materials?

links to in stock merchandise please

no need to answer the entire question spam, pick any part you're familiar with off hand and respond with that

 

[otisrush]

Welcome to the sub-hobby that is almost as much fun as the primary hobby it supports (shooting itself).

Start reading. A lot. Reloading is not just about getting recipes and assembling stuff. It's about understanding what is going on.

There's a sticky in this forum titled (approximately) the Reloading Library of Wisdom. In there is info about equipment and hordes of other topics.

Get a good manual. Many will say get multiple manuals. It's tough for me to recommend that as I haven't don that yet. LOL

For me safety in reloading is exactly the same as with shooting itself: I've made promises to myself that I will always do certain things. Most of those promises come from things learned browsing this forum. One of them: Never use a load that you haven't verified yourself from a reputable source that is not a poster in a forum. It sure would be a shame to have an accident and get hurt because someone fat-fingered a post. So verify load data in a manual or at a manufacturer's website.

As for sources of stuff:
* I love RCBS. But that's just me. Others have their (valid) product loyalties as well.
* For equipment (press, dies, etc.) I tend to go to the big stores such as Cabela's and Sportsman Wharehouse
* www.powdervalley.com and www.wideners.com are very popular sites for reloaders with good prices.
* I buy some of my bullets from Missouri Bullet Company. They have a very strong reputation.
* I have a LGS that gets most of my powder, primer and bullet business. They have great prices and selection so I use them to encourage their business and also save on shipping.

As for brass I've been able to get enough to fill my needs by scrounging at the range. I set a simple goal to leave with more than I go with - even if it is just a few cases. I always look. Yesterday when checking the brass buckets I found one with probably 200 .223 cases. SCORE!

Good luck. Have fun. And approach it slowly and deliberately. You can get yourself into a pickle if you're not careful - and all of us have a story or two about the pickles we've been in.

OR

 

[dnfd737]

For $500 should be easy enough.....
I recommend the lee turret press with 4 holes Lee dies don't forget to get the factory crimp die for both
powder well.....get a good reloading book there are plenty out there
primers, I have only ever used Winchester primers
good place to get all the components is powdervalleyinc
For the press and dies and powder measure its tough to beat amazon.com....but midway often has sales try to get your powder and primers locally or buy a lot of it if you mail order to make up for the hazmat fee.
get a good digital scale also holly smokes there is just so much to get, a good mic get a case trimming die from lee.....the list goes on and on, I went all out and dropped 1k for 6 calibers I load and still didn't get a Dillon or hornaday press......read up don't be in a hurry to spend money then look for sales and free shipping.

 

[maxxhavoc]

First off, I would PLAN which calibers you load, but start with a SINGLE caliber.

I would start with 9mm for several reasons:
1. Expense. Plated (or Lead) bullets are cheaper, powder is cheaper since you use 1/5th as much. You can load 9mm for half the cost of cheap russian stuff without trying. With .223, you almost break even. Unless you have the skill and equipment to take advantage of accuracy gains in .223, I would hold off for now.

2. Complication. Loading rifle correctly is much more complicated. For most .223/5.56 ammo, you will need to:
clean, lube, size, clean, trim, chamfer, deburr, remove primer pockets, prime, and load.
For 9mm you need to:
clean, prime, load.

3. Tools required. Rifle requires many tools you simply do not need for Pistol.

When you start loading, choose your press carefully. You will need to choose between Single-stage, Turret, or Progressive. Most folks end up loading Pistol on a progressive, rifle on a turret or single stage. I started by loading pistol on a progressive. I do not regret this, and I did not have problems. I still load pistol on the same type of press. If you are careful and meticulous, any type of press will be just as safe. I have made less loading mistakes on a progressive...it is pretty much impossible to accidentally skip steps. If you start with a progressive, they can work almost identically to a turret. Just load 1 casing at a time onto the shellplate and you are only doing a single task at a time.

Brand of equipment. This causes the most conflict of any topic in reloading. Like everyone, I have my preference, but I won't fixate on it. I'll just give you guidance. The two ends of the spectrum are Lee and Dillon. Lee is cheaper, but can be more temperamental. Dillon has a reputation for reliability, but you pay for it. Both make the same quality ammo. If you take pleasure in working on your own car, figuring out mechanical problems and tinkering in general, get the Lee. If you would rather buy something expecting it to work perfectly out of the box, and sent it out for repair when it doesn't, get the Dillon. RCBS and Hornady have a fine reputation, and fit somewhere between these two. I don't know as much about these, mostly because they don't have RCBS vs Dillon arguments every week on forums. Dillon has a lifetime warranty. Lee doesn't...but Lee parts are very inexpensive to replace.

RMR Reloading is a good place to start for projectiles. I buy both Rifle and Pistol from them these days - they beat just about anyone else's prices for the stuff I buy. And they support THR. And they give THR members a discount.

 

[joem1945]

I'd start out with a single stage press like RCBS. RCBS has kits with all the tools you'll need. Lee dies are very good and priced right. Find a local shop in your area that sells components or order on line. Learn on straight walled pistol cases, those are easiest to reload. ie; 9mm, .37 spl/.357. But several loading books. My favorite is Lyman. READ IT AT LEAST TWICE BEFORE STARTING TO RELOAD!

 

[moxie]

1. Get a couple of good manuals. I like Speer and Lyman. Read them, especially the stuff in the front of the books.

2. Sorry, but you really should put a few $$ into a shift key that works.

 

[PJSprog]

There are a lot of routes you could go to get started. That's the beauty of today's reloading market. I started (pre-internet) with the Midway catalog. They are still a good company to do business with, in my opinion.

I try to buy powders and primers locally when possible to avoid hazmat shipping fees. Brass, bullets, and equipment I buy almost exclusively online ... mostly from Midway,a s noted above, but also from companies like Natchez and Midsouth.

As also already noted by others, get a manual or two and read, read, read before you do anything. Read that fantastic Library of Wisdom sticky thread in this forum. Learn as much as you can before you start playing with primers and powders.

Welcome to the addiction, LT.

 

[ku4hx]

MidwayUSA, Natchez if they'll ship to you, Powder Valley, Midsouth, Sinclair, Graf and sons, Gamaliel, Dillon, Precision Reloading, Widners ... those will easily get you started.

And follow what moxie says about the non load data parts of the manuals you really need to buy ... read, read and read some more.

 

[Lord Teapot]

1. Get a couple of good manuals. I like Speer and Lyman. Read them, especially the stuff in the front of the books.

2. Sorry, but you really should put a few $$ into a shift key that works.

yeah i tend to ignore capitalization when typing on the internet, doubt that will be changing any time soon. though i do my best to apply proper grammar, correct spelling, and marginal quantities of punctuation throughout

 

[judgedelta]

You would probably do better to buy primers and powder locally to avoid hazmat fees. The RCBS Rockchucker kit will get you a long way into reloading. Amazon sells a lot of reloading stuff. If you are a Prime member, there are no shipping charges. The fee is less than a hundred bucks and I made mine up in shipping pretty quick. The Lee 4-die pistol sets are pretty good. I like RCBS for rifle dies. You need a case cleaner, start with a vibrator. Plated pistol bullets are cheap and clean. Xtreme or Rocky Mountain Reloading. You can ask a lot of questions on this forum. You'll learn pretty quick who is knowledgeable. Be safe. Have fun.

 

[Lord Teapot]

looked at lee presses, they're cheap but get reviewed realllllllly bad. don't see dillons new anywhere obvious

 

[Sunray]

"...to not spend more than $500..." That's plenty and realistic. Midway wants $329.99 for an RCBS Rockchucker kit(comes with everything you need sans dies and shell holder. Buy a Lyman manual too. More versatile than the one that comes in the kit.). Same price from Cabela's. And there's a Up to $50 Mail-In Rebate. RCBS' warrantee is legendary too. Have any problems and they'll fix it with a phone call or e-mail. Even if you buy used kit. I think only Dillon does it for their kit, but not for used kit. Don't know for sure about used Dillon kit being covered though.
Mind you, neither are exactly the least expensive places. Mostly the shipping.
A net search will turn up hordes of sites.
Buy components locally. Shipping costs will negate any cost savings found on-line. Plus powder and I believe primers have Hazmat fees. Gun shows are usually good for components and books.
Don't for get that you'll need a solid work bench too. Said bench does not have to be a great big SOB either. Or pre-made.

 

[otisrush]

Although I'm only partially qualified to say so, I'll throw in a recommendation to not start with a progressive. I say partially qualified for the following reason.

When I was a teen my dad and I shot A LOT of trap. He had a progressive shotgun press and we loaded on it every weekend. We were shooting a volume of stuff that required it. In fact, we literally wore out a single stage shotshell press prior to getting the progressive.

What I recall is that, once a load was locked in and the press was set up, life was beyond grand. We could pound out shells so fast it was ridiculous. But not having it set up right - including getting it set up - was not for the feint of heart. There were lots of "Son - don't talk to me right now." and "Oh #&*S there is powder all over the bench!" moments. At that time I was pure muscle in the relationship. I did what I was told, and took no responsibility for what was going on.

Fast forward to me being an adult and my dad is gone. I start loading. (Not shotgun - but rifle and pistol.) So although I had participated in loading prior in my life I didn't learn it or really understand it. So from that perspective I was (and am) a newbie.

I think learning reloading in general (the basics) is complex enough. You're dealing with COLs, different powders, different bullets, etc. Additionally, I started (1 year ago) thinking that everything was precise and well defined. It's not. The amount of interpretation and experimentation that can and needs to go on is much higher than I thought it would be. (e.g. a load that might show no signs of pressure in one gun may show signs of excess pressure in another gun) To *also* throw in the effort to get a progressive set up and running seems like a lot to deal with. Additionally, the prospect of settling in on a particular load seems much better suited to a single stage. Quite a number of times I've gone downstairs and loaded only 10 rounds of 4 different loads - because I wanted to test them out.

If you know you're going to do .223 at some point your likelihood of needing a single stage goes up (I think) - so why not get it now but load pistol - to learn the basics? I think it'll be a "calmer" environment where you'll really see and understand what is going on prior to getting to the complexity of a progressive.

OR

 

[PJSprog]

looked at lee presses, they're cheap but get reviewed realllllllly bad. don't see dillons new anywhere obvious

I've been using the same Lee single stage press since I started loading in 1990. It's the only press I've ever owned. I got it on sale for $9.95 from Midway. There are plenty of people (even here) who enjoy bashing Lee equipment, for whatever reasons. There are also plenty who swear by them. I've never had a problem with any of my Lee equipment. I think it's probably like anything else; if you treat it right, it'll treat you right.

 

[maxxhavoc]

looked at lee presses, they're cheap but get reviewed realllllllly bad. don't see dillons new anywhere obvious

Well, I was going to leave press brand names out of it, but I had to provide my take on this. I have loaded over 70k rounds on the same Lee Pro 1000 progressive I learned to reload on in 1994. I was planning to trade up when I outgrew it, but that looks like it will never happen in my lifetime. So I bought more of them so I can have them ready to go in calibers I load most often.

A Pro 1000 Progressive may have some easily fixed issues if you feel like taking the time to read THR and can use glue, sandpaper, oil, and basic tools. It may "go" right out of the box, it may need tweaking. There is nothing that will be wrong with it that the users on here haven't seen, and can give you easy steps to fix if you have the patience to try.

A full Pro 1000 Press costs about $160, including dies. Less than most single stage presses from other vendors. I run about 250 rounds per hour on it, and that is with me handling each cartridge before it goes on the press, and me seating the bullets manually so I can inspect each powder charge. It can be run almost exactly like the turret press, cycling a single round through all stations one at a time. To look at pricing, fsreloading is their factory-direct vendor.

I'm not going to say the other brands will not work better out of the box, they probably will.

 

[Dudedog]

I have used MidwayUSA, Natchez, 3rg Gen Shooting Supply, Recobs, Midsouth, Graf and Sons, Widners, Brownells, Cabelas(primers). (sure I am forgetting one or two here)

I like my Lee turret press. I don't know what Lee press you were looking at that got bad reviews, most people really seem to like their Lee turret presses.
I feel they are a good press to start with if you plan on loading pistol ammo as well as rifle. If you were just planning on rifle ammo I would start with a single stage press.
The Lee turrets are reasonably priced, caliber changes are quick and inexpensive compared to progressive press. You can load 200 rounds an hour of pistol ammo fairly easy using one. Lee Pro Disk measure is nice. The Lee scale works but nobody seems to like them. (I got mine in a kit and already had a RCBS 5-0-5 so I gave it away) The Lee turret auto indexes but that can be disabled so you acan advance by hand or use it like a single stage when starting out.
If you search for Lee turret here you will get lots of hits.
There also threads on everything you need to get started.

I also own a Hornady LNL Progressive and like it, lots more money than the turret setup. Much easier to learn of the turret IMO.

I would pick the Lyman 49 manual. It does not list some newer powders but overall is very good.

 

[oldreloader]

looked at lee presses, they're cheap but get reviewed realllllllly bad. don't see dillons new anywhere obvious

I had a RCBS Rockchucker. I bought a Lee Classic Turret to load pistol on. I likes it so well I sold the "Chucker and bought the Lee Classic Cast Single stage. Nothing wrong with the RCBS but the Lee Classic Casts suit me better and are just as strong. And are more user friendly. The spent primer collection is heads above the RCBS.

 

[R.Ph. 380]

One Step at a Time

You can go as cheap or expensive as you want. To start with don't plan to cast initially. That's a whole class of expertise by itself.

Start with one caliber and one loading manual. Read, then turn around and read again. Don't buy anything until you've read Richard Lee's "Basic Reloading" at least twice.(You won't be bored) Never attempt anything until you've read and understand it cold. A mistake can lead to kabooms and missing body parts.

I won't go into the basic machines you need except to say, get and use a good single stage press, good quality dies and measure twice before committing. Of you decide to use digital measures, have a good balance-beam scale to check weights on. Never have more than one powder on your bench at a time. If there is ever any question as to what powder there is, don't take a chance, use it as fertilizer, remember you're working with explosives.

If possible, find someone in your local area willing to mentor you and lead you in your first steps. It will increase your ability 100 fold. Your mentor can lead you around so many of the pitfalls waiting for a novice and enhance the whole experience. I have been reloading for 30 years, starting with an old 9mm Lee Loader with scoop and hammer.

I now swage jacketed bullets from cast off brass and lead inserts in .224 from 22lr, 30 caliber(308,30-30,300BO, and 30-06) from brass cups, and 45 acp from 40 S&W. That's another whole arm of the shooting hobby that lends itself to benchrest shooting.

So take it one step at a time, get a mentor, buy gradually and above all, read-read-read-read. It cannot be stressed enough. It takes dedication and knowledge.

Good Luck and if I can give you any information, don't hesitate to pm me and ask. I don't post a lot, but I've been around the forum for a while.

Bill
R.Ph. 380

 

[TBJK]

Cabelas is getting ready to have a sale, the buy a 100$ get 25 off on your next visit when you spend 100$ or more. That's how I got most of my reloading gear. I'd suggest doing that if you have a cabelas around. I got my rockchucker supreme kit for 269 on sale, got a rebate & the 20 or 25 off the next purchase. I kept going back for a 100$ at a time.

 

[Lord Teapot]

delaying until september 1 for a clean credit card statement

 

[25-5]

I agree with most that has been said. I would, however, go progressive since quantity is part of the calibers you shoot. Hunting ammo different advice.
As far as used. Ten years from now you will have long forgotten the extra cash you've spent on new equipment.
I like Dillon.
Read, lots of YouTube on reloading, and save some money.