Newbie first post question on reloading

[kmaultsby]

First of all I love shooting but like everyone else the price for ammo and finding it is very hard. So I want to start reloading I have done some reading but still I would like some suggestions from all of you here. The gun that I own now are the Glock 17 and Springfield XD9 tactical. I am also planning to purchase 40 calibur in a Glock or XD and a 1911 45 in the future. Most of my shooting will be 9mm in SSP and some with my XD in ESP. Now the questions. 1. Which reloader? I here Dillon is the only way to go if so which model? 2. Is using cast lead bullets to save money a good idea? I know I cannot use lead on my Glock barrel but I would change the barrel out. 3. What about the accuracy between the jacketed bullet compare to a lead bullet? 4. Any thing else that I missed?:gun_bandana:

[ept000]

Which reloader really depends on you budget and how much you shoot. If you have lots of money and shoot a bunch, go Dillon. A little less money and shoot a bunch, check out Hornady. Less money yet will be Lee, which is fine if you have some mechanical ability. I have a Pro 1000,and a Hornady LnL progressive and they both work great, but to be honest after 40 or 50 thousand rounds the Lee is starting to wear.

Shooting lead to save cash is a great idea, especially if you cast your own. If you don't cast yet, check out Missouri Bullets. Brad is a member here, and makes a terrific product at a great price. I run a Storm Lake barrel in my G19 and it works great.

Accuracy with the lead can be just as good as any jacketed bullet. The secret is to work up a load that your combination likes. Don't just think you are going to pick a random charge and a made up length, and it's going to be perfect. But the same is true for reloading jacketed or plated.

Have you missed anything? Tons. But that's what this board is for. Ask all the questions you want, and people will answer. They might give you some good natured ribbing on the way (all in fun) but the answers will be there.

Also, and I should have started with this, WELCOME!

[cohutt]

Started with a Dillon 550 and never regretted it. Versatile, simple for a progressive, reliable.

[MakeMineaP99]

Welcome. I'll add, you can run lead in a poly bore if you do it right.

[creophus]

Which reloader depends on how fast you need to make ammo. Any reloader will make quality ammo as it's not the machine but the man that determines quality.

[TwoShot]

................WELCOME to the site....................... That ok now??????????????? lol
Good idea to reload. I started with a single stage rcbs and a later a lyman,and now a 550 dillon. You will get a lot of differant opions on the best so ya need to just read and decide which is best that fits your needs.
If ya an see some on them in action.
Good luck,and what ever press you buy ,get to know it. It will give you good service.
Feel free to ask questions here ,no question will go unanswered.
There is a million years of knowledge here on this site.:)

Where are you calling home, Hopefull the GREAT NORTHWEST.:yesnod:

[creophus]

Dan was the first to welcome him to the site.

[ept000]

Dan was the first to welcome him to the site.
Ummmm.... you might double check that....


Just saying

[BoltNut]

Welcome...you'll find scads of info here to absorb, and these guys seem to know their stuff to the PhD levels of understanding!

[Steve Koski]

Heya Kmault.

Start with a Dillon 550 set up for the caliber you're currently shooting (the most). Load a few thousand rounds, get a feel for the land, then start with other calibers.

[thorn]

Welcome.

Some will say you should always start with single stage and get comfy, and one day go progressive. If you have any mechanical ability, and good patience - don't. Start with a progressive.

At the least, you can treat it like a single stage and just do one round at the time... but i promise you, for pistol it's just too slow to pull a handle 4-5 times to make a single round of ammo.

As to brands of press - lots of good info here. None are BAD choice... it all depends on what you wish to spend, and what compromises you wish to make - as they all have a compromise somewhere along the line.

thorn

[Steviewonder1]

Dillon beats all the rest in my opinion. I use 2 SDB's for Pistol (they only do pistol). You will need a 550 or greater for Pistol and Rifle plus accessories. The progressive presses will do you well with minimal issues and a NO BS warranty which means any thing goes bad with it, call them and tell them what is wrong and they will send you a NEW part at NO charge. You do need to know how to take the press apart and put it back together again. I have done many times.

Good Luck

[BIGGUNGOBOOM]

I will stick buy this always. for a beginner reloader. I suggest a Single stage press like the RCBS Rockchukar, it will teach you the fundamentals of reloading better than a progressive. some may not agree with me but I think its the best way to start. plus if your going to be shooting rifles its the only way to go in my OP. I use my single stage press's and the RCBS Chargemaster more than anything. the Key is to always be safe, start at the Min, and work up. I too have ran lead threw stock glock barrels and never did have a problem.

ohh yea and Welcome

[MCK45ACP]

Welcome. As stated a single stage press will allow you to focus on each stage of the reloading process. I will always have a s.s. on my bench. I personally favor the Dillon 550 for a progressive press. Have been using one for years and have put thousands of rounds through it. Either way reloading is the way to go. I don't buy ammo any more, I buy components and I have some firearmes that I have never fired factory ammo through. You are making a good choice to start reloading.

[tEN wOLVES]

I will stick buy this always. for a beginner reloader. I suggest a Single stage press like the RCBS Rockchukar, it will teach you the fundamentals of reloading better than a progressive. some may not agree with me but I think its the best way to start. plus if your going to be shooting rifles its the only way to go in my OP. I use my single stage press's and the RCBS Chargemaster more than anything. the Key is to always be safe, start at the Min, and work up. I too have ran lead threw stock glock barrels and never did have a problem.

ohh yea and Welcome

+ 1

I started on a Rock Chucker, and still use it , I also have a Hornady LnL AP, Progressive, and love it, as stated above there are some nice presses out there, if you have a chance to look them over it will help in your decision, any of the top progressives will serve you well, and a single stage like the Rock Chucker is a must have, I use mine for rifle calibers that I want to be spot on for the best accuracy I can get, and the best way to learn how to load is a single stage, the progressive will also load perfect ammo too, but it's nice to have another press if you just want to bang out a few rounds for various calibers, the LnL uses bushings that make changing your dies from one press to another a piece of cake. IMHO

And Welcome to the forum, I'm new here to

Regards

tEN wOLVES

[Sixgun Symphony]

My advise is to buy a progressive press and a single stage press.

Use the progressive press for mass production. Use the single stage press for match grade rifle ammo, load development, case forming, and bullet swaging.

When it comes to progressive presses, buy from Dillon. Then buy a USED heavy duty single stage press at a local gunshow.

[fredj338]

My advise is to buy a progressive press and a single stage press.

Use the progressive press for mass production. Use the single stage press for match grade rifle ammo, load development, case forming, and bullet swaging.

When it comes to progressive presses, buy from Dillon. Then buy a USED heavy duty single stage press at a local gunshow.
It's a pretty good sugestion & how I load, except I now have two 550B & a singlestage.:2gunsfiring_v1:

[Charly]

Hi there and welcome
For me it was a Dillon XL650 from the start. Most important factor in the decision is the fact I want the press to be able to reload several different calibers and conversion should not be too time consuming.
I am using the 650 for the past 2-3 years now in 9mm,38spcl,45ACP,222rem,223rem and 308win. the big quantities are loaded in 9mm followed by 38spcl.

[kmaultsby]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I have been busy at work so I am just now getting back.

[ddcarter3]

Welcome!
I started with a Lee Classic Turret press. I still keep this press mounted and ready to knock out few rounds to go shoot. I bought the Lee LoadMaster next. I don't have the patience for it. I gave it to my retire Dad. He likes to tinker and is one of the best mechanic I know. I opted for the LnL AP to replace the LM. I love it.
You can't go wrong with either the Dillon or the Hornady LnL AP.
If I were to go back and do it over, I would still start with the Lee Classic Turret.

[ddcarter3]

BTW....Here a couple of links for the LCT. I bought mine from Kempfs.

https://kempfgunshop.com//index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=630&category_id=26&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=41

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0044122216337a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntk=Products&QueryText=lee+kit&sort=all&Go.y=0&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form23&Go.x=0&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1

[colorado4wheel]

Never owned a single stage and I never miss having a single stage. Can't imagine loading on something that slow. If all you do is load pistol you don't need one. 550 is very versatile. Perhaps thats why I don't feel like I am missing out. I would get a LCT before a Single Stage. But if you shoot much you might as well go straight to a progressive. Start with jacketed bullets in your most common caliber. Pick a common powder (ask your buddies what they use and have used). Experiment later. For 9mm may I suggest Titegroup Powder and Montana Gold/Precision Delta 124 gr bullets. Simple reliable. Great start.

[fredj338]

Welcome. I'll add, you can run lead in a poly bore if you do it right.
Agree, but I don't recommend it to a newb because they are apt to NOT do it right. Yes, reloading can save you a lot of money, allowing you to shoot more, especially when you go 45acp. You do need to buy in some kind of bulk though, like 1K bullets, 5K primers & 4# of powder as min.
Which machine? Time is money & quality cost more than crap. The Lee turret is a decent press for 150rds/hr. I would buy that before any Lee progressive. The Dillon 550B, very simple to setup, use & maintain, about 450rds/hr+. The LNL is a good machine, it seems quirkier than the Dillon equiv. 650, but is quite a bit cheaper also w/ 1K free bullets. The SDB is a good machine if you only load pistol & not 357sig.
So decide how much you are going to shoot a month & let that guide your purchase. I would bet 90% of all reloaders have more press than they need. Oy yeah, the Dillon 650 is a great machine, but most don't need 650rds+/hr. If I only shot one or two calibers & shot 1000rds+ a month, the 650 starts to make sense. If you shoot 6-8 calibers, the extra cost of conversions gets pricey, & it is a bit more complicated to change over than a 550B.

[blueline541]

Prior to reloading I would have never been able to justify anything beyond a single stage press because I shot so little. But after a lot of research I went with the Dillon 550, and the amount I started shooting skyrocketed. In my opinion the 550 is hard to beat.

[MakeMineaP99]

Agree, but I don't recommend it to a newb because they are apt to NOT do it right.

Right, I should have added, that after you've been reloading and casting for a while. I reloaded about a year before I started casting and even then, I didn't run lead in my Glock for a while.

[GLOCKENNBOOMER]

Just like these guys said....What's right for you? If you want to be able to produce plenty of ammo quick go with a Dillon 550....If you do buy a single stage (LEE or RCBS) eventually you're gonna want a progressive...Of course if you buy a progressive you'll probaly end up wanting a single stage at some point....I know it's a double edged sword....Go slow ,get a little bit at a time and before you know it you'll be set up. Neccesities are a caliper (I prefer digital) ...dies (of course) ...the press...brass...bullets...primers...powder..some kind of scale...I started with a Dillon Eliminator balance beam then later spent the bucks and got a Dillon Terminator(Digital) and never looked back....If you have a tumbler ,great. If not there are other ways to get your brass clean.....
some good places to score brass are
1.your local range (free)
2. internet I like www.auctionarms.com or www.reloadersauction.com or here.

[unclebob]

Not knowing how much you shoot. But after you start reloading if you are like a lot of people you well double the amount you shot now. I would suggest in getting a Dillon 550. You can use it as a single stage press, If latter on you want too shoot rifle your all set, unless you are trying too put every bullet in the same hole. Even David Tubb uses a Dillon 550. For working up loads you do not need a single stage press. It is a lot easier to just do it on the 550 or even a 650 press. You do not have too take the dies out of the tool head, or buy another set of dies. It’s just plain 100% easier to do it on the progressive press.
The biggest decision is in what press you want to get. Get the best of what you can afford. Up front it might look hard too do. But in the end you will not regret it. Also start making out a list of all the stuff you want. Remember Christmas is just around the corner. Good luke and welcome to the dark side:) of the reloading world.

[speedracer211]

I started on a lct and still have it mounted next to two lee pro 1ks that I picked up with dies of craigslist for $100. Check out craigslist as deals do tend to pop up.

[rivardj]

I have a Lee Classic Turret press and love it. Been using it for about 2 years and it has paid for it's self about three times over. I load 9mm Luger, .38 Special and .380 for myself and family members.

[jawjaboy]

And a fine press it is rivard. :thumbsup:

Welcome to Glockpost. Glad to have ya. :yesnod:
.

[Fatdaddy]

I started with a cheap Lee C press and for pistol calibers it was hairpulling slow.
Soon after I upgraded to the Lee Classic Turret and couldn't be happier, been running it for 2 years + and it's as fast as I need.
I only shoot maybe 400-500 rounds a month though.:patriot:

[creophus]

I have a Lee Classic Turret press and love it. Been using it for about 2 years and it has paid for it's self about three times over. I load 9mm Luger, .38 Special and .380 for myself and family members.
Welcome to the board. I cut my reloading teeth on an LCT. Good stuff.