How did you get started in reloading? How do I?

[GunSmoke]

As the topic states, I would really like to learn how to reload. I shoot with enough frequency that I believe it would be cost-effective, and even more importantly I believe it would be a good activity for my son and I to do together.

So, how did you get started in reloading, and how do you recommend I get started?

Thank you

 

[Boriqua]

I started about a year and a half ago. I was more concerned with availability of ammo than cost savings since it looked like Hillery might get in and I remember the last shortage.

So while I undertook it for purely practical reasons I have really come to enjoy the process and learning about different powders and loads and .. it does indeed save me more than half when loading certain cartridges like 10mm or 357.

Some will say buy the Dillion bullet master for $1000 and you wont regret it but I had trouble learning on a progressive. I spent more time learning how to operate the machine than learning the finer points of making cartridges.

I would suggest a good single stage press to start with. I use a Lee Classic Cast single stage and its a beast but I think Hornady puts out a whole kit for a reasonable price but I cant speak to its quality.

Presses dont go bad and you can always sell the single to get back a few bucks when/if you go to progressive. I have done a few thousand rounds in 4 different cartridges but still dont feel I know everything I want to before I move to a progressive and I very much like the process with a single stage.

I had a good friend who reloads come and spend the day giving me a primer. He uses a progressive but he brought a single stage, a separate powder measure, a classic beam scale and even a separate depriming tool. It was perfect!! I got to really understand each stage of the process.

When I asked questions around the web I got some undercover answers .. mostly I just kept getting told how dangerous it was. Once my Buddy showed me it removed the mysticism. Its not very difficult to do and so long as you go step by step its not dangerous.

There are plenty of ready made recipes for various cartridges on the web.

What you will need
A means to clean brass.
I like the Berrys tumbler because it is quiet but it is very limited in capacity. Harbor freight has a big mama jama if noise isnt an issue for you

Cleaning medium

A good scale

A means of measuring powder

A caliper

A press

Depending on the press I guess you may or may not need a separate depriming tool.

If you go single stage then a tray is kind of mandatory.

I am pretty sure that is all I have.

I use a colander to seperate the media from the brass

 

[Rpowell600]

First, reloading will not save you money. I say this in a friendly manner and the others here can attest to this. Thousands of dollars can and most likely will be spent in equipment. You just get to shoot more for less, sometimes. Boriqua pretty much nailed the basics for you. There are plenty of good youtube videos showing what equipment you will need as well as how to load.

My recommendations through experience would be:

Get a cheap Lee Breechlock kit (single stage, you can always upgrade later if you enjoy it). I still use my Lee single stage just to load my hunting rounds.

Get a good balance beam scale (Hornady makes a good one ~$50). The lee scale sucks. Dont rely on the scoops alone. Please.

Get a reloading manual. Any brand, latest edition if possible. If you can, get at least two for cross referencing.

Unless you are loading rifle rounds for extreme precision, the cheaper Lee dies work just fine. Save your money.

Eliminate any distractions (including alcohol, big no no) while reloading. All it takes is to double charge a case or fail to put any powder in a case and you could end up in the ER.

Always wear ear protection when seating primers. Its not worth losing an eye.

Thats all I can think of at the moment. Im sure others will chime in with more tips. Welcome to your new addiction. This is a whole new hobby altogether.

 

[GunSmoke]

Awesome! Thank you for the very thorough response. I think I will put a post up on my neighborhood forum and see if anyone near me reloads that might give me a walkthrough of the way your buddy did. Unfortunately none of my friends here reload. Here's another question, I often see reloading setups for sale on Craigslist when people appear to be getting out of it. Would it be reasonable or wise to purchase an entire set up at once? Or do these things have enough problems that buying new is worth the extra cost?

 

[GunSmoke]

Thanks - you're right, I was considering cost per round, but not factoring initial setup cost. Still, as a hobby, and something to pass to my son it sounds worth it.

 

[Rpowell600]

https://www.cabelas.com/product/Lee-Breech-Lock-Challenger-Kit/731940.uts?slotId=0

$164 for the kit I was referring to.

 

[Rpowell600]

Reloading is definitely worth it! Once you load several thousand rounds then it does become cost effective for sure. And like you said, for the hobby alone it is worth it. I got into reloading just to become more involved in what I already loved.

 

[Flash]

My Dad taught me when I was a kid and I recommend anyone that's starting out to find a mentor. Find someone who lives fairly close to you who can show you the ropes and help you when you encounter things you don't know about which will happen from time to time.

There are a lot of good presses and equipment out there and no bad presses or equipment that I'm aware of. You can pay a lot more than you need to for stuff and you can get good prices. Take a look at Amazon for things. Here's their price for the same setup that Rpowell600 posted for around $14.00 less and it's got free shipping.
https://www.amazon.com/LEE-PRECISION-Breech-Lock-Challenger/dp/B003ISVWC6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1534347117&sr=8-1&keywords=lee+breech+lock+challenger+reloading+kit

 

[AZGEEZER]

I pretty much taught myself, it was all about cost at the time. Flash is totally correct about locating a mentor. With a mentor they can explain the details and show you at the same time. That in itself saves the pupil headaches and the pupil learns quicker.

I learned casting back in the 80's and just excelled from there. I don't use cast so much in high power rifles, only for low power (mouse fart) up close type shots.

Depending on how much you shoot will determine how fast you get your $ back for the cost of equipment. You'll learn weird things like 7,000gr equals 1LB so you can figure a pound of powder does so many loads.

You'll soon learn how much cheaper it is to roll your own..

Example: I load my 45-70 for .25ea using cast. What factory cost I really have no clue. I didn't add the cost of the case because those can be used over and over.

 

[shooter444]

I am mostly self taught via a lot of web research, loading manual reading, and received a lot of guidance from a neighbor and fellow board member here. My first entry into rolling my own, was about 45 years ago, with shotgun slug / shells and casting 44 mag over a open fire,... loaded with a Lee hand press / loader.

COST EFFECTIVE?

NO,... not for me!

There was a time when cost savings were a given, but I believe those days were about five decades ago.

I got into loading, because of reading internet posts by loaders continuously stating how EVERY FIREARM WAS SO UNIQUELY DIFFERENT, THAT AN INDIVIDUAL BULLET, POWDER, OVERALL FINISHED CARTRIDGE LENGTH, AND POWDER CHARGE NEEDED TO BE INDIVIDUALLY MATCHED, TO EACH WEAPON, FOR BEST ACCURACY!

That was my goal, so, when my costs grew beyond my expectations,... I still felt the effort worthwhile.

Now,... I probably should clarify that statement.

It seems like every time I reach a production level that would have me think I was breaking even with my costs,... I would get educated and invest in upgraded equipment/parts/components,... moving my cost effective curve, forward. After all these years, I still find myself continuously moving the cost effective curve, endlessly forward, even as late as yesterday with more and more purchases! :violin:

You may want to keep that in mind!

But, I will state emphatically, to you,... it is all worth it,.... I would never go back to buying store bought ammo!!! I don't care what the cost (almost) :mrgreen: !

Five years ago (approx) I got into cast lead for my 30-06 sprg, 308 win, 44 mag/spl, 444 marlin, 45acp and 45 colt loading's,... if I could cast 223cal I would, but knowing one's limitations is a skill worth developing in this adventure, imo. And, just the cost of alloy specific quality lead has gone up to the point of pushing my cost effective curve, even further down the road!!!

Enjoy!

 

[Harrier]

I think it was 1963 and I was given a 6.5 Jap rifle to go deer hunting. Ammo for that gun was both scarce and expensive. I bought a box of Norma and used 3/4 of it for practice, saving 5 rounds for hunting...

Shortly after that I got a used C-H press, a set of dies (RCBS I think), a scale and a few other pieces of kit and started reloading my own ammo... Hanging out at the local gunsmith shop helped. Been doing it ever since adding gear as I went. At one time I loaded 25 different calibers, but have tapered off in recent years to a handful.

I recommend going with a single stage setup for a few years as you will learn more that way. Don't ignore loading manuals- get 3 good ones- hard copy from both bullet and powder manufacturers (they see loads differently) and download others as you can. Look on Amazon for used copies cheaper than store prices but stay with 2003 or newer - use the older ones once you have more experience as they tend to be hotter loads before good pressure data became commonly available (about 1999-2001)

I have a Dillon but rarely use it, preferring my Rock Chucker and lee hand press over the automated shell shucker. When I want to pump out 9mm or 45 then I'll fire up the Dillon.

The one progressive I ALWAYS had problems with (2 of em) was the Lee 1000... and their plastic powder measures, and their friction fit decapping stems... won't recommend a lot of their stuff, but some of their other individual items are good.

 

[Flash]

Personally, I love Lee's plastic powder measures, got 6 or em. Their friction fit decapping stems have saved me a ton in broken/bent decapping pins and work great for me.

I will say that the Lee 1000 isn't something I'd recommend but their LoadMaster is extremely good and the best bang for the buck on the market and the replacement for the 1000, the Lee Auto Breech Lock Pro looks very good to me.

As far as manuals, I'll recommend 2: The Lyman Reloading Handbook and the Lee Modern Reloading book. Both of them have a ton of loads with the Lee book having the most by far. If I was only going to have one book, it would be the Lee. If you can't find a load there, it probably doesn't exist much of anywhere else either.

 

[GunSmoke]

Gentleman, thank you all for the in-depth responses. I'm going to get a book first, and spend some time reading so that I understand the equipment that I'm buying.

I'm really looking forward to starting a new hobby, that can be taught to future generations. Thanks again everyone.

 

[338lapua]

My uncle was a reloader, he did it because he mostly shot Weatherby rifles and the cost of the ammo. He didn't share any of his reloading with me or even his own kids. I started buying class 3 a couple years before I turned 21 and started the transfer of a lot of weapons on my birthday, the cost of the ammo even back then was expensive. I started saving my brass as well as picking up every piece I can find.

I met Mike Dillon on a machine gun shoot that I was invited to, I was already using reloads from a friend of his and he invited me to his shop. I bought a 550 that day. I sold the 550 within a couple months and was onto a 650, it blew up a couple times so I went all in for a the 1050. Everyone was telling me I would blow up all my guns as I was not experienced enough to be running a 1050, actually everyone who told me that has blown up guns but I have not. At one time I had over 950 empty boxes of 1,000 primers in my garage. Between my usage and a couple friends, I as well as a couple friends were running about 400K rounds out of my garage a year, there was someone loading something every night. I had 6 1050's at home then. I still have a couple 1050's at home and still load on them but the bulk I load on automated loaders.

One day while at Thunderbird Cartridge back when he was my powder supplier I was complaining about pulling the handle and Eric said I think it is time for you to move up. I had seen his commercial reloaders but this day I got taught how to run one. I was hooked. I put feelers out and started buying Camdex and Ammoload machines as well as case trimmers, case processors and roll sizers. I had quickly acquired about 30 of them, I have over 450 of them today on several locations. Today we load for quite a few companies and we make their entire lines, package for them and handle shipping to distributors. We could produce close to 40 million rounds a month if all 3 locations were running at full staff and we had everything in stock.

I have a unique perspective on reloading since I went from being a large scale reloader to a manufacturer. Some things I wish I had done differently.

I wish I had went against Mike Dillons advice and went right to the 1050 and not wasted the money on a 550 and the POS 650. I wish after the 3rd 1050 was bought I would have went Camdex and Ammoload back then, I would have spent a third the time I did loading.

Advice for a new loader. Start with a progressive. If you are shooting a thousand or two a month a single station is a waste of your time. It will make your wife hate you less when you are sitting and loading for less time. Progressives are easy to learn. Get with someone who uses a progressive and let them teach you. I have actually started many reloaders on a 1050 and none of them are blowing guns up. The number one one thing to make sure of is that you get powder in every case without fail, you can visually inspect for powder, use a powder check or do it with a camera and a monitor. The second most import and thing to do is work with the person teaching you and load up some squib rounds. Squib training will save your life, your hand and your guns. You need to break the habit of just clearing a firearm when something does not seem right to inspecting it for the bullet you just lodged in the barrel. Even factory ammunition from the really big manufacturers and even some reloaders had put squib rounds out there.

Loading practices. I would get 2 5 gallon buckets for every caliber you intend to reload, one for cleaned brass and one for shot. I usually load my ammo 25K or more at a time but it is fine if you do it in smaller numbers. Try to do it for 6 months to a year at a time. When you are set up for lets say 9mm, load every case you have empty before moving on to the next caliber, then load your 40, your 38/357 then your 45. Then when you are done with this move onto your rifle rounds and load a year or two worth of ammo at a time, it will save you money on components. Mistakes are also made when you make changes. Loading 250 of this and a hundred of that is when you start to screw up and leave a super fast powder in a measure and then you go to a round that needs a slow powder and now you have a problem. Load everything you have of one caliber before moving on.

Primers really don't matter as to brand, I use mostly small rifle primers in both pistol and rifle rounds. Magnum primers are different but for most small rifle and pistol rounds save money and buy bulk of small rifle when they are on sale.

Powder, there are dozens of powders out there and everyone thinks they need a different powder for every round. For my personal reloads I use one powder for ALL my pistol rounds which is 4 calibers. I do not go for the hottest fastest low bulk powder I can get for personal reloading, I only go with the cheaper low bulk powders for commercial loading where my profit margin is a cent or two a round. I use a high bulk powder that I can see in the case and I use it for every pistol caliber I load. I buy in bulk and save. High bulk powders also mean it will usually overflow the case if you double charge unlike AA#2 and Titegroup where a double charge may not be noticed. This advice right here is one of the biggest pieces of advice to keep you safe. Use as few powders as you can get away with. Never have more than one powder out at a time.

Bottom line get with a highly experienced reloader who is not a anal retentive moron who can teach you a bare bones no bs way of reloading and feel free to start on a progressive if you are shooting thousands of rounds a year. Learn how to simplify from the start, one primer, as few powders as you can get away with and so on. Learn to bulk reload from the beginning before moving on to another round. When you are finished for the day ALWAYS clear the press of every piece of brass so it is completely empty. Always start with a empty shell plate.

I have taught a lot of reloaders over the years and I don't mind teaching more. It is a very simple process if you make it a simple process or it can be made complex to the point you get lost and make mistakes. It is so simple that a new reloader can be taught how to setup a 1050, reload, and convert calibers in a few lessons.

If anyone is serious about getting into reloading and wants to learn I am willing to work with them at my house and on a super 1050 to show you just how easy it is to learn on one of the fastest progressives there is. You need brass and bullets primers and powder and a minimum of 1,000 at a time, more is recommended. You MUST be a contributor to this site and I mean you need to be a active poster and I can even deal with dickheads and assholes because I am one myself.

 

[GunSmoke]

338lapua, thank you for the amount of time and detail you put into that post. Congratulations on your success.

To be frank, your recommendation is much more in line with what I do with most purchases. I would rather buy the machine or product I expect to have in the end, and force myself more rapidly along the learning curve, then shorten the learning curve and he forced to purchase advancements in a product later.

If you would be willing to show a newbie in reloading like myself the ropes. That is an amazing offer, and when I'd be foolish to pass up. Good news is, I'm not an a******, but I can't promise anything about sarcastic, lol.

I'm going to send you a p.m. If it's convenient for you to respond I appreciate it. If not I understand how busy you must be. Thank you again for the great information.

 

[Flash]

Most automatic progressive presses have a way of disabling the automatic feature and sort of using them like a single stage. The Dillon 550 is a manual progressive, not an automatic progressive like most are, so it's harder to get in trouble with it....but still possible for some people. I always look at the ceiling above 550s when I see one. Old habit.

 

[omegaman]

Start with Lee single stage kit if its your thing then buy a dillon 650. I started with the kit then had 2 lee pro they suck in comparison to the dillon now have 650 1050 and a rock chucker

 

[338lapua]

338lapua, thank you for the amount of time and detail you put into that post. Congratulations on your success.

To be frank, your recommendation is much more in line with what I do with most purchases. I would rather buy the machine or product I expect to have in the end, and force myself more rapidly along the learning curve, then shorten the learning curve and he forced to purchase advancements in a product later.

If you would be willing to show a newbie in reloading like myself the ropes. That is an amazing offer, and when I'd be foolish to pass up. Good news is, I'm not an a******, but I can't promise anything about sarcastic, lol.

I'm going to send you a p.m. If it's convenient for you to respond I appreciate it. If not I understand how busy you must be. Thank you again for the great information.

I wrote the book on sarcasm. Got fired from a company and on the termination paperwork was too many sarcastic comments at inappropriate times.

Starting with a progressive can safely be done and if you are a high volume shooter there is no need to punish yourself by starting on a single station.

 

[shooter444]

Gunsmoke,... I believe one must learn to crawl before they can walk and walk, before you can run. :mrgreen: What I mean by that, is,... creating a single cartridge at a time, through intimate learning of each and every step, can give you reloading insight, a progressive may not.

Not trying to start anything, I never did mass produced reloading, or, full auto reloading,...so, this is just my very limited opinion.

But, I doubt you will hear many anal retentive moron single stage reloaders saying you would blow up all your guns :angry-extinguishflame: for not being experienced enough when doing each and every loading step,... by hand,... on a single stage press.

As I am most definitely in the GREAT MINORITY when it comes to my opinion of progressive presses,... bottom line for me is, if I don't see, or, I don't do, every step in hand, with every cartridge,... it don't go in any of my weapons!!!

Now,... putting all the above in proper context,... consider that I am someone who only shoots a dozen rounds, when some will shoot hundreds,...I am someone who only shoots a few hundred rounds, per weapon, per year,... compared to some who will shoot thousands!!!

All the best to you!

 

[brandyspaw]

I started reloading around 1975/1976 and it was all about the cost savings for me back then. I couldn't afford to shoot my magnum revolvers, much less any rifle rounds, so I decided to start reloading. I managed to buy a couple reloading manuals along with an RCBS Rockchucker press, scale, dies, etc and just had at it. Just read a Speer, Hornady, etc manual and proceed slowly and safely. There's also resources all over the web if you don't hook up with a member here to show you the ropes.

BTW- reloading started out an economic necessity but it eventually became a hobby on to itself. However, these days, with practice ammo for many popular calibers so cheap, I'll only be reloading precision rifles, magnum handguns and a few other calibers. With practice ammo so cheap for 9mm, 223, etc it just doesn't make sense to me to reload those anymore.