want to start reloading
i would like to start reloading to save money, get better round and just to have something to do. what all is needed and how much should it cost to "get started" in reloading. i would be doing .308, .357 sig, 12ga(is that possible?) . also any really good books on the subject. i like to have EVERYTHING explained to me when doing something new and investing my money. thanks in advance
Give your kids roots and wings. and dont forget the guns!!
Give your kids roots and wings. and dont forget the guns!!
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There are some oddball presses that can take both shotshell and metallic cartridges, but for all intents, you are talking about two different set ups.
"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conf0 -
Plenty of good used reloading gear around here on the GB auction and the other that is a E something.
I am a RCBS advocate. Nothing wrong wiht some of the others I just like RCBS If your going to load both rife and pistol you need a Rockchucker, The jr is good for pistol but a bit light for larger rifle cal.. Get carbide dies 3 die set. Most other dies will work on your RCBS, Lee, Lyman, Redding, etc.
You need a good scale, bullet puller and powder trickler also
I Refuse to be a VictimGrumpy old man
Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of All Those that Threaten it0 -
For anyone thinking about starting to Re-load
I was browsing through the ShotGun News, and I ran across an ad for the Lee Reloading manual for $29 and a FREE press ... I bought one of these a couple years ago and it is a heck of a good deal, the press aint much, but it works and it's free!
For about $110 you can get started reloading ... and if you don't like it, your not out much.
Manual and Press ...... $29
1 set of dies ............... $20
1 pound of powder .... $15
1000 primers .............. $15
500 bullets ................. $25
1 bottle case lube ...... $10
The manual has a good section for learning to reload, but if you know someone, thats even better. By the time you've loaded 500 rounds, you'll have a good idea if you want to continue or not ... if you do, eventually you'll want to get a better press, tumbler, scales, and all the extra's ... but to start with you can use the powder dipper that comes with Lee dies.
The company that was running this ad, is Wideners's Reloading & Shooting Supply - (423) 282-6786 or www.wideners.com
Actually, I perfer Dillon equipment, however its a good manual, a single stage press is nice to have even if you have a progressive and its free!
**note - I've never done business with this company, but I did buy the Manual and get the free press (from Midway I think) ... I just felt it was a good deal for anyone thinking about taking up reloading and wanted to pass the info along ...
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Just because your paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you!kimberkid@gunbroker.zzn.com0 -
First buy a reloading manual - it'll answer most of your other questions about what you need to get started & a lot of other answers you probably don't have questions for just yet too. A lot of folks get into it with an RCBS RockChucker kit (how I started out a few years ago) which includes a good manual. Besides the kit stuff you'd need reloading dies for the caliber(s) you want to work with, a good caliper to measure case & load length, and something to clean your fired brass (cases) with. Some good sources of supplies & information are http://www.midwayusa.com, http://www.championshooters.com, http://www.sinclairintl.com, http://www.cheaperthandirt.com, http://www.bluepress.com, http://www.lymanproducts.com, http://www.hornady.com There certainly are many, many more out there & your shooting friends probably have their favorites. You might also inquire of those who reload if they can offer you some tips on how to get started or if you can watch how they do it. Please keep in mind though the First Rule of Reloading: YOU ALONE WILL BE RESPONSIBLE for your mistakes; you MUST know what you're doing & why there are some things that MUST be avoided (reloading while eating, drinking, or smoking, while enjoying recreational substances, trying to read between the lines if you don't have EXACTLY the specified propellants for the load you're making up, etc.) for your personal safety & that of others' around you when you're shooting. .357SIG is not the best cartridge to begin with (if I might say so) for a pistol round. Do you have any straightwall cartridge firearms you could begin with? .308 Winchester's not a hard rifle cartridge to load but you should have some experience before starting to do necked cartridges, of any kind - they have their own peculiarities to be aware of. 0 -
#1 That I tell people that would like to reload Start with A LEAST!,
Three to four Reload books Nosler, Sierra, Lyman, Etc. This will help
you Cross ref. any loads. (Some books have hotter loads than others)
#2 Start with your Pistol loads. Carbide dies are easy to work with the first time out. Rifle loads are a little more involved, but not much.
#3 Get a buddy or your local gun shop to help!
#4 Take your time. Saftey first!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!saftey saftey saftey
#5 once you learn a little at a time, you can make loads better than any factory (its not something you can learn in a day)
Good luck!0 -
RCBS has "Master Reloading Kits" You get a Rockchucker press, a set of scales, a lube pad, primer tubes and attachment for press, a manual and everything you need except dies and you can order the calibers you need from whomever you order the kit from. Get a quality press and equipment to start with!! It will cost you more up front but you won't be replacing stuff real soon! You can get everything you need and quality to for 250.00 or less! You can get supposedly everything you need for about 75.00 or less but you will be disapointed if you go that route! However I will have to say that cheaper companies dies are second to none! They have the tightest tolerances in machining in the industry!! It's their accessories that bother me.(Scales) is the big one! As far as Rifle and Shotgun reloading from same tools, NO! Different Beasts altogether! MEC makes quality shotgun stuff and you can get whatever you prefer from single stage to progressive from them and they are big enough that you won't have much trouble finding charge bars or powder bushings readily at gun shops or catalogs. GHD 0 -
go with the rcbs equipment i also have a lee press works allright but reqires a bit more effort to resize than the rockchucker press.
one thing that i have and really like is the hand priming tool. you can prime a lot of cases fast with one of these. also get one of the reloading manuals nozler sierra ect ect and read up on the how to's of reloading and dont be afraid to ask questions here also.
doc0 -
You didn't mention how much you shoot. It takes a lot of shooting anymore to amortize the cost of a big reloading setup. If you want the least expensive and most time consuming method of reloading I'd recomend Lee loaders. Each has the neccessary tools to load one caliber or guage. For less than $20.00 you get everthing in the way of tools you'll need. Of course you will have to get bullets, cases, primers and powder (don't forget shot for your shotgun shells). You might even want to consider bullet casting if you really have time to burn. Read a couple of reloading manuals and by all means consult with someone who has some experience at reloading. This can be a dangerous activity if not done to the letter. Thats one of the reasons many ranges don't allow reloaded ammo. Really they would rather sell you ammo then let you shoot your own but thats another question. Good luck, be carefull and have fun. 0 -
Don't forget a powder measure and a neck chamfering tool.
If you're going to load .308 also figure in a case trimmer.0
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