new reloader

[cozyc]

Hi guys,
I am wanting to start reloading, and I wanted to know if there are any good kits for under $200. If your guys could recomend a press or kit it would be helpful. I don't know if I need a kit. What do you really need to start loading 7mm mags? Thanks guys. any advise would be helpful. randy

 

[P95Carry]

cozyc - welcome to THR.

Now - not to try and cop out but ... this is an oft asked question, and I have to go crash soon! Do a search on various key words .... or browse back thru threads in reloading forum ... it's all there Randy.

Many will suggest and I'd join em ... start with a Lee set up .... and in fact if 7mm mag is your bag then a single station ''Challenger'' press, with a die set -- plus a factory crimp die .... and you'll be good to go - well within budget!

You can expand your equipment later. Oh and .. invest in Lyman #48 and or the 2nd Edition Lee reloading book ..... plus any powder mfr's manuals you can find (some are on line).

 

[Black Snowman]

For starting on a budget I point people to the Lee Anniversary Reloading Kit.

The kit, dies, powder, primers, brass, bullets, caliper, reloading data from the powder manufacturer's website to compare to your other manuals, and you'll be pretty much set. If you upgrade any components or get out of reloading you're not out a lot of money and many of the included items are still useful even if you do upgrade.

Finding used equpment can net you heavier duty and prettier equipment at a reasonable price but if go that route have someone familiar with the equipment check it out and make sure it's servicable and complete. Piecing everything together can get quite expensive pretty fast. Which is why I usually just recommend the kit. It's discounted quite heavily over getting the items seperately.

EDIT: P95carry beat me too it! Sound advice from him too

 

[Ala Dan]

Greeting's To All-

My friend Black Snowman has given you the best advice
I can think of; cuz I know of NO other kit's that are
available in that price range. With some help from
us "oldtimer's" (NO pun intended) you may could
piece together some good equipment on e-bay?

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[Valkman]

Welcome, cozyc!

That Lee kit sure has alot in it for the money! Looks like all you need is some dies, calipers, a manual and a way to clean your brass and you'd be ready to go.

I have a Dillon but use a Lee Challenger Press and a Lee Auto Prime to load for .454 Casull. Works great! Try looking on Ebay - they have presses and kits on there. I bought my press for $20 and a Hornaday L-N-L powder measure for another $20.

 

[dakotasin]

when you get all your stuff together, pick up some federal magnum primers, a pound of rl-25, some win brass, and some 162 btsp hornady interlocks... then you'll be ready to load your 7 mag.

i don't know anything of lee stuff (almost all my gear is rcbs), but i figured i'd toss those other iterms in your shopping cart, since you'll be loading the for the 7, and you'll need 'em.

 

[CZPreB]

Beginning reloader

Hi, all!

I just jumped into this fine and fascinating field. Hope these experiences can add something to the already excellent advice presented.

I, too, took the Lee route on the advice of the local expert. (Wanted a Dillon, but he's a Lee guy. When in Rome...) Got the kit with the turret press and Autodisk powder measure for about $120, plus $30 for dies. You can probably do better, but I was willing to 'support the locals,' especially since Mr. Expert pitched in his home phone number and "call anytime something doesn't look right" with the deal. Added to that initial cost were $20 for the Lyman #48 book and $20 for a digital caliper from AutoZone.

Just moved into a new place, so I'm *really* starting from scratch -- the materials for the bench, a lamp (with built-in magnifying glass), some storage organizers, a floor mat, trash can, and an inexpensive chair added $100.

Component costs for the intial run (300 primers and bullets, plus a pound of powder) added $40 to the bill. I was invited to "scavenge all the brass you want" off the range, but instead went to WalMart and bought some Winchester 9mm for $11/100 (new unprimedWinchester brass was a buck more per 100 at the shop!). Saved about 220 cases from the 300 purchased, and then promptly messed them up following some advice on a brass-cleaning thread elsewhere on the forum. ("Soak 'em in vinegar" doesn't work -- the cases jammed in the sizing die so hard the through-bolted press ripped through the particle-board benchtop!)

Fortunately, an idea expressed in another thread here saved the day. After 'sistering' the messed-up bench with some new timber and re-bolting everything, I went to Goodwill and got an ice-cream maker for three bucks, and after combining it with some walnut 'reptile litter' ($4 at the pet store) and a squirt of car wax, had a 'brass tumbler' that made shiny cases in about three hours! Using a plastic colander from the dollar store (costing well, about a dollar) as a media separator, everything was ready to be refilled.

So, the first 220 rounds come out to $1.70 each, minus some leftover primers, bullets, powder, and litter. I'm hoping things will improve with time.

Seriously, it's a great hobby in and of its own right. It's not a slam-dunk on the savings (obviously), but I've already learned a great deal more about why things go bang, and expect the education to continue. C'mon in, the water's fine!