New to reloading! Advice is welcomed.

[Kceads66]

I have been reloading 45acp for about a year and I bought a used Lee Turret press, but I use it as a single stage press. IMHO great way to develop your skills!

 

[TrickyDick]

Well I would like to say that I appreciate everyone's input and from my situation I would like to do things right the first time and avoid any safety hazards I could possibly endure. So I'm probably going to start with a single stage or turret press from Lee. I have the veteran reloaded as a mentor, he said I could come over and use his equipment until I get a feel for it and understand it. I read richard lee's reloading manual and got an understanding of how it works but I won't truly understand it until I actually do it. So with some time and experience I think I will be able to get myself started at some point. Again, thank you everyone for your opinions and experience. Yours truly, TD.

 

[RustyFN]

This is my experience. I own a Lee classic turret press. I have been loading on it five years now. I have loaded thousands of rounds in 9mm, 38 spcl, 45 auto and 223 and have not had anything break or wear out yet. The most common thing to wear out is the nylon ratchet piece that makes the turret auto index, they cost 50 cents to buy a new one. For me it has been a very reliable press and I have been very happy with the ammo produced. I can load close to 200 rounds per hour. For the practice, fun shoots and little bit of competition I shoot the classic turret meets my needs fine. If you need more production than that then I would look at a Dillon or Hornady progressive.

Tell your thrifty wife you wish to save money. Of course, this isn't what happens since you will eat up all the savings and more with shooting and the purchase of "thingys."

Well I guess that depends on the person. I cast my own pistol bullets and can load any pistol caliber I load for $25 per 1,000, I feel I am saving quite a bit over buying factory ammo. With a bulk buy from two years ago I am also loading 223 for $110 per 1,000.

 

[Redneck with a 40]

My $60 Lee 4-hole turret has loaded 10,000+ rounds in the 5 years I've had it, no issues at all. I've loaded .308, 40 S&W, .223, 38 spl, and 357 mag, it does it all. I'm very happy with the Lee press and I run Lee dies, the dies are very good.

I just lube and clean my press every 6 month's or so, runs like a top.

 

[mdi]

If I may suggest, get The ABCs of Reloading, Lyman's 49th Edition Reloading Handbook, (you already have Lee's book, but FWIW, I like the first two better), if you are going to use lead bullets or someday cast your own, Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbook. I think if you read through these you'll get a good idea of what equipment will suit your needs. BTW, I prefer hard copy manuals to keep on my bench and cross check between them when selecting a load. Web sites can be OK but they are not a replacement for a hard copy, printed manual, IMHO. Every reloader needs a library for refrence (I still occationally get out my ABCs and refresh my old mind). Also I'd say if you use Hornady products, get a Hornady manual, if you use Aliant Powders, get an Aliant manual, etc...

I bought a lot of my first stuff used, AuctionArms, fleabay, and local pawn shops and gun stores. But now I have two Lee presses, a C-H single stage monster, a junky "C" press, and Lee Loaders for everything I shoot. Depending on the powder used, the Lee Perfect Powder measure is as accurate as any on the market, and all the other Lee stuff does exactly as it was designed.

 

[rfwobbly]

Lee makes stuff that will load very good ammo assuming you do your part. Like folks have said, if it was junk, they would be out of business. It is the best bang for your buck out there. Is it the best? No. Will it work just fine? Yes.

Get the Lee classic turret kit, an RCBS or Redding scale and measure, and go for it. (The lee auto disk measure will suffice to start, but IMHO you will outgrow it and want more versatility.)

Want to start an argument? Tell folks Lee is junk.

This is great info. Everyone who made "junk" in the reloading hobby is out of business. You can buy any press or reloading kit on the market and get great ammo and expect great service. So exactly what is the difference in all the presses out there? FEATURES.

Different press makers have staked out narrowly defined areas of the hobby where their press excels. And so there are a lot of parallels to the automobile industry. If you drive 3 miles to work in a warehouse, then a compact car is all you need. If you drive 50 miles to work in a law office, then not only would you look stupid in a Yugo, but if it leaves you in a snow bank you could miss an important meeting. On the other hand, if you work in construction it's hard to get a load of lumber and 50 concrete block into a Mercedes.

So the question really is "What features do you need ??" To answer this, a) read, read, read about the process, b) decide what calibers you want to reload, and c) really consider how many rounds of each caliber you want each week. Answering those 3 questions will usually narrow your search down to 1 or 2 presses.

 

[TrickyDick]

Well, I'm reloading .45 ACP. I'm not a member of a gun club so i don't go out as much as I'd like to shoot, so a couple hundred rounds an hour is just fine. I'm not into the competition scene yet. (looking into IDPA) so I'm looking at it as a hobby until it becomes a neccesity. With more rounds on hand, shooting will prove to be more affordable.

 

[brandon_mcg]

Tricky,


you sound a lot like me. got tired of the ammo prices for .45 acp and looked at reloading. reloaded my first batch of 50 today. shot 6 of them and i can't tell you how satisfying it was to know that i had a part in assembling the round.

i love guns, hunting, and reloading has kinda brought it full circle. i am looking to reload maybe 100-200 rounds a week at the most so i got set-up with a single stage but thought pretty hard about the turret kit and just using it as a single stage.

i think it will be a fun hobby that i will enjoy doing more and more in the future.