Hey, I'm sure there have been hundreds of these threads before, but here goes anyhow. I want to put together a really basic kit for reloading a couple of different handgun rounds, and was wondering how it'd work out. Here is what I plan on getting:
Lee Hand Press ($19.99 for just the press, or $25 for the kit)
Lee Autoprime ($10)
Lee Shellholders ($3/each)
Lee Dies (~$20/set)
Lee AutoDisc Measure ($20)
Digital Dial Caliper (~$20 on ebay)
The total comes out to about $100, which seems steep for just a single-stage hand press kit. I can probably get the bench-mounted anniversary kit for similar price but the problem is that I don't really have a place to mount it, and don't want to leave it out all of the time. With the setup I had in mind, I figured that once I was done I could at least clean up and keep the components in a drawer or something. Anyways, I had a couple of questions.
1. I know the Lee die set comes with 3 dies and a power dipper for that particular caliber. What does the full length sizer die do, and for that matter what is de-capping? Also, what does the expander die do, besides having the "powder-through" function?
2. Will the AutoDisc setup with the powder hopper fit onto the exapander die w/ powder through function, allowing me to charge a case and expand it all in one step? I ask because I assume all Lee products are standard sized so that they will all work with eachother.
3. I plan on buying polished mixed headstamped brass from a local shop. I assume this means the brass has already been cleaned through a tumbler, correct? What is the likelihood that I'll have to trim any of these cases or resize them? Does polished brass already have the spent primers removed? If not, does the autoprime have a function to remove the primers? Or will I have to buy a ram-prime in addition?
4. Is the Autodisc measure setup to load the same volume of powder every time automatically? How does it work, and how do I calibrate it? I've read some posts making me weary of trusting the dippers, so would I need a scale in addition to really measure out an accurate weight/volume, and set it as one of those chambers on the disc? If that's the case, would a basic scale like the Lee safety one work since I assume I'll only have to check the weights every so often?
5. I plan on buying "used" brass every time since I don't want to invest into a tumbler at this point in time. I calculate that I can get .45ACP down to about $5/50. Later I want to start reloading .44mag and .357mag as well. Do you guys feel that even with having to buy brass every time the savings are worth it? It seems that even with buying brass everytime I save about 50% off of factory ammo.
6. Using the autoprime to prime batches of cases at a time, and using the autodisc measure attatched to the expander die on the hand press (assuming it all fits like I hope), how fast do you think I'll be able to reload? Does 100 rounds an hour seem possible? I figured that having the cases primed separately would save some time, as would buying brass that is already cleaned.
7. My final question is, I was trying to put together somewhat of a "Bare Essentials" relaoding kit, and it seems like it's going to cost me about $100. Not a HUGE investment, but significant nonetheless. Is there anything I can cut out to save some money? The reason I chose the Autodisc is because it seems it'd be less messy for the hopper to hold some quantity of powder rather than having to scoop up and funnel powder into each round. That, and also being able to have powder pre-measured seems like it'll speed things along, right? The only "fat" it seems like I can trim is the calipers, but it seems essential in knowing the OAL of the rounds. Is there a cheaper or more efficient way to do this? How much faster would a real single stage press be? Is the only difference the fact that it is mounted and therefore is more stable/aligned and that it has a lever?
Thanks for any advice in advance.
PS. I realize I'll need some sort of reloading manual, but was planning on using the few basic loads on the Lee's load sheet along with the "Reloading Data" some has posted online.
Lee Hand Press ($19.99 for just the press, or $25 for the kit)
Lee Autoprime ($10)
Lee Shellholders ($3/each)
Lee Dies (~$20/set)
Lee AutoDisc Measure ($20)
Digital Dial Caliper (~$20 on ebay)
The total comes out to about $100, which seems steep for just a single-stage hand press kit. I can probably get the bench-mounted anniversary kit for similar price but the problem is that I don't really have a place to mount it, and don't want to leave it out all of the time. With the setup I had in mind, I figured that once I was done I could at least clean up and keep the components in a drawer or something. Anyways, I had a couple of questions.
1. I know the Lee die set comes with 3 dies and a power dipper for that particular caliber. What does the full length sizer die do, and for that matter what is de-capping? Also, what does the expander die do, besides having the "powder-through" function?
2. Will the AutoDisc setup with the powder hopper fit onto the exapander die w/ powder through function, allowing me to charge a case and expand it all in one step? I ask because I assume all Lee products are standard sized so that they will all work with eachother.
3. I plan on buying polished mixed headstamped brass from a local shop. I assume this means the brass has already been cleaned through a tumbler, correct? What is the likelihood that I'll have to trim any of these cases or resize them? Does polished brass already have the spent primers removed? If not, does the autoprime have a function to remove the primers? Or will I have to buy a ram-prime in addition?
4. Is the Autodisc measure setup to load the same volume of powder every time automatically? How does it work, and how do I calibrate it? I've read some posts making me weary of trusting the dippers, so would I need a scale in addition to really measure out an accurate weight/volume, and set it as one of those chambers on the disc? If that's the case, would a basic scale like the Lee safety one work since I assume I'll only have to check the weights every so often?
5. I plan on buying "used" brass every time since I don't want to invest into a tumbler at this point in time. I calculate that I can get .45ACP down to about $5/50. Later I want to start reloading .44mag and .357mag as well. Do you guys feel that even with having to buy brass every time the savings are worth it? It seems that even with buying brass everytime I save about 50% off of factory ammo.
6. Using the autoprime to prime batches of cases at a time, and using the autodisc measure attatched to the expander die on the hand press (assuming it all fits like I hope), how fast do you think I'll be able to reload? Does 100 rounds an hour seem possible? I figured that having the cases primed separately would save some time, as would buying brass that is already cleaned.
7. My final question is, I was trying to put together somewhat of a "Bare Essentials" relaoding kit, and it seems like it's going to cost me about $100. Not a HUGE investment, but significant nonetheless. Is there anything I can cut out to save some money? The reason I chose the Autodisc is because it seems it'd be less messy for the hopper to hold some quantity of powder rather than having to scoop up and funnel powder into each round. That, and also being able to have powder pre-measured seems like it'll speed things along, right? The only "fat" it seems like I can trim is the calipers, but it seems essential in knowing the OAL of the rounds. Is there a cheaper or more efficient way to do this? How much faster would a real single stage press be? Is the only difference the fact that it is mounted and therefore is more stable/aligned and that it has a lever?
Thanks for any advice in advance.
PS. I realize I'll need some sort of reloading manual, but was planning on using the few basic loads on the Lee's load sheet along with the "Reloading Data" some has posted online.