What reloading setup for .38 spl, .357 mag, .30-30 & .45-70?

[hawkeye1]

I also have the Lee Turret press. I dont use the auto index. I use it as a single stage, with the ease of changing pre set dies out with the twist of a turret. Buy extra turrets and you can have all of your dies set up and ready to go. It is really that easy. You can spend more, but the Lee does all the others will do. You won't be disappointed. I currently reload for 15 different calibers with my Lee.
Don't forget to start with a good book on the basics of reloading and also have a buddy come over and give you a quick basics class on the finer points of reloading. Great hobby.

 

[Hawk]

Based on the equipment "sticky" the Hornady LnL system, adapted to a single stage, allows for die change-out in a couple of seconds (per die). Time to change dies would appear roughly the same between an pre-populated turret head and pre-adjusted dies with LnL bushings.

A Lee turret head is around 9 bucks. The LnL adaptor is around 9 bucks plus 3 bucks per bushing.

Simply perusing the manufacturer's literature and the "sticky" would lead me to believe that there's no real difference in either time or money between loading up turret heads and swapping out LnL bushed dies. Or differences that would be so small as to be of academic interest only.

 

[AStone]

Thanks for the continuing advice. I'm learning a lot here.

OK, I finally got around to reading Dave's sticky "For the New Reloader: Thinking about Reloading; Equipment Basics -- READ THIS FIRST". (Yes, I know I should have read it first, but didn't. Now I'm up to speed.)

I've also surfed a bunch of web pages by Lee, RCBS, Hornady and a few others. (Not an exhaustive read but getting started.) I do not yet have a reloading manual, but will be heading up to a large gun store in a day or two to pick up my 1894C (in route there now), so will pick one up.

In the mean time, could one (or more) of you either define, or point me to a page containing definitions for, "single stage", "progressive" and "turret"?

All the pages I've read so far all refer to those, but none of them - including Dave's sticky - defines the terms and describes that type of press.

I have some sense of "single stage" (does only one caliber at a time, one step at a time) and "turret" (contains dies for multiple calibers? - and/or - Does more than one step at a time?), but as for "progressive", I have no clue.

Thanks for your tutelage.

Nem

 

[AStone]

Oh, one other thing: what's the word on the street about the possibility that .30-30 owners will ever be able to reload Hornady LeverEvolution ammo, which I intend to use some?

Is that a pipe dream, or a possibility?

If a possibility in the future, any guess as to which press would do it better?

 

[RPCVYemen]

If you need 200 or so a month for each caliber, I would seriously consider a Hornady Lock N Load Classic Kit. I am starting out, and I can do 200 rounds in an hour or two with a Lyman Turret press.

I don't know that a Turret Press has any advantages over a the Lock N Load system - at least as far as I understand it. I think the Lock N Load has some kind of bushing that locks in place, so once you get the dies adjusted, you can just click them in place.

A friend who had just bought a Dillon gave me the Lyman Turret. So the price was right. It was a generous gift, and the the Turret is fine, but I don't think it's any faster than a Lock N Load. I tend to do things in batches of 50. So I decap and resize 50, then prime 50 (with a hand priming tool), expand and load powder in 50, set bullets in 50, and then crimp 50. So I move the Turret like 4 times per 50 reloads. I could probably click in a bushing every 50 rounds as fast as I can turn the Turret.

I would had a hand priming tool to the kit, and a set of dies, and you'd be more or less ready to go. A friend really suggested I get the hand priming tool, so I'd develop a feel for how primers should seat - instead of priming on the press. The hand priming tool has really worked really well for me.

The main thing is to get started - I really enjoy reloading.

Mike

 

[Hawk]

I'll take a swat at it.


Single stage: One die, one shell holder.
A batch of brass is processed through the first die
Die is changed
Batch is run through the next die
Die is changed
Etc.
Priming and powder charging is worked in there where appropriate, on or off press, usually off.



Turret, Multiple dies, one shell holder. Can be operated as above except substitute "rotate turret" for "die is changed".
Or
One shell can be processed through each die without removing from the shell holder until complete. The Lee classic has taken this to its logical conclusion by automatically rotating the turret and providing provision for powder charging and priming as part of the assembly.

A little math indicates that the number of handle pulls between a single stage and turret is essentially unchanged. However, the insertion and removal of the brass into and from the shell holder can be substantially reduced.


Progressive: The single shell holder now becomes a 4 to 8 station shell plate which is raised into a turret-like toolhead or die group. Primer feeds and powder charging facilities are invariably provided on press although some will still perform some functions off-press.

Now we get one complete round per yank on the handle.


There are massive variations in each type.
Single stage: Lee Loader through Forster Co-Ax or Redding Ultra Mag.
Turret: Redding T7 represents the "traditional" approach.
Progressive: Wide variety - the Dillon 1050 is a good one to check to see how they operate.

The Lee 4-holer, IMHO, is a different beast altogether and differs in philosophy from turrets like the T7. It is, or can be, rather like a progressive with a one-station shell plate. It's production would be incrementally greater than a traditional turret when in auto-index mode but still well short of a true progressive. Some view this as an innovative solution in versatility, others view it as an answer to an unasked question. I'd bet that both concede it's a unique product though. I would also concede it has considerable advantages in space requirements and costing.

 

[AStone]

That helps a lot, Hawk. Thanks much.

I'm mostly following that, at least as far as a novice can.

I may have a few questions later, but first am going to reread your explanation closely a couple of times, revisit some web pages on Lee, Hornady and RCBS, put some pictures with some words ...

I also found a fairly substantive handloading summary essay on wikipedia that I'm reading now for the first time.

After all that, then, I'll probably have another couple of questions.

This is helping me understand a couple of important conceptual details. For example, reading your essay there I realized that dies play several roles, with different dies for different portions of the process. Now that I think about it, that makes sense and actually simplifies things for my understanding.

 

[jad0110]

Nem,

You are taking your first steps into the wonderful world of reloading, you are going to really enjoy your new hobby! I enjoy reloading so much that I like going out shooting even more now just so I can get empty cases so I can reload more ! I hope you've been saving all your brass.

I made a post over in The 642 Club that you may recall where I went over my setup. Here's the link: http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=3217143&postcount=2082

As I stated in that 642 Club post, IMHO, a great place to start is with the ABC's of Reloading, 7th Edition by Bill Chevalier. It doesn't give any specific load data, but it is the best introduction to reloading that I know of. And I think you can order it from Walmart.com cheaper than anywhere else.

There is a lot of great, high quality equipment out there. So it is hard to go wrong from that perspective. It is just a matter of picking the press that best meets your needs. For me personally, I planned on reloading around 400 to 600 38/357 rounds per month. Which I did for a while, though between being short staffed at work and my wife throwing her back out recently (picking up our 9 month old BIG boy) I haven't been out reloading/shooting lately. Also, space is at a premium so I wanted a press that would be relatively compact and highly versatile. Finally, I was on a tight budget.

In the end, I chose the Lee Classic 4-Hole Turret press. As others said, you can run it as a single stage press for starting out and reloading rifle ammo. And you can run it as a semi-progressive press for reloading pistol ammo when you get comfortable with the process. I can comfortably reload 150-180 rounds of 38 special per hour. Some can load 200+ per hour, though I weigh every 10th or 20th charge just to be extra careful. Setup is pretty straight forward. I found the videos on Lee's website to be especially helpful: http://www.leeprecision.com/html/HelpVideos/video.html

One thing I really like about the Lee Classic Turret is since the dies mount so close to the vertical centerline of the press (where the shellholder and ram are located), operation of the press exerts less twisting/torsional forces on whatever surface the press is mounted to. So a massive, bulky bench is not a necessity. My bench is plenty sturdy, though it is obviously not built like a battleship, as some benches are. It works perfectly:







As for reloading .45-70, I know the Lee Classic Turret can reload 50 BMG, though in single stage mode only (auto index disabled). So I would assume .45-70 would be possible, though you can always call Lee.

I purchased my kit from Kempf Gun Shop: http://www.kempfgunshop.com/products/reloading/leeprecision/kits/KempfKit.html. The price of the kit and components is very reasonable. Shipping was less than $20, which included 2000 lead 38/357 bullets! That reminds me, Kempf has great prices on their lead bullets. 2,000 158 grain 38 Special/357 Magnum round-nose flat points sells for just over $100, including shipping.

Good luck with your decision. There are a lot of smart people here on THR, and they all offer sound advice. Pick what you think will best meet your needs/uses.

 

[Hutch]

I'll stir the Red (Lee) vs. Blue (Dillon) vs. Green (RCBS) pot here a bit. Not knocking the Lee as it is a good price performer, but I've never heard anyone wailing that they wished they'd bought a Lee instead of their cheesy RCBS press.

This is an opinion I've expressed many times in various threads worth every dime you've spent on it:

The Lee tools are engineering marvels, designed to provide maximum functionality at minimum cost. IMHO, durability and robust design are not high on the spec sheet. That being said, I still use the Lee Auto Prime. I have worn out (literally, as in, broken metal pieces) two, and try and keep one around for spares, in addition to two (Large primer and Small primer) in use. The fact that I, a relatively low-volume shooter, can wear one out says something. The fact I can afford to have 2 in use and a 3rd for a spare says something as well.

Nem', you've been given a good steer toward "The ABC's of Reloading". I gave my copy, written by Dean Grennell, away. It was entertaining as well as informative. Keep us posted on the evolution of your thinking.

 

[AStone]

Hutch, thanks for the thoughts ... and the nudge on this thread. I still owe yours a read, and haven't read Jad's yet thoroughly either. I'd gotten momentarily distracted by several other threads of a different nature this weekend; time to get back to these more "practical ones" for a while.

Thanks to you both for thoughts. I'll read more closely tonight ...

Nem

 

[koja48]

Nemo,

I'd lean toward the Rockchucker to accommodate the calibers you listed & the quantities for same. I used one for years, loading handgun ammo & lots of belted magnum rounds without a problem, until I "upped the inventory" of handgun ammo, went to a turret, gave my old press to a nephew & bought a Forster coax press for rifle rounds. Lee dies work fine & I believe most, if not all come with a shell holder. A package deal may get you a powder measure and/or scale & possibly a set of dies with the press. I'd also recommend a hand-held priming device (I use an RCBS). Don't forget a caliper (I use a Harbor Freight 6" digital model that reads right with more spendy units). A powder funnel with multiple adapters, Imperial sizing die wax, & loading block (made or purchased) should get you started. Watch Craigslist & yard sales in your area . . . I've found some very sweet deals on reloading equipment via those venues locally.

koja