Getting started

[gnihcraes]

Each person is on their own, but I started with the Lee O press single stage, upgraded to the Lee Turret press and was frustrated to never end with their equipment. Got out of reloading for a few years for various reasons, time, and equipment costs. I eventually got back in it when I purchased a used RCBS Rockchucker, this used press was so much better to work with than the new Lee equipment. I would take others suggestions on buying something a little better to initially start out with so you have no equipment issues. Lee has the Classic Cast, which looks to be a lot better than the original Challenger one, the Pro 1000 might be ok, but have never used that one.

RCBS, Dillon and possibly the Hornady equipment.

It is like buying a $10 mountain bike at the pawn shop and trying to go ride some trails in the mountains, get better equipment or you'll regret it. The reloading presses and dies usually bring 50% and better on your money invested if you have to sell it because you didn't like reloading.

[mcantar18c]

What didn't you like about the Lee presses?

[rondog]

Biggest issue I have with Lee is their instructions. They always seem to be too vague. I personally use a Lee Classic Cast Turret press, and love it. It gives me no trouble and makes great ammo. But the setup instructions are somewhat lacking, especially regarding the primer feed thingie.

I tend to do my own thing though, and don't use the primer feeder. I use a Lee Auto Prime II, which is press-mounted, and bulk prime several hundred cases at a time. There's also the Lee Auto Prime, which is hand-held, but that really inflames my carpal tunnel syndrome and arthritis in my hands.

Something I also like about my LCCT is the fact I can very easily remove the drive rod and use the press as a single-stage any time I want. The Lee sizing dies have removeable primer punches, so I can resize primed cases without punching them out. I just remove the primer punches and deprime with a universal decapping die, and use the sizing dies just for sizing.

What I personally do, is deprime all my brass first, using a universal decapping die in the press, with the drive rod removed for single-stage. Then I clean and polish all the brass. It's an anal thing, I like for the primer pockets to get a little cleaning. Then I'll put in new primers in all the cases, and after that, I'll put the drive rod back in for turret mode to do the sizing, powder charging, bullet seating and crimping. I have several 2 gal. buckets completely full of various calibers of pistol brass that's been cleaned, polished and primed, all ready for me to fill 'em up when I get around to it.

For large rifle ammo like .30-06, I typically do all the operations single-stage, mainly because I powder charge those by hand, using loading blocks. They take a lot of powder, and getting enough thrown by the press is kinda iffy, even with the double-disk kit.

But I'm happy with my Lee, and I can pump out ammo at a fast enough rate to suit me. The turret rings are about $10, so I have all my die sets set up in separate rings. Changing calibers is pretty quick and simple that way. Change the turret, the shellholder, and reset the powder measure, and I'm ready to go.

This one. There's another Lee Turret press, a 3-holer, I don't recommend that one as much, this one's better. I got mine as a kit from Cabela's, there's other kits available from other sources. I don't care for the Lee scales that came with the kit, or the primer feed contraption. Some people like it if it's set up right, but mine just pisses me off.

[jscwerve]

I would recommend the book "The ABCs of Reloading" to get started. I just got back into reloading myself as I hadn't done it since I was in high school. That book is very good at describing what to do, how to do it and why each step needs to be done. Very informative.

[gnihcraes]

What didn't you like about the Lee presses?

The Challenger I had purchased new, always seemed "Sticky" or rough to raise the ram. The steel ram and the aluminum didn't appear to mesh well, possibly not machined properly? Even with cleaning and a light oil, still never worked smooth. The aluminum clamps holding the handle on broke one day too, had to warranty that, and was only reloading 9mm?

I later puchased the Lee Turret, and never could get it setup and working properly, the plastic piece that indexed it was goofy too.

I don't doubt some was user error with the Turret press. I ended up not having a lot of time with new born kids so I sold it all and started over a few years later.

I like my RCBS RC. Smoooooooth.

[lebru]

So, I am also looking into reloading. However, the cheapest I can seem to price out all the stuff to reload is around $500 bucks. How much of a price difference is it for 9mm? I can get 1000 rounds delivered for 19 cents a round (thereabouts). And spending 500 for the initial start up costs makes it seems like I would have to crank out thousands upon thousands of rounds before I even break even.

[2ndChildhood]

I just started running 9mm, here's what my cost runs per round
$0.082 bullet
$0.03 primer
$0.01 powder

so thats 12.2 cents apiece.

I'm sure this cost could be reduced another 3 to 5 cents through bulk purchases...

[lebru]

http://www.co-ar15.com/forums/showth...ht=rockchucker

here is a good starter kit. good price.

I realized I was searching for the wrong stuff (doh)

[mcantar18c]

So, I am also looking into reloading. However, the cheapest I can seem to price out all the stuff to reload is around $500 bucks. How much of a price difference is it for 9mm? I can get 1000 rounds delivered for 19 cents a round (thereabouts). And spending 500 for the initial start up costs makes it seems like I would have to crank out thousands upon thousands of rounds before I even break even.

Get yer own thread shitbag!




Just kidding. I have lots of calibers, not to mention all of my buddies I'd likely be reloading for, and some are pretty expensive like .44mag ($45 per box of 50). If you can get ammo as cheap as $0.19/round and you're only shooting that one caliber, it'd take a while to be able to justify it.

http://www.co-ar15.com/forums/showth...ht=rockchucker

here is a good starter kit. good price.

Hmmm...... I like that price tag. Its a single stage though... seems like that'd take 4 times as long as a 4-hole turret press, wouldn't it? And at a higher cost?

[Irving]

It's a RockChucker. Says right in the title.

That is an RCBS.