Trying to get into reloading

[roscottjr]

Hello. I am trying to get into reloading and my son is wanting to learn as well. I am looking for any advice or help in doing this. We will be starting with 30-30 and 7.62x39 and will be casting our own bullets for these as well. A friend gave me an older book to read for now but I will be getting a more up to date book before we load our first round. I would like to eventually have a Lee LoadMaster but single stage is fine for now. I am looking for press, dies, scales, and possibly a tumbler along with other needed items. We are also looking for a lead pot and molds for these calibers. I would eventually like to have a 20lb bottom pour lead pot. Any help would be greatly appreciated and no I do not mean help as in everything being given to us. Anything given will be greatly appreciated and passed to another person in need as soon as we purchase one. I will be more than happy to provide anything required to help show I will hold to my word.

Also looking for 30-06 die set and Lee case Length gage set for 30-06 or a brass case trimmer.

Now for a little background on me. I will be 40 in November and have 5 beautiful children, 3 girls and 2 boys. I do have a facebook page and can provide that if needed. My children have shown an interest in firearms but ammo is so hard to find that we cant take them out to shoot as often as we would like, low finances doesn't help much either. I have been mostly on different facebook groups and have traded some things I no longer use such as RC helicopters, boats, and trucks for the firearms we now have. Unfortunately, I have not had much luck with reloading equipment unless I purchase it new, if they are in stock. While I have always had an interest in guns, I decided to give up all my hobby things because my children developed an interest in guns. Needless to say, the gun bug also bit me hard as well. Again, any help will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance
Robert Scott

[kbstenberg]

RS welcome to the casting website. The kids are the best reason to get into shooting.
The best way to learn about loading is to get any of the loading manuals and read it cover to cover to see what is involved to load ammunition. And read in the stickies on this website. Any question you will come up with has been answered here. An no question is too trivial or insignificant to ask.
But forget about saving money. You will shoot more for less, but you wont save money. There is always something new to help the loading
You could also ask for some help from some one on this site who lives close to give 1 on 1 help.
Keep reading and asking questions! Kevin

[roscottjr]

Oh no, I know we wont save money. Even if I did get my per round cost cheaper than store bought, we would shoot more so it will just burn up any savings. I have been reading threads here and on other sites for a while now. I have ready the book that I have three times. My wifes cousin up the road has already volunteered to help me learn once I get the equipment. He did have everything but went through a divorce then had to sell his equipment to make a house payment. I am looking forward to my first reload. As a former trim carpenter, I think I will build a glass case to display my first round.

[Circuit Rider]

Robert, You won't find a better group of folks than those on Cast Boolits! If a person doesn't have an answer, they will refer you to some one who will. And no question is dumb, believe me, I've asked plenty. Welcome to the mayhem. CR

[MrWolf]

Welcome also. Listen to what folks say and read as much as possible, then apply what works to your situation. I have found the whole reloading process is as much fun to me as the shooting is, so for me it works. I will also be casting and swaging in the near future. For now I am reloading all my purchased bullets but am slowly acquiring the materials and equipment that I will need fir as little $ as possible, i.e. free when I can.

[roscottjr]

That sounds about like me. Budget wise I cant hardly do anything because I have no equipment yet. I have found the equipment I would like to eventually have but will settle with anything that will get me started. When I was actively in radio control, I enjoyed building and repairing more than the actual flight or run depending on if it was a helicopter, plane, boat, or vehicle. I am also extremely safety conscious in everything I do so maybe reloading will help me to quit smoking as well. Obviously cant do that while reloading, wouldn't advise it anyway.. I have already been collecting wheel weights for a few months now in order to get ready for casting. Unfortunately I am competing with lots of fishermen in my area so wheel weights are not easy to get, but I have found a few sources. If things go good, I may be purchasing some equipment soon. Just hoping to locate some a little cheaper in order to get more of the things I need instead of just a few.

[Honorstick]

Welcome Robert, it's great to see new people get into rolling their own ammo and wanting their kids to learn too. Personally I would suggest that you first learn to load on a single stage just to force yourself to be vigilante at each step. I load most of my ammp on a Load Master and I love it but there will be some who will tell you otherwise, I also have a couple of single stage presses and an older turret press so I have various options.

Where abouts are you located? It might make it easier for somebody to help out if their more local to you.

[roscottjr]

Yes, I plan to start on a single stage and work up to the loadmaster later. My original plan was if I come across a loadmaster as a first press I was going to set it up as a single stage for a while. However, I have just recently found this may not be the best option later when I start on 30-06 and will not only put a lot of stress on the press but also require a lot of arm from me as well. Now the more I think about it, I think I would be more comfortable with a single stage press. I am located in Summerville Ga, about 20 minutes North of Rome Ga.

[Bzcraig]

Welcome Aboard! My advise (which I did follow myself this time) is to read, read, read. Read everything you have available to you before you even think about making your mind up on the equipment you want. Understand that once you start it becomes an insatiable addiction and the equipment you thought would be 'all I need' really is 'this is just starters.' This is by far, without exception, the best place on the Internet to learn and be mentored. Be warned some of these old buggers will act all grumpy and tell you to search the website for the answers to your questions. Really, they are right. I can't imagine anything that has not already been discussed and recorded for posterity sake. But if you cant find the answer by all means ask, many will gladly do what they can to help. If you search any topic related to reloading/casting using a search engine, it will bring you back here anyway, so just hang out here. I will also tell you there is no more benevolent group of people assembled at one place.

[roscottjr]

So far, I can honestly say I don't have any questions, but only because of the research I have already done. I have had an interest in the hobby for over 20 years, I just never had a reason to get into it. I wish I would have started a long time ago though. Well, within the past 13 years anyway, if I had started before then everything would have went up when my home burned. I have looked at Lee, RCBS, Dillon and other equipment. I am sure over time my choices will probably change. The one thing for sure right now is I will start reloading single stage style. Keeping up with multiple stages all at the same time is just too much for a beginner.

[Silverboolit]

Look into getting a LEE cast turret press. They can be set up for single stage. I have twoof them and load both pistol and rifle,.308,.223,7.62x39 etc. on these. They work really well and not as fast as a progressive, I do o.k. volume wise. After all, reloading is a hobby and not a profession for me. Take your time, teach your kids, and all is well.

[roscottjr]

Thanks for the tip. I did look into the Lee turret presses and I like those. Cost is not too bad either.

[WILCO]

I am looking for any advice or help in doing this. We will be starting with 30-30 and 7.62x39.......

Hi Robert! Welcome aboard. Best way to get your foot in the door with reloading is the LEE Classic Loader in 30-30. Here's a link: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/543...-30-winchester

$26.99 is a great entry level price for a reloading tool. Slow, but good enough for a start. I'd skip the 7.62x39 until you get a better grip on knowledge and hands on experience. Reloading and casting for the 30-30 Winchester will keep you busy for many moons.

[WILCO]

Don't forget, you can always get instant range time with a .22lr or any air rifle. The Red Ryder has served me well and there's no shortage of BB's.

[Texantothecore]

The Lee. Classic Loader is one of the finest reloading tools ever made and I highly recommend it for first time reloaders as it will really teach you the basics whilst turning out the most accurate ammo you will ever have.
It concentrates your attention on the cartridge rather than on the equipment.

It is not slow. I can turn out two cartridges per minute with it, about the same speed as a single stage press.
I frequently use mine at the range for reloading as my time is really limited.

[Texantothecore]

By the way, there is a very large Lee Classic Loader community on this board and it will be great help to you if you have any questions, so you will be in good hands.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

the Lyman cast bullet handbook, IS the best reloading manual out there, if you're gonna cast your own.
BUT, for rifle, I'd start reloading with jacketed bullets first. Reloading your own cast boolits (even in pistol) IS a whole other hobby. there are alot of things you need to do different when reloading cast. But it's good to reload with jacketed first, you should have much better success accuracywise right from the begining.

[gofastman]

the Lyman cast bullet handbook, IS the best reloading manual out there, if you're gonna cast your own.
BUT, for rifle, I'd start reloading with jacketed bullets first. Reloading your own cast boolits (even in pistol) IS a whole other hobby. there are alot of things you need to do different when reloading cast. But it's good to reload with jacketed first, you should have much better success accuracywise right from the begining.

I agree with Jon.
Id buy one or two thousand jacketed bullets, just to get the hang of reloading, then move on to casting your own.
I dont want to discourage you from casting, but Id hate to see you bite off more than you can chew

[roscottjr]

Wow, lots of information while I slept.. .. Yes we can get range time with a .22, we have 2 of them. Neither has seen a shot in about 2 months now. We have been everywhere and the only ammo we can find is $60 or more for a single brick, Im not paying that. The only time we have ever found any in stock was a box of 50 for just over $2 per box but they have a 1 box limit and over an hour drive from us, again, not worth it. I don't have enough people to take with me to make the trip worth it. This has made our other calibers cheaper to shoot. We shoot mostly 12 gauge, SKS, and the 30-30 in that order as far as affordable. I have looked into using jacketed bullets for several months now but the supply is not dependable at the moment, let alone the cost at some places I have found them. This is why I am starting with casting my own bullets first. I am not new to casting, just new to the bullet world. Good news, I just had a Lee single stage press given to me. It looks similar to the breech lock but the dies thread directly into it, it doesn't use breechlock bushings.

[Silverboolit]

Robert..You did not say what you are going to reload for. I assume it is a lever 30-30 and a sks/ak?? The Classic loader may not work for you if your brass needs to be full length resized. Lee makes an anniversary kit with the o frame press for about 120.00 at Midway. Look it up and see if it may work for you.