Brand new...

[Hitman]

OK I am brand new, to the site, to casting, and to reloading. I am so new this is my first post, I have not cast anything yet, and I have never reloaded. Man am I in for it.... HEHE!!

I have a guy that will sell me a lyman kit from back in the 50's for 50$ He says everything needed to reload is in the box. Also says it has 9mm dies and you cant use other dies made by other manufacturers.

Also another kit available is a brand new Lee progressive kit in .40 S&W for 144.00$ I can probablly get it for 100$


Everyone I know that is going to help me says to stay away from lee and buy a dillon or maybe a RCBS. (eliteist jerks?) Maybe but I can not afford a dillon or an RCBS. I am so broke I can not afford glue to glue my ass back togther.

I primarily plan on loading .40 S&W, .223, some .308 and eventually .45ACP I will cast all my own stuff cause I am just that broke.

OK so my question is is which is the better deal?
Should I get both so I have a progressive and a single stage?

I only need to load .40 for now cause I am looking to trade my .45ACP and 357 mag for a Glock 22


Thanks for your time, I will not waste it.

[happy7]

It kind of depends how much you want to shoot. The lyman kit may be a nice single stage reloader which would be ideal for the rifle stuff, and if there is a press, powder scale, etc. then it is worth $50. I am not sure what kind of a press it is that it can not be used with other dies?

For loading 40 and 45, definitely get the progressive. Trying to load that ammo with a single stage gets very tedious.

I have a dillon. I like it and I wouldn't want to do without it, but they cost a lot to buy, and then they keep costing. Every little thing for them to load a new caliber or whatever is very expensive.

Anyway, 150 for both setups doesn't sound like much money. Get both and then you can trade anything you don't need for stuff you do.

[Char-Gar]

A progressive press IS NOT the press to learn on!!! Buy a good single stage press.

[340six]

A progressive press IS NOT the press to learn on!!! Buy a good single stage press.

I still use the RCBS RC i got when i was 16-17 years old

[happy7]

The idea that a progressive press is not good for beginners is the accepted advice everyone gives. I won't say it isn't good advice for some and I feel that a single stage is an excellent choice for loading for rifles. But it didn't work for me. In my own experience, I started with a the excellnet Lyman O-mag single stage press about 25 years ago. I loaded about 100 rounds of 45 acp on it and found it so tedious I bought a dillon 550 and never looked back. I still have the O-mag, but only use it rarely for serious rifle accuracy loads. I doubt it has loaded more than 500 rounds. The dillon on the other hand.....I have no idea how many.

[MtGun44]

Of the calibers you listed, the .45 ACP is the most forgiving, best for the beginner.

The .40 S&W is a very high pressure pistol round and I would not recommend it as the
first caliber to learn to reload on. There are more opportunities for serious incidents
than with low pressure cartridges like .38 Special or .45 ACP.

.223 is not difficult to reload for, but it is CRITICAL to make sure the brass isn't beyond
the trim length. I have personally witnessed three rifles blown up due to excessive
case length in this caliber. Nothing magic about it, but rifle calibers need careful attention
to case length. For the straight case pistol calibes, case length is far less important.
Cast boolits in the small calibers is sometimes a bit more of a challenge than with the larger calibers,
plus the tiny little boogers are considerably more difficult to handle !

.308 has no particular vices, needs to be loaded sensibly, often turns in excellent accy,
works great with cast. Like all bottleneck cases, trim length needs to be checked at every
loading.

As to the progressive presses, I don't recommend starting with them. It is a bit like
learning to drive a semi with a two speed axle and a 7 speed tranny. Not that you can't
DO it, but it sure adds a lot of extra opportunities to be stressed out and overloaded (no
pun intended) and get bad results - fast and in large quantity.

My recommendation is to get a simple loading system and start with the .45 ACP. Once
you have that working great and are familiar and comfortable with the whole process then
you will be ready to move on to the other calibers and a more complex system like one of the
progressive reloaders with less stress on you and probably more enjoyment of the process.

Best of luck and welcome to the site and the hobby. :-)

Bill

[Caveape]

Hey Hitman! Welcome!

Another thing to add to MtGun44's good advice is that when you learn on a single stage and then transition to a progressive, you will REALLY appreciate how much faster you can pump out loaded rounds!
If you learned on a progressive and then used a single stage, you'd think, "My Gosh! How slow!"
However, I have a Dillon 550B and 2 single stage presses- a RockChucker and a Redding Boss and wouldn't part with any of them. They are tools for specific jobs.
Case in point:
You need to remove the primer pocket crimp on some military 223 and 308 brass that you recently acquired for dirt cheap. Since, as you stated, you don't have much cash to work with, you decided NOT to get the Dillon Super Swage delivered to your door for over $100, but went with a more economical used RCBS Primer Pocket Swager Combo for $25 to your door. (unless you opt to use a hand held primer pocket reamer for much less)
Well, you can't use use the RCBS PPS in the Dillon 550 or other progressives with caliber-specific shellplates, but you can use it in the single stage press. Here the single stage did the job that the progressive could not.
After the brass is ready-to-load, you can load it using the progressive!
In a way, the 2 presses can work hand in hand!

FWIW,

Caveape

[Artful]

OK I am brand new, to the site, to casting, and to reloading. I am so new this is my first post, I have not cast anything yet, and I have never reloaded. Man am I in for it.... HEHE!!

I have a guy that will sell me a lyman kit from back in the 50's for 50$ He says everything needed to reload is in the box. Also says it has 9mm dies and you cant use other dies made by other manufacturers.

deal brreaker, current makers have standardized, the older small dies are not available except on used market - don't handicap yourself

Also another kit available is a brand new Lee progressive kit in .40 S&W for 144.00$ I can probablly get it for 100$

is it this press/kit?
http://www.leeprecision.com/graphics/shoppingcart/ClassicTP.JPG
Lee Turret Press Reloading Kit ?
If so then I'd say you can find it new for $110 - if it's any other "progressive" press I'd say don't do it.


Everyone I know that is going to help me says to stay away from lee and buy a dillon or maybe a RCBS. (eliteist jerks?) Maybe but I can not afford a dillon or an RCBS. I am so broke I can not afford glue to glue my ass back togther.

I primarily plan on loading .40 S&W, .223, some .308 and eventually .45ACP I will cast all my own stuff cause I am just that broke.

OK so my question is is which is the better deal?

Should I get both so I have a progressive and a single stage?

Don't try to go progressive until you have the basic's down, Lee turret kit
is a good starting press. Don't give up looking for used either check out Evil Bay
and garage sales.

I only need to load .40 for now cause I am looking to trade my .45ACP and 357 mag for a Glock 22


Thanks for your time, I will not waste it.

First advise I always give is to get (in your case at the Library cause it's free, well actually paid for by your tax dollars :roll:) several reloading guides - my all time favorite is the ABC's of reloading especially the older Versions by Dean Grennell - also look at the Lyman Reloading Handbook and other novice to experienced books that your Library stocks (or if you can afford pick some up used cheap off Amazon.com)

Don't be in to much of a hurry to get rid of your 357 or 45, they both reload very much the same as the 40 S&W and dies, components, information are more available for them as they have been around longer.

[Hitman]

The Lee kit is the load master. Which from what I can tell is not a very favorable press due to poor design?
So maybe I should lean towards the Lyman for the 50$ but not being able to use other dies makes me nervous. (money wise)
What about the other kits offered by lee? Like the Breech Lock Challenger Press Kit? Seems parts and options are cheap and available for lee products, Or is peoples opinion of Lee towards the whole out fit? I read a post about Lee products and it seemed to me that their dies and molds were fine but ther presses left allot to be desired. (wonder if I mis-interpreted)

Lee is the only site I can find that has a mostly inclusive kit. If I were to buy a single stage (dillon, RCBS, what other choices are there?) What all equipment would I need to start shooting reloads? Is there a list that anyone knows of? I have browsed around but no luck.

I will take MTGUN44's advice and begin reloading .45acp first. Mainly because I already have a .45 and my G22 may be a bit down the road, so I would have no way to test the loads.

[Wayne Smith]

A Lyman kit from the '50's that can't use other dies is probably the Truline Jr. using the small dies. I don't think these dies are being made any more so you would be limited to what dies you find used and probably none for a newer caliber like the .40S&W. None the less everything I've read say that they are nice presses. You might peruse eBay for the dies and see what is available and prices before you decide to jump on this one.

If you buy Lee buy the new turret press - you can use it as a single stage or as a turret. You can use any current dies in this press and you will probably use it the rest of your life. The only real reason to get another, stornger, single stage is if you want to reform brass from one caliber to another or want to swage boolits.

A Dillon is really unnecessary unless you are shooting competitively or are retired and shooting is your only hobby. Anyway, not necessary until you are shooting thousands of rounds a year rather than hundreds.

[jameslovesjammie]

I read a post about Lee products and it seemed to me that their dies and molds were fine but ther presses left allot to be desired.

For years I snubbed my nose at Lee products. I wasn't going to waste my money on that cheap junk when RCBS and Redding were out there. That all changed after we had my boy and couldn't always afford top notch. I first started with the hand priming tool. It was cheap and worked! (I later "upgraded" to the RCBS unit, which is a total piece of garbage). Then I was on to Lee boolit moulds. Wow! They are cheap and they work! Then I got the Lee Classic Turret Press and 4 die sets for pistol. You know what? They are built to the same tolerances as normal RCBS and Redding dies (NOT the higher level competition dies) for less money.

I also don't like the idea of using a progressive press for rifle work. There are just too many things that need to be done as far as case prep to work on a progressive. But for loading handgun, a press that can do a couple of hundred rounds an hour sure is nice!

My suggestion is the Lee 4 hold turret press kit. It's $110. It is an automatic turret press. It is similar to a progressive press in that you can do multiple operations in sequence, but you have to pull the handle 4 times to get a reloaded round, instead of 1 round per pull like on a progressive. A big advantage of this press is that you can take out the indexing rod and us the press just like a single stage press. This is much nicer for reloading rifle rounds because it gives you the flexibility to take the case out of the shell holder and do the case prep after you resize. You can basically run it in single stage or progressive type mode.

My suggestion would be to buy this:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=622290

And this:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=786187

And you're set to load just about any cartridge out there!

[Digger]

Yes another vote for the Lee Classic cast Turret....for the beginner , it can be used as a single to begin with and then semi prog. with the turret rotation later.
this being from a fellow newbie so to speak .....
Picked mine up from Kempf gun shop online , package deal with specific caliber deals included.
quite popular in some crowds.
digger

[missionary5155]

Greetings Hitman & Welcome.
I have been around reloading all my life (Near 60 now) as my dad & his Navy buddy were reloaders. I have owned equipment from all the makers and I have to say Lee equipment is just fine. I have 2 single stage presses.. one Lee & one RCBS... they both get used equally. I have a Dilion 500 and that gets used most because when I load ammo it usually is in BIG batches unless I am playing with a new caliber. Dies.. they all do what they are suppossed to.
Me if Iwas starting out today .. I would get one of the Lee starter kit in the caliber I want to load first and just keep adding Lee dies WITH the factory crimp dies. Lee makes GOOD molds, pots everything you need. Sadly Lee did not exist when I started buying equipment.. But also the others were priced alot more reasonable than today.

[HeavyMetal]

First welcome Hitman!

Lots to be said for reloading equipment alone, don't even go into casting stuff!

Best advise I can give: get a good single stage to learn on! You will always have use for it and can bump up to some type of progressive as you gain experience.

Curious as to the Lyman "kit" you mentioned. Could you post a press name?

It might be a 310 tong tool or a Tru-line press and yes these use a very odd sized die body. But it could easily be an All American which only uses the funky shell holders from the 50's and that has an adapter available these days!

Other wise start looking around the auction sites and gun shows for any good single stage press made in the last 35 years or so and you should be good.

On a personnel note I wouldn't trade horse manure for a Glock let alone a 45 and /or a 357!

This, of course, is a personnel opinion and is not ment as a reflection on the site or anybody on it. I just don't think the Glock is all that period!

[hiram]

go with the press in post #8. I got one not to long ago and I like what I see. I haven't used it except for some depriming. If you want a single stage press, you take out the index rod. This take about 20 seconds. For prices, check widener's and f&m reloading.

[KYCaster]

You're getting some good advice about presses, but I'm surprised nobody has mentioned some other equipment you'll need. Like a powder scale and caliper.

The beginner kit from Lee probably includes everything you need, but from what I've seen their basic economy introductory level stuff is barely adequate to the task, so you'll replace most of it as you gain experience and recognize its limitations. And very little of it has any resale value.

If the Lyman kit you've been offered includes a balance beam scale, a caliper and powder measure or dippers, I'd advise you to start with that. Lyman's introductory line from that era is a bit better quality than comparable stuff currently available from Lee and should do the job nicely. A Tru-line die set in 45ACP should be fairly easy to find for around $30 or so...a request in the swaping and selling section here will probably get results. When you decide to upgrade later you could keep the equipment you need and sell the press and dies to help finance your new purchase.

What ever you decide...good luck and welcome to the forum.

Jerry

[Jal5]

All the advice on presses you have received here is worth considering. I started with a single stage Lyman Orange Crusher bought via craigslist, check that site too for reloading equipment. Still working fine, similar to the RCBS Rockchucker I believe. The rest of my stuff came from forums like this one and a couple of items from evilbay, but the deals there are few and far between these days. Very little was purchased new since I am basically thrifty!
Go slow, research everything and ask plenty of questions. That alone will save you $$$ in the long run. Good luck.

Joe

[thenaaks]

i will add another vote for the lee classic turret press (dont get the plain lee turret press...it's not as strong)

i learned how to reload on it and still love it. it's not as fast as a full on progressive, but there's a lot less to worry about going wrong. i can load 200 rds per hour (pistol ammo) easily.

all my casting equipment is also made by lee. i think it gives the most bang per buck...pun intended.

spend lots of time reading thru posts on this forum and you can learn from others' mistakes.

good luck!

[Mk42gunner]

Hitman,

Welcome aboard. One other thing that you absolutely need is a current reloading manual.

Robert

[Green Frog]

I have a serious bias in favor of those Tru-Line Jr presses, and as some folks have already mentioned, you can get .38/.357 and or .45 ACP dies for it quite easily as they were popular calibers to be loaded on it when the TL Jr was in production. Is it the fastest or even the most versatile turret press out there? No, but millions of high quality rounds have been loaded on them and it is about as simple a design as there ever was for learning the process. $50 for the complete kit is probably a pretty good deal. JMHO, JMMV.

Froggie

PS Dies in .223 and .308 are also pretty readily available, but they neck size only and will probably need the separate push-in dies to full length size... but again, it is possible. GF

[462]

Hitman,

Welcome. Reloading and casting are truly enjoyable hobbies.

Check out Lee's Aniversary Kit, available from MidwayUSA or Midsouth Shooters Supply. Other than a set of reloading dies, it has everything you'll need to get started. You can always upgrade equipment as you deem necessary.

Don't forget to buy at least two reloading manuals. I prefer Lyman's Reloading Handbook and Hornady's. Also, Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbook is an absolute must, for both reloading and casting. Read, read, and read some more.

Get comfortable and experienced with reloading before venturing into casting. Boolit casting is an endeavor like no other, full of elusive truisms, subtle hints of black magic, elusive mojo, the not-so-lost art of alchemy, and the ever present this-worked-for-me. Learn to walk before you try running.

Not to be forgotten, you will need an ample and continuing supply of patience, and the least bit of frustration will noy do you any good.

Now, get to it and have some fun.

[Tazman1602]

Hitman WELCOME to the forum! Don't worry about Lee snobs. I started with a Lee hand press in the late 70's/early 80's with Lee dies and ONE Lee mold. Soon the "Lee snobs" got a hold of me and I viewed Lee's stuff as cheap junk -- NOT TRUE.

I've got a Dillon RL550B. Wonderful machine and a pain in the butt to setup unless you have lots of different heads for it and lots of different powder measures. I love it and once it's setup properly and adjusted for crimp and bullet seating depth and powder drop you can just crank them out.

..........however..........it_is_NOT_the_best_pres s_to_learn_on. The guys have suggested some of the Lee progressives as a first press and I agree with them IF that's the way you want to go and IF you can afford it............BUT, if I were you search fleabay, the swappin forum here, there are some deals to be made. If you could get a used RCBS Rockchucker that would be ideal for you. I STILL use my Rockchucker (almost 30 years old now....) when I want to load highly accurate rifle ammo.

My real suggestion? DON'T EVEN START........it will never end. Even though I've got all I need I've been lusting over a Forster Co-ax for a couple of years now to add to the press collection, just out of my budget and it's a single stage!

I'll re-iterate, look on amazon, fleabay, where ever and see if you can find an old copy of "The ABC's of Reloading" by an guy named Dean Grennell, many of us got started with this book and still refer to it.

OH!............and since joining this forum? I've bought MANY Lee molds and just bought a new die set in .357 from them too as I like some of the features of Lee's dies.

Hey some day maybe I'll be rich and can just order one of everything Dillon and Redding and Forster make, but it ain't gonna be today and Lee will serve you for many years!

....and start with the .45acp like the guys said too................dang us old guys can ramble on some nights.............

GREAT to have you!

Art

[HORNET]

Hitman,
Welcome to the fun. As an added note, if you plan to shoot straight-walled pistol cartridges spent the little bit extra on the loading dies and get the ones with the carbide sizing die. You'll save yourself a lot of time and trouble that way. Lubing cases and then cleaning them again is a true PITA.

[Tazman1602]

Hitman,
Welcome to the fun. As an added note, if you plan to shoot straight-walled pistol cartridges spent the little bit extra on the loading dies and get the ones with the carbide sizing die. You'll save yourself a lot of time and trouble that way. Lubing cases and then cleaning them again is a true PITA.

+1 on what Hornet said.......................REALLY worth the money.

[462]

Hitman,

To add to the carbide die posts, seriously consider Lyman if for no other reason than their "M" expander die. While other brands "flare" the case mouth, Lyman "expands" it and adds a small "step" that properly aligns the boolit/bullet within the case.

[scrapcan]

I am with Green Frog, find out what is in the lyman kit. If it is a new in box kit with all accoutrments, you might be able to buy the kit and trade it for something you would rather have. Or if it is the caliber you want to load, and can get a loading manual and powder scale, you will be good to go.

Find out what it is and let me know, if you have pictures so much the better. One other thing you can work on the pricing on the "special die" kit by using that information to your advantage. AFterall where are you goin gto get "special dies"?

[johnlaw484]

"On a personnel note I wouldn't trade horse manure for a Glock let alone a 45 and /or a 357!"

AMEN!! Brother, Preach on!

[lesharris]

I started with an RCBS rockchucker in 1971. I still have that press and 1 more newer version. It reloads everything for me excepy 50 BMG. Which I do not have anyway.
I have tried older Lymans and Pacific they worked also.
Dillons 550 and 650 have been used and sold also. A Dillon 1000 is currently on my bench for large runs of pistol ammo.
Lee's single c type press is still in use to decap range brass prior to cleaning etc.
A Lee 4 stage turret is also in use for small runs of pistol and rifle ammo.
You cannot buy what you cannot afford.
Almost any name brand manufacture today is making presses that will last a long time,
If price is a major factor think used but not abused either in swapping/selling section on this site or on e-bay,Gunbroker.com,or Gunsamerica.com.
Get a press and dies,scale,powder measure and at least 2 reloading manuals.Lyman have served me well.
But it and enjoy the sport.
Les.

[Bent Ramrod]

If the press in the Lyman kit is a Spartan or a Spar-T, it will take standard 7/8 x 14 dies, and is not a bad bargain at $50. If it's a Tru-Line Jr. or an Eazy-Loader, it will need the specialty dies others have mentioned. These will likely only neck size some calibers, even pistol rounds, which is a limitation you don't need right at the start.

Start with a single-stage, or at most, a turret press. What is important at this point is not production volume. If you are as broke as you say, you are not going to be able to afford to shoot even enough reloads to justify a progressive setup. What you have to do at the beginning is to get your reloading routines down to good habits. This is certainly tedious, but all instruction drill tends to be tedious and repetitive. The force of habit you will develop and the greater attention you will have to pay to each step in the process will pay off in greater safety for your reloads, and this mental conditioning will carry over when or if you do graduate to a progressive loading machine.

And by all means get a couple of reloading handbooks. In addition to the ones mentioned, those by Hodgdon Powder Co and Lee are pretty comprehensive. You need a couple of them at least in order to check the data against each other and so develop the proper cautious approach to others' recommended loads. Eventually you will develop a sort of sense for what is normal and what seems unusual. Then you will be a handloader, warranteed and certified. And welcome to the group.

[brassrat]

This guy hasnt logged in for almost two years

[LUBEDUDE]

This guy hasnt logged in for almost two years


Oh man, I just busted my gut!

[Bullet Caster]

Welcome, Hitman, to CastBoolits. I am relatively new to reloading also. I got started by ordering the Lee Anniversary Breechlock Press kit--it has everything in it to get started except for the dies. Of course you'll need powder, primers, brass to reload and bullets or boolits. If you cast them yourself they'll be boolits and if purchased from a manufacturer, they'll be bullets. I started casting before I started reloading. I wanted to get the cast thing down pat before I began to reload. Also, it gave my boolits a chance to harden over the few months before I began to reload 'em. You might want to read Glenn Fryxell (sp) book before you begin to reload. Another thing you'll need is a micrometer first and a caliper second. You'll need to slug your bore to determine what size mould you'll need for each calibre.
I started out reloading rifle .30-06 before I started with reloading for pistol calibres simply because I got some rifle powder before I got any pistol powder. As others have stated, rifle cases need more prep. than pistol cases. I believe you'll get a chamfer tool, primer pocket tool, powder measure and powder scale with the kit. Also with the Lee kit you'll get a lock-stud and cutter for case trimming. You'll need to get a case length guide to properly trim your cases and these are calibre specific--one for each type of case. As others have stated you should get the carbide dies 'cause case lubing is a PITA. I would think that the 3 die set is what you should start with. The 4 die set includes a factory crimp die (FCD) which is not needed (at least I don't use one--and there's pages and pages of discussion about the Lee FCD).
Also if you don't have the money to start casting (buying moulds and lead), you might want to check out the Boolit Exchange. Many members on this forum will be glad to help you out as they have helped me out by supplying you some boolits to get you started. Too, you should check out the tumble lubing made easy, an article by Recluse who steps you through the stages to make tumble lube. It's called the Recluse formula or 45/45/10 which stands for 45% by volume JPW (Johnsons Paste Wax), 45% Lee liquid Alox and 10% mineral spirits. This is the easiest way to lube your boolits for reloading and yes I use it also on standard lube grooves as well as boolit designs made especially for tumble lubing.
So go have some fun and be safe. BC

[r1kk1]

I've got a Dillon RL550B. Wonderful machine and a pain in the butt to setup unless you have lots of different heads for it and lots of different powder measures. I love it and once it's setup properly and adjusted for crimp and bullet seating depth and powder drop you can just crank them out.

..........however..........it_is_NOT_the_best_pres s_to_learn_on.

The two powder measures I use are setup with one large bar and one small bar. It handles 90% of the stuff I reload. Two allen heads are all that hold the measure on the powder die. One powder die works for 95% of stuff that can be reloaded on the press. Powder funnels are cheap and can be used for a variety of cartridges within the same caliber. Setup for seating and crimping is the same for any press. I raise the ram, screw the die down until contact is felt and give it another quarter turn. No different than other presses.

Getting the case mouth/powder linkage adjusted is the only part that is vastly different. The shuttle bar priming system to ME is a joke.

I had the press since the 80s and taught my wife and three kids and countless others how to reload on it. To this day it is a rare occasion to see my wife touch the handle on a single stage. We load some very big stuff on it. 375 H&H, 9.3X74r and such. These types of cartridges I use a Quick Measure mounted to the Dillon. Wonderful powder measure that don't give two hoots about powder being stick, flake or very fine dust. It works.

If a new person wanted to get started - single stage or maybe a turret with index off. I have a wonderful single stage and like most - own more than one.

Personally, I have a Lee love/hate relationship. Custom order stuff is top notch. Don't care for their alloy presses. I have a Lee "knuckle buster" hand press. It has been with me on many hunting trips and to the range.

All colors grace my bench. I state what works and what doesn't. I spent the money.

take care,

r1kk1

[GT27]

Of the calibers you listed, the .45 ACP is the most forgiving, best for the beginner.

The .40 S&W is a very high pressure pistol round and I would not recommend it as the
first caliber to learn to reload on. There are more opportunities for serious incidents
than with low pressure cartridges like .38 Special or .45 ACP.

.223 is not difficult to reload for, but it is CRITICAL to make sure the brass isn't beyond
the trim length. I have personally witnessed three rifles blown up due to excessive
case length in this caliber. Nothing magic about it, but rifle calibers need careful attention
to case length. For the straight case pistol calibes, case length is far less important.
Cast boolits in the small calibers is sometimes a bit more of a challenge than with the larger calibers,
plus the tiny little boogers are considerably more difficult to handle !

.308 has no particular vices, needs to be loaded sensibly, often turns in excellent accy,
works great with cast. Like all bottleneck cases, trim length needs to be checked at every
loading.

As to the progressive presses, I don't recommend starting with them. It is a bit like
learning to drive a semi with a two speed axle and a 7 speed tranny. Not that you can't
DO it, but it sure adds a lot of extra opportunities to be stressed out and overloaded (no
pun intended) and get bad results - fast and in large quantity.

My recommendation is to get a simple loading system and start with the .45 ACP. Once
you have that working great and are familiar and comfortable with the whole process then
you will be ready to move on to the other calibers and a more complex system like one of the
progressive reloaders with less stress on you and probably more enjoyment of the process.

Best of luck and welcome to the site and the hobby. :-)

Bill

Excellent advice!!!+1/MtGun44!!! My brother-in-law taught me over 35 years ago to reload,he always said: quote: "There is no greater feeling than knowing you made the ammo you just shot,and when you can come back from the field,range,woods with 8 fingers and two thumbs you know you have done well"!!!:shock: [U]Safety first was the message!!!When in doubt/don't do it!!!! My best advice is read,read,and read some more,and DON'T deviate from the load listing charts,start on the low side, Safety Always First !!!![smilie=s:

[1hole]

I'm old enough to have had experience on Lyman's stuff from the 50s and love it as 'antique' gear that still works but I would NOT suggest a noob getting started on it. Complete Die sets can be very hard to find and can easily exceed normal prices when you do. The dies only neck size for rifle. The shell holders are difficult to find. The leverage of the old presses is quite low so it can be difficult to do much rifle loading. I understand being short of loose cash but it's better to wait until you can obtain the basics with good, modern gear rather than having problems using old stuff and ending up buying other tools later.

Progressives of any kind are more difficult to learn on (a lot of different things are going on simulteanously with each pull of the lever), they can be quirky to operate and they are difficult to swap cartridges on so any potentional speed they may offer is often offset by the time required to change over to another case.

I think you will do better to get some new Lee stuff rather than the old gear you mention and Lee's gear is fine. Lee gets a lot of sliming by elitists and those who have bought into the elitist's BS. Fact is, Lee's Classic Cast single stage press is modest in price but it's superior in every respect to my RCBS Rock Chucker and others in its design class. Presses that look similar will work similar, any small difference is in the user features and the Classic Cast (and Classic Turret) have the best features to be found among their competitors, no matter the selling prices.

Lee's dies are also modestly priced and most sets include a proper shell holder at no extra cost; that's a considerable reduction in cost for adding calibers. But do NOT get into their costly 'breech lock' system, it's a great solution for which we have no real problem. Learn to use a simple die lock rings correctly and you can return dies to a present position anyway. And don't use a wrench/pliers to lock dies in place (hand tight is plenty tight), then you can swap them normally in less than a minute.

Lee's loading manual is excellant, it has good beginner instructions and lots of loading data too. Lee's Perfect Powder measures aren't perfect (neither are the others) but most people who follow instructions and learn to use them correctly soon learn they do as well as more costly measures, and sometimes even better. Sadly, while Lee's little Safety Scale is quite accurate and very sensitive, it's light weight can make it a PITA to use but a lot of people do so and they live nicely.

IF you're going to cast, Lee's molds, simple bullet sizer system and bullet lube all work as well as any. And I have no reason to complain about my now quite old Lee bottom pour melting pot, it leaks a little but so what, I can live with that better than I can pay for a Lyman or RCBS electric pot!

[KYCaster]

This guy hasnt logged in for almost two years



Doesn't seem to matter does it? [smilie=l:

Jerry

[rupe01]

For years I snubbed my nose at Lee products. I wasn't going to waste my money on that cheap junk when RCBS and Redding were out there. That all changed after we had my boy and couldn't always afford top notch. I first started with the hand priming tool. It was cheap and worked! (I later "upgraded" to the RCBS unit, which is a total piece of garbage). Then I was on to Lee boolit moulds. Wow! They are cheap and they work! Then I got the Lee Classic Turret Press and 4 die sets for pistol. You know what? They are built to the same tolerances as normal RCBS and Redding dies (NOT the higher level competition dies) for less money.

I also don't like the idea of using a progressive press for rifle work. There are just too many things that need to be done as far as case prep to work on a progressive. But for loading handgun, a press that can do a couple of hundred rounds an hour sure is nice!

My suggestion is the Lee 4 hold turret press kit. It's $110. It is an automatic turret press. It is similar to a progressive press in that you can do multiple operations in sequence, but you have to pull the handle 4 times to get a reloaded round, instead of 1 round per pull like on a progressive. A big advantage of this press is that you can take out the indexing rod and us the press just like a single stage press. This is much nicer for reloading rifle rounds because it gives you the flexibility to take the case out of the shell holder and do the case prep after you resize. You can basically run it in single stage or progressive type mode.

My suggestion would be to buy this:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=622290

And this:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=786187

And you're set to load just about any cartridge out there!


Absolutely agree with this one! I love my Lee 4-hole Turret and wish i had started out with it!

[r1kk1]

Most reloading books have a how to reload section. If you are wanting to shoot cast, pick up a Lyman manual it has a ton of data in it. Data found within is from powder manufacturers website. Don't care for the equipment bashing hype in the book. The Lee book has an interesting section on how to reduce loads for cast bullets using a spread sheet. Very useful for not only cast boolit guys but for reduced jacketed load data for low recoil loads. This is why I bought the book. I do not care for the safety powder scale. The single stage I have is the one Lee writes about in his book being 40% stronger than needed for reloading. Then again I've never blown the linkage or been put out of commission working on a project requiring radical case forming either.

The Lee 6 cavity moulds are very nice. I do not own but a couple of tumble lube moulds and don't care for them as the conventional types. Lee has an excellent H&G copy of the #68 for the 45 ACP crowd. I have a collection of these including some custom ones. I also have a ton of Lee custom shop stuff. I don't do electric pots. I have cast iron pots and a couple of turkey burners. If buying a lubrisizer, when the time comes, buy the RCBS. I like it better than the Lyman and dies interchange. My cast iron pots hold 50 lbs of alloy and do not cost anywhere near what the bottom of line electric does. It don't get cheaper than that!

There are things that did not make it back on my bench. Lee alloy presses and the Lee Perfect Powder measure. Broke linkage on a challenger which did not make me happy and two separate alloy turret presses went down the road over various issues from plastic nuts for the index rod, etc., and there is a maximum case length that can be reloaded on the turret. Not good since I do 375 H&H and 9.3X74r and a few others. I do not have cast iron versions of Lee presses so I cannot tell if these issues were resolved, but reading Midway reviews (take it for what it is worth), guys have broke the linkage on the Classic Cast doing 50 BMG.

The Perfect powder measure is not. Does not throw 800x with any consistency and #9 leaks. There are better out there. I use a Quick Measure and an RCBS Charge Master. These two powder measures will load any flake, stick, or ball propellant with ease. Yes a QM or Charge Master is costly, but so is my sanity. For the quick and cheap, Lee powder scoops work great and custom ones are easy to do from spent brass.

I cannot for the life of me understand why someone would post needing a powder than will work in X powder measure. This would be akin to what bullet would work well with my seater, or what brass works with my sizing die, what primer works with my tool. I don't reload for my equipment, I reload for my gun!

Lee does some things EXTREMELY well! Others things, NO. I love the custom order stuff from Lee. I get what I pay for. Case length gauges, bullet sizers, and custom moulds are very good quality. I do and use their universal decap die. My wife broke a stem on it doing 45-70 on a hand press. Weird. I've punched through crimped in primers with one!

I don't pull punches with equipment reviews. Hell I paid for them and they better work as advertise or we have a problem. I've had problems with all manufacturers over the years so no one is sacred nor spared.

It will be a matter of time about the Classic Cast. I think for 95% of the reloading chores, this press will succeed, but this is speculative. I may buy one in the future and put it through some tests. Lee may have a winner with this press. I have three knuckle busting Lee Hand Presses, but they are very packable to go to the range or hunting grounds. Not a lot of leverage but some good exercise can be had and I've not broken one either.

Being a newbie, splurged on at least two reloading books. Read them over and over again. Get the basics done and have fun!

r1kk1