Reloading FAQs

[dwbammo]

Lee's are ok if you don't really plan on reloading a lot, or if you are getting it for a gift for a new reloader but if you are getting into relading for comps or you plan to make a living off of it like I do, Lee turret presses should not even be a consideration. One major flaw they have is how the primer tray and feeder are set up. The primer tray is attached to a neck that feeds into the primer pocket that rises and falls with the shell plate. This set up does not allow the loader to view the primer before it seats and it is a pain because of the way they bottle neck in the chute. Also they can double feed primers if you either have to pull a hull out for some reason, or the primer does not seat. If you double feed a primer and are not aware of it, then when you return down on the cycle, the bottom primer will smash and could explode, and consequently set off every primer in the feeder and tray because there is no separation as in a dillon where all other primers are stored in a aluminum primer tube.

Again, I'm not trying to impede on your thread, just thought I'd put in my 2 cents.

[NikatKimber]

Thought I'd quote this post. The numbers are probably wrong, this is over 2 years old. But it should help people get an idea of what the costs are.

Is the 4-500 a total number, or per caliber? I'll assume total now, and that amounts are evenly split. Based on this, and this comment in your first post:



I recommend the Lee Turret. If you stay in reloading at your stated rate, you will eventually want a progressive, but as Rod stated above me, the Lee Turret still is useful. Or if you decide to sell it, you don't lose much.

For cost effective dies, I would recommend the Lee Carbide dies (carbide reduces/eliminates case lubing, which is awesome for high quantity loading). The die sets include the shell plate.

Lee .45 acp 4 die carbide set $37
Lee .380 acp 3 die carbide set $26
Lee .38/.357 4 die carbide set $37

Reference post 13 in the FAQs. Your cost initially for the calibers you mentioned would be Dies + Shell plates + Press + 2x Turret + 2x AutoDisk = $110 + 2x $13 + 2x $25 + 2x $37 + $26 = $286

What this does not include is a bench, chair, primer flip tray (if not included in press kit), calipers, ammo boxes (gotta put the loaded ammo in something!), shell block (highly recommended) and other items I'm sure I'm forgetting.

How quickly will that pay off? You'd be surprised.
Components:
.45 $133.50/1000
Bullets $75/1000
Brass $18.50/250 (should be able to get 1000 loads total out of 250 once fired brass pretty easily)
Primers $30/1000
Powder ~$10/1000

.380 $115/1000
Bullets $56/1000
Brass $21/300
Primers $30/1000
Powder ~$8/1000

.38 $117.50/1000
Bullets $62/1000
Brass $17.50/250
Primers $30/1000
Powder ~$8/1000

At a rate of about 150 rds / mo of each caliber, that's $20 (.45) + $17.25 (.380) + $17.65 (.38) = $54.90 / mo cost to shoot.

Cost to buy that ammo would be: $134
3* Ultramax Reman 230gr LRN .45 acp @ $16.99/50 = $51
3* Ultramax Reman 95gr FMJ .380 acp @ $13.99/50 = $42
3* Prvi 158gr LRN .38 spl @ $13.55/50 = $41

So you'd be saving approximately $75 / mo reloading, and you have $286 in equipment, so in about 4 months you've paid off all of the equipment.

[NikatKimber]

Finally, the Progressive Press. For those of you that load large quantities of ammo, and specifically those that load large batches of a single cartridge before changing, the progressive press is a godsend. You need one. I'll leave it at that. The time savings will quickly pay back the cost of the press when loading thousands of rounds on any kind of regular basis. These range from cheap (be careful!) to expensive - basically an ammo plant in your loading room. Don't run off and sell your single stage or turret just yet, or as a beginner, don't dismiss them either; many loaders running a progressive still keep at least one additional non-progressive press for small lots and load work up.

Starting at the low end:

Lee Pro 1000 - $157
You can get these as either the bare press, or a kit. If you do get one, get the kit, it's worth it. The Pro 1000 is a worked over, glorified Lee Turret press. I don't think you can convert the Turret to the Pro 1000, but they are very similar.

Lee Load-Master - $245
Same thing, buy as the bare press, or the kit. This is designed from the ground up as a progressive. If I was getting a Lee progressive, it would be one of these. For one, you get a sturdier frame. Big plus is you get 5 stations vs 3 with the Pro 1000.

While I can recommend most Lee presses, these are not among them. The Lee progressive presses probably get more bad reports than all their other equipment combined. While some complain of them being cheap, Lee works, or in this case: can be made to work. However, you do get what you pay for, and in the world of progressive ammo reloaders, I'd advise going with the "Pay more, get more," option.

RCBS offers several choices. The "Piggyback" conversions for their single stage presses, and a dedicated progressive.
RCBS Piggyback-3 Progressive Conversion Kit - $375
RCBS Piggyback-4 Progressive Conversion Kit - $400
RCBS Pro2000 Auto Index Progressive Press - $550
These are pretty much unknowns to me. I don't know anyone that owns or uses them, and I don't hear much about them. For the price, I would look elsewhere.

Hornady Lock-N-Load AP - $416
This is a good press. There are a lot of people using them, and I have had the chance to play with a couple. The latest update: EZ-Ject, according to some here, solves the main issue with the original versions. One point of note, the LnL uses individual quick change bushings instead of complete tool heads. I can see both pros and cons to this, but it's something to consider. It is an auto-indexing press, with 5 stations. They also offer the Ammo Plant ($1150) that includes the LnL press, case feeder, and bullet feeder; along with other bits and pieces. Just crank the handle! Speaking of handle, Inline Fabrication makes upgrades for the LnL that are much like those considered "must have" items for the Dillon presses.

Finally, the biggest name in progressive reloading: Dillon.
First, the Dillon Square Deal 'B' - $380
The Square Deal B (SDB) is an auto-indexing, 4 station progressive on a diet. It is attractively priced, and comes ready to load, including dies! The drawback: it doesn't use standard dies, and is pistol ONLY.

BL 550 Basic Loader - $260
I just learned of this one recently. It is a true 550, and can be upgraded with any other 550 parts. It just offers someone a lower priced, yet usable, entry model. The basic differences between this and the standard RL550 are that it does not include the primer system or automatic powder dispenser. I'm sure there are other minor differences, but that gives you the idea. If you want the 550, but the initial buy in price is too much, this could be your ticket. Then just upgrade as you can / need.

RL 550B - $440
Partially addressed above, this is a 4 station, manually-indexed, progressive press. Some love the manual index, some hate it. Maybe not love and hate, but there are pros and cons. Pro being it's easy to use as a turret/single stage when working loads up, or setting up the dies, or when learning the press. Downside is a sacrifice in speed: it's another action one must perform before pulling the handle again. It works, it will last. Mine is 20+ years old, and has countless thousands of rounds loaded on it. Still going strong. In fact, the only real evidence of it's age would be faded paint. You can add roller handles, bullet trays, raised mounts, case feeders, etc. There are even aftermarket bullet feeders for it.

XL 650 - $567
The 650 is similar to the 550 in construction, but moves to a 5 station head, and auto indexing. Many of the accessories, like the handles, mounts, and aftermarket bullet feeders work for the 650. Between this and the 550, I would guess that they account for a huge amount of the personal volume loaders.

Super 1050 - $1670
This is, without doubt, the ultimate personal loading machine. In fact, there are some small commercial reloaders that use this. It is an 8 station press (!), and comes standard with a case feeder. For those loading large volumes of crimped military rounds, this also features a built in primer pocket swager.

[NikatKimber]

Member 1911user made this excellent post on die setup for loading rifle cartridges on a progressive press. To preserve it, I'm quoting it here.

For the first pass, have a universal decap die in station 1 (decaps anything, including crimped-in primers), the dillon trimmer in station 3, and the Hornady full-length sizing die in station 5 (basically just expanding the neck, the dillon trimmer sizes the outside of the case). Lube the cases with dillon spray lube (or other lanolin-based spray lube) before the first pass; let it dry. After the first pass, run the cases through a tumbler using corn cob media (maybe with some kind of additive to help remove case lube, maybe not). Also ream/swage any crimped primer pockets, if needed. After the first pass, no case lube is needed or desired.

For the second pass, place a Lee collet-sizing die in station 1 (it cleans any media out the flash hole AND aligns the case neck, important step for accuraccy!!), a powder die in station 2, a Hornady seating die in station 3 (set not to crimp), and a taper crimp die in station 4 (if desired). This setup works for a dillon 650, you may need to adjust the arrangement (pass 2 only!) for when the LNL primes. I've owned an LNL-AP in the past, but it's been a few years. Now I use a dillon 550 setup and a RockChucker if needed.

This setup processes clean brass of unknown origin, trims it, does primer pocket mods if required, aligns the case neck, seats a centered bullet, and crimps (separately) if needed.

Per some feedback in the past, this setup produces very consistent ammo.