To buy or not to buy

n423 · Jun 3, 2010

I read the reloading questions above.... I shoot maybe 400 or 500 a month of different calibers. I also shoot surplus ,which would not be worth it. I don't want to spend a small fortune on a reloader. Looking at a Lee Handheld or a Lee single stage kits. I have never reloaded before. I would buy J&K bullets.

I am also thinking of future ammo supplies,gov taxes on ammo, shortages,etc.

Any good advice is appreciated.

Thanks,
Nick

StammesOpfer · Jun 3, 2010

Lee makes a decent product especially for the price. I would recommend spending just a little more and going to a Lee Classic Turret press though. It is so much better than having to swap dies between presses and it gives you the option to use the auto index feature. Now there are much better products out there and also cheaper products (not both cheaper and better) but I think for a first timer just needing a good press and not looking to get a progressive press the Lee turrets are hard to beat.

Also I don't know what you are going to be loading for but those kits aren't always so great of a deal. The gear works but you may find yourself looking for better accessories soon especially the scale if your doing a lot of weighing (beam scales aren't fun but they do work).

NikatKimber · Jun 3, 2010

If you shoot 4-500 a month, do NOT get a handheld. Repeat, DO NOT use a handheld for that quantity.

How much of that is pistol rounds?

If you're wanting to get into this relatively cheap, my recommendation is a Lee Turret. I have seen a few pop up in the classifieds here.

One thing to keep in mind deciding between a single stage and turret / progressive (which use turrets, just more automated), is that with a single stage, you have to change dies 2-3, or even 4 times for some pistol loads, for any given caliber. Where on the turret style presses, the dies are set in the turret, and you can buy another turret to mount additional dies in. This makes caliber changes much easier, and you don't have to reset your dies each time. Also, the turret press from Lee can be used as a single stage by removing the indexer (just slip it out when changing turrets, no tools needed), so you lose no functionality from the single stage.

So, even if you are loading 4-500 rounds of just one caliber a month, I'd say a turret is WELL worth it. If you are loading multiple calibers I'd say getting a single stage would be an extremely short lived stop-gap. At 500 rounds a month, you'd actually appreciate a progressive press. However, you can get the turret, get setup to reload, and pay off the press in 3 months or less, and then put aside the savings to buy a progressive later.

JMHO. As an aside, I have 2 single stage presses, 1 Lee turret, and a Dillon 550. I don't see any of them leaving my service any time soon.

n423 · Jun 3, 2010

Sorry....I was not specific in my ammo rounds. The 400-500 is I am talking about .38,.380, and .45 ammo only. Thanks guys! Very good advice.

StammesOpfer · Jun 3, 2010

You might really want to look at a progressive press then. While more expensive to start if your only loading pistol calibers and in those quantities single stage or turret is not going to be fun. I know I wouldn't do it I would just give up and buy ammo. But if you are willing to go to a progressive press that could be worth it for sure, just not sure how much your looking to spend right now. Big price difference between a Lee hand press and a Dillon 550.

Calamity Jake · Jun 3, 2010

StammesOpfer said:
You might really want to look at a progressive press then. While more expensive to start if your only loading pistol calibers and in those quantities single stage or turret is not going to be fun. I know I wouldn't do it I would just give up and buy ammo. But if you are willing to go to a progressive press that could be worth it for sure, just not sure how much your looking to spend right now. Big price difference between a Lee hand press and a Dillon 550.

Not to put anyone down here but a person just starting to reload needs to use single stage press so they can learn the basics first.
Starting on a progressive or even a turret can and will get that person in trouble quickly.
DO THE LOADING STEPS ONE AT A TIME!!! Spend at least a year loading on a single stage press then think about going to a turret or progressive.

Again no flames here just some common since.

_CY_ · Jun 3, 2010

another vote for starting out with a single stage press.
cannot go wrong with Lee or RCBS Rock Chucker.

best to setup a reloading bench and use it for nothing else. this cuts down on possible mistakes.

best deal when buying new is RCBS master reload kit with everything you except for dies. so if/when you upgrade to a Dillon 550B ... all the support tools like scales, trimmer, etc will still be needed.

Don't buy a used Dillon unless you know for a fact ALL the pieces are there.
you could end up spending more $$ than new... buying missing pieces from Dillon.

ask me how I know :explode:

Rod Snell · Jun 3, 2010

I don't see any reason not to start with a Lee Turret Press.
Want to start with a single stage? Just pull the center pin on a Lee Turret, and it is a single stage.Get comfortable with it, put the pin back in and let it rotate.

Even after I bought the Dillon, I kept the turret set up for those small batches (nothing changes calibers quicker).

IMHO, loading quantity pistol ammo on a single stage is cruel and unusual punishment.
Try and get my Dillon from me!

NikatKimber · Jun 3, 2010

I'll argue that an auto-indexing turret such as the Lee is actually less prone to errors than a single stage for a new reloader. Here's why:

1) The case stays in the loader until all steps are complete. IE, less likely to "miss" a stage, or hit a stage twice.

2) All actions are still one at a time unlike the progressives. IE, the reloader can (and SHOULD!) watch every step during reloading.

3) Each stage auto indexes to the next stage, so less likely to leave a case in any stage twice. The operator would have to short stroke the press, or intentionally reverse the press to duplicate a stage.

4) "Set and forget" in respect to your dies. I know that removing dies and resetting them is a pain. Setting the dies into turrets once, and only having to verify they are still correct saves a lot of time, and chance of setting a die in wrong.

I understand that most of these can be argued the other way, I'm just saying that I wouldn't automatically eliminate the Lee turret as a beginner option. I would agree though that a progressive is not wise for a newby.

I will though, repeat my caveat for loading:

Reloading is an simple process full of opportunities to make dangerous mistakes!

Doesn'tPlayWellw/Others · Jun 3, 2010

Started a few months ago with a Lee 4 hole turret. Easy to learn on and I have put out over 2000 .223 rounds and zero bad experiences. I have to agree with NikatKimber's reasons.

To buy or not to buy

n423

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StammesOpfer

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NikatKimber

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n423

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StammesOpfer

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Calamity Jake

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_CY_

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Rod Snell

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NikatKimber

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Doesn'tPlayWellw/Others

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