Wanting to start reloading...

[redneck1861]

Hey guys, I need some help. I am wanting to start doing my own reloading, but I have never done it before and have no idea where to start. I mainly shoot .40S&W and .223. so I want a set-up that can load both. I shoot around 300-500 rounds a month, and would like to only shoot my reloads.

So my question for yall is, What kind of set-up do yall reccomend, what all do I need equipment wise? and do yall reccomend casting your own bullets?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks guys

 

[adluginb]

While a progressive press would be nice, with that little amount shot, a single stage would work fine. Check eBay you can get em cheap.

Google Rock Chucker press.

 

[Uncivil]

I load j&k for my .40 xd on a single stage. I use a hornady lock and load classic and love it. There is so much going on that focusing on a single step at a time before i get many more rounds under my belt im not even interested in a progressive. I have loaded approx 3k rounds in the last year on it.

 

[doctruptwn]

Get a Lee turret press you can use it as a single stage then move up to the auto index once you got the process down. Your dies stay set up in the turret and you change the turrets when you change caliber. You can get the starter kit, and all the supplies your need for under $200 and be ready to go, then change out to better scales and stuff as time goes on. In single stage you maybe can get 50 or so an hour, In Index mode they say 200/hour but realistically more like 150 or so an hour.

I don't know about casting but with suppliers like JK Bullet and Missouri Bullet company it's hard to spend the time casting your own.

 

[redneck1861]

Thanks guys for the suggestions, and I should have said earlier that I shoot at least 300-500 each of .40 and .223. but during the warmer months, since I have my own outdoor range, I shoot 1k+ rounds of each, so I dont know if only being able to do 50 rounds an hour is really worth it for me. The 150-200 would be better I would think.

The ammo I shoot now, my uncle loads for me, he loads 1k rounds of .40S&W for $72 and 1k of .223 for $80. all I do is give him my brass. but I want to load myself to give me something to occupy my time.

 

[Uncivil]

Thats a heck of a price. You woud be amazed when sitting at the press how man you can crank out in an hour. I wouldnt trade my hornady single stage for anything else. I do thngs in batches and everything is always adjustef just right. The lock and load feature makes fast die and caliber changes

 

[flatwins]

Get a Lee turret press you can use it as a single stage then move up to the auto index once you got the process down. Your dies stay set up in the turret and you change the turrets when you change caliber. You can get the starter kit, and all the supplies your need for under $200 and be ready to go, then change out to better scales and stuff as time goes on. In single stage you maybe can get 50 or so an hour, In Index mode they say 200/hour but realistically more like 150 or so an hour.

I don't know about casting but with suppliers like JK Bullet and Missouri Bullet company it's hard to spend the time casting your own.

This!

 

[tyromeo55]

Even if you are dead set on a progressive I still recommend getting a single stage or turret kit.

you'll end up getting all the extra stuff in the first year anyway (you actually must have some of it) and in kit form it's like getting the press for free. Plus 90% of people out there need to take it slow at first and really pay attention to what is going on.

If your like me. Reloading is much more an extension of my hobby then it is about saving money. With the right tools I can keep it that way and avoid turning it into a job

 

[Shadowrider]

Forget Lee, too much of a PITA.

Really you are pretty close to being able to justify a 650 but I'd say Dillon 550 or this:

 

[NikatKimber]

Absolutely get the dillon 550 if you can afford it. However if you have a smaller budget, the Lee isn't as bad as you might think. And you'd likely never regret getting the lee and loading on it for a year then adding a progressive later. O actually have both the lee auto index turret and the dillon 550, in addition to two single stage presses, and I don't ever see myself getting rid of any of them. You could get into a complete lee setup for around $200, whereas a complete dillon setup would be closer to $750.

Oh, and to Shadowrider, I want to add the T7 to my group.