Wife agreed to a reloading bench in the garage!

I have thousands of cases I've recovered over the years (I know I can reload them 3-4x).
So, where the hell do I start?

Calibers I shoot (and have a metric asston of cases for)
9mm NATO
.40 S&W
.45 ACP
.223/5.56mm NATO (I plan on primarily loading 55gr)
.308 WIN
12ga

I've been researching and talking to friends and am just as confused as when I started as to what kind of setup I should invest in.

I plan on reloading ALOT.


I've been looking at Dillon presses simply because we have the Dillon calendars up at work.
I have no clue what press I should get.

What other components do I need?
Where is the best pace to buy powder, bullets, primers?
What references should I use/ have on hand?
What powders do I nead (assuming that pistol and 5.56 use different powders)?
Do I need a tumbler or ultrasonic to clean brass? Do I even NEED to clean brass?
Shit, Ive probably got another dozen questions I dont even know I need to ask.

I guess final statement is:
need recommendations for a setup that will let me produce a bunch of ammo in a time efficient manner, and need recommendations on where to go to get powder bullets and primers.

I suggest you start with a decent single stage press. Once you learn the ropes you can go with a progressive and the single stage will still come in handy at times.

I'm stopping here because you will be getting bombarded with replies soon enough.

Motor

I would recommend that you start by get the Lyman reloading manual and start reading.  

Start with a single stage rcbs rockchucker and see if you enjoy reloading.  If you do you can always get the Dillon.

As far as components, I use powder valley and Rocky Mountain reloading. Both are gtg

I can't offer any insight on the shotshell reloading.

OP I suggest you start by reading this.  While it may be tempting to jump in straight to a progressive press, most will advise you against it.  If you start with a single stage or turret press even, you'll better understand what is going on with the process at each stage.  Even those who have progressives often have a single stage off on the side of their bench somewhere.  They still have their uses, especially if you dive down another rabbit hole and start casting your own bullets.  As for which company to go with, opinions are like assholes.  Everyone has one and they think theirs don't stink!  If you can get to a store and touch them to see how they're constructed or laid out that my help.  If you go with RCBS the Partner or Rock Chucker Supreme are good options.  I you go with LEE the Classic Cast or Classic Turret (I can be turned into a manual indexing press) are worth looking at.  If you go with Hornady go with the Lock n Load Classic.  All of these presses I mentioned already have "starter kits" available which is often the most cost effective way to get into reloading short of buying used equipment.  Of all the options I just listed I think the RCBS is the best single stage.  If you end up deciding to go with a turret press I'd give the Lee Classic Turret a look since it can act as a single stage and an auto indexing turret press.  For some this can help bridge the gap between a single stage and a progressive press.  If you're not sure if reloading is for you and you want to try it out for a cheap as possible before spending a ton of money I can give you a good "starter setup" suggestion.  It's based off the Lee hand press ($35) and it's what I'm using as a "mobile reloading" setup currently.  I've only messed with pistol calibers with it, but it's not as bad as some make it out to be.  Even if I don't continue to load on it, I'm going to use it as a mobile decapping press so I can decapp brass while watching TV or watching my boys play.  

As far as what calibers to start with, out of everything you listed I'd recommend 45 as your starting pistol caliber and .308 as your starting rifle caliber.  There's two advantages to starting there: 1.) You'll get the most bang for your buck, and 2.) They're wide mouth cases so you can more easily see inside to double check powder levels.  Lately I've seen 5.56 and 9mm so cheap there's no point to reloading it (just hold onto the brass for a time where that's no longer the case).  I don't know about .40 or 12GA since I don't own a .40 and I shoot 12GA too infrequently to make it worth while.    Unless you keep your volume of shooting the same you will not likely see any decrease in your expenses for shooting....you'll see an increase in volume for the same cost though, so it's sort of like cost savings .  More often than not most people reload because they enjoy it and we like getting more consistent ammo for the same price or slightly more than plinking ammo.  

You DO need clean brass...to a point.  There are many methods to accomplish this: 1.) Manually, 2.) Dry tumbler, 3.) Wet tumbler.  I used to use a dry tumbler, but it's sitting in storage in another state.  I'm too cheap to buy another one so I've been washing my cases by hand using dish soap and a lidded container I can shake around.  It's not pretty polished brass like you'll see with wet tumbled (and stainless pins with a touch a lemishine) but it's good enough to reload.  The main reason you need clean brass is to keep from destroying your dies.

If you're an amazon prime member, download the free kindle app and read this book.  Other recommended reading can be found here, scroll down about half way.  You'll need a reloading manual (a.k.a. cook book).  If you think of them like a cook book it's the best way I can explain them.  They contain "recipes" for different loads and will tell you the min and max loads of powder you can use for a specific bullet weight in the caliber you're loading.  The cook books can be daunting at first but they're easy to read once you get the hang of it.  Some say you don't need them anymore with online data available from the manufacturers.  I still think you should get one or two to have at your bench.  You can get, for example, the Hornady 9th edition for $13.00 right now on Amazon.  It's going to be missing some of the newer data but none of the calibers you're wanting to load for were introduced recently so you're not really missing out on anything by getting the older edition.  For frame of reference the 10th edition is $40-50 IIRC.  

ETA:  Asking which progressive press you should buy can start a "lively discussion" between different groups.  It's like a Ford vs Chevy sort of thing.  Once you know what you're looking for in a progressive press you can make a better informed decision.  The biggest thing to keep in mind is that they ALL have their pluses and minuses.  You just need to figure out which one best works for you.  That's a discussion for another thread after you've gotten the hang of reloading and know you're going to keep with it though.

I'll go against the grain and suggest you get a progressive.  I was repeatedly told not to and bought a Hornady LNL AP and I'm so glad I didn't waste time & money on a single.  How I finally convinced myself that the "pros" were wrong: a progressive can be run as a single if one wants to start slow, a single can't do progressive once one is ready to run.  Altho a single will give you a starting point, you'll still have to learn the progressive.  The only downside I see to a progressive is that it does make it easier to pump out a pile of mistakes if you try to go fast and don't pay attention to the various things happening simultaneously.  This can happen to an experienced single stage reloader too so I don't really see much difference in starting with one or the other.  If anything I probably became more proficient faster than if I'd started on a single then changed over.  Another argument is that you can't make precision ammo on a progressive.  One of my friends makes his precision ammo on a LNL, his dime to nickel sized 100yrd groups from an AR is precision enough for me.  He also does 300 and 600yrd shooting but I don't know what his groups are at those ranges.

How I started: .38 spcl as it's fairly simple to work with.  I put in one case at a time and ran it through all the stages.  After a couple single loadings I started the full progressive run and after a while I was doing 100 rnds. in about 15 minutes.  You can also do single stage style where you do a batch of cases at a time, but since I was 'training' to do progressive loading it made more sense to run one case through the whole process rather than several cases one process at a time.  I've been loading just over 2 years and now have shell & bullet feeders plumbed to one of the LNL presses, now 100 rnds. spit out in about 8 minutes.  I've reloaded .25, .38, .44, 9mm, .223, .308, .338, and 12ga.

While most people will have a favorite brand/model press, some of which will even say that no other is worth buying, I'm not stuck on brand.  I like the Hornady a lot and recently bought another one used.  The second one is pretty old and it works as well as my new one.  I think the LNL gives a great balance of price, quality, and ease of use.  Hornady's warrantee and customer service is awesome.  My friend broke a few parts, I told them it was our fault and wanted to buy replacements; nope, free ones are in the mail.  If a Dillon or Lee automatic progressive popped up at a great price I'd happily try them out.  I also have an old Lee turret and a Ponsness Warren 12ga.

As for components; I buy most at my local store, Phillip's Wholesale.  He has great prices that often beat on-line stuff and when we had the shortage he didn't raise prices on anything so I support his business.  He also gets lots of used stuff and sells them at killer prices.  Search hard and ask around, you may have a local friendly store worth buying from.  If not for an employee at BassPro I might have never found Phillip's, they shop at Phillip's because he's cheaper even with their employee discount at BassPro.

As for cleaning cases: it's not mandatory to get them beautiful, but you don't want to run filthy cases through your machine & dies.  I desert shoot so once cases hit the ground they're too dirty & sandy for me to want to put through my loading equipment.  I occasionally get filthy or heavily tarnished cases from people that need a good cleaning.  I use a wet tumbler with pins because I like pretty brass that's totally clean inside.

In my opinion, your very first step should be to see if you can find powder and primers locally to avoid the Hazmat fees.

Report back here and tell us what you can find for X quantities at Y prices.

Then we will tell you if that is a good deal or not.

I wouldn"t even bother reading the the ABC's book or any reloading manuals first.

Go look for a local place that's cheap first.

Everybody....well, just about everybody says to start out with a single stage press first.

Again, IMO, that is a waste.  

If you are somewhat mechanically inclined and not a complete idiot, spring for a casefeeder equipped Dillon 650 right from the git-go.

Tag.  Minus permission, I'm in the same boat as the OP.  

Love to read about this stuff.

I'm relatively new to reloading. When I was first looking at a press I wondered how a single stage could possibly be efficient enough to produce a high enough volume of ammo to justify the time involved. What I have come to realize is that doing things batch-wise a process at a time produces an acceptable amount of finished ammo for the amount of time involved.

Sorting and culling brass and hand priming can be done away from the bench. I sit out on the back deck or on the couch and do a bucket at a time.

Depriming/resizing and expanding have to be done at the bench, but they're high repetition processes that can be done fairly quickly on a single stage if you are able to work out a system and use both hands.

I don't really enjoy cleaning brass as much as the rest of it. Usually I wait until I have a chore that I really don't like and I use cleaning brass as an opportunity to take a break. After cleaning out the basement or doing something really tedious reloading the wet tumbler and separating pins from brass seems like a pleasant diversion.

When it comes time to finally sit down and load I have clean, primed brass all ready for powder and bullets. That process goes a lot smoother than trying to go from fired brass to loaded rounds 100 or so at a time all in one sitting. Focusing on one process at a time really seems to help me focus on quality without compromising much in the way of quantity.

Dillion 650

I only wish I could write so well. Great post !!!! It kind of has the feel for the difference between "reloading" and "hand loading"

Motor

NOT FOR A TOTAL NOVICE

Here's my story.  I'll keep it brief because everyone has a story and you only have some much time to read.

I shoot pistol in competition (notice I didn't say I'm a competitive shooter- there's a difference :) ) and decided to learn how to reload, so that I could tailor my rounds to my gun and rules for the class that I normally shoot in.  Notice that I didn't mention doing this to save money by reloading; if anything I shoot more and spend more $$ after getting my press..but I digress.  I spent some time doing research on different reloading presses, tools, accessories, etc.

I ended up getting a Dillon 650.  Lots of folks suggest starting off with a less complicated press, which I agree is the right thing for some folks.  I've got pretty good mechanical aptitude (scored 99% on the ASVAB way back when) and took the plunge; don't regret it one bit.  From a cash-flow perspective I didn't get a lot of the 'bolt ons' (bullet feeder, case feeder, etc.) in the beginning because I wasn't sure how I'd like reloading and didn't want to sink a shit ton of cash into the endeavor.  Regarding the Dillon decision- I've never met a person that regretted buying a Dillon.  Sure there are happy red and green press people too and I'm happy that they are satisfied.  If you get a Dillon (550, 650 or 1050) you'll have made an investment that can be resold easily and they retain their value very well.

In short, do your research, make a decision and have fun with your new hobby!  

P.S. Let us know what you get and how things are progressing :)

1) As mentioned way, way above . . . focus your mind on 45ACP and 308 (they are probably the easiest, most forgiving, and most beneficial of your calibers to reload) . . . then read, watch youtube videos of those calibers being reloaded, and think about what your goals are. You will have enough trouble settling on your initial batches of components for those two calibers while you learn all the things you don't know you don't know.

2) High volume pistol use will ultimately get you to a progressive press for that use; "high volume" means a willingness to reload in batch sizes of 1,000 or more when multiple calibers are involved. While high volume 55gr 223 can be done on a progressive, most folks find (eg 308) precision rifle will ultimately lead you to a single stage. You get more control over all of the tolerances (eg powder charge weight, bullet seating depth, etc) with a single stage. This is why many prefer to start with a good single stage - you will always have a use for it, even if you follow the usual path to a progressive.

for 12ga, Lyman has a different manual for that. Save that for later. Totally different rules and savings isnt worth it for most people.

Single stage, upgrade later. Check CL. Sometimes things pop up.

Wet or dry side?

A turret can act as a single but do much more. Same monies too

When I was researching presses there were many people who'd bought Dillon then switched to Hornady and vise versa, a small number fell in love with Lee even.  Tho Dillon has a stronger following, cult like in some ways, some people like the other offerings more.  Dillon people will talk about other machines' faults while turning a blind eye to Dillon faults.  Users of the other brands don't seem quite so narrow minded and will usually talk about their machine's upsides and other machine's upsides in comparison, but the Dillon lovers are hard core fanatics and no other progressive press should exists.  What drove me away from Dillon is that in my price range, don't recall the model #, you have to load cases from the right meaning you gotta release the handle for every round made.  This is not only going to slow you down and be more tiring, it increases the likelihood of a mistake.  I also didn't like the primer feed system much and repeatedly read that the Hornady powder measure worked better, enough that some Dillon users put red on their machines.

Your best bet, if you're going to go progressive, is to get your hands on a few different ones and try them out.  We can all give you our impressions of our machines, but in the end the person using it is going to have different criteria and personal preferences.  I think Cabellas has display presses you can feel out and simulate loading.  There are NRA reloading classes you can go to also.  You'll get instruction and some time at different presses.  There may also be local reloading clubs in your area you can hook up with.  If you absolutely can't get your hands on the different offerings then start youtubing and combing the forums, that's what I did not realizing there were ways to go try them out.  My final contenders were Lee & Hornady.  If I had a huge budget I might go with a fully automated Dillon where you sit back and watch ammo pop out.

I went progressive as a total newb. Used it as a single stage while I learned (still do in some cases, depriming mostly these days).

Read the reloading thread that was linked above, easily 90% of my knowledge came from there.

Tuning or ?'s on my LNL were answered here or youtube.

The #1 thing to remember (drum roll) I'm sure you told the wife "how much $$ you can save reloading". Never ever, let her see your stockpile of components or supplies. It will be followed by "how much did that cost", I'm a terrible liar, easier to just avoid the situation.

Enjoy my friend, it's a great hobby!

@RestrictedColt
I didn't mean to imply that Dillon presses were perfect, just that for those that chose a Dillon, I have not heard anyone regret the decision...

Depending upon your goals, a Dillon may not be the right press for some folks, I meant no hard feelings or disrespect for those folks.

I asked this same question early last year and I ended up buying a Dillon 550B and I've been VERY happy with it. However, I do not load pistol rounds and I do not load plinking rounds, I only load match ammo so just today I bought a brand new Rockchucker from Brownell's.

As much as I like my Dillon 550B and I can load some very accurate rounds on it, I've found that the overall flex of the machine leaves a bit to be desired when it comes to resizing and since I've also gotten into case forming it can be a bit inconsistent which is why I bought a Rockchucker solely to do resizing / case forming. I'll still do all of the actual loading on my Dillon 550B because it's much faster and I can have all of the pertinent dies installed.

Honestly you can go either way, and if you're a mechanically inclined person then the Dillon 550/650 will serve you well. You will be able to do all the same stuff on a single stage, it'll just take a little bit longer and there will be processes that are faster to do off the press (dropping powder, priming etc).

Best of luck and welcome to the club!

I am new to the hobby and just started reloading the past few months. I bought the Lee Classic Turret for my first press and really enjoy it. The LCT gives you the option to run as a single stage or use the turret function to speed things up once you get a load dialed in. It can be found new for around $100. I also enjoy having each turret loaded with the dies for each cartridge so all I have to do is pop out the turret to change things up.

But I will follow the advice of others here, first thing I would do is get a reloading manual and read it through a few times. I bought the Lyman 49 and it had a lot of good information. Then, ask questions here. This subforum has been extremely helpful in answering any questions I might have!

There will always be a need for a single stage press, so regardless of getting a progressive, start with a ss press.
Especially if you plan on making some precision ammo.
I have progressives and ss presses. I use the ss all the time.
RCBS rock chucker supreme is a good one, I have one and love it.
Cheap lee press will work too. I have a couple of those as well and use them often.
Read a lot. Get the manuals dryflash suggested first and start reading asap.

I would start with a Rockchucker or Big Boss 2. Add a roller handle and a Hornady lock n load quick change bushing. You can add a case kicker from In Line Fabrication which will speed up a single stage considerably. Learn the technical side of the hobby and then add a 550C. I have the 550 and 650 and prefer the 550 myself. 

Get the Lyman 50th book and start reading. The Hornady #10 is a good book to have also. Get both? 

Welcome.

Build a nice bench. Mount your press on a 2x8 or 2x10. Clamp it in place. That way you can move it if you'd like.

Read several manuals.

Find a local mentor if possible.

Ask specific questions here if needed.

You can start on a Dillon 550 just as easy as you can start on a single stage.  Just don't index the shell plate until you think that you are ready to monitor more than one stage at a time.

If you are going to load more than 500 at a time of a caliber, then get a 650, or start on the 550 and add a 650 later.

Completely agree with everyone who says start progressive.  Everyone was saying start with a single stage but i went against the grain and started with a 1050.  You have to set up each die properly anyways so why limit what you can do?  After a couple days of setting up and testing, getting the good powder throw, making sure i do full strokes on the lever, it chugs along.  I do have a Forester single stage for my precision ammo but think i an gonna automate my press and use the slowest setting to do that when i get it automated later this year.  900 rounds an hour only equals 15 rounds a minute, increase the dwell time to give a super consistent powder charge and youre golden.

Like you I just started and took the advice here. I bought the ABC's of Reloading and the Lyman book.  I also purchased the LCT and a Lee C reloading press but have not opened the LCT as of yet.

While I take the time to read and reread the books and read the advice here I have sorted over 6,000 cases and started depriming with a Lee C press.  I'm also getting the materials to build a new bench to replace the old table I have used for years for gun cleaning.

I'm taking it slow and buying the things I need to get started as I learn about them.

The advise and especially the differing opinions here have been invaluable in driving me to further research and learning.

This can not be over emphasized!  You have to invest in yourself.
As suggested time and time again...get the Lyman 50th and read the begininng section many times!
Get a notebook and make notes to seek clarification!
Neck get a solid work bench with plenty of light!  And, electrical outlets.
Secure it to the wall or floor.  


As suggested many times above...

You will always have need for certain tools.  And, the RCBS Rockchucker Supreme Master Kit is a great way to accumulate some
quality equipment that will last life time!  This gets you a press, powder measure, hand priming tool, scale, and other small tools!
Most people who are experienced loaders acquired their tool chest over time!  

There is no need buy conversion kits for low volume rounds for progressive press.  It is easier to work up small batches of test loads
with the use of single stage press.  Rifle reloading is not done progressively!  Too many steps!

Hi, Oscar.

I have since switch to a single stage for precision stuff in an attempt to satisfy some of my ODC tendencies, but I did have great results on a the LnL AP.

If you're planning on doing any kind of pistol volume there's nothing wrong with going straight to a progressive, IMO. This assumes you're at least somewhat mechanically inclined and not a total idiot. I started with 9mm and .45 acp on the LnL and if I had been using a single stage I probably would have given up on the hobby pretty quickly.

I enjoy the time and care I take with rifle rounds (I don't load "plinking" rounds for rifle), but most pistol rounds are about volume, and that means a progressive. Use it one "stage" at a time until you get have a good understanding of each step and then ramp it up.

Other small things.  Collect plastic trays ammo comes in.  You will save money not having to buy loading blocks.  Look at the food you eat.  Lunch meat containers, fruit plastic, etc.  Brass holders, ammo holders, and storage.

Definantly start with a progressive press. I started with a dillon 550 back in 1992. You just have to pay attention and have ZERO sources of distraction when learning to load. If you get serious about loading good ammo you'll still want a single stage also but you can get that down the road. After 20 years, once wife and I became empty nesters, I got a 650 with case feed for the high volume calibers.

I use my 550 for rifle and some low use pistol like 460 & 500 S&W. The 650 does 1000+ round batches only. Pistol and AR stuff. I have a Hornady single stage for the wife to deprime and size with. I wet tumble all my brass now and would never go back to vibratory cleaners.

Buy the most expensive tools you can afford, because if you keep reloading you'll want the best sooner or later, and if you quit the top end equipment is easiest to resell. It's not a cheap hobby but many of us find it very rewarding. I enjoy loading as much as shooting in the winter months.

As far as your 12ga reloading, unless you enjoy reloading don't bother. The price of shot is so high you can buy new as cheap as reloads. I have a pair of PW platinum 2000 loaders with hull feeds and still load 16 yard on one and handicap trap loads on the other. They are expensive but made in Rathdrum Idaho.

Find some reloaders at your local range and go look at their setups to see what you're getting into, and get some ideas. I see you're in Washington also. I'm in central Washington, and would be happy to show you my setup. There is also a NRA reloading instructor who does classes in Yakima. He advertises classes on facebook group "gun brothers"  Another good option is Three Forks Ammo in Cle Ellum. They sell dillon and most of the other machines and do demos. Good stock of components also. Spokane area has white elephant and cabelas. Down tri cities way go to ranch & home or garners in pendleton. Wenatchee or Moses lake has good selection at sportsman's warehouse, tri state and stans.

I would post over in the Hometown section and see if someone near you would be willing to help show you the ropes.  I had a mentor when I started this hobby 35 years ago.  I enjoy teaching people new to reloading the hobby.

Looking at your list of calibers, I would lean toward the Dillon 550.  I have used a RockChucker for the last 30ish years and it has done everything I have wanted it to do.  

2 years ago I bought a Dillon 550b because honestly, I got tired of pulling the handle on the RockChucker 3 times for every pistol cartridge.  Now,  I wish I had started with the Dillon in the beginning.  You can run the 550 like a single stage, for low volume rifle loads, if you want to.  Or, use it to crank out thousands of pistol rounds for the weekend pistol matches.  

Ultimately, my vote goes toward the Dillon.

Read all you can from the reloading manuals, but more importantly, COMPREHEND what it written.

AR15-SBR

Sorry to not respond for so long guys.

Thanks for the heads up, I was looking at the prices of shot and primers, and 12ga is jsut about as cheap presently.


Eveyone, thanks for all the input! This has really helped sort throught he avalanche of tl;dr articles.

Ordered the Lyman's, and am looking at progressives and turrets to figure which fits best into my budget. I'm an engineer, I love really complex, fine detail DIY projects, and really get into hands on technical projects, with alot of information to digest at once. Also looking into chronometers.

I see this being a rabbit hole that goes on forever

In response, I'm on the West side of WA.

After reading the books listed above, you need a solid foundation to mount your equipment.

Like this work bench.

Many ideas Official-Reloading-Bench-Picture-Thread

I'm gonna go against the typical answer and say get a progressive, specifically a Dillon 550. It's a new skill, so you are starting at ground zero.

All the calibers you list-except 12 gauge- can be loaded on a 550 and you can do them 1 at a time until you learn the process.

Screw-ups- and you WILL have them are MUCH easier to correct on a 550 than the 650 or Hornady progressive and the caliber conversions are cheaper.

Once you get the rhythm down, 300+ per hour is easily reached, more if you add case and bullet feeders.

Sounds like you'll enjoy the challenges and rewards of reloading, regardless of the rig that you get.
A reloading friend of mine (who also happens to peruse these boards) gives me a hard time about my spreadsheets that track variables and developing DOEs to optimize my loads.