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Posted: 7/11/2009 1:35:01 PM EDT
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Been researching reloading on and off for a while, have a few good friends with reloading rooms and multiple presses and I'm getting set to jump in myself.
I'm pondering the Lee handpress kit thats about 25$. Obviously I'd need Dies for my caliber, carbide to make things easier (.45acp to start). I've been told a priming tool is also needed. What I know thusfar: Reloading manual Lee Handpress Kit .45acp Carbide dies/shell holder(s) Priming tool What else do I need to get started, other than primers, powder, cases and bullets? I've already got a couple reloading manuals (Speer #12 is most recent... prolly should update, had it over a decade now.) The wife is getting set to pick up my birthday gift and I'm figuring a bone-basic reloading setup to get me started would be nice. The FAQs have been useful, just trying to find a brief list of the basics needed for handgun reloading on the handpress. I fully plan on upgrading to an actual bench-mount after a while, I figure the hand press will be nice to have in the range bag after the upgrade occurs. Edit to add: Planning on Lee Dies to start with, they include a powder measure and load data for that measure so a scale and powder measure will be added either later... or from the beginning if its an absolute must have. |
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Quoted: I started out on the cheap like that about 25 years ago. I suggest that you invest in the scale at the start. My experience is that the powders that work with the included powder dipper aren't necessarily the ones that you want to use. Plus skip the hand press, get the new breech lock bench mount, you can mount it to a board, clamping this to a workbench. It allows use of the Auto Disk, this really helps speed up the process. And get the Auto Prime. |
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Thanks for the replies... been looking more and researching more via phone / personal visit to my reloading friends.
Leaning toward a Lee 4 Hole Turret Press with auto index... would appear to be a decent starter press. I know its not Dillon, but it'll feed my 1911 until I can convince the wife I need an entire room for reloading. I work in Law Enforcement and have two digital drug scales in my gear that can be set to measure in grains, I'll probably get a scale that doesn't reek of weed at some point, but one of those two should do for a while. 
In my own tool box from working on wrist watches, I've got a digital caliper so set on case measurement for now. I was handed an auto-prime and a pile of shell holders last night... friend of mine had a few of em that he never uses since his Dillons got set up. |
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Get a balance scale too. A LOT of digital scales claim they measure in grains, but they actually measure pennyweight or drams or other arcane value. And it's a good idea to have an absolute reference (when you set it up right) to compare your digital scale to.
And as AeroE says, go through the tacked stuff at the top of this forum. It has LOTS of great stuff. |
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Read the "Bare Bones" section http://www.ar15.com/content/page.html?id=486 |
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Quoted:
This is what I used while I was living in Florida for an internship. I loaded 3K rounds of .223 over the course of the summer with this setup. http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g125/hughes4501/SANY1562.jpg I remember that thread. Amazing what you can do with very little equipment and lots of time. |
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I started off with the Lee Breech Lock Challenger 50th anniversary kit. This works great, until I realized its tough to do more than 50 rounds an hour.
Then I got the Lee Turret 4 hole Press Kit with Auto Disk, man this press/kit is GREAT. Just make sure to order the auto disk riser along with the double disk kit for the Auto Disk dispenser. Get this along with a set of Lee Carbide Deluxe Pistol Dies, you are set. I can load 50 rounds of 45ACP in 12 minutes, that translates to 250 rounds an hour. The kit was $150 I think. This press/kit is GREAT, I think its criminal what RCBS charges in comparison to Lee considering on great Lee stuff is. I would never recommend anything but Lee to anyone starting off. Also buy Lee Reloading 2nd Edition. This I would actually buy first, but it does not do good enough job explaining the equipment more reloading tips than anything. It is however a very good book and a must own if you have a Lee Press and use Auto Disk Powder Dispenser. I barely even weigh my charges any more since Lee is so spot on in the book. Well I still make sure I weigh when first trying a new setting. If you are leaning toward the Turret Press, I say buy it 100%. If you load any large rifle cartridges like .30-06 you may want a Challenger press or another bigger (taller) press, but for any handgun, 223, 6.8SPC etc the 4 Hole Turret Press can not be beat for starting out. I find myself shooting more ammo just because I like using it so much. Edit: One more thing, you will want a Lee Safety Prime to go along with this kit. Forget Auto Prime unless you want to prime all of your brass prior to sizing/seating. |
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