Looking for suggestions for rolling my own ammo. I'm into weird cartridges, and I've been putting this off for awhile but I think the time is right to start looking for a kit. I'm not looking to load a ton of ammo, but I dont want a single stage press either; maybe a turret press I can upgrade to progressive later?
I want to load 9x23 Win, 357 Max, 10mm Auto, 44 AMP, 6.5 CM and 338 LM.

Skip right to a Dillon 550 or Dillon 650.

All this "you should start with a single stage press first to learn the ropes" is bullshit.

With the instruction manual that comes with it, a DVD you can buy later, all the reloading videos on YouTube, and the reloading subforum here if you have any questions or have a hiccup along the way, help or a solution is just a few clicks away.

More or less this. I dont have a lot of spare time, and the time I do I want to do something enjoyable - not sit at a press. To me reloading is a utilitarian thing, though.

I know people who reload 9mm on a single stage. Thats next level autism IMO, but whatever floats your boat.

Reloaders are trying to make the process more complicated than it really is by saying you need to spend X number of years on a single stage. Its not that hard - you just need to be careful. Invest in a quality scale and dont try to go fast.

A turret is a good middle ground. I like Lee products.

I have a hornady lnl ap. I like it a lot and its cheaper then the dillion. The only thing i wish it had was a built in swagger. Kind of sucks depriming all the 223 then having to swage and then finally loading.

Ill be buying the case feeder for it this weekend so it should speed things up quite a bit.

You can get the press itself for 350ish on amazon

I really like my Dillon RL550B, and I've liked it for the last twenty-five years or so....

Having owned a Square Deal B and sold it. I would go with what I replaced it with a XL650 with case feeder. The 550 is nice and I use mine for rifle, but the 650 is awesome. In a good rhythm I can chuck out 500-600 rounds an hour. Buy lots of spare primer fill tubes.

650 is good.   Wish i had gotten a 1050 for built in swagging but with the calibers you mentioned I dont think you'd benefit much.  

For loading mixed range pickup 9mm and 556 it would be a time saver.

Love my Redding T-7...the turret heads makes caliber changes a breeze.

Dillon makes great presses . . . I have two of them and wouldn't take for either of them.

But. . . unless your intention is to loads LOTS of ammo . . . there are far better choices.  Particularly if your loading small batches of precision ammo for many different cartridges which means very frequent die changes.  Changing dies is a major pain in most multi-stage presses.

Take a look at the Forster Co-Ax press which was actually the original Bonannza Co-Ax model from the mid 1960's.



You can thank me later.

I have to backtrack just a bit.

Before you plunk down any of your hard earned money on a press or all the other paraphenalia (that seems to nickel and dime you), you should find a good, local, and cheap source for primers and powder.  Otherwise, the HAZMAT fees of having to ship stuff to your door will make reloading not worth the hassle.

You should try your local USPSA or IDPA clubs.  Somebody who has a 550 might be looking to step up to a 650.  A guy with a 650 might be looking to upgrade to a 1050.  If you end up buying a used Dillon from a local competitor, then you also  made them your reloading mentor.  You can watch them operate the press before money exchanges hands.  You can also ask for intell on the best local and cheapest sources for reloading components.

This is true to a point, most who order online make a large purchase.  I usually have about 48lbs worth of primers and powder when I send in an order.  I don't normally get all of that just for myself but split the order with others.

I highly recommend getting the book called the ABCs of Reloading it breaks down the process of reloading very well.

There is nothing wrong with starting with a single stage press, I have a Rockchucker and a 650.  The Rockchucker gets used for bullet pulling, load development or small batch reloading.

Do be honest with yourself, if you really don't shoot much you might just be better off with stacking your ammo deeper during the next four years and selling the brass on the EE.

Reloading equipment isn't cheap and gets more expensive as you try to increase output.  Plus side is that for the most part reloading equipment doesn't lose its value and can be sold for near purchase price if maintained.

Your list has some rifle cartridges that I would assume you shoot with accuracy as a goal, like 6.5.  To me that means you need a turret or single stage press, even if you ALSO get a progressive for handgun reloading.  Even a $30 Lee single stage is less annoying to use for loading precision rifle ammo than a progressive.  (The pain is that you'll be adding lots of steps that there are no stations for on a progressive, such as trickling powder charges, cleaning primer pockets, etc.)