[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Recommend a reloading setup for (Page 1 of 3)
Posted: 11/26/2016 10:52:24 PM EDT
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Mostly .45acp.
I'm going to start competing uspsa, single stack and 500 rounds of federal hy-shok every weekend is about to break me. Would like to move into moly-coated bullets but I'm a reloading virgin. Help me pop my cherry propper-ways. |
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Get a single stage set up so you can learn. If you like it and start to understand everything then go progressive. You can put together a set up by buying on the EE piece by piece.
ETA: I have been reloading for 8 years and I am going to go xl 650 sometime in the next year. Depending on funds |
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Quoted:
Mostly .45acp. I'm going to start competing uspsa, single stack and 500 rounds of federal hy-shok every weekend is about to break me. Would like to move into moly-coated bullets but I'm a reloading virgin. Help me pop my cherry propper-ways. Moly coating is a real pain in ass. Almost no one uses them anymore that i've seen. There are better options now. A dillon square deal b is a nice pistol only machine. I kept my square deal set up for cowboy action and then bought a 550 for rifle. I'm saving for an auto drive 1050 right now. I do powder coated lead bullets. I buy the lead for about 60 cents a pound. I have a deal with a local mom and pop scrap yard. They don't sell non ferrous material direct, only ferrous so I pay them what the large scrap yard would pay them for lead. In less than a year I was able to stock pile a little over 2 tons of lead once I found the source. |
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There isn't anything wrong with buying a single stage to start on but don't get pigeon holed into this whole "start on a single stage until you learn" nonsense unless you feel that it's the best path for you.
If you are a mechanical person and can comprehend what you read, it's no biggie to start on a big machine. I learned on a 1050. You can also get a progressive press and go slow the first day or two until you have it down. It's not rocket science, you don't have to run wide open from flag to flag while you learn. You can load 10 rounds an hour on a 1050 if you are unsure. It saves a step of buying a second machine after a week if money is tight. If you compete, a rock chucker will get old, fast. I used one for a year and it was mind numbing. I tend to think that the square deal b and the 1050 load top notch ammo. 10 out of 10. The 550 and 650 have a little slop in them. 9 out of 10. I really don't believe you can load as good of ammo on the 550 and 650 without a lot of tinkering. You won't notice it though unless it's long range ammo. About any machine will crank out pistol ammo that's better than you are. |
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Don't bother with moly, and don't get a single stage for this. It will take you so long to load 100 you will quit.
The dillon SDB is so simple I have gotten beginners going on one in a couple hours. you just gotta start slow, have NO distractions and pay attention to what's happening. |
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If only this site had more options and some technical forums where information about topics like reloading could be discussed. I shall submit a suggestion to the authorities! Yeah, jump in the reloading forum and read up on the tacked threads. There is a ton of info there. It'll cost ya around 600 to jump into a progressive and some of the allied equipment, prolly more. But it is well worth it. |
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Quoted: Yeah, jump in the reloading forum and read up on the tacked threads. There is a ton of info there. It'll cost ya around 600 to jump into a progressive and some of the allied equipment, prolly more. But it is well worth it. Quoted: Quoted: If only this site had more options and some technical forums where information about topics like reloading could be discussed. I shall submit a suggestion to the authorities! Yeah, jump in the reloading forum and read up on the tacked threads. There is a ton of info there. It'll cost ya around 600 to jump into a progressive and some of the allied equipment, prolly more. But it is well worth it. The reloading forum on this site is one of the best on the web. Dryflash and AeroE run a tight ship over there and its for the greater. |
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Go buy a Dillon 650, buy some coated lead bullets (Bayous, SNS, Blues, etc.), and start reloading.
I have zero clue why people say start with single stage or some other shit. If you are so stupid as to not understand how to reload after watching a few videos on youtube, then you shouldn't own a gun or drive a car. Oh and since you've decided to punish yourself shooting single stack, spend about 15 minutes a night, every night, practicing mag reloading. God knows, you are gonna do a lot of that during a match. 
<----- USPSA Limited "A" class shooter |
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Dillon 550 is the only answer. You will eventually want to load other calibers. A 650 has auto index, a case feeder, and an amazingly better primer system. The 650 is worth every penny more than a 550. I loaded about 50,000 rds on a 550 until I upgraded to a 650, best investment I have ever made in the shooting sports. OP, get a 650 from the get-go or you will regret it in the long term. |
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No moly coating. It's a waste of time. Get a Lee turret press and learn the operations then buy a Dillon 650. This isn't a bad idea. I started with the Lee turret press and then the wife bought me the hornady ammo plant. So, start with the turret press and then once you have it down, look at the hornady press or the Dillon. IIRC, the square deal press uses unique dies |
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Quoted: Get a single stage set up so you can learn. If you like it and start to understand everything then go progressive. You can put together a set up by buying on the EE piece by piece. ETA: I have been reloading for 8 years and I am going to go xl 650 sometime in the next year. Depending on funds As others have stated above, a Dillon progressive is what you seek. My first press (and I now have 4) was a Dillon 650. If I can figure it out, so can you....it's not rocket science. ETA: YouTube is your friend. There are plenty of videos showing you every aspect of working on progressive presses |
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The Lee Classic Turret press is a good budget option. I loaded for years before going to a progressive. Easy to set up and understand.
The bullets you seek are made by Black Bullets International, Bayou Bullets, etc.Not moly anymore, but coated nonetheless. https://www.amazon.com/Lee-Precision-Classic-Turret-Press/dp/B008M5TSCG |
| For me I started on a single stage for 223 then I wanted to get into pistol, for me my experience was this- for low volume pistol caliber single stage was fine, when i wanted to load high volume 9mm or 45 it sucked and took forever so i didnt do it often then i got a square deal and love loading pistol i can sit down for an hour or 2 and have enough ammo to keep me shooting for a while |
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The reloading forum on this site is one of the best on the web. Dryflash and AeroE run a tight ship over there and its for the greater. Quoted:
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Quoted:
If only this site had more options and some technical forums where information about topics like reloading could be discussed. I shall submit a suggestion to the authorities! Yeah, jump in the reloading forum and read up on the tacked threads. There is a ton of info there. It'll cost ya around 600 to jump into a progressive and some of the allied equipment, prolly more. But it is well worth it. The reloading forum on this site is one of the best on the web. Dryflash and AeroE run a tight ship over there and its for the greater. This ^^^^^^ right here. |
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Quoted:
Get a single stage set up so you can learn. If you like it and start to understand everything then go progressive. You can put together a set up by buying on the EE piece by piece. ETA: I have been reloading for 8 years and I am going to go xl 650 sometime in the next year. Depending on funds Fuck single stage for pistol you will hate it, grab a progressive & do it right. |
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In this thread we learn who has never been bitten by the reload bug.
OP THINKS he is only going to reload one pistol caliber. 
Dillion 650 is the answer you seek OP. Buy once-cry once. It will last you a lifetime and do every and any thing you want for as long as you have the money to afford to do it. |
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Lee pro 1000 if you are mechanically inclined and like to tinker. They sell complete setups with dies for ~$180. Once you get it dialed in and get a "feel" for the press you can load >200 rnds per hr. This press is a PITA for sure. Basically, once you get it dialed for one caliber, don't ever swap calibers. I use one for 45 auto. I also have a Lee turret, most versitile press for the money and probably the easiest to setup/swap calibers. Straight wall pistol I can crank about 200 an hour on the turret, .223 probably about 150 an hour. |
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I'd get something like the Dillon 650 if I was shooting as many rounds as you are every weekend.
Link |
| For single caliber, I'd say just buy a Lee Pro 1000, its a little tricky to get just right, but it really is the best (OK, only) option out there for high volume reloading in the sub 250 dollar range. I have loaded tens of thousands of rounds of .45 and .38 special on my Pro 1000 and will continue for the foreseeable future. With the auto powder measure it is just about idiot proof which is nice and you can really burn though your brass, even loading at a leisurely pace. |
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Quoted:
Mostly .45acp. I'm going to start competing uspsa, single stack and 500 rounds of federal hy-shok every weekend is about to break me. Would like to move into moly-coated bullets but I'm a reloading virgin. Help me pop my cherry propper-ways. WHY are you shooting hydra shok for uspsa???? Get some Atlanta Arms man. That's the stuff to buy if you aren't reloading. |
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Quoted:
There isn't anything wrong with buying a single stage to start on but don't get pigeon holed into this whole "start on a single stage until you learn" nonsense unless you feel that it's the best path for you. If you are a mechanical person and can comprehend what you read, it's no biggie to start on a big machine. I learned on a 1050. You can also get a progressive press and go slow the first day or two until you have it down. It's not rocket science, you don't have to run wide open from flag to flag while you learn. You can load 10 rounds an hour on a 1050 if you are unsure. It saves a step of buying a second machine after a week if money is tight. If you compete, a rock chucker will get old, fast. I used one for a year and it was mind numbing. I tend to think that the square deal b and the 1050 load top notch ammo. 10 out of 10. The 550 and 650 have a little slop in them. 9 out of 10. I really don't believe you can load as good of ammo on the 550 and 650 without a lot of tinkering. You won't notice it though unless it's long range ammo. About any machine will crank out pistol ammo that's better than you are. This, I got the single stage based on this logic, and can tell you if I shot high volume anything, I would have bought a progressive almost at once. A single stage is nice for working up precision loads where you are changing COAL, and powder charges often, but once you get a load that you just want to crank out cases for, a single stage gets old fast. |
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Dillon 550. Don't get a single stage unless you are a precision bench rest shooter (you will out grow it in like two weeks). The Square deal is good if you KNOW you WILL NEVER reload rifle. If you get the 550, you can do it all, and so you can grow. Does not require proprietary dies and is well built (although today, most every rig is--thanks to Dillon setting the bar high). |
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<a href="http://s250.photobucket.com/user/dryflash3/media/SDB/Loading%2045/P8140379.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg272/dryflash3/SDB/Loading%2045/P8140379.jpg</a> This is a Square Deal in action. <a href="http://s250.photobucket.com/user/dryflash3/media/550/P3020541_zpsccc7cf85.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg272/dryflash3/550/P3020541_zpsccc7cf85.jpg</a> If there is ever any chance (and there will be after you figure out how easy reloading is) of loading 223, get a 550. It will do 45 ACP and any other round you want. That's the cleanest reloading bench I've ever seen. What are the adjustment wheels on the powder measure? |