Posted: 1/22/2007 4:50:48 PM EDT
| My shooting hobby is costing more than I hope. I heard reloading is the way to go. Any suggestions on where to start? How much am i going to spend in the beginng? When will it start paying for itself? I shoot a Glock, does that matter with reloads? |
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just an fYI. using "reload" thru you Glock will void your warrenty. if that means anything to you. as far as reloading goes. First thing to do is to get a book(s) on it and read. if you havent reloaded, you will have more questions the more people answer. your savings will depend on the caliber, components you use and hot you choose to make your loads. Most of the data manuals (hornady, speer, ect) will have info on basic reloading. Lees book will too, but will be Lee equipment biased. Note, that dont worry about "brand names" when you are learning about the reloading process. every mfg has to toot their own horn. the idea is to get the basics of process and nomenclature. equipment: there are beginners kits out there for starters. some of those may work for you depending on how much you plan on reloading. the price will vary too. check Midway.com for price on kits, book and components. there are some tools you SHOULD buy. like calipers, bullet pullers, scale and data manuals. you wont have to buy new manuals every year, unless youre shooting some unique/new calibers, but i try to since you never know what changes have taken place. Component: you dont say what caliber(s) you are shooting. when you buy, buy in bulk when possible. note that brass and bullets dont go bad. primers and powders can be stored for a long time in the proper conditions. again, check out midway for prices of components. also note that primers and powders have to be shipped separately and will each require a Hazmat fee. for this reason, i try to buy my powders and primers locally and at gun shows. once you know the price of the components, you can calc how much /round you will be spending (saving). the savings begin once you shoot the brass and reuse it. you will need to cal that too. |
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go here General --> Reloading Read  Reloading FAQ's for beginners (Mods- please tack)
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Don't buy a progressive at first. It would be like buying a kid a stick-shift Corvette for his first car. First off, buy at least two reloading manuals to read. Get a single stage press, good ones can be found for less than $80, lower if you go used. Once you've mastered loading rounds one at a time, then move on. I've got $2-3,000 in reloading equipment alone. |
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I like the idea of starting with a single stage (used = inexpensive, $50) to get familiar with all the particulars of makin' ammo. Also like the idea of an after market barrel for your Glock. Standard Glock barrels CANNOT use lead bullets. If after this trial you still want to reload (I save MORE than half off factory ammo) Dillon has a 'Square Deal' progressive press = inexpensive. It does have some drawbacks. You can only use Dillon dies in it - you can only load pistol calibers. If you use E-Bay, presses are out there! The 650 Dillon is great! $$$ I have old Hornady progressive (the last one came from E-Bay $100) presses (yup, plural) I can load anything, and use any dies. Their new Lock & Load press is unable to use some dies. Hope this helps some! h |
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I'm going to be the dissenter. Just go ahead and buy a Dillon from the get go. That's what I did in 1992, and I am still using that same press to this date for everything from .357 Mag all the way up to .308 rifle. It is the only press you'll ever need. If you can get someone to teach you, even better, but I managed to do it by reading both the Dillon manual and the reloading manuals. Why buy a press you're going to either get tired of using or need to upgrade months down the road when you can get one press that will literally last you decades? later, AJ |
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Buy RCBS jr. press kit to start, Read the manual and post any questions you have in the Reloading forums. If you are lucky you may find a gray beard in your area or at the range to give you some first hand help. Reloading is an enjoyable hobby for many people. But beware if you find yourself shooting just so you have brass to reload you may need professional help. 
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Exactly. Get the Dillon 550. Call Dillon up -- their customer service is astounding. They'll help you through everything and get you just what you need. Plus, you can call them up for help (I do regularly) and they'll help you out no prob. And yeah, every manufacturer says that reloads void their warranty. The only real concern with reloads is loading too much powder in the case and blowing up the gun. As long as you're careful, you won't have anything to worry about. You'll be saving money and shooting more in no time. |
+1 I did the same thing. It's not difficult, especially if you watch their instructional video. It will allow you to see some real returns on your efforts as opposed to trying to do 300 rounds of 9mm on a single stage. You'll probably wind up with a single stage too, sooner rather than later. |
Because you can always use the single stage press in the future, or sell it. For most people, this advise is too much, too soon. |
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I hate to admit this, but when it comes to technical stuff, i'm far from the brightest bulb in the box. If I can figure it out, I seriously doubt there are many who couldn't. I don't know why people find progressives so advanced or mysterious. You are doing all the same operations, only simultaneously, making for much better speed once you're comfortable. If the goal is to shoot more, the answer is a progressive. Starting elsewhere is only going to lead to frustrations. I can understand other's arguments to start slow as safety is paramount in reloading, but i've proven to myself you can do both with a progressive from the start. later, AJ |
| Here's my experience. I went with a single stage RCBS Rock Chucker to "start and learn." I bought dies for 6 calibers as well as several other parts and tools. Now that I am an "expert" I want to go progressive. But, I have a ton of money invested in the single stage press and will need to buy new dies etc if I want to go a Dillon progressive. Do yourself a favor and buy a Dillon 550 from the start. You can load single stage or progressive. The dies and stuff you add you will keep. You will come to this same conclusion once you suffer loading your first 1000 round lot single stage on a Rock Chucker! |
| how much you shoot will determine your setup needs. i used to shoot about 3-400 pistol rds a range trip. sometimes once a week, sometimes twice a week. i reloaded on a lee turret and was fine. a few hrs at the bench and i was good for the next trip. i do rifle on a ss. |
Sorry, I don't see it. There is no reason to think a single stage is better for a beginner. You still need to do everything the same, set up each die, check the powder etc. Skip the single stage unless you making precision rifle rounds. Buy a Square Deal B or a 550 and start reloading. It's not rocket science, you need to start at the bottom (low end of the powder scale) and work up to a load your comfortable with. |