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Posted: 1/30/2011 7:51:25 AM EDT
| I have never done any kind of reloading but i think its time to start I have a budget of around $700 what would be the best setup I can get in that price range right now i will only be reloading .556 & .40 |
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Quoted: Buy and read the ABC'S of Reloading and read it front to back. Then read the tutorials and FAQ'S at the top of the page. That should give you a good start and you can decide on which setup would best suit your needs. What he said, and don't go looking to blow the $700 all at once. A good single stage is a great place to start though. Even if you love it an upgrade to a progressive there is still plenty of use for the single stage. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Buy and read the ABC'S of Reloading and read it front to back. Then read the tutorials and FAQ'S at the top of the page. That should give you a good start and you can decide on which setup would best suit your needs. What he said, and don't go looking to blow the $700 all at once. A good single stage is a great place to start though. Even if you love it an upgrade to a progressive there is still plenty of use for the single stage. Ditto, I still reload all my precision rounds on a single stage and will never give it up. |
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Agree with all of the above.
There are kits out there that contain presses, scales, loadmanuals, funels and lots of other things you will need especially for a beginner. After reading ABC's get one a set of dies and some components and your ready to go. Hornady, RCBS and lee all offer kits, check them out. Good luck and great loading. Welcome to the club |
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There are many specific lists floating around.
Here is something I wrote a while back.......... Say, you're re-loading military 5.56mm brass cases for your AR with a single station press........ Re-loading manual. (or several manuals) A Press. F/L Sizer Two Die set. (or 3 die set) Shell holder. A way to clean dirty cases. (liquid cleaner or tumbler/vibratory machine w/ media). A way to de-prime military cases. (regular die or universal de-capper or hammer and anvil method) A way to de-crimp military cases. (swage or ream). A way to prime cases. (on press or off press) A way to lube cases. (Fingers or pad with lube or spray lube) A way to test your re-sized cases. (case gauge or actual rifle chamber) Caliper (though, not absolutely needed if you use a case gauge). A way to trim cases. (hand powered or motorized) A case de-bur/chamfer tool, if your trimmer didn't do it all in one pass. A way to measure out and dispense powder. (dippers or disk measure or hopper/dispenser) A way to weigh the powder. (electronic or balance beam scale) Powder. Primers. Bullets. And cartridge cases. I feel that these basic tools and components will do, for simple ammunition production. Note that: The list above can be shortened or lengthened. Remember, there is more than one way to skin a cat. There are many other tools that one can purchase to do other specific jobs. It's up to YOU to choose which tools you need and which tools you want. Some tools are there to make a job simpler and some are there to hopefully make you "better" ammunition..........though, was the purchase absolutely necessary? Choose wisely. Aloha, Mark |
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A single stage or turret press is also the best way to learn the basics of reloading. The more complicated your initla setup, the bigger the headache you'll have getting it all set up and the higher the chance that you'll make kaboom/squib loads.
Also, if you're just testing the waters of reloading, just get 1 lb jugs of powder rather than the 5/8 #. Buy a box of 100 bullets to try it out, and depending on the cartridge, 50-100 brass. Combine that with primers, and you're probably looking at around $100 in just consumable components. if you find that you like reloading, start buying things in bulk- it'll save $$ in the long run, and save $$ on hazmat shipping costs. |
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Handgun ammo on a single stage press is way too slow. Having done it that way, and now using Dillon's 550B there is no way I can go back now. Hornady's new Lock-N-Load is a fine press too.
$700 is enough to get started, but it won't buy you any powder, primer or bullets. .223 is easy, buy a Lee Classic Cast single stage press, Forster's .223 Ultra die set, a shell holder, a can of Imperial Sizing Die Wax, a cheap manual scale, a powder measure (I like Redding's) and a tumbler. Lee's hand primer and a shell holder for your claibers helps too. You should be able to get all of this for under $400. Buy dies and a shell holder for the .40 S&W and you can load it too. You'll need a dial caliper www.gageshop.com There are at a hundred other things that might interest you, but this is all you need to start. Go to Sinclair Internationals website if you want to see a lot of options. www.factorysales.com will give you great prices on Lee's products. Don't buy anything cheaper than Lee's "Classic" series press. It's made of cast iron (actually melted rail road tracks) , not aluminum or pot metal. Cast iron presses will last a lifetime. |
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