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Posted: 4/17/2017 5:05:43 PM EDT
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I have been wanting to get into reloading for a while, and I'm finally ready to start. I snagged a Lee Anniversary Kit for cheap that the guy never even opened.
My questions as follows.... How hard is it to reload? I've been reading up on it, and it seems simple enough....almost too easy. What are the pitfalls? Especially with my setup? I know it's extremely basic compared to other products. What else should I get besides the dies? I am getting a brass tumbler as well, but should I get anything else? For the record, I will primarily be reloading .44 mag/spcl and other revolver cartridges for now. Looking to also do .223/5.56. Thanks for any help/insight. |
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Read a book and get familiar with the steps.
Go by published loads , Calipers and case guages are handy. A way around it is size and drop them in the barrel or cylinder for hand guns. But will be needed for trim and over all lengths an how, A good case lube will make life easier. Handloading has it's particulars , just take your time and learn the steps and ask questions. there are some very knowledgeable people here that can explain and point you in the right direction if needed. A single stage press always has a use . The weak link with the Lee press is aluminum cast parts can crack over cramming and with poor lubing during sizing. |
| Stick with the 44 mag and other straight wall cases, no need to lube with carbide dies. Powder throw and a good scale either I beam or digital. Don't think I ever had to trim a straight wall case so less prep is nice. Get the hang of it before you move to 556 and when you do get yourself a giruard trimmer! Well worth it, take your time and research. |
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Get a copy of ABC's of Reloading and read it, written for the beginner.
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_42/263380_Everything-You-Wanted-to-Know-About-Reloading-But-Was-Afraid-to-Ask.html Read this thread also. Welcome to the Reloading Forum. 
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Quoted:
I have been wanting to get into reloading for a while, and I'm finally ready to start. I snagged a Lee Anniversary Kit for cheap that the guy never even opened. My questions as follows.... How hard is it to reload? I've been reading up on it, and it seems simple enough....almost too easy. Reloading isn't hard but it's time consuming and when you first start out STICK TO PUBLISHED DATA! What are the pitfalls? Especially with my setup? I know it's extremely basic compared to other products. It's slow, painfully slow... granted reloading isn't about speed but do you shoot enough to make reloading worth it? There are enough resources online, you really don't need to buy a newbie manual if you can validate sources. What else should I get besides the dies? I am getting a brass tumbler as well, but should I get anything else? Hand priming tool, powered trimming tool, tumbler, case prep tools. For the record, I will primarily be reloading .44 mag/spcl and other revolver cartridges for now. Looking to also do .223/5.56. Prepping .223 sucks Thanks for any help/insight. |
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Take all the advice above, and jump in. You will be able to figure out if it is for you or not soon enough,
It is easy, really easy to mess it up as well. I really like it because I really enjoy making things. I've had to scale down the size of my projects, reloading fills that void. It can be really satisfying to build your own custom ammo. Some people get into it for economics, that usually never goes well. 
Building your own ammo tailored to each specific firearm to reach it's maximum performance, that is a great benefit. |
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Starting out reloading revolver rounds is the smartest thing you can do because they are so easy and forgiving compared to semi-autos and rifle cartridges. Rifle reloading is by far the hardest to learn and do right, plus there's many more steps involved. Loading for a revolver will give you time to learn what each step does, each die does and what it's for, and how to adjust them. You don't have to worry about if your gun will feed them right because if you made one wrong/out of spec you'll know when you drop it in the cylinder.
Load for your wheel guns for a while then when you're ready move on to semi's then rifles. Get a better scale. The RCBS 505 is good, as well as many balance beam types. The Lee scale is terrible and hard to read. Lee makes many good products and I use a lot of them but the scale is one I don't recommend. Their powder measure is good and their dies are too. For a revolver you won't need the 4-die set, you can seat and crimp in the same die, same step when the die is set properly. Calipers for measuring are required, dial or digital, your choice. You shouldn't have to pay more than $30 for ones that will do the same job as $130 ones. And, yes, a tumbler to clean dirty brass, I prefer corncob media, less dust. Read as much as you can, especially what Dryflash posted, and ask any questions you have here. Nobody will think it's a dumb question because we all help each other stay safe, the only dumb question is one that isn't asked and somebody gets hurt. Welcome to the Reloading Forum !  Lots of good guys here to help you get started right.
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The first and foremost thing has been said! ABC's of Reloading READ IT! Then read it again!
You have to invest in yourself! Despite what some people extol the virtues of Lee stuff! A lot of their stuff is CRAP! Their dies are serviceable! But, their PM sucks! Their single stage presses are decent. Their reloading manual is not new info but rather a compilation of other sources. Get the Lyman 50th Reloading manual too! Best resource for pistol loading data! RCBS quit making the 505 scale! But, you can get it's close cousin cheaper! A Dillon Eliminator is the same guts as the RCBS 505 scale had! |
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Quoted:
I have been wanting to get into reloading for a while, and I'm finally ready to start. I snagged a Lee Anniversary Kit for cheap that the guy never even opened. My questions as follows.... How hard is it to reload? I've been reading up on it, and it seems simple enough....almost too easy. You've got it right. It is amazingly easy to produce reliable ammo that meets or exceeds factory performance. Complexity comes in when you pursue small fractions of an MOA in accuracy. What are the pitfalls? Especially with my setup? I know it's extremely basic compared to other products. It's a fairly well-defined process. With good equipment and the proper safety-oriented attitude, you just do it. So, the pitfall is going cheap on gear, getting less than stellar results and starting over, again ($, time, barrel life). What else should I get besides the dies? I am getting a brass tumbler as well, but should I get anything else? For the record, I will primarily be reloading .44 mag/spcl and other revolver cartridges for now. Looking to also do .223/5.56. See the pinned threads for a list of gear required. If you have questions like, "Is this better than that?" or "Should I ...?", then post the questions. Thanks for any help/insight. |
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Any time a thread like this pops up,my first major piece of advice is to find some place local to you that has powder and primers cheaper than what you can order them in once the HAZMAT fees get tacked on.
In case you haven't figured this out already, you are going to run your empty brass through all the various steps in a batch process. Let's say you have 1,000 pieces of dirty .44 Magnum brass. You take 100 of those and tumble them. Then say on Monday night, you resize/deprime those 100 cases. Tuesday night you bell their mouths. Belling makes the bullet seating easier. Wednesday night is priming night. For that I would recommend a Lee hand priming tool: 
That way you can sit in front of the TV (with safety glasses on) and prime your brass. Thursday night is powder charging and bullet seating night. Friday night is crimping night. Saturday morning is case gauging time. Saturday afternoon is range time ....pew pew pew! Rinse, repeat... You may want to get several ammo cans to keep your brass in its various stages separated. |
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Quoted:
I have been wanting to get into reloading for a while, and I'm finally ready to start. I snagged a Lee Anniversary Kit for cheap that the guy never even opened. My questions as follows.... How hard is it to reload? I've been reading up on it, and it seems simple enough....almost too easy. What are the pitfalls? Especially with my setup? I know it's extremely basic compared to other products. What else should I get besides the dies? I am getting a brass tumbler as well, but should I get anything else? For the record, I will primarily be reloading .44 mag/spcl and other revolver cartridges for now. Looking to also do .223/5.56. Thanks for any help/insight. - Prep your brass in one step, then store the cleaned and sized brass until you are ready to prime, drop powder, seat bullets and produce finished rounds. Load only enough for a single range session. Avoid loading 100 rounds at a time, instead experiment with different bullets, powders and charge weights until your find a pet load, which may take a while. - Avoid maximum loads and your brass will last a long time and your firearms will not be beat to death. Get yourself a cheap chronograph so you know what you are working with in that regard. - For the pistol rounds you don't need to trim, but the .223 and other bottleneck rounds do. They grow a little it with each cycle. Use your calipers to gauge when the case length is approaching maximum size. - For the .223, you will need to size the cases precisely to bump the shoulder back .004 to .005" shorter than the fired length. Otherwise cases will stick in the chamber, NFG. Buy a Hornady headspace comparator tool to compare the as fired vs as sized difference, cost is about $35. good luck - CW |
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It's a very rewarding hobby. It's literally the only thing I do on the weekends.
Get a good book, read it, then read it again. I've used Lee, RCBS, and Hornady dies. I like Hornady's bullet seating die best. The 100 bullet rebate is a nice touch as well. Like others said, get the RCBS 505. I think PSA has some on clearance for cheap. I've recently discovered the wonder of lizard litter for polishing. $6 for 13lbs of media vs $17-20 for 3lbs. Add some NuFinish car wax and brass looks good. I also discovered the joys of the homemade case lube. Read some of the tacked threads for the recipe. I use empty protein powder bottles to store brass in various stages. According to my wife, it's a never ending money pit... she's right 
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