Who in here reloads their .223?  What recommendations can you make for a CHEAP reloading set-up.?

The Lee Classic Reloader (by hand) looks like a good, cheap subsitute for right now.  Any of you guys have good or bad experiences with these or other brand equipment?

Much thanks for the advice.

I was going to start reloading .308 and .223, but I have found it much cheaper to just buy by the case.

I just press a couple buttons and the BBT delivers it to my doorstep.

Most of the relaoding equipment is quality stuff. You shouldn't have a problem.

in 25+ years of shooting thousands of .223's, I've never fired a factory round. All of mine have been reloads.

An RCBS Rockchucker is a good single-stage press that will last a lifetime.

You'll probably get a better response in the reloading forum.

I use an RCBS rockchucker, which is great for a single stage.  I wouldn't recommend a handheld type thingy unless you REALLY need it to be portable.  Buy it used to save some scratch.  A good press will last a lifetime or two.  Saves money in the long run.

As for dies, Lee is probably fine, RCBS is probably not much more expensive, and I really like Redding dies.

For other equipment, as long as it is accurate (scale, caliper,...), there is no need to spend tons.

I use the Lee anniversary kit. I also use the Lyman reloading book. Reloading is fun. John

Reloading 223Rem/556NATO & 308WIN/7.62NATO is best done on a progressive press. If this is your first time reloading, I would recommend loading pistol ammo first because reloading rifle ammo involves the extra step of trimming the brass because the rifle brass case will grow or stretch longer because of the higher pressures involved in a rifle round. Pistol cases will grow very little even if it 44Rem Mags. If you're even fairly mechanical adept, I recommend the progressive route. After you've a few hundred rounds or so, everything is fairly repetitive, and you can crank out some serious rounds in a very short time. I would read up on some books just to get the story straight. I personally recommend the Lyman's reloading manual, it has a wealth of important info. I believe the current Lyman reloading manual is number 48.

Spend the extra money on a Dillon 550. You will have it for the rest of your life. Or if you choose to sell it you won't have trouble getting most of your money out of it.

Also, the cost/benefit is hard to justify for .223 with so many cheap quality rounds available.

You can save big dollars with pistol and non-military rifle. I was loading 9mm FMJs and HP for about $3 per box of 50 and .45 FMJ and Hollow point for about $4.25.

Ditto, Dillion 550B here, although we have several set-ups (Lee, RCBS, Hornady) the Dillion is without question the most consistent.

Mike

Thanks for the info guys.   I wasn't aware of the shell shaving requirement.

I tend to recommend getting a decent shingle stage first, getting used to the overall process and then moving on to a  progressive of some kind.  I happen to prefer the RCNS 2000 over the Dillon 550, primarily for improved de-priming and priming systems, and fixed powder measure.  

Having the single stage allows you to do short runs of other calibers, test loads, etc.  Taking the progressive all the way apart for a hundred rounds or less and then re-assembling and tweaking it back to snuff is a pain.  Where as the single pumper, although slower to load per shell, changes dies almost immediately.

I disagree with wasting time an money on a single stage. As long as you understand how it works, there is no reason not to start with the best reloader.

I want to crank out rounds as fast and as cheply as possible.

Nothing beats a Dillon for reliability. If something does happen to it, you get it fixed for free; forever. No BS. No crying by Dillon that the reloader was destroyed in a house fire. Nada. They just fix/replace it.

I once saw a rusted up 550 sold used in a gun store. The thing was dropped in the salt water and rusted solid. Anyway, the guy that bought it sent it to Dillon. They replaced it at NC.

Most every piece of reloading equipment I have is RCBS green but I am impressed with this:

cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=31825&item=3681986527&rd=1&ssPageName=WD1V

Carbide dies are the cat's ass.

As for your time involved in reloading vs. buying by the case.....In January & February while the snow is blowing outside I get alot of reloading done inside were it's warm.  Beats the heck outa laying on the couch.  On the subject of cost savings, in my case I shoot a helluva lot more since I started rollin' my own.

Note: that is not my auction and I have no interest in it other than to say I am considering purchasing it.

Quoted: Thanks for the info guys.   I wasn't aware of the shell shaving requirement.

And when it comes to annealing, simlpy stand your brass in a pie tray and fill it with water to the brazing level, then hit the whole batch with a torch.

Quoted: I disagree with wasting time an money on a single stage. As long as you understand how it works, there is no reason not to start with the best reloader. I want to crank out rounds as fast and as cheply as possible. Nothing beats a Dillon for reliability. If something does happen to it, you get it fixed for free; forever. No BS. No crying by Dillon that the reloader was destroyed in a house fire. Nada. They just fix/replace it. I once saw a rusted up 550 sold used in a gun store. The thing was dropped in the salt water and rusted solid. Anyway, the guy that bought it sent it to Dillon. They replaced it at NC.

Yes, agreed, thus the reason Dillon charged me $7.95 shipping for a $2.00 part which they n/c the price of a plastic clip sent to the PRK (this was not the first time).
I have three 1050's and a SL900 which are fine machines but, Dillon reps are assholes.

YMMV.

I’d recommend you stay away from it.

It’s incredibly slow.  Plus I’m pretty sure it just neck sizes the case, which can be iffy for a semi-auto rifle.

Get a reloading book first, such as Lyman’s, and learn what’s involved.

Dillon’s are first class, but are pretty expensive.  While a single stage press is much slower, it’s also less expensive and would be worth looking at if you aren’t sure you want to make a large financial investment to begin with.  E-bay always has all sorts of reloading equipment listed.

Space might also be an issue if you live in an apartment.

Reloading .223 for regular blasting doesn’t make a lot of sense to me unless you’ve got quite a bit of spare time or if even a small money savings is a serious issue for you.  Just get Wolf or something like that.  (Obviously, some other members here have different opinions on that!)

However, reloading .223 to put together accurate ammunition does makes a lot of sense to me since decent commercial .223 is pretty expensive.

Good luck!!