whatever you get make sure you get some digital scales. Hornady has some decent ones for $35 Those lee scales are maddening. Also if you get a single stage press get lots of reloading blocks as you will have to store those bullets somewhere before you set up the next die. or just don't be a fool and get THIS
Haha… thanks Daryl – I tried to disclaimer the crap out of my original response as well, but it still got misinterpreted… No harm, no foul… and to Cy if my retort came across aggressively, I apologize… I have to keep remembering I come from a much faster paced shooting world on the west coast where time management is a big issue where new shooters and/or reloaders get run over pretty quickly if they don’t adapt accordingly… I simply hoped to offer a different perspective as many things have changed in the reloading world since I started rolling my own ammo 30 yrs ago and most approach reloading for the wrong reasons – saving money… I’m lucky – I can afford the best presses out there, but I have no allegiance to any manufacturer… I have 650’s and 1050 ‘s… a Co-Ax for precision long rifle needs… PW’s and MEC’s for shotguns… I’ve owned Hornady LNL’s and most RCBS presses… Yet I will always feel the need to disagree with anyone who thinks that the only way to start reloading is on a single stage - especially for handguns… Fear of “K Booms” has nothing to do with aptitude, common sense and attention to detail when safety is concerned… even after many hundreds of thousands of reloaded rounds for me it was and always will be unexpected interruptions during a reloading session that hold the most potential for problems…
I'll make sure to keep my perspectives to myself in the future....
I'll make sure to keep my perspectives to myself in the future....
there's nothing wrong with sharing your perspectives. we are amongst friends .. unless one is shooting competitively going through several thousands rounds a month. it'd still be hard to come up with a good reason not to learn how to load with a single stage press before moving on to progressives.
checking powder level is part of any routine .. nothing wrong with learning basics first. for most folks a single stage press will more than support several hundred rounds a month with minimal fuss.
how ever you do it .. it's hard to beat rolling your own!!
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While I have a different take.......don't go single stage, and don't go progressive...go with a semi-progressive, AKA (as mentioned Turret). My first press was a Lee 4 hole turret press. First couple of hundred rounds were in single stage mode, till I got the hang of it and could feel what right felt like. I used the Lee Auto Disk Powder Measure, and checked every 3-5 rounds. I had a Lee beam scale at the time.
I have upgraded to a Dillon, not because it is a Dillon 550B...the Lee, the Hornady, the RCBS, all seem like just as high quality of machines for a bit less price, but it is because it is what my dad used, and well...I haven't found but a time or two when he was wrong, and that was on trivial things.
Whatever you get, what you get out is what you put into it. If you take the time, and learn, and feel, and get into a rhythm, you get more out. There are classes you can take, there are youtube videos, but what is the best, is find someone you trust, find a couple if you can, and ask to see their setups, have them walk you through it, try out their equipment, then buy what you want.
If you want, we can discuss you coming and trying out my 550 (you will be blindfolded and put in a toolbox inside of a trunk to hide the location of my secret lair), but I will try to discourage you from going that extreme. A good Lee Progressive press, already set for .223 with bullet feeder, primer feeds, everything you need just about, is going for $250 on Gandermountain.com.
And everyone else is right...you won't ever save a dime. I have probably $900 in mine, and am looking at spending more since I just picked up a .45.
I have upgraded to a Dillon, not because it is a Dillon 550B...the Lee, the Hornady, the RCBS, all seem like just as high quality of machines for a bit less price, but it is because it is what my dad used, and well...I haven't found but a time or two when he was wrong, and that was on trivial things.
Whatever you get, what you get out is what you put into it. If you take the time, and learn, and feel, and get into a rhythm, you get more out. There are classes you can take, there are youtube videos, but what is the best, is find someone you trust, find a couple if you can, and ask to see their setups, have them walk you through it, try out their equipment, then buy what you want.
If you want, we can discuss you coming and trying out my 550 (you will be blindfolded and put in a toolbox inside of a trunk to hide the location of my secret lair), but I will try to discourage you from going that extreme. A good Lee Progressive press, already set for .223 with bullet feeder, primer feeds, everything you need just about, is going for $250 on Gandermountain.com.
And everyone else is right...you won't ever save a dime. I have probably $900 in mine, and am looking at spending more since I just picked up a .45.
I tried the single stage thing for handgun ammo. Frankly, I'd rather not shoot if faced with loading handgun stuff on a single stage. I went red with a LNL, and they really are good presses. If you go that route do not get a case feeder, the level of adjustment to get it running is unreal. Then when you change calibers you have to do it all over again.
I use a 650 now, it IMO is 10-15% more press than a LNL. It's less finicky, works very well with the case feeder, and changeovers are easy. At some point I'm sure I will end up with a 1050 as well.
To be perfectly honest, I do not enjoy reloading. I reload to shoot, and right now the guns I enjoy shooting, along with my preferred volume of shooting volume necessitate reloading.
I use a 650 now, it IMO is 10-15% more press than a LNL. It's less finicky, works very well with the case feeder, and changeovers are easy. At some point I'm sure I will end up with a 1050 as well.
To be perfectly honest, I do not enjoy reloading. I reload to shoot, and right now the guns I enjoy shooting, along with my preferred volume of shooting volume necessitate reloading.
Lee Challenger Kit, RCBS 505 scale, Lee dies. So far have done .38,.45acp, 9mm. Am set up to do .223 but haven't done any yet. Have only been reloading a short time, but taking my time and enjoying it.
I am only getting into it for precision rifle loading. Single stage is what I will be using and it's all I ever foresee needing given what I intend to do with it.
Anyone that loads very much ammo can find uses for a progressive and a single stage press. I have a Dillon 550, an RCBS rockchucker, and a Lee Hand press. I have uses for all of them.
This is another reason that I think it doesn't matter what you get first, adding another type of press to your bench just gives you more options. It would be great to have a press for each cartridge case you reload. I have read most of this thread and all of the ideas are valid. Starting with a progressive or a turret or a single stage is a matter of choice and ammo volume needs.
I can't say that starting with a single stage is wrong. That is how I started. I had to learn how to use the Dillon 550 when I got that one. It was easier knowing how reloading went before getting the Dillon but I know I could have started with the 550 if it had been available.
This is another reason that I think it doesn't matter what you get first, adding another type of press to your bench just gives you more options. It would be great to have a press for each cartridge case you reload. I have read most of this thread and all of the ideas are valid. Starting with a progressive or a turret or a single stage is a matter of choice and ammo volume needs.
I can't say that starting with a single stage is wrong. That is how I started. I had to learn how to use the Dillon 550 when I got that one. It was easier knowing how reloading went before getting the Dillon but I know I could have started with the 550 if it had been available.
You can use a 550 by loading only one cartridge at a time, you don't need to have a full shell plate. There is no way I'd want to load 500 pistol rounds on a single stage personally, that just sounds painful for no good reason.
I have most of the presses mentioned in the thread.
I have a Lee single stage, an RCBS RS-5 single stage, a Lee 3 Hole turret, and a Dillon 550.
They all get used. I don't intend on ever not having something in each category, single, turret and progressive.
The Lee turret is an awesome beginner press. It's cheap, decently fast with the auto-indexing in, and can be run as a single stage turret if wanted. Turrets and powder dispensers are cheap, so you can set one up for each caliber you reload for $40 or less.
If you're on a truly tight budget, this Lee Turret Press Kit for $120 is nearly exactly what I use.
For a little more, get these:
Lee 4 Hole Turret Press $81 - This includes the roller handle - Worth it! (by comparison, the Dillon roller handle is $40 by itself)
Lee Pro Auto-Disk Powder Measure $41 - The Pro you can shut off the powder flow by rotating the hopper. That alone makes it worth it over the standard Auto Disk.
Lee Safety Magnetic Powder Scale $24 - May not be the best, but it works if you take care.
Lee Case Conditioning Kit $11 - If you do much loading, you WILL want a better way of processing brass. But this will get you going.
Lee Powder Funnel $4 - You'll want more than one, but you need one.
Then, for each caliber you want to reload, you need these:
Lee 4 Hole Turret $13
Lee Pro Auto-Disk Powder Measure $41
And a shell holder, but some die sets come with them, and many cases use a common shell holders; you may not need one per caliber. ie, .45, .308 (and all its family of cartridges), .30-06 etc use the same rim diameter, thus the same shell holder.
-or for more budget oriented-
Lee Auto-Disk $24
Also, there is no faster cartridge quick change system than the Lee turret. Period. No tools, and just two maybe three parts (if you are changing from small to large primers) to change out.
I have a Lee single stage, an RCBS RS-5 single stage, a Lee 3 Hole turret, and a Dillon 550.
They all get used. I don't intend on ever not having something in each category, single, turret and progressive.
The Lee turret is an awesome beginner press. It's cheap, decently fast with the auto-indexing in, and can be run as a single stage turret if wanted. Turrets and powder dispensers are cheap, so you can set one up for each caliber you reload for $40 or less.
If you're on a truly tight budget, this Lee Turret Press Kit for $120 is nearly exactly what I use.
For a little more, get these:
Lee 4 Hole Turret Press $81 - This includes the roller handle - Worth it! (by comparison, the Dillon roller handle is $40 by itself)
Lee Pro Auto-Disk Powder Measure $41 - The Pro you can shut off the powder flow by rotating the hopper. That alone makes it worth it over the standard Auto Disk.
Lee Safety Magnetic Powder Scale $24 - May not be the best, but it works if you take care.
Lee Case Conditioning Kit $11 - If you do much loading, you WILL want a better way of processing brass. But this will get you going.
Lee Powder Funnel $4 - You'll want more than one, but you need one.
Then, for each caliber you want to reload, you need these:
Lee 4 Hole Turret $13
Lee Pro Auto-Disk Powder Measure $41
And a shell holder, but some die sets come with them, and many cases use a common shell holders; you may not need one per caliber. ie, .45, .308 (and all its family of cartridges), .30-06 etc use the same rim diameter, thus the same shell holder.
-or for more budget oriented-
Lee Auto-Disk $24
Also, there is no faster cartridge quick change system than the Lee turret. Period. No tools, and just two maybe three parts (if you are changing from small to large primers) to change out.
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