I need to get started... the RIGHT way.

[swampratt]

If you ever make it down this way you can use my spare rockchuker to get you started,I just don't make it your direction much.
Deal is do not sell it and when you step up to a different press I want my vintage mid 70's chuker back.
I loaned it to another guy and he now has a bunch of progressive blue presses and his own rock chuker.

He got ate up with it and even got an annealing set up and electric assisted automatic case trimmer. vibratory, pin, and sonic cleaners etc etc etc etc etc.

Yes you will be joining all those who are addicted.

 

[Mad Professor]

I would recommend a turret press to start out with. It can be made to be a little bit progressive, is just like a single stage for learning on, you can have a couple of calibers setup and ready to go all the time and they are very versatile and adaptable to your technique. A $300 budget is going to be tough to get everything you need even with a Lee press and if you go that route the frustration factor will likely be high either due to the slowness of a single stage or the finickiness of their progressive. I got a redding T7 turret on sale for $279. Take you time and you can find some deals.

I agree 100% with starting with a Turret Press. Even if you decide to go the progressive, you will want to have a single stage on hand. This is really important with a cartridge such as 300BLK if you are going to convert brass from 5.56 stock. And you should be considering that. A turret will work as a single stage when needed and still allow you to do a bit of "manual progressive" but you are still in complete control. Once you feel the press is really slowing you down, find the progressive that suits your needs. Leave it set up for your high volume reloading and keep the turret for the everything else. I've got a Lyman T-Mag that I may be listing soon. It is a 6 station turret press with a second spare Turret. I've ordered a Redding T-7 to replace it. I think the Redding is a better press, but you could get into this one with a second turret for 1/2 the price or less. The primary reason I'm upgrading to the T-7 is because of the way the T-Mag mounts to my Quick change Inline Fabrication bench mount. LoL The spent primer system on the Redding is much better and I think the primer autofeed will be better. I'm just now setting up to reload again and decided to take the plunge by adding some new equipment. I hate to part with my old reliable T-Mag, but I have a feeling it will be only gathering more dust in the future.

 

[okietom]

To learn on try a Lee Hand press. It is two levers and does not even mount to a bench. Lee sells a C type press for less.

I have a Lee hand press that I bought new from Midwayusa for a little over $30. I use it to deprime with a universal decapping die in the easy chair while watching tv. It would be useful at a shooting range to work up loads also.

it would be handy even after you got your 1050.

I already had a Dillon 550 and an RCBS rockchucker when I bought it. I consider it an upgrade to my equipment.

 

[okietom]

I have an old Herters press that I will give you if you pay me $25. I would be giving you the press and selling you the adapter that I bought from CH4D. The adapter allows you to use RCBS type shell holders, or modern shell holders.

http://www.ch4d.com/products/equipment/presses/herters

 

[fatcpa]

If I were just starting, I'd look seriously at the RCBS Rockchucker Deluxe (Supreme?) kit. Midway has it on sale now for $290 and I think it has about everything you'd need to start except dies and calipers, and maybe some sort of tumbler to clean brass. Like a lot of people have said, you can always use a good single stage press. I load handgun ammo on a couple Dillon's but still load rifle ammo on a single stage. The Lyman turret press is nice for the money, if you want to go that route.

 

[lkothe]

I got my Lee Challenger setup at BP (gift cards from family)
It has helped me understand how dies get set up for different bullets etc.... yes it is slow but that is relaxing to me.
I have a old Rockchucker that a buddy gave me that is about to be setup for my rifle calibers.

Be nice to have a turrent or progressive but I'll stay with what works for now.