Looking to Begin Reloading

[ewheeley]

Old Fart I like the way you think. I like to see it this way: I'm stopping myself short, not shooting enough. If I reload, I will shoot more, but at my current level of shooting I'm just an anemic little girl. So shooting more is a definite positive.

 

[oknavy]

Dumb question: do you have a place to mount a single stage press?

 

[gmar]

Dumb question: do you have a place to mount a single stage press?

You're suppose to but I don't have a wood bench to mount it on, so I bought a 3/4" piece of plywood that's probably 3' x 3' and mounted it on there. Then I just put two ammo boxes full of ammo on the back end of the piece of wood and either use it on my metal work bench in the garage or on an old table inside the house. I think its just as stable if I would have mounted it to a wood bench, plus its portbable.

 

[Old Fart]

You're suppose to but I don't have a wood bench to mount it on, so I bought a 3/4" piece of plywood that's probably 3' x 3' and mounted it on there. Then I just put two ammo boxes full of ammo on the back end of the piece of wood and either use it on my metal work bench in the garage or on an old table inside the house. I think its just as stable if I would have mounted it to a wood bench, plus its portbable.

You might try a couple C-clamps on it to hold it down.
You don't want it sliding off in the middle of a relaoding session.

 

[Phat Mike]

I'd go snoop around a midwayusa for prices and check out the press and book deal for under 40.00 to start! IMO

 

[ewheeley]

I'm in a college dorm, and believe it or not the desks they have built into the walls are pretty dang close to work benches in size and functionality. I'm just looking to go portable to start so that I can do this at school and at home. Plus, setting up a "permanent" looking station in my dorm room could get me in trouble. My RA is cool, but she'd probably raise questions.

 

[oknavy]

Keep us posted on your progress, and keep the questions coming. When you're loading your own, there aren't any dumb questions!

Good luck.

 

[OUshooter]

I don't care what reloading manual you are using but order yourself a copy of A-square's "Any Shot You Want". I promise you won't be disappointed.

For .223 it's a real crap shoot. For your application, given the rifle you listed, reloading your own is really about accuracy.

For volume sakes in a semi-auto reloading is really paddling against the current. .223 can be had for pretty close to $0.20/rd plus shipping, but for accuracy nothing will be able to match your handloads.

While I concur with the others here that the single stage presses are nice, I bought a RCBS turret to start with and I am really glad I did. If you have the chance to go by H&H they have several presses set up, and I would recommend you swing by and play with them to see what you like.

 

[OUshooter]

I'm in a college dorm, and believe it or not the desks they have built into the walls are pretty dang close to work benches in size and functionality. I'm just looking to go portable to start so that I can do this at school and at home. Plus, setting up a "permanent" looking station in my dorm room could get me in trouble. My RA is cool, but she'd probably raise questions.

One thing you might want to check on is the policies regarding powder and primers. The last thing you want is to get nailed for violating the fire code of the dorm building.

I wouldn't ask questions of a specific nature, just make sure to read the fine print.

 

[criticalbass]

When you get to a place where you have a bench, look at the turret loaders. They are faster than single stage loaders, but offer the same control plus the advantage of changing calibers with extra turrets with no readjustments at all.

Mine are Lyman T-Mag IIs, but other companies also offer nice turret presses. Something to keep in mind for later.

The Lee hand press is a neat piece of gear for your current setting. CB