Reloading newbie

[BillM]

I'm going to purchase a used Dillon 550 progressive press. The owner has past away and the wife is selling all his inventory. My problem is I don't know what all I need to start reloading. The basics I get, a press, dies, brass, primers, powder and projectiles. Beyond that I need some guidance. So starting with the basic 550, (there was not any accessories, or attachments on the press.) What is the basic necessities for making boolits? I will be doing rifle and pistol calibers. All feed back is welcome. As a thank you for you insight, once I have purchased all necessary equipment. I will share the rest of the loot with the group. I was told the husband had over $50,000 in reloading supplies and equipment. It's all going to be for sale after I get mine.

I wouldn't start with a Dillon unless you absolutely will be shooting thousands of rounds a month, and not doing much loading for a specific purpose other than practice ammo. If you will want to work up target or hunting loads get one of the smaller presses. If you're going to be crafting precision rounds, you'll hate the Dillon. And you might love a C or O press. Starting with a progressive is a good way to get to hate reloading. I've had a Spar-T turret press for closing on 50 years. Wouldn't give a Dillon bench space. My brother shot competition for decades. I think he's got 4 or 5 Dillons. Couple 550s, a 650... Not really sure as I've not seen his setup since about 2010. He shoots AR's, M1A's, and 9mm, and used to keep most of the brothers & sisters, and their kids, in ammo. If you're going that route, you might want to spend time around someone like him first. He was talking to me about needing 8 identical sets of molds for a Magnacaster, the other day... I have maybe more than a dozen molds. But none of them are the same. Think no more than 3 are same caliber...

You might be somewhere between us.

 

[Arnie]

I started by taking a reloading class. Lots of questions were answered.

 

[geezer77]

I started by taking a reloading class. Lots of questions were answered.

Major Ditto!!

 

[retrieverman]

If I had received advice on a message board before getting into reloading, I never would’ve done it.

 

[BillM]

I started by taking a reloading class. Lots of questions were answered.

I learned at my daddy's knee, as the saying goes. Started "helping" about age six, was actually some help by about age 10 or so. I'm a bit of a gun nut, but my brother could be the poster child. So if I need info, I talk to him.

 

[swampratt]

Inaccurate ammo was all that was available for the price i was willing to pay back in 2009.
(Federal and Remington).
The ammo they turned out in the late70 and early 80's was accurate.

Forced me to reload my own ammo.
Lee classic loader in 30-30 was purchased along with 100 primers and a 1 lb bottle of 3031 and a bottle of BL-C2.
Bought some Speer 150gr flat nose bullets.

I followed the instructions in the paperwork that came with the Classic loader and the rifle shot 3/4" groups at 100 yards.

I was not searching anything on the internet about reloading.
It can't be all that hard really is what i thought.

Later on i got a beam scale and a Lyman 49th manual.
I also got a Lee single stage cast iron press.
Still my favorite press and use it all the time.

Get a manual for reloading and for the press like was already stated and read and understand them and start making ammo.

 

[RidgeRunner45-70]

Call Dillon directly, they will walk you thru what you have or need. Subscribe to their free catalog/magazine the Blue Press. Youtube is your friend too!

 

[RidgeRunner45-70]

NRA offers reloading classes too!

 

[crapsguy]

I'm going to purchase a used Dillon 550 progressive press. The owner has past away and the wife is selling all his inventory. My problem is I don't know what all I need to start reloading. The basics I get, a press, dies, brass, primers, powder and projectiles. Beyond that I need some guidance. So starting with the basic 550, (there was not any accessories, or attachments on the press.) What is the basic necessities for making boolits? I will be doing rifle and pistol calibers. All feed back is welcome. As a thank you for you insight, once I have purchased all necessary equipment. I will share the rest of the loot with the group. I was told the husband had over $50,000 in reloading supplies and equipment. It's all going to be for sale after I get mine.

he probably has ammo checkers get them - you will need them
https://www.amazon.com/Lyman-7810209-P-Ammo-Checkers/dp/B00URUE80G?th=1

 

[Ahall]

The Dillon 550 is a progressive press. Thats not an entry level system.
Thats for someone shooting.

First thing you need is a dedicated space to set it up and leave it set up.
Preferably with a door you can close so you are not distracted.

Then you need a friend to help you understand everything you got and get grain sorted from the chaff.

Once its stored our read the manual so you know how to set up and adjust everything.
Then read it again.


Quality control

Manuals - so you have the right information to create a safe assembly. Follow it. No guessing.

Powder scale - needed to set the powder drop, and useful for confirming bullet weights.

Dial or digital calipers that will resolve 0.001 inches. Good for setting up and adjusting dies, checking overall length of cases, and checking length of cases when trimming. You don't need a name brand set.

Bullet puller - you will make a mistake or 2 and want to save the components. A simple hammer type is fine.

Case trimmer, if your shooting bottle necked cases.

Tools
A small set of Allen wrenches, a crescent wrench, and a couple of screwdrivers for adjusting dies.
I recommend you keep them handy, so you actually use them to make changes when needed.

Dustpan and broom for sweeping up spilled powder and dropped primers..

Trash can.



Loading Bench
These are very personal.
In general they should be sturdy and tall enough that you are comfortable operating the press in a natural position. Most like storage space for components near by that's handy.



Component storage space.
Large enough to secure everything from those who should not have access to it, but not so stout and well-sealed that you create a bomb if space burns. Gun safes have thermal seals and are not recommended for this application.


PITFALLS (you might miss)

Semi auto handguns
If your shooting semi autos, handguns, strip the gun and see how well the case is supported near the loading ramp. Ideally the case is supported past the web in case head. Glocks had an issue here, especially in earlier designs that could lead to bulged cases. Work hardening from reloading could cause cracked or burst cases when fired after several reloading's with dramatic consequences.

Bottle neck cases
The reloading die can be adjusted to push the shoulder back on a bottle neck case. In a semi auto this helps with reliable feeding, but leads to work hardening and reduced case life in the area of the shoulder. Many bench rest shooters prefer to tune the die to match the exact length of the chamber, or just size the neck area. THE POTENTIAL PROBLEM with pushing back the shoulder repeatedly is when the case fires, the brass expands to fill the chamber, and the front half of the case with a thin sidewall sticks to the chamber wall. Any end to end play room in the chamber is taken up by stretching the body of the case backward into the bolt. When you resize the shell, the shoulder moves back again and the neck gets longer. If you don't watch it, you get brass in the forcing cone of the chamber and the pressure jumps because the bullet has harder time getting out. The other issue is your thinning the sidewall of the case, which can cause a case head separation after several loadings. The 303 Endfield is notorious for this problem, but the design handles the gas release well (I have had it happen). Early bolt actions (pre 98 mousers and others) did not handle case head separation well. Many designs lacked gas vents between the barrel and bolt in the front ring of the receiver. Modern brass and 1 loading, not an issue. Be aware of both issues and check your brass for both wall thinning and neck growth.

Case volume.
Not all cases are made equally. Take the brass from different makers and weight them. You will find some makers use less material than others. Less material, higher internal case volume. A gun is basically a single cylinder engine with a free-floating piston. If you change the internal volume of a case, you change the compression ratio in your engine. So if you are pushing the top end of the reloading data, a proven load with one manufacture's brass could be an unpleasant with another maker's brass.



Always pay attention to how your equipment behaves and if anything is off, stop and figure out why.
Guns are expensive.
Trips to the ER are expensive.
Reloads are cheap.