Reloading newbie

[OHJEEZE]

I think the best thing would be someone to buy it all as a whole and then resell as they see fit.

That somebody is you!

 

[SNAKE PLISSKEN]

That somebody is you!

If some one could take the time to price everything on the list, come up with a reasonable offer. Get a few investors for cash. Make the offer, buy the goods, then sell at next gunshow, make some money, pay back investors, keep what you want. Winner, Winner Chicken dinner!!! I was told there was over $50,000 worth of supplies at full retail. If I had $10,000 I'd make that offer.

 

[Rez Exelon]

I like my 550 for pistol calibers. Rifle calibers I load on a single stage press. I'm generally shooting rifles for groups rather than mag dumps. I'd google dillon 550b caliber conversion cross reference chart. May save you from buying parts you don't need. A good scale or balance makes life a lot easier. Keep only one powder at a time in your work area. Don't leave powder in the hopper. You probably won't save money but you may shoot more.

This but with one caveat. I've said it before and I'll say it again --- Anyone with a 550 IMHO should go to eBay and find the single stage conversion kit that snowshoez (I think that's the user name) sells. It is a replacement spindle/toolhead that makes it a single station press. Definitely worth the 100 or so bucks and keeps the bench cleaner if you don't want multiple presses.

 

[Rez Exelon]

Guns are expensive.
Trips to the ER are expensive.
Reloads are cheap.

That's a dang fine quotable right there.

 

[DB44]

Don’t let the naysayers discourage you. The 550 is a great place to start.

I love my 550 but I started out on a single stage loader and still have it.

 

[dennishoddy]

When you really get into reloading, you end up with this rig.

 

[red dirt shootist]

I have a different take. Don't buy it all, you will overwhelm yourself with things you don't need. For about 160 bucks you can buy a Lee kit that has every thing you need, and Lee has one of the best manuals you can get, it tells you why you're doing what you''re doing. And it is a process. Some of these guys here have been loading since that dust up between the North and the South, I've been at it for 50 years, which means nothing really, but if you've been doing it since the beginning of time you might have forgotten that its best learned slowly.
Now, when you're buying tools, machines, and materials, you should have an idea of what kind of production you need. 2000 rounds a month, Dillon 650/750, with case feeder and bullet feeder, now a lot of guys say I can load that in a weekend, but I want to load fast, because every hour I don't spend on the loader, I can spend behind a pistol. The 550 is more versatile, not as fast, but more control, caliber changes will be cheaper 75 bucks for a conversion kit, dies 125.00. On the 650/750 conversion kit is 120 bucks, die 125, if you're running a case feeder might be 55 bucks for a wheel. If you want to set up fast buy a quick change kit for 170 bucks. Dillon isn't cheap but the engineering and the process of increasing output is incredible, so if you start shooting a lot, you're 550 dies will work in the 650/750, and then some guys have different loaders for small and large primers to save time. As far as the casting goes, forget it, unless you have some rifle like a 43 Spanish, and you can't find bullets. I know it looks tempting to buy it all, and I have several times, 6 months later I'm thinking what was I thinking? Good luck to you.

 

[Sgt Dog]

Buy it all!

Right!!! At least sort of.

I got this far and keep thinking the press is getting the print but you want to hear about dies, scales, powder trickers, case trimmers, hand primers, tumblers, even the manuals mentioned, and probably supplies too, like primers, powders, brass, bullets, they are probably all right there and available at a fair price.

I’m a skeptic about 50k worth but who knows. Start with calibers you will load for and make a list from there. I would be surprised if there were not a single stage press as well.

 

[Spider27monkey]

Nothing wrong at all with starting out on a 550. The 550 can be used as a single stage, then as you get comfortable, you can use it as a progressive.
This is the time of year that I spend most of my time reloading. Due to weather, shorter daylight hours, reloading gives me something to do besides wasting time in a recliner with a remote control in hand.
Take your time. Read anything you can on reloading. There are a ton of Dillon 550 related Youtube videos.
And Dillon customer support is amazing.

 

[Rustytigwire]

I'm so dense it took a long time to recognize.
Powder manufacturers manuals will list different makers bullets for their powder.
Bullet manufacturers manuals will recognize different powders.
It makes sense now.
Compare the values of more than one source for a given cartridge.
Practice on inexpensive components until you teach your head and fingers what not to do. Save your new fancy brass until you know enough screw it up really good.
Avoid the temptation of higher velocity (hotter) loads as they don't always give better accuracy.
I was very proud on my last prairie dog hunt to have two weapons and ammo all assembled from my work bench.
You will be just fine.