And so it begins

[SSGSAD]

McGrease, if I can help, please let me know .....

 

[Gluemanz28]

I will primarily be starting out with 9mm too. I was kind of disappointed when I learned that there isn't a ton of savings with 9mm. You'll maybe save 8-10 cents a round if you're loading lead bullets. The savings are only 4-5 cents per round with plated or jacketed bullets. (Ballpark numbers)

It doesn't make much sense to spend several hundred dollars on a press to save a few cents. I am going into this as a new hobby, not expecting to save any money.

The odd or magnum rounds save you much more per round apparently. I guess that's an excuse to get into .357.

When 9mm was about $15 per 50 I was saving about 1/2 the cost. You can now find them on sale for around $11 per 50. I can load 9mm for around $7 per 50 if I have to buy everything including range brass. Once you have the brass you can load for about $6 per 50 rounds. All pricing is for plated bullets, CCI primers and Bullseye powder.

Reloading is more about availability and accuracy then cost savings. I buy components whenever I find a good deal, not just when I need to reload. Buy it and stock it up my friend.


RMRbullets.com and x-treme Bullets are my go to place for bullets. RMR will run 2nds or 3rds on sale for cheap. The only thing wrong with them is they might be a little discolored on the plating. I have bought them in the high 60's and low 70's per 1000.

Deals are out there you just have to grab them when you see them and not doink around thinking about it. Do your homework by shopping the web and stores to know what is the going price.


I will tell my buddy about components at a good deal and he will say he is going to stop by when he gets off work to get some, then he won't go get them. Then he gives me crap for not selling him some of mine. I have sold him some in the past but I had to stop because he was just being lazy.

 

[Ben Nelson]

I will primarily be starting out with 9mm too. I was kind of disappointed when I learned that there isn't a ton of savings with 9mm. You'll maybe save 8-10 cents a round if you're loading lead bullets. The savings are only 4-5 cents per round with plated or jacketed bullets. (Ballpark numbers)

It doesn't make much sense to spend several hundred dollars on a press to save a few cents. I am going into this as a new hobby, not expecting to save any money.

The odd or magnum rounds save you much more per round apparently. I guess that's an excuse to get into .357.

My son and I crank out 9mm, .38 spl, and .357 on a Lee Classic Turret Press with no problems. We saved our factory ammo brass from the range before we bought the press. We made it a point to collect all of our brass after shooting as well as any other brass in our area. We've been reloading for a couple of years and have yet to buy brass. We make 9mm for about 17 cents a piece vs. about 35 cents a piece for factory 9mm. Our startup costs for the press, dies, tumbler, bullets, primers, and powder were about $300.

 

[MCgrease08]

Well I've been saving my brass knowing I was considering reloading. I've got north of 1000 pieces of 9mm right now and about 750 pieces of .38.

I've also got about 1800 factory rounds of 9mm stashed away and I certainly plan to reclaim that brass too.

I figure that should be a good start for now.

 

[oldguyguns]

I have 4 reloading manuals that I bought when I started reloading 380,9mm,and 45. Amazing how I often look at them all before starting a new load. Sounds like you have enough brass to buy a vibratory cleaner too. Andrew and the folks at Profire are great but you will also learn a lot and have questions while reloading. The nice thing is---you have all these knowledgeable folks at INGO to help you. I have had many questions while learning and always received good answers---

 

[DIRTROAD]

Cost me about $7 per 50 for 9mm you save about $4 a box you end up with a free box for every 3 you load , in the long run you will spend the same but will get to shoot more

 

[lovemywoods]

A couple of years ago I wrote a post about my start in reloading. It includes some lists of equipment and materials I chose to buy. They may help you create a shopping list for your style of reloading. I hope it is helpful. Happy reloading!

It can be found here:

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...ing-started-reloading-my-first-18-months.html

 

[partyboy6686]

You dont have to have a bunch of space to reload. My mobile reloading cart is 33 inches wide and 20 inches deep. I have 2 Dillon Square Deal B progressive presses mounted on top of it. The cabinet below is where I store all my powder, primers, bullets, and reloading tools.

 

[MCgrease08]

A couple of years ago I wrote a post about my start in reloading. It includes some lists of equipment and materials I chose to buy. They may help you create a shopping list for your style of reloading. I hope it is helpful. Happy reloading!

It can be found here:

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...ing-started-reloading-my-first-18-months.html

Thanks for that excellent write up. I'll definitely be starting on a smaller scale, but it's helpful to see the list of tools and accessories you've gathered over time.

I'm only a few weeks into the research phase and I've never even heard of some of those items. At least this gives me a starting point for additional research.

It also looks like I'm going to pull the trigger on the Lee Classic Turret press kit and start with a set of Lee dies. I'm still trying to work out a package deal from another member.

 

[MCgrease08]

You dont have to have a bunch of space to reload. My mobile reloading cart is 33 inches wide and 20 inches deep. I have 2 Dillon Square Deal B progressive presses mounted on top of it. The cabinet below is where I store all my powder, primers, bullets, and reloading tools.

Thanks for the visual. I've convinced my wife to allow me an area about 40"x24" somewhere in our 2 bedroom apartment. I'm not sure exactly where the bench will go, but I've got a few options.

 

[Drail]

I have always advised people who want to learn reloading to start with a single stage press and learn the finer points before trying to use a progressive. Even if you decide to go progressive later you will still have use for a single stage. IMO progressive are really only useful if you must load large volumes. But on a progressive you really have to be on top of four or five things at once with no room for error. On a progressive an error usually results in a large batch of rounds all with the same defect. Then you get to pull them all down. Take your time and don't worry too much about how long it takes to load 100 rounds.

 

[MCgrease08]

^^^^This^^^^ is what appeals to me about the Lee Classic Turret. It can be run manually like a single stage press. Then once I get the hang of it and have everything dialed in it auto-indexes similar to a progressive. You're still only working with one round and one stage at a time, but it automatically advances to the next stage.

 

[87iroc]

The odd or magnum rounds save you much more per round apparently. I guess that's an excuse to get into .357.

It boggles my mind what they want for .357 rounds.

 

[Vamptepes]

^^^^This^^^^ is what appeals to me about the Lee Classic Turret. It can be run manually like a single stage press. Then once I get the hang of it and have everything dialed in it auto-indexes similar to a progressive. You're still only working with one round and one stage at a time, but it automatically advances to the next stage.

I started with a lee challenger single stage. Wish j just went to a turret but not too tore up about it. Single stage is slow but I seem to pay more attentire to detail that way.

 

[dieselrealtor]

I started with a Lee Classic Turret (LCT) & did several thousand rounds through it with no regrets. I have recently purchased a Dillon 550 & gathering conversion kits & accessories for it. I will keep the LCT around at least till I get everything I need for the 550, possibly longer.

As stated previously, if you choose a single stage there will be uses for it even if you decide you need the volume capacity of a turret or progressive.

 

[Nodonutz]

I started with a Lee Classic Turret (LCT) & did several thousand rounds through it with no regrets. I have recently purchased a Dillon 550 & gathering conversion kits & accessories for it. I will keep the LCT around at least till I get everything I need for the 550, possibly longer.

As stated previously, if you choose a single stage there will be uses for it even if you decide you need the volume capacity of a turret or progressive.

Hmmmm..... me thinks I may have a place for that LCT when the time comes for it to find a new home... a new home, ya that's the ticket. Right?

 

[Whip_McCord]

As others have mentioned, more than one loading manual is essential. Right now the most important info in the manual is not the load data. You can find that lots of places. The important part is the 1st half of the book that details the reloading process. There is a great deal of info that shows you what is needed to reload, how that is done, and other important concepts like headspace, case prep, barrel care, bullet types, etc. The Lyman book is a good one with lots of good info, but get some others too.

Don't get too hung up on how the older books had hotter loads. Some of those loads were printed before there were accurate ways to measure pressure and some loads were really too hot. The loads need to be tailored to each gun for accuracy and function, anyway. What works well in one gun may not work best in another. Good luck with your new hobby. You will shoot much more and that will get you shooting better, too.

 

[MCgrease08]

Oh boy. Now's it's really on. I picked this kit up from another member today.

Merry Christmas to me.

Still no bench or components yet. I'm still in the learning stage, but excited.

 

[bigelowe]

good luck on your reloading. I haven't been able to bite the bullet just yet. im just gathering knowledge and looking at equipment for now.

 

[87iroc]

Nice!