# Soon to start reloading---HELP!



## fusil (Sep 23, 2008)

Well guy's here we go with my first request for knowledge&#8230;&#8230;..

I'm looking at my first reloading press. Lee is the brand that most guys at my club have recommended, _for a newbie_. I've bought 'The ABC's of Reloading' and have read it several times. What else should I be reading?

I will be reloading 357 to start and in January I'll request a permit for a 9mm. 
Should I go for single stage, turret or full auto 'Lee Pro 1000'? I've asked at my club _(with my bad French it wasn't easy!!!!)_ 
I've had 50/50, single stage versus turret.

Here in France you're only allowed to buy 1000 rounds (or empty cases) per firearm per year. :smt022
But powder, bullets and primers are unlimited, so reloading is essential. Shotgun cartridges and 22 rim-fire ammo is unlimited as well.

Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

fusil


----------



## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

I had the Lee 1000 and it was junk (frame felxing). Some guys like to tinker with the press all the time I don't. I would recommend you load .38spls for awhile till you get the hang of reloading. The 9mm is a little touchy (over all length) to load and the .357mag can be a real barn burner.

Any of the manuals by Speers,Lyman,& Hodgdon are good to read and have. A couple of good powders to start with are Winchester 231 and Bulleyes. I would hold off on the hot stuff like Win-296 for a little while.

Enjoy your new hobby and ask a lot of questions. Just don't take things for granted as that can get you in trouble. Good loading. :smt1099

Oh I almost forgot 1,000 .357 cases should last you a real long time. I load them till they split or I lose them.Good shooting.:smt023


----------



## gmaske (Jan 7, 2008)

I have the Lee Pro 1000 and load .45ACP with no problems at all. The trick with this press is learning how to set it up right. Once you get it adjusted it does a great job. That said I would recomend that you start out with a single stage press. Unless you are mechanically inclined and like to tinker, the progressives will drive you nuts and there are just to many chances for mistakes with a person who is just learning the ropes. A single stage press is a great place to learn and will be a great asset to have around when you move up to a turret or progressive press. Until you are fully aquanted with how each step of the process is supose to be done a progressive press is going to give you fits as you try to figure out each step of the loading process. Something is going on at each of the stations on each up and down stroke and that's a lot to keep track of when you don't know what you are doing. If you have someone who is willing to spend a lot of time with you showing you how it all works and what to do when things just aren't right then it's a diffrent story. I started on a single stage RCBS Partner press years ago and still use it to this day for stuff like decapping and sizing. You must consider that you are working with stuff that could be lethal if you make a mistake and double charge a round or under charge a round that doesn't make it out of the barrel followed by a good round. Most anybody can reload but you do need to take it very seriously too. Learn your new craft well and good luck with what ever you choose.


----------



## fusil (Sep 23, 2008)

Many thanks,
I've been to the range this morning and asked a few guys what they thought of the Lee 1000. I cant post what the responce as it was'nt very nice!!!!!!:smt076
Dillon & RCB presses are a FORTUNE in France, so as I'm on a budget it will be a Lee or something second hand!

Merci encore,
fusil


----------



## Mike_E (Nov 21, 2007)

As gmaske said, the Lee 1000 needs to be properly set-up. You'll have to tinker with the primer feed and the crimping/powder autoloader (last two) stations. Once you get the the stages working properly, you'll be turning out a lot of boolits in a short period of time.

For the money, the Dillion 550B would probably be the ideal reloader for what you'll be shooting. Single stage reloaders are fine too but a bit time-consuming.

You may want to invest in a caliper, caliber gage, and a tumbler. Good luck.


----------



## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

Dillon has that Square Deal too but it only does pistol reloads. It uses different dies than the 550-650 too. On the upside it is really easy to set up and user. If one was only going to do revolver/pistol loads it is a pretty good press.


----------



## benzuncle (Aug 29, 2007)

*Fusil*, reloading is a very rewarding hobby. The smile on your face when you fire that first round that _you_ "built" and the feeling that goes with it will be priceless! :smt023 Reloading e x t e n d s your shooting hobby.

You never mentioned how much shooting you plan to do. That will more than likely help to determine the type of press you choose. If the *Dillon* equipment is out of your reach financially, consider the *Lee Classic Turret Press*. It is a _semi-progressive _press. 4 pulls on the lever "builds" one round. The learning curve is pretty easy, and it can push out 150 rounds per hour. I went this route because I did not know if I was going to enjoy reloading or not and didn't want to invest in Dillon equipment without knowing. (Dillon loading equipment has a very large following with good reason.) Now, more than 3000 rounds later and having had nothing but a couple minor problems that were mostly created by the operator, I'm not really looking to upgrade. I've learned many little tricks along the way about loading, storing, tumbling, etc. Whatever you purchase, be sure to let us know how it plays out for you. We all enjoy hearing how others are doing.


----------



## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

Not only the you made it pride but the you find the right slugs to the right powder that makes your gun happier than any "store bought" round will. I load different for a couple guns I have because that gun likes certain slugs and a certain powder at a certain measure. It's really cool when you get that figured out...heh ..especially if you can do it with a slug that is a little cheaper then you can make even more!

Whatever you end up with you will be really happy with your ability to test and make rounds for your gun(s):smt023

Oh..Like I was saying about that Dillon Square Deal press..It's not quite as pricey as some of the bigger presses but as I said it only does pistol rounds. I've seen some on eBay that can save you even more.


----------



## mactex (Jan 23, 2007)

I've read several posts in the past about setting up the Lee pro1000 and that once it's setup it's reliable. My question would be how much tinkering is involved when you change calibers? I reload more than one caliber and am concerned about constant tinkering due to the caliber changes.

Thanks!


----------



## gmaske (Jan 7, 2008)

If you have a second turret head and don't have to remove the dies it shouldn't require any adjusting once everything is set up. The turret heads are cheap so it is the way to go.


----------



## Mike_E (Nov 21, 2007)

mactex said:


> I've read several posts in the past about setting up the Lee pro1000 and that once it's setup it's reliable. My question would be how much tinkering is involved when you change calibers? I reload more than one caliber and am concerned about constant tinkering due to the caliber changes.
> 
> Thanks!


It all depends on the caliber you're planning to reload. If you are using small pistol primers (for 9mm), and you want to reload to say, a .40S&W, which also uses small pistol primers, then the only thing you need to do is replace the case feed tubes, the die set (all three dies are on one assembly), and change out the powder charge disc. If you're changing to a complete different primer size, then it's a matter of also replacing the shell plate and the primer assembly.

For me, it used to take roughly 15-20 minutes to change out a 9mm setup to a .40S&W.


----------



## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

WAs talking about this in another thread..thought I'd ass it here being it's a reloading thread...
<snip>
Tell you what. Rainer makes a slug that is a lead bullet that is not jacketed per say but more like just coated. It is considered a lead slug. I've loaded many of the flat points pretty hot and got some really good expansion results. Of course being technically a lead bullet you can't get them screaming hot but I've got the 9mm's pretty jacked up. I've used them some as carry ammo after seeing how well they expand even just as a flat point although they got a hollow point that will really get out of shape hitting wet news papers, gell tests that we have done. Plus they are pretty cheap compared to some others. I get them at midway. Just switched to Accurate No. 7 powder .Was using Tight group.


----------



## mactex (Jan 23, 2007)

Mike_E said:


> It all depends on the caliber you're planning to reload. If you are using small pistol primers (for 9mm), and you want to reload to say, a .40S&W, which also uses small pistol primers, then the only thing you need to do is replace the case feed tubes, the die set (all three dies are on one assembly), and change out the powder charge disc. If you're changing to a complete different primer size, then it's a matter of also replacing the shell plate and the primer assembly.
> 
> For me, it used to take roughly 15-20 minutes to change out a 9mm setup to a .40S&W.


Thank you gentlemen! Since I reload .380 and 9mm it sounds like I should not have much trouble.


----------



## Mike_E (Nov 21, 2007)

mactex said:


> Thank you gentlemen! Since I reload .380 and 9mm it sounds like I should not have much trouble.


Because the .380 Auto cases are smaller than the 9mm/40S&W/10mm cases, you'll need to get a .380 Auto shell plate. So if you're reloading 9mm and want to change to the .380 Auto, you would just need to replace the die set and the shell plate. You can still use the 9mm case feed tubes.

Here's the link to the Lee 1000 product page: http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1222761183.5007=/html/catalog/lp1000.html

The shell plate is $20 and the 3-hole turret (this holds your three dies for easy swap) is $11.00.

Option items: case collator ($15.00); the .380 Auto shell plate that I mentioned ($20.00); and the 3-hole turrent for you secondary die-set ($11.00). The advertised bullet feeder didn't work out too well for me.

As mentioned, on your initial setup, you'll need to tinker with the third stage which is seating and crimping the bullet. You don't want to over-crimp the bullet and you also need to make sure the bullet is seated at the correct depth to ensure the overall length of the bullet (projectile & casing) is within SAAMI specification. You will need to adjust the knob on the crimp die until your bullet is seated and crimped properly. Once you've created a round, you'll want to measure it. This is where the bullet gage and caliper comes in.

Good luck...I'm sure you'll find reloading a worthwhile, rewarding, and satisfying hobby.


----------



## BeefyBeefo (Jan 30, 2008)

DevilsJohnson said:


> Dillon has that Square Deal too but it only does pistol reloads. It uses different dies than the 550-650 too. On the upside it is really easy to set up and user. If one was only going to do revolver/pistol loads it is a pretty good press.


Interesting. I saw this post a few days ago and I had never heard of the SDB so I started researching it. This seems ideal for myself as I would only be reloading pistol rounds (not really a rifle guy). Also, after research it seems as though this would be one of the easier progressives to learn on. I am starting to become interested in reloading, especially since moving because I will be shooting quite a bit more now. My question is...would it be possible to set up something like this in an apartment? I don't have a bench and there is nowhere to "permanently" mount something like this. Could it be mounted on a heavy piece of wood or something that could be moved on and off of a table? Do I need to wait until I am in a house with a workbench? Thanks for any and all input. I'm sure there has to be a way to do this as surely not every person that reloads in the world lives in a house and has a workbench. :smt023

-Jeff-


----------



## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

AS long as you have a good bench that you can put the press on. It be a lot easier to use it than say..A Dillon 650.

It's all the other crap that you need for loading that takes up the space really. I got mine in a bedroom that is not big at all. and I have separate powder drops for each caliber so I can set up faster..lol. I had a table built that is really sturdy and has a ton of storage underneath. 

so yeah..I'd say it be pretty easy to do it yeah.


----------



## BeefyBeefo (Jan 30, 2008)

DevilsJohnson said:


> AS long as you have a good bench that you can put the press on. It be a lot easier to use it than say..A Dillon 650.
> 
> It's all the other crap that you need for loading that takes up the space really. I got mine in a bedroom that is not big at all. and I have separate powder drops for each caliber so I can set up faster..lol. I had a table built that is really sturdy and has a ton of storage underneath.
> 
> so yeah..I'd say it be pretty easy to do it yeah.


So do you think it would be impractical to make it somewhat "portable" or "moveable". For example, mount the press on a heavy piece of wood and keep it on the floor in the closet. Then, when I want to reload, pull it out and put it on the kitchen table (ha!) and proceed to reload? Thanks for your input...

-Jeff-


----------



## Mike_E (Nov 21, 2007)

BeefyBeefo said:


> So do you think it would be impractical to make it somewhat "portable" or "moveable". For example, mount the press on a heavy piece of wood and keep it on the floor in the closet. Then, when I want to reload, pull it out and put it on the kitchen table (ha!) and proceed to reload? Thanks for your input...
> 
> -Jeff-


Jeff -
You can use one of the portable stands to mount your reloader. This is what I used with a Lee Pro 1000: http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=155024


----------



## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

BeefyBeefo said:


> Interesting. I saw this post a few days ago and I had never heard of the SDB so I started researching it. This seems ideal for myself as I would only be reloading pistol rounds (not really a rifle guy). Also, after research it seems as though this would be one of the easier progressives to learn on. I am starting to become interested in reloading, especially since moving because I will be shooting quite a bit more now. My question is...would it be possible to set up something like this in an apartment? I don't have a bench and there is nowhere to "permanently" mount something like this. Could it be mounted on a heavy piece of wood or something that could be moved on and off of a table? Do I need to wait until I am in a house with a workbench? Thanks for any and all input. I'm sure there has to be a way to do this as surely not every person that reloads in the world lives in a house and has a workbench. :smt023
> 
> -Jeff-


The SDB Dillon is a great little progressive press. I loaded on one for about 4yrs and I started with it. It was the first press I ever owned. If you can change the plugs in your car you can set up and run a SDB Dillon. The only reason I sold it was some youngman just had to have it so I sold it to him. Like said all you can do is pistol calibers.

I have have seen guys that set them up on a board and use c-clamps. They put them on dining room tables, desk, and about anywhere they want. I seen one guy who built a neat little bench in a closet

Here's a picture of my 650XL and 550-SDB together. :smt033


----------



## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

BeefyBeefo said:


> So do you think it would be impractical to make it somewhat "portable" or "moveable". For example, mount the press on a heavy piece of wood and keep it on the floor in the closet. Then, when I want to reload, pull it out and put it on the kitchen table (ha!) and proceed to reload? Thanks for your input...
> 
> -Jeff-


If you can keep it steady while using it you should be fine. That one arm bandit just needs a good steady work area. I would think you could set it up to be movable without too much trouble. I didn't do mine that way but I had the room. I have met people that have them mounted on a surface that is removable (C-Clamp them to a good table) and they can store it when not in use.


----------



## BeefyBeefo (Jan 30, 2008)

I like the idea of the stand. Thanks to all for the input, you've all been a huge help.:smt023

-Jeff-


----------



## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

Good luck if you do start into it. I personally love it. It's a lot of fun for me to look for a round that will make one of my guns work that much better. 

Sure you will save some money and that's one of the best things but when/if you find a slug, powder combo that makes your groups better it's a huge rush for me:smt1099


----------



## BeefyBeefo (Jan 30, 2008)

DevilsJohnson said:


> Good luck if you do start into it. I personally love it. It's a lot of fun for me to look for a round that will make one of my guns work that much better.
> 
> Sure you will save some money and that's one of the best things but when/if you find a slug, powder combo that makes your groups better it's a huge rush for me:smt1099


Not too sure I'd save much money because I'd shoot quite a bit more, but that's what I'm after. :smt023

-Jeff-


----------



## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

:smt082
Well..you'll get more bangs for your buck anyway..


----------



## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

It's costing me right at .10 cents a round for .45acp. That's $10.00 a hundred. At the range they are charging $26.00 for 50rds. So this is some idea of the savings you can expect. We are shooting right at about 1,000rds a month between three people. I couldn't afford to shoot that much if I had to buy my ammo. I should be able to pay for that new press in 3yrs or less. :smt033


----------

