# What's a decent budget for a someone looking to reload?



## numbertwo (May 28, 2012)

I only have a 9mm pistol. Eventually I'll get a .40s&w, .22lr and a .45

A 50ct box of 9mm target ammo ranges from $15-$23. I normally shoot 200-300 rounds at least once a month. Would it be worth getting in to reloading and what kind of $$ am I looking to spend for a equipment to reload 9mm, .40 and .45?


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## papahawk (Jun 12, 2012)

you can get a lee pro 1000 progressive for around $150. depending on bullet choice, you can just about cut ammo cost in half once you get your brass


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## MoMan (Dec 27, 2010)

I started reloading a few months back, I purchased a Lee Classic Turret kit. Cost was somewhere around $120-ish from Midway. I run 380, 9mm, 40 S&W, 38/357, and 45acp. My savings is about 1/2. Payback is pretty quick if you shoot enough. I really did it more for a side hobby. When I have time I usually am reloading so when I feel like shooting I have more than enough of whatever pistols/revolvers I decide to take out.


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## numbertwo (May 28, 2012)

Thanks guys. I looked read some reviews and watched some youtube vids of users using their Lee reloading machines that you both suggested. Those some to be kind've a hit or miss?

Can anyone lead me in the right direction to reloading and the supplies I'd need to just reload 9mm for now? So far it looks like if I bought a Lee Classic Turret kit or a Lee Pro Progressive 1000 all I'd need is powder, casings, primers, brass and maybe a scale? Am I doing it wrong? lol


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## lamrith (Apr 23, 2012)

Perfect timing, and great question! "Subscribed"

I know I am pretty sold on the Lee Pro 1000. Yes there are better, but pricepoint/features it really seems to shine. I have found ammo for the 9.99/10.99 for FMJ 115g target ammo, locally at walmart (IF they have in stock) and Palmetto Arms. Palmetto is doing a free shipping, grab the ammo while you can before they end the free shipping! I bought 500rnds of magtech brass ammo from them, and have been sweeping up all the brass in my stall when I go to shoot.

There is a guy on Youtube that has a nice faq/setup video on the pro 1000, covers some of the gotchas/known issues.
San Francisco Liberal...WITH A GUN!

As a side note; I can't believe how many people do not clean up after themselves. Just because you do not collect your brass to reload, at least sweep it downrange so the next guy has a clean booth! I mean there are signs when you walk in to sweep up your brass when you are done. I am not going to complain too much since I happen to be benefiting with free brass, but I do end up spending 5-10min cleaning up my station before I can even pull out my ammo, targets etc and get started. To give you an idea of how bad some people are, yesterday I ended up taking home almost 300rounds of 9mm brass that were in my stall and directly behind it before I got started! I could barely walk in to put my gear down.

I look forward to hearing more on all the gear we should have to get started!


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## genesis (Jun 18, 2012)

numbertwo said:


> I only have a 9mm pistol. Eventually I'll get a .40s&w, .22lr and a .45 A 50ct box of 9mm target ammo ranges from $15-$23. I normally shoot 200-300 rounds at least once a month. Would it be worth getting in to reloading and what kind of $$ am I looking to spend for a equipment to reload 9mm, .40 and .45?


I've used many loading presses, including the Lee products. I finally settled on a Dillon 550B for around $450. It's quick, easy, and almost fool proof. It doesn't have the glitches some of the Lee progressive presses have. I recycle my lead from the sand trap I built on my shooting range. Then I remelt the lead to cast my own bullets. That helps to keep my cost down to around $2.00 a box for 38's. I shoot around 20,000 rounds a year and recover around 500 pounds of lead a year. For the amount I shoot, my equipment has paid for itself hundreds of times over. Just go to you tube and search for any reloading press you're interested in.

Below is a "MUST WATCH" video as you ponder which press to get. It's by Hickok45. He has over 600 gun related videos on youtube. He's very knowledgeable.

Don <><


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

The Lee turret model makes a lot of sense for a beginner, although the powder drop can be finicky and takes a little practice doing the volume to weight conversions. The scale that comes with the kit is accurate enough, but nerve-wracking to use. Still, I like mine for pistol rounds, and have a single-stage RCBS and the RCBS balance scale for rifle rounds. 

Seriously though, I don't think I would bother with hand loading for 9mm only. You can buy quite a bit of practice ammo for what you will invest.


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## recoilguy (Apr 30, 2009)

There is, in my opinion, no such thing as a scale that is accurate enough. Scales are precision pieces of equipment and close can be a disaster. They are either accurate or they are not. Get a good one and Lee does not make a good one. I have yet to see anything they make that is top of the line or considered to be a very good product. I consistanly hear that for the money it is pretty good or if you do this and that and tweak this and put a band aid her it will work most of the time. If you want cheap and are willing to put up with sub par performance and consistancy but its worth it because you got it cheap. I mean hey you can pay more but then all you will get is a machine that works, is consistant,reliable, and accurate. But for the money Lee does everything the other guys do except you put up with finicky, loose tolerances because it costs less. Most Lee guys know a story about a RCBS or Dillion or Hornanday that had a problem. It justifies the using a Lee in their minds. They will bash a Dillion and say its because Dillion guys bad mouth Lee. Like that makes it ok or something.

You can load 9mm and it is well worth it. I load 9mm almost exclusively and it has saved me a bunch of money and I make great bullets! Good luck on what ever you decide, I know many guys who load with Lee and they shoot very well. Personally I own zero lee products and probably will never own any. That is just one mans opinion and should not be seen in any light other then that it is my opinion. Have fun be safe and do not buy a scale that is "good enough" 

RCG


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## chessail77 (Mar 15, 2011)

Your post asks about a budget ...well in addition to equipment you will need brass, primers, powder and bullets...you may get by on an initial budget of $500 for everything, but a realistic one would be closer to 750-1000....JJ


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

recoilguy said:


> There is, in my opinion, no such thing as a scale that is accurate enough. Scales are precision pieces of equipment and close can be a disaster.


You are more than welcome to that opinion, arrogant though it may be. Just to clarify, I don't recommend the Lee scale. I use an RCBS, now. But it is not more accurate than the Lee - it is just 100 times easier to use.

On my first go-round with hand loading, back in the early '70's, I took the advice of a RCBS 'snob,' and bought only that brand, even though I couldn't really afford to go first class, at the time. It was great equipment and made good ammo. I got out of hand loading for a time and let all of that equipment get away. When I decided to get back in, I wasn't sure I was going to stick with it, so I decided to try the Lee turret kit, because it was cheap enough that it wouldn't be a great loss if I didn't stick with it, and because I was already an experienced hand loader and believed I would recognize any glaring deficiencies. I probably loaded a couple thousand rounds with that crappy scale, including a couple of batches of rifle rounds that shot sub-MOA groups.

I finally upgraded the scale, and it was like stepping off a tractor and into a Cadillac, as far as ease of operation. But it didn't make my ammo any better. I use a mix of equipment, now, and I like most everything better than the Lee, but most Lee products are adequate, and some are as good as those that cost a lot more.

If you know how to hand load, you can make decent ammo with low-end equipment, especially for handguns that almost nobody shoots to MOA standards.


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## lamrith (Apr 23, 2012)

One of my concerns was what equipment is required and what is not. Since I did not see anything posted here after numbertwo's secondary question about what items are required I searched around a bit and found this site.

So you want to reload

Seems pretty comprehensive.


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

Truthfully, all that is really required to load your first round of ammo is a press, dies, and a scale, along with your cartridge components. You don't have to have clean brass, and you normally don't need to trim cases the first time around. I would also recommend a decent set of calipers, even though an experienced hand loader could likely get by with a little bit of thoughtful trial and error (testing the cartridge in the chamber) for pistol or revolver practice ammo. Don't forget the case lube, unless you are loading only straight-walled cases with carbide dies.

Ideally, you need all of the above, plus a brass cleaning system of some sort, a case trimmer for when your brass has stretched beyond acceptable specs, a primer pocket cleaner, a centrifugal bullet puller (for your mess-ups) and a tray to hold the brass while you are working on it. There are other things you would want for loading match grade rifle ammo, but this should cover most handgun ammo requirements.


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## recoilguy (Apr 30, 2009)

I realize I am entitled to an opinion,and i thank you for your acknowlegement of that fact. There is a giant differeance between arrogant and accurate. My opinion is clearly stated as such. It also happens to be accurate. A scale that is close enough in the hands of a new reloader is not something I would recomend. Having to work with a scale until it gets accurate as opposed to knowing one will be accurate first time every time makes one of the two a more accurate piece of equipment. I don't see how that is aggrogant but I have been called worse then arrogant before.

I understand the thought process that goes into buying cheap, thinking recapturing an investment if one decides against the hobby will be easier. I just am not a suscriber to that philosophy. That doesn't make me wrong, it also doesn't make me arrogant.

Your list of required reloading materials is informative and complete. Cleaning brass is not manditory as you mentioned but certianly is wise. Calipers aid in knowing your dies are consistant and your stroke is consistant as well. For a new loader they are, as you said a very good recomendation. Most people do not recomend the bullet hammer like you did, but it is a very useful tool even the most experianced guy use often. Very good recomendation. I would recomend a notebook or a journal to keep track of what you did and what recipe you used on which loading session. I would also recomend some type of label system to label your boxes or cases to coorespond to your notebook and the session you made them. That way if you have a problem with a load you can cull other suspect boxes with out guessing. It can be as simple as writing on the bow or you can make labels on the computer I have seen both and being consitant is the key. 

Good luck to the OP in your reloading it is fun and very rewarding. The last post gave you a very good list of what you will need to get this thing off the ground. Loading equipment is like guns or motorcycles, most of them work, some work much better then others and depending on the intended use some won't really work at all. There are many opinions and some who are just brand loyal no questions asked. My suggestion is the same as I tell my kids or my friends, get the best you can afford. 

RCG


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

My apologies for the word "arrogant" - too strong, obviously. 

Every scale is just 'close enough." Two of the same make will occasionally differ by a tenth of a grain. A newbie reloader (or anyone else, for that matter) should be humble enough about his abilities and the consequences of his mistakes to stay within that margin of error.

The greatest danger I've run across, when using Lee equipment, is the Autodisk through-the-die powder dispenser. It works fine on most powders, but can become clogged when using ball powder, and fail to drop a charge. When loading tall cases (.357 magnum, in my case) on a turret press, it is not very convenient to visually examine the powder level in every case, so it is easy to overlook an empty case. This results in a "squib" round that is powered only by the primer, that will usually lodge in the barrel. That, in itself, is not a disaster, but if you're shooting a revolver rapid-fire, and don't catch the lack of noise and recoil in time, you can send another bullet slamming into the stuck bullet. If that round is not a squib, your revolver is probably gonna come apart in your hands. I was fortunate, when it happened to me, and was able to hold off, but it was a near thing.
Knowing this about the powder dispenser, I have changed my system so it shouldn't happen again, and I still feel comfortable using the tool.

My only point, here, is that everyone should take precautions against equipment malfunctions. Yes, cheap equipment may be more likely to fail, but can still be overcome by thorough double-checks. I've loaded a lot of ammo on a tight budget, and dealing with the deficiencies of cheap equipment beats the heck out of not shooting.

Peace.


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## numbertwo (May 28, 2012)

Wow, lots of info in here and even more stuff to consider and think about. Thank you all for your contributions.

But from what I gather after briefly reading through everything it seems like the initial costs to get started with reloading will be pretty high like in post #9. But with 1000rd cases running $250-$325, I'd have to load quite a few thousand rounds for it to pay for itself.


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

If you have been saving your brass, don't require shiny cartridges, and buy the bare minimum of low-end equipment, you can get started for a lot less than $1000. But I don't really recommend pinching pennies unless you have some experience or have an experienced person to guide you through the initial process. It isn't rocket science, but it does require patience, dedication to safety, and attention to detail, because there are ways that you can hurt yourself or others.

Besides that, you probably won't save much money, because with cheaper ammo, you will just shoot more, and buy more hand loading equipment. And your ammo will not be better than factory ammo. You will simply have the ability to 'tune' your ammo to your particular firearm, which can make you shoot more accurately if you are shooting a rifle at longer distances or shooting for tight groups. Unless you are a very serious handgunner, you likely won't get more accuracy out of your handguns, although you will have some ability to adjust your POI (point of impact) to your POA (point of aim), by varying bullet weight and charge.


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## rex (Jan 27, 2012)

I'll throw in a few tidbits.I do agree Lee is bottom of the line but.....

First,buy a good scale.I use an RCBS 5-0-5 but if you can swing it the 10-10 is better,or anything from a reputable company in that price range,don't but the cheapest thing around.I don't really trust the digitals,but that's just me.Wherever you set up your scale,keep plastics and everything basically away from it,they are magnetically dampened and you don't want anything interfering with that.My scale is set up about eye level for ease,but wherever you put it zero and read it from the same sightplane every time.If you zero it looking straight on and then look downward using it you won't be lining up the marks the same ,it just looks lined up.I also use an RCBS Uniflow powder measure but Redding make a very nice one that is more expensive.Measuring every charge is slow,so I use the measure and throw every 10th or so drop into the scale pan to double check.

For the 9 or any straightwalled case,just buy a carbide die set.That eliminates the hassle of lube.I've never had a case cleaner,but you want to wipe any dirt or debris from the case before resizing it because eventually a piece will imbed in the carbide sizing ring and scratch every case from then on.Scratches may or may not affect the case's strength.

Don't bother with a case trimmer for straightwalled brass unless you're going for maximum bullseye quality ammo,you won't need it.These cases don't get longer like bottleneck cases,over time they will probably get a touch shorter believe it or not.Basically when the case grows on firing,the resizing die does it's thing and it gets shorter,then when you fire it again it grows,but not always as much as the first time,and the cycle repeats until the case is damaged or splits ending it's career.Bottlenecks lengthen because of a few reasons,one is the expander plug that is a whole different design than pistol rounds.

I've been using an RCBS RockChucker,Uniflow and 5-0-5 scale for over 20 years with no problems,that's all I have besides the small stuff like dies,shelholder,etc.I even prime on the press either when I resize or expand the mouth tho simplify the process.

Hope this helps you some.

Ooh forgot.If you don't get a case cleaner,don't really worry about the inside of the case as long as there isn't enough buildup to diminish the case volume,I just tap out any loose debris.Remember case volume though,it affects pressure.Federal has thick cases,where Remington uses thin case walls.If you work up a max load in Rem cases,you really don't want to throw that load in a Fed case because of the smaller case volume.Different powders build pressure differently,and some are more sensitive than others,always start low and work the load up to max if you are going for that every time you change a component,even primer brands.As an example.H110 and 296 powder are great in magnums,but have a very narrow operating window,as in one weight or only a few tenths between min and max.These type of powders require strict attention to what you're doing because they get very volitile and have blown up a few guns.Nothing to be scared of,no matter what you have to be focussed on the task at hand,and everything is fine.


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