| Posted: Sun Nov 23rd, 2008 10:08 PM |
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762x51conyers
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Due to the rising costs of cartridges (and the president elect...) I have decided its time to start hand-loading. For now it will be just .308 Win and .40 S&W that I will be loading myself.
Could someone put together a list of tools and texts that I will need to get started?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
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| Posted: Sun Nov 23rd, 2008 10:57 PM |
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2nd Post |
wheezengeezer
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762x51conyers wrote: Due to the rising costs of cartridges (and the president elect...) I have decided its time to start hand-loading. For now it will be just .308 Win and .40 S&W that I will be loading myself.
Could someone put together a list of tools and texts that I will need to get started?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
you will get as many answers as replys. i would suggest that you buy some manuals first.many reccomend lee's ABC's of reloading.see what is out there. you can go basic to start with,but then may outgrow most all of it.
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| Posted: Sun Nov 23rd, 2008 11:57 PM |
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3rd Post |
762x51conyers
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thank you
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"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
Second Amendment to the US Constitution
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| Posted: Mon Nov 24th, 2008 12:02 AM |
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25souper
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Start out simple, Get a good book for starters. Lee makes a good cheap press that will get you going ($30.00 I think is what I gave for mine I have five of them now that I use for different steps I use 3 of them for my S&W 500 just so I don't have to change dies out) Like Wheezengeezer said you will get way to many "answers" to this.
DO NOT BREAK THE BANK. KEEP IT BASIC TO GET STARTED. BE SAFE AND HAVE FUN. If you have any problems or questions get back on here and ask away, These guys are great!!!
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| Posted: Mon Nov 24th, 2008 01:25 AM |
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runfiverun
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reloading is a simple set of steps that has many pitfalls and not everyone has the patience or temperament for it.
a mentor whom has the equipment is the best way to learn. but reading a manual, not the data parts the step by step parts will give you an idea of what he is explaining to you.
reloading also has a new language you will have to learn.
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| Posted: Mon Nov 24th, 2008 06:49 AM |
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Sprue
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Start with a reloading Starter Kit that best fits your budget and build from there.
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Research, Google is your friend
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Look for a local elmer
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Ask about used equipment at your local gun store/club
Look for used Reloading manuals, one is not enough & never stray away from the various manufactures recipes.
There's endless amounts of info on these forums and via the search engines. Read then read some more and then ask questions of what you do not understand.
Again, look at getting a Lee Starter kit. It won't cost a bundle yet it will let you know if reloading is actually your cup of tea.
 Last edited on Mon Nov 24th, 2008 07:00 AM by Sprue
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Sprue
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| Posted: Mon Nov 24th, 2008 02:32 PM |
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Oddbod
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Buy or borrow a copy of Lyman's 48th or 49th edition reloading manual.
Much of the information you require is in the first half of the book.
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| Posted: Mon Nov 24th, 2008 06:43 PM |
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Charley
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Buy and READ Lyman's Reloading Handbook, as said above either the 48th or 49th edition, or Richard Lee's Modern Reloading. Buy and read BOTH, if possible. Then start looking at tools and supplies.
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| Posted: Wed Nov 26th, 2008 01:08 AM |
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Recalcitrant
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Another vote for Lee's "Moderm Reloading". He explains all the basics well (while promoting his products). I've got lee presses and am satisfied. Don't rush for everything and shop on line. You might patronize your local shop where, if you're lucky, they will know something about reloading.
Rob
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2571
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I didn't have anybody to ask for advice 25 years ago and learned by myself. Buy a bullet puller -- I wore out 2-3. lol
Here's the internet site I trust:
http://www.jouster.com/cgi-bin/reload/reload.pl
There is no such thing as a dumb Q. Don't be afraid to ask. Keep us apprised of your progress.
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Dragon88
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Don't forget Youtube. You can find tons of videos on there about reloading. Seeing it done helps a lot when you first start out, compared to just reading it from a book.
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miestro_jerry
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I have used the Lyman reloading manuals for years, they are well worth the money, even if you use Lee or Dilon equipment.
Start buying up everything you think you will need, enought to last for at last 4 years.
The Lyman Manuals are well worth the money.
Jerry
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| Posted: Wed Feb 18th, 2009 12:36 PM |
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recoil freak
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All the posters equpment suggestions are right on the mark so no need to add to that. As for reference material the Lee and Lyman books are great for beginners as they both contain much of the nut's and bolts of the reloading process. Another great book is The ABC's of Reloading wich I belive is up to the 7th addtion now. One piece of advice that I always like to pase on to someone getting into the hobby is a quote by Joyce Hornady " You have work really hard to get into trouble reloading"
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| Posted: Wed Feb 18th, 2009 04:09 PM |
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Old Fart
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I won't add much to this except to reiteratea couple of points.
Find someone local to mentor you. You can learn alot just by watching someone who knows what they're doing.
Get a manual, I would suggest the Lee book. I had never seen it until last year when I bought a beginner setup for my son-in-law. A really good starter manual written in laymans terms.
Get an expensive single stage press to start with. It will help concrete all the basics and can still be used later if you decide to move up to a progressive. I'm afraid starting with a progressive might lead to problems, it's easy to not notice some things when you get caught up in all that automation.
Just the idle ramblings of an old fart............
Last edited on Wed Feb 18th, 2009 04:11 PM by Old Fart
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| Posted: Wed Feb 18th, 2009 04:46 PM |
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TasunkaWitko
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get lee's book. get lyman's book.
find a second-hand press and get the dies and case prep tools that you need for those two cartridges. i recommend lee but if you ahve a little extra to spend, there's nothing at all wrong with the more expensive brands - they're simply more expensive.
if you can't find a second-hand press, search ebay or ask in the classifieds on various forums such as this one. there are a lot of folks out there eager to help a newbie get started, and you would be surprised how often someone will give you a great deal!
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| Posted: Wed Feb 18th, 2009 09:38 PM |
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sako06
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I started with an RCBS Jr single stage press for 38spec , 30-06, 357 mag,45-70,32-20 ,45acp.Bought a beam scale & still using it along with an OHAU DUO 7200 Powder Measure.Bought a Forster case trimmer which didn't always trim that well,sold it & bought an LE Wilson case trimmer & primer pocket reamer for 06 mil brass best of the best! When I needed to increase my ammo production I bought a Dillon RL450 used it for years,after reading the Blue Press I decided to upgrade to the RL550B 20 years later.Use it for 30-06,45-70,300wm,45acp,38spec,357mag,45colt,454casull,460mag,41mag,243. A friend loads up to 600 rounds per hour on his RL550B.This is the most popular reloading press made & it's in use worldwide. Last edited on Wed Feb 18th, 2009 10:13 PM by sako06
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| Posted: Wed Feb 18th, 2009 11:34 PM |
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miestro_jerry
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I find it interesting that people should be looking for used reloading presses. I have found them at estate sales, but not many at the gun shows. Back when I had a Lee turret press, and was moving on to another press, I had friends who want that Lee press, so I made him a deal, since then it has changed hands 2 or 3 times more..
I have a Rockchucker, they will be prying my cold dead fingers from it to take it away from me. A good press is a lifetime investment. My two Dillon 550Bs are also lifetime investments. Even after 10 years, the jury is still out on the Dillon Square Deal B, even thou it has never failed me.
For me, I have a couple of C presses, I use them for the Lee Luber Sizers or some of my other specialty dies, but I got those recently. Some designs are just fads, while others aren't ergonomically correct. My brother has a Forster Coaxial Press, which is a really great machine to reload with, but he also has a Dillon 550B.
I have seen some Herters presses at gunshows, they are legendary and heavy. Lyman used to make a series of presses that used different size for the dies, so it really is great for an antique or you can make a lamp out of it, but not very good for current reloading because the dies and other parts are not made any more.
The best find that I ever came across was an estate of a gentleman who had a Star Sizer and a Star Loader. I bought the sizer, but before I could get the money out for the Loader it was sold to some one else.
If you are getting started in reloading, I really recommend one of the RCBS or Lyman starter kits. If you are the very occasional reloader, then the Lee starter kit maybe the ticket.
As that times are getting difficult, finding new stuff is hard and nobody is selling their extra stuff at the moment. Try getting on the Midwayusa.com website, most of the time it is too busy, so my connection times out.
So think about making a life time investment or at least one that will last for the next 4 to 8 years.
Jerry
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| Posted: Thu Feb 19th, 2009 01:46 AM |
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18th Post |
Charley
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Can't get into Midway at all right now, supposedly they are updating their systems.
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| Posted: Thu Feb 19th, 2009 02:57 AM |
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jjb2
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runfiverun wrote: reloading is a simple set of steps that has many pitfalls and not everyone has the patience or temperament for it.
a mentor whom has the equipment is the best way to learn. but reading a manual, not the data parts the step by step parts will give you an idea of what he is explaining to you.
reloading also has a new language you will have to learn.
get to a gunshow somewhere and buy a good old cast iron press, single stage and i'd get new lee dies...... i started useing a lee speed die for reloading handgun ammo with but i don't think they sell those anymore.... i've always liked mine real well and lee is a great company to deal with! i had a good mentor teach me how to reload or i might have been in real trouble.... YOU CAN'T BE TOO LAX OR CARELESS!! your weapons and maybe your life depends on that.......... if i can reload anyone can.....
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| Posted: Thu Feb 19th, 2009 03:03 AM |
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20th Post |
miestro_jerry
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Charlie,
Midway's website is being overwhelmed by customers and other internet traffic. This seems to have started Januray 20th, no kidding.
Jerry
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