Reloading question

[Headhunter 13]

Based on a tread in Complaints by CBnL I am posting this here. I am thinking about getting into reloading 9mm, .40 and .45 for range ammo. What equipment do I need and and any idea of start up costs?

[sleepyweasel]

i would say spend as much as you can afford. Midwayusa.com has good prices on their "kits". how much do you shoot(rounds per month)?are you going to reload to save money or shoot more for the same costs? I bought the lee 4-hole turret press kit. it has an auto index feature(this can be easily bypassed for repeditive processes soch as becapping/sizing) that turns the turret on the up-stroke of the handle to bring around the next die. eventually i want to upgrade to a dillon 550 or 650, but right now i dont have the room.the kit comes with a decent ballance beam scale automatic powder-through die despenser with diferent charge discs and other useful tools. you can prime on the press but it is slow and i suggest getting a hand priming tool( they are cheap $20-$35) also you need a good reloading manual i like the hornady one ($40)but if you need to save some money most of the powder manufacturers have free load data on their website. of coarse you will need die sets for each cal. you entend to load....i really like the lee carbide die sets(carbides do not need case lube)...(3-die or 4-die) because they are cheaper than most other brands,have a shell holder included, and are the only ones that work with the powder-through expander die (means the powder is inserted on the expander stroke) the dies are $25 give or take. also you will need a tumbler to clean the cases i have the rcbs tumbler and like it, but havent tried any others.
heres a basic price list....
1.Lee 4 Hole Turret Press with Auto Index Deluxe Kit $102
2.extra turrets(makes cal changes fast $9/each x2 $18
because you dont have to adjust the dies)
3.Hornady Hand Priming Tool (uses standard shell holders) $33
4.tumbler......................................... ...................$65
5.dies for 3 cals $70
6 hornady manual............................................ .....$40
7.powder (231 or titegroup will work for all 3 cals) $20/lb...try to get locally shipping explosives is expensive
8.primers small pistol(9mm and 40)and large pistol(45) $22 per 1k x3 $66
9. 1k each of 9mm 40 and 45..........i like rainier rn for the range 9mm $56
165gr rn 40cal$ 70
230gr rn 45cal $ 76
total $616 for the whole set-up and 3000 rounds of ammo(1k each cal) if you have been saving your brass:cool2:but the next 1k of 9mm= less than $100....40 cal..less than $120 and 45 less than $130

i probably missed a few points, feel free to ask aditional questions and i'll help ya out.:pat9xu:

[Headhunter 13]

Thanks, Now that I am laid off I have to decide on the initial cash out lay but I do have the time

[Dino92G]

Hey there ! I'm the Reloading Moderator on the Bushmaster Forum too. Here's a lengthy post with a slew of info for ya.

http://bushmasterforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=138

Some of the links seem to have gone dead, but you can copy-n-paste them into a fresh browser window to see them.

Good luck !

[Headhunter 13]

Again thanks. Everytime I visit this forum I like it more and more great guys here from other favorite places

[Sinatra877]

I've been meaning to respond to this thread awhile ago. Once I get a bigger place, I had planned on reloading myself. I subscribed to the Blue Press. It is a Dillon Press publication that has loading schematics and numerous presses for sale. I planned to get one of the 550 series.

The Blue Press has all sorts of interesting articles, intresting aftermarket stuff for sale and it also has sexy shots of Guns and Chicks with them as the covergirls. Best yet, it's free.

http://www.dillonprecision.com/

Check them out. They seem to have the most innovative equipment and their stuff is guaranteed for life even if you weren't the original purchaser.

[CBnL]

Sinatra... "Once I get a bigger place," OH P L E A S E ! ! !
If I had waited on such an event, I'd still be waiting... as will be evident in these pictures.
What the pictures are to show are little ~press mounts~ I made from 1" square steel, a short piece of angle iron, and some nuts & bolts.
About any table can be a reloading table but often the edge can weaken over time and break depending on what press you have, what bullets you reload and how much you reload. To prevent this I welded these up to mount my presses on and then attach them to the table. This distributes the force better and eliminates the breakage of the table and even eliminates holes in the table.
http://members.cox.net/decook/press_mount_1.jpg
http://members.cox.net/decook/press_mount_2.jpg
Cut two pieces that run the distance (front to back) of your table.
Usually presses have 3 main mount points. Position the two long bars so they are under the outside mount holes. Weld a cross piece between those two so the back mount hole of the press will be over it. Weld angle iron so it will be basically a C-clamp to lock on the front of the table. In that angle iron, drill two holes and weld a couple of nuts on it so you can use a couple of bolts to tighten it down to the table. Then just weld up a back cross bar to keep things in alignment. Just use a big C-clamp to hold the back down.
I think the pictures show the general idea...
Anymore I use just those two presses... LEE cast iron for .308 & .223 (aka 7.62 & 5.56) and the Lyman for all pistol rounds.

[CBnL]

HeadHunter... for pistols, use LEE dies and get the 4 die sets that include the "factory crimp" die.
Two things really suck...
1) a bullet that won't stay in place in the cartridge
2) a bulged case
I like a crimp on all bullets I put out because it ensures they will remain ~as assembled~ through their life. So dumping them into an ammo can in 1,000 count or through recoil the projectile won't push in or work out. Additionally, crimping can give you a more uniform round because a consistent initial restriction will ensure a more uniform initial ignition of the powder and acceleration of the projectile.
Generally you only crimp if the projectile has a cannelure but with the factory crimp dies you can crimp anything and not worry about over crimping which can also result in bulging/crushing the case.
ALSO, remember that different brands of brass have different characteristics so when reloading... get things all set up and process a specific brand of brass, then check the settings (mainly crimp) when you switch to a different brand of brass.
I'm a brass whore... when I'm at a range, if someone isn't obviously picking up their brass I ask them if they are saving it and if not, if they mind me picking it up... over the last 20 years I've always been told "sure have at it..."
Sure it takes time to go through it and if you are just wanting plinking rounds it isn't that critical but it can really help because some brass has really thick walls and some has really thin walls and if you set up for one type and run across another you either end up with a crushed case or a bullet that falls out when you turn the cartridge over...
I just have 8 of those rubbermaid shoe box containers, set them out across the coffee table and have the 5 gallon bucket of brass at my feet... my lady and I processed at least 12-15,000 the other night while having the idiot box on in the background. I'm polishing the last few thousand today.

And for all you exercise buffs out there... ya know "reps" is the key... nothing more repetitious than reloading so do it rather than going to the gym... 'cause reloading is more productive :D

[Sinatra877]

I had to move to a duplex/townhouse after the divorce. Besides, I'm gone most of the year so the neighbors keep watch over it for me. All I got is a 2 BR/2Bath and one spare bedroom is my war room with my computer, files and some weapons and the hallway linen closet is now a weapons storage area. It's stuffed. Unless I mount it on my kitchen counter which I won't do.

[CBnL]

Well you saw my ~war~ room... looks like a war took place in there!
I hear ya though... I need to build a shop out back so I can thin some stuff out of the house.