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TexicanKid · 09-22-2007, 12:55 PM

Thoughts on good, but affordable presses to get?

Does one have to clean used brass previously fired with smokeless powder (or is that just a blackpowder thing)?

This will be for reloading .357 rounds, mostly for revolver use.

fredj338 · 09-22-2007, 01:20 PM

For low volumn loading, a single stage or turret press from any of the current manuf. will suite you. For volumn loading (500+rds/mth) I would want a progressive of somekond. The Lee works, it's cheap enough, but I prefer Dillons.
You don't have to do anything more than wiping dirt/grit off cases to load them. Tumbling is great for getting nice clean & shiney brass but not required.

TexicanKid · 09-22-2007, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fredj338

For low volumn loading, a single stage or turret press from any of the current manuf. will suite you. For volumn loading (500+rds/mth) I would want a progressive of somekond. The Lee works, it's cheap enough, but I prefer Dillons.
You don't have to do anything more than wiping dirt/grit off cases to load them. Tumbling is great for getting nice clean & shiney brass but not required.

Thanks.

(Oops, I should have served the other threads on this instead of starting a new one.)

Verk · 09-23-2007, 07:18 AM

I have a Dillon but if you are just starting out and are not loading hundreds of rounds at a time, a single stage press works just fine. I'd spend the extra money over the Lee, unless money is a big factor, and get a RCBS or Lyman press. I have a RCBS Rock Chucker I have had for over 20 years and I still reload on it from time to time.

Besides cutting the cost of shooting, reloading is a good hobby in itself and I find it relaxing to spend a couple of quiet hours reloading. Good luck.

TexicanKid · 09-23-2007, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Verk

I have a Dillon but if you are just starting out and are not loading hundreds of rounds at a time, a single stage press works just fine. I'd spend the extra money over the Lee, unless money is a big factor, and get a RCBS or Lyman press. I have a RCBS Rock Chucker I have had for over 20 years and I still reload on it from time to time.

Besides cutting the cost of shooting, reloading is a good hobby in itself and I find it relaxing to spend a couple of quiet hours reloading. Good luck.

I'm thinking about:

1) Spending only $200 or less on the equipment. (Could stretch it to $250 or $300 maybe)
2) Reloading about 300 rounds at a time (I want to get in some serious practice every other week)

Thanks for the info. Sounds like a great hobby.

Verk · 09-23-2007, 10:29 AM

I think you can do all of what you want to do on a single stage press and you stated budget leaves out a progressive setup.

You can pick up a RCBS RC Supreme Master Reloading Kit for about $250 that pretty much gives you everything you need except the reloading dies for whatever caliber you are going to reload for and a tumbler. The Lee Anniversary Reloading Kit will run about $70 if you want to go that route.

You can start off with a balance beam scale and as your budget permits, upgrade to an electronic digital scale. One thing nice about this hobby, if you chose your equipment wisely you can just build on it as you have the money and integrate it all into your operation.

One thing I would spend the money for up front would be a carbide die set. The use of a carbide sizing die will eliminate you having to lube your straight walled pistol cases and then the having to clean all the lube off the cases before you continue the process. Trust me, dealing with case lube is a pain in the ass and the carbide die makes things so much easier and saves a lot of time.

You will need someway to clean your cases. I started off with liquid case cleaner. That worked okay but when I could afford it I bought a tumbler but you can get by with cleaning them in liquid cleaner for a while if need be.

Shop around, there is a lot of options out there. Get the Cabela's Shooting and Reloading catalog and it will provide you with a wealth of information on what is available along with the associated cost. Hope this helped some. Good luck and get started reloading....its a lot of fun and rewarding when you pull the trigger on a round that you made yourself.

Verk · 09-23-2007, 10:30 AM

I think you can do all of what you want to do on a single stage press and you stated budget leaves out a progressive setup.

You can pick up a RCBS RC Supreme Master Reloading Kit for about $250 that pretty much gives you everything you need except the reloading dies for whatever caliber you are going to reload for and a tumbler. The Lee Anniversary Reloading Kit will run about $70 if you want to go that route.

You can start off with a balance beam scale and as your budget permits, upgrade to an electronic digital scale. One thing nice about this hobby, if you chose your equipment wisely you can just build on it as you have the money and integrate it all into your operation.

One thing I would spend the money for up front would be a carbide die set. The use of a carbide sizing die will eliminate you having to lube your straight walled pistol cases and then the having to clean all the lube off the cases before you continue the process. Trust me, dealing with case lube is a pain in the ass and the carbide die makes things so much easier and saves a lot of time.

You will need someway to clean your cases. I started off with liquid case cleaner. That worked okay but when I could afford it I bought a tumbler but you can get by with cleaning them in liquid cleaner for a while if need be.

Shop around, there is a lot of options out there. Get the Cabela's Shooting and Reloading catalog and it will provide you with a wealth of information on what is available associated cost. Hope this helped some. Good luck and get started reloading....its a lot of fun and rewarding when you pull the trigger on a round that you made yourself.

RKirby · 09-23-2007, 10:35 AM

TexicanKid..

I'm also new to reloading and also had to stay within a budget. Here's what I started with:

http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/cata...TurretPressKit

Got it for $79.99 + 10.95 shipping from Cabela's.

I'm not too impressed with the beam scale that came with the kit and I will probably update to a digital scale at some point and use the beam scale as a back-up. Otherwise I'm satisfied with what I received for what I paid. It's definitely not a Dillon but it gets the job done for me.

You might also consider adding an Auto Disk Powder Riser to add clearance between the powder hopper and die...less than $10.00 most places. If you add a primer feeder later on you will need this part anyway.

You will also need a dial or digital caliper. You can find one for less than $30.00 at Harbor Freight. If you plan on re-using your brass or using range brass you will probably want a tumbler at some point. Pistol Gear.com has one that looks like it might be a good buy for us who are on a budget.

Add a reloading manual and expendables (brass, powder, bullets and primers) and a set of dies ($30.00) and you should be good to go.

fredj338 · 09-23-2007, 05:42 PM

It really comes down to how much your time is worth. Even the cheap Lee progressive loads upto 500rds/hr. A single stage will allow you 60/hr max. if you use a powder measure. The turret style press can get you to 200rds/hr for quite abit less than a progressive.
You'll need a press, powder scale (don't go cheap there), CARBIDE dies for the caliber you load, calipers to measure OAL & a loading block to hold shells (if using a single stage press). A tumbler is nice but you can clean w/ liquid type cleaners in the sink. The only way you stay under $250 is a single stage or buy Lee or used RCBS, Dillon, etc. progressive.
http://www.grafs.com/metallic/product/149036
http://www.grafs.com/fc/product/150714
http://www.grafs.com/fc/product/154662
http://www.grafs.com/metallic/product/149005

09-22-2007, 12:55 PM	#1
TexicanKid XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 393	Starting reloading. Thoughts on good, but affordable presses to get? Does one have to clean used brass previously fired with smokeless powder (or is that just a blackpowder thing)? This will be for reloading .357 rounds, mostly for revolver use. __________________ XD9 Sub carried 2:00 Walking Cane (for style) "We have Law Pollution. Legislators continue to create and pass laws until they pile up and up and up like some giant garbage pile of obscure code, creating a legal minefield all should fear to tread." Last edited by TexicanKid; 09-22-2007 at 12:59 PM.

09-23-2007, 10:35 AM	#8
RKirby XDTalk Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: North Texas Posts: 66	TexicanKid.. I'm also new to reloading and also had to stay within a budget. Here's what I started with: http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/cata...TurretPressKit Got it for $79.99 + 10.95 shipping from Cabela's. I'm not too impressed with the beam scale that came with the kit and I will probably update to a digital scale at some point and use the beam scale as a back-up. Otherwise I'm satisfied with what I received for what I paid. It's definitely not a Dillon but it gets the job done for me. You might also consider adding an Auto Disk Powder Riser to add clearance between the powder hopper and die...less than $10.00 most places. If you add a primer feeder later on you will need this part anyway. You will also need a dial or digital caliper. You can find one for less than $30.00 at Harbor Freight. If you plan on re-using your brass or using range brass you will probably want a tumbler at some point. Pistol Gear.com has one that looks like it might be a good buy for us who are on a budget. Add a reloading manual and expendables (brass, powder, bullets and primers) and a set of dies ($30.00) and you should be good to go. __________________ "Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Such laws only make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assassins; they serve to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." - Thomas Jefferson **************************************** Last edited by RKirby; 09-23-2007 at 10:46 AM.

09-23-2007, 05:42 PM	#9
fredj338 XDTalk 1K Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 1,449	It really comes down to how much your time is worth. Even the cheap Lee progressive loads upto 500rds/hr. A single stage will allow you 60/hr max. if you use a powder measure. The turret style press can get you to 200rds/hr for quite abit less than a progressive. You'll need a press, powder scale (don't go cheap there), CARBIDE dies for the caliber you load, calipers to measure OAL & a loading block to hold shells (if using a single stage press). A tumbler is nice but you can clean w/ liquid type cleaners in the sink. The only way you stay under $250 is a single stage or buy Lee or used RCBS, Dillon, etc. progressive. http://www.grafs.com/metallic/product/149036 http://www.grafs.com/fc/product/150714 http://www.grafs.com/fc/product/154662 http://www.grafs.com/metallic/product/149005 Last edited by fredj338; 09-23-2007 at 05:48 PM.

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09-22-2007, 01:20 PM	#2
fredj338 XDTalk 1K Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 1,449	For low volumn loading, a single stage or turret press from any of the current manuf. will suite you. For volumn loading (500+rds/mth) I would want a progressive of somekond. The Lee works, it's cheap enough, but I prefer Dillons. You don't have to do anything more than wiping dirt/grit off cases to load them. Tumbling is great for getting nice clean & shiney brass but not required.

09-23-2007, 07:18 AM	#4
Verk XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 376	I have a Dillon but if you are just starting out and are not loading hundreds of rounds at a time, a single stage press works just fine. I'd spend the extra money over the Lee, unless money is a big factor, and get a RCBS or Lyman press. I have a RCBS Rock Chucker I have had for over 20 years and I still reload on it from time to time. Besides cutting the cost of shooting, reloading is a good hobby in itself and I find it relaxing to spend a couple of quiet hours reloading. Good luck.

09-23-2007, 10:29 AM	#6
Verk XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 376	I think you can do all of what you want to do on a single stage press and you stated budget leaves out a progressive setup. You can pick up a RCBS RC Supreme Master Reloading Kit for about $250 that pretty much gives you everything you need except the reloading dies for whatever caliber you are going to reload for and a tumbler. The Lee Anniversary Reloading Kit will run about $70 if you want to go that route. You can start off with a balance beam scale and as your budget permits, upgrade to an electronic digital scale. One thing nice about this hobby, if you chose your equipment wisely you can just build on it as you have the money and integrate it all into your operation. One thing I would spend the money for up front would be a carbide die set. The use of a carbide sizing die will eliminate you having to lube your straight walled pistol cases and then the having to clean all the lube off the cases before you continue the process. Trust me, dealing with case lube is a pain in the ass and the carbide die makes things so much easier and saves a lot of time. You will need someway to clean your cases. I started off with liquid case cleaner. That worked okay but when I could afford it I bought a tumbler but you can get by with cleaning them in liquid cleaner for a while if need be. Shop around, there is a lot of options out there. Get the Cabela's Shooting and Reloading catalog and it will provide you with a wealth of information on what is available along with the associated cost. Hope this helped some. Good luck and get started reloading....its a lot of fun and rewarding when you pull the trigger on a round that you made yourself.

09-23-2007, 10:30 AM	#7
Verk XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 376	I think you can do all of what you want to do on a single stage press and you stated budget leaves out a progressive setup. You can pick up a RCBS RC Supreme Master Reloading Kit for about $250 that pretty much gives you everything you need except the reloading dies for whatever caliber you are going to reload for and a tumbler. The Lee Anniversary Reloading Kit will run about $70 if you want to go that route. You can start off with a balance beam scale and as your budget permits, upgrade to an electronic digital scale. One thing nice about this hobby, if you chose your equipment wisely you can just build on it as you have the money and integrate it all into your operation. One thing I would spend the money for up front would be a carbide die set. The use of a carbide sizing die will eliminate you having to lube your straight walled pistol cases and then the having to clean all the lube off the cases before you continue the process. Trust me, dealing with case lube is a pain in the ass and the carbide die makes things so much easier and saves a lot of time. You will need someway to clean your cases. I started off with liquid case cleaner. That worked okay but when I could afford it I bought a tumbler but you can get by with cleaning them in liquid cleaner for a while if need be. Shop around, there is a lot of options out there. Get the Cabela's Shooting and Reloading catalog and it will provide you with a wealth of information on what is available associated cost. Hope this helped some. Good luck and get started reloading....its a lot of fun and rewarding when you pull the trigger on a round that you made yourself.