Reloading for a newbie

[trelane]

What all do I need/want to do reloading properly, and can anyone suggest a starting point for a load in 45ACP? I might finally break down and go this route. Best possible equipment for small volumes. 100-200 rounds at a time. I'm looking for wadcutter/FMJ and a result that would approach, equal or exceed match grade.

(I'm kind of wanting to see if I can put .45 rounds on top of each other at 20 yards, as I think this would be insanely fun)

[fredj338]

It's all about time v money. The faster you want to produce ammo the more it will cost you. A single stage press will get you 50rds/hr if you are organized. A turret press, maybe 150rds/hr, then it's on to progressive, 350-650rds/hr. All will produce very accurate rounds, it's just about quantity. All of the reloading gear on the market today will do this, some easier than others, some will last longer than other but it all does the same work.
I don't car much for Lee products, it's made cheap & sometimes breaks, but produces fine ammo. The Dillon, RCBS, Redding, Lyman & Hornady are all top quality stuff that will last longer than you will. Best deal on a progressive IMO, is the Hornady LNL. I use a Dillon 550B, but the Hornady offers the same quality for 2/3 the price & it auto indexes. The next press up the Dillon line w/ auto indexing is almost twice the Hornady. Get the ABC's of Reloading or a good reloading manual like the Speer or Hornady & read it. You'll have a better idea of what you will NEED v what you want. You can get into a single stage press, powder measure & scale, one set of dies all for less than $300, even less for LEE. That's what now, 1000rds of ammo.

[KEVWYO]

trelane ... do a search on reloading on this forum. There has been lots of good threads of very recent times. Because of what others have said I have a Hornady LnL AP heading my direction (come on UPS gal .... she's a hottie to BTW!!! ) That being said I have two Lee turret presses and if you're wanting to load maybe just one or two calibers and don't want to spend a bunch of money up front then this is a good way to start. From personal experience I'd recommend staying away from the Lee progressives. Mine sucked but others have chimmed in to say they work fine. As always YMMV!

By the way .... I will be selling one of my Lee turret presses complete with turrets, powder measure/disks, and dies for .40 and .45 once I get my Hornady set up. PM me if you're interested.

[SIG232]

From the sounds of your needs, I would reccomend the Lee Classic Turret press. I have one that I load .45 and .380 on, and it is great for cranking out a couple hundred rounds at a time. It is sturdily built, and turns out very accurate ammo. You can probably get set up for .45 reloading with on for about $160. Check out this website where I bought mine some time ago: http://www.kempfgunshop.com/products.../KempfKit.html

If you decide to go this route and from Kempfs, I suggest you call them and place the order, as they had a problem a while ago with someone hacking their email system. Sue, one of the owners, is super nice to talk to, and can help you decide what you need, and also is handy to call if you have questions while setting up.

[Riflemanz]

Buy a relaoding book and read it.The starting loads are listed in it.Don't load over MAX either!

[Rustynuts]

I like my Lee Loadmaster. Sure it has some plastic/nylon parts, but in spots where they make sense and are cheap to replace if busted. You could break every plastic part on the thing and still load by hand if you want. The guts are solid. Plus I don't care for the tube loaded primer feeds. Looks to be too much fiddling, picking up primers one by one, then funneling them into ANOTHER tube. Plus they are more dangerous than Lee's design. If one primer blows on a tube fed unit, the tube makes a fine barrel!

The Lees cast lever arm looks cool too. The others look dorky with just a simple pipe.

[fredj338]

The priming system on the Dillon is probably the weakest point, but it's very simple & safe if there ever were a detonation (I've never had one in 50K+ rounds). The tubes also load very quickly & easily, less than 1min/100. I often load multiple primer tubes while infront of the tv, it requires little thought. I'ld rather have a Loadmaster than buy factory ammo, but I chose the Dillon for it's robust design & 100% warranty. The Hornady LNL is probably the best bang for your buck today though.

[Mercmar]

Post back, in about 200,000 rounds from now, when you're putting "one .45 on top of another." If you can shoot a 2", five-shot group, offhand, @ 25 yds., I'll French-kiss a DemocRAT on my state Capitol's steps.

[fredj338]

Originally Posted by Mercmar

Post back, in about 200,000 rounds from now, when you're putting "one .45 on top of another." If you can shoot a 2", five-shot group, offhand, @ 25 yds., I'll French-kiss a DemocRAT on my state Capitol's steps.

Not sure what that is all about, but It's not a huge task to shoot 2" offhand groups @ 25yds w/ the right pistol & ammo. Yes I have done it before & probably can again.

[SIG232]

Originally Posted by Mercmar

Post back, in about 200,000 rounds from now, when you're putting "one .45 on top of another." If you can shoot a 2", five-shot group, offhand, @ 25 yds., I'll French-kiss a DemocRAT on my state Capitol's steps.

I agree with Fred, this can be done by almost any competent shooter with a good gun. I have a Kimber that has done this with regular factory FMJ, and improved on it with handloads. I sure feel sorry for your Democrat on the steps.......