Economic Reason to Reload

[jonny4523]

What are walnut shells and corn husks usually used for in petstores? I'm glad I heard that. I'm always up for saving money.

[jonny4523]

Originally Posted by JoshXD40

I have another friend with a Lee progressive press that did ok, but no where near as smooth and fast as a Dillion. I know there is about $250 difference for the Dillion, but is it worth it in the long run to go ahead and get the Dillion loader????

I did. I think it'll be worth it. And the way Dillon dies are setup, it is MUCH easier to switch over to different calibers because Dillon dies can remain calibrated between installs. (if that made any sense)

[fredj338]

Originally Posted by EricCartmann

To start you won't need a tumbler nor scale.

The Lee volume dipper get's it pretty close, and the Lee charge chart is underpowered so you don't have to worry about overcharging. Just fill her up, then use a straight edge, such as a sturdy peice of paper to scrape off the top. You will be surprised how accurate this method is. The Lee chart says Varget is 23.5 grs for the 1.6cc dipper, and it is always within +/-.1 cc

A tumbler is a must if you plan to reload in bulk. For low quantity stuff, you can clean your brass while you are trimming your cases. Just take steel wool, and a lil dab of car wax and turn on the drill and your brass will be nice and shiny.

I strongly disagree. If you are using the tables w/ the Lee measure, you can be off as much as 0.3gr. You still should verify the volumn measure by weight, always, everytime.

[rockerz71]

Originally Posted by EricCartmann

i find corn husk with a capful (found this info via the internet) of car wax does a pretty good job in polishing.

I have read that using polish with ammonia in it, which many brass polishes do, is really bad because it will weaken the brass. There are certain brands of car polish that people recommend a lot, I think one was called nu-finish or something like that. Just make sure whatever you use for polish is ammonia-free, or so I have heard.

[rockerz71]

Originally Posted by jonny4523

I did. I think it'll be worth it. And the way Dillon dies are setup, it is MUCH easier to switch over to different calibers because Dillon dies can remain calibrated between installs. (if that made any sense)

Same with the lock n load, you just pull out the dies basically drop them back in the next time you want to use them and they are ready to go

[fredj338]

Originally Posted by jonny4523

Is there a significant difference in the way they look? How would you usually tell the difference if they look similar?

Some are marked zn, most are not. They are "harder" than a lead ww (actually an alloy of lead & antimony) & abit lighter for the same size wt. They also melt at a higher temp, so if you keep your melter below 700deg, they will float to the top & can be discarded. It only takes a 1oz zinc wt. to mess up 10# of good alloy.

[fredj338]

Originally Posted by JoshXD40

Ok I have a question about getting started reloading. I have a friend with a couple Dillion reloading presses and they were a breeze to use. I have another friend with a Lee progressive press that did ok, but no where near as smooth and fast as a Dillion. I know there is about $250 difference for the Dillion, but is it worth it in the long run to go ahead and get the Dillion loader? I would just hate to buy a Lee and be unsatisfied and end up buying a Dillion later after already spending the $150 for the Lee. ANY HELP???

If you like to tinker & mess w/ stuff, save $250 & buy the Lee. If you want to setup & reload w/o a problem buy the Dillon. Over 25years of reloading, you'll save $10/yr but you'll spend that on Aspirin for the headaches. Plus, you'll get pissed & end up buying the Dillon anyway, so just start w/ the best. Look at the Hornady LNL too. I own (2) 550B but the LNL is alot of press for the money & I think they give you 1000 free bullets.

[EricCartmann]

I am new to the progressive re-loading game myself. I chose the Hornady Lock-n-Load AP over the Dillon because of price. Caliber conversion with the LocknLoad is easy with the LockNLoad die bushings.

I have been told Dillons are well worth the price, but for me I am going to have to hold off on all Dillon products until I save more pennies.

The Lock-N-Load AP is getting excellent reviews at Midway and other places. The kicker for me was the LNL comes with 1000 free bullets; which is about a $200 value.

[JoshXD40]

I have been looking at the Lock-N-Load as well. The no BS lifetime warrenty with the Dillion is another factor that I am looking at. The guy I talked to has had one problem with his Dillion (which he caused) and he just called Dillion and they sent him the replacement part free of charge and paid to ship the broke piece back. That's good service if you ask me. I'm like some people when it come's to buying a Dillion, the sticker shock gets your attention everytime.. Of coarse I do have a tax check coming to me so I might just go ahead a order one.

[EricCartmann]

Originally Posted by rockerz71

I have read that using polish with ammonia in it, which many brass polishes do, is really bad because it will weaken the brass. There are certain brands of car polish that people recommend a lot, I think one was called nu-finish or something like that. Just make sure whatever you use for polish is ammonia-free, or so I have heard.

yeah nu-finish does not have ammonia, it was what recommended to me and what use.

i play it safe, no ammonia for me... but i don't think a little ammonia will hurt, it is when you immerse it for weeks at a time is when you have to worry.