Posted: 1/21/2008 5:38:44 AM EDT
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Looking to get a reloading setup going. I have all the compenents (less powder) to load a ton of .223. I also have dies, I believe the original owner said they'd work in most presses. Lee I think. I'd like to be able to load several different centerfire rounds (.223, .308, 9mm, .45, .357/.44 mag etc) Don't want to spend a fortune but would like something that'll last. |
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If you want cheap, lee is it. 100 bucks for the basic kit. That way if you are like me, and got started, but only reloaded about 3k rounds, it doesn't hurt so much that it sits in a corner. Don't really like the scale, but it works. It has everything you need, and though it has been awhile, I think they give you your first die set free with the kit, or it may be the holder. All the dies interchange between presses as I recall. Some sort of standard there. So it doesn't matter whos you buy. |
For large caliber rifles, I like the rockchucker. For something like an AR, I would spend the money for a dillon. It gets old quickly when you have to spend hours reloading just for a day on the range with an AR or pistol. |
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Dillon 550, realistically, 400 rounds an hour. Otherwise buy a Forster Co-Ax. It allows you to set all your dies once and change from sizing to seating to crimping instantly. Much quicker than an oridinary single stage press. Check out the reloading forum for more info. Don't let anyone b/s you on the Lee dies, they will work fine for a noob. |
Lee anniversary kit, everything you need to get started reloading for under $100  My wife and I reloaded all the stuff in the middle in one night.  We do .45ACP .38 special .308 30-30 and 9MM |
We have a reloading foum. 
+1 Not everyone agree with this. I do.
MUCH faster on a progressive.... especially for stright wall pistol cartridges. For those - it is a no-brainer. However, for bottleneck rifle - you really need to do all case prep first, so the prgressive saves you time, just not as much as it would doing pistol. Many here get 500-600 rounds per hour, or more.... I have never acheived that, but I go slow and steady.
Depends on your requirements for ease of caliber changes, rounds per hour, etc. The Hornady LnL is cheaper, and auto-indexing, but doesn't allow for the same ease of future flexibility that the dillon does. The Dillon 550 is user indexed, and 4 stations, but is a solid progressive. The 650 will be faster, adds a station, but it less forgiving of user screwups and costs a bit more. Like it was said above, I like to start with a single stage - you will need one anyway for load workups and I like them better for resizing. If someone was ONLY or primarily going to load bulk pistol, then I would start with the progressive. You cannot create volume pistol on a single stage, it takes forever. |
+1 on starting with a Rockchucker. I would hate to load hundreds and hundreds of rounds only to find I had done something wrong and had to pull it down. Much better to start slowly with a single stage. I got a Dillon after using a Rockchucker for a long time and I still use the Rockchucker for .308, 7.5x55 and for developing loads in other calibers. |
| For a beginner I would mostlikely get a hornady single stage lock and load press. Its not that much more expensive than the lee press and you can set your dies in the lock-n-load mount and just change them out when needed. Even if you end up getting a progressive setup later you will always have times where having a single stage press is just handy to have around. |
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Bottleneck cartidges require more steps to reload than straight walled. If you are doing straight walled only (pistol) then I would start with a progressive as it can save you a ton of time. For ex. on a single stage press 1k of 9mm might take 3 or 4 sessions of three hours each. On a progressive that same load would take only one session of three hours. Since you're doing bottleneck too I would start with a Lee anniversary kit for under $100. You'll have the opportunity to load any cartridge but .50 BMG and you'll learn the process. Contrary to some opinion the actual press will last for tens of thousands of rounds and when you upgrade to a progrssive you'll still have the single stage for match rounds or special applications. |
That's how I started out. Now, my Lock N Load sits until I'm ready to resize .223 or load precision ammo. |
Here is your basic single stage press. Link And here is a progressive type setup. Link The difference is that with a single stage you can only have one die loaded at a time, so that with each pull of the handle you only perform one task. With a progressive setup you have multiple stations that a cartidge passes though, with each pull of the handle multiple tasks are performed. |