There are tons of youtube videos on this topic. I started by reading the first section of the Hornady reloading manual which explains how to reload. That and watching videos would be good even before you purchase the equipment.
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New to reloading
- Thread starter HxX20
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Best advice before you buy anything: find someone to load with for a few introductory lessons/sessions. You need to know what you are getting into before you just start buying stuff.
But most importantly, you need to see the process so you can understand the basics. There needs to be a place you can be that is away from distractions. Kids, wife, telephone, etc.,
Once you get the basics down it will go a lot more smoothly. It isn’t a hard process but each step is important to pay attention to. You are building bullets. Messing with explosive stuff. You can get yourself and more importantly someone else hurt real easy from stupid mistakes.
I was lucky that my father loaded and I was brought up around it my whole life. I really only shoot pistol. I do shoot some rifle but not enough to load for. When I go shoot, I take probably 3-4 handguns and anywhere between 500-100rds of ammo . I come home with some most of the time but sometimes I don’t.
It is a good hobby and really great information to have. Especially since things are getting more expensive and scarce.
But most importantly, you need to see the process so you can understand the basics. There needs to be a place you can be that is away from distractions. Kids, wife, telephone, etc.,
Once you get the basics down it will go a lot more smoothly. It isn’t a hard process but each step is important to pay attention to. You are building bullets. Messing with explosive stuff. You can get yourself and more importantly someone else hurt real easy from stupid mistakes.
I was lucky that my father loaded and I was brought up around it my whole life. I really only shoot pistol. I do shoot some rifle but not enough to load for. When I go shoot, I take probably 3-4 handguns and anywhere between 500-100rds of ammo . I come home with some most of the time but sometimes I don’t.
It is a good hobby and really great information to have. Especially since things are getting more expensive and scarce.
I have a lot of time on my hands and I load slow and precise. The pics I posted are all the major parts that save some time over the basic kit stuff. I bought the LEE breech lock kit. The whole kit is less than just the RCBS press of course there are some upgrades you will need to make things easier on your hands and save time. This kit is 1/2 the cost of the RCBS kit and even with the RCBS you still need to upgrade the same parts so it doesn't take so long to prep your cases.
The reason I recommend this kit is because it can be bad for 200 or less on sale and the only thing you need to add immediately is a good scale, dies for your caliber and a tumbler. I got a Hornady and media on line. The scale is the arm and tray job you balance it out. A pain in the butt if you weigh every powder charge like I do and I mean every single one. After you buy the scale the kit has everything except the dies for leaning the basics. You can do it all with what's in the kit. Now granted a lot of processes are hand done but you will want to upgrade areas as you start and feel how painful and slow doing all the prep jobs by hand are. The Hornady case prep center is decent but I want to upgrade that to a Franklin Armory case prep center because it trims the cases as well the Hornady one doesn't.
It's a great little cheap kit to learn on. Granted you will to add better ways to complete each task on case prep ( the most time consuming part of reloading after the first 100 or less rounds ) this will teach you the basics and allow you to understand and transfer right over to the upgraded systems. The fourth pic is how I throw and weigh each powder charge and get it ready for the projectile.
Lastly it's a form of meditation for me and I don't mind the slow process. I load each round to exact weight so it gives me consistent accuracy from round to round. For range ammo you can get by with just weighing every so many throws. For me I want to train with as accurately as I would be using in a bad scenario. God willing that won't happen. The one thing I really like is the collar locking system. All my dies have the collars and install in literally 3 seconds. The last pics gives you an idea. You insert and twist a 1/4 turn and it locks by that little black spring loaded button ( fifth pic ). To take it out you depress the black button twist and lift out. Die changes in seconds.
Other than the permanent fixed press body being permanent, all my parts can be put up and not take up a whole dedicated bench. I simply take down what I need, use it and put it back up on the shelf. I have had mine for 6 or 7 years and have loaded 10's of thousands round and it's still as I bought it. It has virtually no wear. It's been a good little system for how I reload. Other systems can be enormously expensive for each piece. Lee parts are cheap but there are still parts I use Hornady for. like dies for one.
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Some people just get up with that "Go* *amn, the sun came up again!" attitude.
You are local to me, you are welcome to come over and see what all is involved before dumping a lot of money into it. I can slow you the slow painful way to do it or the fast way. It all depends how much money you want to spend.
. Are you in Buford?
I knew I was going to take hit on this....and I knew my comment would come off worse than intended....I just offered up a point to do some searching on this site....as it contains a wealth of info....we just had an identical thread last week....I also like the fact that folks want to take on the reloading challenge!!
I’m real close to Buford. Send me a PM and we will work something out.That would be awesome! Think I’ve talked to you before. Your profile pic looks familiar. Are you in Buford?
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That would be awesome! Think I’ve talked to you before. Your profile pic looks familiar
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Reloading is the most money you'll ever spend to save money.
Going and watching someone is definitely the way. If you really get into it 300 blackout is an excellent round for shooting lead bullets. Bullets are a huge expense and casting your own definitely brings your price per round way down.
