If you were to start reloading today?

[Basin&Range]

If you were to start reloading again today, where would you spend or save money?

I'm sure this subject has been beat down over and over but I want some opinions considering what tools are in the market now. I'm a complete newb to reloading so I'm trying to learn where I can before I make the investment. I have enough brass collected that I want to start considering the process. I'd be loading 3-4 short action cartridges, and 9mm to start with. From the research I've done I understand that a single stage press and hand-primer would be best to start until I have the desire to load hundreds of cartridges in a session. Here is a few general questions I have.

Is a rcbs, redding, or co-ax press much better than the hornady lnl classic or are the single stage presses all comparable? With the hornady rebates it seems like a no brainer to go that route unless the press, or the lnl system is a pain to use.

Would it be worth considering a progressive or turret press for my first one?

Is it worth it to get a chargemaster or autocharge pro and just get used to using that from the start?

Where is it worth spending extra money up front? (things like billet trays, funnels, etc)

I've looked at a few of the kits but it seems like most of the "kit" will get replaced with other things quickly and I already have some mitutoyo calipers. All that said I'm someone who doesn't mind investing in nice tools to make the job more enjoyable.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

Rockchucker kit and you'll be set with the basic needs. All you need then is the dies.

 

[Sled]

Spend money according to your priorities. If you value your time, get a prep station and maybe a turret press if you're doing high volume pistol ammo/223. If you value only consistency, spend the money on precision adjustable dies and a bomber press. I can charge manually on a scale in about twice the time my rcbs charge master does. It's accurate, but care to guess which one of us is more accurate?

Until you decide what's important to you, a kit is rather convenient.

 

[Steve300xcw]

Stick with the single stage. It is also a lot easier to buy decapping pins and what not for rcbs and sometimes redding on a saturday night, than it is for forester and such...

I have not touched my balance beam scale since I got an electric one.

I'll get a chargemaster one of these years..

 

[NRA4LIFE]

One more recommendation, if you will be loading any caliber with crimped in primers, invest in a Mighty Armory decapping die. That thing has been a game changer for me as I load a lot of .223/5.56 that has been crimped. No more broken/bent pins.

 

[Basin&Range]

Thanks for the input everyone. A case prep station was something I also have on my short list.

Will a rockchucker or redding be noticeably better than the hornady press? Only reason I keep looking at the hornady is the brass/bullet rebate that would almost pay for the press or kit.

Does anyone have any experience with the Frankford Arsenal M press that looks similar to the co-ax?

 

[hoooogan]

Only piece of advise I have for a newbie is that unless you are doing a metric ton of 9mm on a progressive or turret press, I would skip that. You have much better things to do with your time than reloading 9mm on a single stage. I would know, I do it now and it sucks. I'm going back to buying bulk 9mm once I've gone through my supplies.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

Thanks for the input everyone. A case prep station was something I also have on my short list.

Will a rockchucker or redding be noticeably better than the hornady press? Only reason I keep looking at the hornady is the brass/bullet rebate that would almost pay for the press or kit.

Does anyone have any experience with the Frankford Arsenal M press that looks similar to the co-ax?

This is just my opinion, but both of my Hornady pieces of equipment are trash.

 

[ColPenguin]

Will a rockchucker or redding be noticeably better than the hornady press? Only reason I keep looking at the hornady is the brass/bullet rebate that would almost pay for the press or kit.

Does anyone have any experience with the Frankford Arsenal M press that looks similar to the co-ax?

Any press will do the job. Lots of people turn out ammunition on a Lee press despite it being on the low end of the budget.

I picked a co-ax because I didn't want to mess with shell holders sold separately. The one downside of the co-ax is flipping its jaws back and forth from standard size to small size for 223. Forster also makes one-piece quick change jaws. I'm not about buying extra clutter, whether it's shell holders or quick change jaws.

I'm pretty sure Lee dies come with shell holders included . Other die manufacturers sell shell holders separately.

The Hornady get loaded deal isn't just for the press and kits. Am pretty sure you can get 100 free bullets with a purchase of die set. Their dies aren't the most expensive, or the cheapest.

I only got into the loading hobby in the last two months. I have no idea what I'm doing. Going back, I wouldn't buy a media tumbler again. What I wouldn't do is stress over every little decision about which manufacturer press or dies to get, because anything you choose can turn out viable ammunition.

I'll figure it out, and you'll do a little bit of research and figure it out too.

 

[Woolley Bugger]

Only piece of advise I have for a newbie is that unless you are doing a metric ton of 9mm on a progressive or turret press, I would skip that. You have much better things to do with your time than reloading 9mm on a single stage. I would know, I do it now and it sucks. I'm going back to buying bulk 9mm once I've gone through my supplies.

I loaded 9mm for a while on a single stage and came to the same conclusion. But now that component prices are coming down and I’m shooting more 147 grain through my new suppressor (which isn’t quite as cheap as 115), loading on a progressive is a becoming more attractive. Even with my modest shooting volume I’ll recoup a meaningful percentage of the price of a progressive setup. I shoot other pistol calibers and have lived through enough ammo panics that having a stockpile of components that I can load however I wish has great value to me. Plus, I love cool gadgets. So there’s value there. For all these reasons I have a Dillon XL750 en route to me as we speak.

 

[Conman243]

One more recommendation, if you will be loading any caliber with crimped in primers, invest in a Mighty Armory decapping die. That thing has been a game changer for me as I load a lot of .223/5.56 that has been crimped. No more broken/bent pins.

Their 223 sizing die is also amazing. Way smoother and less force than my rcbs small base 223 sizer. One of the best purchases I’ve made.

 

[Gila]

I eventually switched to Redding dies. Tried Hornady dies but not for me. Regardless you will need quality calipers and a quality bullet comparator/ headspace gauge. Mitutoyo calipers are good. I have this set and so far been satisfied:

 

[ColPenguin]

I eventually switched to Redding dies. Tried Hornady dies but not for me.

Curious if it was the Hornady Custom or Match grade set and what problem(s) you had with them?

Having tried both Redding and Hornady dies. The Hornady seating die micrometer is oversized and looks ridiculous, however it works fine. I prefer the Hornady cylindrical expander over Redding's expander.

 

[Gila]

Re-reading the post…I’m always spilling powder in trays and get powder “cling” on funnel…plan to change that though

 

[Gila]

Curious if it was the Hornady Custom or Match grade set and what problem(s) you had with them?

Having tried both Redding and Hornady dies. The Hornady seating die micrometer is oversized and looks ridiculous, however it works fine. I prefer the Hornady cylindrical expander over Redding's expander.

Match grade…had some dinged necks and the sizing die would dent the shoulders sometimes. The seating dies would grab the necks and the bullets. Spent a lot of time trying to solve th problem but never could. Zero issues with Redding S-match dies so far. I load 4 rifle calibers.

 

[il_cop]

As stated, depends on volume, if you're loading for mag dumps, this would not be your fastest option...

For me and my bolt guns after years and waste (money and time) here's where I landed, happily.

Single stage
Universal seating die with micrometer
Chargemaster
Decapping die
Tricker (I hand trickle the odd short throw)
Expander die with necessary madrels.
Good calipers
One shot
Lyman hand case trimmer and cartridge guides
Comperator and inserts
Cheap 50 double sided standard & mag bolt face tray I got too long ago to remember
Lyman funnel
Frankford arsenal hand priming tool


I don't futz with adjusting seating depth, used to...then tested and realized it didn't make a material difference for my purposes.

I used to have runout (and a concentricity gauge), quit using expanders in my full length dies years ago, concentricity issues solved.

I don't clean other than wiping lube off cases before I load.

All my dies are marked so the shoulder bump is consistent and I don't have to think when putting them into the press.

I manually trim, champher and deburr only when
over max case length.

I have dummies of my loads (thanks for 100+1 pieces of brass, lapua!) so I can quickly get close to seating depth with the seating die.

This setup has saved time, money and produced consistent rounds for my goals.

Hope that helps.

 

[49ereric]

Keep it simple and gain experience then make changes if you want.

 

[Pilsner]

If I was doing it over again from scratch I would spend far more time on organization, space enhancers, and storage set up BEFORE I started loading rounds.
As it is I have a work bench that looks like the inside of my mind without Adderall - think of a sugar-enhanced toddler with severe ADHD. Shit stacked on every flat surface with zero rhyme or reason. Along with the inability to find anything in a timely manner.
A rail system for presses and tools, wall mounted organizer bins and magnetic racks for tools, better work lights, etc would have saved me an embarrassing amount of time at this point. I would also skip the progressive press and spend that money on an automated case prep station, auto charge dispenser, and quality tools like calipers, powder funnels, and comparators.

Edit to add: Buy a quality label maker and notebook from the start and use them both! The number of unlabeled boxes of ammo that I have were I never wrote down the recipe because "I'll remember what that was" is pathetic. Don't do what I did.

 

[TheCoyote]

If you want to save money buy used stuff!
There are tons of guys selling old rock chuckers on here for cheap. I’ve never seen a worn out rock chucker. Most dies for any common caliber can be found used for half price. Try reloading just one cartridge and see how you like it. Put a WTB on here need reloading stuff, your inbox will be flooded.
Find a mentor that reloads and ask them to show you the ropes. There are plenty of old guys hanging around the gun range that have decades of experience and nobody to share it with.

 

[huntnful]

I’d save money by buying nicer stuff first. I didn’t know if I wanted to get totally into it when I started so I bought low grade stuff. It worked. But I enjoyed it a lot and inevitably wanted nicer stuff. And I wouldn’t buy an annealer.