ok guys bear with me. I have never reloaded my own b4. How much does a basic rig run and waht all do i need. I have about 3 difererent calibers that I want to handload. thx guys

A R.C.B.S. Rockchucker kit, five or six load books,& a set of dies. Read the Books!!

Good luck!! It will get ya

Try running a search here and you`ll find a years worth of reading on the subject.

There are few thing to concider. The amount of ammo you want to produce, the use of the ammo (benchrest-hunting) amount of money you`re willing to spend to start, ect. I`d start with a good manual like the Lyman or Hodgdon and read the how to sections. They tell you what you need and how to operate most of it. The "kits" are a good way to start. I like the RCBS RockChucker but the smaller RCBS or Redding kits are top quality and good choices too.
I`m sure you`ll get lots of advice here with a lot of peoples favorites noted. Most equipment will work but, the better quality stuff normally gives easier operation and lasts longer then you will be around. Don`t scimp on scales, presses, or dies. If you need to keep cost down there are reputable mail order houses on the net that give some very good deals. MidWay, Grafs, Shooters, ect are a few.
Welcome to a great hobby....

thanks guys will start looking around.

Look at ebay. There are some bargains and just about everything, but watch the shipping & handling charge.

I would start by buying 2 o 3 different reloading books and read them all. I would then probably get a Lee Classic Cast press since it's the best single stage press for the money on the market. Get a set of dies from Lee, Hornady, Foster... You would also need a good scale like the Hornady or RCBS. Case trimmers, debburing tools, sizing lube, reloading block. Depending if you reload for pistols or rifles, you might need a powder measure. I started with the Lee powder dippers when I started since I was only reloading for a 7mm Rem Mag. If you are going to reload some pistol rounds, I would get a good powder measure from Hornady, RCBS and the likes. I would stay away from the Lyman powder measure.

Like other people have said, buying one the reloading kits out there will also do the trick.

Enigma

If I lost all of my Reloading stuff in a fire or whatever I would probably just get a Lee Aniversary kit for about $60 bucks or whatever it is and add a good quality scale and some dies. I prefer RCBS dies but have a few Lee dies as well and they do a good job, they would be a good way to get up and running. And by all means get a good manual or two besides the Lee one.

That way you can spend more on the stuff that really matters, like powder, bullets, targets and gas to get to your favorite hunting spots.

I'm pretty new myself, but here's my sentiments anyway.

As stated above, get books/manuals and read first, before you buy any equipment. Then get on websites, and get catalogs, and look at all the products out there. Decide what you need/want, then shop around.

I got a Rock Chucker Supreme kit on sale at midwayusa.com several months back and got it about 30 bucks cheaper than anywhere else. Then I added to the kit with dies, tumbler, bullet puller, trimmer, and some other odds and ends that have been useful.

Also as mentioned above... use this site. Go through old threads and see if anything is useful to you. If you have even the silliest question, ask anyway. You'll get lots of advice here. I know I have.

Good luck, be careful, and have fun.

quote:

Originally posted by .223 VARMINT-VENTALATOR:
ok guys bear with me. I have never reloaded my own b4. How much does a basic rig run and waht all do i need. I have about 3 difererent calibers that I want to handload. thx guys

Well, First of all, you need a couple of good reloading manuals. Hodgdon and Lyman are very good ones, because these two don't play favorites. Both cover powders and bullets made by a lot of different manufacturers, unlike most of the rest which have powder or bullets to sell. In addition. Lyman manuals have data for obsolete rounds, like the .32/40, .38/55, .45/90, .50/70. .50/140, etc.

Next, I recommend you go on e-bay and see if you can get the dies, press, powder measure(s), case trimmer, and powder scale you need.

I bought a practically brand-new RCBS Rockchucker press on e-bay for $50.00, and a number of the new die sets I needed at very low prices - ie., $20.00 for a new set of RCBS FL dies for the .30/40 Krag, and $45.00 for a set of .416 Rigby dies.

These days, no one should have to buy any reloading equipment new from a dealer, except in dire emergencies. I may be forced to purchase a new set for the 6.5X54mm Mannlicher, though, since e-bay has only listed one set I am aware of during the past year.

A word of caution on buying from e-bay - always check the bids against Midway, Graf's and Huntington's prices, and never bid more than you'd have to pay them, INCLUDING THE SHIPPING CHARGES! I've seen a few cases where some guy got carried away with "bidding fever", and ended up paying way too much for an item. Some sellers charge excessive prices for shipping a two-die set!!

Good luck.

I started "rolling my own" when I was 14. I got bored with it after a few years and kind of let things go missing. When I got the itch again, it stuck. I started buying sale stuff. I have a mixture of brands that over the years I have found work better for me. I absolutely love the Lee classic cast press. As far as dies go I wont buy anything but redding. I like hornady's hand prime tool, scale, powder measure, case care kit and their seating dies arent bad either. MTM makes good miscellaneous accessories like little storage boxes and loading blocks. Lee trimmers are at best ok, go ahead and get a lathe type case trimmer. I just got a second hand lyman universal trimmer and even though it is almost worn out it allows you the ability to make sure that the case mouth is square. The lee hand trim things might only trim one little part of the case mouth and it makes me worry about uniform bullet release and neck tension. Midway tumblers are fine. I have one that is very old and it still does just as fine as the new one. Just be sure to keep your equipment clean (especially dies) and lubed where applicable and it will last many years.

There's a saying I've learned through my limited experience... "Do it right or do it over" I wanted to see what reloading was all about and bought the Lee Anniversary kit. It had everything I needed and it worked without a problem. That being said, I gave all of those componants away over time and now have exactly what I want. I'm now loading 6 or 7 different calibers and my advice would be to go with the Lee kit. It's so cheap that if you like reloading and want to stay with it, you can replace the parts you don't like and not suffer much of a financial loss. If you go BIG. You might $uffer the consequences...

Thanks alot for all the info guys. It is forums like this that keep our sport alive and stroung. thaks again.. by the way i am goingg to look for the lee kit used and see where that taes me. money is tight...if You could only get one manual what would it be?

Hodgdons.
The others are bullet or powder specific while Hodgdon lists most common powders plus theirs along with a good selection of bullets from multiple sources. They also have a good section on "how to".

If money's tight, the Lee manual should be fine. They don't make powder or bullets so the info is reasonably non-biased.

Congrats on getting into a great new hobby. Also, PLEASE reload from a book for a while before you load fron the internet... The good info here (on the net) will help you shoot better... the bad info could hurt you!

Heads up and good luck.

advice well recieved gentlemen-thankyou
I am getting Underway for a couple weeks, but I will return. thx

One small thing I would like to add. I would suggest not falling into the trap of brand loyalty. Each manufacterer makes some things that are better suited to your needs than another. Also, I no longer buy die sets. I like the Redding type S bushing dies, either neck size only or full, the Hornady seater dies for single stage presses and the Ponsness-Warren side feed seating die for progressives. I tend to seat the bullet without criming it, and then in a third step I use whatever extra seating die I have to do the crimp. I use the Lee hand prime device to seat my primers rather than the press mounted devices. I keep an RCBS collet type bullet puller handy to disassemble my mistakes. This is just the basics and doesn't cover case preparation tools or devices to determine the correct bullet seating depth.

Read the published manuals with a grain of salt because some of them gloss over important items.
The best tool is to post your questins here and get a variety of answers. I think the people here will go the extra mile to get you started with safe and practical advice.

Another vote for the Lee kit. Great way to start, and you will get very serviceable ammo from it.

Also, if you are mainly doing ammo for a bolt action, look into the Lee Collet die for neck sizing. I just got one for .308 Win last night, and I love it!

.223:
One thing I would add to all of the great advice you have already, try to find some one in your area that reloads. There is a lot that takes trying and not getting right before you know how the best way is. You should be able to find someone around the gun club, or askin your gun shop. I was lucky enough to start with my father and I am still using much of his equipment I hate to think how old it is.
BE SAFE. If you question what you have done, such as did I put the proper powder in that 200 cartridges? Pull the bullets and start over. Powder bullets shot and primers are not cheap, but they are less than the value of your eyes or life.
Also, although you have received good advice about holding the cost down at first, what noone has told you is that you are going to end up spending enough eventualy to buy an amunition factory, or at least a coulpe of Alabama co-eds, which might be risker than blindfolded re-loading.
Welcome brother .223.
Again what ever you do BE SAFE>
Judge Sharpe

My Lee Anniversary kit has served well for years now. I can't see any reason for me to change anytime soon. I really like their factory crimp die, too. Their Pacesetter die sets come with this die, but they are available separately as well. I have other brand die sets, but honestly don't see that big a difference in real functionality. From what I can tell, ammo quality is more a function of the care of the user than the brand of equipment.

You can get into this for very little money if you shop around. My whole setup (new) cost less than one box of 416 Rigby ammo...