Hello All. Just about to get started reloading. I have ordered to Lee 50th Anniversary Kit. I hope this will be good enough to get started. Started with this kuit due to budget constraints. Any info on this kit or other stuff to get started would be greatly appreciated. Only doing pistol loads right no(9mm and .45 ACP.

quote:

Originally posted by allensee:
Hello All. Just about to get started reloading. I have ordered the Lee 50th Anniversary Kit. I hope this will be good enough to get started. I'm starting with this kit due to budget constraints. Any info on this kit or other stuff to get started would be greatly appreciated. Only doing pistol loads right now (9mm and .45 ACP).

Yours is the most valid reason for buying this kit (economical constraints). It will be fine for your pistol reloading.

You are starting on an educational process. What you learn on your way will influence your process decisions. And your process will determine what your future equipment needs will be and the results to be attained.

Hopefully, you will learn the individual piece's deficiencies and replace them with choice equipment rather than to perpetuate the notions of non-existent virtues of your initial selection. You'll need a dial caliper and probably a hand-priming tool to complement your kit.

It's not my purpose to denigrate your current situation, but rather to show the way to a bright future, something we all need right about now.

Merry Christmas. And a Sinclair catalog for future Merry Christmas's.
.

quote:

Originally posted by allensee:
Hello All. Just about to get started reloading. I have ordered to Lee 50th Anniversary Kit. I hope this will be good enough to get started. Started with this kuit due to budget constraints. Any info on this kit or other stuff to get started would be greatly appreciated. Only doing pistol loads right no(9mm and .45 ACP.

Welcome to reloading, your new obsession.

To start with: Carbide dies (tungsten-carbide as opposed to tool steel).

Straight-walled cartridges can be sized without lubrication in T-C dies, but if using tool steel you have to lube the cases. Spend the extra $10 and save lots of time.

Wear eye protection at all times when handling primers.

Read multiple loading manuals starting with "The ABC's of Reloading".

I composed a rather lengthy post I like to call "The 10 advices on reloading" Here it is:


So much is a matter of personal taste. All advice carries this caveat, "your mileage may vary".

When I bought my first gun (.357 Magnum Dan Wesson revolver), I bought, at the same time, a reloading setup because I knew I could not afford to shoot if I did not reload my own ammo. It cost me about 1/4 of factory ammo per round and paid for itself pretty quickly. I did not use a loading mench at all. I just mounted the press on a 2 x 6 plank long enough to wedge into the drawer of an end table. Good leverage meant the table did not lift or rock. I still use the same plank, but not it is mounted in a Black & Decker folding workbench. A loading bench "bolted to the center of the earth" would be more stable, but I do not feel deprived with it.

Advice #1 I found "The ABC's of Reloading" to be a very good reference. Short on data, yes, but I found it full of knowledge and understanding of the process. Check out offereings in your local library. Dated, perhaps, but you can taste-test their writing style. Richard Lee's book "Modern Reloading" has a lot of food for thought, and does discuss the reasoning behind his opinions (unlike many manuals, and postings). Whether right or wrong, the issues merit thought, which that book initiates. It is not a simple book, though and you will find it provocative reading for many years.

Read as many manuals as you can, for the discussion of the how-to steps. What one manual covers thinly, another will cover well. As far as load data in older manuals, the powder manufacturers and bullet manufacturers may have better information and their web sites are probably more up to date. But pay attention to what the ammunition was test-fired from. (regular firearm vs a sealed-breech pressure test barrel)

The reason you want more than one or two is that you want to read differing authors/editors writing styles and find ones that "speak" to you. You also get better coverage of the subject; one author or editor may cover parts of the subject more thoroughly than the others.

Only after you know the steps can you look at the contents of a reloading kit and know what parts you will use and what parts the kits lack.

The public library should have manuals you can read, then decide which ones you want to buy.

There are instructional videos now that did not exist in the '70s when I started.


Load mid-range or slightly light at first so overpressures are not concerns. Just concentrate on getting the loading steps right and being VERY VERY consistent (charge weight, crimp strength, seating depth, primer seating force, all that)

You will probably spill powder or drop a primer eventually, so consider what you have for floor covering when you pick your reloading room. (Note: my worktable is portable, a folding workbench with two presses mounted on a board that I simply clamp into place. One press has a large primer feed, the other a small primer feed.)



Advice #2 Almost every manufacturer of loading equipment makes good stuff; if they didn't, they would lose reputation fast and disappear from the marketplace. Better equipment costs more generally. Cast aluminum is lighter, cheaper and less durable. Cast iron lasts practically forever. Lee makes good equipment, but is generally considered the "economy" equipment maker, though some of their stuff is considered preferable to more expensive makes. Just think about what you buy.

Almost every manufacturer makes a kit that contains everything you need to do reloading (except dies and the consumables). A decent way to get started without too much prior experience. Eventually most reloaders wind up replacing most of the components of the kit as their personal taste develops, but you will have gotten started, at least..

Advice #3 Learn on a single stage press or a turret press. Do not learn on a progressive press. Too many things happening at the same time are hard to keep track of.

Advice #4 Tungsten Carbide dies for your straight-walled cartridge cases. They do not require lubrication which will save you time. Carbide expander button for your bottlenecked cases. Keeps lube out of the inside of the cases.

Advice #5 Find a mentor. There is no substitute for someone watching you load a few cartridges and critiquing your technigue BEFORE you develop bad habits or make a dangerous mistake. (A mistake that might not have consequences right away, but maybe only after you have escaped trouble a hundred times until one day you get bit, for instance having case lube on your fingers when you handle primers 99 times, no problem because primers are coated with a sealant, but the hundredth primer may not be perfectly sealed and now winds up "dead")

I started loading with the guy who sold me my press watching over my shoulder as I loaded my first 6 rounds to make sure I did not blow myself up, load a powderless cartridge or set off a primer in the press. There is nothing like a tutor, or better yet, a mentor. A longer mentoring period might have changed my reloading style, but I learned a lot in those first 6 rounds, as he explained each step. Then I educated myself after that.

After you have been mentored, mentor someone else. Not necessarily in loading or the shooting sports, but in SOMETHING in which you are enthusiastic and qualified. Just give back to the community.

Advice #6 Wear eye protection, especially when seating primers

Advice #7 Don't pinch your fingers in your press.

Advice #8 Read previous threads on reloading, here are a couple I read.
https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve
http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=13543
http://www.rugerforum.com/phpB...625361fbd5ae1f754eec
The second one is a thread started by a new recruit to reloading whcih the moderators thought highly enough of to make it "sticky" so it stays on the top of the list of threads.

Advice #9 When you buy the very best, it hurts only once, in the wallet. When you buy cheap (too cheap) it hurts every time you use the gear. The trick is to buy good enough (on the scale between high quality and low price) to keep you happy without overpaying.

Advice #10 Verify for yourself everything you learn. Believe only half of what you see and one quarter of what you hear. That goes double for everything you find on the internet (with the possible exception of the actual web sites of the bullet and powder manufacturers). This advice applies to my message as much as anything else and especially to personal load recipes. Hare-brained reloaders might have dangerous habits and even an honest typographical error could be deadly.

Good luck.

Lost Sheep

read everything already posted again. learn how to buy used gear and unwanted components from oldtimers who have quit loading. mentor can help here. Wideners, midsouth shooters supply,in Tenn., s.e. ammo dawsonville GA. join a gun club. get with guys there and do power buys of cast bullets from the nearest makers. here we do 100,000 to 200,000 bullets from Valiant or Magnus and they deliver. yes we have as many guys in this deal as we can get. put a wanted notice on the club bulletin board that you want to buy all that stuff in the basement that the oldtimers wife has wanted out of there for years. he paid $3-$5 per box for what is now $18. buy it for $5-$8 per bx.make his wife happy.

I also bought a Lee reloading kit thinking I was getting off cheap. I was wrong. After reloading a few rounds I replaced a lot of the equipment and when it was all done I wish I had just of dished out the money for the rcbs kit. You get what you pay for here.

Thank You all for the very valuable advice. Going for books tomorrow.

Another good book (may have come with your kit) is Modern Reloading, Second Edition by Richard Lee. Read it thoroughly up to the data pages.

It will work, but I am not a fan of much of Lee's equip. You are likely to end up replacing things like the mediocre scale. Still, it will make good ammo & it's cheap, better than not reloading. make sure you get a good manual (not a fan of the Lee either) & The ABCs is invaluable to a newb.

Trying to save money can sometimes bring you all kinds of issues.There may be better ones,but a Rock Chucker press will take you a long ways.I also recommend you get the Sinclair hand priming tool and use Redding dies.

quote:

better than not reloading.

The question is - are you are you a shooter - a real shooter. If you need to shoot to stay happy, any equipment and method is better than not reloading.

quote:

Originally posted by elmo729:
I also bought a Lee reloading kit thinking I was getting off cheap. I was wrong. After reloading a few rounds I replaced a lot of the equipment and when it was all done I wish I had just of dished out the money for the rcbs kit. You get what you pay for here.

Elmo729,

You WERE getting off cheap.

Unfortunately, you overshot the mark.

Here's my rule of thumb: Buying the very best hurst only once, when you pay for it. Buyting less quality than you need hurts every time you use it. The tricky part is not over-buy and not to under-buy.

The good news is that somewhere out there is a reloader whose needs will be a perfect fit for the Lee kit. Find him and get about 2/3 of your money back and he will be happy, you will be happy and the total amount of happiness in the world will be increased. I learned that in an economics class. Helps me get over my mistakes.

You are also not alone. Many folks who start out with one of the kits, even Redding's, wind up replacing many of the individual pieces of equipment as their tastes and preferences evolve.

Enjoy, don't be discouraged and don't pinch your fingers in your press.

Lost Sheep.

allensee, I too started off with the anniversary kit about 8 years ago, the aluminum one not the new cast iron classic. It should serve you fine until you want to upgrade. Mine has, and a friends has done him well also. He is pretty frugal and takes very good care of all of his toys. His press has done well for him as long or longer than mine has for me. He reloads for 9mm,357,22-250,243,and 30.06.

If you are in need of a set of 9mm dies yet, I have a Lee Carbide 3 die set that has only been used for a couple hundred rounds and a crimp die that has never been used. I bought a set of Dillon dies for use in my 550B, so don't need them any more.

PM me if interested, I will give you a good price including shipping.

Good luck and enjoy your new hobby.

Look at the classified section on this forum for equipment. Don't see any, Put your own WTB (wanted to buy) post there. There are lots of older reloaders who are willing to sell their stuff at good prices to a beginner. Maybe even better than good prices, eh, people?

quote:

Originally posted by Lost Sheep:
Advice #2 Almost every manufacturer of loading equipment makes good stuff; if they didn't, they would lose reputation fast and disappear from the marketplace. Better equipment costs more generally. Cast aluminum is lighter, cheaper and less durable. Cast iron lasts practically forever. Lee makes good equipment, but is generally considered the "economy" equipment maker, though some of their stuff is considered preferable to more expensive makes. Just think about what you buy.

My Dillon Square Deal B and RL550B progressives both use aluminum frames. They've been pumping out ammo for more than 10 years and neither shows signs of wear. Aluminum is certainly lighter than cast steel or iron. Don't get fooled by the cheaper and less durable quote.

If I remember correctly, Lee Precision shows on their website that their cast press is made from recycled railroad track. Unless they laid in a supply of the iron rails from the 1800's, then their press is made from steel, not cast iron.

Allensee, a word to the wise, here and everywhere else on Al Gore's internet: don't take anything as gospel. Try to verify all info. Always work up powder charges. Don't just dump in a charge because it's listed in some reloading manual as 'best target load,' 'most accurate load,' or 'factory duplication load.'
I loaded 45ACP ammo on a single stage press for decades. It will suffice quite well for the casual shooter. And I didn't even have the time-saving benefit of carbide sizing dies.

quote:

Originally posted by onefunzr2:

quote:

Originally posted by Lost Sheep:
Advice #2 Almost every manufacturer of loading equipment makes good stuff; if they didn't, they would lose reputation fast and disappear from the marketplace. Better equipment costs more generally. Cast aluminum is lighter, cheaper and less durable. Cast iron lasts practically forever. Lee makes good equipment, but is generally considered the "economy" equipment maker, though some of their stuff is considered preferable to more expensive makes. Just think about what you buy.

My Dillon Square Deal B and RL550B progressives both use aluminum frames. They've been pumping out ammo for more than 10 years and neither shows signs of wear. Aluminum is certainly lighter than cast steel or iron. Don't get fooled by the cheaper and less durable quote.

If I remember correctly, Lee Precision shows on their website that their cast press is made from recycled railroad track. Unless they laid in a supply of the iron rails from the 1800's, then their press is made from steel, not cast iron.

Allensee, a word to the wise, here and everywhere else on Al Gore's internet: don't take anything as gospel. Try to verify all info. Always work up powder charges. Don't just dump in a charge because it's listed in some reloading manual as 'best target load,' 'most accurate load,' or 'factory duplication load.'
I loaded 45ACP ammo on a single stage press for decades. It will suffice quite well for the casual shooter. And I didn't even have the time-saving benefit of carbide sizing dies.

onefunzr2,

Thanks for catching my gaffe. I do not mean to imply that aluminum presses are cheaply made. They are generally less expensive (in Alaska, partly because of the shipping costs). Iron takes abrasion better because it is harder, so aluminum takes a little more attention to lubrication and cleanliness, but will last longer than most reloaders' lifetimes if well taken care of, just as cast iron will.

And, as you point out, "don't take anything as gospel". The way I usually put it is, "Remember, only believe half of what you see and one quarter of what you hear. That goes double for what you get from the internet. Even this post."

Happy reloading and Merry Christmas