I am wanting to buy some reloading equipment (just starting out) and looking for some advice:1. I don't want to spend a ton of money2. I don't want to buy a complete P.O.S.3. Not sure if I should buy a single station press or a turret press (or both)4. Reliability is and consistent.Price-wise I am looking at the lee presses, since they seem to be the least expensive.

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They also don't look crappy, but I haven't really seen them up close - any opinions here? I'm sure a bunch of you guys have them - (opinions that is)Is this something I should avoid buying used off of ebay? Are there special things I should look out for If I buy a used press?I am looking at the lee classic turret and the lee classic cast single stage. Also the Lee Safety Prime Press Mounted Primer System (Lee 90997) or the lee auto prime IIIt seems the dies are pretty well interchangeable from one manufacturers press to another, are other parts such as powder measures interchangeable too? Handgun ammo is a pain to load on a single stage, rifle ammo not so much.I never prime using the press or press mounted systems. They are slow and don't have enough feel for when the primer is fully seated. Too much leverage.

Lee's hand priming tool works fine and is inexpensive. It requires special shell holders that add to it's expense.Lee's Clessic Cast single stage press is the best value on the market. It's the only Lee press I will endorse.

You can get it and other Lee products for what other locations sell at 'on sale' prices atI like any other major maker single stage press, it's hard to make a mistake. Take a look at:RCBS's Rock ChuckerRedding's Boss pressRedding's Big Boss pressBuying used, especially from an estate sale, is a good way to go.

Normally you don't get a huge discount doing so. The same applies to online auctions.Buy carbide pistol dies, they do not require any lube to resize. A little lube will make the process slicker, but isn't needed at all.I went to Dillon's 550B after making the mistake of buying Lee's pro 1000 progressive.

It's a dream compared to single stage reloading, especially foe handgun cartridges. I've reloaded on single stage presses since 1985 or so. They work fine but are exceedingly slow for handguns.

Any of the 'big name' presses and equipment should work just fine, just depends on how fast you want to reload. If you shoot a LOT of handgun, then a progressive is probably justified.but I've loaded thousands of pistol rounds on single stage press and never knew I had a 'handicap'. Speed isn't everything, besides a single stage press is more appropriate for rifle rounds in my humble opinion.Yes, all modern manufacturers adopted the 7/8 x 14 die thread many years ago. Shell holders are also interchangeable for the most part. RCBS was responsible for pushing the 'standardization' back in the early 1960's.Ebay offerings have really jumped in price lately, although you can still find a good bargain occasionally.

I think you should purchase something you can see first hand though, rather than from a picture and ad description.Lee got a lot of people started in the hobby with their low priced offerings, but personally I'd prefer a cast iron press. Their new Classic Cast has gotten some excellent reviews. The Lee dies are probably the best buy on the market. Not fancy, but they work just fine.The Lyman T mag press offered by sicero would be an excellent press and perhaps the only one you'd ever need. Get a powder scale FIRST and learn how to use it, then a powder measure which will speed things up. So basically:PressDies(s)Shell holder(s)Priming device(may be on the press)ScaleA GOOD reloading manual by one of the major companiesGo slow at first.learn the procedures. As with all things, speed comes with practice but NEVER make drastic changes to powder charge, bullet, etc.

Without consulting the manuals or asking advice. Reloading is quite safe for anyone with ordinary mechanical abilities.

The fact that it's fun and saves money is just icing on the cake. I reload alot of ammo for both pistol and Rifle. Over 650,000 rounds /year.I have tryed all the presses out there.The Lee is only 3 stations and you really need a minimum of four stations.The RCBS, was ok but I didn't like the primer system.The Dillon Square-Deal is to small, requires special dies, and can not do rifle.C&H was a 4 station inline press but the case advancing rails where a pain to keep adjusted properly, and AOL was not consistent between different makes of brass. I could not load rifle on it.Rock-chucker single stage press, slow, slow, slow.I bought my first Dillon 550 back in 1984 and it is still on the bench being used today. For the money I think it is the best press to start out with.

It is the least expensive of all the presses to do caliber conversions for. This press is over 25 years old and Dillon will still warranty replacement parts. I use this press for sizing and trimming rifle brass these days. This press has loaded over one million rounds.Over the years I have acquired 3 Dillon RL-1000 eight station progressive presses. This is the predecessor to the Dillon 1050. They are all metal presses, no plastic.

I have 2 of these set up on the bench and a 3rd for spare parts. One is set up for small primers, the other for large primers. They also come with a primer pocket swedging attachment for all the military crimped primer pockets. No more doing it by hand.Other things you will need.A good solid bench is a must to have for reloading. The kitchen table is just not stable enough.An electronic scale for powder measurements is so much more accurate then a beam scale. Keep it clean and it will last a life time.A vibrator bowl type cleaner for cleaning your brass BEFORE you reload it.

The best media is medium grade corncob. The walnut breaks down to fast and is to hard for brass to do a good job.Store your primers and powder in the house.

If you store them in the garage or work shed they will not last long. They need to stay high and dry and not be exposed to the weather.There is a lot more to reloading they people are not aware of. Read about the safety concerns and follow them, or you will get hurt.Hope this helpsrzapDallas, tx. If you don't want to spend a ton of money the Lee hand press can't be beat. It is cheap, works, portable, and works anywhere as no mounting is required. You can actually reload while shooting to adjust the load.If you don't want to spend a ton of money and want to crank out lots of pistol rounds, the Lee Pro 1000 is it. It'll also work on 223 but not 762x39.

I like this setup so much that I have one setup for 45 and another for 9mm that are dedicated for volume output.Otherwise get any of the current O frame presses and have a good time as they're all pretty much the same. I'd go for an 'O' type iron frame press for your first entry. Unless you get into bullet swaging, you'll never need anything stronger. After you gain a little experience, you'll be in a better position to choose a progressive press. As others suggested, carbide die sets for straight walled cases.

Bottleneck cases can be effectively resized with a carbide neck size set.if used only in one rifle. Someone commented on electronic scale accuracy; I have a conventional magneticly damped beam type, and have never noticed a discrepancy with check weights.

Like others, I use a hand priming tool, a Lee, I think but not sure.Read everything you can get your hands on. You'll likely, as I did, acquire copies of most of the available loading manuals, and later settle on the ones you really make use of. I guess I will give my opinionI dislike single stage presses, I guess for some folks its fine and dandy.

To me its an outdated technology. A modern progressive press compared to a single stage it like going from a pedal lathe to a cnc lathe.

(Dont take offense that I have mocked your press, it works for you great, its just my opinion).Lee stuff in general (here I go again insulting a great company ) is cheap for a reason. Most of it needs help to get running and stay running. However, if you know that going in it can and does work.Dillon, I kinda like this stuff, while its not handed down from God, its pretty good stuff. No its not cheap, but what good tools are.

Any of these presses will last you a long time. They do hold value so even used they arent cheap. The good news is that once you own it its yours and if you want to upgrade you still have value in that press to sell so you arent starting from nothing again. Dillon has a great warranty and service.Just above is a post from RZAP, I think its pretty good advice. I would also think that a Dillon 550 would be a great press to get started with. I do like the 650 better but its a money issue.

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Dillons primer feed works, no need to hand prime. Dillons dies are VERY good. Change overs arent to expensive and are easy to do.

I feel that there are other advantages to the Dillon press but I will stop here.You can find them on eBay, I bought mine used on eBay. If you look long enough you might find a buy it now listed cheaper that what it should be.If its a money issue, shoot half of what you shoot now.

Put that saved money in a coffee can, after a while you will have enough to buy a nice new press and set up the way you like. Think of it and buying a tool, want a harbor freight special or a high end one?

In the end its the same idea to me.Anchor, how can YOU not have a 'progressive' pressYou can check out Brian Enos for dillon info.Feel free to disagree with me, its ok. Rzap brings up an interesting point. I don't think I'd work with steel cases; YMMV. Steel isn't as easily annealed as brass, and those steel cases will likely need annealing before brass cases will. Finally, brass cases aren't all that much harder to acquire.As to the controversy over single stage vs progressive, I think it comes down to how much you shoot. If you put a couple boxes through your bolt gun in an average session, then I doubt you'll find yourself put out by using a single stage press.

OTOH, if you run 1000 rounds through your.45 over a weekend of fun, a progressive will relieve much of the drudgery.One thing I think all can agree on, once one starts reloading, one shoots more. Total agreement with R1200.Start out with a single stage.

A progressive will have you pulling your hair out and it could possible load dangerous reloads until you completely know what you are doing.I teach reloading and I'm one of the first NRA certified reloading instructors. Currently I have four Lee 1000 progressives, a Dillon 550, a Lyman six station turret, a Lee 4 station turret, a RCBS Rock Chucker and a few simple Lee and RCBS thrown in for good measure.I'll tell you like I've told hundreds of students.Get an RCBS Rock Chucker system for your first reloading. The whole system sells for about $300 and all you need is dies and components and you are reloading. You will use it for your lifetime and so will your children and your grandchildren. Extremely well made.A single stage press will teach you the basics, if you watch what you are doing it's nearly impossible to double load a pistol case and it will produce 'benchrest' quality cartridges.For pistol cartridges, there is nothing like a progressive. My Lee 1000 units can load over 500 cartridges in an hour.

But owning a Lee 100 is like owning an old English sports car. They need lots of fiddling with to get them to operate properly.

The Dillon products are second to none for progressives. Forget everything else, when it's time for a progressive, go Dillon.You can check out my reloading room for ideas here:Hope this helps! Rbertalotto, you have probably the nicest reloading room set up I have ever seen!!I still question the single stage press, I know its against reloading culture to say that.I have two points and I dont want to seem argumentative, were just guys BSin around the water cooler havin fun!!Please feel free to disagree, I am using myself as an example.While a single stage press might produce slightly better (if you weigh each charge) ammo than a progressive, its tedious and slow. If when I started I had to deal with that handling each case four times in the press plus adding powder I would have given up in disgust and just bought ammo. I dont have the patience to do it. It would be a chore and not enjoyable FOR ME.Secondly, this is a machinist forum most folks here are very mechanical people.

People can read, understand and follow directions. Also they can find out the hows and whys of things they dont understand. I guess my point is that most folks here are smarter and better at all things mechanical. So its not like office Joe is just git-n-her done, one way or the other.Personaly I started with a Dillon Square Deal making 40 S&W for my Glock, moved on to a Dillon 650 and load 9mm, 38/357, 44mag, 45 acp, 223, and others. Soon to be doing 30.06 and 308 and 41mag. Also a Dillon sl900 for shotgun shellsIts just my opinion and were just chatting to have fun!

It is good to see a clean reloading area. One of the best ways to keep out of trouble with reloading is to keep the area clean. On the larger progressive presses, powder, brass shavings, and general spooge needs to be cleaned up regularly. I do it after every reloading session. I also brake down and do a total cleaning and lubing after a week of reloading. I reload 2,000 rounds per day.I have a friend that has 2 manamatics, and reloads 10,000 to 14,000 rounds per day and he brakes his presses down every day for cleaning and relube.Those are great pictures.

But I have to assume those where taken just after you set them up. I would like to see a few pictures of what they look like after reloading on them.Here is a picture of my presses after 2 years of reloading. Both presses will be totally dismantled and cleaned and lubed tomorrow. Here's an option that I know works with my MEC progressive machine. Why not purchase a Dillon 550 in anticipation of future volume but for the intro period run it one stage at a time until the precision requirements and problems can be experienced?I disconnected the powder and shot drop linkage along with the primer feed tube. I was able to watch each stage as the shot shell made its way around the the different stations.

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The automatic machine became manual until I was sure that it was set up correctly.However I still cherish my little MEC Junior if I just need a couple of boxes for Trap each week.Reloading is like riding a motorcycle in my opinion. You always need to be alert. XNoticeThis website or its third-party tools process personal data (e.g. Browsing data or IP addresses) and use cookies or other identifiers, which are necessary for its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the cookie policy. To learn more, please refer to the.In case of sale of your personal information, you may opt out by sending us an email via our page.To find out more about the categories of personal information collected and the purposes for which such information will be used, please refer to our.You accept the use of cookies or other identifiers by closing or dismissing this notice, by scrolling this page, by clicking a link or button or by continuing to browse otherwise.