Beginning Reloading

[DaFadda]

JDL.... Also not qualified to make your decision as to whether or not to reload. THAT said (standard disclaimer-lol) the Lee Classic turret press is a good choice. I use one myself, in addition to a Rockchucker. The advantage for you is that once you have the removable turret set properly, it will hold its tolerances quite well (not too many adjustments once its set up correctly.) Remove the auto advance ratchet on the press, and you have a VERY servicable single stage press (to the point of other respondents) that can be hand turned to the next operation.

All of this said. I have some experience with friends with MS. Your wife is very wise to have some reservations. My sincere suggestion is that you find a reloading partner, and only charge and seat loads when you two are together. Four eyes and two brains are better than one. There are a lot of steps in reloading that can be done alone, so you would have plenty to do. I.E.

1. cleaning
2. Depriming/case prep
3. priming ( I prefer Hand priming)
4. Belling / Flaring of Cases

All the above can be done by yourself. Having an extra set of eyes and hands to check powder charges, and to seat and taper crimp the final rounds? This is where your MS MAY (and I stress MAY... only you, your Doctor and the Mrs. know your limitations) require the assistance of a trusted friend.

I would suggest a Wilson or Dillon "Pistol Max Gage" in all calibers you are reloading for. It checks the critical dimensions of the completed round. It's basically a "go-nogo" gage. If the round fits, it will fit in your chamber. If it don't... it won't. I don't put a lot of lead down my barrels, I prefer Montana Gold FMJ or JHP in 230 grain. I buy them in 1000 - 2000 lots. (I'm getting lazy, don't want to work at getting the lead out).

Good luck in your decisions. And show your wife this thread. Talk it through with her. "its a good thing."
God Bless,


In all things, please.... Safety first.

[DaFadda]

Jdl... here's what it looks like. The turret installed in the press is for .357 magnum. On the bench to the left is a turret that is already set up and ready in .40 S&W. All I have to do is a 1/4 twist and lift off the turret and replace with the new caliber. The three dies are the deprime/case straightening, Second is belling, third is seating.

By removing the auto index ratchet (not shown, I also prefer batch processing) this is a very servicable and reliable setup.

Just my 2 cents

[GoldenVolt]

Jim,

I also don't like shooting much lead. It will crud up your dies and smokes like a fraught train when shot.

I mainly use Rainier plated bullets. Depending on who has the best price on the day I order Midway, Natchez or Cabalas.

Stay safe.

Greg

[DaFadda]

a "Fraught ". Methinks you speaketh the King's English faultily my liege!
ROFL

[svandamme]

The smoke is actually not to bad if you keep from maxing out the loads.
I run 200 grain LSWC with VihtaVuori powder and they don't smoke any more then my factory Fiocchi 230 ball.

I do also have Magtech 200 grain LSWC, i shoot that just to get fresh brass , plinking and yes , the smoke on those full power Magtechs is terrible..



Have fun with yer reloading , i think you'll be fine with a turret press.

MS is a biotch, but it's not like you have to rollover .. stay active, I'm sure , if you take your time, you'll be just fine reloading..

[Grizzman]

A good aspect of single stage loading is that it can be done very effectively in batches. The use of multiple loading trays makes it fairly simple to ensure the current operation was completed on a piece of brass, including visually inspecting every case in a tray for the appropriate amount of powder.

I've been using a Rockchucker for a long time and can recommend it without reservation.

I only use jacketed bullets (Hornady XTP, Nosler JHP, & Sierra FMJ) and typically buy them from MidwayUSA.....actually logged in to order some more .308 bullets for 30-06. I also use Brownells and Naches if I'll be ordering something else from them.

Good luck in your decision.

[Thedragonslayer]

(from a non-reloader as of yet.)

I was considering reloading myself just a few months ago, but the economy has put a lot of things on hold.

I have "played around" with very small set-ups and large multiple stage set-ups. I felt the multi-stage presses such as the Dillion could load a lot of ammo quickly. You may not have to worry about time though, but that is a consideration. If you are punching paper, speed is king IMHO. But if you want precise reloads for specialized shooting, the hand work is preferable.

With the larger presses, you also get several alarms that will limit "serious" mistakes and thats what I liked the most. Once you start the process and have everything measured out correctly, the process and alarms work to keep you out of the "danger zones." Visual inspections of each load and an occasional measure check are very easy to do and also help build on your quality.

The bad part is price. I was just over $1,200 for a fully set-up Dillion 650 with all the bells and whistles.

Just some thoughts.

Good Luck and please let us know what you decide to do.

[GoldenVolt]

Originally Posted by DaFadda

a "Fraught ". Methinks you speaketh the King's English faultily my liege!
ROFL

My bad. I was watching Full Metal Jousting.


Correction...... Freight . why would spell check let that go through?