What's a good, cheap reloading press?

[Kaiser7 33]

I originally wasn't going to get into reloading until I moved out, but recently I cleaned up my mom's basement a little, and have the room to do it. I mainly want to reload 8mm mauser right now, since (even though I clean it right after firing it) the thought of corrosive rounds scares me. Also, new production 8mm ammo is fairly expensive, and somewhat uncommon. I figured I could just buy some 57mm brass casings, and start reloading. I know I need a powder measuring device as well, and a recipe book, as well as primers, but I'm planning on adding to this kit over time.

 

So what would a cheap press, and an 8mm die cost me? Any good deals?

[hd2000fxdl 422]

Getting a nice single stage would get you going for not a lot of coin, but I wouldn't cheap out completely, even when or if you ever decide to load pistol ammo and move into a progressive, it's nice to have a good single stage to use. I went to opposite route, did the progressive first, but will get a single stage down the road, and like anything, I like to get good quality stuff, yea it might cost a few bucks more, but it will save you money over time, being you don't have to either replace it with a good one, or fix problems. Also one that works well will save you time, and as they say, time is money.

[Kaiser7 33]

Getting a nice single stage would get you going for not a lot of coin, but I wouldn't cheap out completely, even when or if you ever decide to load pistol ammo and move into a progressive, it's nice to have a good single stage to use. I went to opposite route, did the progressive first, but will get a single stage down the road, and like anything, I like to get good quality stuff, yea it might cost a few bucks more, but it will save you money over time, being you don't have to either replace it with a good one, or fix problems. Also one that works well will save you time, and as they say, time is money.

 

What's the difference between a single stage and a progressive? Granted I'm no expert, I always figured the steps were 1) resize round/knock out spent primer. 2) seat new primer 3)measure out powder/fill casing 4)seat bullet and press in.

 

I should mention. When I say "cheap" I'm talking about a good cost/quality ratio.

[hd2000fxdl 422]

Progressive has multiple stations so you can let say de-prime and size, one to add powder/bell, another to seat and another to crimp, some are auto advancing, some you need to rotate the plate to advance the positions. In a single stage, you would do each operation one at a time, pull that die and do your next operation ans so on.

 

Adds time, but as many long time loaders will tell you, it's best to start on a single stage being you learn more, and have less chance of making a mistake. Me I don't listen well.

[Old School 611]

If you decide you are really going to take the plunge, give ma a shout and I should be able to dig up a single stage press and maybe some 8mm dies for you.

[Kaiser7 33]

If you decide you are really going to take the plunge, give ma a shout and I should be able to dig up a single stage press and maybe some 8mm dies for you.

 

Yeah, I do think I will, I'm planning on doing it after I buy my semi-auto rifle, whatever that may be. I figure that depending on what caliber I get in that, I'll try and find a die for that too.

 

What about the lube for the dies? I know if you get (Tungsten maybe?) dies, you don't need lube.

[Old School 611]

Yeah, I do think I will, I'm planning on doing it after I buy my semi-auto rifle, whatever that may be. I figure that depending on what caliber I get in that, I'll try and find a die for that too.

 

What about the lube for the dies? I know if you get (Tungsten maybe?) dies, you don't need lube.

 

You still lube with carbides. When you pull the handle you'll know the difference. I like Hornady One Shot spray. Don't have to clean it off afterwards either.

[Kaiser7 33]

You still lube with carbides. When you pull the handle you'll know the difference. I like Hornady One Shot spray. Don't have to clean it off afterwards either.

 

What would a single-stage go for? At a PA gun show, some guy wanted to sell one, with a set of dies for $80. I wanted to look around first before buying from him, but I couldn't find the guy again.

[Old School 611]

What would a single-stage go for? At a PA gun show, some guy wanted to sell one, with a set of dies for $80. I wanted to look around first before buying from him, but I couldn't find the guy again.

 

Lyman C-press on the low end RCBS Rockchucker on the high end.

 

http://www.midwayusa...gle-stage-press

 

http://www.midwayusa...gle-stage-press

 

These are just presses but look at kits and you may be able to save a few bucks. PM me a link before you buy anything.

[hd2000fxdl 422]

What would a single-stage go for? At a PA gun show, some guy wanted to sell one, with a set of dies for $80. I wanted to look around first before buying from him, but I couldn't find the guy again.

 

What age make, model and condition was it in?? that can have a huge factor in cost. See what Frank has and has to say about it, he won't steer you wrong.

 

Frank, I'll take that 5 buck you told me you'd give me for saying that... (oops, did I say that out loud)

 

Seriously, you can get into a single stage for not a lot of coin but don't use that 80 buck offer with dies as a baseline, especially when you consider what quality dies cost, and the other associated things you will need, and calipers, tumbler to just name a few.

 

It's worth it to get into it, but don't think a few bucks out of your pocket will cover everything you need. It's a little investment in the beginning, but it does pay off in the end, and not just the cost of the ammo vs. factory. Accuracy, tailoring the ammo to your gun, and the satisfaction of doing it yourself are hard to put into numbers.

[Kaiser7 33]

What age make, model and condition was it in?? that can have a huge factor in cost. See what Frank has and has to say about it, he won't steer you wrong.

 

Frank, I'll take that 5 buck you told me you'd give me for saying that... (oops, did I say that out loud)

 

Seriously, you can get into a single stage for not a lot of coin but don't use that 80 buck offer with dies as a baseline, especially when you consider what quality dies cost, and the other associated things you will need, and calipers, tumbler to just name a few.

 

It's worth it to get into it, but don't think a few bucks out of your pocket will cover everything you need. It's a little investment in the beginning, but it does pay off in the end, and not just the cost of the ammo vs. factory. Accuracy, tailoring the ammo to your gun, and the satisfaction of doing it yourself are hard to put into numbers.

 

I also figured I could reload my friend's .30-06 shells, for a few bucks. We usually take my 8mm, and his 30-06s out to the range, and last time I had to cover the ammo for them, ended up spending like $70 on .30-06, and shotgun slugs.

 

I never did get that part of the cash back.....

[hd2000fxdl 422]

I also figured I could reload my friend's .30-06 shells, for a few bucks. We usually take my 8mm, and his 30-06s out to the range, and last time I had to cover the ammo for them, ended up spending like $70 on .30-06, and shotgun slugs.

 

I never did get that part of the cash back.....

 

I trust shooting my reloads through My guns, but as a person new to reloading I wouldn't use any of mine in someone else's gun unless they were fine with it and I understood if something happened I would buy the broken gun from them, but thats just me. Same way I won't shoot anyone else's reloads in my guns, if I did, I would really have to know them and the work they do, and that include the many here who have helped me get started and who I hold as very knowledgeable and respect their abilities, but wouldn't want even a non related problem with their ammo to cause a problem. Some things are best to be kept to ones self.

[Old School 611]

I trust shooting my reloads through My guns, but as a person new to reloading I wouldn't use any of mine in someone else's gun unless they were fine with it and I understood if something happened I would buy the broken gun from them, but thats just me. Same way I won't shoot anyone else's reloads in my guns, if I did, I would really have to know them and the work they do, and that include the many here who have helped me get started and who I hold as very knowledgeable and respect their abilities, but wouldn't want even a non related problem with their ammo to cause a problem. Some things are best to be kept to ones self.

 

As a rule you're right on the money Harry!

 

Now Lunker has shot my reloads and we know each others capabilities and experience.

 

Just let me say if you load for somebody else you are accepting their rifle/pistol as your own.

 

Kaiser are you guys borh shooting bolt action rifles? Are you guys both saving the brass fired in those rifles?

 

Harry, guess I'm going have to schedule the reloading class.

[Kaiser7 33]

As a rule you're right on the money Harry!

 

Now Lunker has shot my reloads and we know each others capabilities and experience.

 

Just let me say if you load for somebody else you are accepting their rifle/pistol as your own.

 

Kaiser are you guys borh shooting bolt action rifles? Are you guys both saving the brass fired in those rifles?

 

Harry, guess I'm going have to schedule the reloading class.

 

I don't really save mine (except for a little souvenir of my first round fired through my rifle) he saves his though.

 

Actually, well, most of what I've shot so far has been mil-surp 8mm rounds. As a result their steel-cased, so no reloading. Also, Berdan primers are a pain to get out from what I hear. I figured I'd just look around for a ton of spent 8mm cases for that rifle.

 

8mm ammo is just so expensive, especially when it's not surplus. I bought some Yugo rounds at the gun show for about .33 cents a round.

[hd2000fxdl 422]

Though you were w

Harry, guess I'm going have to schedule the reloading class.

 

Thought you were already working on that, I though I remembered you posting a few links for people to read last year.

[compujas 21]

I personally have a Lee Challenger Breech Lock that I use for everything since I haven't made the jump to progressive just yet. The breech lock press is nice because you don't have to re-setup the dies every time you switch, your settings are saved. I think single stage presses are simple enough that pretty much any press will work just fine. I also use Lee dies which work just fine for me and I haven't found a convincing argument to spend the extra money on other companies' dies. I've also never really read anything bad about any particular brand of dies, but if you're loading for extreme precision there may be benefits to one over another, but for regular reloading, any dies should work.

 

As for lubing cases and carbide dies, there are no carbide rifle dies. Carbide dies are only for straight wall cases. You must lube all rifle cases (or anything going into a steel die). If you don't lube the case, you will very quickly find out why you need to. I use Frankford Arsenal case lube, lay the cases out on a paper towel, give a quick spray, flip them over, another spray, wait a minute, and start sizing. You do have to clean them off afterwards, but if you're doing low volume with a single stage press anyway, I just use a paper towel to give them a quick wipe down after sizing. I've tried Hornady One Shot and nearly got a case stuck. For full disclosure, this was when I was still new to rifle reloading, so I may not have done it properly, so I'm not saying there's anything wrong with Hornady necessarily, but I switched to Frankford Arsenal and haven't had a problem since. The Lee Case Lube also works well, but gets messy as it's a paste that you apply with your fingers.

[Old School 611]

Though you were w

 

 

Thought you were already working on that, I though I remembered you posting a few links for people to read last year.

 

Yeah! gonna hold a class hands on soon,

[Old School 611]

I personally have a Lee Challenger Breech Lock that I use for everything since I haven't made the jump to progressive just yet. The breech lock press is nice because you don't have to re-setup the dies every time you switch, your settings are saved. I think single stage presses are simple enough that pretty much any press will work just fine. I also use Lee dies which work just fine for me and I haven't found a convincing argument to spend the extra money on other companies' dies. I've also never really read anything bad about any particular brand of dies, but if you're loading for extreme precision there may be benefits to one over another, but for regular reloading, any dies should work.

 

As for lubing cases and carbide dies, there are no carbide rifle dies. Carbide dies are only for straight wall cases. You must lube all rifle cases (or anything going into a steel die). If you don't lube the case, you will very quickly find out why you need to. I use Frankford Arsenal case lube, lay the cases out on a paper towel, give a quick spray, flip them over, another spray, wait a minute, and start sizing. You do have to clean them off afterwards, but if you're doing low volume with a single stage press anyway, I just use a paper towel to give them a quick wipe down after sizing. I've tried Hornady One Shot and nearly got a case stuck. For full disclosure, this was when I was still new to rifle reloading, so I may not have done it properly, so I'm not saying there's anything wrong with Hornady necessarily, but I switched to Frankford Arsenal and haven't had a problem since. The Lee Case Lube also works well, but gets messy as it's a paste that you apply with your fingers.

 

There are carbide rifle dies. I use carbide .223 dies in my Dillon.

As for the One Shot...I place the cases in a plastic coffee can, put a good mist in the can, Shake and repeat. To lube inside the neck...Shoot some One Shot on a Q-Tip and when you pick up a case dip the Q-Tip in the case mouth.

[raz-0 1,259]

 

 

I also figured I could reload my friend's .30-06 shells, for a few bucks. We usually take my 8mm, and his 30-06s out to the range, and last time I had to cover the ammo for them, ended up spending like $70 on .30-06, and shotgun slugs.

 

I never did get that part of the cash back.....

 

To sell ammo you reload, you need to be licensed as an ammo manufacturer. If you reload using a persons components, you don't, but you will need liability insurance, and will want to form an llc to protect you from lawsuits

 

To load rifle safely, you need a press, a powder scale, a powder measure, a case trimmer, some case lube, and a case gauge. This plus a loaded, in spec piece of ammo, and you can load safe rifle rounds. You'll probably want some more kit to go for maximum accuracy and for convenience

[Kaiser7 33]

To sell ammo you reload, you need to be licensed as an ammo manufacturer. If you reload using a persons components, you don't, but you will need liability insurance, and will want to form an llc to protect you from lawsuits

 

To load rifle safely, you need a press, a powder scale, a powder measure, a case trimmer, some case lube, and a case gauge. This plus a loaded, in spec piece of ammo, and you can load safe rifle rounds. You'll probably want some more kit to go for maximum accuracy and for convenience

 

Lol, well my friend saves his brass, but doesn't reload. I figured if he paid for the primers, powder, and actual bullets, I'd just reload it for him once I got good at it, just to save him cash. I'm not looking to go into business with it lol.

 

Hell, if it's just ammo we're going to use at a range, I'd likely put a lesser powder-charge in it, so i'm not really worried about causing damage to components from too high of a pressure in the chamber.

[raz-0 1,259]

 

 

Lol, well my friend saves his brass, but doesn't reload. I figured if he paid for the primers, powder, and actual bullets, I'd just reload it for him once I got good at it, just to save him cash. I'm not looking to go into business with it lol.

 

Hell, if it's just ammo we're going to use at a range, I'd likely put a lesser powder-charge in it, so i'm not really worried about causing damage to components from too high of a pressure in the chamber.

 

Hmm new to reloading, and you aren't worried about making ammo for someone else. You are EXACTLY who shouldn't be making ammo for someone else.

 

Did I mention not following the manufacturing laws is a felony?

[Kaiser7 33]

Hmm new to reloading, and you aren't worried about making ammo for someone else. You are EXACTLY who shouldn't be making ammo for someone else.

 

Did I mention not following the manufacturing laws is a felony?

 

Damn, no need for attitude. I just know that if I do start reloading, I'm going to be getting my friend asking me to reload for him.

[usnmars 136]

eh, just get the lee anniversary kit. It has everything you need but dies. I think midway has the whole setup for 99 right now. Also for the brass dont worry about buying 8mm brass. Just get some once fired 30-06 brass, trim it and put it in the 8mm die. It works without a hiccup. I just shot 400rds of my converted brass out of my MG42 today and didn't have one issue. I have shot a tone of these conversions and never had a problem at all.

[Kaiser7 33]

eh, just get the lee anniversary kit. It has everything you need but dies. I think midway has the whole setup for 99 right now. Also for the brass dont worry about buying 8mm brass. Just get some once fired 30-06 brass, trim it and put it in the 8mm die. It works without a hiccup. I just shot 400rds of my converted brass out of my MG42 today and didn't have one issue. I have shot a tone of these conversions and never had a problem at all.

 

Wait, $99 for the setup kit? That's pretty good....

 

And well, all my friend fires is .30-06. I'll just take his brass, and use it for myself.

 

How does trimming it go?

[Old School 611]

Wait, $99 for the setup kit? That's pretty good....

 

And well, all my friend fires is .30-06. I'll just take his brass, and use it for myself.

 

How does trimming it go?

 

Here you go! http://www.midwayusa.com/product/423081/lee-challenger-breech-lock-single-stage-press-anniversary-kit

 

Now listen VERY carefully. Eric said form from 30-06...If you think you want to do that get in your chariot and watch him do it.

[Kaiser7 33]

Here you go! http://www.midwayusa...anniversary-kit

 

Now listen VERY carefully. Eric said form from 30-06...If you think you want to do that get in your chariot and watch him do it.

 

Damn. I'd like to buy it from you Frank, since you're always trying to help me out, but that's a pretty damn good deal...

[hd2000fxdl 422]

How does trimming it go?

 

Actually before you do anything, I would pick up the latest editions of the Lyman's, and ABC's or reloading, and also a few others while your at it, read them a few times and then talk about getting equipment, you're getting a bunch of steps ahead of yourself here in this thread.

[Old School 611]

Damn. I'd like to buy it from you Frank, since you're always trying to help me out, but that's a pretty damn good deal...

 

Sale price is the same price as I would pay for it. So a direct buy is the way to go...

[Kaiser7 33]

Actually before you do anything, I would pick up the latest editions of the Lyman's, and ABC's or reloading, and also a few others while your at it, read them a few times and then talk about getting equipment, you're getting a bunch of steps ahead of yourself here in this thread.

 

That's why I ask so many questions on the boards. I have a serious habit of getting ahead of myself. If I ask others, I tend to do that...less.

[hd2000fxdl 422]

That's why I ask so many questions on the boards. I have a serious habit of getting ahead of myself. If I ask others, I tend to do that...less.

 

I understand but when it come to reloading expect more responses like raz-0's and don't get upset about it. Reloading is not really that hard, but there is a lot to it and just a convo on some forum isn't going to make you load safe ammo.

 

When is the last time you shot a 22LR revolver and had a case split and I'm not talking turning part of your hand a little black, I'm talking scorch your skin.

 

Now look up how different the amount of powder, and actual force compares to something like you are looking to load. F up and your in a world of hurt. raz-0's comment might be a little brash, but for good reason. Go look at some video on youtube and look for blowen up guns and think, that can happen to you.