Hi all

Thinking about starting to reload and looking for a sanity check

 

At first I will only be doing 9mm pistol cartridges.

 

I have been reading on here a bunch about what to get to start out and I think I have decided on the Hornady Classic Kit.  Although sometimes I hear “Don’t buy a kit, get the parts individually with the help and advice here”.

 

So here is what I’m thinking, please correct me if I’m wrong. (Granted these are all without the dies and dial caliper)

 

I can get the classic kit (NOT Deluxe) for about $270.00

 

If I add up the cost of the same Press, Bushings (3), Powder Measure and scale I’m already at $255.00. And that cost doesn’t include the Handbook, case lube, handheld Primer tool, and handheld Chamfer/Deburring tool, plus some other small do-dads.

 

Would I be able to get a better setup for that same $270.00 if I did something else?

 

My re-loading plan would be to de-cap/de-prime first with a dedicated die then a trip in the sonic cleaner for the brass.  Once dry, then re-prime and do normal reloading.

 

Thanks

 

-Craig

 

I think you may like the Lee Classic Turret press a bit more.  

 

See this post by Jon - http://www.njgunforums.com/forum/index.php/topic/35839-reloading-setups-minimum-equipment-to-buy/

Your choice or Krdshk's suggestion will work well.  I started on a progressive press but found I could not survive without a single stage press.  I like Hornady equipment and their CS is tops.  Just do me and yourself a favor, stay away from  Lee Presses.  I know the Lee fanboys will kick me to the curb, but I just do not think Lee presses are worth it.  9MM is easy to load because it is basically a straight walled case with no crimp. The case head spaces on the case mouth, so no over crimping.  Add a case gauge to your list, you cannot live without one when loading for semis. Get an EGW case gauge for 4 calibers and $20.  Deprime, clean, reload is the way to go.  Good Luck.   

the lee turret press is OK for the money.  I have one and I've run into a few issues with the function of the turret (lots of cheap plastic parts on it).  It's perfectly fine, but it's not high-quality as others on the market.  It'll run for a long time, but you'll likely be sourcing replacement parts periodically.  On a budget, you can't go wrong with it for producing good plinking ammo.

I have a Lee classic turret kit. I've loaded over 10k rounds on it the past few years and I still am happy with it.

A nice kit here for starting reloading,  http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/sportsmans/RCBS-Rock-Chucker-Supreme-Master-Reloading-Kit/productDetail/Reloading-Presses-and-Kits/prod99999040750/cat100158;jsessionid=wQ9eSSb-hPCL5Iu4v7igat-xRB5BgDCIV85p0mMBpuYjNHsjYNeP!1821870991

 

The most important thing is to READ AND UNDERSTAND the reloading process.Use established ,tested loads

and never share a load, What is safe in your gun may be a killer in another  gun.

Never think your smarter than the person who wrote the loading book otherwise we will be calling you

3 finger Sam

First. learn what you need and why.

A kit will give you all you need, but, if you are like most, you will quickly learn that there is equipment out there that YOU would be happier owning.

You don't NEED a tumbler. Wiping off the case exterior is more than sufficient.

You don't need any trimmers or such for 9x19. You can use the barrel of your gun for determining COL, but a 6" dial caliper is pretty cheap.

So, do you want to shoot 100 rounds a month? A $30 Lee Reloading Press and $10 Lee Ram Prime can handle this easily.

100 rounds a week? You can still do this with thevery cheap set-up above, but you might want an auto-indexing turret

100 rounds a day? You will want a adequate progressive press

That will determine the press you need.

You don't NEED a tumbler. Wiping off the case exterior is more than sufficient.

 

I always wanted a tumbler to get the crud inside the case clean, but I see your point.  After reloading a case 2 or 3 times without cleaning, my reloaded rounds have been getting my 1911 a lot dirtier than usual.

I started out with a Lee Progressive press and never had an issue. I personally don't know why people knock them. It was reasonably priced and has served me well. I've probably loaded about 12,000 rounds of .45 ACP with it in the 3 years I've had it.

I still am not sure what I want to do.

 

I keep going back and forth in my head, if I should take the reloading plunge or not.  Like I said, I will be reloading 9mm, so from what I understand there isn't much savings there (Guess it depends what you consider "worth it")

 

Some quick math, I figure you can reload 50 rounds of 9mm (Re-use my own brass) for about 8.75 - 9.00 (Per box)... is that correct? Berry's bullets and  tightgroup as a cost basis

 

9mm right now I'm ballparking about $11.50 shipped to my house for blazzer Brass (When I find good sales).. so it's a $2.50 - $2.75 saving per 50 rounds.

 

I shoot about between 150 and 300 rounds of 9mm month..  So in the end I *Save* between 8 and 16 bucks a month... so I guess its a decent amount?

I still am not sure what I want to do.

 

I keep going back and forth in my head, if I should take the reloading plunge or not. Like I said, I will be reloading 9mm, so from what I understand there isn't much savings there (Guess it depends what you consider "worth it")

 

Some quick math, I figure you can reload 50 rounds of 9mm (Re-use my own brass) for about 8.75 - 9.00 (Per box)... is that correct? Berry's bullets and tightgroup as a cost basis

 

9mm right now I'm ballparking about $11.50 shipped to my house for blazzer Brass (When I find good sales).. so it's a $2.50 - $2.75 saving per 50 rounds.

 

I shoot about between 150 and 300 rounds of 9mm month.. So in the end I *Save* between 8 and 16 bucks a month... so I guess its a decent amount?

That sounds about right price wise. Figure $0.10 for the bullet, $0.03 for the primer , and $0.03 for the powder per cartridge. That works out to $0.16 per round, or $8.00 per box of 50. There is a bit of savings there. Not sure if it's worth it for the amount of shooting you do. If you just want to expand your hobby, or are into target shooting, then by all means, go for it.

If you think you're gonna be shooting for many yrs to come (hence reloading for the hobby), I would start with a Dillon 550B.  I bought Maksim's lee classic turret and when I realized reloading isn't rocket science, I didn't even set it up and ordered a Dillon 550B.  It's a semi progressive press.  Easy to setup, easy to maintain, and gives you better output for your time.  You may not realize it now, but trust me, reloading 300 - 400 rds per hour is better than reloading on a single stage press or even on a lee classic turret. The reliability of Dillon's as well.  In my 3 yrs of owning a 550B, i've reloaded about 20-24K of 9s and 40s without anything breaking.  The cost will be double at first but as the saying goes, buy once, cry once! 

 

I've moved on to a Dillon 650 with a case feeder and reloading 400 rds is now a breeze! 

 

This is just my two cents. I wasted money on a Lee Classic turret because I didn't think things through so I'm sharing you my experience.  You want to shoot and not spend time reloading. 

Do not question whether to reload or not.  Having a press gives you options you cannot achieve by just buying ammo.  Custom loading is key to any real competitive solution.  Add to that if Murphy is our next governor you may be limited on how much ammo you can buy or store for that matter.  Reloading gives you more options against those terribly stupid solutions.  Imagine a 1 box per month limit on ammo purchase?  It's a definite possibility with that idiot!  I will bet you that bulk purchases or shipped ammo goes out the window also.  Get something, learn and stock up now, you'll be glad you did.

I would suggest rethinking a single stage press, and consider the mantra of 'buy once cry once' and look at progressive presses.

 

Another thing to rethink is the amount of 9mm you shoot vs cost of factory ammo, yeah you might save a few bucks, but how much is that little savings worth your time.   Single press? Gonna be a long hard slog.  Progressive Press?  Might be able to blow out a few months supply on a rainy day.

 

I started out shooting 38spl, to me, the savings wasn't worth the hassle of getting components, loading gear....blah blah blah.

 

Past seven years I've been rollin' my own black powder cartridges and shot shells, so I had to take the plunge.  I use the Lee Turrent Press, yeah it was cheap, but the cheap plastic parts broke, and the cheap replacement parts didn't work.  If I could do it over, I woulda gotten a Dillon.  Dillon can be intimidating, cause they always show their setups with all the bells and whistles, if you look at the basic setups, it's really not bad.

 

And I'm gonna go against what people always say about getting a reloading manual......don't waste your time, I got one years ago to, total waste of money, as info I wanted on 45acp was enough for a pamphlet.  They're all filled with crap about other cartridges that you have no need or desire to know anything about.

 

This is all my $0.02, so your mileage will vary.