Just starting out reloading I think!

[Michael W]

Okay fellas I'm really putting some serious thought into reloading. My problem is completely an imbecile.
So here's what I would like to be reloading
6.5 Creedmoor.
556 / 223
9 mm.
I've been saving my brass for a very long time so I have thousands of cases of the crappy ammo I usually shoot at the range.
I've watched about a million videos on YouTube and read a bunch of blogs on how to reload. Bottom line is I'm overwhelmed by data.
In the past whenever I take him on a new hobby I usually buy about three times as much stuff as I need. It never fails I spend a lot more money that I should have on stupid stuff did I really didn't need or didn't use I have boxes of crap like that.
As stated before I'm an imbecile so what I need is a shopping list. Just the stuff I need to start reloading so I can walk into my shop without bullets and leave with bullets no superfluous stuff just the basics.

My 6.5 Creedmoor really likes shooting 140 grain
My 223 like shooting something heavy like 62 grain or better
My 9 mm likes 115 grain.

I only am interested in match / range ammo

Please remember I'm an imbecile so when you start talking fancy words like ballistics and coefficients my head starts hurting.

 

[TheOfficeT-Rex]

If you're an imbecile, reloading is probably not for you.

Buy a reloading manual. It will have a list of the basics you need to buy. It will also have load data for you. Were not going to have any additional insight you couldn't glean from the search function.

 

[1moaoff]

when you list match and range ammo what do you mean?
You list 9mmatch ammo for 9mm vs training ammo for 9mm is typically different.

You need to clarify what you are wanting to accomplish!

 

[Do-nothing]

Mr. Michael--I'm starting out on the same journey, sorta. I reloaded for a number of years many years ago. Back then, it was mostly 38 Special and 357 Magnum. Life happened and kids came along and I pretty much stopped shooting until 5 or so years ago. Reloading is not hard but it does require a basic understanding of what you are doing and what you want to achieve. Back then, I had a single stage RCBS press.

Last year my neighbor asked me if I would be interested in buying his lightly used press that he was not using. I didn't know he reloaded but asked him what he had and he ended up selling me his Dillon progressive press for a great price. Since I've not reloaded in many years I need to relearn the process with the added complication of setting up a progressive press. There are a ton of things I don't know and I have asked a number of questions and sought guidance from this site. Way back when, I didn't clean my cases, wiped them off, inspected for cracks, etc., reloaded and shot them. Now you tumble, rinse, dry, inspect, reload, and shot. And that is for a pistol. Add in a rifle, and it gets more complicated, which I have never reloaded.

Like you, I have watched a bunch of videos and read numerous articles on reloading. I purchased several reloading manuals which are very helpful. Most that I have looked at have the first chapter dedicated to explaining the process and walking the reader through the process. I am not in a position to give any advice at this point but will give you some thoughts. First, if I can do it (did it years ago) you can also. Just go slow and take a methodical approach. Second, get some reloading manuals. Third, check out the used market. Right now deals will be few but you never know. Also, everything is in short supply. Small pistol primers and bullets are nonexistent at this time. Depending on where you live and where you are looking, powder may be hard to find as well. Cases seem to be hit-or-miss. Fourth, do what you are doing here--pick the brains of the guys on this forum. I have found them all to be willing to answer questions and give advice. Lastly, you might consider starting out with a single stage press until you get the hang of it. I probably would have gone that route if the Dillon had not fallen into my lap. All the best.

 

[Michael W]

Okay fellows I told you I was a kind of an imbecile.
My 9 mm I'm just looking for inexpensive to shoot through my pistol. But it really isn't my primary concern about reloading
I shoot out to about 1500 yards with my 6.5 Creedmoor I don't shoot matches and I don't hunt.

What I'm looking for is the equipment that I'll be needing I'm sure if I pick up a Hornady reloaderz book it's going to tell me that I need lots of things I may not actually use... Ie the flux capacitor crimping tool.
I'm really not looking for the parts and pieces to make a bullet I just really want to know about the equipment I'll be needing. For example the other day I was about to bite the bullet and get a loading kit from Hornady I believe the classic. So I was looking at the dies I was going to need to make a 6.5 Creedmoor and I believe there was like three or four different dies could use. I was so confused I laid in my bed and cried for a bit and then something shiny went by and I was okay

So if you boys could help me out on the equipment that I need and don't need that would be the biggest help

 

[1moaoff]

First decision.

Single stage or progressive?
Personally I suggest single stage for beginners. This segregates operations while you learn. A good single stage can last forever. And even most of tbe guys who have progressives still have and use single stage... unless they only shoot pist or carbine.

The old school easy button is a rock chucker. Lots of options. Large press frames are my preference.

 

[2aBaC̶a̶]

Ok ill bite...

A reloading book or 2 or 3...
> press setup
A press (single or progressive)
Dies (3 die set) hornady match, redding, rcbs, etc.
Case lube (unique)

>powder measurement.
Manual powder drop (minimum)
Auto drop (reccomended) like RCBS chargemaster, hornady, frankford arsenal

>primers
On the press or Hand prime/ de-prime?

>Measurement tools
Good Calipers (a must)
Hornady OAL tool
Headspace guage
Case guage, ammo checker (optional) LE Wilson, hornady, lyman

>case prep
Case cleaner (wet tumbler, dry tumbler, sonic)
Trim, chamfer, debur. (by hand or powered) I reccomend a 3 in 1, forster, trim it, etc.
Lyman also makes decent hand tool kit for case prep. Good to have.

>Caliber specific components
Primers
Powder
Projectiles

 

[wil_pt]

Don’t forget your loading blocks

 

[Michael W]

That's the kind of info I'm looking for. Just the basics I got plenty of time in the evenings when I'm not working so I don't really care about doing a production run of a thousand or so just 50 or so every couple of days

 

[want2learn]

If i reflect on my journey to date and weed out the mistakes i would be left with the following:

This was a nice starting book: https://www.amazon.com/Top-Grade-gu...eywords=reloading+book&qid=1598212090&sr=8-13

I opted for the Forster Co-Ax reloading press and continue to be pleased with it. It is a single stage so for someone like me who is striving for little groups it fits the bill just fine. I prime cases on the press and it works fine.

I also use the Forster full length sizing die which i have them hone to my fire formed brass....it's not expensive, the company has been good to work with and they're good and not overpriced dies. I remove the expander ball and use a separate expander die and mandril from Porter....though i also looked closely at the Queen dies and mandrils from Bruno Shooter Supply.

To seat the projectiles i use the Forster seating dies with polished stems. i have both the standard as well as the micrometer type....kind of nice to have the micrometer but not a deal breaker.

i clean my brass with an inexpensive vibrating rig and crushed shells from the pet supply store. i purchased the vibrator cleaner on sale for $30 and it's held up nicely for several years now. My friend loves his Thumbler that he had from his rock polishing days...it must be 30 years old and still running fine with new belts.

I use an all in one case prep center from Frankford Arsenal...it cleans the primer pocket, adjusts case length and chamfers. Had it for a couple of years now and suffices. I keep it on a food tray to keep my bench clean.

When i save up enough i'd like to get an awesome automatic scale but for now i use an old 5-0-5 beam balance scale which is very slow but works fine. I have had 2 inexpensive electronic scales....both of which ultimately died or became erratic. others have had better luck but that's what i experienced. I would err to better quality scales if you can.

You'll definitely need a good quality caliper. I have an nice quality albeit old one i found at a garage sale. i checked it against 2 other ones and it's fine.

Most recently i've been playing with a comparator set from Forster. I'm told it's a very useful tool to have. I'm still learning.

I've had no luck with the Hornady OAL gauge to measure distance to lands etc. I know others have had good luck with them and the information you gain from them can be very useful. I'm trying some other ways of securing this data.



Another consideration should you prefer an already put together kit that would load a good bit quicker and still afford nice quality would be either the 550 or 750 kits by Dillon.

RL 550C Essentials Kit

Everything you need to get started reloading with the Dillon Precision RL 550C

www.dillonprecision.com

 

[TheOfficeT-Rex]

Don’t forget your loading blocks

Or a funnel.

 

[moaorbust]

The first step is what will you use it for. Precision or bulk? The difference in tools, processes, and knowledge between them is damn near a mountain. 9mm sounds like bulk and this is where Dillon automatic loaders shine. Supply the parts, tune it a bit, and come back a day later to lots of ammo. 6.5 suggests precision and now we are talking Forster and lots of manual time spent weighing, measuring, and processing. You need to be very clear or your wallet will pay the price.

 

[Highbrass]

One of my best investments in reloading has been my Lee Classic Cast turret press. you can run it kinda like a progressive or manually index it and it will be like a single stage. It works well and is a good starting place. I think you can get one new for about $125. I still use mine for most of my rifle loading and it makes ammo far superior to most store bought ammo.

 

[918v]

You are kind of an imbecile, but are you mechanically inclined? Cuz a person can be book stupid but a fucking genius in the garage. Do you fix stuff yourself? Have you ever rebuilt anything mechanical? Cuz concepts you say make your head hurt are important in reloading. You are dealing with dangerous stuff and very small tolerances.

 

[DownhillFromHere]

The OP may be an imbecile wrt reloading but recognizing the potential for "being sold on" unnecessary equipment points to a broader wisdom. I started reloading shotgun at age 14, centerfire a few years later. A few thoughts:

• It's not hard - or dangerous - if you pay attention to what you are doing. People make posts about watching tv or whatever while reloading... I never have, never will. A newcomer should keep the reloading environment distraction-free.
• A good loading manual is a must-have for a beginner. It will instruct you and provide "recipes."
• Choice between single-stage vs. progressive: If you are serious enough about shooting to be making hits at 1500 yards, I'm thinking you'll outgrow a single-stage quickly. You can run a progressive like the excellent Dillon RL-550C like a single-stage machine - just do one operation on one case at a time and don't rotate the case through the other three stations!
• Reloading pistol ammo is vastly easier and faster than rifle because, with a carbide resize die you do not need to lubricate the cases. While you can buy a carbide resize die for some rifle calibers, you still have to lube the cases.
• After reloading a few hundred (or a few dozen) rounds of 9mm on a single-stage press where you have to pick up each and every case three times (1- resize/deprime/prime each case, 2- charge each with powder, 3-seat bullet in each) and realize that, with a progressive, a loaded round comes out every time you cycle the handle, you might wish you'd just started with the progressive and use it like a single-stage until you're comfortable.
• I run my Dillon 550 in a single-stage or hybrid fashion for rifle.
  - Clean/polish the cases in a 40-year-old Lyman vibratory tumbler using Lyman or whatever corncob media I happen to have on hand; I'm not messing with wet tumbling and one set of brass somebody polished for me using stainless seel pins looks like it had been sandblasted. Corncob media is cheap, long-lasting, and as un-nasty as case cleaning is gonna get. Also easy for newbs.
  - Spray cases with Hornady 1-Shot spray lube (it's easy and fast, good for the beginner and I like the simplicity)
  - Deprime/resize all cases on station 1 of the 550, then towel off the lube (some people use their dirty-brass cleaning method to remove case lube; I don't because I find the media gets gummed up pdq).
  - Trim brass if needed
  - Reprime on 550 station 1
  - Run case onto a Sinclair neck mandrel (station 2 in manual mode)
  - Charge cases with powder (station 2 if running hybrid mode)
  - Seat bullet on station 3 and done (I don't crimp even bulk .223 and certainly not precision loads)
• Don't let anyone tell you you can't load precision rifle ammo on a progressive press. Rather, some people will tell you you can't. Lots of other people can and do.
• Pistol: I hoover up whatever range brass I need - people leave crap-tons of 9mm, .40, and even .45 ACP as well as lesser amounts of other calibers. Anyway, the brass goes into the tumbler to clean, then resize/deprime/reprime on station 1, auto-charge powder on station 2, seat bullet on station 3, crimp on station 4. Once you get going, all these operations happen simultaneously with each handle stroke.
• The Dillon 550 indexes manually (e.g., you turn the shell plate yourself). Higher-volume presses auto-index. I have always favored manual indexing because, if something goes awry, the press isn't going to try to move stuff along.

The Dillon 550 Essentials Kit does indeed include things you need (manual, caliper, case gauge, etc). Things it does NOT include:

• Loading tray (one or two) to hold your cases through the reloading process. The MTM universal tray holds every caliber short of the cannon rounds.
• Case cleaner and media. Dillon sells them. If their case cleaners are of the same quality as their presses, they'll last forever. As I said, I'm using a Lyman vibratory cleaner bought circa 1977.
• Media separator. These things tumble the cases around and dump the media out of them. I used a couple of nested pails with holes drilled in the bottom of one for awhile, until I wised up and bought aDillon unit. So.Much.Easier.
• Case lube for rifle ammo. I like Hornady 1-Shot spray lube. Some people hate it. Some people make their own. I advocate simple and easy for newbies. So. Hornady 1-Shot.
• Note that Dillon dies are excellent - BUT. For precision rifle cartridges, it's long-term better to buy precision two-die sets which include a bushing size die from other vendors. That's a topic addressed elsewhere on SH. For 9mm, you won't beat Dillon dies.
• Nice to have but not really necessary, no doubt you'll see it mentioned on SH: Sinclair neck expander mandrel for your precision rifle calibers. When you resize a case, the die squeezes the neck down to (ideally) 0.002" below the diameter of a loaded round. When you pull the press handle back up, it pulls an "expander ball" on the depriming stem through the neck to give it its final diameter. Some find this process causes some minor concentricity or case length issues. So, in a separate step, the case neck is expanded by pushing it onto a mandrel, rather than pulling a ball up through it (the expander ball is removed from the depriming stem in this scenario). I would recommend a newbie postpose introduction of a neck expander mandrel until later in the experience cycle.

Wow. Lots here. Hope it helps. Also - lots of reference here to Dillon. Their presses are lifetime investments (mine was bought in 1996). Other vendors' presses are fine, I guess, because people buy and recommend them. I had an RCBS Rock Chucker single-stage before the Dillon; it's kinda the Toyota Camry of presses - good, cheap, reliable.