[buildit]

So are you totally clueless about where to start and don't wanna drop $300 just for a press? I've been using the Lee Classic Reloader for several rounds I don't fire a lot of and the loading kit can be bought for under $30 at most online shops.
So for $30 for the Lee Classic Loader, $40 for a scale, $30 for powder, $5 for 100 primers, $10 for calipers and $30 will get you 100 bullets in most pistol calibers you're set with the basics to reload most pistol calibers.

I have used the kits for 45-70 govt, 223 and 38spl. I did try the .30carbine kit but found they don't work after trying two different kits Seems like a Lee issue with the die for the kit. It's not fast but it does work and a great way for a beginner to learn the basics without the expense. Plus if you do decide to get a press and go BIG the components you have bought are needed with almost any press you'd buy.

Here's a video of the 38 spl kit in use.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJnS90oHs6c[/ame]

and another of the 45-70 kit
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3duhNVjAu6E[/ame]


Hope this helps some people who are curious about reloading get their feet wet.

 

[OldTexan]

Just my opinion, but the most important aspect to reloading is not the cost of the equipment, but the education required to understand just what is being done and how important it is to do it safely. That being the goal, the first thing to do is to get a reloading manual preferably published by a components manufacturer and read it cover to cover as far as the process and your specific caliber to reload.

Trial and error with any kind of press is essentially what is being accomplished without a full understanding of the science of reloading principles. An error from lack of knowledge can easily prove fatal.

I bought a starter kit from RCBS and thoroughly read the Speers manual that came with it before I did anything with the equipment. I've been reloading 308, 45ACP, 357 Mag, 38Spcl, 9mm Luger, 30-06, and 270 during my 2 years of reloading and doublecheck my Speers and several other manuals I've added every time I load cartridges. I have a sequence I adher to and a plan.

The internet offers a lot of info and YouTube has some handy videos, but I've caught too many wrong actions and bad information to trust anything but a verifiable source. Some guy doing it in a video is not a reliable or verifiable source. Loading information for specific components in a reputable manual are results of expert testing, some internet guy's made up from scratch recipe not necessarily so......

Reloading is fun and rewarding, but it isn't for someone just looking to cut costs. It can reduce costs over periods of time, but is not something to do with minimalist knowledge and/or equipment just to save a buck on ammo......Safety is the No 1 objective and can only be achieved by learning the correct procedures, load build ups, and proper techniques.

It doesn't take much to create a dangerous situation. Seating depth, powder type and quantity, bullet type, primer type, proper crimp, and numerous other factors can be done wrong with disastrous results.

If you're going to reload, please consider all that can go wrong by cutting corners or making uninformed mistakes.

Above all be safe and learn what it is you are doing.

 

[squirrelhunter]

I don't know,there's just something bothering me about hitting a live round with a hammer and not using a powder scale . I'll still stay with my old way .

 

[redhawk4life]

Cheap is not always better. I have been reloading for over 20 years and have seen some scary things. A hammer with a live round is a recipe for disaster IMHO. Save up a little extra money it will be well worth it and a lot less frustrating. Don't be cheap on something as dangerous as ammunition that can KILL! Or ruin your firearm. Safety always comes first and I have to agree with old Texan and squirrel. :thumbup:

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Ruger Forum mobile app

 

[buildit]

I understand the misgivings people have, but these are tried and tested methods for reloading. Yes, you should become educated first but there are reloading journals free online. I certainly took the traditional route at first with a full grocery list of materials costing $700+ just so I could start. So for those who are on the fence these make for a less expensive way to try your hand at reloading. Since I made the first video reloading 38 spl you might notice I still use a scale and if you read the Lee Classic Reloader instructions they also say that a scale is needed.
I am actually giving my future brother in law a kit for reloading 223 rounds for christmas. I included a round I had reloaded with the kit to confirm it worked as needed, a few hundred grains of recommended powder, 100 primers and 100 bullets less the five I used to make the test rounds. If he enjoys the reloading I will certainly mentor him on what I know and what other materials make the experience better.
So use your best judgement, but I hope people would consider this as a viable option to getting into reloading if they are unsure. As for me, I'll continue to make my 45-70 rounds and 38spl reloads using the kits.

 

[OldTexan]

To me the kits are not something for beginners as there are too many variables that may be overlooked or not fully understood. The old fella loading the 45-70 talks about potential over pressure if crimping is not properly done. This should be a point of emphasis, not just a passing comment as it comes across in the video, to me anyway. Then one must have a lot of extra time to load a sufficient amount of ammunition for pistol and semi auto calibers such ass 223.

To each his own but I'd sooner see a beginner learn the fundamentals and start purchasing components of a more standard type. A Lyman turret press new is $150 and dies start around $35 new so if you can afford the gun and ammo, you can afford to buy reloading tools the conventional way.

Too me it's all about safety and understanding the principles. There are plenty of resources out there to get manuals and instruction not to put them at the top of the list.

Just my opinion. Be safe

 

[buildit]

Just my opinion. Be safe

Understand and I always try to be safe. I hope everyone else does as well. It doesn't matter if your using the most expensive or least expensive equipment, your safety is your #1 concern.

On that note maybe a press like this is a better idea for those interested in getting into reloading without such a huge financial requirement?
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFaT8RyYox4[/ame]

 

[James]

Yep an old classic C clamp single stage loader is how i first started out. I learned the basics of loading on that system and it was something that i could afford to see if i really wanted to do it. They work great for someone who only needs a box or two now and then and for running up test loads.

However, if your shooting a lot you quickly find yourself reloading for hours and hours trying to catch up. That is what i found when i started. I went to the range 2 or 3 times a week and shot anywhere from 200 to 300 rounds each time i went so i quickly moved to a progressive machine, a Dillion 550B that would allow me to load 200-250 an hour without working up a sweat. Most of the time i drop back to about 150 per hour and just relax. That way i'm in no rush and don't make stupid mistakes from trying to go to fast, and the man is defiantly correct, safety is job 1 on reloading.

 

[buildit]

Yes, there are a lot of options out there for reloading and they can make a big difference in the rate of production. So for the person who envisions pumping out 500 rounds a day, the options I listed are a bad choice. LOL

 

[lefty60]

I started reloading for .30 carbine when I was a teen. I loaded a lot of rds with a Lee Classic loader. Used the dippers and a hammer.

I read and followed the instructions and made a lot of good ammo. I studied every thing I could find about reloading and stepped up to more gooder gear as I got older and more lazy

It is a learning process and must be done in a careful and safe manner, just my .25 cents worth

 

[buildit]

I started reloading for .30 carbine when I was a teen. I loaded a lot of rds with a Lee Classic loader. Used the dippers and a hammer.

I read and followed the instructions and made a lot of good ammo. I studied every thing I could find about reloading and stepped up to more gooder gear as I got older and more lazy

It is a learning process and must be done in a careful and safe manner, just my .25 cents worth

I have heard the older classic reloaders for 30 carbine worked great, I tried two different ones form Lee and in both the case wouldn't fit up without crushing no matter how much lube or how slowly you tapped the case in. Ended up getting dies and they work fine with a hand press.

 

[James]

Excuse me, i must have missed something here. Are you saying you tried two different loaders… here is the missing part… without dies ? If so i would have been more surprised if they had worked.

 

[buildit]

Excuse me, i must have missed something here. Are you saying you tried two different loaders… here is the missing part… without dies ? If so i would have been more surprised if they had worked.

Lee Classic reloaders, the loader IS the die.

 

[James]

Thank you for your quick response. Now i am even more confused as the only Lee single stage loader i ever used did indeed require a die, for each cal being loaded. Have never seen one that didn't. Sure you could buy a loader that was all set up to do one cal, but in order to do a different cal you had to buy that particular die and holder. Could you possibly give me a url to the loader that you are talking about. Thank you...

 

[buildit]

Thank you for your quick response. Now i am even more confused as the only Lee single stage loader i ever used did indeed require a die, for each cal being loaded. Have never seen one that didn't. Sure you could buy a loader that was all set up to do one cal, but in order to do a different cal you had to buy that particular die and holder. Could you possibly give me a url to the loader that you are talking about. Thank you...

Go to the first post and watch the videos, they'll show you how the Lee Classic reloaders work for the 38 and 45-70. Should clear up how the press is also the die, all in one concept.

 

[James]

Ok thanks, i see where the confusion comes from then. Your right the "loader is the die" in that particular case. Not what i would really call a loading press, but still something that works. Gave me the willies to watch you whack that brass into the die… in a regular actual loading press hand gun ammo doesn't really need to be oiled up in order to be sized… would hate to think what would happen if you did a rifle brass like that even oiled and it got stuck… throw away the die probably. I was thinking more like this:

http://ads.midwayusa.com/product/317831/lee-classic-cast-single-stage-press?cm_vc=ProductFinding

Had never seen one like you showed, was interesting to watch, but would certainly not be anything i would ever use as when i go to the range i usually shoot 200 to 300 rounds, simply couldn't wait 6 months to go to the range again…(G) Interesting, today i learned something...

 

[buildit]

Ok thanks, i see where the confusion comes from then. Your right the "loader is the die" in that particular case. Not what i would really call a loading press, but still something that works. Gave me the willies to watch you whack that brass into the die… in a regular actual loading press hand gun ammo doesn't really need to be oiled up in order to be sized… would hate to think what would happen if you did a rifle brass like that even oiled and it got stuck… throw away the die probably. I was thinking more like this:

http://ads.midwayusa.com/product/317831/lee-classic-cast-single-stage-press?cm_vc=ProductFinding

Had never seen one like you showed, was interesting to watch, but would certainly not be anything i would ever use as when i go to the range i usually shoot 200 to 300 rounds, simply couldn't wait 6 months to go to the range again…(G) Interesting, today i learned something...

It's always cool when you learn something new. On a side note I lube all the brass I run thru my press even with "One Shot" lube. Makes them easier to run thru and keeps wear down. Not a necessity with carbide dies but it does no harm either.