Reloading Starter Kit
That's a Lee single stage press (no idea what model; Wally?), .223 and .45 ACP dies, and some powder and primers to get me started. I still need a scale, some calipers, and some motivation as well as bullets and I'm good to start rolling my own.
*sigh*
Looks like I'm going to have to bite the bullet (ha!) and fix up that corner in the attic sooner rather than later...
Thanks Wally. It will be put to good use, hopefully not too far in the future. I'll most likely start out reloading the .45 ACP first, and once I get the kinks worked out move on to .38/.357 Magnum and then finally the .223 and 9mm. Of course, this will most likely lead to yet another obsessive hobby for me...
That is all.
9 comments:
The press looks like a LEE Challenger. http://leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1250180839.4810=/html/catalog/rlpress1.html
Those primers are gold btw. Wally must like you.
Jay, two years ago I started with a Lee Anniversay kit, dropped about $125 and got the hardware and a set of dies, 38/357 to be exact. Two years later I've got a nice setup in my basement that I brought home "one piece at a time." Better scale (RCBS 505) more dies, etc, etc, etc...
So far I've reloaded between 4 and 5 thousand rounds, and the best part? Getting my kids involved.
Word of caution, when the reloading manual says "Do not exceed".... don't. Other than that, have fun. Welcome to the insanity!
I'm right behind you.. as long as my family cooperates and pony's up a starter kit for my birthday :)
Jay,
Let me do some digging. I probably have a spare scale around in storage. Maybe even some plastic dial calipers as well.
Jay, enjoy it! I'm happy to give you a hand getting it set up and running.
I think the press is a Challenger, maybe 5 or 8 years old. Never had a round made on it- yet!
...
There's a large critter in the neighborhood, so I recently set out to get some hunting loads for my M96. I haven't shot it in 15 years, and just about fell over as the cheapest price I could find for hunting ammo was over $40 per box. Instead I dropped $18 for a die set and reloaded some top shelf Sierra soft points for under 30c/complete round. Ahead of the game after loading 12 cartridges! The only hard part is waiting another two hours until I get to the range to try them out :-)
Almost certainly a Challenger. I have the slightly updated version, with the breech-lock die holders. Great press.
A word of advice on the .45 - if you don't have a taper crimp die, you'll likely want one. I couldn't get my rounds to feed and chamber properly until I had one.
MidSouthShooters.com often has decent deals on imported reloading hardware; I have their $30 electronic scale (Smart Reloader brand, maybe?) and it works great. I check it against my Lee balance every couple months and it still checks out.
You're going to want a solid bench to work on... either bolted to the wall and floor, or a heavy bench. I have a 2'x2'x3" butcher block table I use and it still shifts when I'm really cranking down on a sticky round.
Hornady OneShot lube is good stuff... pick up as many reloading manuals as you can find. Gun shows and shops are a good bet; even editions a couple prints out of date are useful.
And a stuck die remover is a good thing. ;)
just a heads up... 9mm is MUCH cheaper to get materials for... so starting there might be a lot more practical...
be sure to check out montana gold for your bullets, they are second to none...
Welcome to the wonderful world of reloading. You know you won't really save money you just end up shooting more!!! Next you'll be looking into casting your own bullets too.
I don't see an essential piece of the starter kit there, a reloading manual. I recommend Lyman's Reloading Handbook and go check out Carteach0's intro to reloading in his sidebar
First part at:
http://carteach0.blogspot.com/2008/07/rifle-case-preparation-for-reloading.html
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