[rainman]

Took my first 100 roll your owns to the range yesterday. I will admit that first round was fired with the pistol in one direction and my head in the opposite…..you know, just in case! Anyway I couldn’t believe how much more accurate my shooting was. Blew the center out of the target at ten yards with 15 rounds. I shot 115 FMJ hollow base 9mm with 4.7gr of Bullseye. I’ll post a picture as soon as Iget home tonight. Thanks to all of you who gently pushed me towards reloading.

 

[afrats]

What kind of reloading equipment did you get? I am thinking of getting into reloading but have never done it before and have no idea where to start.

 

[rainman]

What kind of reloading equipment did you get? I am thinking of getting into reloading but have never done it before and have no idea where to start.

afrats, I hope I don't get a lot of giggling from this answer but here goes. I purchased the basic Lee loader kit. The reason was not economics but educational. I wanted to really learn the basics of reloading and honestly wanted to see if it would be something I would enjoy doing before spending the bigger dollars for a progress loader. With that said the kit is caliber specific and runs around $20. I also purchased a pocket primer cleaner ($2), a magnetic scale ($25), Lee Second Edition Reloader Manual ($14), camfer tool ($4) case gauge ($3) and a case trimmer ($4). On a good run, I can crank out about 25 to 30 rounds per hour. Not fast but again, very educatioinal. The way I looked at it, if I really didn't like reloading all I was out was less than $75. Now that I've gotten myself hooked, I think I'll move up to maybe a Lee 1000 progressive.

 

[Flyinhigh]

The Lee Breech Lock Challenger kit runs a little under $100 and comes with everything but dies. I picked up one of these to get started into reloading and have already "outgrown" it (2 mos), at least for pistol shooting. For rifle shooting or if you have a lot of spare time then it will be sufficient. I have began looking into the progressive presses myself as I already have everything else necessary. Regardless of what you decide, it would be best to buy it in kit form. With the Breech Lock Challenger I can do about 50-75 rounds per hour at a relaxed pace. My recommendation for bulk pistol reloading on a single stage press is to get one of these (http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...tchall&Nty=1&Ntt=lee+powder+dippers&noImage=0) and use a powder that matches the cup size and caliber you are shooting. I can reload just as quickly as with my perfect powder measure but it is much less complicated and can never get out of adjustment. For instance if I decide that I want to load up 100 rounds and head to the range I dont have to recalibrate my scale and change powder settings which eats up valuable range time. Also spend the extra couple of bucks on carbide dies.

Good luck.

 

[rainman]

Ten yards from a Weaver stance. 15 rounds 9mm
Not too bad for an old guy with weak eyes!

 

[Flyinhigh]

Nice group! Just got done putting another 200 rounds together for the range trip tomorrow, these were all done with the Lee Hand press. Time consuming, but it gets the job done.

 

[greener]

with zero reloading experience I started with a Lee Pro 1000. It added a bit more slope to the learning curve, but has been pretty good after I figured it out. I've done well with 9mm and .38/.357, but I'm still trying to figure out some problems with .45's for my PT1911. I don't think I've saved a penny on reloading because any potential savings have gone down range between 800-1200 fps.

 

[paulrabe78]

I don't think I've saved a penny on reloading because any potential savings have gone down range between 800-1200 fps.

That would be my problem. Just like the MagLula speed loader I got. It saves on my thumb but hurts my wallet cuz I can get the magazines loaded so much faster.

 

[rwcreigh]

That would be my problem. Just like the MagLula speed loader I got. It saves on my thumb but hurts my wallet cuz I can get the magazines loaded so much faster.

I agree

 

[rainman]

with zero reloading experience I started with a Lee Pro 1000. It added a bit more slope to the learning curve, but has been pretty good after I figured it out. I've done well with 9mm and .38/.357, but I'm still trying to figure out some problems with .45's for my PT1911. I don't think I've saved a penny on reloading because any potential savings have gone down range between 800-1200 fps.

I feel your pain. Any savings is rapidly being launched down range or showing up on my credit card! As mentioned, I wanted to start with the absolute basics. I've been eyeing the Lee 1000. Midwayusa has them for around $138. I realize that Lee probably isn't as good as some of the other brands but it seems a logical progression for my ongoing learning curve in reloading.

 

[NativeTexan]

The pro 1000 isn't a bad tool. I have one, quick to change calibers on, why I wanted it. I load a lot of ammo on it. Check your powder level every throw. You'll occasionally have the powder measure hang up. The primer feed, especially with small primers, needs to be tapped every throw or use a small screw driver to force the primers down the chute. Other than that, it runs like clock work. Heck, I take the same powder precaution with my Dillon and check each case for primer. Primer feeds are the most PITA on any progressive regardless of the brand.

 

[Gray_Wolf]

Ahh Steyr M9-A1... I had the same model...they can be quite accurate once you get used to the sights...

btw good choice getting into reloading, every serious shooter should do it IMO.

 

[gandog56]

What kind of reloading equipment did you get? I am thinking of getting into reloading but have never done it before and have no idea where to start.

Best place to start is get a couple of books about it. Lee Modern Reloading 2nd edition is excellent if you can get past the parts of why Lee stuff is so much better than everybody else's. Also go to You Tube. They have many videos on reloading. www.leeprecision.com also has many videos.