Did you guys buy once cry once? Or upgrade over time?

[hunt4fun]

Started with a Lee Challenger press. Simple single-stage. Was a good press for me to learn the basics and the importance and accurate powder charges, etc. Moved to the Lee Turret press and auto indexer for it. Then got the Lee Loadmaster. Used it for a couple of years until last year when I bought a Dillon 550.

If I had to do it over, I would have started with the Challenger press, and then gone straight to the Dillon. If you don't mind sitting down and fumbling with things on the press and correcting little bugs NEARLY EVERY TIME YOU RELOAD, then stay with the Lee equipment. I got to a point where when I sit down to reload, I only want to reload. I don't want to have to fix primers that are feeding, primers that are flipped upside down or sideways, worry about the accuracy of the powder drop (I had very bad experience with what Lee calls there "Perfect powder measure"). It was not only a joke, but nearly a dangerous one.

With the Dillon, I sit down, decide what I want to load, set the press up just like I did the last time, and go. It just works.

 

[Sniper 79]

The Dillon does just work. Actually thought my powder scale was broken it was dumping right on the money every time.

 

[Fullmag]

Started out with Lyman T-Mag used. I should say used and abused. It did okay on bottle neck rifle cases but when I tried straight wall pistol
cases the problems begun. Be careful buying used equipment my advice if you do get the ones that have lifetime warranties. RCBS and Dillion have given me the best results. The Redding T-7 looks like a good piece if your thinking turrets.

 

[parson]

I bought a Lee challenger anniversary kit back in the mid 80s when I shot only rifles. I still use it today- all but the original hand primer, which broke. When I got into handguns I bought a Dillon 550b, and it also has served me well for 20 or so years.

 

[OneBadV8]

I did the buy once cry once. However, I started off used. I got a great deal on a Dillon 550B, I mainly reload a precision rifle and also use the RCBS Chargemaster for the powder. But I also load 9mm and a few others that don't have to be as precise. I think if you buy what you need starting off you'll be happier.

Which calibers are you looking to load? And for which purpose? Consistency? Accuracy? Saving money?

I've always heard you never save money with reloading, but you might shoot more

 

[1775usmarine]

Right now im getting into casting. Luckily the lee 10lb bottom pour pot came free in a tub of other cadting and reloading equipment my wife got for free from the owners of a store she has a booth in. Im buying cheap and will work my way up over time. I got a cheap toaster oven to start me on powdercoating though im sure ill have to buy a newer and bigger oven down the road. If anything if you buy used you can still recoup alotnof your money back. I look at it as a user fee for the years i used it.

 

[Abominator]

I did the buy once cry once. However, I started off used. I got a great deal on a Dillon 550B, I mainly reload a precision rifle and also use the RCBS Chargemaster for the powder. But I also load 9mm and a few others that don't have to be as precise. I think if you buy what you need starting off you'll be happier.

Which calibers are you looking to load? And for which purpose? Consistency? Accuracy? Saving money?

I've always heard you never save money with reloading, but you might shoot more

For now I am looking to reload 9mm, 40 S&W, .357/.38. In the future .45acp (still need to buy one ). I would like to save money and I know it takes a while to break even on the saving but I am also looking forward to the experience of reloading. I don't really have a lot of hobbies since moving to Indiana from the Pacific Northwest, I figured this would be a good winter hobby and give me a chance to get a nice stockpile! I just got into USPSA this year and you're right I'm sure I'll just shoot more lol. I don't think I'm at the point of really noticing the inconsistencies in factory loaded ammo. I have been pretty much exclusively shooting the 150grain Federal syntech. I really like that ammo. I would be nice to get as close to that as possible... who knows.

I ended up purchasing a Hornady L-N-L AP progressive press. I bought Shell plate and dies for 9mm and 40S&W and the Lyman reloading guide. That should get here tomorrow. Scale, case trimmer, case cleaner should be here later in the week. Now to start buying all the ingredients to make some rounds!

 

[crewchief888]

I started reloading in 1996 when I started shooting USPSA. Started with a Dillon SDB, Dillon electronic scale, tumbler, and media seperator.
Still have it all, still cranking out 45's for USPSA

 

[orangeman1515]

I always buy slowly over time and catch things on sale. I try not to get in a hurry

 

[John3354]

I ended up purchasing a Hornady L-N-L AP progressive press. I bought Shell plate and dies for 9mm and 40S&W and the Lyman reloading guide. That should get here tomorrow. Scale, case trimmer, case cleaner should be here later in the week. Now to start buying all the ingredients to make some rounds!

I would caution against starting your reloading with a progressive. I always suggest that people run at least 1,000 rounds on a single stage to get a feel for all of the operations before moving to a progressive.

When you move up to a progressive you will still use your single stage. I now have a Lyman 8-station turret press and a Lock'n'Load AP and I still use the turret and single stage for some operations such as resizing rifle brass or sizing cast bullets along with other things. There are some things you just can't do on a progressive. The Lee Turret is next on my list because it teamed with a powder funnel and my Intellidropper seems like just the ticket for load development. I currently do that on my Lyman turret, but auto-index and easier priming would be a definite plus for me. It would also be much more convenient to setup for short runs of specialty ammo.

I started with a Lee beech lock single stage, moved up to the Lock'n'Load from there and in the jump I made more bad ammo than I care to admit to. On a progressive there is a lot happening and a lot to keep an eye on at once and it is really easy to make a mistake. When you make a mistake with a single stage you usually catch it pretty early on. When you make a mistake with a progressive it can be 10's or 100's of rounds. As an example I was setup for .45ACP and had an issue with my powder measure. The Hornady powder measure got hung up on the primer tube. I did not catch it right away. In fact, I did not catch it until I had already dumped my finished round bin in to an ammo can. So then I had hundreds of rounds mixed together and no idea which ones were the squibs. 3/4 of a .30 caliber ammo can and no idea which ones were the possible squibs.

Cut your teeth on single stage, then move to the progressive. That's my advice. Starting with a progressive is like having a Ferrari for your first car. You might be fine, you might cause a lot of expensive damage.

 

[Hohn]

I’m actually considering another press, and the T7 is the number 1 contender.

My high volume shooting is 9mm and 223 that don’t make sense to handload. And my handloads are precision oriented and not high volume.

 

[VulpesForge]

I started on a Lee single stage over ten years ago, and I still use that today for certain things. When I felt sufficiently silly enough churning out 30-50 rounds an hour I bought a Dillon 550 and I can churn out 200-300 an hour if I'm really trying. My advice is to start where you're comfortable and move into something else when you're ready for it. Starting with Lee stuff you can start loading for under $300 and make your money back in a couple of months if you're really going for it. Or, you hate reloading and it's too nerve racking or you don't have time and you're only out $300 instead of 1k or so for just the machine and dies for the Dillon or equivalent. You also have to factor in how much reloading you're really going to be doing. If you want accurate hunting loads once or twice a year, get a single stage. If you're shooting matches and go through 2k 9mm a week you might want a motorized 1050 with all the bells and whistles. A lot of the answer really just depends on you and your situation and how comfortable you are with measuring explosives. If you end up with a press and have any questions I would be happy to assist or point you in the right direction.

(edited Dillon 500 to Dillon 550)

 

[gregkl]

I started on a Lee single stage over ten years ago, and I still use that today for certain things. When I felt sufficiently silly enough churning out 30-50 rounds an hour I bought a Dillon 500 and I can churn out 200-300 an hour if I'm really trying. My advice is to start where you're comfortable and move into something else when you're ready for it. Starting with Lee stuff you can start loading for under $300 and make your money back in a couple of months if you're really going for it. Or, you hate reloading and it's too nerve racking or you don't have time and you're only out $300 instead of 1k or so for just the machine and dies for the Dillon or equivalent. You also have to factor in how much reloading you're really going to be doing. If you want accurate hunting loads once or twice a year, get a single stage. If you're shooting matches and go through 2k 9mm a week you might want a motorized 1050 with all the bells and whistles. A lot of the answer really just depends on you and your situation and how comfortable you are with measuring explosives. If you end up with a press and have any questions I would be happy to assist or point you in the right direction.

This is a good 4th post Vu! Welcome to INGO and this is good advice. I bought a single stage and that is what I still use. At the time I bought it (about 8-9 years ago) I thought the very same. If I discover I can't keep up with my usage, I'll upgrade. So far I can keep up just fine.

Disclaimer: I am a fair weather shooter so winter provides plenty of opportunity to load up. Plus, even in the warmer months, I can sit down for an hour each night and crank out 100 rounds or so. That gives me 500-600 rounds per week which is more than I shoot...unfortunately.

 

[VulpesForge]

I appreciate the welcome and thanks! I like to blast through a couple hundred rounds a week pretty handily (when it's not monsoon season or between mood swings in Southern Indiana ) so the 550 gets a pretty healthy workout every couple of weeks. Mostly it helps with time management. If you end up with more than you can shoot in the winter, I think that makes for a pretty good summer.

 

[canebreaker]

I started with the Lee anniversary kit in '89. The Lee C frame was offered free with the Lee reloading book in '90. From craigslist and a few facebook sells groups I've bought more at super good deals over the years. Most had lots of extras for a super low price.

 

[88E30M50]

I started on a Lee single stage over ten years ago, and I still use that today for certain things. When I felt sufficiently silly enough churning out 30-50 rounds an hour I bought a Dillon 550 and I can churn out 200-300 an hour if I'm really trying. My advice is to start where you're comfortable and move into something else when you're ready for it. Starting with Lee stuff you can start loading for under $300 and make your money back in a couple of months if you're really going for it. Or, you hate reloading and it's too nerve racking or you don't have time and you're only out $300 instead of 1k or so for just the machine and dies for the Dillon or equivalent. You also have to factor in how much reloading you're really going to be doing. If you want accurate hunting loads once or twice a year, get a single stage. If you're shooting matches and go through 2k 9mm a week you might want a motorized 1050 with all the bells and whistles. A lot of the answer really just depends on you and your situation and how comfortable you are with measuring explosives. If you end up with a press and have any questions I would be happy to assist or point you in the right direction.

(edited Dillon 500 to Dillon 550)

I went a pretty similar route. Started with the Lee single stage and used that for a year or two until I got comfortable, then moved to the 550. I still use the Lee for low volume stuff or to help prep .223 cases. I have no regrets going that route and don’t really have any desire to go beyond the Dillon 550.

 

[jhopson]

I started with a Dillon 650 and have never looked back. Between me and my family we shoot about 25k rounds of 9mm a year. Even if I didn’t load that much I would still start with the Dillon 650. I know a lot of guys tell you to start with a single stage and work up, but the truth is, reloading is not that complicated and you can learn just as well on a progressive as you can on a single stage. #quethehaters


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Broom_jm]

I loaded on a RockChucker for almost 20 years before I started shooting enough pistol/223 ammo to make the Lee Classic Turret a good option. I've done some loading on a friend's Dillon 550 and can definitely see why anyone loading a lot of rounds would make that investment. If I had it to do over again, I'd still have the same two presses I have today, based on the limited volume I shoot, but the wide variety of cartridges for which I reload.

 

[Hohn]

I’m looking at another single stage or a turret. Every time I look at progressives I just come back to not needing that throughput. Plus, since I decap then wet tumble, I’m not really sure what a good progressive process is with a wet tumble.

 

[mwwilkew]

If it’s a long-term investment then buy once cry once. You’ll get your money out of it before long and then be on the positive side of the equation. Buy the best you can afford.