New to Reloading help please

[bigray46725]

Okay I am new to reloading and I just purchased a few things form an individual and wanted to see what you people think all this is worth and if this is a good set up to start reloading OK so here is what all I bought:


1. New Lee Classic 4 Hole Turret Press
2. 2 Quick Change Turrets
3. 4oz. Lee Liquid Alox Bullet Lubricant
4. 1 Auto Disk Riser
5. Lee Universal Charging Die
6. Lee Powder Measure Kit with 15 measures
7. Lee Perfect Powder Measure
8. Lee Auto Disk Powder Measure
9. Lee Case Conditioning Kit
10. Lee Powder Scale
11. Lee Deluxe Pistol Die Set .45 ACP Auto Rim
12. Lee .223 Remington Die Set
13. Cabelas Model 400 Vibrating Case Tumbler with5 lbs. Media
14. 7 lbs. Quick-N-Ez Brass Cleaning Media
15. 8oz. Brass Cleaning Polish
16. Lee Safety Primer Feed Large and Small
17. 700 Rounds Once Fired Brass of variousManufactures.
18. 600 Rounds .224 Hornady 53gr. HP
19. 1000 Winchester Small Rifle Primers
20. 1 lb. IMR 4198 Smokeless Powder
21. Modern Reloading Second Edition by Richard Lee(the reloading bible)

ok now you know what I have. is this good to start with or should i sell it and get different or just looking for input. anything would be nice thank you for all your help...​

 

[spencer rifle]

Get more reloading manuals.
.45 ACP and .45 AutoRim are two different cartridges and need different case holders.
I have most of the stuff on your list, and they have worked well for many rounds. Good choices.

 

[BK1962]

I agree, more manuals. And if the polish is old throw it away. I've seen it gum up when it gets to old..

 

[perminator]

+1 i just threw some out the other day because it was unsalvageable

I agree, more manuals. And if the polish is old throw it away. I've seen it gum up when it gets to old..

 

[bigray46725]

Get more reloading manuals.
.45 ACP and .45 AutoRim are two different cartridges and need different case holders.
I have most of the stuff on your list, and they have worked well for many rounds. Good choices.

you were saying the .45acp autorim dies are different i wonder if the deluxe kit does both of them?

 

[Leo]

The auto rim and the acp load with the same dies. If the die set only has a Lee # 2 shell holder, you will need and different shell holder for the autorim case. (you do not really care about reloading .45 auto rim anyway, do you?)

It looks like you have everything to get started. Of course for each Lee item, there are higher grade pieces of equipment, but what you have will certainly allow you to make an acceptable reload. Go slow, get each step right before you go to the next step, double check your work. Ask questions. The Lee manual is pretty good, especially using Lee equipment.

The one item I would add is a 6" dial caliper, they are under $30 for a reloader quality until and are plenty accurate for anything we do on the reloading bench.

Good Luck

 

[indygunguy]

Nevermind. Leo beat me to everything and said it better than I did.

 

[bigray46725]

no just .45acp

 

[billybob44]

Never mind..

Nevermind. Leo beat me to everything and said it better than I did.

Never mind. Nick said it better than I did..

1. Dillon .45acp. Case Gauge

2. Dillon .223 Remington Case Gauge.

 

[bigray46725]

so is lee not that good of equipment??

 

[mr mom]

1 thing your going to need if some of that .223 brass is mil. is a primer pocket swedger !!! you will crush primers if you dont do the pockets first

 

[rockhopper46038]

so is lee not that good of equipment??

It's fine. It is a little more "value oriented" than some of the others, but it is perfectly viable for reloading. The Lee powder scale, while perfectly functional, seems to get replaced by people pretty quick with either a digital or (in my case) a little nicer beam scale.

 

[XtremeVel]

so is lee not that good of equipment??

I have the Classic turret and feel it's a great press... I also like their pro auto disc powder measures. Also, I like some of the features of their dies and have really never had any issues that were too concerning....

A couple pieces of their equipment I didn't care for are their scale and their basic powder measure... If I were to have started with these, they'd probably would of done, but I already had others and the Lee's never got used...

Oh, about forgot... I have had their (actually 2) hand held auto primes and they are great... The only negative is they require a different style of shell holder than the press does...

 

[dukeboy_318]

I've got a few Lee dies, they are pretty good dies for the money.

 

[mac45]

Didn't notice case lube on your list.
You're gonna need it for the .223, the .45 ACP should be carbide. You won't have to lube those cases.
You'll also need the length gauge for the case trimmer.
Calipers have already been mentioned, and that the primer tools use different shell holders than the press.
I'm not a fan of the Lee manual, so I'll second the notion of another one.
I like Lyman and Speer.

You may want to upgrade your scale. I don't have one, but I understand a lot of people don't like 'em. Try it first, you may not have any problems.

All in all, sounds like a good start.
I think you're really gonna like the press. I have one and load more calibers on it than the other two.

 

[wolfman]

Okay I am new to reloading and I just purchased a few things form an individual and wanted to see what you people think all this is worth and if this is a good set up to start reloading OK so here is what all I bought:


1. New Lee Classic 4 Hole Turret Press
Great press, I have one with over 15K of various pistol rounds through it
You can take out the indexing rod, and use it like a single stage for rifle rounds if you want.
2. 2 Quick Change Turrets
Good start, will need one for each set of dies you purchase
3. 4oz. Lee Liquid Alox Bullet Lubricant
Will only need this if you cast your own. Jacketed don't need lubed, and commercial cast lead should come lubed.
4. 1 Auto Disk Riser
Needed for the Auto Disk Measurer
5. Lee Universal Charging Die
Good general charging die, but each set of Lee dies will have a combo Case mouth expander/charging die.
6. Lee Powder Measure Kit with 15 measures
Good if you plan to hand charge cases, but you may not use these much
7. Lee Perfect Powder Measure
Great for charging individual rifle cases, but you will probably use the Auto Disk for most pistol rounds.
8. Lee Auto Disk Powder Measure
Great measurer, consider replacing the disks with adjustable charging bars. I have several and keep each set for a particular charge I load often.
You may end up with several of these eventually. I have one for each powder I use, it keeps me from having to clean one out when I want to load a different powder.
9. Lee Case Conditioning Kit
Only will need these for Rifle cases. Not necessary for pistol rounds. I made the mistake of buying the ones for pistol when I started, and have never used them.
10. Lee Powder Scale
Good check weight scale, but not useful if you are trying to determine the weight of an unmeasured amount of powder.
11. Lee Deluxe Pistol Die Set .45 ACP Auto Rim
Good set of dies, mine have over 10K through them. Lee die sets include the case holder.
12. Lee .223 Remington Die Set
I don't reload rifle, but a friend of mine says they are good too.
13. Cabelas Model 400 Vibrating Case Tumbler with5 lbs. Media
Actually manufactured by Frankford Arsenal. Keep the warrenty and reciept. If it starts to sound loud, the motor may be going bad and will be replaced for just the cost of shipping to the factory.
14. 7 lbs. Quick-N-Ez Brass Cleaning Media
15. 8oz. Brass Cleaning Polish
16. Lee Safety Primer Feed Large and Small
Great on press primer system, once you get the hang of using it.
17. 700 Rounds Once Fired Brass of variousManufactures.
18. 600 Rounds .224 Hornady 53gr. HP
19. 1000 Winchester Small Rifle Primers
20. 1 lb. IMR 4198 Smokeless Powder
21. Modern Reloading Second Edition by Richard Lee(the reloading bible)

ok now you know what I have. is this good to start with or should i sell it and get different or just looking for input. anything would be nice thank you for all your help...​

Items to add
Hammer style bullet puller
Loading block for your 223, won't need one for pistol rounds
A couple extra of the little plastic squares that go on the indexing rod.
Adjustable Charge bars for the auto disk measurer
Crushed walnut polishing media. I buy the bird litter from Petsmart.
Case lube, I don't do rifle so ask around for ideas on what to use. I hear spray type is easy to use.
Calipers, mine came from Harbor Freight
I use W231 powder for my 45 acp, but you will get a lot of different opinions on favorite powders, so I will just say have a lot of fun trying out several to find the one you like.

 

[warthog]

Wolfman has that covered as far as what I'd say but you should get more info, including at least another manual. I use the Lee .223 dies and I like them so I think those are good ones at least.

Powders and bullet are something you choose, not me.

If you charging die isn't the rifle version, sell it or trade it for one that is as the handgun calibers come with one. The rifle one works for the .223 that doesn't come with one. You will want to check on Factory Crimp dies if your sets lack them and please get a better scale, at least for me I never could get the Lee scale to work. I wound up with a Redding #2 as I still prefer a beam to electronic.

I would say otherwise you are off to a great start and with this you will be able to figure out what to sell off and what to get to replace it.