What Equipment for New Guy?

[Tizzo]

After having competed in several matches the last couple months, I realized I should start to seriously consider reloading. I've searched this forum and others, as well as read the Dillon FAQ on this site. What I'm looking for is what should a new guy starting from scratch research? I've read threads that throw around Dillon, Hornady, and Lee presses, as well as the pros and cons of single stage vs progressive for the beginner. I plan on buying the ABC's of Reloading simply to understand the whole process prior to buying any equipment, but I'd like to know for what should I start shopping.

Currently shooting 9mm, may change or add to it in the distant future; rifle unlikely.

Any input would be great.

Thanks

Edited April 18, 2011 by Tizzo

[kellymc]

After having competed in several matches the last couple months, I realized I should start to seriously consider reloading. I've searched this forum and others, as well as read the Dillon FAQ on this site. What I'm looking for is what should a new guy starting from scratch research? I've read threads that throw around Dillon, Hornady, and Lee presses, as well as the pros and cons of single stage vs progressive for the beginner. I plan on buying the ABC's of Reloading simply to understand the whole process prior to buying any equipment, but I'd like to know for what should I start shopping.

Any input would be great.

Thanks

I use a Lee load Master but don't really recomend one. I do believe it's best to start with a progressive the first time around for lot's of handgun ammo Edited April 18, 2011 by kellymc

[98sr20ve]

After having competed in several matches the last couple months, I realized I should start to seriously consider reloading. I've searched this forum and others, as well as read the Dillon FAQ on this site. What I'm looking for is what should a new guy starting from scratch research? I've read threads that throw around Dillon, Hornady, and Lee presses, as well as the pros and cons of single stage vs progressive for the beginner. I plan on buying the ABC's of Reloading simply to understand the whole process prior to buying any equipment, but I'd like to know for what should I start shopping.

Currently shooting 9mm, may change or add to it in the distant future; rifle unlikely.

Any input would be great.

Thanks

Best/Cheapest for a guy who wants to shoot up to a couple match's a month and practices regularly would be the 550.

If you have more money then time get the 650 plus the case feeder. If you know you are going to want a case- feeder eventually, just get the 650. Don't worry about learning on a progressive, just run it one case at a time till you got the hang of it. Not an issue at all.

Besides that, some good equipment that won't let you down would be.

Dillon Eliminator Scale.

Harbor Freight Digital Dial Calipers or Regular Dial Calipers (same as Dillon).

Lyman Tumbler

Dillon Case Gauge for your caliper.

This is from a guy who has used and liked the 550 and LCT.

This is from a guy who has used and hated the LM

This is from a guy who had to return a LnL because it just would not work. Despite Hornady's best efforts.

This is from a guy who has a 650 on the way.

[bbbean]

After having competed in several matches the last couple months, I realized I should start to seriously consider reloading. I've searched this forum and others, as well as read the Dillon FAQ on this site. What I'm looking for is what should a new guy starting from scratch research? I've read threads that throw around Dillon, Hornady, and Lee presses, as well as the pros and cons of single stage vs progressive for the beginner. I plan on buying the ABC's of Reloading simply to understand the whole process prior to buying any equipment, but I'd like to know for what should I start shopping.

Currently shooting 9mm, may change or add to it in the distant future; rifle unlikely.

Any input would be great.

Thanks

Buy Brian's "As it should be" package. Only question is 550 or 650. You'll have everything you need except media and components.

BB

[whistlepig]

For what its worth, for high volume pistol ammo production, I am Dillon Blue. I have owned and used others, but I am of the opinion that Dillon does volume combined with excellent quality like no other. If you are new to reloading, but have been to matches, you have a great source of knowledge right there. Lots of the folks at your match load. Talk around and see if some will show you their setup. Always take opinion with a grain of salt, but you will see a variety of gear, set up and used in several different ways. Lots of loaders will actually show you how their machines work with pride. As a new loader, start with a few different load manuals and be cautious of unsolicited advice on powders and charge weights. Double check in load manuals. If someone tells you that their super secret private load is awesome, count their fingers....... Half a finger should be counted as no finger for your research purposes.

[Red Ryder]

1. 2-3 reloading manuals

2. A case or 2 of Montana Gold bullets, 4 lb jug of powder, 5000 pistol primers, Federal, CCI, or Winchester.

3. Hornady Lock N Load AP, Dillon 650 . Research in that order. Buy the one that fits your budget!

4. Redding Pro Dies where the seating and Taper crimp are separate (for 5 station presses Hornady AP or dillon 650).

5. Powder check die or Dillon powder check system.

6. EGW U die. A resizing/decapping die available at EGW gun works. Google "EGW gun" for the web site.

5. Digital Calipers.

6. Digital powder scale from Brian Enos.com.

7. Case gauge for your caliber.

8. Case tumbler and walnut or corn cob media.

9 "Hornady One Shot" spray can of case lube.

10. Several one gallon ziplock bags to store the range brass you pick up.

11. An old coffee can to put the screw up rounds in.

12. Bullet puller to recover your screw up round components.

13. Dillon primer flip tray. It is the best.

14. CED 2 Chronograph (200$) or Competition Electronics ProChrono Digital Chronograph 119$

15. A good notebook.

16. The correct shell plate if it doesn't come with your press.

17. Primer pick up tubes, 2 each size

18. Several plastic ammo boxes to store your loaded rounds.

19. A reloading bench in a quiet place to spend many many hours.

[Pro-Pain]

There's another thread that's kind of similar:

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=127080

MODERATORS: Is there a way to maybe combine these? Or build a collective database and Sticky it in this thread? Of all the Guns and Reloading questions for BEginners, I'm thinking that this would be a biggie..

[Pro-Pain]

1. 2-3 reloading manuals

2. A case or 2 of Montana Gold bullets, 4 lb jug of powder, 5000 pistol primers, Federal, CCI, or Winchester.

3. Hornady Lock N Load AP, Dillon 650 . Research in that order. Buy the one that fits your budget!

4. Redding Pro Dies where the seating and Taper crimp are separate (for 5 station presses Hornady AP or dillon 650).

5. Powder check die or Dillon powder check system.

6. EGW U die. A resizing/decapping die available at EGW gun works. Google "EGW gun" for the web site.

5. Digital Calipers.

6. Digital powder scale from Brian Enos.com.

7. Case gauge for your caliber.

8. Case tumbler and walnut or corn cob media.

9 "Hornady One Shot" spray can of case lube.

10. Several one gallon ziplock bags to store the range brass you pick up.

11. An old coffee can to put the screw up rounds in.

12. Bullet puller to recover your screw up round components.

13. Dillon primer flip tray. It is the best.

14. CED 2 Chronograph (200$) or Competition Electronics ProChrono Digital Chronograph 119$

15. A good notebook.

16. The correct shell plate if it doesn't come with your press.

17. Primer pick up tubes, 2 each size

18. Several plastic ammo boxes to store your loaded rounds.

19. A reloading bench in a quiet place to spend many many hours.

With the tumbler, also a separator, and maybe some sort of polish to put in to get the cases nice and shiny.

Being a shooter, you should have a decent pair of eyes, make sure you wear them when you reload, just in case.

A BIG non-smoking sign where you reload (if needed).

With the reloading manuals, you can find some good "recipes" for crimp, OAL, powder/bullet combo, etc here on Enos. Still good to have hard copies on hand to compare powder burn rates, etc for experimenting.

[jfrey]

If you're just starting out and want a moderate amount of very high quality ammo, don't discount the Square deal B. It is a great machine and a very affordable price and will load a lot more ammo than you might expect. I loaded 10,000 rounds on mine the first year I had it and beginners can learn it quickly, by reading the directions. I know some folks don't recommend it but that is a joke. It is a very good press and will serve you for many years. It also has the automatic advance not supplied on the 550. You have to advance each round on the 550 by hand. I have one set up for 9mm and one for .45. The only thing I have to change is where I set my stool to load. Granted, it won't load rifle ammo, but you indicated you weren't interested anyway. I load all my rifle ammo on a single stage, one round at a time. That is way too slow for pistol ammo.

[McAllyn]

I'll second the Square Deal B. I bought one used at a gun show, then with all the extras (manuals, calipers, scale, tumbler, bullet puller, and media separator) I ended up spending less than if I bought a 550 machine only. Of course, I ended up buying a 550 later... and a single stage, and duplicate caliber conversions... etc. I have two reloading labs setup, one at my apartment and one in a buddies garage. BTW, make sure you get a bullet puller, or as I call it, "The Crap Hammer." That's because every time you put a case in it, you say, "Crap, I messed that one up." That is a tool you will need REGARDLESS of what style reloader you end up with.

Mac

[noylj]

For any progressive press, a 5-station press should be the minimum desired. Four stations will always force compromise.

I consider the Hornady L-N-L to be superior to the 550 and 650. I have used all three. However, if you are going to go with a case feeder (a real necessity on the Dillons), then get the 650.

I am not aware of anything the 650 can do better than the Hornady, other than having been designed from the ground up for a case feeder. Caliber conversions are more expensive and you will want to buy a toolhead for each caliber. The Hornady bushings eliminate the "need" for toolheads and are a lot cheaper.

If you are a single caliber person and need lots of ammunition, then the Dillon will keep you happy.

If you never try the Hornady, the Dillon will keep you happy.

It would be nice if you could get your hands on any press you are interested in so you can determine exactly what you like and need.

[knuckles]

It really comes down to how much money you want to spend, i bought a lee turret press as it was a reasonable price as buying a dillon would be good but i reload on a budget, but don't get me wrong i don't buy cheap shit as i want to shoot for a long time to come but there are limits on how much you can spend and as i live in New Zealand we can't get alot of stuff for shooting at a reasonable price as alot of stuff for reloading is all imported in to NZ so when you buy products you have to take in the fact that you are paying more $$

[goosedowner]

I can't comment on any other progressive presses because my first and only progressive press was a Dillon 550 and I am very happy with it. I bought all carbide pistol dies, more money but less mess and one less thing to worry about especially when your just stating out.

[ParaGunner]

I also say Dillon Square deal B,it comes set up for you. What else could a beginner want? I purchased one and haven't been disappointed yet. If you don't plan on reloading rifle get the SDB.

[Bob DuBois]

Starting out I would recommend a 550. As the years pass and you purchase other guns, rifle or pistol the 550 only requires the dies and shell plates to load the calibers you move into.

It's a sturdy machine that will do a lot of things other machines won't. Pull bullets using a collet puller. Easy to work with punching rifle primers before swagging or trimming. Your not stuck with Dillon dies, the 550 will accept any normal thread size reloading die. This is a plus if your ever purchase a custom pistol with a tight chamber and want to use the U die. The roller handle is a plus also if your into a long reloading session.

As an old shooter, lots of guns have come and gone but my old friend the 550 is still on the bench and serves as well now as it did when I purchased it some 25 years ago. It's got a newer partner a 650, but it's place on the bench is secure.

[RussellJohnson]

A vote for the dllion 550, it will accept standard dies, and if you ever decide to load rifle you will have that abality. Good luck be safe

[Red Ryder]

A great place to look for used machines is on Ebay and Gunbroker.com, but the prices are close to new prices at times.

[MARKAVELI]

Dillon RL550B is awsome, the Dillon 550Basic Loader is cheaper and can be up graded to a regular RL550B...

[98sr20ve]

Lot's of shall I say "interesting" info in this thread

First of you don't need a 5 station press to load with a Taper Crimp die. No compromise at all loading on a 550.

Dillons have a better leverage ratio the the LnL. Primers seat easier.

LnL has a flexy hollow ram. IF you get hard primers you may have issues seating them. I sure did.

LnL casefeeder is not the equal of the Dillon. Not even close.

Get a Dillon that fits your budget. It won't mater if you make the wrong choice. You can resell it and not lose much at all.

[rfwobbly]

Get a Dillon that fits your budget. It won't mater if you make the wrong choice. You can resell it and not lose much at all.

The proof of that statement is that used Dillons go on Ebay for as much as new ones!