Noob Questions

[Beethoven]

Well, I'm thinking of getting into reloading, and have a few quick questions.

1. What would you all reccomend for a single stage press?

2. What accessories should I get to go with this press?

3.How much room is going to be required for a press?

4. Would it be ok for me to reload in the garage or would it be too hot in there for the powder ect.?

I will be reloading mostly .40S&W and .300WSM with .45LC and to come soo I hope.

Thanks in advance!

[.40AET]

1. What would you all reccomend for a single stage press?

Skip the single stage press. You'll go mad. Get a Square Deal B from Brian.

2. What accessories should I get to go with this press?

At least a scale and a case gauge. Hopefully a chronograph on the next pay check.

3.How much room is going to be required for a press?

Not much. Some folks are using a small closet. A 3'x4' desk would do. Just make sure that what ever you use is rock solid. IE, anchored to the walls and floor.

4. Would it be ok for me to reload in the garage or would it be too hot in there for the powder ect.?

Wouldn't you rather be inside in the cool comfy airconditioning? Try to find a small place inside. You will be more productive.

[Beethoven]

I want to go with a single stage because I will be new to all of this, and this is the advice that was given to others on other forums. I would rather be inside and since I don't need that much space I will be able to be inside because I have a walk in closet. I would like to stay away frome the Square B press because it only loads stright wall pistol cases from what i read under the descreption. If this is not true plese tell me.

Thanks

[ErikW]

SDB can load most pistol cartridges. (But not bottle-necked? I don't know.) It can't load any rifle cartridges.

A single stage is nice to learn on but is near worthless for respectable quantities. A progressive is much better for quantity and much safer. Your chances of squibs or double charges with a single stage are astronomically higher than with a progressive, especially an auto-indexing one like the SDB.

[shred]

The SDB does only load pistol calibers. You'll probably need something 550-ish to load quantities of .300 WSM. The bonus to something like the 550 is that it acts just like four single-stage presses in a row. If you ever plan to do large quantities of pistol ammo (more than 50 at a time), you'll want to get a progressive press of some sort.

If you don't have designs on a lot of .300 WSM all at once, you could get a single-stage to load that and .40 on, then get a 550 or 650 that would let you use your dies and all from the single-stage.

[warpspeed]

I'd get a Dillon 550. Come to think of it, I have one

Seriously thought, unless $'s are that tight, the single stage press will be so slow that you will hate it, unless you only want to load 50 rounds. And most of us don't load just 50 rounds.

I also have a single stage press. It is Redding Boss. It is the $hit! Rock solid! I use it to decap and size 223 brass. I then use my 550 to load it.

The biggest problem with loading on one is the power loading. You have to weigh every charge ( what a PITA ) or get a powder drop.

You could get a SQ Deal for the handgun loads and a single stage for the rifle but by the time you get done, the 550 would be cheaper.

[Beethoven]

Thanks guys. I'm gunna check to see if I can afford the 550. That sounds like it would be the best for what I need. Again thanks for the help.

[scooterj]

If cash is the problem, check out the AT500, basicaly a bare bones R550 that is upgradable to full progressive.

[Gun Geek]

If cash is the problem, check out the AT500, basicaly a bare bones R550 that is upgradable to full progressive.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Roger that!

The "go with a single stage" advice is kinda like the "I had to make my own nails, so he should too" approach. It is instructive for about 15 minutes, then it is a PITA. If you were only loading the 300WSM (low volume cause it will rock your world) a single stage would make some sense, but the 45 and 40 - no way.

Accessories:

Manual

Dial Calipers (not a mic, but one of the various $20 models you can get from lots of sources)

Scale (balance, actually like the RCBS 5-0-5, but there are lots of these, as well)

primer flip tray, pick-up tubes, Better yet a $24.95 vibraprime from Midway

Lee Factory crimp dies for all your calibers

These links: www.midwayusa.com, www.brassmanbrass.com

Garage:

Where do you live? If you live in the South, yes it will be too hot! Inside is better for you. The only real problem you need to watch out for is humidity. Cool and dry (air conditioned) is best for everybody.

[Beethoven]

Yea I think I'm just going to save for the 550B. I live in Phoenix Arizona so yea it will be way too hot in the garage. Thanks for all the great info.

[calhunter]

If your in Phoenix, your right in Dillons backyard. It might be worth the 15 mile drive over there and talk to them direct and get a hands on of all of the machines and accessories. They had everything to set my 650 up for 25WSSM before there was hardly any load data out.

[Beethoven]

Calhunter,

I had no idea that they were located here! I'm definatly going to go over there and check it out. Thanks a lot!

[DogmaDog]

I don't know why anyone who needs ammo in quantity would buy a single stage press. It isn't rocket surgery! I learned on a 550, and it wasn't hard. I'm sure I can learn a lot more, but the ammo I make works just fine. Get a Dillon...you're smart enough!

Get an electronic scale, and digital calipers (the inexpensive ones from Midway). A chrony, extra primer tubes and a flip tray, and maintenance items (spare parts and lubricants). You'll need other accessories to deal with the rifle stuff (case trimming? Other processes I'm unfamiliar with.)

I have a "power tool stand" I got from Home Depot, and I anchored a double thickness of 5/8" plywood on top, with a surface area 18" x 24". It isn't big, but I find it big enough and sturdy enough.

Your garage won't be too hot for the powder (though you should store it in a "cool, dry place"). It might be too hot for YOU to reload in there.

Good luck,

DogmaDog

[Chills1994]

Yep, skip the single stage press all together.

I started with an RCBS single stage press, had that for 10 years, then someone at a match offered a kinda used 550. I took him up on it, and haven't looked back since (about a year and a half now).

If you get a 550, don't even bother getting the Dillon dies, just get their Powder die.

Call Evolution Gun Works for their undersized Lee decapping/resizing dies. Then get a Redding micrometer adjustable bullet seating die, and then get a Lee Factory Crimp die.

And really, if you're .300WSM is a bolt gun, you won't be shooting it all that much. The pistol calibers, now that's different story.

If you go the 550 route, make sure you have plenty of good lighting over the press so you can see the powder charge in the case at Station 3 before you place the bullet on top of the case. I've never had a squib or a double charge because I pay special attention to that one step.

Oh yeah, I keep my powder, brass and primers inside while the press, bullets, and bench are outside in a detached garage.

Chills

Edited February 2, 2006 by Chills1994

[Clay1]

If money is tight and you want rifle cartridges a Dillon 450 on Ebay is selling for less really cheap. You manually index, drop powder and prime but it is a progressive that will handle rifle cartridges and they are very cheap. Beats a Square deal any day for your application. Dillon still covers them under warranty.

Here is just one example for you to consider: http://cgi.ebay.com/Dillon-RL-450-Reloadin...bayphotohosting

By the way, that is not my listing, I don't know the seller or anything about this particular machine. I do know Dillon though and they have the best lifetime warranty in the world.

Rick

[ima45dv8]

I invested a grand total of 3 hours in loading on a friend's single-stage press back in the mid-80s. I will always be grateful to my buddy for breaking me of that habit before I invested anything more than time and aggrevation.

After that, the first press I invested $$ in was a SDB. Been buying only progressives ever since.

[straightshooter1]

I am sure the original poster has long since decided what to get, but notice others are still posting on this thread so I might as well stick my .02 in.

I bought a 550 in 1987-never looked back. So grateful to an IPSC buddy for introducing me to it. It was a lot of $ then, just over $150 if I recall right, but it was soooo fast compared to the single stage I'd used since the late 60s. Really beat the pants off the old Lee Loader (do they still make those things?) my grandfather and I used when I was in my teens.

Secondly, if you check you'll find, at least most of the time, those reloaders who recommend a single stage to start either:

are not volume loaders or shooters

or

just happen to have a single stage that they will let you have "cheap."

Bob