And so it begins...

[Reserve161]

For my birthday I received a 50th Anniversary Lee Press and also a hornaday
case tumbler.
I have yet to put anything together. I have, however, been scrounging my
brass for a few months and have a 5-gallon bucket about half full of my
.45ACP brass (along with some other stuff to sort out.)

I still have to buy the dies and supplies. Last trip to Bass Pro wasn't very
fruitful - just came away with some corn cob media. Figured I could sort and
polish brass first and independently, anyway.

I need to look up my reload specs so I can decide exactly what bullet weight
and type, and what powder type I need to use. I want to build both
SD and target ammo.

Eventually I hope my wife will join in shooting so that may open the door to 9mm
or .380 or whatever caliber she decides on.

And finally, I was gifted a mosin-nagant (7.62x54r) rifle. No plans to reload for
this yet, but that remains to be seen. I'd have to find boxer primed cartridges.

Any advice would be appreciated. I will read and track this portion of the forum
for sure!

Thanks!
Bryan

[Reserve161]

Thanks for the tips, Andy!

I have two .45ACP - Rock Island 5" 1911 Match (more for fun and precision these days)
Rock Island 3.5" 1911 - Commander size? - My EDC

[AggieMike]

So just in a ballpark range, what does it cost to get decent equipment to reload? Let's say you wanted to start with .40 and .45 only. I know their is a wide range of quality in the equipment, but was looking at least mid range. I built a space in my garage for this exact purpose and it sort of ended there. Just didn't know what kind on investment to get everything you need would be for something pretty decent.

[Reserve161]

Thanks, Andy -
230grn RN sounds like "the standard load" at least good for a starting point.

I appear to have picked the absolute worst time to get started with all the shortages.

I really, really like my RIA pistols!

[Reserve161]

As to specific concerns, I am just trying to clear out all the confusion. That
website you linked me to is awesome to help give me some choices.

I know I will have questions as I get deeper in. I'm still in the physical setup of
the "stuff" - figuring out how and where to mount the press, acquiring the dies (out of stock!)
and haven't even tried to find components yet - but the data from that website will help
me with components.
I plan on staying far away from max loads and try to make mostly consistent loads for
target.

It's nice to know this resource is here! Thanks for being willing to answer questions!

Bryan

[AggieMike]

Thank you sir....or course out of stock....but I am getting very used to seeing those messages now days!

[ghostrider]

Mid-range for 2 calibers? Probably the Lee Classic Turret kit - http://www.midwayusa.com/product/785993" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... deluxe-kit

maybe not quite mid-range, but this is in stock:
http://www.sinclairintl.com/reloading-e ... x?psize=48" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[AggieMike]

Two of my friends reload their ammo and both use Dillon....I am thinking based on what they say not exactly mid range anymore.

[Iunnrais]

Nice.

I'm finally starting to pickup some gear as well. Got a Hornady Sonic Cleaner for Christmas and a tiny little Lee single stage press (with a universal decapping die) came in yesterday. I'll probably use it for a little bit (once I pickup a scale, dies, etc.) until I get CFO approval for either a Dillon or a Hornady progressive after which it will just be a dedicated decapper. Going to be an over-time kind of investment. 3 calibers right now and probably a 4th coming once tax season hits. 9mm, 10mm/.40 S&W and .45 acp with a nice straight walled single action revolver in the 'I want' category (.357 mag /.44 mag / .45 colt)

Just finished messing around and decapping most of my .45acp brass. I was surprised at how many small primer pocket brass turned up.

[Jumping Frog]

I've sorted and sold about 4500 .45 ACP cases in the last 6 months. About 15% have ended up being SPP instead of large.

I have one friend who has switched to using the small primer cases almost exclusively.