So I just went full autismo and bought this reloading kit out of impulse. I've kinda always wanted to get into reloading but never really knew what to do. Can any of you help me with what to do? I also bought 9mm dies
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/121744/lee-challenger-breech-lock-single-stage-press-kit
>>30066959
watch some youtube videos
>>30066959
shoulda bought the turret press for the same price. more flexibility and can still function as a single stage.
Stock up on powder, primers and bullets. they are in stock now but for how long? powders are just now becoming available after nearly a 3 year drought.
I dont see a manual in that kit. get one along with a loading block.
Watch youtube videos on reloading and read your manual.
>>30066959
Get a tumbler or something to clean the cases. There is a Frankfort Arsenal (cheap) on Amazon that had a strainer and media in a kit.
You can load dirty brass if you absolutely don't give a shit, but I wouldn't recommend making a habit of it.
>>30066959
These anons are all right. A tumbler is a necessity also hodgdon has a website with recipes for their powders.
>>30067392
>>30067264
I started loading without a tumbler and people had been reloading without a tumbler for well over a hundred years.
Simply wiping your dirty brass clean with a rag will do. You can clean brass in a solution of hot water, dish soap and vinegar. This will not get you a pretty high polish but it will get your brass clean!
polishing brass is simply aesthetic.
>>30067392
>A tumbler is a necessity
Not really.
>>30067600
>wipe all my brass by hand
>leave it in a tumbler for a few hours while I wank.
One of these is the clear answer. But you are right that it is not really necessary.
Anyways, buy a lyman/hornady/hodgens manual. Read the first few chapters, which will be about how to reload.
I no longer tumble.
I picked up a cheap ultrasonic from harbor freight and use it.
I have not done much reloading this last year as i moved from a house with roommates to an apartment .
But tonight i finished my new reloading bench. And mounted my press.
I still need to add some storage to it. And lighting. But. It is a start.
The real key to reloading...be organized. Clean. And careful
Load em hot everytime. Works everytime.
>>30067777
C H E C K E D
>>30066959
Also, you might want to get a different scale at some point and the small hand tools for debuting, chamfering, and cleaning the primer pockets.
The tool in the bottom right looks like Lee's case trimmer and not a primer pocket brush, but I could be wrong.
If you like the scale, keep it. I prefer RCBS's scale and presses, Lee's dies and small tools, and generally avoid Hornady after having terrible trouble with them and their shitty support.
>>30067804
This guy is right, except that I strongly dislike lee dies. Their sizing dies in some calibers require a vice grip to disassemble, and some of their more obscure calibered dies have simply not been the right sixes. I prefer RCBS or Redding for dies.
RCBS has great customer support. I had part of my sizing die for 7.62x54 and they sent me a replacement with just an email. I had owned it for seven years at that point.
OP Here, thanks for all the awesome help guys. I'll make a video of me shooting my first reloads and hopefully I don't die.
>>30067981
RCBS dies are good. I used to load short runs of custom ammo, tailored to rifles guys would drop off. To cut costs, I used Lee. My 7mm Rem Mag and 25-06 were RCBS. Other than Lee being crudely machined, I never found much of a difference in the loaded ammunition. Lee dies are sometimes prone to rusting. I suspect it is a metallurgy issue as it is inconsistent.
I had consistent issues with Hornady being out of spec, usually on shoulders. They also tended to flare the mouth too much on smaller diameters, which made an aggressive crimp necessary to ensure that the cartridge made it to the customer okay. That, and they treated me like shit until I sent them three sets of dies back. They sent me three new sets, all with the same issues. That was 8 years ago, so I imagine it is better now, based on the oohh-rah-rah they get anymore.
>>30067792
Thans \k
I have not gotten quads in a long while.
Also. 30.06
>>30067981
Yes, you do need tools to remove the decapping pin from the sizing die but when adjusted properly, the decap pin will ride up when you come across a berdan primed case or case with an obstruction. Much less likely to break a decapping pin with lee dies. That said, RCBS dies are great too.
>>30068298
I have only used hornady custom dies.
I have not had problems on them , but i have had a ton of issues with the LNL ap progressive press.
They have finally fixed the design of the primer system thst wqs the cause of my problems.
Die wise. Lee are great for odd ball military stuff at reasonable ( not custome made) prices.
Personaly all my dies with few exceptions ( some hornady, a set of lee for my steyr m95) are forester or customs made (CH4D)
>>30068309
I like to clean my dies after a lot of resizing, so having to use tools to take them apart can be annoyed.
That said, lee dies certainly work fine.
>>30068335
Like I said, this was 8 years ago and affected 25-06, 22-250, and 243 the worst. I used a set of 300WSM Hornady dies that a customer provided and they were okay, still a bit flared for my taste. He wanted a stupid light (125gr Nosler) bullet loaded hot, so accuracy was exactly what I told him to expect from a 20.5" barrel.
>>30068392
With carbide dies and relatively clean brass, there shouldn't be any need to clean your sizing die. maybe once every 30k or so rounds.
>>30068533
I have several rifles which generate filthy brass, and I use lee sizing die, which is water based.
Also, I am a metals conservator by trade, and am more or less anal with cleaning.
Can I ask what the opinion is of Dillon 650 / 1050 presses? Are they worth the money? Also, has anyone had issues getting 357sig's consistantly crimped in it?
>>30068590
Many people like those presses a lot.
I used to have trouble getting 7.62 tok to crimp well. Some FMJs have rapidly curving sides that make it difficult to get a good hold. I use bullets with seating grooves or have longer straight walls, such as JHPs, now.
>>30068590
They are fine, but I put them in the same category as Redding and such. They don't make a lot of sense starting out, given that most people load 20 rounds and never load again, leaving hundreds in equipment for the garage sale pile.
Hmm. My 70yr old father has a 1050 set up for 357 sig, and apparently 1 in 10 or so will have a loose proj. He's pretty consistent as far as I know, old age hasn't hit his shooting ability, that's for sure.
Might just be the proj's aren't that consistent. If the press is likely to be okay then that might be the go.
I was just wondering if there was a better alternative to the dillon for volume reloading (1-2k at a time anyway) of 9mm / .357 sig. As an Ausfag, that's more or less what we can use in semi auto pistol nowadays.
I bought that same kit when I got started, anon. Here's what else you need:
>A device for cleaning brass
Most would recommend a tumbler. I use a sonic cleaner. Both work well, but the tumbler is better for doing a lot at once
>Loading Block
Something to hold the cases while you're loading is essential
>Reloading Manual
This is the actual most important thing. I use the Lee manual because it has some info specific to their products, but Hornady and Lyman make good ones as well.
>A better powder dispenser
This is up to personal taste, but I hated the cheap plasticky feel of the one in the kit. I just wasn't confident it was giving me consistent pours.
>A caliper
You need to make sure you get the O.A.L. (Overall Length) right, especially for a semiautomatic cartridge to ensure both that the pressures will be safe and that they will feed correctly.
>>30067777
>>30068299
>30-06 + quads followed by dubs
Unstoppable
I like my lee does, but the rifle ones I wet tumble which makes for much cleaner sizing and requires way less lube. Then after firing once I just neck size which doesn't require lube at all. Pistol dies are all carbide and don't really matter...
>>30067777
I bought the Rotary Tumbler from Harbor Freight and I do wet tumbling with stainless steel media.
Cleans the junk and crud out of cases, including rifle brass. Leaves it shiny and smelling lemony fresh.
>>30066959
Johnny's reloading bench on YouTube. Been wanting to pick up this kit and a caster as well and have been watching a ton of videos. Long videos but a ton of information. They're called a beginners guide to reloading. Fortunecookie45lc has more videos than Isis and also has a ton of info.
You need calipers more than anything, and of course a reloading book or two. If you find pistol powder buy that shit immediately. Unique is nowhere to be found. Don't reload brass fired from a glock as its not a fully supported barrel. People buy lone wolf barrels to reload for Glocks.
>>30066959
Get a small table to mount it on. Couple of boxes to store things and a bunch of different tupperware.
My small setup at the moment that I did over the weekend. Still want to add a lamp.
Anyone knows why the tumbler media gets stuck in the primer hole?
Not a big issue, just push it out with a case sizer. Just takes time and is annoying.
Change the medium to something bigger?
>>30070474
I don't think you actually reload.
He unique is hard to find, many other pistol powders are not. I can't go to any store without them having HS-6, red dot, and accurate 2 through 9 out the ass.
The glock thing is pure, uncut fuddlore. Even if the chamber is fucked, the brass will likely be fine after resizing.
>>30071785
I had goof results using a smaller media actually. Just falls out.
Lyman media seems to be getting stickier and stickier, I use frankfurt now with good results.
Something out of interest. I broke my .303B decapping die on a berdan primer case.
Bought a 1.8mm drill bit that is a fraction of a size bigger that the original pin. Drilled it and then glued it in place. So far working fine.
A replacement pin is not expensive but is annoying to order a new one.
>>30071847
Better pic.
>>30071847
Whyd you try to deprime a berdan case with a die? :0
>>30072182
Not him, but it happens. All it takes is one getting mixed in your shit.
