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Cheapest complete reloading set up?

7K views 46 replies 25 participants last post by  Hackman61 
#1 ·
What would be the easiest to use and cheapest (but effective) complete set up for reloading .45 acp? Also how much powder should I use on the .45? also what brand of powder should I use?
 
#2 ·
Mine and many others recommendation will be... ABC's of reloading... get the book, read it cover to cover and then ask questions.

What your asking is way to vague. There are at least a dozen recent threads on the start-up topic.

You need to give though, make a certain factors know…

What calibers? How much you need a month for you shooting requirements? What your expectation are in reloading your own? Is it to save money, shoot more, have ammo more readily available? What is you actual budget?
 
#6 ·
Yep, get a good book. The ABC's, Lyman's 49th, or the Lee manual and read it cover to cover and over again. Then come back and ask more specific questions. :)

In my opinion reading one of these books is a must.

Good luck buddy:)
 
#7 ·
I sixth that...

Yep. Or Nosler or Speer or Honady or Sierra manual.



And when you finish reading, and finally know what kind of press you want, keep in mind that just about everyone (including Dillon, Lee, RCBS and Redding) have starter kits available with nearly everything you need in one kit.


After a bit of primary education from the books, you can come back here and get your college education on the finer points of reloading. :)


But beware of Internet advice! Lots and lots of people on this Internet are liars and they give you wrong (and dangerous) advice! But after you read the books, you will get a sense for how to separate good from bad.
 
#8 ·
First, to obligatory "go read a reloading manual"

Now, to your question...
Since you're asking for cheap, I assume you're not looking for the fastest production, or the very highest quality that would outlive you.

$16.46 for a press https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=00047VBSR0084
$28.19 for dies https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=0000690513
$1.30 for a powder funnel https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=00047VBSR0055

The dies have a powder scoop, but it would be better to have a scale to double check it.

You can get a cheap one for around $20 https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=00047VBSR003

If you want to do close to max loads, get a better scale.
 
#9 ·
ksJoe forgot the calipers.
And the priming tool.
And the safety glasses.

But you'll know all that after you read the book.


(Fair to note that many Lee dies come with shellholder, but dies from Lyman, Hornady, RCBS, Redding, Forster, and certain Lee dies require purchase of a shellholder separately.)
 
#11 ·
ksJoe forgot the calipers.
And the priming tool.
And the safety glasses.
Good points. It seemed like I was forgetting something.

I got the $30 caliper from harbor freight on sale for $10. Plus I had a 20% off coupon, so it was $8. Its a very nice $8 caliper :rock:

I don't think about safety glasses much because I wear glasses. I know, technically I should have safety glasses with side shields on them, but...

The priming tool would be nice to have, but if he's going cheap its not at all required. He can easily prime using the press.
 
#10 · (Edited)
The Classic Lee Loader comes to mind. It is the one you 'whack' with a mallet. Factory sales sells them for $22.

https://factorysales.com/html/xcart/catalog/dies-p4.html#LeeLoader

Slower than anything, but it WILL make safe, reliable and accurate ammo with NO additional purchases.

Most folks opt for at least the Lee Anniversary kit single stage. Next up would be their great Classic turret.

After that all the other brands make terrific higher cost reloading equipment.
 
#13 ·
Cheap is a relative term. Cheap isn't always the least amount of dollars either.

I would recommend staying away for the Lee hammer whack type of reloading gear. Yes, it'll do the job, but what you can make in a whole evening you will shoot up in about 2 and half minutes. Not worth the effort expended.

I recommend one of the single stage press beginner kits such as those sold by RCBS and Hornady. You get the basics you need, and it is good quality equipment. If you get into it and decide you don't like reloading (unlikely but it does happen), you'll find it a lot easier to sell and recoup your investment than with Lee gear.
 
#14 ·
Just saw an ad (maybe Cabelas?) for the Lee Anniversary kit for under $75. All it lacks is a caliper and you can get one from Harbor Freight for under $20. It ain't a Dillon, but $75 doesn't buy much at the Dillon store either - lol

I agree that pistol ammo made with the Lee whack-a-mole could be a very frustrating proposition...... but it would work and cost very little.

Unlike many passtimes, there IS a way for newcomers to participate in the great hobby of reloading at all budget levels.

Your reloading manual will tell you this, but there are 7000 grains of powder in a pound. You can just divide that by the load you will be using to get a handle on how many rounds a pound of any powder could make.
 
#15 ·
frank8097, besides from the good advice above truth be told there really isn't a concept of "cheapest" in handloading. You will end up spending several hundred dollars minimum once all said and done. My advice is to choose carefully so you don't have to repurchase gear.

Good luck!

-1911Collector
 
#17 ·
Cheap is not necessarily good.

[Soap Box] Be sure not to go cheap on your powder measuring device. Get a good scale, and I do not like the Lee Dippers, they are not accurate at all unless you grind them down and even then not that good.

Remember, a blown up gun or medical bills will make the cheap option mighty expensive. Go Single stage with a good kit, never scrimp in reloading.

[/Soap Box]

Bill
 
#22 ·
[Soap Box] Be sure not to go cheap on your powder measuring device. Get a good scale, and I do not like the Lee Dippers, they are not accurate at all unless you grind them down and even then not that good.

Remember, a blown up gun or medical bills will make the cheap option mighty expensive. Go Single stage with a good kit, never scrimp in reloading.

[/Soap Box]

Bill
I started with Lee scale and powder measure they didn't last a day get something good I went with rcbs only because my dad has one he's had for close to 20 years. I recommend a kit its cheaper in the long run than piecing it even getting the component on sale still over payed. I love my rock chucked rcbs. Only gripe is I have to use a hand primer because it does only one at a time on the press rather than the tube set up. If you get into rifles I'd get a trickler I thought it was a waste of money until I used it.
 
#26 ·
As a quick afterthought, I have never thought of my Lee gear as being "cheap"....it is all well made, good quality and value, up to the task and plenty capable of making safe, reliable and accurate ammo if I do my part.

For me it is simply "affordable".

Cheap to me implies crappy, and Lee products are not.
 
#28 · (Edited)
Only rich people can afford to buy cheap tools, buy cheap and you will buy the same tool over and over. Buy quality and you only need to buy once

Also your time is valuable and a quality press will usually be easier and faster to set up and run.
 
#30 ·
A basic generalization

  • Nearly every manufacturer makes a Starter Kit that offers a pretty good deal on basic equipment.
  • Every manufacturer makes good quality basic gear that a beginner can learn on.
  • Stick with the basic stuff to learn your craft, not the specialized accessories and gear that us experienced reloaders desire.
  • The basic stuff from each manufacturer works, if you let it work the way it was made.
If you reject those four basic notions, then what explains the fact that millions of reloaders over the last 50 years have used the basic equipment from every manufacturer to successfully learn the craft of reloading? The basic stuff works if you let it, and you can learn successfully if you want.
 
#31 · (Edited)
  • Nearly every manufacturer makes a Starter Kit that offers a pretty good deal on basic equipment.
  • Every manufacturer makes good quality basic gear that a beginner can learn on.
  • Stick with the basic stuff to learn your craft, not the specialized accessories and gear that us experienced reloaders desire.
  • The basic stuff from each manufacturer works, if you let it work the way it was made.
If you reject those four basic notions, then what explains the fact that millions of reloaders over the last 50 years have used the basic equipment from every manufacturer to successfully learn the craft of reloading? The basic stuff works if you let it, and you can learn successfully if you want.
I am getting ready to start again after a long lay off but one of the things that bothered me back then ( I don't know if it still goes on) was the people always putting the emphasis on how many rounds per hour. I bought the Dillon 650 as my first press although just about everyone recommended single stage. I took pride in the fact I probably was the slowest person to ever use a 650 because I checked and double check each stage and I used the progressive as if it was a single stage press. Take your time with what ever machine you buy but get something you won't out grow and will meet your future needs ( O am referring to a quality machine rather than progressive or non progressive).

One think I did miscalculate on was getting a progressive because I didn't want to be stuck with a single stage that I had outgrown. Now I own a progressive and I am considering buying a single stage because there are times when having a single stage could have advantages over a progressive. So now I believe that it would be nice to have both. A single stage could wind up being faster when you just want to work up a new load and want to make a few rounds to try out.
 
#32 ·
If I may offer my opinion with reasoning.
I too am just starting the reloading venture myself.I have not loaded a single live round yet though.I chose the lee classic turret.Why?The ability to use it as single stage and as a auto indexing press.And you are dealing with a single round at a time either way.With a progressive i fealt it to be too much of a burden to get a reliable,safe setup and dealing with 5 rounds vs 1 round just adds to the burden.While you are checking the powder in the casing you can see before setting the bullet on the case,you have to worry if the case in slot 1 got primed correctly etc..You are also feeling 5 cases being lifted into dies at once.It is harder to detect a defect early before it becomes a bigger issue that way.And removing a single defective case out of a progressive can be a pain to some as(I guess)it throws off the cycle.

I also chose the classic turret as it is is steel and built stronger than the deluxe.In my setup tests I needed quite a bit of force a few times.

And with the turret I can quickly change caliber in a pinch.Even an extra turret plate with specialty dies(like a sizer) can be slapped on in a pinch.

To me the turret is more versital and harder to outgrow than a single stage and can be quite fast when you get comfortable with it.With the turret,you just have more options with how you can use it than a progressive.And with the turret you can use it as a single stage without the pain of changing and resetting the dies at every stage of your reloading.

The turret can be quicker and easier to use all the way around vs a single stage in small quantity and big quantity.And can be as precise as a single stage.

Getting the more afordable single stage can give you a wrong inpression of what reloading can really be.And turn you off the hobby with it being super slow with all the steps needed vs turret and progressive.

If you can-Use someone elses presses to get an idea of whats needed.Ask around your local dealer-chances are they know a friendly avid reloader that wouldnt mind a wingman.

But all said is from my research and my feelings and goals.The first thing I feel you need to do id figure out if you want to reload or not.Then figure out how many rounds you needed reloaded per session.Then figure out the spare time you have to turn out those rounds.More than a couple of calibers.Theres more that I cant pop off my head atm.These guys can help you out best after you figure those things out.They helped me a great deal and I am trying to pass that help on to you.

Everyone has thier preference and most will recommend that to you without knowing the full situation.They do mean well.But in the end it comes down to what you want,can afford,and are comfortable with.
 
#36 ·
If I may offer my opinion with reasoning.
I too am just starting the reloading venture myself.I have not loaded a single live round yet though.I chose the lee classic turret.Why?The ability to use it as single stage and as a auto indexing press.And you are dealing with a single round at a time either way.With a progressive i fealt it to be too much of a burden to get a reliable,safe setup and dealing with 5 rounds vs 1 round just adds to the burden.While you are checking the powder in the casing you can see before setting the bullet on the case,you have to worry if the case in slot 1 got primed correctly etc..You are also feeling 5 cases being lifted into dies at once.It is harder to detect a defect early before it becomes a bigger issue that way.And removing a single defective case out of a progressive can be a pain to some as(I guess)it throws off the cycle.
Steel, somewhere along the line you picked up some misconceptions about progressive presses and how they operate that may have affected the choice you made in what to use.

Yes, there are five stations but once you set up the press its set up, it isn't a constant changing thing. You aren't 'dealing with 5 rounds' as you put it. Each die is set up individually, just like a single stage press, so it takes just as long the first time setting up. Once they're set you don't have to fool with them. Also, changing calibers is lightning fast because you have each die in a quick change insert. I can swap out one caliber for another (including changing the powder metering adjuster in the powder measure) in about 30 seconds flat.

You CAN use a progressive as if it were a single station press. When I decap cases, I do it in bulk, so the only die in place is the decapping die. I feed in one case at a time, pull the handle, and its done. The only difference is that I don't have to remove the case by hand. It just comes around in the shell plate and drops off into the bin. It is actually much faster than using a single stage press because of that.

The whole point of a progressive is that it takes the drudgery and monotony out of reloading. Even if you really enjoy reloading, handling cases four or five times to get through the process from start to finish is a pain in the neck. Its not a big deal if you only load a few boxes a month, but if you shoot several calibers and go through several hundred rounds a month in each one, it is a big deal being able to save time and effort. Feed in a case, pull the handle, and a finished round pops out once you get the sixth case added. The powder measure only dispenses a charge when a case is there, and the powder cop gives a visual aid to ensure a proper charge has dropped. If for some reason you have to pull a case out of the rotation, it doesn't affect any of the others because no case present means no action taken by the die or the powder measure that is in that position.

You can even automate further by adding a case feeder and a bullet feeder if you need that kind of volume. Most don't, though I'd bet a lot of people have the gear anyway. That's just a 'boys and their toys' thing.

In any case, you haven't loaded a single round on anything by your own admission, and it sure sounds like you're trying to justify your choice at the expense of the progressive type press. Nothing wrong with single station, or turrets. But until you've actually done some loading, you're operating on everybody else's recommendations, not your own experience. I would hesitate to offer advice to other newbies on that basis. I sincerely hope what you picked works for you, but wait until you've got some 'time in grade' before critiquing things. Until then, its kind of like writing a movie review without having seen the movie (or basing it on what other reviewers wrote).
 
#34 · (Edited)
A .45 ACP die is no different in a Dillon die than a RCBS die as far as finished product. But a lot of people think the Lee die crimp is superior to other brands. And some dies I own are easier to set up than others because the way you adjust them is a better design. But aside from the Lee crimp once you are all set up there isn't much difference.

Also Dillon sells one of there lease expensive machines with dies that are not compatible with other brand presses or even other Dillon presses.

Other than that all presses use dies with the same size thread

PS try to buy carbide dies if you can

This Redding die with the adjustment knob is something that makes adjustment set up easier, I qish all dies had this knob, click to zoom in.


http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=614901
 
#35 ·
Modern dies are interchangeable, except Dillon Square Deal.

All other dies: 7/8"x14 is the standard thread size for all dies.
That's the standard. They all interchange.

The modern exception are Dillon dies for the Square Deal press, they only fit that particular press.

Lyman Ideal 310 dies (old and obsolete) only fit the 310 press. There may be some other old old obsolete dies, but I doubt you'll find them in a store somewhere.


Note: If you set up your press with very low overhead clearance, some dies might not fit if they are too tall.
 
#37 ·
Im not trying to justify anything.I made my choice from my research and from a beginners standpoint.I do not like giving false info so let me explain and lil better and we can pinpoint where im wrong.And If Im wrong I'll remove it.

Ok let me address this in order if I can.

I may have a misconseption on the reliability and ease of use.As my research was done on presses with the attachments.And the headaches that those bring-case feeders and primer feeders had the most horror storys.Again from my research.And dont most complete kits(like the OP asked about) come with alot of these attachments?

Yes.Once dies are set in a progressive they are set-just like the turret.I mentioned the die changing of the single stage.I didnt mention the dies changing of a progressive as I had no first hand knowledge of them.

Never said you couldnt use a progressive as a single stage.I can also take 4 spark plugs out of my engine and make it a 4 banger.Those dead 4 cylinders are still going through the full motion they were intended to do-just like the progressive.And a progressives I researched need a full up stroke to work and a full down stroke to progress.Taking into account that most progressives I researched had the case loading from the right which is the same side as the handle.Do you have to take your hand off the handle to feed the next case?Or do you reach around?Or Is your press setup the opposite?Also the turret and single stage do not need a full down stroke to move on.Id say a single stage would be faster than a progressive used as a single stage.A experianced reloader can pull the case and drop it into a bin/bucket while reaching for the next.But that is beside the point.

And yes progressives are built for speed.When set up and maintained correctly they can pump out some rounds.But would you really recommend speed to beginner?A single stage or turret is much less confusing from my standpoint.And yes you are still dealing with 5 cases at a time no matter how you want to try to explain it.

And just because I havent loaded a LIVE round yet doesnt mean I havent ran this press through it paces.And I had a few issues with brass lining up with the dies that had to be hand guided up and in.Much harder to tell that problem exists till the ram locks or you have already damaged something with a progressive.You are feeling 1 case get sized and deprimed,1 case expanded and working the powder dispencer,1 bullet being seated,and 1 bullet getting crimped all at the same time.If you do happen notice a pressure change-which case out of those 5 is the suspect?Just like my engine example-you have 5 cylinders firing and one starts to miss-which one is it?Now if its a single cylinder,I already know which one it is-which to me is more what a begginer needs.Not just staring at a powder cop die.Are you going to focus on ever round going through that press at the same time?If so,how do you do it?Or are you just watching the powder cop?

And by being out of cycle i meant mental cycle.The reloaders that watch the powder cop trying to turn those rounds out at speed get out of cycle when a case needs removed and nothing moves that powder cop when it comes to the empty shell holder.Also most complained about the mess when a failure happens and a cartrige needs removed.They never specified so I wont either.

But all I gave was the reason I chose what I did.More than a few pushed the progressive like you seem to be doing now.I still chose the turret.There is more going on at one time with a progressive,and thats why I didnt choose it.Instead of trying to call me out,maybe you should give the reasons why you chose the progressive?We are still talking about a beginer that maybe hasnt done enough research into reloading to even look at press kits and costs or what is even needed or not to reload.Learn to crawl before you walk?

And I gave a beginners standpoint on MY views from the research "I" did,and MY standpoint and MY descission and why "I" made that descission.And i stressed the "MY".Like all things read on the inet,you cant believe most of it-so its the researchers job to weed through it all and discern which you thing is telling you the right info.If it helped him-good-and thats all that matters to me.

And if say I hate the movie because I dont like the title of the movie.It does not say at all that the movie is crappy.
 
#40 ·
OK, fair is fair. I will take your responses to my critique and answer them one by one, as you did. My responses are in red within you quoted post.

Im not trying to justify anything.I made my choice from my research and from a beginners standpoint.I do not like giving false info so let me explain and lil better and we can pinpoint where im wrong.And If Im wrong I'll remove it.

Ok let me address this in order if I can.

I may have a misconseption on the reliability and ease of use.As my research was done on presses with the attachments.And the headaches that those bring-case feeders and primer feeders had the most horror storys.Again from my research.And dont most complete kits(like the OP asked about) come with alot of these attachments?

Not necessarily. Most basic progressive kits do not include case or bullet feeders. Every press I know of has some sort of primer seating mechanism. Efficiency of that system varies from press to press.

Yes.Once dies are set in a progressive they are set-just like the turret.I mentioned the die changing of the single stage.I didnt mention the dies changing of a progressive as I had no first hand knowledge of them.

OK. No problem. You accomplish the same basic purpose with a turret by swapping turrets with a complete die set. The quick change inserts are still faster and easier.

Never said you couldnt use a progressive as a single stage.I can also take 4 spark plugs out of my engine and make it a 4 banger.Those dead 4 cylinders are still going through the full motion they were intended to do-just like the progressive.And a progressives I researched need a full up stroke to work and a full down stroke to progress.Taking into account that most progressives I researched had the case loading from the right which is the same side as the handle.Do you have to take your hand off the handle to feed the next case?Or do you reach around?Or Is your press setup the opposite?Also the turret and single stage do not need a full down stroke to move on.Id say a single stage would be faster than a progressive used as a single stage.A experianced reloader can pull the case and drop it into a bin/bucket while reaching for the next.But that is beside the point.

The Hornady LnL AP loads from the left. Station 1 where you insert the case is at about 10 o'clock. The press also uses a system where half of the cycle is on the downstroke and half on the upstroke, so there is no more motion involved than there is on a single station or a turret type. The half-and-half structure also makes it unlikely that any case will be out of alignment when it enters the sizer die/powder measure/seating die. I've loaded several thousand rounds on my LnL thus far, and can count on one hand the number of misaligned case I had to stop for, and there was no question where the stoppage was when it did. 99% of the time its rather obvious. I have also had just as many if not more such misalignment errors on single station presses (I stopped counting the number of loads on that type system at 100K, and that was a long time ago).

And yes progressives are built for speed.When set up and maintained correctly they can pump out some rounds.But would you really recommend speed to beginner?A single stage or turret is much less confusing from my standpoint.And yes you are still dealing with 5 cases at a time no matter how you want to try to explain it.

There is no rule that you have to try to crank out 500 rounds an hour just because it is a progressive. You can go as fast or as slow as feels right to you. I can't address what is confusing to you. For me, it isn't an issue. The only operation any given case is involved in is confined to the station it is under. A turret press is no different in that regard, except that YOU have to turn the turret instead of the press doing it for you.

And just because I havent loaded a LIVE round yet doesnt mean I havent ran this press through it paces.And I had a few issues with brass lining up with the dies that had to be hand guided up and in.Much harder to tell that problem exists till the ram locks or you have already damaged something with a progressive.You are feeling 1 case get sized and deprimed,1 case expanded and working the powder dispencer,1 bullet being seated,and 1 bullet getting crimped all at the same time.If you do happen notice a pressure change-which case out of those 5 is the suspect?Just like my engine example-you have 5 cylinders firing and one starts to miss-which one is it?Now if its a single cylinder,I already know which one it is-which to me is more what a begginer needs.Not just staring at a powder cop die.Are you going to focus on ever round going through that press at the same time?If so,how do you do it?Or are you just watching the powder cop?

What can I say here? This is more about your mental state of mind when you're loading than it is about any inherent problem with a progressive press. I must also note that a turret press embodies the same set of problems you attribute to a progressive except that you are turning the turret on each stroke of the handle. I still get the feeling that you simply don't trust the progressive process which is odd because the only real difference between it and a turret is the manual aspect of rotating the turret.

And by being out of cycle i meant mental cycle.The reloaders that watch the powder cop trying to turn those rounds out at speed get out of cycle when a case needs removed and nothing moves that powder cop when it comes to the empty shell holder.Also most complained about the mess when a failure happens and a cartrige needs removed.They never specified so I wont either.

Sorry, but you don't get 'out of cycle' that way. Watching the powder cop is a no brainer. It may seem awkward at first, but by the time you've actually loaded 25 or 30 rounds, your brain has already adjusted and you monitor it without thinking about it. The only mess involved is when you forget to seat a bullet and it drops the case and powder into the bin. Again, a irritant, but not a big deal. Removing a cartridge is also very simple. You just pull the case out enough to clear the shell plate against the spring and lift it out. Very easy, very simple to do.

But all I gave was the reason I chose what I did.More than a few pushed the progressive like you seem to be doing now.I still chose the turret.There is more going on at one time with a progressive,and thats why I didnt choose it.Instead of trying to call me out,maybe you should give the reasons why you chose the progressive?We are still talking about a beginer that maybe hasnt done enough research into reloading to even look at press kits and costs or what is even needed or not to reload.Learn to crawl before you walk?

I'm not pushing anything. All I'm trying to do is correct some misconceptions on your part, and point out what appears to be an inordinate fear of complexity when using a progressive. That simply isn't the case. I think anybody that told you that you should avoid a progressive because it is too complex for beginners did you a big disservice. It isn't any more complex than that turret. As I have said repeatedly, the only difference is that it gets rid of some of the repetitive manual motions you have to do with a turret or on a single stage.

And I gave a beginners standpoint on MY views from the research "I" did,and MY standpoint and MY descission and why "I" made that descission.And i stressed the "MY".Like all things read on the inet,you cant believe most of it-so its the researchers job to weed through it all and discern which you thing is telling you the right info.If it helped him-good-and thats all that matters to me.

Well, I suppose you should take what you find on the net with a big grain of salt, but that depends on how good you are at discerning BS from the real deal. Some are better at it than others. However, you came to this forum looking for help, and I'm sure you found that a lot of people here have a lot of knowledge to dispense. Whatever your comfort level is with regard to that information they give you is something you need to determine for yourself. All I can say is, if someone gave me information that said X and somebody else said Y, I would assume the answer was probably somewhere in between, and it would behoove me to do more digging before making a decision. That's just me. Your mileage may vary.

As I said, I'm not raggin' on you at all. I just want to make sure you make your decision on objective facts and not somebody's personal preferences

And if say I hate the movie because I dont like the title of the movie.It does not say at all that the movie is crappy.

Never judge a book by its cover! :)
 
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