What is the bare minimum to reloading?

[Comstar]

I would like to start reloading but I want to save as much $ as possible. I have looked into casting my own bullets and I would be able to do that. It would be for .308 mainly, possibly some hand gun rounds later down the road if I get into that.

I've looked into Lee but was told RCBS was better quality. Would a starter kit with scale, press, ect, be the way to go or get stuff separate?

I have brass already and if I got a mould and stuff to cast bullets, I would only need primers and powder.

Hopefully i haven't forgotten anything.

Thanks for any sugestions and coments.

[wally338]

Casting your own bullets is not really feasible with modern rifle cartridges as the velocity is too high

[Comstar]

Casting your own bullets is not really feasible with modern rifle cartridges as the velocity is too high

What velocities are they good for? Since i mainly shot at my range right now I'm just using cheap Winchester ammo. They are below 2500 feet per second. Is that still to much to load lead bullets at?

[wally338]

It depends on the hardness of the bullet but generally around 1800 FPS

[32-40win]

You can conceivably get 2500 out of cast bullets (3000+ has been done), needs some technical skills to do it, best done with paper patch bullets and/or gaschecks. But, they have to be hard enough to do it, that they are too brittle to make a good hunting bullet.
You can get them up to 2000 or so without making them too hard, but, then you may relegate yourself to a 150yd or so range. You likely ought to go to a 180gr+ bullet for that also.
As to the reloading equipt, a Lee kit will do it, may well need some sizers for bullets, Lee makes some good push thrus. If your mould is a plain base mould, you will be limited to 15-1700 fps by that, would need Pat Marlin's gascheck tool then, to go higher.
All depends on what you want it to do, and how much work you are willing to put into doing it.

[Big Daddy Badger]

I started out with a Lee Anniversary kit and 2 sets of dies.
I had tons of brass already and a pretty good idea of what powder...bullets etc I'd need. ( a friend helped me...a lot)

I think start up costs were about...$200-250 I think.

Since then I've made additions and improvements but the press itself hasn't changed....I think it's good enough at least for now.

Whether or not it is worthwhile depends upon how much you shoot...whether or not you can produce a comparable or better product than the factory ammo you used to buy and whether or not you are actually able to take advantage of the improved performance that many people are looking for.

[catnthehat]

Casting your own bullets is not really feasible with modern rifle cartridges as the velocity is too high

For range work cast bullets are fine, you don't have to push a modern cartridge that fast to make it accurate, that is the beauty of hand loading.

That being said, the amount of gear needed to cast good bullets is going to take a lot of ammo to realize the savings.
You would likely7 be better off buying bulk bullets and loading them
The cheapest outfit you can get is a lee hand tool and a scoop.

You can add little stuff like a trimmer later.
or, you can buy the anniversary press.
You can make ammo with it that is just as accurate as the most expensive gear out there, I have made fantastically accurate ammo with the cheapest lee tools available.
Cat

[Dean2]

Min you need is one set of dies, a decent scale, one loading tray to hold your cases, can be made for nothing from a block of wood with holes drilled in it and a press. You can get a good used RCBS or Lyman press around $75-$100, even new they are only $160. If you are only going to neck size, Lee makes a small press that sells for $29, that work real well. I use a couple of them for seating and portable loading.

There are lots of mechanical scales for sale used, since everyone is switching to electric. $50 should get you a RCBS 505 or a Lyman 1200 pretty easy, Redding are good too but usually more money. I set of dies, new $49 for RCBS, or Lee 3 die set FL, neck and seating die $36. Used 308 are pretty commonly available for $20. I bought a set of RCBS FL 7x57 with seater for $15 at Proline on Sat. For between a hundred and a $165 you are in business, and it doesn't take long to save that reloading.

[bang_on_sk]

I'm in pretty much the same boat, but the most important first step is to buy a good reloading manual (I bought a Lee one) and read it a couple of times. Mine does a great (but pretty biased) job of explaining the pros and cons of different systems and exactly what you need, equipment-wise to start up.

I think I'm going to be going with the Lee Anniversary kit too, you can't seem to beat that value.

[FallAirFever]

I have just started reloading, bought the Lee anniversary kit on sale at Cabela's for $100. Someone on another thread asked me how I liked it.
Here is my initial review, hope it helps.

So far I have only loaded about 60rounds so I am just getting started so take this for what it is worth.

Lee 50th Anniversary Kit:

Breech Lock Challenger Press: I like the press, but I think the breech lock feature is stupid. They only give you one of the bushings so you have to take it off every time you need to change dies anyways. If you had a bushing for each die it might work just fine. The press is easy to set up and seems plenty solid for how much I will reload, maybe a couple hundred rounds a year.

Perfect powder measure: I really like this it is fairly easy to set up and throws consistent enough charges(0.2 grains variance at the most, usually .1 or bang on once you get a consistant rhythm) I go .2-.3 grains light and trickle the last bit in. I really like how easily it cleans up; close the tube, work your charging handle a couple times and remove the tube, no mess! I actually prefer it over the RCBS one I used that belongs to a friend.

Lee Safety Scale: Not impressed! pretty finiky to set up and not dampened very well so it is difficult to tell how close you are coming to your desired charge. Might be okay as a back up but too time consuming for my likes. A decent beam scale (I have used an RCBS one it was nice) or digital will be in your near future unless you have way more patcience than I do.

Lee Safety Prime: attaches to your press to feed primers into your priming arm on your press. Once you have it set-up it works all right probably just about as quick to load the primer into the arm by hand but you dont have to handle the primers as much which is a bonus. It is a little gimiky I think.

Case prep tools: the case trimmer with the lock stud works well on a hand drill *Dont forget to pick up the case length gauge for the caliber you are shooting* The chamfer/debur tool is fine. I trim chamfer and debur in a pretty quick step with the drill (not included). The Primer pocket cleaner works ok but my hand cramps after doing a few cases and I bought a Lyman tool that has a nice handle and works great!

On top of the kit you will need Dies, a case trim guage and shell holder for the caliber(s) you be loading for. I bought the Lee 3 die set and like them, dont really know if you need the Factory crimp die or if just going with the 2 die set would be just fine.

I also bought a digital caliper - $30, a Lyman case prep kit that came with neck brushes and lube pad - $30, a Lyman powder trickler - $20, a bullet puller - $25 and reloading block - $10, and a case tumbler cause I like shinny brass! - $60 for the kit (tumbler, media polish, bucket and strainer)

You of course are going to need ammo components and a reloading manual or 2. I like the Lee modern reloading book and I bought the Sierra manual because those are the bullets I load. I have also bought a digital scale to replace the lee one.

For the value I think the kit is is great! I have not priced out what it would have cost to buy each of the components with out the scale but it would probably cost more than the kit so buy the kit, and upgrade the scale and a couple of the hand tools and you are good to go! The kit does come with insturctions but I found searching for YouTube videos and watching guys set it up much easier than the written instructions. Lee has videos and a guy that calls himself acuratewayz were very helpful.

Good luck so far it has been very enjoyable and I hope to keep at it for years to come!

[Comstar]

Thanks everyone for the help so far.

I plan on shooting 200+ bullets a year, I already have a bit of a stash from a big sale. Should I wait to get supplies if I decide to reload or does it go o e sale a certain time of the year?

[Leeper]

You need a press, dies, and a powder scale. This will get you started. You will want to add a decent caliper (cheaper and more readily available than ever before) and, eventually, a case trimmer. As time goes on, you will find the need (?) for more gadgetry.
While I have shot a bunch of cast bullets over the years, I don't do so much anymore. Copper plated lead bullets are pretty cheap (12 to 15 cents apiece for thirty calibers) and work very well at high end cast bullet velocities.
Spend a good deal of time reading the various loading manuals. They are generally a better source of information than are internet sites! Leeper

[Dr. Phil A]

Minimum cost?????????? It is like a drug. You get a taste and pretty soon you are haunting reloading websites, researching different powders, bullets, and other stuff. A piece here and a piece there no problem you say. Pretty soon you have a spot in the basement set aside for a bench and storage. You run a tv cable into the room so you can watch hunting shows or hockey while you are reloading. There is the constant buzz of the tumbler. YOu put a file cabinet in to keep track of targets and stats. You get to be on first name basis with the guy in the reloading area at the local sports shop. Cat in the Hat, Dick284, and a few other AO members are on speed dial. It gets in your blood. You will be ecstatic and disappointed when you find your pet load because you will realize that there is nothing more you can do. Then you start looking at other guns so you can feel that excited rush all over again. Nothing like taking a new die out of the box the first time and setting it up.

Sound familiar ....LOL

[Comstar]

Minimum cost?????????? It is like a drug. You get a taste and pretty soon you are haunting reloading websites, researching different powders, bullets, and other stuff. A piece here and a piece there no problem you say. Pretty soon you have a spot in the basement set aside for a bench and storage. You run a tv cable into the room so you can watch hunting shows or hockey while you are reloading. There is the constant buzz of the tumbler. YOu put a file cabinet in to keep track of targets and stats. You get to be on first name basis with the guy in the reloading area at the local sports shop. Cat in the Hat, Dick284, and a few other AO members are on speed dial. It gets in your blood. You will be ecstatic and disappointed when you find your pet load because you will realize that there is nothing more you can do. Then you start looking at other guns so you can feel that excited rush all over again. Nothing like taking a new die out of the box the first time and setting it up.

Sound familiar ....LOL

I'm a little bit scared now, but it will give a good excuse to buy more guns!

[ShawnM]

Last fall I did some bullet casting and I didn't really find the results all that satisfactory. The casting process is pretty dirty and the lead fumes scared the heck out of me.

I'd stick to factory bullets for what it's worth.

[insurgus]

I think the idea of getting into reloading to save money kind of amusing. To do it right, you'll probably spend about $1500 before components. If you want to half ass your setup, just go buy winchester bulk ammo. It will shoot the same as half assed loads anyway and save you the upfront startup costs.

[Loki610]

Last fall I did some bullet casting and I didn't really find the results all that satisfactory. The casting process is pretty dirty and the lead fumes scared the heck out of me.

I'd stick to factory bullets for what it's worth.

It can be tricky to find a cast bullet load that can perform to the same accuracy standard as jacketed. Barrel needs to be slugged for bore diameter, alloy might need to be changed, lube can make a huge difference, and gas checks definately help a lot.

I have a load for my 30-30 using a Lee 150 grain flat nose with gas check that will pull off 3/4" groups at 75 yards moving at roughly 2100fps

As far as minimum kit for reloading goes, a Lee loader and a rubber mallet would be fine if you only shot a couple hundred rounds in a year. Caliper would still be usefull for seating depth.

[Dr. Phil A]

I'm a little bit scared now, but it will give a good excuse to buy more guns!

Just tell the wife it keeps you home and out of her hair.... priceless.

[ShawnM]

I think the idea of getting into reloading to save money kind of amusing. To do it right, you'll probably spend about $1500 before components. If you want to half ass your setup, just go buy winchester bulk ammo. It will shoot the same as half assed loads anyway and save you the upfront startup costs.

Wow $1500? I have excellent quality gear and every toy I can think of and I'm sure I didn't spend more than around $800-$900. Of course, given what I'm saving on hunting bullets, varmint bullets, target, etc. I think I probably made that back in about six months.

[insurgus]

Wow $1500? I have excellent quality gear and every toy I can think of and I'm sure I didn't spend more than around $800-$900. Of course, given what I'm saving on hunting bullets, varmint bullets, target, etc. I think I probably made that back in about six months.

What I'm trying to say is you get what you pay for. I know several guys with entry level reloading gear, much like the OP is looking at buying, and they are having a minute of barn accuracy.

You don't have to spend a lot of money at it, but you really can’t cheap out either. I load about 300-400 cartridges a month so I save considerable cost, but bulk ammo is certainly better than hand loads that shoot like crap.

I’m one of those guys that gets rid of guns that aren’t 1/4moa at 100 yards though, so take what I say with a salt lick.

[joeya]

I just started, RCBS starter package 325.00. 2 sets of dies 90.00. Trimmer 125. Reloading Bench materials 500.00. Puller 25.00. Tricker 15.00. Nosler and Hornady Manuals 100.00. shell holders 15.00. Powder measurer 13.00. Calipers and micrometer 80.00. Plus other little tools.

So far I'm at 1288.00 (including bench materials), not including primers, powders, bullets.

I will say that Im having a blast learning, It will take me a very long time to recoup the costs, but it's a heck of a lot of fun.

Joey

[alpining]

What I'm trying to say is you get what you pay for. I know several guys with entry level reloading gear, much like the OP is looking at buying, and they are having a minute of barn accuracy.

You don't have to spend a lot of money at it, but you really can’t cheap out either. I load about 300-400 cartridges a month so I save considerable cost, but bulk ammo is certainly better than hand loads that shoot like crap.

I’m one of those guys that gets rid of guns that aren’t 1/4moa at 100 yards though, so take what I say with a salt lick.

You get what you pay for? Sometimes. I've gotten more than what I've paid for, and sometimes I've gotten less. Sometimes I've paid more for a premium product when I would have been just as happy or happier with something more economical. Sometime the reverse was the case. But I am definitely not disappointed with my purchase of the Lee kit.

If the OP is looking to start reloading cast with a bare bones setup, then I can't think of a better option than the Lee kit. It has tremendous value. If your buddies are getting minute of barn with a well set up Lee kit, then I'd wager that they are doing something wrong, or there is something wrong with the boomstick. My Lee kit makes ammo that is more accurate than I am capable of appreciating. And the bulk ammo I've used is both atrocious quality and more expensive compared to my handloads.

[ShawnM]

The Lee kits are much maligned by the gear snobs :D But they really are an excellent value for someone starting up. The Lee dies are at least as accurate as the non-match dies from other manufacturers.

[257Shooter]

Lee anniversary kit for sure. Pick up extra bushings for your dies, a caliper from Canadian tire, bullet puller, a reloading manual or three, read lots and have some fun crafting your own loads. I started 2 years ago, have learned a ton and have a ton more to learn.
I have made some laods that are less than 1/2" moa at 100 yards and am pleased with my results so far.

[catnthehat]

What I'm trying to say is you get what you pay for. I know several guys with entry level reloading gear, much like the OP is looking at buying, and they are having a minute of barn accuracy.

.
I'm not disagreeing with your frind's personal results, but I can and have loaded 1/2MOA ammo with a Lee hand tool!:sign0161:
You do not need to spend NEAR HALF that much on a decent set of tools and a manual, what you DO need to do is to get a good mentor to show you how.
Cat

[qwert]

IMHE reloading does not result in cheaper shooting, but it does result in better quality ammo and a LOT more shooting for the same $.

cheapest method is the Lee Loader, (which is where many of us began).
http://www.natchezss.com/brand.cfm?contentID=productDetail&brand=LE&prodID=LEE90245&prodTitle=Lee%20Loader%20308%20Winchester

cheapest I know of for (std die) press kit
http://www.natchezss.com/brand.cfm?contentID=productDetail&brand=UY&prodID=UYVBSR00841&prodTitle=S.B.P%20Reloading%20Kit

more expensive but seems to be great value
http://www.natchezss.com/brand.cfm?contentID=productDetail&brand=UY&prodID=UYVBSR00831&prodTitle=Smart%20Reloader%20Omega%20800%20Pro%20K it

Lee anniversary kit
http://www.natchezss.com/brand.cfm?contentID=productDetail&brand=LE&prodID=LEE90050&prodTitle=Lee%20Breech%20Lock%2050th%20Anniversary %20Kit
check local sale prices

My personal choice
http://www.natchezss.com/brand.cfm?contentID=productDetail&brand=LE&prodID=LEE90064&prodTitle=Lee%20Classic%20Turret%20Press
308 delux die set
http://www.natchezss.com/Category.cfm?contentID=productDetail&brand=LE&prodID=LEE90614&prodTitle=Lee%20308%20Winchester%20Deluxe%20Rifle% 203%20Die%20Set

I have had very good service and excellent value from
http://www.natchezss.com

I agree with those who advised that bullet casting is a whole other world which requires more tooling (and effort) than you might suspect. I do find casting for both rifle and pistol very rewarding, but IMHO it is most worthwhile for pistol.

Good luck, YMMV

[densa44]

The first reloading I ever saw was for shot shells, the "equipment" was a nail and an egg cup with 2 scratches on the side. A shirt cardboard (I'll bet everyone here doesn't know what they are) was cut up for wads. The primers were banged in on the kitchen table and the tops were folded in with a nicotine stained thumb. Every Saturday on Lake Ontario they got a limit of ducks!

For you, with a 308, buy an old lee hand setup on e-bay like the new one from Natchez, it won't be perfect but it makes pretty good ammo. Total cost around $20.00. You'll need a rubber mallet or if you have one a shot hammer.

Ask Elk how NOT to stick a case!

[catnthehat]

The first reloading I ever saw was for shot shells, the "equipment" was a nail and an egg cup with 2 scratches on the side. A shirt cardboard (I'll bet everyone here doesn't know what they are) was cut up for wads. The primers were banged in on the kitchen table and the tops were folded in with a nicotine stained thumb. Every Saturday on Lake Ontario they got a limit of ducks!

For you, with a 308, buy an old lee hand setup on e-bay like the new one from Natchez, it won't be perfect but it makes pretty good ammo. Total cost around $20.00. You'll need a rubber mallet or if you have one a shot hammer.

Ask Elk how NOT to stick a case!

I still load many of my shot shells by hand, but the cases are often brass -oh, and yes I DO know what a shirt cardboard is!:sHa_sarcasticlol:!
I don't use an egg cup though, I have one of those fancy dancer adjustable scoops that I use on the road!:sHa_sarcasticlol:

The primer is knocked out by hand and the new one set in with a dowel and hammer with the primer resting on a quarter , the powder scooped in, card wad, fibre wad, .035 wad, and shot.
The shot is held in with a tight over shot wad and glue.:)
Cat

[densa44]

Some one gave my old friend the felt off of a pool table and he was the happiest man on Wolfe island! I have no idea where you would get paper cases to-day. He reused old purple CIL imperial (high brass) and fired them out of a sxs with exposed hammers.

Cat you were just born too late!

I have no idea what the powder was, I think the shot was #5, all materials were kept in green Export A tobacco tins!

My how time flies.

[catnthehat]

Federal still makes them, but have fired some older C.I.L. 20 gauge ammo of late and was very disapointed, because I found pin holes at the top of the brass that rendered the hulls useless after the first firing!:mad0177:
Cat

[alpining]

I still load many of my shot shells by hand, but the cases are often brass -oh, and yes I DO know what a shirt cardboard is!:sHa_sarcasticlol:!
I don't use an egg cup though, I have one of those fancy dancer adjustable scoops that I use on the road!:sHa_sarcasticlol:

The primer is knocked out by hand and the new one set in with a dowel and hammer with the primer resting on a quarter , the powder scooped in, card wad, fibre wad, .035 wad, and shot.
The shot is held in with a tight over shot wad and glue.:)
Cat

Brass cases. Fully awesome. Wish I had me some of them.

Wouldn't a cardboard shirt be uncomfortable? :p

[Comstar]

What about starting with a lee hand press, I got lots of time to reload in the after noon and they seem fool proof. For me it's either reloading soon or buying a big bunch of surplus 7.62x51. ( I would rather the reloading to use up my old brass )

Also anywhere I look surplus is more expensive than reloaded.

[catnthehat]

What about starting with a lee hand press, I got lots of time to reload in the after noon and they seem fool proof. For me it's either reloading soon or buying a big bunch of surplus 7.62x51. ( I would rather the reloading to use up my old brass )

Also anywhere I look surplus is more expensive than reloaded.
No sweat, the Lee press is great and works well!:)
Cat