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by LTUME1978
Fri Aug 28, 2020 7:25 pm
Forum: General Gun, Shooting & Equipment Discussion
Topic: Getting Started Reloading with Limited Space
Replies: 8
Views: 4063

Re: Getting Started Reloading with Limited Space

Additional information to muddy the water. I started reloading for a 357 magnum in 1974 with the Lee kit that requires the use of a plastic hammer to drive the brass in and out of the dies (no press) and uses a powder scoop rather than weighing each charge on a scale. I was in college and broke and this kit cost me $10.00. I also needed a lube pad and lube as the cases had to be lubed to drive them in the die. This is what the gunsmith/gun store owner recommended to see if I really wanted to get into reloading. He also recommended the Lyman Reloading manual. It was slow and noisy but made good shooting ammo. I still have that kit but have not used it since a few months after buying it. I liked reloading and got a RCBS Jr. press and dies as soon as I could afford it. I used the Lee powder scoop for a long time because it worked well. I stopped reloading a few years after getting out of college and started again after Obama got elected.

At that time, all I could find was Lee dies and turret press for equipment so I bought it. I have loaded a lot of ammo on both their turret press and single stage press. The rifle ammo for my 6.5 Creedmoor will shoot under 1/4 MOA out of my Savage Model 12 Long Range Precision. I was curious about how Lee dies stacked up against other brands as I heard that Lee dies (and equipment) was junk so I bought some Hornady dies in 45 ACP and loaded ammo with both the Lee and Hornady. Testing showed no difference in group sizes. I went to Dillon 650's 5 years ago when I got a promotion (more money coming it but much less free time to load ammo). I can tell no difference in the accuracy of the ammo loaded on the Dillon vs the Lee press and either the Lee or Hornady dies in either 9mm or 45 ACP. The Dillon is MUCH faster but requires a lot more attention when loading as there are so many things going on at one time. Loading on the Lee equipment was very therapeutic when I had the time (turn on the radio and pull the lever, very relaxing). I tried going back to loading pistol ammo on the Lee recently (just for fun) and, while more relaxing, is to slow once one gets used to loading on a Dillon progressive machine. I still use the Lee to load pistol ammo that I don't shoot often (38 special, 357, 380.).

You don't have to have a scale when you first start. The Lee Powder scoop worked well, just would not recommend them for maximum loads. I still use them when loading stick powders to get the load up close to what I want then trickle in the last little bit to get to the final weight.

Like others said, get the Lyman Reloading Manual, read, and then have fun.

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