new reloading need advice on equipment "lrg quant

[Taylo1nf]

Ok so me and my brother have time,money and space to start reloading ammo. Not looking to reload for profit but would like to build up a surplus of sorts. We also like to shoot... ALOT

I know th first place to start is good reloading books. whats the best and easiest book to start on and then advanced.

Now we need equipment. It'll need to be heavy duty since were talking thousands of rounds of multiple calibers.

and then lastly where and what powder and reloading supplies will we need? (mission below)

What's a good going rate right now for brass,bullets, powder etc. something to get a handle on pricing.


budget would like to stay under $2000 with a good supply of powder,bullets,casings. etc

What we are loading
223.....5-10k rounds
308.....5-10k rounds
40sw...1-2k rounds
45acp..1-2k rounds
Eventually I will be loading
338 lapua mag
408 cheytac mag

Goal is accurate ammo. nothing record breaking but not plinking either.

I know this is alot and were starting from fairly no knowledge besides how to expend the rounds we have.

Links to good deals or supplies would be appreciated.

 

[Captain Kirk]

Re: new reloading need advice on equipment "lrg quant

One thing to keep in mind when your starting out, the simpler the better, you don't load any more ammo than you are willing to pull bullets from and re-do, you WILL make mistakes. Its a good idea to start out with a inexpensive quality single stage press to dip your toe in the water, you need to learn the basics and preforming one stage at a time vs juggling 3-4 stages on a progressive will help you out at first.

Lets assume you have learned the basics, now lets start with progressive loading presses. The type of bulk you are talking about, I'd reccommend looking at the Dillon 650 or even the 1050 if budget allows. These presses realy speed up when you use the auto case/bullet feeders, but price starts to jump pretty fast considering you have a different conversion for each caliber. You can do 223, 308, 40 and 45 on the progressive.

The 338LM and 408 will require a larger single stage press, the RCBS ammomaster is a good press for precision single stage work with the larger calibers, but it is a huge waste of motion when loading the standard size rifle calibers, loading efficiently is all about economy of motion.

Kirk R

 

[former naval person]

Re: new reloading need advice on equipment "lrg quant

Also look at the different powders available...for quantities like that you will probably want to consider the various ball powders for metering purposes.

 

[Taylo1nf]

Re: new reloading need advice on equipment "lrg quant

Thanks for the info. I tend to go big or go home with just about every hobby i take on. I've been recommended the dillon 650 and i think that's what i will end up with. with the auto feeders,

Even though my budget for equipment is good i still would like to keep the actual ammo cost down as much as i can.

So buying in bulk is definitly something i'd be interested in.

i'd like to get the best equipment i can for the task at hand as long as i can stay under that 2k budget for startup.

i understand it's a learning process i will read up as much as i can before hand, any easy to read reloading books you'd recommend?

Just looking for the best starting point for the 4 main calibers. i'll surely add to it as i go.

308 is the only caliber i really need precise loads. but 223 is pretty important as well.

 

[jfseaman]

Re: new reloading need advice on equipment "lrg quant

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: NateT21</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Thanks for the info. I tend to go big or go home with just about every hobby i take on. I've been recommended the dillon 650 and i think that's what i will end up with. with the auto feeders,

Even though my budget for equipment is good i still would like to keep the actual ammo cost down as much as i can.

So buying in bulk is definitly something i'd be interested in.

i'd like to get the best equipment i can for the task at hand as long as i can stay under that 2k budget for startup.

i understand it's a learning process i will read up as much as i can before hand, any easy to read reloading books you'd recommend?

Just looking for the best starting point for the 4 main calibers. i'll surely add to it as i go.

308 is the only caliber i really need precise loads. but 223 is pretty important as well. </div></div>Truth, I am still fairly new to reloading, only a few k loaded but I would recommend to start simple. Heed the advice given by others or you will waste much time and money. If you have unlimited of both go as big as you want.

I go big, I have a single, turret and progressive presses. Load 7 calibers and yes I get good groups. (Someday I'll post a pic of some).

I think a Dillon is a good investment. I don't have one and like the path I've gone down but my buddy has a 650 and if I need some stuff cranked out that is of high consistency and volume production it can get done on the Dillon. As I understand it, single load on a Dillon is fine so it fits into the precision portion of your program.

My suggestion is you start with your precision 308 rounds and not by the k but by 10s. Measure twice for everything. Stuff will not come out as you expect. There are many gotcha's in reloading that have nothing to do with safety, that part is easy. Much more about getting the desired results.

Once you start getting the results you expect, you will have the experience to setup your press to do volume production for the calibers requiring less precision.

All the presses, single, turret, progressive will do the job or they would die on the shelf. A Dillon is a fine tool as are the others. Each has their pros and cons.

Go for it. He who dares wings.

 

[gimpy]

Re: new reloading need advice on equipment "lrg quant

I'm not sure that amount of ammo would require a 1050. It'd make it a nice time to load, but I think the complexity would be a bit much for a new reloader. I made the LnL my first progressive, and have been generally happy with it. As far as powders go, you could do both rifle calibers with Varget or 8208, and the pistol stuff could be done with HP38 or Winchester 231.

 

[Ramius]

Is that 5-10k rounds per year? Month? Week?

Not being a smart ass but other than the 338 and CT, a 650 will have you doing what you need. For accurate 308 and 223 rounds I slow down and can do about 300 rounds per hour on the 650. For handguns I can easily crank out 800 to 1000 rounds per hour.

I reload 338lm on my 550 because the 650 press stroke is too short (read can't do it on the 650). Typically i do about 100-150 rounds per hour because I use charge master for powder dispensing so I can get single digit sd.

You will spend more on components than the press if you shoot a lot. Look at the press as a time saver.

As far as budget, think of it this way how much is a case (1000 rounds) of Federal 168 GM Match now? I dropped 1300 or 1500 on my 650 w all the bells and whistles close to 20 years ago. Made the money back after 5000 rounds of 308 match, which I loaded in the first month.

You can get more bang for your buck by going with a 550 dillon if the extra "speed" is not necessary for you. We are still looking at loading 600-800 handgun rounds per hour for maybe 800 bucks total with out the case feeder.

 

[rduckwor]

Re: Is that 5-10k rounds per year? Month? Week?

I suggest that you ALSO buy a good single stage press. A minor expense compared to the other gear you will need. Eventually you are going to get tired of "shooting" and decide to go for precision at long distance. Difficult to load those consistently on a progressive press.

Also, get a copy of "Pet Loads". Old school , but someone who has definitely "BTDT" and might save you some time.

 

[milo 2.0]

Re: Is that 5-10k rounds per year? Month? Week?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Ramius</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Not being a smart ass but other than the 338 and CT, a 650 will have you doing what you need. For accurate 308 and 223 rounds I slow down and can do about 300 rounds per hour on the 650. For handguns I can easily crank out 800 to 1000 rounds per hour.

I reload 338lm on my 550 because the 650 press stroke is too short (read can't do it on the 650). Typically i do about 100-150 rounds per hour because I use charge master for powder dispensing so I can get single digit sd. </div></div>

Not trying to be a smartass either, but 150 .338LM in one hour on a chargemaster? You must have that puppy tuned to perfection!!!!

 

[Taylo1nf]

Re: new reloading need advice on equipment "lrg quant

now that i've got a pretty good idea on a press (dillon 650) where can i get bulk 223 brass and 308 brass? pistol brass seems easy enough to find.

but i'd like to get best price i can find since i'll be getting around 10k in each caliber.