Want to start reloading, seeking advice

[Bobcat1107]

Hi All,

I am seriously considering getting into reloading, primarily because I love my .44 Special revolvers. I see a bewildering number of "starter" reloading kits for sale and admit to being somewhat at a loss. So, my question is:

If you are going to start reloading, primarily .44 special with a mind to branching out to .45 ACP, what kit do you recommend I get?

Thank you for any input, particularly from the experienced reloaders out there.

Merry Christmas

[Moleman-]

How many rounds of each do you figure you'd shoot a year?

[Mkc451]

Hi All,

I am seriously considering getting into reloading, primarily because I love my .44 Special revolvers. I see a bewildering number of "starter" reloading kits for sale and admit to being somewhat at a loss. So, my question is:

If you are going to start reloading, primarily .44 special with a mind to branching out to .45 ACP, what kit do you recommend I get?

Thank you for any input, particularly from the experienced reloaders out there.

Merry Christmas

Depends on your volume -- for me I started with a Lee Challenger kit, that would be plenty if your volume is low - say 200 or so rounds a month. I was doing 9mm, so I then quickly updated to a Lee 4 hole Turret press. With my current setup - I can crank out 100rds per hour. I did update with a lee precision pro powder measure with a Lee Precision charge bar. This I like better than the disks. I also added a Inline Fabrication Ejector Kit which is an awesome productivity add-on. I reload .380,.38spl,.45LC, mostly since they are the most expensive.

I also bought a RCBS ChargeMaster, you don't need it for pistol, I use it for rifle reloads. Then there are dies & some turret plates, etc... figure 300$ minimum to get started. I now have a Hornady loadmaster setup dedicated for 9mm - but I don't load much 9mm anymore, it's just to cheap right now. As I said, I load mostly 38sp, 45LC and for rifles, 6.5cm, 243win, 6.5x55 swedish. All of those are much more expensive to buy than reload. Your 44spl is like that. 45acp is a toss up. I use pvc coated lead for 45acp, but I don't shoot much of that.

[Ol` Joe]

Your 44spcl will see some savings if you re load, your 45acp? Very little.. if you shoot 44spcl from a 44 mag handgun the magnum ammo will see a respectable cost reduction depending on the type of loads, lead, jacketed, hunting, etc. As was already asked, how many rounds a year do you shoot? a box a week will take a long time to reimburse your start up costs, 1K rounds/month will take less.
The amount of shooting you do will affect the type of tooling you will want. 100rd on a single stage press is going to take you an hour or more from start to finish, on a progressive you can turn out 500 rds in that same hour. Of course these speedy presses come at a extra cost too.
I started with a single stage press. They are the cheapest way to go and you are not out much if you decide the hobby isn't for you and decide to get out. Be aware you need more then a press, dies, scales, caliper and other goodies that speed up or help keep your loads more consistent add to costs. I once figured a mid grade single press and tools would cost around $500 to get one started, a mid grade progressive close to double that and, that figure is probably still pretty close.
Check the various powder and bullet company web sites for videos on how to reload. They will give you a good idea of what tooling you need to start, how to use them and often tips and tricks to keep you out of trouble. The videos will be biased toward the makers tools for the most part, with the component companies pushing their product, but using multiple companies dies, presses, powder measures etc.
I would recommend looking at RCBS, Hornady or Redding for single stage presses and Dillion or Hornady for progressives. All make excellent products at their cost point. Dies I am a bit picky about and strongly prefer Redding or Forster, especially for bottle neck cartridges but do have a few Hornady Lyman and RCBS (primarily handgun dies) I use with no real complaints in regard to their performance. I do however suggest what ever straight walled cartridge dies you buy you pick up a Lyman "M" expander die, they are worth double their cost in the quality of ammo you can make when using them.

Lee is a popular company in re loading, lots of folk here use their stuff. I have little experience with any of it other then their dies and some old hand tools. They are definitely inexpensive compared to most and will make usable ammo, but for the small increase in cost I recommend gravitating to one of the other companies for more durable, smoother operation and better warranted products. JMHO YMMV.

[Guns N Glory]

Nothing wrong with LEE presses, and their factory crimp dies. I would absolutely go higher quality with the rest of the reloading dies. I really like the Hornady presses, because of their lock n load quick change system, it's great. For a scale, I like the RCBS 5-0-5, and if you cant find it, Ohaus makes the scales for RCBS, and they are still called 5-0-5. Gravity has an excellent reputation for accuracy and consistency, whereas electronics do not. A bench mounted priming system is worth every single penny. The Little Crow Gunworks makes the Worlds Finest Trimmer, and I do not object to the name. Great stuff. Dillon makes an aluminium primer flip tray, the plastic ones are a little floppy, and can send primers bouncing. Hornady makes really good powder measures, I have Lyman 55, but to do it all over, it would be Hornady. The little nozzles for them are easy to work with, and you can easily drain the powders for storage, or for change of bullets. Single stage presses are the way to go at first. Ammo cans are great for storage of brass and bullets, primer boxes fit neately too. They are cheap and keep things dry. 4"x9" bread tins from the kitchen are great for holding components as you work, and the little red and black round rolling mechanics stools from Harbor Freight are perfect for setting the bread pans on and can be conveniently placed near your reloading bench. They are also only 30 bucks. A kewelers loupe is handy to have. Get a set of calipers for measuring. And a plastic oil bottle really makes lubricating press rams and pivots easy. THe LEE breech ,lock challenger press is the best for handling primers, as it has a nice primer capture system built in. Just feed a vinyl clear tube down to a bin and all your spent primers are now controlled. I use a Lee universal deprimer die that lives in the press exclusively, and I deprime everything right there. Good luck. I have a few videos on youtube to show how to reload, and every once in a while I make another. same name as here. Good luck.

[pscipio03]

I started with a Lee Turret and still think it's the best bang for the buck and perfect for beginners. You can remove the indexing rod and it will go from a turret press to a single stage instantly.
My only complaint with it was it could take awhile to find the best powder throw disc combo when dealing with stick powder.

Fast forward 8 or so years and I'm using a Dillon 1050 for all small primer (9mm, 38 Super/Super Comp, 5.56, etc...) and a 650 for large primer (45; .308, etc...).
But, I still have my Lee Turret for creating some test rounds when I'm trying new powders and bullets.

[Flash-hider]

Hickok45 has a few videos on reloading that can be used as guidance to answer some of the questions that you and most people have when considering taking up reloading.

[j-squared]

Hickok45 has a few videos on reloading that can be used as guidance to answer some of the questions that you and most people have when considering taking up reloading.

Midway USA has a lot of videos you can watch too. With probably double the useful information in half the time.

[Moleman-]

Had been thinking about reloading and saving my brass for several years when I got my first 44 mag pistol about 30 years ago. Hadn't looked at ammo and was shocked that it was twice the price of 45acp. Bought 2 boxes of the cheapest stuff they had (still the only factory 44 ammo I've ever bought) which was federal american eagle. When those were gone I ordered a challanger reloading kit from Midway along with a set of 44 mag/special dies and a Speer reloading book. It came with a ram and hand primer, case debur and primer pocket cleaner tools and a powder measure and scale. Only other things I added to the kit was a rcbs powder trickle, set of reloading blocks and a dial caliper. Used that setup for several years until it was obvious that a progressive press would save me a lot of time. Still mainly use a single stage press (RCBS JR3) to load most rifle and anything less than a few hundred rounds. I was leery of digital scales but was given one for Christmas and used it. Found out quickly that it was accurate for only a few measurements before you'd have to rezero it and would occasionally just be way off. The Lee scale is cheap and looks it but measured accurately for me. Currently using a Hornady scale but have owned redding and Ohaus. Think there's 700-800 44 mag cases in the reloading room all prepped to be run through the progressive press with the same set of 30 year old Lee 44 mag dies.

[eightbit]

Reloading is a hobby within itself. It takes time. Depending on the caliber and the volume you shoot reloading often isn't about saving money. The expensive high volume automated presses take a while to recover the investment and even longer if you factor in the value of your time. Don't take up reloading if it isn't something you think you will enjoy doing. For many its therapeutic and while it may not be justified in dollars per hour it is more productive than playing video games or binge watching Netflix. When it comes to the most common calibers it's hard to justify at todays ammo prices but it was only a few years ago that cheap ammo was difficult to get. That could happen again overnight after an election or mass shooting type event that sways public opinion into passing a bunch of restrictions.

There are lots of reasons to reload-
-Custom loads for specific purposes
-Difficult to find and wildcat calibers
-Expensive calibers
-Because you enjoy doing it