Author Topic: looking for some advice. (Read 416 times)

tikkahunter03 · « **on:** September 27, 2005, 04:08:54 PM »

Hello all I need a little help. I am looking to getting into reloading for 40 s&w right now. I have never done it before so it has to be simple or easy to learn. I have been looking a a lee pro 1000. The price isn't to bad and it looks easy to use. Does anyone have any experience with them or know of anything better. Thanks for helping out everybody.

KN · « **Reply #1 on:** September 27, 2005, 05:48:09 PM »

A buddy of mine bought one. I have yet to see any ammo come off it. Every time he tries to use it some thing breaks or doesn't work. I looked at it and in my opinion it a pice of crap. Especially the priming system. Look into the Dillon Square deal if you are only going to load pistol rounds. I have cranked out thousands on mine and the only problem I've ever had was a broken spring in the primer feeder. It's a little more expensive but its ten times the machine. KN

Haywire Haywood · « **Reply #2 on:** September 27, 2005, 11:29:57 PM »

If you have never done it before and are looking to learn, then avoid all progressive presses. You need to completely understand the individual processes before you start automating them. In any case, when you get ready for a progressive, the Lee is not the one to get.

If you are on a budget, would suggest the Lee Anniversary Kit and a Hornady Reloading manual. If your budget is a little more flexible, The RCBS Reloading Starter Kit has better quality equipment in it and a Speer reloading manual is included. The important part is the reloading manual. The beginning chapters are a tutorial of how to reload and explain everything in the detail you need to understand the process.

good luck,
Ian

Forest T · « **Reply #3 on:** September 28, 2005, 04:10:21 AM »

TIKKAHUNTER03 years ago I decided just like you did to get into reloading and I talked to a friend of mine about it he gave me a lee press I don't rember which one it was but on the very first bullet I tried to make it broke to say the least I was mad so I go to the gun shop and talk to them about it they tell me that I need to get a Dillon 550b press which I did I have had it for many years now and every time something breaks on it (which is not much) I call Dillon up and they send me the part free I have made 10's of thousands of rounds on it and as long as you do not get distracted it works just great I would not have any other kind of press

Forest T

Steve P · « **Reply #4 on:** September 28, 2005, 04:29:46 PM »

I had a Lee 1000. Loaded thousand of rounds on it. Never realized the stress and pain it caused until I got my Dillons. Not saying to buy a Dillon, saying the Lee works, but it was not worth what I paid for it. The priming system was junk. I never ever got mine to work. All of those thousand of rounds were primed on the Lee primer tool I have two of them. Probably seated 30-40,000 primers and still going strong.

You can learn a lot with RCBS Rockchucker or similar single stage press but it is slow, and you will soon lose interest due to speed.

I suggest spending the money and go for the Dillon 450 (Square Deal) already set up for 40 S&W. It will be ready to throw loads. It will be very fast to learn. If you have a buddy that reloads, he can have that press set up in 15 minutes to have you ready to throw several hundred rounds an hour.

Good Luck with your choice.

Steve aka been there, done that.

warf73 · « **Reply #5 on:** September 29, 2005, 12:47:04 AM »

tikkahunter03

The single stage press is really the way to go as a beginner. Buy one of the kits that are offered by several of the big companies (Cabelas, MidwayUSA, MidSouth) that way you have most of the basic needed items.

I don't know what your shooting needs are but you can reload 1000 rounds of 40S&W or 45ACP on a single stage press in 5 days, if you sit at the bench for 2-3 hours each night. I did that for awhile.

My reloading time started to wear me down so I really thought about Lee Pro 1000. A friend told me to scrap that idea and go with a Dillon 550B. (He knew I reloaded rifle also)
My lovely wife bought me a Dillon 550B for Christmas later that year :grin:
She got sick of me being in the reloading room all the time I guess.

I've got 2 other buddies into reloading and they both jumped into the 550B. But they had some bench time at my house on the single stage and the 550 so they really weren't new at reloading.

If you shoot 50-100 rounds a weekend a good single stage kit would be the very best way to go. But if you shoot more than that, I would get a Dillon that fits your needs.

But before you get either buy yourself a few reloading manuals and read the manuals first.

Warf

Questor · « **Reply #6 on:** September 29, 2005, 01:07:22 AM »

I bought some reloaded ammo that was assembled on a Lee 1000. Two out of 50 rounds had double charges. I sure am glad my gun was strong. Lee equipment is junk. Everything I have had by them has either not worked or broke within a couple of years.

Reloading is easy to learn. If you plan to shoot a lot of pistol ammo, as in more than 50 rounds per week, get a progressive press and ignore any advice to the contrary. If you're loading a lot of ammo you'll quickly become discouraged by the amount of time you have to spend reloading if you use any other kind of press.