How do I start reloading?

First off, I, personally, would recommend that you hold off on reloading .40 S&W and .357 SIG until you've been reloading for a while, and are comfortable with what you're doing. Both .40 S&W and .357 SIG are harder to load for than some other pistol calibers . . . the .40 S&W, because quite a few of the guns chambered for it have oversized chambers and insufficient case-head support (especially Glocks!) which, when combined with the magnum-level pressures and thin brass result in many reloading manuals inserting warnings about how you should approach reloading .40 S&W with a great deal of caution. The .357 SIG is a bottle-necked pistol cartridge, and these are a bit of a pain to load for, compared to straght-walled pistol cartridges.

And we used to say that 9mm Luger wasn't worth reloading for, but ammo prices are going up, up, and up, and now even reloads using FMJ bullets are starting to look like a winning proposition.

With the disclaimers out of the way . . . Reloading can be a fun and rewarding hobby. And it isn't really that hard to get into. There are a few basic things you will need to get started:

Shotshells and pistol/rifle cartridges require two different types of presses. For shotshell reloading, I'll refer you to the excellent article in my sources. Everything else I'll talk about will be about pistol/rifle reloading.

The first thing you will need is a press. The press is the heart of your reloading bench. Reloading presses for pistol and rifle cartridges fall into two categories, the single-stage press, and the progressive press. Progressive presses are much more expensive than single-stage presses, are more complex, higher-maintenance, less precise, and aren't as well-suited to rifle reloading as single-stage presses are. Generally they're only for advanced reloaders with a need for extreme volumes of ammunition. This will be the last thing I'll say about progressive presses.

The best press for the beginning reloader is the humble single-stage press, which performs one action for one pull of the lever. These are the least-expensive presses. They're slow (50 - 75 rounds/hour,) but they're lower maintenance, and they're well-suited to both pistol and rifle reloading. You will want a quality press. A RCBS Partner or Rock Chucker press are good single-stage presses. The Rock Chucker is bigger and beefier than the Partner. These are the standard type of single-stage press, with one hole for one die. There are turret presses from Redding, which have a turret up on the top to hold multiple dies.

Along with your press, you will need a die set. Die sets are specific to the cartridge you're reloading for. For straight-walled cartridges (like 9mm Luger,) spend the extra money for a carbide die set. There will be a sizing/decapping die and a bullet seating/crimping die. Die sets for straight-walled cartridges will also come with a case mouth belling die. RCBS makes good dies. So do Lee, Lyman, Hornady, and the others. Along with the die set, you'll need a shell-holder, also cartridge-specific. You will also require a case trimmer, since the cases will need trimming every three or four reloads. (Especially important for rimless cases which headspace off the case mouth. This isn't quite as critical for rimmed revolver cases, which headspace off the case rim.) A case trimmer can be as simple as the cartridge specific pilot and cutting studs sold by Lee, or more expensive case trimmer with interchangeable cutters.

You will also need a powder scale and powder measure. The Lee Perfect Powder Measure is inexpensive and is accurate to within fractions of a grain. But you do need to dial it in before you start throwing powder charges. This is where the scale comes in. Hornady, RCBS, and others make excellent powder scales. They will look like the lab scales you may have encountered in a high-school or college science lab. You don't need anything fancier than that.

A bit of optional equipment that will make your life easier is a hand-operated priming tool, like the RCBS Hand Primer. Sure, most single-stage presses have this little primer arm for re-priming cases, but it's a bit of a pain using it, I think. Buy the hand-primer tool.

And you will need a reloading manual. There are three excellent manuals I can recommend. Lyman's 48th Edition Reloading Handbook, Speer Reloading Manual #13, and the Seventh Edition Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading. They have excellent articles aimed at both beginning and advanced reloaders, and will guide you on powder, primer, and bullet choices for the cartridge you are reloading for.

Once you have all that equipment, you will need brass (save your own, pick it up at the range, or buy it brand-new,) primers, powder, and bullets. You can have your choice between cast-lead bullets, cheap copper-plated bullets, FMJ bullets, and JHP, JSP, and other fancy bullets. Cast-lead is the cheapest, by far, but it tends to foul barrels more than copper-jacketed bullets do, and you learn to wash your hands regularly.

The manuals will guide you through the steps in the reloading process. Follow the instructions, and you'll be producing your own ammunition in no time.

As for the cost, here is a breakdown:

RCBS Partner Press Kit (contains everything you need except case trimmer, powder measure, dies, and shellholders.) -- $156.99

Lee Perfect Powder Measure -- $18.99

RCBS carbide 3-die set for 9mm Luger + shellholder -- $42.98

Lee Case Length Gauge and Shellholder + Lee Cutter and Lock-Stud -- $8.48

RCBS Hand-Primer Tool -- $39.99

Total Equipment Costs: $267.43

Typical cost of a pound of powder (good for over 800+ rounds of 9mm ammunition): $22.95

Typical cost of primers (per 500): $9.95

Cost of 500 cast bullets: $24.75

Typical cost of 500 9mm shells: Free. Seriously. Everybody and their grandmother shoots 9mm and almost none of them reload.

Total consumables cost: $49.05 per 500 rounds.

Cost of first 500 rounds of ammo: $0.63/round or $31.65/box of 50.

Cost of first 1000 rounds of ammo: $0.37/round or $18.27/box of 50.

Cost of first 3500 rounds of ammo: $0.17/round or $8.72/box of 50.

After 3500 you come out ahead relative to factory ammunition, and at 5000 rounds, it will get to be around $0.10/round, which is about as cheap as it will get. With other calibers, the break-even point will come much sooner (9mm is the worst-case, since it's still just about the cheapest round you can buy without going rimfire.)

When it comes to pistol reloading there is only one answer: Dillon. I recommend the square deal press. I have used their lifetime guarantee and it was no hassle. I have used other progressive presses and Dillon's are BY FAR the safest smoothest problem free progressives out there.

To reload pistol what I would get:

1. Brian enos's video on reloading

2. A Dillon square deal press.

3. A half pound of high volume powder (just look at reloading manuals and look at which powder has the highest volume)

3. Cheapest cased or copper washed bullets I can find (probably electroplated and ordered through the mail)

4. Whichever primers are recommended for your recipe.

5. a case Gage. Or you can use your ba rrel (TAKE BARELL OUT OF GUN and make sure the finished shell fits into the chamber)

6. I recommend but I can understand why you wouldn't getting a tumbler or vibrator (hee hee) brass cleaner. Not needed but you will get one eventually

If reloading the 40 or 357sig the press will pay for itself easily with a thousand rounds. I recommended the slow burning powder because it is harder to screw up. Eventually you will switch to tite group and have better powder that is cheaper.

The most important thing in reloading is concentrating. Take your time. Be neat and reload alot and you will never look back. That is unless you get a lee progressive they suck and are dangerous.

You have to consider how much of which you use. If you bust a lot of clay and spend a day or two a month at the pistol range, you'll eventually wind up with two progressive presses and a single-stage press. The other guys are right. MEC for shot and Dillon for pistol will sooner or later wind up on your bench. But you may want to start with something like the RCBS Rock Chucker kit. It's single-stage, and you'll still need to buy a case-trimmer, deburring tool, and calipers, but you can start loading the 30-30 to get confident about the process. It's also painfully slow to use a single-stage for your pistol cartridges, but it can be done, and I'd suggest that as a first step. Once you feel confident about what you're doing you can get the progressive press and go into high-output production.

somewhat of a reloading "kit"; FIRST purchase a reloading instruction manual, or see if the community library has one. examine the elementary reloading suggestions it somewhat is in ALL reloading manuals, until eventually you recognize it. (And the section coping with the loading information for the cartridge you would be reloading, for this reason .308 winchester.) THEN, you have got a elementary information of what you DO choose. For a hammer, (mandatory with the loader kit indexed,) you do no longer choose a great hammer. i stumble on that a small ball peen hammer will artwork properly. The kit will produce USABLE lots, yet no longer precision lots. be conscious: diverse bullets require diverse powder weights/varieties, and the dipper interior the kit isn't precise for all powders. added products you may desire to have are: A reloading instruction manual, or get carry of suggestions from a powder or bullet producer website for the high quality and bullets you will use, (maximum have this suggestions at the instant.) A powder scale to be sure the powder load weight is authentic, (later, you will get a "settable" powder degree to velocity issues up.) A dial caliper to envision case length and finished cartridge length. (this would not could desire to be an extremely costly one.) Case lubricant, (to stay away from binding interior the die; surprisingly finished length dies.) AND the particular factors: primer, powder, bullet, case. Later additions may be a pitcher and media, for cleansing a lot of circumstances at one time. A turret or innovative press to velocity issues up. A case trimmer, as circumstances get longer with use and could ultimately choose trimming. and different little upload-ons that make issues extra basic and/or speedier. wish this facilitates.

Actually most presses for pistol rounds will also reload rifle rounds. I know that this is the case with my RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme.

You will, however, need a separate press to reload shotgun shells.

For pistol and rifle reloading, I'd recommend the setup that I use because I've found it to work well for me. You can pick up an RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme Master Reloading Kit for under $300, and it will come with everything you need to get started, except for the dies and the cartridge components. And the bench to mount it on, of course.

You will need a seperate reloader for shotgun, rifle, and handgun.

Please be aware that you need to follow specific "recipes" in order to safely reload ammunition.

I have included in the "source" a sample site(alliant powder) with reloading data.

I have also included a reloading calculator to see if it is worth the investment to start reloading.

Too be completely honest, with the recent increases in the price of components, shotgun loading in 12 gage will probably not be worth it.

If you venture into smaller gauges, there may still be some benifit.

HTH

For 12ga, you can never go wrong with a MEC reloader. Since you're just starting out, a 600Jr would be best - once you learn everything, move on up to a progressive 9000G.