Trying to help young acquaintance start reloading. His budget is 200 dollars which is from a rewards card from work and one of the places to use is Cabela's,
He is just starting out, new baby and living in a apartment, but would like to reload to be able to shoot more. Primarily pistol/revolver, one 380 mm pistol and a 357 mag. revolver. So far he has the Lee deluxe four die sets so I suggested:
1: Lee hand press
2: Lee ergo prime
3: Lee shell holder set
4: Lee precision powder measure
5: Lee precision powder funnel
6: 2 Univ. reloading trays.
He also helped me out on a little project I had so I gave him a Lee safety scale-red, a harbor freight digital scale, a lyman case prep tool and some calibration weights I had and do not use. Picked up in a garage sale very cheaply.
Is there anything else I am forgetting? I figure he should have a few bucks left to get powder/primers etc. Also told him if he wants to clean any brass could bring over to my place. Any other suggestions appreciated. But remember, price is a deciding factor. Anything that could be used as an alternative would also be nice.
Thought about a trimmer but since I shoot and reload revolvers didn't think needed. Is a trimmer necessary for semi auto pistol rounds? I am aware rifle brass needs. Thanks.
Many Semi Auto Pistol Rounds headspace on the rim as they do not have extended bases brass, so two things are important. One is maintaining correct length and one is using a tapered crimp rather than a rolled crimp. My experience has been that with normal pistol loads, there is not a lot of lengthening when fired, but is should be kept in mind.
Pistol cases for semiautos tend to shorten with firing, hence there is no need to trim them (nor for revolvers). Since they headspace on the front edge/rim, a failure to chamber is a barrel problem. He can hold off on trimming until he loads rifle. Sounds like he'll be good to go!
i know you say he is living in an APT. but he can mount the press to a 2x6 and then just clamp it to a table with C clamps...i dont normally recommend lee but with a $200 dollar budget this kit is probable the best bang for his buck... ive got a couple of RCBS UNI loading trays i dont use i could donate...if you want them shoot me a PM.
I would not recommend a lee hand press. It does the job but is much more difficult to use than one that is bench mounted. The set mentioned above would be a good choice.
i would use the gift card to purchase components - good condition + little used tools are always available at estate sales , craigs list , ebay , gun clubs , gun shows , +etc -
recently got rcbs jr. press , 38spec/357 dies , + 10 shell holders for $20.00 at estate sale -
If he is just starting out I would suggest reloading manuals be part of the package, maybe the latest Lyman one, will blow the budget but................
wrong
TO GET A UNIFORM CRIMP, YOU NEED UNIFORM LENGTH.
so trim it all once to start, and probably never again.
most semi-autos HEADSPACE on the case mouth,
BUT
FIRE FROM THE RIM IN THE EXTRACTOR
uniform crimp is important to uniform pressure/velocity
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pistolman
Pistol cases for semiautos tend to shorten with firing, hence there is no need to trim them (nor for revolvers). Since they headspace on the front edge/rim, a failure to chamber is a barrel problem. He can hold off on trimming until he loads rifle. Sounds like he'll be good to go!
he does not need a shell holder KIT..
IF HE BUYS LEE dies he will get shell holders.
skip a electonic scale at this price point. pure schitt.
not the two best rounds to start with.
suggest he start with 38's in the 357 till
he is comfortable with the process
( can be done on the 357 does with a a spacer)
nooks is a good idea, read two then buy.
new dies
caliper from harbor frieght
the lee scale is ok
buy a used press online..not a pot metal lee
the lee iron/steel classic is good.
lees cheap powder measure works well with small
fine powder.
wrong
TO GET A UNIFORM CRIMP, YOU NEED UNIFORM LENGTH.
so trim it all once to start, and probably never again.
most semi-autos HEADSPACE on the case mouth,
BUT
FIRE FROM THE RIM IN THE EXTRACTOR
uniform crimp is important to uniform pressure/velocity
The title of the thread refers to budget reloading. My experience comes from Bullseye/precision pistol shooting, where we seek best practices for accuracy out to 50yds. Uniform case length in 45ACP and 9 mm is important for uniform crimp and maximizing precision. We might use the same lot of brass, with uniform reloading history, and set crimp, maybe even sort for length, but trimming the brass is not something virtually anyone does, and I doubt you can show a statistically significant difference for the practice. If you wish to do that, have at it, but it is not common practice. The time is better spent training. Just my opinion.
With a gift card, the options for 'used' are certainly limited, but if I was doing it over again I would have bought all-RCBS stuff second-hand instead of all my Lyman stuff new. My 22 cents,