# Help purchasing reloading kit



## dwatts1984 (Aug 2, 2011)

Im looking to get into reloading my own ammo. ONe of the main reasons I dont shoot as open as I'd like is the rising cost of ammo. Ive looked all over and found kits ranging from $125 well on into the thousands...??? Trying to find a basic kit that I can reload 9mm, 380, .223 , 7.62x39mm. 

Found this on ebay:
*50th Anniversary Breech Lock Challenger Kit $122.95 free shipping
*

 I SHIP THE FASTEST "YOU PAY TODAY IT'S ON THE WAY" TM
Includes the new Breech Lock Challenger Press and one Breech Lock quick-change bushing. You get a complete powder handling system, with the most convenient and repeatable Perfect Powder Measure. Plus the Lee Safety Scale, the most sensitive and safest of all powder scales and fill your case with the included Powder Funnel. A $161.46 value.

Case Preparation Tools include a cutter and lock stud to trim your cases. Order the correct case length gauge for the calibers you will be loading, it’s only $5.98 extra. An included chamfer tool chamfers the inside and outside of the case mouth and a tube of premium sizing lube is included. A small and large primer pocket-cleaning tool completes the case preparation package. $22.90 value.

But that’s not all! You get the Large and small Safety Prime. Prime with push button convenience and is safe with all brands of primers. Never touch the primer from box to the case. $30.00 value.

Compare it to others priced at hundreds of dollars more. Reloading saves money and you save right from the start with Lee equipment. Purchased separately, it's a $229.36 value!


****Would this kit contain everything I need to reload, except having to purchase the specific dies for chambers I want to reload?


Thanks for the help PFF


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## Fanner50 (Oct 25, 2011)

I would check Cabela's or Midway USA and look at the RCBS Rock Chucker single stage press and accessories. The Speer reloading books are great to read about how to do everything. You could take a drive over to Bass Pro Shop at Spanish Fort and check out what they have. RCBS, Redding, Lee, or if you really want to spend some money get a Dillon. A lot of people, myself included, recommend a RCBS Rock Chucker press to start out on. You can get it in a kit that has a lot of the accessories that you need for a nice savings. I like Lee dies. I think they are easier to adjust than some other brands. I personally would not recommend that ebay kit. If you are really going to get into reloading you are going to want to get some quality components that will hold up and last. I think the RCBS Rock Chucker or the Lee Turret Press would be a great way to start out.


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## daniel9829 (Jan 31, 2009)

Second on the rock chucker I have been using mine since 1972. I have no idea how many rounds it has loaded.


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## Baitcaster (Oct 4, 2007)

3rd on the Rockchucker . RCBS as a whole is hard to beat .


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## shootnstarz (May 4, 2011)

Fanner50 said:


> I would check Cabela's or Midway USA and look at the RCBS Rock Chucker single stage press and accessories. The Speer reloading books are great to read about how to do everything. You could take a drive over to Bass Pro Shop at Spanish Fort and check out what they have. RCBS, Redding, Lee, or if you really want to spend some money get a Dillon. A lot of people, myself included, recommend a RCBS Rock Chucker press to start out on. You can get it in a kit that has a lot of the accessories that you need for a nice savings. I like Lee dies. I think they are easier to adjust than some other brands. I personally would not recommend that ebay kit. If you are really going to get into reloading you are going to want to get some quality components that will hold up and last. I think the RCBS Rock Chucker or the Lee Turret Press would be a great way to start out.


 
What he says ! But Wideners has the best Rock Chucky kit price I've seen lately

Rick


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## snapperfan (Aug 30, 2009)

daniel9829 said:


> Second on the rock chucker I have been using mine since 1972. I have no idea how many rounds it has loaded.


I also have a 1972 vintage Rock Chucker. Still going strong after all these years.


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## johnf (Jan 20, 2012)

RCBS equipment is great, but the Lee kit is very reliable and at a fraction of the price. I've been using one for 4 years without issue. I would look at midway for one.


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## Firefishvideo (Jul 1, 2010)

If you intend to reload , you should not do it for the calibers you mentioned. The only one you will actually save money reloading is the .380 as you can reload them for about 12 cent a round. The rest of thos calibers will cost you nearly as much to purchase the powder,bullets,primers, ect as it would cost to just buy cheap wallyworld or mil surplus ammo. If you additionally decide to only use a single stage press....you are also throwing away the time you could be using to actually go to the range.
That said.....you can save a little on 9mm if you go with reasonably priced progressive press and press a few thousand rounds a year. The .223 isn't going to save you any money at all, only people I know that reload them are looking for accuracy. 7.62x39..... No reason what what so ever to try it....you can buy it many place for .20 cents a round.....bullets alone will probably cost you more......and no reason to try to load up for accuracy with this round either.
The single stage press is best for long range rifle ammo. 
I know people do handgun rounds on them, but after I endured 1000 rounds of .45 on a single stage, I had to upgrade to a progressive to justify the time outlay.


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## GoneCoastal (May 1, 2008)

Heres some info and reviews of Dillon presses. Ive got a square deal with 40 and 9mm die setup and its very nice.

http://brianenos.com/pages/dillon.html


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## johnf (Jan 20, 2012)

Firefishvideo said:


> If you intend to reload , you should not do it for the calibers you mentioned. The only one you will actually save money reloading is the .380 as you can reload them for about 12 cent a round. The rest of thos calibers will cost you nearly as much to purchase the powder,bullets,primers, ect as it would cost to just buy cheap wallyworld or mil surplus ammo. If you additionally decide to only use a single stage press....you are also throwing away the time you could be using to actually go to the range.
> That said.....you can save a little on 9mm if you go with reasonably priced progressive press and press a few thousand rounds a year. The .223 isn't going to save you any money at all, only people I know that reload them are looking for accuracy. 7.62x39..... No reason what what so ever to try it....you can buy it many place for .20 cents a round.....bullets alone will probably cost you more......and no reason to try to load up for accuracy with this round either.
> The single stage press is best for long range rifle ammo.
> I know people do handgun rounds on them, but after I endured 1000 rounds of .45 on a single stage, I had to upgrade to a progressive to justify the time outlay.


Where are you getting 223 for .20 a round? That's $4 a box. You can get good hunting bullets for $15/100, primer is about 3cents and it's going to use about $.10 worth of powder. That's $.28/round $5.60 a box for custom rounds. You can get a premium bullet and still be under $10 for what would cost you over $30 at a gun store.


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## Firefishvideo (Jul 1, 2010)

johnf said:


> Where are you getting 223 for .20 a round? That's $4 a box. You can get good hunting bullets for $15/100, primer is about 3cents and it's going to use about $.10 worth of powder. That's $.28/round $5.60 a box for custom rounds. You can get a premium bullet and still be under $10 for what would cost you over $30 at a gun store.


Actually I said you could get 7.62x39 for .20 cents a round 
As for .223.....I guess it would be about the same deal as the 9mm....you would have to press a bunch of rounds. The problem I found with the .223 was that it would require me to spend another $100 to re-tool my press to run those......and they are supposed to be harder for the progressive press to handle because of their additional length. I believe I have seen bulk packs at walmart (white box stuff) for around .20 cents a round. ....I don't shoot it, so I guess that one I'm not an expert on.....but I have and do press 9mm, .380, .45, and 7mm mag. ....9mm is a marginal savings - if you produce it in large batches. You just have to weigh the depth of the savings against what your time is worth. If you are producing hunting rounds on a single stage press...then it is worth it to reload....if you are just wanting to go spray .223 ammo at the range, then It might be better to just buy in bulk. 
The OP was asking about saving money....and I was really just trying to point out the elephant in the room.....reloading isn't always the right choice.


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## Mad Bolivian (Feb 6, 2009)

I have been reloading for about 45 years. I use a Lee hand press and standard dies for rifle and hand gun and a Lee Load-All for shot shells. I reload 7mm Rem Mag, .308, 30-30, .44 Mag, .45 Auto, 12 Ga, 20 Ga, .410. I believe Lee is the least expensive (cheapest). I always go by the numbers...never load HOT...and never had a problem.


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## johnf (Jan 20, 2012)

Firefishvideo said:


> Actually I said you could get 7.62x39 for .20 cents a round
> As for .223.....I guess it would be about the same deal as the 9mm....you would have to press a bunch of rounds. The problem I found with the .223 was that it would require me to spend another $100 to re-tool my press to run those......and they are supposed to be harder for the progressive press to handle because of their additional length. I believe I have seen bulk packs at walmart (white box stuff) for around .20 cents a round. ....I don't shoot it, so I guess that one I'm not an expert on.....but I have and do press 9mm, .380, .45, and 7mm mag. ....9mm is a marginal savings - if you produce it in large batches. You just have to weigh the depth of the savings against what your time is worth. If you are producing hunting rounds on a single stage press...then it is worth it to reload....if you are just wanting to go spray .223 ammo at the range, then It might be better to just buy in bulk.
> The OP was asking about saving money....and I was really just trying to point out the elephant in the room.....reloading isn't always the right choice.


True about that. I did become a lot better shot after starting to reload, but rather than shooting a box of shells a year I shot a few hundred rounds. I do it for accuracy. My sons ultralight youth 223 shoots sub moa with it's 7lb trigger. Couldn't do that with any of the factory loads I tried. Shooting a deer with a load you made yourself does afford a little pride though.


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## Bottlerocket (Aug 11, 2011)

My father in law got me into reloading and I love it. I reload mostly common calibers that you've mentioned: 9mm, .40 S&W, .357 mag, .38spl, .308 Win, .223, 30-30, etc

I use a Dillon Square Deal B for the pistol caliber stuff, and a Lyman Spar-T for the rifle caliber. Don't let people discourage you from getting into reloading for "cheap" ammo like 9mm and .40, I still put mine together for considerably less than retail.

I personally use Berry's Plated bullets for target use out of my handguns. They are dirt cheap and very reliable. I use cast lead SWC out of my revolvers. Either of those options will bring your cost down below retail by a significant margin. Will it pay for itself in 100 rounds? No way in hell. In 500 rounds? Maybe if you're reloading .41 mag or some oddball caliber. If you're only doing the common stuff and using cost effective reloading with cheap bullets you can pay for just the starter kit in several thousand rounds if you do it correctly.

But thats not all its about either. You can also load them how you see fit. I can put my .38spl loads to where it kicks like a .22LR. Also I can get self defense bullets and reload some actual HP rounds and those will be significantly cheaper than retail.

Then you get down to the rifle rounds, thats where the real fun begins. The worst part is the case trimming, but the best part is the inherent accuracy that comes from careful reloading. You can tailor the round for YOUR rifle, not just some off the shelf load that works for most guns. 

So my advice is to meet up with a buddy that does reloading. Unfortunately there are no Cabela's around... they do Sunday reloading classes and let you try it out first.

And for the record, I put my 9mm target ammo together for about $0.14/rd


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## omrbh (Aug 22, 2011)

To each his own, but I never cared for loading for the auto tho I have loaded a little for .45ACP. Revolvers and rifles are a whole nuther story. As has been mentioned, it's hard to beat the RCBS Rockchucker kit for the beginning and experienced reloader but for turning out large amounts one would be better served with a turret set-up. The RCBS Reloader Guide offers a lot of info and good reading. It's always best if one can learn from an experienced reloader.


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## dwatts1984 (Aug 2, 2011)

Firefishvideo said:


> If you intend to reload , you should not do it for the calibers you mentioned. The only one you will actually save money reloading is the .380 as you can reload them for about 12 cent a round. The rest of thos calibers will cost you nearly as much to purchase the powder,bullets,primers, ect as it would cost to just buy cheap wallyworld or mil surplus ammo. If you additionally decide to only use a single stage press....you are also throwing away the time you could be using to actually go to the range.
> That said.....you can save a little on 9mm if you go with reasonably priced progressive press and press a few thousand rounds a year. The .223 isn't going to save you any money at all, only people I know that reload them are looking for accuracy. 7.62x39..... No reason what what so ever to try it....you can buy it many place for .20 cents a round.....bullets alone will probably cost you more......and no reason to try to load up for accuracy with this round either.
> The single stage press is best for long range rifle ammo.
> I know people do handgun rounds on them, but after I endured 1000 rounds of .45 on a single stage, I had to upgrade to a progressive to justify the time outlay.


The cheapest... And I mean cheapest I have seen .223 rounds is at .38 cents a round. Never seen it at .20 cents. I don't know where you buy from, but honestly never seen it that cheap anywhere. In fact I think "TulAmmo" is actually .25 cents a round. 
A big part is to save a lil cash, however I do want to KNOW how to do it as well. Get more use out of the brass I spit all over the ground.

Thanks for the input


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## dwatts1984 (Aug 2, 2011)

Think rockchucker it is! Look all over, price seems to be fair at Bass Pro for the Master kit (just want to make sure I have the things I need) so probably swing through and grab one. Thanks for the input fellas, helped out alot!


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## shootnstarz (May 4, 2011)

dwatts1984 said:


> Think rockchucker it is! Look all over, price seems to be fair at Bass Pro for the Master kit (just want to make sure I have the things I need) so probably swing through and grab one. Thanks for the input fellas, helped out alot!


 
Not sure which kit you're looking at but I highly reccomend the one that comes with the digital scale and trim pro case trimmer. These items will be much cheaper buying them in the kit as opposed to adding them on later, and you will want to add them if you stay in the hobby. The beam scales are very accurate but take longer to weigh the charge.

Also consider a brass tumbler for cleaning fired brass. I prefer corn cobb media over walnut shells, makes the brass soooooooo shiny !!!

I think you'll be very happy with the Rock Chucky kit. Even if you progress to a progressive set up in the future you'll always find a use for your SS press.

I did notice the new presses don't have the priming tube holder on them and they include their hand primer in the kit. I tried the press priming system but didn't like it. I can't "feel" the operation like I can with a hand primer. The hand primer is faster too.

Enjoy your new set up, feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. I can also show you the ropes if you'd like to come by some time.

Rick


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## no woryz (Oct 2, 2007)

I have bought monarch .223 at academy for $3.99 for 20.... You just have to be looking for it.....shoots fine in my ar... I also reload many calibers but not for bulk... I single stage for accuracy on 5 or 6 rifle cartridges.... If I were loading 9mm, .380 or .45 then I'd go progressive all the way...good luck...


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## johnf (Jan 20, 2012)

no woryz said:


> I have bought monarch .223 at academy for $3.99 for 20.... You just have to be looking for it.....shoots fine in my ar... I also reload many calibers but not for bulk... I single stage for accuracy on 5 or 6 rifle cartridges.... If I were loading 9mm, .380 or .45 then I'd go progressive all the way...good luck...


If you are buying ammo for spray and pray then I guess that would be ok, but if you want match grade hunting ammo then your monarch would be a big fail. I guess it would be good for cheap brass.


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## Bottlerocket (Aug 11, 2011)

Yea if you plan to do bulk pistol reloading, or even bulk 223 reloading, a single stage press will wear you out quick.

Don't get me wrong, I still use a turret (very similar to a single stage in that you can only reload one round at a time) for rifle calibers, but I use a progressive Dillon SDB for pistol. I can crank out a whole bunch very quickly.

A single stage is a good starting point, but you'll want to upgrade in a hurry.


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## shootnstarz (May 4, 2011)

The time consuming part of reloading rifle cartridges is case prep. Very few progressive presses are set up to do rifle case prep in their operation. Only about $2K worth of Dillon equipment will accomplish this, electric trimmer, primer pocker swager, ect. And it leaves out a lot of steps like primer pocket cleaning, flash hole uniforming and case mouth deburring.

Once the rifle cases are prepped reloading them on a SS press is not all that time consuming, though not as fast as cranking them out on a progressive. Once had a Dillon 650 with all the bells and whistles you could get for 3 calibers. Ended up selling it all without ever using it.

Rick


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## glassplus (May 6, 2009)

That is the only way I can shoot alot is reloading, I,m useing a dillon 1050 super it has paid for it self, I go in with a couple of others and order comp. Just my two cents jj


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## Firefishvideo (Jul 1, 2010)

johnf said:


> If you are buying ammo for spray and pray then I guess that would be ok, but if you want match grade hunting ammo then your monarch would be a big fail. I guess it would be good for cheap brass.


 Of course if you ARE trying to reload for match grade shooting , I suppose you should start by making sure your weapon is match grade....bull barrel + 20 inches, and a Good scope......otherwise the extra work will be for nothing.


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## no woryz (Oct 2, 2007)

johnf said:


> If you are buying ammo for spray and pray then I guess that would be ok, but if you want match grade hunting ammo then your monarch would be a big fail. I guess it would be good for cheap brass.


I dont think anyone is saying hunt with $3.99 ammo....it is plinking or zombie ammo.... if its serious where accuracy is needed like in hunting ammo then I use reloads......


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## welldoya (Oct 5, 2007)

I've been looking at reloading also. Just haven't pulled the trigger yet.
I believe that is the same 50th anniversary set that Cabela's has for $110.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/50th...Ntt=lee+50th&WTz_l=Header;Search-All+Products

I have considered it because it's a cheap way to get into reloading but it sounds like nobody has anything bad to say about the Rock Chucker.


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## Bottlerocket (Aug 11, 2011)

I really have nothing bad to say about any of the reloading brands. RCBS and Lee you get a bunch for your money. But companies like Dillon (check them out, they only sell direct) have AMAZING customer support. Unquestionably the best warranty (lifetime) out there. If anything breaks on your machine, even wear items, they'll typically 2nd day it out to you. My SDB has eaten its fair share of primer feed tubes, and I just keep putting new ones in lol


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## johnf (Jan 20, 2012)

Firefishvideo said:


> Of course if you ARE trying to reload for match grade shooting , I suppose you should start by making sure your weapon is match grade....bull barrel + 20 inches, and a Good scope......otherwise the extra work will be for nothing.



Not really. I've got a 25-06 that the best group I could get with any factory ammo was about 1.75MOA. I've got that down to about 5/8 MOA after a little tinkering with loads and bullets. When hunting I want the best chance of hitting my target. I don't aim at a deer, I aim at a hair on a spot on the deer and I want my bullet to go to that spot. I'm not going to take a lot of shots out of a hunting rifle, but I do want to know exactly where that one bullet is going.


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## johnf (Jan 20, 2012)

welldoya said:


> I've been looking at reloading also. Just haven't pulled the trigger yet.
> I believe that is the same 50th anniversary set that Cabela's has for $110.
> 
> http://www.cabelas.com/product/50th...Ntt=lee+50th&WTz_l=Header;Search-All+Products
> ...



Has anyone said anything bad about the Lee kit?:whistling:


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## welldoya (Oct 5, 2007)

johnf said:


> Has anyone said anything bad about the Lee kit?:whistling:


Let me put it this way - looks like the Rock Chucker has a lot of fans.


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## shootnstarz (May 4, 2011)

johnf said:


> Has anyone said anything bad about the Lee kit?:whistling:


My opinion on the Lee kit, and I did buy one but returned it for a RCBS, is that it works but it's kind of Mickey Mouse. It seems kind of toyish compared to the others.

I know there's countless Lee kits loading rounds everyday and doing a good job of it. But the manufacture of the equipment is not nearly the quality of the other name brands. There's lots of plastic in the powder throw and scale and I'm not real impressed with the case trimming operation.

I do like their dies and use them exclusively but I like the much higher quality of the RCBS equipment. My guess is if you buy the Lee kit you'll wish you had gotten the RCBS, if you get the RCBS you won't have any regrets. If you could compare them side by side you would see where I'm coming from.

Rick


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## johnf (Jan 20, 2012)

shootnstarz said:


> My opinion on the Lee kit, and I did buy one but returned it for a RCBS, is that it works but it's kind of Mickey Mouse. It seems kind of toyish compared to the others.
> 
> I know there's countless Lee kits loading rounds everyday and doing a good job of it. But the manufacture of the equipment is not nearly the quality of the other name brands. There's lots of plastic in the powder throw and scale and I'm not real impressed with the case trimming operation.
> 
> ...


I'm not going to say the RCBS isn't better. It is. But for a guy loading a couple hundred rounds a year for hunting an plinking the Lee is more than enough. I figure I've loaded about 1K rounds a year since I got my lee kit and see absolutely no wear or change in performance in my lee press. I've just moved into a new house and don't have my loading equipment back up and running. When I do I'm probably going to get a progressive next. Probably a lee. 

I can see spending the extra money if your loading multiple thousands of rounds a year. For the average guy, the lee is more than enough.

I do prefer RCBS dies over lee.


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## shootnstarz (May 4, 2011)

So there you go, two perfectly valid but different opinions. The choice is yours.

Rick


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## Baitcaster (Oct 4, 2007)

And if you want to reload 7.62X39 , you have my blessing . I was able to tighten groups quite a bit out of my Mini-30 due to handloads .

Maybe it isn't completely practical to reload certain calibers - but damn ! it sure is fun !

and like someone said previously, there's that satisfaction when your loads do well .


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## Firefishvideo (Jul 1, 2010)

http://www.classicfirearms.com/ammunition/wolf-brand-223-ammunition-340
Here are your 20 cent rounds......I know they are steel, but many people don't have a problem shooting steel....despite the myth of it harming the chamber or extractor.
Of course these are not hunting rounds, but they serve the purpose for plinking or most training.


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