Basics for a new reloader

[jertex]

I've decided to start reloading as I've been doing more rifle shooting and I don't have a clue as to the minimum equipment to buy to get started. Once my brother moves out (long story, but wife of 42 years suddenly left him), I'll be able to setup a reloading area in the garage. I'll be reloading for 2 or 3 cartridges initially because these are what make the most sense to me: 30-30, 444 Marlin, and 357/38. I know I need to get a good reloading manual at a bare minimum and I was thinking of one of the Lee starter press kits, but I just don't know what I don't know. I have a bid on a 30-30 Lee loader kit on ebay, but I'm thinking I might as well go with a bench kit since I'm going to want the 444 Marlin, and I can't find one of those in a Lee Loader available at the moment. The Lee kits that I've looked at are:

1. Lee anniversary challenger kit II for $145
2. Lee classic turret press kit for about $225

It is my understanding that the turret press is more complex and may not be the best choice for a beginning reloader, but that's from some mixed opinions I've seen.

I just need some help in how to start and what other purchases I'll need to make to get started, e.g. which powder, primers, do I need a case cleaner/tumbler, etc.

[Ranch Dog]

Honestly, I would not even consider purchasing the Lee Loaders, in that you are considering a bench mounted press. I'm sure you will get a variety of opinions; I'm loading all three cartridges on the Classic Turret Press. I use all the features of the press; Safety Prime and Charging via Auto Drum with the Long Rifle Charging Die for both the 30-30 Win and 444 Marlin. As a note, the 38 Spl/357 Mag will use the Powder Through Expander Die for powder charging.

I will get back with the basics I would suggest, but also consider additional turrets for each cartridge to ease the setup; slap the turret on the press and you are ready to go. I would suggest the same for the Rifle Charging Dies and Auto Disk Drums.

As far as buying goes, when is your birthday? MidwayUSA gives a heck of a discount during your birthday month.

[jertex]

My birthday isn't until March: "Beware the Ides of March!"

[Ranch Dog]

Dang. I like buying from Grafs (love the flat rate shipping), Titan Reloading, and MidwayUSA. I put everything in the shopping cart, to include shipping, and see what is best for me.

[jertex]

well....my son-in-law's birthday is coming up in December, so I could get him to buy it for me and ship it to my house.

[larryw]

Morning JT,
Well, na, the Lee Turrett press isn't complicated & I am Not gona hesitate to
recommend the turrett to you or any other beginner.
The LCT is basically, a single stage press with all the dies already set up & adjusted,
Just remove the index rod & manually advance the turrett after each process,
It's called batch loading. It is an excellent way to learn, getting used to
& understanding each process before moving on to the next.
Then, just reinstall the index rod, make sure the turrett is indexing properly &
have a ball. 4 pulls of the handle produces one loaded, complete round. The only
" down side " (for lack of a better term) to this is no practice at die set up or, adjustment.
Which, imho, is becoming a lost art.
The kits are a nice way to go, everything is already there, scale, case prep tools, etc, etc.
For manuals, I'll take any & all I can get my hands on. Favorites are, Lyman, Lee & the
little "one caliber" paper back books. All the rest are perfectly fine also, they just give
you data on their bullets only, Sierra, Speer, Hornady etc. Read them cover to cover,
then maybe read them again, lots more in them than just load recipes.
Hope this helps some. Best of luck, keep us posted & never, never, never hesitata
to ask questions, we like answering them & like helping.

[Ranch Dog]

well....my son-in-law's birthday is coming up in December, so I could get him to buy it for me and ship it to my house.

That might be the way to do it. I would create the account before December.

[GasGuzzler]

My first press was a Lee Classic turret and I got it in kit form. I used and still use most that came with the kit aside for the terrible scale (other people like it, I hated mine) and the cheesy case mouth de-burr tool. The manual is good too. You'll need a caliper. I'd skip the case tumbler until later.

Go the to Lewisville or Fort Worth gun show and pick up a 1K each of the size primer you need (small or large pistol, small or large rifle) in any name brand (CCI, Remington, Winchester). There is one large volume dealer that always attends the Lewisville show and he will have all of the powders and primers you need. I don't go the FW show often so I don't know if they set up there. For real .357 loads, look for Alliant 2400, Hodgdon H110, Winchester 296, or Hodgdon Lil'Gun. For girly .357 loads or .38 Special you can try Bullseye, Unique, W231, or HP38. For .30-30 try IMR3031, Reloader15, Varget, or Leverevolution. I have no advice on the .444 but others here do.

[Ranch Dog]

I wanted to get back to this, but see GG offered great advice! I am a guy that loves the Lee Safety Scale. I used the case mouth chamfer/deburr tool for 30 years (still good), but do that work a prep station now (start with the basics). I'd buy a mechanical dial caliper. Forget the digital; it will need a battery when you need it. Things like a cell phone near the bench can mess with them (same goes with digital scales).

You should also consider case length with reloading. The most straightforward tools are the Lee Case Length Gauges (trimmers), which are cartridge specific. The Cutter that comes with the kit is rather small and can wear your fingers out if you do much. It is a bit hard to find on the Lee website, but they offer a Cutter with Ball Grip. Any Lee retailer will carry it.

Me, I would use Lil' Gun with the 38 Spl. Hands down, BL-C(2) for the 30-30 Win. LVR is smoke and mirrors and lacks enough data away for the gummy bullets. The 444 Marlin, H4198, is King. If you want to compromise a bit of velocity for a single powder, H322 or H335 for both the 30-30 Win and 444 Marlin will do a great job. If you use a single powder for both, think about how much you will need. The 30-30 Win is going to use approximately 28 to 30 grains a shot, and the 444 53-grains. There are 7,000 grains to the lb.

You should also consider bullets. What purpose is the 444 going to serve?

[jertex]

I'm so thankful that I found this forum. The information that I've already received from this post is incredibly helpful. I now have a solid place to begin my reloading experience.