Best way to spend $300 on reloading equipment.

9

98 220 swift

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I have a extra $300 looking to spend on reloading equipment. I have a lee single stage press that I have been using for 10 years with no problems. I have been reloading for about 15 years on about 20 different calibers and have loaded probably over 10000 rounds in that time. I have a electric pact scale that doesn't work the best and I usually back it up with the lee balance beam that came with the kit. I use the lee powder measure that came in the kit for pistol and some rifle calibers. It works quite well with most powders.

My question is what be the best way to spend the $300 on equipment. I was thinking about either a lee turret press or a Lyman gen 5 dispenser and scale. Try to speed up the process alittle. Any suggestions on these 2 or suggestions for something else?
 
One of the best investments I ever made was an auto powder dispenser. I have a Hornady which you can sometimes find for $170. Next, if you load a lot of rifle, is a power case trimmer, I like the cts trimmers.
 
I haven't done all the math but a quick guess tells me that my "semi-progressive" setup cost me under $300 to implement and it allows me to produce 15-20k loaded rounds annually -- across a dozen calibers, and (most importantly) built to -MY- personal standards.

Only works for handgun ammo...
But I bought a Lee Pro-1000 and I use it exclusively as a brass prep machine. I do not have any interest in letting it handle powder for me.

For me and my pistol brass, it:
--sizes
--deprimes
--primes
--flares case mouth
...and though it may not sound like a huge advantage, it truly is, but it auto advances and auto ejects. Minimizing small finger work in handling brass in to & out of a shell holder ends up being a LARGE payoff.

There is a cost for the press and you spend a bit more on turrets and shell plates. Having multiple shell plate carriers is a luxury that really ramps up the cost, but also makes caliber swaps far quicker and easier.

My semi-progressive method is absolutely not for everyone but I'm more than four years in to this system now and it has been the closest thing to "genius!" that I am likely to come up with. ;)
 
Toss up,
If you load more rifle, and the powder weighing/ throwing is a slowdown, the scale/powder dispenser.

If you load more pistol, the classic cast turret, as you can pull the handle 4 times and have a loaded round.

If trimming is laborious, a power trimmer is a time saving tool.

If chamfer/debur/primer and neck cleaning, and crimp removal on military cases is laborious
A motorized case prep center is a time saving tool.

The less you handle each piece of brass, the more time you will save.
 
I load about the same rifle and pistol rounds. I use the lee trimmer setup with a cheap power drill so that's not that labor intensive.

I went ahead and bought the lyman gen 5 powder dispenser. Cabelas had them for $230. Have not tried it let. Since I did not trust my pact digital scale anymore I figured I had to get one anyway this is the next step. Should really speed up my rifle relaoding since I shouldn't have to double check every load with a balance beam scale.
 
It will speed up rifle loading,
I'll not go back to throwing stick powder charges low and trickling in a scale pan after using the chargemaster.
Night and day diffrence in speed, consistiency, repeatability.
You'll like it.
 
1. Check ebay and other related gear sites for used HW
2. In-Line Fabrication riser - superb investment
3. more reloading supplies..........
 
Lee Classic Turret, Lee Autodisk pro, a better electronic scale, Lee Safety Primer system, and, if there's money left over, extra turrets so that you can switch calibers quickly.
 
Right now you should save your money. Do the math yourself 10k rounds in 10 years is not much reloading. The only thing that can suggest is a way to prime faster since you did not state how you do your priming. A hand primer would greatly speed up priming. I use a RCBs handprimer but a Lee should work just as well.
 
Get the Lee Classic Turret Press with the Lee Auto Drum powder measure and try not to smile every time you use it. Take the rest of the money and get a good balance scale to verify your Auto Drum powder drops.
 
I already have the lee hand primer and the press mounted saftey prime. I went ahead and bought the lyman dispenser. Tried it last night works great. Only complaint was it took some time to clean the powder out. Probably not worth it for the 10 rnds I loaded.
 
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