I want to try reloading, suggestions on a press

The press was a good buy. RCBS is always a good choice of reloading gear. The lifetime guarantee is real. A couple years ago my RCBS handheld primer seater broke. I still had the original box, and it cost $12.99 in about 1982. I called RCBS and they sent me one just like the broken one. And the replacement broke, so they sent me one of the latest models. All for free, to replace a 35 year old primer seater. I was impressed.
 
I started with a Lyman Orange Crusher and still use it to this very day.
3006 was the first cartridge I learned how to handload, coupled with 150 grn Btips and IMR 4350.
Not sure just exactly how many deer have fallen to that great cartridge and loading for my family but Id venture 35 to 40....special to me that 3006.
 
I think you will need a good single stage for the 30-06 and would do well with a Lee Classic cast turret for handgun. Decide which one to start, but I think you would benefit from the handgun cartridge production and have less to know about case preparation of the 30-06. When you get established and need a high volume round, then a popular progressive will be worth considering.
 
"If you buy Lee you will end up replacing it with something better." - Tsquared

Perhaps from someone who never tried a Lee classic turret, one of the premier machines for moderate volume, handgun cartridge production.
 
And then if you do manage to break the Lee how furious will you be when they ship you new parts to fix it for free?

Lee is just as good as RCBS. It's all about the budget. If Lee cast their presses out of steel they would sell at RCBS prices.
 
If you just want to try reloading and you are not sure if it is something that you will keep doing then get the cheapest setup you can find. I started with Lee. When I found out all I could do with reloading I bought an RCBS Rock Chucker press and components. You can find used presses on E-Bay and in the want adds for a lot less than retail. After getting set up with my RCBS I traded a gun I didn't trust for a couple of boxes of slightly used reloading gear and found I had two presses in the boxes. I had a 550 Dillon which I tried to use and ended up selling because it didn't fit my reloading regimen and as such was not as fast as my RCBS press. I also had a Lyman four place turret press. After some simple adjustments It worked well with no flexing or slop in the turret and I kept it and use it as a single station press.
My point is that you should not invest in equipment that will last a lifetime until you are sure you will use it for a lifetime. Go cheap first and when you make up your mind get a good press, scale, dispenser, trimmer, and all the rest.
 
My point is that you should not invest in equipment that will last a lifetime until you are sure you will use it for a lifetime.
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Ha! An older friend of mine recently got a phone call from the NRA offering a good deal on extending his membership for another year. My friend thought about it and agreed to the deal.

Then the NRA guy offered a five year membership extension for a good deal. My friend thought about THAT for a minute and then agreed to take the five year extension.

Then the NRA guy said something like 'now let me tell you about our current membership reductions and see if I can get you into a lifetime membership.'

My friend replied 'Sonny, I'm pretty sure you already did that with the five year thing.'

Kind of a conversation stopper.
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As to the RCBS Rock Chucker, I predict that even if you get a turret or progressive later you'll keep your Rock Chucker. (And if you don't you'll regret selling it!)

Looking back on things, when I started reloading I really, REALLY, wish I would have had a friend to show me the ropes. Maybe you know someone who reloads? I didn't even have Youtube videos!

Good luck.
 
That old 50 buck rock chucker is amazing. So easy to use and just so precise. Every one comes out exactly the same thank you thank you for the help.. Now I am hooked. I love taking my time and just reloading my ammo. I bought a rcbs powder measure and scales and all the other stuff I needed.. Great setup. I was going to get a hand primer tool but the press works just fine for me. Get setup videos on YouTube that got me jumped started. The nosler reloading book I bought is great.. Love it
 
grats Dano. Just take your time, have fun and be safe. It is a wonderfully fulfilling hobby. Their is a lot of knowledge on this forum with a diverse set of
reloading skills in the group. Always feel free to ask about anything. On rare occasions we even agree with other :rolleyes:
 
Dufus said:
Got to eBay and get one of these: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr....H0.Xrcbs+jr.TRS0&_nkw=rcbs+jr+press&_sacat=0

I have been using one since 1967 and it is still going strong. I have 2 more "just in case".

If you want something heavier duty then get this one. I also have 2 of these.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/RCBS-Rock-...026226?hash=item28437e0d32:g:O-MAAOSwHytZ5OZH

I would estimate that I have handloaded over 150,000 rounds with them over 50 years.
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Best advice I've seen. I started with a RCBS Rockchucker and it has worked for 39 years without problems. But, it isn't cheap, you pay for quality.

If I were in your position I'd go to ebay and buy RCBS.
 
Just a word of caution be careful of shipping costs when shopping Ebay. Looked at a Rock Chucker last night, it was only a little over 50 bucks but with shipping was over 120. Midway has sale going on now with the Rock Chucker Supreme going for for 112.

I just built a new reloading bench and my old Lee looked like a Walmart dress on a Hollywood red carpet walk. The Lee will be used as a clamp on range press now I guess.
 
Nothing wrong with a good quality single stage press. I've been using my Lyman Orange crusher for a little over 30 years. I also have a Loadmaster set up for high volume 9mm, and a Lee turret. These days I do all but 9mm and precision rifle ammo on the turret, but for longer range and load workup I only use the single stage for 6.5 CM. Over all, I do about 60% of my loading on the turret, 35% on the Loadmaster, and 10% on the single stage.
 
We all have our takes, I am a single press guy.

Until you do it you won't know, but its a good place to start and you can always use it for secondary duties.

If I was going all new press, I suspect it would be the Forster Coax.

https://rifleshooter.com/2017/03/fo...ss-review-the-best-press-for-precision-rifle/

Just because its a breeze to change the dies and I am a single press kind of guy and I have yet to figure out where to put a second press (for things like a universal de-primer and or the Lyman M die)

No desire to do turrets and all that, but that's me, some like em and bless them.
 
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RC20 I keep saying this but that's the beauty of this hobby. No set rules for what one has to use or how much one has to spend to enjoy this. We all get to set up and progress at our own pace and desire, we all can take it to any level we want and no one gets to say a thing about it..
 
If you're going to go through 400 rounds a month I would get the LCT which works has a decent production per hour or a Dillon progressive if you can afford it. The 550 press itself isn't real expensive but once you buy the ancillaries it can add up fast. If you get a single stage it will take way longer than I care to spend loading a hundred rounds for the week. However numerous people don't mind having to do one step at a time, put each case in a loading block and then repeating that after having to set up another die. With shell plates on turret or progessives caliber swaps are fast and simple. It's your money though.
 
In the 50s I helped my dad reload shotgun shells as a 3~5 year old kid...did not learn anything

In the 70s rented a farm house and found a green hunk of rusty slag heavy press of some sort in the attic

Retires in the 90s and around early 2000s I got gun nut itus as well as my retired Army wife
Ammo prices going through the roof thought of reloading

From on line searching I thought the Lee Turret made sense from a price perspective... many other tried to steer me to the higher end progressives

Boy was I wrong.... And to be truth full I like the Lee brand for what it is

I found that unless you know how to, and efficiently as well as safely/repeatably, preform all the reloading steps -----a progressive reloading outfit is very hard to set up...even with expert internet advise and good manuals....for a neophyte

I remembered the green slag and went to shed and started the rebuild... RCBS Rock Chunker mabe 30~40 years old

As I was bringing RCBS back to life, I found the Lee Factory outlet and got in on a few special pricing for their single stage presses...bought three

Lot of folks said Lee suck at every thing but their dies are very good...got a few sets for my calibers

Got all the other goodies and tools following good internet advice

Set up a four position reload table with Rock Chunker last to do crimp... my! what a rock, solid no fuss very heavy chunk of cast iron

As I learned what does, and does not work, setting up dies and tooling, measuring powders, reading load books, resizing, OAL, crimps---- I had so many aha moments that I felt confident to resurrect the progressive press and set it up properly

I still us the 4 station table to work up new loads to test... tedious and much slower

Once I am happy with the load, I do a good production run of 100 or more in the progressive....

My experience suggest a crawl, walk, run approach to starting out in reloading

The first step is to learn how to do it properly in the right sequence and safety

From this you decide if you even like the meticulously tedious task of making safe ammunition in small qty or bulk

For me several reasons for reloading...first was cost avoidance over time and this cost per cartridge must have initial and all other costs added

Second was to have ammo to use when there is none or few to be bought--- in my case 45 Colt
If you could find it, was approaching $45 a box of twenty for target ball and defensive stuff was nearing $55 per box IF they had any...Wife and I were fun shooting cowboy 45 pistols 4 times a month

Another good reason for reloading is making better than factory cartridges for a particular weapon

Third reason in political uncertainty....can we even buy any ammo for our gun collection in the next 20 years?

Fourth is Apocalyptic (Zombies?) No I am not fearful of brain eaters... BUT we did personally see massive bad human behavior near to us with natural disasters...I quite frankly was real concerned with the weapons confiscation in disaster zones

Fifth is lean times for components... when I started amassing primers and powders in 2008 supply was very limited

So if avid sport shooter, target master, hunter, competitor, or bug out Zombie concerned...reloading is a good skill set to have

I have a mild OCD personality and have seen too many mechanical ( army aviation maintenance) and weapons malfunction problems in my military life.... so reloading for me is nerve wracking double and triple check everything

I can now buy reasonably price ammo in the cals we shoot frequently ---

Each year I have a 2 week to month long deliberate reload session... use up and replenish expendables and powders ...keep skills current... stock pile known good ammo

So I am in the camp of start single stage, learn the craft...THEN get the ultimate set up YOU can afford
 
I started on Hollywood’s, Stars, and Herters. The first one I bought myself was a Rockchucker, and I’ve had several other RCBS presses. They are good, but hardly the best.
I said get a used one to see if you like it, but if you do like handloading get a Forster. IMHO far and away the best press out there for about it a dozen reasons.

It takes the best features of an auger press and hand dies, and combines them with a traditional press.

This guy does a good job of explaining.
https://youtu.be/NEzVZe7f6G0

https://youtu.be/4c9ZFsSgyeA
 
I continue to choke on the price but if I was staring new and was sure I was going to keep at it, its the one I would bite the bullet for (grin)

I don't say that lightly. I am a best bang for the buck. Right now I have 3 RCBS presses, so I am fixed, can't justify the Co Axe.

But I have gotten the higher priced things ahead of it as well (Annie Annealer, Lyamn Borecope and an auto powder dispenser)

I bought one Forster die set in 30-06 to see how I liked it. Hoh hum. Not that its bad, just the RCBS seems to do as good.

First thing was I broke the stem (military rounds that did not have the crimp as removed as they needed to be, the downside to floating pin is breaking pin with the rare slip in of those rounds, only time its happened of course, grrr)

But I do think the CoAxe is a real improvement. Fast change dies would be a real help with any single press setup (I can't see to find a place to put a scone press and even then the fast change would be a help as second press would just be the Lyman M die)
 
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