I'm really considering getting into reloading. But it'll probably after the 1st of the year before I get my garage squared away so that I have room for a decent size bench. So I've got time to plan how I want to get set up.

My first question is about brass. I will load more 5.56 NATO than anything else. I have a few thousand rounds of Prvi Partisan 55 grain FMJ and I'm probably going to get a couple more thousand of Prvi, Federal or Centurion, depending what's available and at what price. My thinking is if I've got to buy the brass anyway, and it's going to be a few weeks before I can get a good start, then I might as well go ahead and buy loaded rounds and save all my brass. Would the cases from any or all of these brands be suitable for reloading?

5.56 Bullets, primers, powder. I'm pretty sure that I'll load mostly FMJ. So what's the best value for money in bullets? What primers and powder have a good balance between quality and price? Same questions for the .40 S&W.

Next question is about presses. I think that what may be right for me is a progressive press. I think this because I burn 200 + rounds each trip to the range with the AR. So I want to be able to keep up with that. What are the round per hour capabilities of a turret press versus a progressive? Or would a press that works one round at a time suffice? I will probably also load .40 S&W in addition to the 5.56. Can I do this on the same press?

From here, I'm not sure what type of equipment to get. I know that I can get presses in kits, and these will usually cover scales, dies, and powder measures, and then from there different manufacturers offer different items in the kits. But what if I were to buy all this stuff individually - what do I need in order to get going? I know some of the things - powder measure, powder trickler, case trimmer, tumbler and media, case lube set-up, scale, primer pocket tool, loading blocks, and dies - which brings me to my next question.

I have the Nosler reloading book, but I'm having a hard time keeping track of the different dies that I need. From resizing to bullet seating, I don't know how many and what dies that I need. I thought I read on here somewhere that if you get carbide dies, then you don't need case lube? I have read on here enough to know that if I go with a progressive, then I should get a base (is that right?) for each set of dies for the rounds I'll be reloading.

What about primers? I believe that my Prvi has crimped primers, and if I don't want crimped primers when I reload these cases, then I'll have to do something extra to the cases when I reload them - but I'm not sure I understand what that is or how to do it.. What about the other rounds I mentioned above - do these have crimped primers? Are crimped primers desirable or undesirable in the 5.56?

So I've read up on reloading a bit, but I still feel like I wandering around in the dark with how to get going. Is there another good book/manual that explains well the step-by-step of reloading?

Oh yeah, the AR that I have is an RRA 'Entry Tactical' - 16" barrel. The .40 S&W is for a S&W Model 410S and for an XD40 Sub Compact.

I'm sorry this post is so long, but this stuff has been rolling around my head for a few weeks now. Thanks for the help!

Depending on what bullet you are going to load, if several manufactures' then get loading manuels for each. Each bullet will have its own recipe from the company and then you can fine tune it from there if you want. again each company will give the best recipe for powder, primer, case length and overall case length with seated bullet.

progressive presses are awesome if you plan to load massive amounts of ammo. i prefer my single stage as it lets me control each step exactly as I want it. i feel better knowing that each cartridge is exact as the other.

the crimped primers require a swaging (sic) tool that is readily available from midwayusa or other sites.

dies are cartridge specific so you will need one for the rifle and one for the pistols. i am using hornady 223 dies and havent had any feeding or ejecting issues.

what i found out when i bought my hornady press kit is that it is the bare minimum to getting stated in reloading. things i you will need for sure are the swager tool for the crimped primers, primer pocket brush, BULLET PULLER, STUCK CASE PULLER, and a digital scale if you don't know how to work a magnetic scale (like me...) other reloaders will chime in shortly with anything that i missed...

I would consider myself a "High Volume Shooter" when it comes to .223/5.56 ammo. With two AR's to feed it is a substantial task.

Here is what I use:

The press is a Dillon XL-650 with Case Feeder. I have chosen to add all the little alarms for low powder level and powder check in the filled case. A beginner can start with just the press for about half of what i have invested or about $500.

Die sets run from less than $30 for LEE Dies up to well over $100 if you want to get the Dillon Carbide Sizing Die as well.

A Scale is a must. DO NOT RELOAD WITHOUT A SCALE. Some do but then again, some like to gamble. I have loaded for well over 30 years and still posses all my fingers and eyes.

A good but not necessarily expensive Caliper. An electronic caliper can be purchased for about $25.

If you are loading a lot of Military Brass that has the crimped primer pocket, go ahead and invest in the Dillon Super Swage. It swages the pocket so primers can be inserted properly and without damage. There are cheaper tools but the Dillon is quick and does the best job.

As for a good load, I load the following:

Powder Accurate Arms 2230 (AA2230) 25.5 grains
Bullet Montana Gold .224 FMJ-BT (Full Metal Jacket Boat Tail)
Primer Federal SRP (Small Rifle Primer)

This round gives me a good 3250 Feet Per Second velocity and the last trip to the range (yesterday) I shot another dime sized group from my M-4.

The Accurate Powder is fairly inexpensive and I found it to burn very clean compared to H-335 or W-748. As for Primers, one can also use CCI, Winchester, Magtech, or even Wolf. All will work well and since this is an AR, not a Bench Rest rifle, accuracy will be more than adequate.

I started loading back in the 70's and kept trying to do it on the cheap. When I found that I couldn't load .223 as fast as I could shoot it, using a single stage press, I stepped up to a LEE Progressive. I found that it was cheap but I spent most of my time trying to clear jams. Missed primers and spilled powder (through the empty primer pockets) made a hell of a mess. I finally bought a Dillon. I went whole hog. a 650 progressive with a case feeder. Toolheads for all calibers I load (.223/5.56, 9mm, 30-06), extra sizing dies so I can batch de-cap, and a power trimmer so I can trim a couple of thousand rounds in a short afternoon.

This last week alone I shot over 1,000 rounds between the two rifles. I have to keep at least 5,000 rounds loaded and have another 3,000 empty cases just waiting their turn.

By reloading I am able to load for $0.154 per round or $154 per thousand. Last look at even surplus ammo shows a savings of at least $150 per thousand. In short, don't go cheap on your reloading equipment. If you plan on shooting a lot you will invest at least as much in gear as you have in your rifle. It will pay for itself.

Nice thing about the Dillon is the ability to change calibers in short time. A tool head, die set, Caliber Change Kit, and slide for the powder measure (so you can change to your new caliber load without fiddling with the adjustment) and you can be loading your other caliber in less than 30 minutes.

For me that's important because I also try to keep 4,000-5,000 rounds of 9mm ready to go as well.


BTW, I'm retired and I don't want to spend all my time loading. I've got lots of shooting to catch up on.

This is some really good stuff, guys. Thanks for the insights. What do y'all think about the brass from all this Prvi that I've got?

I'd certainly consider using it. If the primers are crimped in (you will notice a slight depression and concentric ring around the primer) it will have to be swaged out before you can reload it. Also, some foreign made brass can have small flash holes. It can be a bit of a problem with your de-priming pin in the sizing die. It will pull them out. If this happens then you will have to discard it.

These issues aside, brass is pretty much brass if you process it correctly. Size, De-prime, Trim if over 1.760" long, swage primer pockets if necessary, and reload.

Dillon dies are 60.00, not 100.00. You can get into Dillon way cheaper with a press other than the 650. You will find that more Dillon users have the RL550B. I started on a single stage Rock Chucker, and recently purchased a used Dillon RL550 with a few extras for 250.00, presses RARELY wear out and there are many used presses sitting in someone's garage in a box that they will let go for very little compared to new.

Buy a manual. Speer #13 is on sale for @10-15.00, it will walk you through the required steps and equiptment, as well as load data.

Have you checked the price of the Dillon Carbide Sizing die in .223? Yes, one can get by but when loading thousands of rounds, week in, week out, that carbide sure doesn't wear any. I've gone through two sets of standard dies so far and the next will put me over the price of a single carbide.

Yes, the 550 is nice but no auto advance. The 650 will do a couple of hundred rounds per hour more than a 550 if one wants to spend the extra $$. Both are great one is just faster.

Actually, I am somewhat sad I didn't buy a 1050 with the volume I am now shooting. But then again if I did, then I'd be sorry I didn't buy Ammo Load Markx(loading rate up to 5,000 thousand rounds per hour, fully automatic). What the heck, it costs less than a good Pickup Truck.


The faster one can reload, the faster it seems to get shot up. Go figure.

Dillon is really the way to go in my opinion. They have great products and fantastic serivce. The people you talk to at Dillon really know what you need and can help you from first hand experience.

I have a 550 and dies for 357, 45 Acp, 22 hornet, 223, 243, 6mm Rem, 6.5X 55 Swedish, 30-06 and 45-70. Each of these has different needs as some are loaded for low volume, hunting applications while others (45 ACP and 223) are set up for volume sessions. The 550 is nice because it is very adaptable and you can go slow and hand charge each one, or set a powder measure and crank them out. I like how quickly it can be switched from one caliber ot another.

The 650 can ceratinly produce more rounds per hour and would be a better choice if you only have a small number of calbers to reload.

For a long time I loaded with 2 single stage presses, which I now use strictly for special operations.

SRG

From all the reading that I've done here, it sure appears that Dillon is clearly preferred choice. Question about Dillon: Is their gear sold only directly from Dillon? To be honest, I've visited only a few websites, and a couple of local stores - but it seems everyone has Lee, Hornady, RCBS, Lyman - but I don't seem to be coming across any Dillon gear. For example, I see Midway USA mentioned alot, but they don't list any Dillon equipment. Same for Wideners, Midsouth, Natchez.

Or am I not looking at the right sites? What are your favorite sites to order tools and components from?