Reloading - How to get started?
 

I am thinking about getting into reloading and was wondering where to start. Is there a company that has a kit I can order? I also need low pressure loads for my old Damascus and Twist barrels. Any advice or pointers are appreciated :bowdown:

The high cost of ammo is hurting my ability to buy more guns. :crying:

I would go visit a friend who reloads for some first hand demonstration if possible. There are a number of how to videos on Youtube to watch as well.

I would start with one gauge, probably 12 due to the wide range and easy accessibility of components to pick from. A used single stage MEC, like a 600Jr, will allow you to see the steps involved as slowly as you care to go. Deprime/resize, prime, charge with powder, seat wad, drop shot, start crimp, finish crimp. That is all there is to it.

Reloading recipes abound on the internet, both Alliant and Hogdon have on-line reloading guides with tons of recipes.

It is the hulls you have the most of that will drive the selection of the other components. So decide which brand and type of hull you want or can aquire easily and go forward. I would suggest for the novice reloader start with a premium hull such as AA, STS, or Gold Medal as the brass heads (vs. steel) give fewer problems.

As your experience and confidence grows you can graduate to the cheap hulls and other gauges.

You can never go wrong with a MEC 600 JR. They have short shell kits so you can load those 2.5 in shells or shorty tens.
Used?? the prices on used MECs on ebay are almost retail.

Unless you're into high volume shooting (Trap, Sportring Clays) it may be hard to justify the cost of the loader, scales, bushings, etc. The 600 Jr. is a great loader for low volume stuff, but you'll tlire of it quickly of you start getting into high volume. Any savings will have to assume that your time is worth nothing - high or low volume. Financially, you'd probably be better off getting a job ar Mickey D's and buy new shells.

That being saiid, I just spent a bunch of $$ to upgrade from a Ponsness Warren 800B to an 800+

In 12 ga savings is marginal. But significant savings can be had in other gauges, the 2 7/8" 10 ga in particular. Shooting just over 1500 shells since 2010 at crows alone has resulted in over $1300 of savings for me compared to factory loads.

The benefits of reloading are numerous, its an enjoyable past time by itself. It allows one to shoot short loads and low pressure loads for use in old guns. It makes it easy to shoot loads not readily available such as 7/8 and 3/4 ounce 12 gauge, which are easy on the gun, shoulder and wallet.
Much more flexibility and savings when it comes to non-toxic shot friendly to old guns too.

Reloading is way more enjoyable than work at Micky D's :)

Thanks for all of the responses. This is mainly for my Damascus barreled guns and particularly the 10 gauges. 10 gauge RST is not cheap and I enjoy shooting the 10 gauge.

You can get the Mec Sizemaster for 10 gauge. You will need to order with this the short 10 kit (3 1/2 to 2 7/8) sold separately. It comes with a 2 oz shot charge bar so you will need to order the 1 1/4 oz. You should also get some extra powder bushings since it only comes with three when you buy it.

I bought the Mec Jig fixture mounted to an approx 18x18" piece of scrap plywood as a base then secured to the reloader. I did this for my 12 as well. I don't have a lot of space to permanently mount multiple reloaders. This way I can move which ever reloader to the work bench and fastened with C clamps or even on the kitchen table so I can watch football while I reload:whistle:

Pete has a video how to shorten 3 1/2 Federals to 2 7/8. I'm sure he will chime in the link.

And make sure you get a good digital scale. You are going to need to weigh the powder charge since the bushings throw a lighter charge than the bushing chart states.

Here is a link how the Sizemaster works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI5BKdSDRbE

Thanks StubTwist

The adjustable charge bars are a bargain because one bar will do everything you need. Of course that means having a powder scale to make sure you drop the correct amount, but one needs to do that anyway.

Secondly, you need a $10 food scale from China-mart to make sure you are dropping 1.25 ounces instead of 1.125 or 1.375. It works well in dialing in the right amount of shot.

Every different size shot drops a different charge weight from the same bushing or setting on the adjustable bar, so the adjustable bar lets you dial it in.

All of the posts are very helpful. As of 5 minutes ago, I am now the proud owner of a MEC Jr. 12 gauge reloader off Ebay. I decided to start out with a 12 gauge and then keep my eye out for a good used 10 gauge one.