I'm looking at getting the lee 4 hole turret and 9mm lee dies. What else should I get and what brands are best "bang for your buck." I know I'll need a scale, some type of measuring caliper, possibly a tumbler, primer hole cleaner, etc. What else should I get, and what brands of those are cheap, but work well? Is ABCs of reloading the best book, and does it have load recipes?
Thanks
Original Cracker, I've been involved in reloading for about 50 years. Haven't done any lately, but I can tell you how I got started and what equipment was used.
When I was about 16, an active duty military man was reloading 38 spl. wadcutters for a pistol team, he needed help and that was my initiation into reloading. A few years later, 2 friends and I decided to start reloading 30/06. We bought a Lyman outfit that included all the equipment we would need to reload 30/06 ammo. A single stage press worked fine and kept us from getting ahead of ourselves by making mistakes. Additional dies were added and we loaded what we wanted to shoot.
After moving to the Panhandle, I bought a complete outfit for myself and made the mistake of buying a turret press. I do believe a turret press is probably better suited for pistol reloading, but I still miss the old Lyman Spartan press.
There are plenty of good reloading handbooks with plenty of instructions and warnings on what to do. I'm sure some of the men that are currently reloading will chime in and give you some more specific advice.
Good luck, be safe and enjoy the savings!
Treefarmer
Thanks treefarmer. Yeah I will be reloading only pistol rounds. I figured the lee 4 hole would be perfect since its cheap, has good reviews, and in the beginning I can remove the index rod and use it as a single stage pretty much. I plan on doing a lot of reading before I begin loading, but would like to have all the equipment and manuals in my possession to learn better.
Ive reloaded about 1,000 rounds at my uncles house, but didn't pay attention to what all he had. I am not a complete beginner, as I do know the gist of how to reload, and most of what I need. Just wanted some brand recommendations for all the accessories, and powder, bullets, primers for 9mm.
I have been pretty happy with the Lee brand. I have some older RCBS items that have help up pretty well too. For the price though, Lee is hard to beat. Most of your loads these days are all provided on the net by the powder manufacturers. Loading is straight forward and one good book will get you what you need. With the ABCs of reloading and maybe the Lee or Lyman reloading book, you will have what you need. For powder info, I would pull that direct from the powder manufacturers sites. I print out the loads I like and then put them in a 3 ring binder.
Overall, it sounds like you have the basic components identified. I would also add the factory crimp dies for each size too. I like those alot.
As far as a turret vs a traditional press, I like the traditional with quick release breech locks. It makes changing dies easier.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/785993/lee-4-hole-turret-press-with-auto-index-deluxe-kit
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/885350/lee-deluxe-carbide-4-die-set-9mm-luger?cm_vc=sugv1785993
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/587176/frankford-arsenal-quick-n-ez-case-tumbler-110-volt
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/175512/frankford-arsenal-ds-750-electronic-powder-scale-750-grain-capacity
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/215517/frankford-arsenal-impact-bullet-puller
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/537267/speer-reloading-manual-14
Would this be a good start?
