Im thinking about trying my hand at reloading..since ammo is getting so hard to find around here..and even online. Wandering what kits are good for starting out, and what to stay away from? Ive been reading about the hornady kit..it looks to be a pretty decent kit, and comes with a electronic scale.

From what ive been reading..the Lee kits are pretty cheaply made. Id like to start out with something decent, which i can add to if i decide i like reloading. Will be used for rifle ammo and maybe for my auto pistols

rcbs has several starter kits.the quality is good and so is the price,or you can piece one together from the classifieds.stay with name brands and you will be happy.check the sales from midway,midsouth or cabelas.I am still using the rcbs setup that is 40 years old as my foundation set.

I would check out gun shows as well. The only new item I've purchased is a chargemaster. One piece at a time can be very cost effective

I started out by buying a lee anniversary kit. It worked ok but some of the stuff it came with is junk. I now have replaced everything and have what I think is some really nice stuff. Although you don't have to buy the best I would not go cheap on the press. You can also get more for your money if you buy everything sepertly. You don't need much to start reloading and you can slowly add more as you figure out what you want.

Walter

thanks for the replies..i found a decent deal on the hornady lock and load kit, thinking of going that route, for a starting point, then add or replace pieces as i go.

1 more question though...been looking at powders, bullets etc online..and it looks like everybody is sold out just like on ammo. Where yall buying your supplies?

Everybody is buying supplies where and when they find them right now. I haven't been able to drive to a store being confident that I was going to get what I wanted for some time now. Just stop in the various stores anytime you have some spare time, and buy what you need when you find it.

As for what equipment to get. Almost all brands have their stuff that is good and bad. You can't go wrong with RCBS, since their stuff is available everywhere. Redding, Dillon, Lyman, Hornady are the leading brands that have quality stuff (for the most part). Lee has some good stuff and some that it uber-cheaply built. Some will say it's as good as anything else. I have a few Lee products that I use regularly, but my stuff is a hodgepodge of manufacturers.

All that said, if I had to start from square one, I'd pick up an RCBS master kit, then accessorize it as need be later.

Ive had powder, primers, and bullets on backorder with brownells since January, the only thing that has come in so far are the 208 Amax on the order everything is hasn't yet. I think it will be a while till components are easy to come by again.

I can't speak on a Hornady press. But I can say that you can't go wrong with RCBS. I have their turret press, several hand tools, several of their dies, and a Chargemaster. I've damaged one of their dies, and had to call them. They sent replacement parts free of charge. The press has loaded thousands of rounds, and I believe I'll die before it wears out.

Some good information can be found @ the following link.
link

As far as starter kits go Forester, lyman, RCBS, Redding, Hornady and Lee make some good ones. Lee cast presses are good quality as the others IMO. Dies I use more Redding and Lee than the others.

I bought a Lee single stage press. No issues. I use it to reload my rifle rounds. If I decide to buy a progressive reloader for handgun rounds, I'd up the quality a RCBS system. I only bought the Lee reloader because a single stage press is simple and no need to buy a high dollar press for reloading single rounds. Just make sure you have good dies and measuring equipment.

RCBS Rock Chucker supreme master reloading kit. Good quality press and will last you a lifetime

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I really like most Lee stuff...but I'm not sure I would recommend their kits because of the scale. The scale is definitely lacking in the quality dept.

If you're stuck on a kit...the RCBS or Hornady kits are really good. That or get the Lee kit and look to upgrade the scale. Even with a new scale, it'd probably be a little less expensive going with the Lee kit.

I pieced my stuff together when I first started out. Got my Lee single stage press at a gun show for 10 bucks. Still using it thousands of rounds later. Bought my RCBS 10-10 scale at a pawn shop for $60. I've added multiple odds and ends here and there from different manufacturers over the years.

ive been looking through the classifieds etc..got some dies coming, and ordered powder, and primers, gonna try to hit the gun show in Tyler this weekend..if i dont find nothing there, then im going to order a kit

X 2 here. I've piece mealed my reloading set up. Whatever was affordable I bought either online or at gun shows. I have a mixbag of Lee, RCBS, Hornady, and other stuff. I probably didn't spend more than $150 bucks on the whole set up. I found a cheap tumbler at Harbor freight. Lee single stage press. Dies are a mixbag of everything. Measuring equipment I bought from a pawnshop and is high quality. Bought my reloading load data book online cheap. Built my own bench and reloading holding block. At the time I started reloading many many years ago I couldn't afford those high dollar kits. Now, I can afford them but already have a system that works and is accurate. I figure the point of reloading is to save money and customize accuracy. Good luck in your pursuit of this great hobby. I'm thinking about purchasing a Hornady progressive reloader kit for handgun rounds. That is expensive but probably worth it considering the recent ammo shortages we've had.

I pieced mine together but think the rockchucker kit is a pretty good value if you want a kit. Regardless of how you do it you will probably end up buying different pieces of equipment here or there as you develop your own preferences after you gain some experience reloading.

There's no end to the stuff you'll need, not knowing you need it until you've seen it. Keep your checkbook handy!

I started with an RCBS Supreme kit that came with a Rockcrusher. I like the Rockcrusher BUT I found out quickly, that loading volume of handgun ammo, I needed a progressive press.

With a single stage you are spending mucho time setting dies. I bought a Lyman progressive and extra die plates. I now set my dies in line on a plate and it speeds things up dramatically and I can keep exact settings. I don't use crimp dies on 357 or 45AC so I have a 6 hole plate with those 2 calibers and a 6 hole plate with 4 9mm dies, including crimp die.

This allows me to switch calibers or decap/resize incoming casings quickly without interrupting expanding and bullet seating in process.

Here is a good thread with lots of helpful info.

http://www.texashuntingforum.com/forum/u...nfo#Post2422026

If your not gonna reload a lot I would suggest a lee classic set. Google it, it's a reloaded set without press, etc. it's around 25 to 30 bucks and works amazing. I use it for my 270. I have since started reloading a lot and bought a lee anniversary press but still use the classic for the 270. It only neck sizes so in my view it makes your rifle little more accurate. But it's possible your loads would not work in another rifle. Just a thought