Reloading Ammunition. How to get started.

Reloading your own ammunition has many distinct advantages over buying pre-assembled factory ammo. Reloading can save you up to half the cost of retail prices and it does not require a huge up front initial investment to get into.  Through patience and careful study you will learn so much about the process that you will become much more informed about what goes into making rounds and what makes them accurate.  There is simply too much to write about when it comes to a “brain dump” about reloading so I will not attempt to break down each and every aspect.  What I will do is  list all of the resources you’ll need right here which should help you get started.  Since 5.56/223 is a very popular round (used in the AR15) I’ll use that as the example.  If you want to start with a different caliber the concept is the same, just a change in dies will be necessary.

Every person has their own needs (a few rounds a month, hundreds of rounds a month, thousands of rounds a month) and this usually determines which type of press to get.  Ultimate Reloader has a huge FAQ and info area which will school you up on all of that information.  For the purpose of this post I will write about Lee products and the equipment you need to start loading 5.56/223.

What you need to get started:

Lee Classic Turret Press Kit  Comes with just about everything you need to get started, however I will recommend a few more items which will make life much easier.

223 Remington Dies  Necessary to have for 223.  If you want to start with a different caliber all you do is choose that specific size.

Rifle Charging Die  Needed for use with the automatic powder dispenser.

Case length gauge  For trimming and squaring case mouth.

Powder Double Disc Kit  Necessary in order to get proper powder loads for 223.

Kinetic Bullet Puller  When you screw up (and you will) and need to safely take apart a completed bullet.

Digital Scale  While the Lee Kit comes with a bar scale, I prefer a digital one.

Digital Calipers  Absolutely necessary for checking dimensions of cases and finished bullets.

Lyman’s #49  While the Lee kit comes with their own manual, there is a reason Lyman’s is on their 49th edition.  It is pretty much the gold standard when it comes to reloading manuals.

A Reloading bench  If you can’t build a wooden bench or are limited on space, the Lee one is nice and sturdy.  You simply hang a few concrete blocks from it on the bottom and that stabilizes it.  You must have a SOLID surface to mount the turret press on, a cheap/flimsy plywood surface which buckles will not work.

There are a few other odds and ends which you will have to buy if you do not already own them.  A set of wrenches and screwdrivers to put together the stand and turret press, safety glasses to wear while reloading and possibly a small LED light to use while verifying powder dumps.  I listed some of the links out previously, but Titan Reloading is a great place to get all of the Lee stuff.  If Titan does not have it Midway is another source you can check out.

Once you have all of your reloading equipment you’ll need the brass, powder, primer and projectiles in order to start assembling your finished product.  I do suggest that you buy and read your reloading manual FIRST before ordering any of these items.  The last thing you want to do is buy a ton of stuff and realize that X primer doesn’t go with Y powder etc etc.  Also if you can try to buy your powder and primers locally so that you will not have to pay the HAZMAT fee for shipping.  Here are some places to check for brass, powder, primers and projectiles.

• Winders
• Natchez Shooters Supply
• Midway USA
• Powder Valley
• Montana Gold Bullet
• T&T Reloading
• Graf and Sons

While your reloading manual(s) should be your go to guide for all information related to reloading, let’s face it YouTube and Internet forums are also great and have their own advantages.  You just have to be careful and do your due diligence before taking the advice of someone who posts on a forum, makes a video, or even myself writing this blog post!  It’s great to gather information but ultimately YOU are responsible for making sure to do things right while staying safe.  All that said here are some great sources of information online.

• Accurate Reloading Forums
• Brian Enos Forums

Titan Reloading has a ton of Help Videos listed on their website specific to setting up the Lee Classic Turret Press. There are other videos online which go into quite a bit more detail on how to set up and use the system, the best are listed below.

This 4 part series by GunBlue490

I hope all of that information helps.  Reloading can seem overwhelming at first but once you finally crack the code and start producing your own ammunition the pride associated with it is like no other.  I wish you the best and hope you start “rolling your own” soon enough!