Best press to get for beginner reloading?

Youre likely to get alot of opinions here. I started off with a Lee Press (still use) courtesy from an Ol Fart out In Cali.

Right now Im loading on a Redding T-7 Turret. Built like a tank and with the 7 station heads makes switching calibers/steps very easy.

You can started loading for very cheap with Lee equipment, or you can go all out. Your choice..I think a kit is a good way to go. Id look at the Rockchucker Kit. RCBS has excellent customer service and like the T-7, the rockchuker is a tank.

Edit to add- I reccomend getting a good in depth manual and start reading before ever trying to roll ammo.

Good Luck
 
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RCBS and others have some kits for new reloaders. That is the way to go as you can get most of the basic tools you'll need to get started then built your set up from there. I loaded ten thousand or more rounds on my RCBS kit before going to a Dillon
 
Most of the kits are pretty inclusive. I got a Lyman and I have used RCBS. I like both equally. Figure out a price point and go from there.
 
I have the Hornady LNL progressive and love it. Otherwise they have a single stage LNL to I believe. You might as well buy good now and only have to buy once. The other brands mentioned will work great too but just get the most you can on your budget.
 
I would suggest a Lee turret press kit, find one with the perfect powder measure in it rather than the autodisk model.
You will get a lifetimes use out of the Lee and it is dirt cheap. Then you can afford more dies, powder, projectiles and primers!
I use a Lyman as my primary press, however the only reason for that is I found it for $50 used after my ex gave away all my reloading stuff. Otherwise I would still be using a Lee turret.
 
Look around for a used press and accessories.

Talk to friend, neighbors, gun club members, church members, yard sales etc. I know a guy that was offered two for free, in his own neighborhood.

Whether new or 20 plus years old, a good single throw press is a great way for a beginner to start.
 
Originally Posted By: Bigdog2Look around for a used press and accessories.

Talk to friend, neighbors, gun club members, church members, yard sales etc. I know a guy that was offered two for free, in his own neighborhood.

Whether new or 20 plus years old, a good single throw press is a great way for a beginner to start.

GREAT ADVICE! Don't do like I did and spent a bunch on money on a Press (Lee Classic/Turret) I later replaced with two single stage presses of far better quality. IMO, Turret presses are nice if you are going to reloads lots of ammo. But if you are only reloading 25 - 50 at a time, a single stage press is better. A good ole RCBS Rockchucker is a very dependable and versatile press. They have a long history of dependability and life. I ended up also buying a Redding Big Boss as well and really like both very much. I ended up giving that Lee press away to someone just starting out simply because he didn't have much money to spend and it was just laying around catching dust. You might wnna look around and see each press first hand so you see what they are like and how they operate. Some guys love their Turrets, but I'm not a fan of Turret presses. Each to his/her own I guess.

Good Luck and have fun reloading. And go buy a copy of "The ABC's of Reloading," 8th Edition. Great book for the novice as well as expert because of the detailed info and pictures to help you understand what is going on. I've had mine for a few years now and still pick it up now and then and just browse.
 
I'm using the same RCBS Rock Chucker I started with ~40 years ago.
If you don't think you will shoot a lot a single stage is fine.
If you plan to shoot a lot a progressive is more convenient.
JMO
 
Yotesnuffer,, The progressive set ups are nice, once that you get everything adjusted properly, but they can be really frustrating until you do... If you need to change components within the same caliber, then you usually need to start all over again...

My only advice for someone starting out would be to buy an "O" type press, as opposed to a "C" type, if you are planning to load the heavy magnum type rifle/pistol rounds as they require quite a bit more pressure at times to resize cases...For the smaller cases, either will probably last your lifetime, as long as you maintain it on a regular basis..

The prepackaged kits are great, and usually contain most of what you will need, you can always upgrade individual items as time and experience builds...sometimes you can find high quality parts in pawn shops and yard sales, where someone has died, or just stopped reloading for whatever reason...

If you belong to a hunting or shooting club/range, you can also upgrade by letting other members know you are starting out... Our benchrest club has a 'swap' meet twice each year and once in awhile there is some really good stuff at more than reasonable prices...
 
Dillon makes some presses I like pretty good.I like their 550B I think it is.It is progressive but you turn it by hand.The ones that turn their selves can get messed up with you and cause you to lose track of what is going on in each stage.I know that may my be a little hard to understand.But you can search and read about them.
A single works better for me for rifle ammo,most times you are not loading as many as you might pistol,and I like to weigh each round on rifle.I like the 550 for pistol,say cowboy rounds where you might load a couple hundred at a time,and I use automatic powder drop for that.If you think you will load for a long time I would get a good press and scale to start and add the smaller things as you figure out what you need for what you are doing,so you don't wind up with stuff you never use.Read,read,and read some more.
 
I think your question should have read " what style of press to get for beginner reloading" Then what brand of press is the best.

Hard to beat an "O" (oh) frame single stage press for the type to get started with. and brand depends how much money you want to spend. If you buy Cheap you get cheap. Hornady, RCBS, Redding are three that will not break the bank and widely used.

DAB
 
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I'd start with a good single stage press, then later move up if you want. I've got an rcbs that still sees about 50% duty, and some things I've moved over to a lee turret. The turrent is nice enough BUT it has limits. .223 is about the longest cartridge I load that works well on the press. Anything longer and the turret rotates before the bullet clears the die. It causes.... problems. Disconnecting the rod and using it as a manual turret solves that problem.

The other issue is I don't get as consistent bullet seating. The hole thingy the dies go in (brain fart here) can shift upwards as the bullet pushes. If the bullet slides in, great, if it resists you seat shallow. Adjust for shallow seats and the next one seats deep. Repeat ad nauseum.

#3 the auto disc measure is nice and has shown good consistency. But it's not a fine tuning device as there is only so many combinations of disks you can use. With h4895 you've got a max charge of around 45 grains. If you round needs more, not going to happen.

So far I've only seen #2 be an issue loading 25-06 and I'm still experementing. Other than that it is quite a bit faster than a single stage.
 
In my opinion there are only 2 presses that you should be considering, the RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme or the Forster Coax! Either one would give you a lifetime of use and they both would produce high quality ammo. The Forster will cost you more than the RCBS, but in the long run it might be the best choice! You couldn't go wrong with either one! Good luck and let us know what you end up with.
 
Originally Posted By: Ricky BobbyIn my opinion there are only 2 presses that you should be considering, the RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme or the Forster Coax! Either one would give you a lifetime of use and they both would produce high quality ammo. The Forster will cost you more than the RCBS, but in the long run it might be the best choice! You couldn't go wrong with either one! Good luck and let us know what you end up with.

What about Dillon, Redding, Lyman? ALL very good quality and WILL last a long time, just sayin'!
 
I DID NOT say anything was JUNK! I simply stated my opinion on presses, from my experience. If you would like to call the others junk, that is fine by me! Keep in mind that the presses I have picked are for a beginner reloader as well as someone with alot of experience reloading. Progressive and turret presses, in my opinion, should be left alone until a person gains the knowledge & experience that only comes from time spent in front of a reloading bench! I will say it again, you can't go wrong with either a RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme or the Forster Coax presses. Good Luck!
 
Originally Posted By: Ricky Bobby I will say it again, you can't go wrong with either a RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme or the Forster Coax presses. Good Luck!

Ok, but you simply over look some great, single stage, offerings from other makers. Oh, and how hard is it to use a turret press? It the exact same as a single stage, just holds more dies! Heck I would even say it's easier since a noob wouldn't have to set dies up time after time. Just throwing some more open minded ideas out there.
 
My thoughts exactly Shane. Once you get your dies setup that's it, you're finished. Just load away. People who say turret presses are for the experienced either 1) haven't ever used one or 2) haven't loaded very much.
 
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