Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Your First Reloading Setup

What did you start with, and when?

I started in about 1980, with a Lee Loader and a scale, making 30-06 ammo for a rifle I bought (no kidding) at the J C Penney outlet store in Sparks, NV. The neighbor who was giving me advice was sure that hollow points were the way to go, but had no idea why one of his bullets blew up on impact, removing a good piece of deer hide without penetrating.

Started sometime in 1963, Lee Loader, .38 Special and .30-30 WCF. Very soon moved on to the massive Herter's O press and Herter's loading equipment. Worked very well for many years.

L.W.

Lee kit, single stage, with all the goodies included. For .38 special/.357

Geno

I'm still using it- - - -a Lee 3-hole turret press that I bought in the mid-1980's. There's no telling how many thousands of rounds that thing has sent downrange! It still works as well as it did the day I unpacked it.
Jerry

Used RockChucker, new RCBS dies, RCBS 505 scale, a deburr tool and one of those gawdawful lube pads

1985

Rcbs

.30-06, .44mag, .357mag .25-06, .243, .30-30, 7mag, .223, 10mm, .45acp, .45lc, .454casull, .460 s&wmag
I’m sure I’m missing a few

All done with various rcbs presses

Dies are mostly rcbs..... I have a few lee and reading

I started in 1973 with an RCBS set-up purchased from a co-worker who was getting divorced.

1972 using the Lee Loader with a Lyman scale. Was loading for a .22-250 and soon had issues with needing to bump the shoulder back, so borrowed my uncle's Lyman Spartan press. Used that setup for one year and invested in a Rock Chucker and a Lyman powder measure.

Used Dad's stuff for years then decided to buy quality equipment when I got out of the military and established in my place 2008-ish. Redding Big Boss for a press and was loading 9mm and 222 Rem. Dies were mainly Redding and RCBS. Didn't trim, chamfer or pay attention to flash holes. Over the years have added numerous calibers and trim, chamfer, tumble and uniform flash holes and pockets now. Added a used Dillon 550b several years ago for range ammo.

1969 with a RCBS rockchucker a balance beam scale of unkown mfg, The lube pad and a set of 22-250 dies. Still have it all.

16 gauge Lee Loader, 1972 IIRC. Still have it but retired it for a MEC 600 JR purchased a year or so later from Sisk Bullets in Iowa Park, TX. First CF was .44 Magnum in 1975.

I started in 1974, a RCBS Junior press. Still use it regularly. Old balance beam scale my dad had, you had to use weight pieces of the charge you wanted, zero the scale, then weigh powder. My dad use a Lyman tong tool, I thought I was big stuff buying a press!

Still using the Rockchucker I bought in 74, mostly RCBS dies, a few Redding,

1968 Lee Loader for 20 gauge

06/08 ish. Started with an rcbs partner press and a couple years later got a Hornady lock n load progressive. Dies and other necessities are rcbs, Hornady and Lee.

Dad bought a brand new C&H 444 for him and I in the early 70's. Him and I shot IHMSA for close to 8 years. he shot 22lr, 22mag, 357mag and I shot 22lr, 22mag, 44mag.

That press has loaded a lot of pistol ammo and I now have it setup permanently for 44 mag.

Around 1979 in Dad’s cellar. I’d just got a .308, and my brother had been fooling with reloading. I was all of 14 years old. I loaded on that press until I joined the Army in ‘85.
When I ETSed in 1989, I set up the same press in a trailer till we built our house. I’d given the .308 to Dad and bought an ought six of my own.
I thought I’d save on ammo, but I spent way more on reloading and guns than if I’d just bought ammunition. As a result, I did more shooting and bought more guns and it just snowballed to where I’ve been at it for more than 40 years!
I enjoy the time I spend at it, and I get off on working up a new load for a new gun. Putting a handful of bullets through one ragged hole carries its own rewards for me.
7mm

Dillon 550 almost 20 years ago . Load everything on it.

Same here !

Sometime in the late sixties started reloading with my Dad, RCBS Jr. press, Belding and Mull powder measure, maybe a Redding scale? Still have it all but probably only use the scale. Actually still have some primers from back then that got set aside somewhere along the way, still use them from time to time, they still go bang.