Looking to start reloading 40S&W, what to know?

[TerryBibble]

I love shooting my xdm 40 4.5 but I'm getting tired of spending 29 cents a round. I have a good amount of spare time outside of work and was thinking of starting to use some of my free nights reloading to have some cheaper range ammo. What are some things I should know before i get started? Should i start with a progressive loader or single stage? Anywhere local I can get supplies comparable to online prices? Is the Lee Precision Classic Turret Press Kit worth $200? Any help is greatly appreciated, Thank You

 

[wildrider666]

Volume and time will drive your choice. There is a lot to learn starting out so going slow while you learn is good. It also gives you time to evaluate the process and if you like doing it before you invest in a progressive unit. I think extra money spent on carbide dies is well worth it.
Shotgun shells were cheap when I was shooting them a lot so never bother reloading them. I have been using the same RCBS RockChucker press for over 30 years without a problem, just a few decapper pins and primer cups that I broke or crushed.

More info here:

http://gulfcoastgunforum.com/showth...e-Reloading-Experts&highlight=start+reloading

 

[shootnstarz]

Personally I would stay away from anything made by Lee except their dies. I know there's tens of thousands of pieces of Lee equipment out there loading everyday but I just am not impressed with their quality.

And I agree with starting with a single stage until you become very familiar with the process.

I should have my reloading room set back up soon, you're welcome to stop by for some instruction.

Rick

 

[TennJeep1618]

I personally really like the Lee Classic Turret for a beginner/small batch press. I used it this weekend to load almost 500 rounds of a cartridge for which I don't have a Dillon 1050 conversion yet. It is as easy as single stage to learn, but is much faster.

I probably wouldn't recommend the kit, though. I'd get the Lee Classic Turret Press, an Auto Drum powder measure, and Safety Prime, then I'd go with an electronic or higher quality beam scale, decent set of calipers.

It's definitely possible to learn to reload on a progressive press, but I'd recommend starting with the turret. If you decide to go with a progressive, you might want to look into one that doesn't auto-rotate (like the Dillon 550). Once you get into auto-rotating progressive presses, a lot of things are happening at once and it can be difficult to diagnose and correct any problems that may occur, especially if you're learning how to reload at the same time.

 

[SCTaylor]

I have to agree with Tenn on all aspects. I started with a Lee Turret, then went Dillon 550, and now on a Dillon 650... a 1050 will probably be in the cards in about 2 more years.

Anyhow, get a couple of loading manuals and read them. Use the online data from powder manufacturers, buy lots of components AND A CHRONOGRAPH! Very important to get a chrono.

My favorite soft & safe load with 40 is Winchester Super Field (WSF) with an Xtreme or Bayou bullets 180gr bullet. Accurate, cheap, and reliable.


It is easy spend $500-$1000 just to get started reloading which equates to 2k to 4k rounds of factory ammo. But even with life cycle cost of the loader, you'll break even in a few thousand rounds loaded. If things are purchased right, you should be able to get down to $0.15 per round.

 

[Daezee]

Don't spend a lot of $ on fired 40 S&W brass...it's not worth a lot. Most people don't reload for it and sometimes will just give or throw the brass away. I've given thousands of once fired empties away on this forum and now, if I pick 40 S&W empties up, I just throw them in the scrap brass bucket for recycling.

Note: This is my opinion and may not reflect that of others regarding 40 S&W brass.

 

[TerryBibble]

Personally I would stay away from anything made by Lee except their dies. I know there's tens of thousands of pieces of Lee equipment out there loading everyday but I just am not impressed with their quality.

And I agree with starting with a single stage until you become very familiar with the process.

I should have my reloading room set back up soon, you're welcome to stop by for some instruction.

Rick

That sounds good, shoot me a pm when you're up and running and ill check it out.
Thanks Rick,
Tyler

 

[TerryBibble]

I personally really like the Lee Classic Turret for a beginner/small batch press. I used it this weekend to load almost 500 rounds of a cartridge for which I don't have a Dillon 1050 conversion yet. It is as easy as single stage to learn, but is much faster.

I probably wouldn't recommend the kit, though. I'd get the Lee Classic Turret Press, an Auto Drum powder measure, and Safety Prime, then I'd go with an electronic or higher quality beam scale, decent set of calipers.

It's definitely possible to learn to reload on a progressive press, but I'd recommend starting with the turret. If you decide to go with a progressive, you might want to look into one that doesn't auto-rotate (like the Dillon 550). Once you get into auto-rotating progressive presses, a lot of things are happening at once and it can be difficult to diagnose and correct any problems that may occur, especially if you're learning how to reload at the same time.

Is there a local store i can get that press from? How much would i be looking at spending? I've been watching youtube videos on people reload with Lee Turret and single stage press and i feel confident i could grab the concept and get a good routine fairly fast. Thanks Tenn

 

[TerryBibble]

I have to agree with Tenn on all aspects. I started with a Lee Turret, then went Dillon 550, and now on a Dillon 650... a 1050 will probably be in the cards in about 2 more years.

Anyhow, get a couple of loading manuals and read them. Use the online data from powder manufacturers, buy lots of components AND A CHRONOGRAPH! Very important to get a chrono.

My favorite soft & safe load with 40 is Winchester Super Field (WSF) with an Xtreme or Bayou bullets 180gr bullet. Accurate, cheap, and reliable.


It is easy spend $500-$1000 just to get started reloading which equates to 2k to 4k rounds of factory ammo. But even with life cycle cost of the loader, you'll break even in a few thousand rounds loaded. If things are purchased right, you should be able to get down to $0.15 per round.

Thanks for replying. I understand what a chrono is, but do i really need it for plinking ammo?

 

[TerryBibble]

Don't spend a lot of $ on fired 40 S&W brass...it's not worth a lot. Most people don't reload for it and sometimes will just give or throw the brass away. I've given thousands of once fired empties away on this forum and now, if I pick 40 S&W empties up, I just throw them in the scrap brass bucket for recycling.

Note: This is my opinion and may not reflect that of others regarding 40 S&W brass.

Thank you for the heads up

 

[TennJeep1618]

Right now Amazon has the press for just over $100 (https://www.amazon.com/Lee-Precisio...ti-20&linkId=2d518c8edff6afc10866f957267bfe54). I'm not sure of who might have it in stock over in Pensacola. Gold Mine Pawn Shop in Daphne carries Lee equipment, but I don't know if they have that press.

You definitely want the Classic Turret over the Value Turret.

 

[TerryBibble]

Right now Amazon has the press for just over $100 (https://www.amazon.com/Lee-Precisio...ti-20&linkId=2d518c8edff6afc10866f957267bfe54). I'm not sure of who might have it in stock over in Pensacola. Gold Mine Pawn Shop in Daphne carries Lee equipment, but I don't know if they have that press.

You definitely want the Classic Turret over the Value Turret.

Sounds good. Thank you very much

 

[TennJeep1618]

Thanks for replying. I understand what a chrono is, but do i really need it for plinking ammo?

While a chrono is really nice to have, I don't think it's necessary for just plinking. I reloaded for a year or two before I ever got one. As long as you know how to look for pressure signs, you'll be fine. If you ever get into competition, you'll need a chrono to ensure you meet power factor.

 

[SCTaylor]

Eh $50-$80 for a chrono to know what you're shooting is worth it to me. Wish I would have done it sooner... I have about 2k rounds I loaded up with WST, which does not have 9mm printed load data any longer and I worked it up by internet source data. I'm not wanting to shoot them or pull them down.

Now that I've worked some 40 & 9mm rounds with WST I've seen how erratic it can be. If I had that data back then, it may have saved me a lot of headache now. Anyhow, find a local loader & buy him a beer or primers, or bullets, whatever, and borrow his chrono.

 

[Mouser]

I have a Lee Turret press and I like it quite a bit. I don't shoot competitively and it runs all the rounds I want through it. I bought the kit and added a electronic scale, calipers and .40 dies. The kit came with a scales and that would work, but I decided otherwise. Get some powder...i load accurate #5 in my .40 and buy some plated bullets from extreme bullets, come primers and you will be good to go. Seems to me the kit was $180 online and the dies were $34 or so. The rest is loading components and I think you will be able to load, if you own the brass, for about 60% of the cost of the lower cost ammo you can find online or in WalMart.

The only problem I have had with my press is there are small plastic parts on the rod that causes the turret to rotate that wear out after a couple thousand rounds. The kit comes with spares and if you order directly from Lee they will give them to you for free...at least they did for me.

 

[TerryBibble]

I have a Lee Turret press and I like it quite a bit. I don't shoot competitively and it runs all the rounds I want through it. I bought the kit and added a electronic scale, calipers and .40 dies. The kit came with a scales and that would work, but I decided otherwise. Get some powder...i load accurate #5 in my .40 and buy some plated bullets from extreme bullets, come primers and you will be good to go. Seems to me the kit was $180 online and the dies were $34 or so. The rest is loading components and I think you will be able to load, if you own the brass, for about 60% of the cost of the lower cost ammo you can find online or in WalMart.

The only problem I have had with my press is there are small plastic parts on the rod that causes the turret to rotate that wear out after a couple thousand rounds. The kit comes with spares and if you order directly from Lee they will give them to you for free...at least they did for me.

Thank you for the advice, I've actually been doing more reseach today and found the Lee Precision 40 S and W Pro 1000 Handloading Press which includes dies and other parts along with the turret press for $173 and was thinking of going with this

 

[HEIST]

When you start looking for bullets, check out RMRbullets.com, they are cheap and come with free shipping. Mike's Outdoors has a good selection of powders and they carry primers (although their primers aren't the cheapest.) Also, I use a Lee single stage kit that was only $105 and it works fine for plinking ammo. The only think I would have done differently would have been going with a turret press over the single stage. I can only load about 100rds per hour on it.

 

[TennJeep1618]

Thank you for the advice, I've actually been doing more reseach today and found the Lee Precision 40 S and W Pro 1000 Handloading Press which includes dies and other parts along with the turret press for $173 and was thinking of going with this

Be sure to look up some reviews on the Pro 1000. It's a progressive press, not a turret press. Some people love them, and some people wouldn't take one if you gave it to them.

 

[rviray]

I just started to reload myself. I did it because I wanted to reload 40s and 300 blackout. I bought the Lee Precision Anniversary kit from Wally World because it was $25 less then Amazon and with in store pick up, it's free shipping. I personally like the kit. I did all my research months before I bought the kit and for a single stage kit, it was well worth it. I mounted it on a 2 foot long piece of 2x6 so that I could mount it on my kitchen table. I have only done about 500 40cal rounds, without issue. I should be ordering 300 blackout dies in the next few weeks (once again gotta research first before I make the investment), I don't foresee any issues with loading rifle rounds on the press.... But I will update you once I get my dies in. Just like everyone says buy a reloading book first, Lyman 50th is what I got...you could buy the 49th book for cheap on Amazon. Once you read up on it, choosing what you want to load up first is pretty easy.

 

[rviray]

Forgot to mention...I use the lee carbide 4 die set to load my 40 cal ammo. It has been a great set.... Out of the box I just put it in my press and went to town on the reloading process. Lastly, just a final heads up.... Find a place around here for the powder and primers....you pay just a little bit more plus the tax, however if you buy online you will probably pay a Hazmat fee to ship.