[tenntyrant]

What would be a good kit to get I have been looking at the rcbs kits but would like to know what the best deal I can get willing to spend up to 500 on kit. I want to start off loading 5.56 and 40 cal.

[jjfuller1]

i have an rcbs single stage and its nice. i bought one becuase i had used my uncle when i was younger and liked that i had known some on how it worked. i also didnt want to spend the bucks for a progressive yet but after a few years i may upgrade. if you go with the rock chucker kit. you will still need to purchase a case trimmer and caliper as these are not included. lots of people like lee and it is cheaper. so you could probly get a lee turret kit. i just wanted rcbs quality because i had seen it first hand.

if you do go with rcbs be sure to use the mail in rebate. spend 300 and get 50 back. the coupon is on rcbs website.

[TLuker]

Check Craig's list for kits (and everything else). I just got the RCBS progressive kit new in the box for a great price off Craig's list. Now I've just got to learn how to use it.

As for what kit, I have no idea. The only thing I am reasonably sure of at this point is that no matter what kit you get you'll still be buying more stuff. My only suggestion would be to get a good reloading book and learn all you can and then figure out which would be best. Good luck.

[Sport45]

Take a good hard look at the Lee Classic Turret kit from Midway for about $215. Add a $100 digital scale, a $10 Harbor Freight caliper, and buy a decent powder measure for another $85 or so and you'll be golden. I took the auto indexing stuff off of my Classic Turret before I ever used it because I prefer to load bottleneck rifle cartridges in batches. I'd use it in batches for the .40 too.

Later on you can "upgrade" to a Dillon or Hornady progressive to speed up pistol rloading if you like. I can't see myself ever loading, or wanting to load rifle cartridges on my 550b.

[Rick1967]

I will second the buying a book idea. You will really need one anyway. As far as presses go, I would start out with a single stage. RCBS is a good brand. Some people don't like Lee. But I have some Lee stuff that works great. My progressive press is a little finicky. But it does what it is supposed to. If you are going to do lots of different calibers a rock chucker or a turret it the way to go. And dont be afraid to check the pawn shops. You can find great deals at yard sales too.

[AleksiR]

I'm all for getting as much information as you can get before starting reloading, but I didn't read any reloading books before I started and still don't own one. I just researched all the basics and watched a ton of reloading videos before I got what I needed to start. I bought a Lee Challenger kit plus some other stuff and have been happy with it so far, but I've already noticed that Lee certainly isn't top notch when it comes to reloading gear (obviously). I started with .308Win which is supposed to be an easy caliber to learn reloading with, so you might want to go an other route when starting. Especially with pistol calibers the reloading manual will be handy because there are more factors to take into consideration than with rifle calibers. Also, progressive press might be your thing since you want to load .40, probably in larger quantities. Single stage press might be easier to start with, but you'll soon want something faster. One option is, that get a cheap single stage Lee press and learn the basic stuff with it. When you feel comfortable reloading with that one, then get a good quality progressive press.

[g17frantz]

Lee Anniversary kit. Still available at midwayusa for $99 I think. Great start to a future in reloading.