Lyman system

[Mags]

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I take my shoes off (keep my socks on). Got tired of the wood stove biting me every time I went to put wood on the fire.

Different question: you guys that reload in your house.....concerns about static around the powder? My wife and I light up right now walking around the carpets due to the extreme cold dry winter. Guess a humidifier would be a good idea.

[Mistered]

The rest is Starline and whatever Sellier Bellot uses.

Sellier & Bellot makes their own brass and it is important for you to know S & B brass typically
Has primer pockets that are considerably tighter than most other brands. You might want to seperate it out and not load it right away. It will prime ok on the press but I have discovered the .38/.357 primer pockets to be so tight it's very difficult to seat primers with a hand priming tool. I have never reloaded any of it in .45 Colt but their .38/.357, 9mm and .45 ACP are all equally as tight.

concerns about static around the powder?

I occasionally read about this but have yet to ever hear of where static ever caused powder detonation. Most of the time when powder is exposed it is being transferred from a plastic container to say the plastic hopper of a powder measure, a plastic funnel or aluminum measure tray where there is no chance of static.
There are many other safety considerations that need to be followed by the reloader that are potentially more dangerous than the possibility of static electricity.

[RanchRoper]

Good to know. I will watch for the SB brass. Thks

[wingnut]

.
I take my shoes off (keep my socks on). Got tired of the wood stove biting me every time I went to put wood on the fire.

Different question: you guys that reload in your house.....concerns about static around the powder? My wife and I light up right now walking around the carpets due to the extreme cold dry winter. Guess a humidifier would be a good idea.

Uncontained black & smokeless powder will not detonate/explode. However, it will burn rapidly and a large static spark could ignite it. Primers, on the other hand, will explode with a flame or spark. Just touch the reloading bench/table before handling.

Yes, winter's low temps will produce low humidity. Just place a pot or kettle (a cast iron tea pot is great) of water on that woodstove and keep it filled. Also, there are house appliance (5-10 gal) humidifiers and/or furnace attachments available. I try to keep the house at 22-28% for personal comfort and keeping the dog and cat from being afraid of us in the winter. Small desktop sensors are available at Amazon and other places.

[bdbrown66]

Good to know. I will watch for the SB brass. Thks

It's probably nothing that a primer pocket reamer won't fix. If you're going to throw it out, you can throw it my way.

[RanchRoper]

Haha...I will seat a few and see what they look like.

[Old School Guns]

Same here, even for hunting ammo. If I were loading for competition, that would be a different story. But I'm not, so I don't. I inspect the cases, and as long as they are in good condition, load 'em and shoot 'em.

And same here. I have reloaded some .38 specials for handgun 15+ times, and .357 6+.

I've only been reloading going on 3 years now, but when I begin loading for a lever-action .357 I'll follow the same protocols: inspecting every round several times during the process. At the first sign of a case-mouth split, into the recycling bucket it goes.

Bottle-neck rifle cases are a different animal, but I plan for my Henry to be the same caliber as my wheel-guns.

[RanchRoper]

My reloading gear is on hold until April; have to pay some other stuff before I free up the funds for that. I may just invest in the brass cleaner this month though, and can at least get started on that part.

[RanchRoper]

Once I pull the trigger this is what I am going with, should get me started down the path to a steady supply of 45 Colt ammo....

Lee Precision - ERGO-PRIME - LP-90250...hand primer, but I may use the stand primer instead, not sure yet
Lee Precision - Lee Reloading Stand - LP-90688....don't have a bench in the room and this will save space
Lee Precision - CLASSIC TURRET PRESS KIT - LP-90304
Lee Precision - 4 DIE SET 45 COLT CARB - LP-90967...only shoot 1 caliber
Lee Precision - R11 SHELL HOLDER - LP-90528...might come in kit but just in case
45 Cal Lead Bullet, 250 grain, Western Munitions, 1000, BLC-45-250-500...I shoot mostly 250 gr bullets now so stick with it
Large Pistol Primers, Winchester, 1000 per box, WIN-WLP...did some research and these got good reviews
HODGDON UNIVERSAL GUN POWDER 4 LB - GP-HUNIV-4LB...thanks for all the input folks, this should work
Lyman 1200 Pro Sifter (115-Volt)...good reviews and fairly compact, does approx 50 rounds at a time
Lyman Reloading Tumbler Media Corncob

All available from 1 place in Alberta except the Lyman sifter which is Amazon Canada.

I did reserach the S&B brass and most reports say it is indeed a tight pocket for the primers, but do-able on the press but not by hand. Many said they have used their S&B brass several times without issue for .357, 45 colt, and .44 mag loads.

Appreciate all the feedback guys, thanks.

[ESquared]

Looks like a fine system, well-researched and thought out. CONGRATS in advance on taking the plunge! Really look forward to hearing of your progress, your set-up and your initial experiences.
No doubt you will find the "Ranch Roper Way" of making it all come together for you, and having a process that you own is a great part of the fun and sense of accomplishment.
Can't wait to hear more...what's your timeline?

[clovishound]

I have been using a Lee Classic Turret press for many years. It is a good solid press IMO. Try on press priming before buying a hand primer. This is especially true for a turret press. One of the advantages of a turret is that you can put the case in the press once, and then perform all functions without touching it again. If you prime off press, you will be handling the cases a lot more.

There are two ways to load the primer cup, one is using the Safety Prime. This is the gizmo that mounts on the press and allows you to put a primer in the cup with a push of an arm. I've never used one. It seems a little finicky to me, but that is just from looking.

The other way is to manually place a primer in the cup. I use a wooden saucer like bowl I made on my wood lathe. A thin edged saucer would likely work well for this. I put 20 or 40 primers on it, and slide one at a time as needed to the edge and pick it up between two fingers, then place it in the cup. This works quite well for me, and I get a rhythm going, and manage to do this as I am bringing the case up for decapping. I don't really lose much, if any time like this.

[Omegaspeedy]

Lots of good options out there. I've got a Dillon XL650 and a Lee classic. The Dillon is costly to change calibers but very effective at fast ammo production with it's selected cal. I use the Lee for .44mag and .357mag.

If I was you, I'd put my money into the Hornady Kit (if you wanted to save money) or if you wanted a far better press (for the same budget as the Lyman kit), go for the new Forster Co-ax and get lee accessories, ie the hand primer, balance scale and a Hornady LnL powder measure which I have found fast and effective.

Good luck anyway!

EDIT* I didn't notice this thread was 16 pages long and you'd already purchased your gear so apologies from my late entry.

[RanchRoper]

Have not bought yet but going with the Lee stuff listed. Thanks.

[Carver]

RR. I was and am brand new at reloading pistol 45 cal, I went with the Lee Turret loader it seemed to be in my price range and I don’t know how long that I will be reloading (age). So far I have found that I can load about 40 to 50 an hour and will get faster as i become more proficient and gain more confidence. Good luck on which ever system you chose.

[RanchRoper]

Thanks. The Lee will be fine for me. If I can get to 50-100 rounds in an hour I will be a happy buckaroo.

[CT_Shooter]

If I can get to 50-100 rounds in an hour I will be a happy buckaroo.

You will. I can do it with my Lee Single-Stage press (though I prime the cases as part of the cleaning process, instead of during the reloading process).

[Shakey Jake]

Thanks. The Lee will be fine for me. If I can get to 50-100 rounds in an hour I will be a happy buckaroo.

Nothing wrong with Lee dies. I use their carbide set for loading .44 mag.

[Shakey Jake]

Thanks. The Lee will be fine for me. If I can get to 50-100 rounds in an hour I will be a happy buckaroo.

Nothing wrong with Lee dies. I use their carbide set for loading .44 mag.

[RanchRoper]

This is where my reloading stand and work area will be. In a spare room in house.

[JEBar]

that should work .... looking forward to your "after" pictures