Thought's on Lyman Kit?
 

Thinking about reloading and saw a Lyman T-mag II expert kit with turret press and #55 powder loader. Is this a good set-up for a novice? Anyone have this one? Thanks.

How much, and what are you loading for, only pistol?

+1 to Oscar. Need more information. Looking at the Tmag... my personal opine would be to look at a Lee classic turret. See my picture posts in the Reloading Section.
DaFadda

Kit is about $375 without the digital scale and $425 with. Dies extra. Mostly .45 9mm, and 380 pistol but also potentially 223/556. I think it says it can do both pistol and rifle. It's on amazon and Midway. Is Lee/RCBS better quality stuff? A friend said he heard the RCBS newer stuff isn't as good as their older stuff. Any truth to that? Link on Midway:
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/305...ess-expert-kit

Personally I will not buy another press that is not a Dillon. The reason I asked if you were loading pistol only is because I use a Dillon Square Deal and they are reasonably priced compared to what you are looking at but the Square Deal only reloads straight wall pistol. It's $380 and that includes a set of dies. You can get a good digi on ebay for $17.

Personally... I like the ability of the Lee Classic Turret to quickly switch calibers. If you're loading one caliber only, then some of the others make sense. But I load 38, 357, 40, 45, .223 (9 and 380 if absolutely necessary). I can switch to a new caliber in less than a minute without have to adjust any dies. I also prefer to load in "batch mode" which for me... allows better quality control over the process.

Oscar is correct if he says "you can't go wrong with a Dillon." You will like it. A lot. But I can't justify the cost differences between a Dillon Square Deal and a 4 hole turret from Lee (Press is about $100, add another hundred or so for a set of dies and other particulars).

Talking about reloading is sometimes like asking the question: "which is better for carry... 9mm or 45?" Guarantee that we all have our opinions, and that most of us have the knowledge behind the opinion to back us up. Reloading is an art, a science, AND a labor of love. If someone wants to reload to "save money"... I'd tell them not to, just use the money to buy more ammo. Reloading WILL allow you to shoot more, which means accuracy goes up.... etc etc.... And for me... I DO enjoy shooting more now that I have control over the cartridge side of the equation. It's just fun.

I just looked at the Lyman kit on Midway (your link). You would be getting the scale (RCBS sells theirs for about $100,) and the universal trimmer (needed for rifle rounds, RCBS has a similar model for about $120), powder measure (don't know the quality, but RCBS has a great one for $149) plus the press. So, for what you're getting.... It looks good. I'd still look at the Lee Classic Turret as an option.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/785...dex-deluxe-kit

You would NOT get the manual trimmer with the kit at a price of $194. But hey... check ebay for a trimmer!!! But I can tell you this... my RockChucker supreme is relegated to rifle rounds only now that I'm using this turret. I won't buy another unless I go full progressive, and then... its probably going to be the Dillon 1050 with all the bells and whistles!


My story, and I'm sticking to it!
+Michael

Well said Fadda. Reloading really opens up new worlds and makes shooting more fun. 90% of what I create could not be purchased off the shelf and that is why I do it. I did not mean to sound elitist at all about my choice of reloader. I think people want different things out of reloading. For example, I don't have a lot of spare time and I need the ability to load 200 rounds on a Friday night and not spend more than 1 hour. The press I have just fits for what I want out of it. That's probably where a reloading discussion should start is what type of person are you, what sort of experience do you want out of reloading.

Alex... I'm working on my elitist attitude so I may one day get a job in homeland security where I may be able to view xray pictures of Doc walking through an airport. I will then stab my eyes with a stick! (Back to the story).... as usual, we're both right. And since I have no life, I spend my lonely evenings pining away at the reloading bench.... punching round after lonely round out.... man I'm getting depressed.... Think I'll go wake up the Mrs.......

DaFadda

Fadda, before you jump in to a 1050 look real hard at the 650. It is smaller easier to change calibers and cheaper than the 1050. The 1050 is considered a commercial reloader and is not covered by the same "cover everything" as the 650. Dillon has not charged me for repairs to my 1050 just saying. The 650 will do everything the 1050 does. You will spend more time filling primer tubes than pulling the handle. Dillon also makes an auto primer tube filler and an auto bullet feeder. Just my .02 cents.

I have the Dillon RL550B and it has served me well for many years!!!:)