stumpy

Your opening comments included that you have never reloaded, or even watched as another person reloaded.  As you are starting from ground zero, your first purchase should be a reloading manual, and actually more than one would be better.  These should be the newest, most recent issues from the publisher.  Excellent manuals carry names such as Lyman, Speer, Hornady, Sierra, and so on.  Take each manual and read it from cover to cover for reloading methods, not to include load data for specific calibers (that will come later).  After you have read each of these manuals completely, do the same again.  Until you get your arms around the process and rationale behind every step in the reloading process you should stay away from the bench.  The reason you want newer manuals is that our methods of determining chamber pressure (and the loads that create chamber pressure) has changed radically in the not too far past.  Formerly the copper-crusher method was used, now we have piezo-electric sensors to tell us what is happening inside the barrel.  Former maximum loads are now considered too high in many load recommendations and have been reduced. Let's keep this activity safe.   When you are ready to go "hands on" get in the company of an experienced reloader.  Let that person mentor your skills, demonstrate techniques, talk about hazards, explore equipment and so on.  Look, listen and learn.  The only dumb question is the one you do not ask.  Rock back and enjoy.   When you are ready to spend your money, you will have two groups of purchases to make.  One group is the equipment - the durable tools that put all of your components together.  The other group is the components, those expendible materials we always need and frequently replace.  Listen to the suggestions from experienced loaders, balance that against your goal or need, and pray you can find what you have decided you want to buy.  It's tough out there.  Availability of components runs from low to non-existant and prices are at the scalper level.  Bond with other reloaders near you, borrow or trade for small lots of components for experiments, watch for opportunities to add to your stockpile.  By example, this year I have helped close the estates of 2 former reloaders, selling off their tools and components.  Watch for yard and estate sales.  Where there are reloading materials to be bought, there may also be a firearm (or 20) if the family has not plundered them.  Keep your eyes open.   As a new reloader, I highly recommend you start with a single stage press.  This will give you the highest potential to fully understand the process, see your exact results at every step, make adjustments or corrections as needed and move forward from there.    Good luck, and welcome to the addiction.   Stumpy

Some springs have enough personality to earn their own names.  My favorite is the Jesus spring.  This one is the detent spring that powers the S&W revolver adjustable rear sight windage drum.  When one of these springs gets loose during installation and flies over your shoulder, your head snaps around trying to watch where it fell while whispering "Jesus".  Yup, some springs earn their names.  This is the same as with AR detent springs, you need to keep a few spares, just in case.   Stumpy

I would have considered going, but this is the heart of deer season.  It's all about priorities.  The deer woods are my laboratory - for testing a new rifle, or a new load, or a new scope, or a new whatever.  With so many new tests to perform, there is very little chance I would go to a show between early November and sometime in January.    Stumpy

There used to be only taper and roll crimp dies available, now we have the Lee factory crimp die.  No, I don't have one of these and have never seen a case that has been passed through one but have to expect it would give results very similar to a taper crimp die.  Musicman said it right, all you need to do is remove the flare from the mouth of the case.  Die adjustment can be a bit of a challenge for this without an accurate measuring tool like a micrometer or dial caliper.  Your bullet diameter should be .356", and the case walls about .010" at the mouth of the case.  Final crimped diameter for the case mouth should be right at.376" (remember, you are measuring 2 case wall sections - on both sides of a single bullet).  If the loaded case measures larger than that you may have feed issues.  Feed is also affected by the overall loaded length of your ammo, and again by the profile of the bullet nose.  Taper crimp dies are available as a single item, are not all that expensive, and Midsouth should have them in stock.  I have bought several Lee taper crimp dies over the years and find them excellent at giving perfect results when correctly adjusted.   Stumpy

I left the CTD bandwagon (as did a friend who also was their customer) several years ago when they started playing games with their pricing.  There are too many other places to shop and be treated fairly in pricing than to maintain any loyalty to a business that has none for me.  I'm not going back.  When I receive one of their brochures in the mail it goes straight into File 13, unopened and unread.   Stumpy

I loaded 125, 158 and 180 grain cast bullets in 357 cases for a Rossi Trapper, off to the range for accuracy tests.  By far and away the 158 grain gave the tightest groups.  The mold pattern was the Lyman 358156, a gas check semi-wadcutter, wheelweight alloy, crimped in the top groove to give the shortest loaded length.  These cycled through the Rossi without any problems.  Sorry, I don't have the load data nearby, but remember this was a stout load (they all were) and would be perfectly satisfactory for hunting.  I would expect the same results with reduced recreational loads in this rifle.   Stumpy

Like primers, the issue with powder availability is a supply-and-demand story.  When the rush began and reloaders bought the store shelves clean, the components manufacturers were unable to satisfy the demand.  Their productiion could not keep up with the buyers' appetite for more and more and more components.  The wholesalers brought in their own response to ease the recovery.  It is rationing.  In times past when a supplier posted they had a product in stock any retailer could buy up all they could afford.  That has changed.  Now the wholesalers have the title "Allocated" beside the product they have in stock.  If the retailer has been a continuous customer with a respectable volume of purchases from the wholesaler they might get a portion of what is in stock, but not all they want.  As for the new customers, and the small volume dealers, they are routinely denied access to these rare products.  Sounds stingy, but at least the wholesalers are able to spread out their inventory to more of their established customers rather than flooding all they have to 1 or 2 who then may charge bootleg prices ans saying "we have it if you really want it" kind of marketing.  Be patient, I am seeing more and more powders and primers offered by wholesalers as time passes.  This is something like waiting for Christmas morning.   Stumpy

Sup[erduty, you did not mention the rifle you are using, also whether this is a recreation load or an accuracy hunting load you need.  As for the cost factor, you will save $$$ loading for both applications.  The down side is finding the correct components, at an agreeable price, in your quantities.  Such is the nature of the industry at this time.    I am loading hunting loads for a scoped AR upper (unknown manufacturer, was an estate find) over a Rock River lower.  After comparing H4198, BLC2 and H335 at the range, the clear choice was H335 for this project.  My load detail is a Hornady 123 grain .311 diameter bullet, Hodgdon's recommended top load of 31.5 grains of H335, and care in COL so the bullet will chamber (short leade in this barrel).  Groups routinely hover at 1-1.2 inch 5-shot groups if I do my part.  You will find a lot of reloading data on the Hodgdon web site (data.hodgdon.com) to give you options for powder, given the current scarcity issues.    Some time in the future I will work with cast bullets in this rifle, Lyman mold 311410. This is just one of the many projects on my to-do list, along with so many others.   If you wish to dive into casting, the best resource for support is the Castboolits website (castboolits.gunloads.com).  I spend more time on this site than any other.    Good luck with your project.   Stumpy