I'm seriously considering getting started reloading. I'm thinking of picking up a reloading setup for Christmas. I can't decide if I want a re loading setup or to just get something else and keep using factory ammo.

Anyway, what I want to reload is 30-06, 9mm, 38 Special and maybe 12 Gauge shotguns shells. All of which would be for semi auto's except the 38 special. It's also the least important to me so if I can't do that it's fine. So if I want to reload all of these what kind of setup do I need? Have any links to the total list of equipment I need? I've looked and just not sure what all I need to buy the be complete. I'm trying to price out what it will cost to get started.

You might want to start by reading the "sticky" at the very top of the Reloading Forum....It's entitled "New to reloading? Read this first".............

Can't go wrong with the RCBS single stage Rock Chucker kit.
You get all you need to get started for under $300.
Much better equipment than the Lee starter kit IMHO.

Well, I read what parts I needed but have no idea which brands or what exactly to get. Does anyone have any links? What brands should I get? I kind of want to order a setup for Christmas but have no idea what to order and don't want to have to upgrade later. I want a nice good setup now.

Also do I need different setups to do shotgun shells vs rifle shells? Also how hard is this to learn? Since I've never done it before is it going to be something that's hard to pick up or requires a ton of time?

BTW I would be reloading for a semi auto. Not sure if that matters.

RCBS makes a great product for reloading equipment. Rock Chucker supreme--master reloading kit would be fantastic. Shotshells will require a different setup. I wouldn't know anything 'bout shotshell reloading. MEC seems to be a popular setup, though a simple lee load-all would be a cheap way to get some shells a'rollin.

I go to places to try to price out what it will cost and they have a million other things too that I have no idea if I even need.

I thought I wanted a reloading setup for Christmas but I'm think now it might just be a huge pita that I don't want to deal with. I figured I'd like reloading as I like to target shoot. I figured I could make better bullets at a fraction of the cost. However, I have no desire to sit there all day trying to reload. Nor do I have the desire to put a ton of work into reloading stuff only to save a couple dollars. If It's something that's not that hard to do and not that much work I'd like to do it. However, I'm just not finding that much out about what's actually involved from my reading I've done and I've not been around any reloading what so ever.

Then it seems like I need a ton of different things to reload rifle bullets, shotgun shells, and pistol bullets. I'd like to do all of them but it seems like that's a huge hassle. If I can only reload one bullet it wouldn't be worth it to me really if I still had to buy the others already pre loaded. Then another thing is being that the guns I would reload for including the 30-06 would be semi auto's that worries me. I've heard it's a huge pita to reload for semi auto's. So that has me worried too.

I just can't decide if this is what I want or if I'd be better off to just get something else that I know I'd like.

Each round takes a different die set ($20-30). In rifle that's usually a 2die set that consists of a sizer/deprimer and a 2nd seater die. Pistol die sets are in 3's with a decapper, sizer and seater. On top of that you will need a lot of small things that doesn't cost much (debur/chamfer tool, primer pocket brush, etc....).
If you don't want to do this as a hobby then it's not worth it because if you go into it thinking only about money then it won't be worth it.
To me it's #1 a hobby and #2 a money saving way of getting ammo.
I load .40 , .223 and 7mm mag on my RCBS rock chucker2 that I got off craigslist. With it I got a powder measure, trim pro brass trimmer and 505 scale all in RCBS. I got it all for $200. I've added a lot of little stuff to it to make things easier but i don't look at it as money saving but a hobby.
I load 40 at .18 a rnd, 223 at .22 a rnd and 7mm mag at .35 a rnd and that's all on a single stage. Any newbie should start on a single stage and not even look at the rounds per hr of the progressive presses.
I've been loading for a few years on my own (learned when I was 10 with my dad) and I'm just ready to invest in a progressive now.

Don't let it get you down and keep doing your homework.
I researched for a couple months before I pulled the trigger and am glad I went with RCBS.
Their customer service is amazing as they don't ask questions and just send you the parts free of charge. Lee won't do that.

[quote=hometheaterman;3526392]I want a nice good setup now.
I'd look at hornady because they have good quality and will give you free bullets that will offset the cost of the equipment. Otherwise, Lyman, RCBS, Dillon, Forster, all have good quality. The only one that is questionable is Lee. I get along fine with Lee, but I have broken a press linkage.

You also don't say what you mean be nice setup, one man's nice setup is another's junk. If you shoot a lot of pistol ammo, you might want a progressive, that will do hundreds of rounds per hour. I'd start with a single stage. Even if you do want a progressive, you will still use a single stage quite a bit. You would load 9mm on the progressive and .30-06 on the single stage. You can start loading everything on a single stage and do the dreaded upgrade if it is needed. It won't hurt you, because you'll always want a single stage.

I haven't read the other replies thoroughly, so in case no one else answered, yes you need a completely different setup for shotgun shells.

I load steel shot, which is a lot more difficult, and slow. You definately want a single stage for that.

How hard to learn? Not very, if you get a good manual and follow directions.

Maybe. That depends on whether the semiauto is the rifle or the shotgun. With the shotgun, certain 'hot' recipes might cycle it too fast, causing unusual wear and tear. These are mostly going to be hot waterfowl loads. Some maufacturers void the waranty if you use reloads.

With a rifle, this is probably not a problem, unless you have a Garand, which has special recipes.

i have been looking into this too and was wondering which would be the top brand setup

Please dont take this as me being a smart*** but, this is EVERYDAY of reloading. If this truely is your mindset, maybe buying factory ammo would be best. Reloading is A TON OF WORK