I am wanting to get into reloading. I'm leaning tward RCBS equip.
I'll be loading for 257 roberts. 45LC. 9mm, 270Win.

Where is the best/cheapest place to buy equip. should I go new or used. Kit or piece it out. I was thinking of the pro 2000 kit from RCBS.

I would go with kit starting out. pro2000 might not be the one I would recommend. You want to master one step at a time. I recommend the rockchucker sepreme kit. It has everything you need except dies and shell holders.

I haven't bought gear in years. But nachez supply, cabelas, midwayusa, even amazon are good resources. If you can find the same kit, go with gunbroker or fleabay.

Later in life, you may want to upgrade your powder thrower, or get a different power trimmer. But I still all that gear.

You just got some good advice!!!!!

One more thing.....find someone locally that can show you how it's done.....it's a heck of a lot easier once someone has taken you on the first couple flights!!!!

No doubt. When I started, I had no-one other than rcbs customer service and an old manual.

I have taught I bet 8 people how to reload and in one evening, they were up and running, and confident.

My biggest problem was confidense. I had no one looking over my shoulder, giving me a nod. I remember my first round was a 44mag. I trembled firing off that round. Made every mistake one can make from pressure with bearclaws, to hydrolic dents, to pulling off rims.

Well I sure appreciate the advice. To be honest I was alittle intimidated with the pro 2000.

So the good old rock chucker is still the way to go it sounds. Makes sence to take baby steeps.

This may be a silly question, but I have to ask. Can I pour my own bullets with a mold, for say my sons 257 Roberts? I pour my own muzzle loader bullet with great results. Would I be able to get good accuracy out of a homemade bullet? I would only use these at the range, not for hunting.

Yes you can....check out a lyman loaders manual as they have a lot of data for cast bullets in many calibers. Additionally there might be some "half jackets" available and even gas checks that allow for more velocity. I never go this route so maybe someone that does this can chime in!

I'm sure you're aware that you'll have to keep speed down as they will lead the barrel badly....the only hunting loads I'd recommend are jacketed bullets and they are fantastic!

Good advice from Vapodog and bc. Let me add this little nugget to your pouch.... Get a GOOD reloading manual. Totally indespensable!!! I recommend the latest Lyman manual. Any manufacturer of powder and/or bullets will give good info, but I personally feel the Lyman is one of the most comprehensive books on the "art" out there. Keep us up-to-date on how things are going for you, and don't be afraid to ask questions here. Remember, we ALL started out green at sometime.... PS... Rockchucker......Good stuff...

Let's put first things first.
You want to start loading your own ammo, and you're looking for a good starting point.
So, let me add a few suggestions to the pile of great information already on the table!
There's a few manufacturers of reloading equipment that you might want to look at.
RCBS, Lyman, Lee, Hornady, and Redding are the most prominent, and easiest to find most of the time.
When I teach reloading classes, I advocate two things - one, get the best equipment you can afford, and 2, get a single stage kit.
Reloading is something that, once you're into it, it's a great experience that you can share with your boys.
Getting a single stage kit is WAY better than trying to learn a progressive. I highly suggest against it. Stick with a single stage. You'll like it better, and be more apt to use it more often.
My press of choice is a Rockchucker Supreme.
I've loaded thousands of rounds on it, and it's still like it was the day I bought it. Built like a tank, easy to set up, great efficiency, and good range of motion.
A good reloading kit will have a few critical items - the press, primer seating tool, powder scale, powder measure, chamfer tool, and a variety of other knick-knacks that are useful.
Get whichever kit you like the most. They're all pretty similar, though I do admit a bias towards the "O" frame presses. More rigid in my mind, and with the sheer forces you use to resize brass, it seems to me to be a sound preference.
As for loading components, you have a couple options.
Unless you're buying a LOT of powder and primers at one time, be aware that buying online costs an extra $20-25 per order for the HAZMAT fee. If you're only getting a couple pounds of powder and a few thousand primers, get them at the store. Simpler that way in my experience.
Bullets and brass are another story.
Range brass is fine to an extent, but I'd be wary of any that have reloading marks on them - a bright ring about 1/4-3/8" up from the case head where the dies stop resizing.
With your specific calibers, shop around to get the best deals you can on your brass. 65% of the cost of new ammo is in the brass.
Bullets are whatever you want them to be.
You can buy bullets in any grade from plinkers to match grade, depending on your own needs and budgetary considerations.
Casting bullets is also very easy. For my handgun plinking, I use cast bullets I make from tire weights, which are readily available to me for free. Ask around, and know what the laws are in your area regarding the use of lead bullets where you intend to shoot.
I have a couple different molds too. I use a Lee 6 hole for my handgun bullets, and Lyman or RCBS 2 cavity mold for rifle.
One other thing I almost forgot with relation to cast bullets is that you must be aware of your velocities. If you want to use a cast bullet without a gas check, you're limited to about 1100 FPS.
Add a gas check, and you can bump that to 2000FPS, according to what I have read and experienced myself. I use cast bullets in my AR, and they work great! Not supremely accurate, but for target practice and shooting silhouettes, they're great!
Sourcing your supplies is the easier part.
Midway USA and Midsouth Shooters Supply are the two that I use most, as they always seen to have what I need when I need it, and pricing is pretty good at both. Check between the two to get the best price. Even though they're comparable between the two, you can most always save a few bucks by being wise.
And, by all means, as you get started, post on here, ask questions.
Call tech support. Get yourself a couple different reloading manuals, and read up on the subjects.
I have Speer, Hornady, and Nosler manuals on hand, and I get the new ones every year. I find it wise to have different manuals on hand to compare loads, and it helps me determine what's best for me, and narrows down a lot of the trial and error in finding a good load that my gun likes.
Most everyone here will help you as best we can.
Welcome to the crew!
IF I can help you further, by all means PM me, and I'll be more than happy to answer any other questions you might have.
Dave

One thing to mention is that the RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme kit doesn't come with a case trimmer any longer. So you may to buy your own case trimmer if you plan to re load rifle cases.