(This work will scar the surface of the wood you're working on, leaving tell-tale signs of what has been done — so be careful.) Of course, using shop tools to prime/deprime cartridges is an operation of last resort, but if you have to reload without a press, it can be done. That said, you'd be wise to purchase a reloading kit now while they're still available rather than having to exploit a firearm or shop tools for reloading brass. There's a huge variety of reloading outfits sold. They vary from small kits of dies that are used with a plastic mallet and can be carried in a pocket to full-fledged factory-style "progressive" presses that cough out a loaded round with each pull of the handle. The pocket-sized reloading kits are neat, but they are very slow. Because powder, bullets, and primers aren't easily portable and reloading generally requires a workbench, the apparent benefit of a small kit is also nearly nonexistent, especially when the slow reloading pace that such kits demand is taken into consideration. So you're better off getting at least a hand press that will take the labor out of the process and speed things up. If you're serious about reloading, you'll need to get a press with several "stations" on a turret that permits mounting dies and rotating them into position as they're needed. This speeds up the job and also does away with the need to adjust the height of the dies each time you reload a particular caliber. A cartridge will get jammed in a die if the brass isn't lubricated before it's resized. Don't forget this. The only exception is carbide dies, which are slick enough to prevent this. Carbide dies are also a bit more rust resistant, though you should still exercise care in their storage . The best resizing lubricant is obviously that from the manufacturer. Lee Precision, Inc. offers an excellent water-soluble lubricant that is easy to clean off reloading dies and cartridges after it has been used and has the added plus of not deactivating powder. Old-timers used about every imaginable lubricant under the sun with varying results. Automotive chassis grease seemed to have been best, though it created dents in cases if too much was applied. A similar grease is a good bet if you're improvising for your reloading work. If you go with an oil-based product that may damage powder (and most oils and greases will), then use graphite or molybdenum disulfide to lubricate the inside of the mouth case before running it through the resizing die. This will keep down excessive wear on the expanding plug, as well as keeping damage to the brass to a minimum. Polymerized oil such as STP Engine Treatment or Motor Honey is a very effective lubricant for resizing or swaging (dampen a strip of thick felt and roll the cases or bullet blanks on it), but it must be thoroughly removed with a petroleum solvent (naphtha or gasoline) before the rounds are reloaded. When you start shopping for dies, you'll also discover that some resize "full-length" empty brass, whereas others just resize the neck of the cartridge. The latter takes considerably less work, but also may jam in a dirty or tight chamber or, if fired in a gun other than the one used previously, may be oversized for this different chamber. Either can be disastrous if you're using the firearm for self-defense. So your best bet is to use a full-length resizing die to guarantee that your brass will be super-reliable. (About the only exception to this is a gun that has been fired excessively; such a firearm may have excessive headspace, causing brass to separate upon firing when it has been full-length resized. In such a case, you can back the die out of the press slightly to increase the headspace while still keeping the chambering reliable even if the chamber of the firearm becomes dirty. There are a number of manufacturers offering quality reloading equipment. My favorites are the assemblies offered by Lee Precision, Inc. because the company offers a lot of quality at a very reasonable cost. The company also supplies its reloading kits with all the information you need to use various powders with the cartridge dies; smaller kits even come with a small [1 . jpg] A turret press (like this one from Lee Precision) makes reloading quick and easy. [2 . jpg] A die set permits reloading cartridges for a specific chambering. A different set of dies will be needed for almost every cartridge you plan to reload. measuring cup to fill cartridges quickly without having to weigh powders. Lee's low-end products include the Hand Press and Reloader Press, which hold only one die at a time. But they're small and cost under $25, allowing you to get into the reloading process