Reloading With The Gun Techs: Steve Ostrem
Welcome to the very first episode of Reloading with the GunTechs. I’m Steve from Brownells, and today I’m walking you through the basics of reloading handgun ammo using one of my go-to tools—the Lee Classic Turret Press.
Whether you're just getting started with reloading or looking to streamline your small-batch process, this is a simple, efficient setup that gives you a lot of control without a big investment.
Introduction
This series is all about helping you get comfortable with the reloading process. I’ll be covering tips, tools, and techniques we use here in the GunTech department—no fluff, just solid, practical info.
For this first video, I’m loading .44 Special using the Lee Classic Turret Press. Even though I own progressive presses, this turret press is what I grab when I want to load smaller quantities quickly and with precision.
Getting Set Up
Before we touch anything, safety first: I always put on eye protection when working with primers and powder.
I’m using Starline brass and a set of Lee dies installed in the turret head:
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Resize and deprime
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Expand the case and charge it with powder
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Seat the bullet
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Crimp
I prefer to crimp separately rather than use a combo seat/crimp die, especially with cast bullets. It gives me more consistent results and helps protect the bullet's powder coating.
Sizing and Priming the Case
First step: resizing and depriming the case. I insert it into the shell holder and run the handle—this brings the case up into the sizing die and punches out the old primer.
Then I move to priming. I’m using the manual priming arm on the press. It’s not as fast as a primer feeder, but it gives me more control, and for a batch of 50 or so rounds, it works great.
Expanding and Charging With Powder
Next station: expanding the case mouth and dropping the powder charge. I’m running a Skeeter Skelton load of Unique powder behind a Keith-style cast bullet—a classic combination for the .44 Special.
The expander die opens up the case just enough to seat a cast bullet without shaving the coating. That coating is important for protecting the bore, so I don’t want to scrape it off during seating.
Seating the Bullet
Now I set the bullet into the expanded case and run it through the seating die. I’ve already adjusted the seating depth to match this specific bullet and load.
Everything seats smoothly, and the bullet sits at just the right depth for this round.
Crimping the Bullet
Last step: crimping. I use a dedicated crimp die to give the case a slight roll into the bullet’s crimp groove. That helps with consistent ignition and keeps the bullet secure during feeding.
Full Reload Cycle in Real Time
To show how efficient this setup is, I run through an entire cycle:
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Insert case
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Resize and deprime
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Prime
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Expand and charge
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Seat bullet
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Crimp
It’s smooth, fast, and easy to keep track of each stage.
Final Thoughts
That wraps up this first episode of Reloading with the GunTechs. If you’ve got questions or suggestions for future videos—whether it’s about powders, cast bullets, other press setups, or general reloading topics—let me know.
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