[fabsroman]

To start out with, any single stage Mec press will be fine. You can use the Sizemaster or the cheapest press that Mec makes, the Mec 600 jr. When I started shooting trap, that is what I used for a year or two because that is what my dad had. However, I was soon spending my entire Sunday between shooting, cleaning the gun, and reloading for the next week, and with work 5 days out of the week, that was just too much time. So, I had to cut something out, and it wasn't going to be the shooting. Hence, I bought a Mec 9000G progressive press. Once you decide you love shooting clays and you love reloading, then invest in the progressive presses. I cannot yet afford the presses that Skeet uses, but I'll buy them and sell my Mec 9000G's once we get a single family home and I can really set up a reloading room.

Reloading is cool because you get to craft your own loads for hunting. I have a crow load of 1 1/2 oz. #5's that just crushes them. I also load all my hunting and clay loads in different hulls so that I will know exactly what I am shooting just by picking up the hull.

AA Red - 1 1/8 oz #8 at 1090 fps
AA Silver - 1 1/8 oz. #8 at 1145 fps
STS Green - 1 1/8 oz #8 at 1200 fps
STS Gold - 1 1/8 oz # 7.5 at 1200 fps

and the list goes on
Federal game hulls
Federal Gold Medal hulls
Remington game hulls in green and black
Peters blue hulls, which are impossible to find nowadays
Fiocchi White Rhinos
Federal 3" and 3.5" for waterfowl
Remington 3" and 3.5" for waterfowl

That is all I can remember off the top of my head without bringing up my spreadsheet. Too late at night for that.

Now, since everybody mentioned the press, I'll also mention that you should read a good reloading manual or two. I learned the basics of shotshell reloading from my dad, but I learned the intricacies from the Lyman 47th Edition Shotshell Reloading manual. Read that manual, and a couple more if you can find them.

When I started reloading for metallic cartridges, I read about 4 or 5 different manuals because I had absolutely no idea about what equipment I needed or how to reload for brass cases. Now, it is simple.