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You could buy beans "pre-ground" for espresso, best off getting small quantities from a reputable roaster.
Until you can get an espresso specific grinder.
I have an Ascaso that I rarely use (bought from on here) but it does a much better job at fine grinds than the daily driver for filter coffee.
The thing is you may need to adjust the grind a small amount to make a big difference to output, and you just cant get that level of refinement in a non-espresso specific grinder.
(partly the reason I have yet to pull the trigger on a proper espresso machine) -
I mean, you can try and get it as fine as possible, but ultimately, that will be the limiting factor in getting tasty home espresso. If you have a read back on this thread, a quality grinder is a strong investment for consistency in coffee making.
It's more like trying to run ultegra on campag shifters. Might do part of the job but definitely not build for it.
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I found a Porlex to be fine enough (in both regards) for espresso, if you're looking for a cheaper option. Still a bit pricey for a hand grinder but cheaper than a Niche or similar. Also I've heard good things about the Timemore C2 hand grinder which might be another option.
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Generally you don't have to spend big to get very nice coffee, but espresso depends entirely on finding a sweet spot of flow rate which is primarily determined by grind size. Therefore the grinder is the most important part of an espresso setup.
That said, you can try with your grinder, you might even be able to mod it a bit finer, and if you can;t go fine, then try using the pressurised portafilter. There's nothign wrong with that, it will still taste nice and you can steam milk to go with it and practice latte art.
I started with a classic and a modded dualit grinder like yours. I made bad espresso, but I made tasty milk drinks and learned a bit until I got a used commercial grinder for £60 on gumtree.
Just try making coffee and see what you get within your limitations.
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@Pasty_Spumante
Right, I have a Gaggia Classic, picked up from here, tamper, beans and I thought I was ready to go when I picked up a Sboly burr grinder but, oh no, under no circumstances will this do - I've got to drop at least a weeks wages on an appropriate grinder suitable for espresso!!
Is this the coffee equivalent of 'nothing less than Ultegra will do' or will the Sboly be suitable on the finest grind settings....I understand buying pre-ground is also a no-no....Is my flirtation with 'proper coffee' over before it even started?....I can't afford to drop 100 odd quid on a suitable grinder quite frankly!