Newbie thinking about reloading

[schmalts]

Thanks for the info Buzz! I'e been leary of trying one of the auto dispensing digi scales, sounds like it works pretty slick. weighing 25gr charges for the .223 AI is definitely tedious...

for the .223 i use a ball powder (benchmark) and my old lyman powder thrower is so accurate with ball powder I only check every 5th one, and I just did 200 rounds and i never had one more than .1 grain off of what i checked.
It is with the stick powder is where it sucks.... that stuff don't come out consistant in my thrower.

 

[1_pointer]

I need to get a powder thrower, that would really decrease my time at the loading bench! Weighing out a couple hundred 25gr charges gets old fast...

Miller- I'm not so sure it's yours, he's in the 60th percentile for height! That's way more than you!!! Glad I had her stump broke for ya...

 

[The Hedgehog]

I think I got a RCBS Rockchuck kit for about $125 about 15 years ago.. works fine. I shot factory for a while in my 300RUM, Remington changed something with thier ammo and my groups opened up after the first stack of ammo I bought. I tried 5 different flavors of factory, none of which shot well. That test cost me more than all my reloading equipment. I couldn't get under 2" groups with any factory, but get about 1/2" with handloads and it was the first powder I tried.

 

[schmalts]

I need to get a powder thrower, that would really decrease my time at the loading bench! Weighing out a couple hundred 25gr charges gets old fast...

...

Yep, they work good, but get a good one. For the big stick (cylindrical) powder i set the thing a little shy, and then use a trickler to finish the charge on the digital scale.
BTW, you can get a decent digital scale now for cheap. I bought 2 of them actually. The first one I got on Ebay wasn't a reloading company name brand and i was a little scared so I bought a different one as well and guess what... i use one to double check the other and they are both dead on. Find one on ebay that measures down to .1 grain for around 30 bucks shipped. just make a test weight from a small chunk of bullet that is close to you usual charges to verify for piece of mind. I took a 55 and 60 grain .223 bullet and measured it on multiple scales, and them cross checked it on my little cheapo scales and they are right there.

 

[1_pointer]

Thanks for the tip! I don't use any stick powders anymore, so that should help. I'll probably go with either RCBS or Redding for the thrower...

 

[snake river rufus]

With extruded powders I use the Lee dipper set and trickle up. Lee's dippers are one of the few Lee products that I have any use for.
One problem with digital scales is that they can be affected by drafts from heat/A-C vents.
as far as digital measures go, some brands throw a little heavy with ball powders. my old AMT autoscale came with a warning not to use ball powder in it and the throw weights will vary about 0.3 grs, so check before you dive in.

 

[Washington Hunter]

That's exactly how I do my powder measuring. I don't have anything other than the Lee dipper set, a trickler, and a cheap RCBS scale.

 

[snake river rufus]

RCBS makes a cheap scale?

 

[Washington Hunter]

Maybe I should have said their lowest priced scale? I think nowadays it sells for around $50, or maybe slightly more. Don't really keep up on the prices though. I've had it since about 1984.

 

[snake river rufus]

I'm glad you mentioned that. Heiner, buy quality. Most of the stuff reloaders use will last several lifetimes and reloading is one field that you really are better off buying what you want right from the start. You will seldom get 1/2 of the purchase price when selling on the used market so trading up does not make a lot of sense. BTW, there is a buying tip there.

 

[heiner39]

Funny you mentioned the used market...I have looked high and low for used equipment up here in Saskatchewan and I can't seem to find anything used. Not sure why that is. I'm still on the fence right now as far as getting into hand loading...I know if I do get into it I'll be hooked but I am just weighing the pros/cons as to its value right now. Chances are if I could find a good used set up...then I might take the plunge.

 

[snake river rufus]

Don't forget to look on-line.