Reloading Equipment suggestions?

[Sjackson]

Getting ready to dive down the rabbit hole and was just curious what reloading equipment anyone would suggest. Im not looking for any kind of progressive set up, just something I can make really quality handloads with. RCBS? Your thoughts?

 

[VikingsGuy]

There are good starter kits from RCBS, Hornady and Lee. But each have some components that are limited and often (but not always) folks end up upgrading some parts - which raises long term overall cost. I went a different path and pulled the items together individually that best fit my intended uses. I found these two links super helpful to that end.

Building a Reloading Setup: The Essentials

Expanding and Refining a Reloading Setup

 

[Sjackson]

There are good starter kits from RCBS, Hornady and Lee. But each have some components that are limited and often (but not always) folks end up upgrading some parts - which raises long term overall cost. I went a different path and pulled the items together individually that best fit my intended uses. I found these two links super helpful to that end.

Building a Reloading Setup: The Essentials

Expanding and Refining a Reloading Setup

Awesome, Ill check them both out. Appreciate it.

 

[VikingsGuy]

Also, these three youtube channels are good resources:

Johnny's Reloading Bench

An idiot and his reloading press

www.youtube.com

Vaughn Precision

Welcome, My channel is dedicated to all types of shooting and reloading, a little hunting, a little kayak fishing. If you hunt and fish like our family does,...

www.youtube.com

GunBlue490

www.youtube.com

Plus BigFin has a nice 6 part series done with Nosler:

 

[Brian in Montana]

I got a Lee kit a few years back. I still use the press and the priming tool, but I've upgraded everything else. Some of the accessories in the kit were pretty bad - for instance the chamfering/deburring tool was reminiscent of a kid's crayon sharpener. The powder thrower is adequate, but I certainly wouldn't use it without a trickler.

Just noticed you said "progressive". The press is single-stage, so not a progressive multi-stage press. I only want a single stage for my purposes, I load for accurate and consistent ammo for my bolt guns, not volume like someone loading a bunch of AR-15 or pistol ammo. Probably should ask what you're interests are and what you intend to do with it. ???

 

[Sjackson]

I got a Lee kit a few years back. I still use the press and the priming tool, but I've upgraded everything else. Some of the accessories in the kit were pretty bad - for instance the chamfering/deburring tool was reminiscent of a kid's crayon sharpener. The powder thrower is adequate, but I certainly wouldn't use it without a trickler.

Just noticed you said "progressive". The press is single-stage, so not a progressive multi-stage press. I only want a single stage for my purposes, I load for accurate and consistent ammo for my bolt guns, not volume like someone loading a bunch of AR-15 or pistol ammo. Probably should ask what you're interests are and what you intend to do with it. ???
[/QUOTE

Ya I did, thanks.

 

[howl]

Depends on what you call really quality. You may underestimate how deep that rabbit hole goes. Get some handloading books from the library and read up.

I would buy a Lee kit and learn to use it. You probably won't outgrow it if you're just making up hunting loads for one rifle. If you do, you'll have an extra press for repetitive tasks, backup scale, etc., etc. Half my equipment is left over from an early Lee purchase. My loads go less than half-MOA. Most of what makes a load work for a rifle will be independent of the press and priming tool, etc.

If you're looking to get into benchrest quality loads you're on the wrong site.

 

[fachries]

I got a Lee kit a few years back. I still use the press and the priming tool, but I've upgraded everything else. Some of the accessories in the kit were pretty bad - for instance the chamfering/deburring tool was reminiscent of a kid's crayon sharpener. The powder thrower is adequate, but I certainly wouldn't use it without a trickler.

Just noticed you said "progressive". The press is single-stage, so not a progressive multi-stage press. I only want a single stage for my purposes, I load for accurate and consistent ammo for my bolt guns, not volume like someone loading a bunch of AR-15 or pistol ammo. Probably should ask what you're interests are and what you intend to do with it. ???

+1

 

[cmorsch]

Awesome, Ill check them both out. Appreciate it.

Press wise, I would use a turret press. I use a Redding t7. By doing so you still treat everything like a single stack it just allows you to have multiple dies set up on a manual rotating head assembly.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Get this:

Buy Rock Chucker Supreme Master Reloading Kit and More | RCBS

Shopping for the Rock Chucker Supreme Master Reloading Kit - Learn more about the latest RCBS Kits and other hunting or shooting gear at RCBS.

www.rcbs.com

This:

Buy Trim Pro® -2 Manual Case Trimmer-without Pilots and More | RCBS

Shopping for the Trim Pro® -2 Manual Case Trimmer-without Pilots - Learn more about the latest Trim and other hunting or shooting gear at RCBS.

www.rcbs.com

This:

Quick-n-EZ™ Case Tumbler Kit

www.frankfordarsenal.com

This:

Stainless Steel Dial Caliper | Frankford Arsenal

Stainless Steel Dial Caliper

www.frankfordarsenal.com

Add: Sizing wax, stuck case kit, 3-4 manuals for the various bullets you will use & stock up on brass, primers, bullets & powder.

 

[Don Fischer]

Haven't seen what Lee use's for a powder measure these days. What they had years ago, got a it for my son. was awful. I'm sure it was accurate but a PITA to adjust, well for me anyway. The powder measure seemed to work well. Dump accurately? Depends I suspect, on what type of powder your using. Ball and flake measure very well, stick not so well! Only deburr tool I ever used is the RCBS one Seem's I saw the Lee one but don't recall very well. The press does pretty much the same thing as any other single stage press, moves the ram holding the MTY case up and down into and out of the die! Had one turret press and didn't care for it. Probably just to any years using single stage for everything. It was a Dillon and I'm quite sure it's a very good press, just not for me; I do single stage. I'm sure that different die makers make different die's that may do more than other's but I doubt the necessity of them. In the past couple years I got a couple set's of collet dies and the advantage I see to them is no expanding nipple avoids case stretch pulling a case over it! I like that but it's not necessary!

 

[AggieHunter]

I just got into reloading and got a Dillon 550c and redding dies. The press is working really well from me as a beginner.

 

[44hunter45]

I started decades ago with an RCBS Partner press starter kit. I have that and two other green presses on the bench now. You can get started with just about anything.

We've all heard the "5 phases of a hunter's development" thing. I think there is kind of a similar path for handloaders. I kind of wish I had skipped the step, "How hot and fast can I make it go?" It's dangerous and puts too much wear on your weapons.
I like a hot load as much as anyone, but my days of hammering rifle bolts open are far behind me.

I would say that staying in the charges in the manual will always keep you out of trouble, but if your gun has a tight chamber or short throat, that may not be true. I once loaded for buddy's 7mm RM Kleingunther rifle. It's throat was so short that the books were useless. Learn to measure each rifles' freebore, You can invest in fancy tools for this, but all you really need is a dummy cartridge loaded to touch the rifling and an old cleaning rod. Learn to read pressure signs. Start light and work up.

Choose powders that mostly fill the case for your chosen load. I personally like them full or a little compressed. Some powders don't like to be compressed, so there is a learning curve there. Start with, "mostly full."

Spend some time in the trajectory and retained energy part of the manuals, you quickly see that "light and fast" looks cool, but "slow and heavy" retains more energy over distance, given nearly equal bullet aerodynamics.

If you are as OCD as I am, hand loading is about better than anything to keep you off the streets. Be safe and have fun!

 

[jerm8352]

Get a Hornady AP progressive press. Press works great. Hornady has AMAZING customer support. I have called them twice because of my own mistakes and both times they had the part in the mail that day. Plus you get 500 bullets for free when you buy the press and 100 for each die set you buy. I have a RCBS scale with the powder trickler and that works great.