Post by: Crunchy on May 13, 2013, 02:27:26 PM
Post by: h20hunter on May 13, 2013, 02:30:56 PM
Post by: AWS on May 13, 2013, 04:17:10 PM
I have at least five different powder measures and five different case trimmers (I like to leave them set up for a case so I never have bother adjusting them) C&H, Wilson and Lee seem to be the most accurate for me, plus a Lyman and a Redding.
Scales, I'm old school, tried an e-scale but just don't trust something I have to calibrate every time I use it and I can't tell if it has changed or is not working right. Give me a balance beam, I have Redding, Lyman(2) and RCBS of these I like the Redding oil dampenned but it is kind of a pain to keep clean and a good oil mix.
I'd look for a kit with an Iron/Steel framed "O" press, Micrometer adjustable powder measure(I like the lyman 55 if I'm going to leave it set up for one load) and a decent balance beam scale and powder trickler.
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi6.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fy222%2FBrowndaug%2Freloadingbench002.jpg&hash=22f6b6788fe9cee42dc7cfefe6bd0848f46dff36) (http://s6.photobucket.com/user/Browndaug/media/reloadingbench002.jpg.html)
My reloading area.
Post by: Jingles on May 13, 2013, 04:56:58 PM
Post by: C-Money on May 13, 2013, 09:48:10 PM
Post by: JLS on May 13, 2013, 09:50:58 PM
Post by: high country on May 14, 2013, 01:38:01 PM
Post by: quadrafire on May 14, 2013, 01:42:37 PM
Post by: NRA4LIFE on May 14, 2013, 01:52:38 PM
Post by: yorketransport on May 14, 2013, 07:58:56 PM
Andrew
Post by: Fishnclifff on May 16, 2013, 12:55:03 PM
I load 7 calibers.
I changed to the RCBS digital scale- never a problem.
I use mica lube now but am looking at others
Post by: Heredoggydoggy on May 16, 2013, 01:02:43 PM
I changed to the RCBS digital scale- never a problem.
Regardless of brand, all scales are made by Ohaus. Ohaus is one of the biggest Scale manufacturers in the world. I bought my scale back when Ohaus was making their own brand of reloading equipment. It's exactly like an RCBS 505....
Post by: crazysccrmd on May 16, 2013, 01:04:27 PM
You can get a lot of fancy stuff to make reloading easier, but if you are willing to do a little more work making bullets you can save hundreds of dollars.
Post by: Fisherdave10 on May 16, 2013, 03:22:01 PM
If you ever intend on shooting a high volume of any round, you'll really want a progressive. If all you want to do is load a few boxes of rounds for your hunting rifle every month, a single stage kit is what you should buy.
I bought a Lee 50th Anniversary Breach Lock single stage kit and it did well for .308, 30-06 but loading any decent quantity of ammo on a single stage sucks. When I could afford it (about 1.5 years later) I upgraded. :) After 6 months of trying to feed my AR using the single stage, I bought the new press.
Now I run a Hornady Lock-n-Load AP Progressive press. I load 9mm, .40, .223, 30-06 and .308 on it.
Last month when I was home from college for the week between semesters I loaded some ammo. In 2-3 days I loaded a total of 1,500 rounds of 9mm (at 10-12 cents each), and 500 rounds of .223 (about 20-25 cents each) for myself, my brother and a few friends in the span of a few days. My single stage is still on my bench and is still occasionally used for some smaller case-prep operations.
Post by: huntandjeep on May 17, 2013, 07:46:01 PM
Post by: Heredoggydoggy on May 17, 2013, 08:47:15 PM
Post by: huntandjeep on May 18, 2013, 08:10:34 AM
Post by: yorketransport on May 18, 2013, 10:22:30 AM
What's the difference between the RCBS turret press and there progressive?
The progressive is a bigger pain to set up. :chuckle:
On the turret model, you manually advance the press. The progressive does it on it's own every time you pull the handle.
Andrew
Post by: huntandjeep on May 18, 2013, 11:47:40 AM
Post by: Jingles on May 18, 2013, 12:04:52 PM
Post by: Jingles on May 18, 2013, 12:10:04 PM
Bottlenecked cases, (rifle with a shoulder) are usually 2-die sets. Pistol dies are 3-die sets because one of the dies bells the case mouth (very neccessary for loading cast bullets) and even prevents scraping off some of the copper jacket on jacketed bullets. Carbide dies are more expensive, but eliminates the need for case lube (except for nickel plated cases), and are mostly used for straight-walled pistol cases. A case trimmer is a necessity for bottle-necked rifle cases because they "grow" with each firing. I've never trimmed a pistol case in my life. That RCBS kit in the latest Cabelas sale flyer looks like a good deal! Don't hesitate to ask for info here--I've only been reloading for 40+ years, and I'm still learning...
One thing you're going to need is shell holders for the different calibers or sizes of cases I use pretty much the same shell holder for all my rifles and 3 different ones for the handgun calibers.
I would suggest a Stuck shell puller if you are just getting started. Anyone that says they have never had a stuck shell is either very very lucky or exaggerating their abilities. IMO
Post by: jasnt on May 19, 2013, 09:18:21 AM
I must warn ya though reloading is very addictive :) before long you'll be wanting a concentricety gage and competition grade dies, strongly recomend hornady comparator kit. Powder trickler, hand primer,stuck case remover(which you can make your self), flash hole deburer,primer pocket uniformer,.....list goes on.
Get a reloading Manuel and read it,I know the kit comes with one but having different brands gives you a cross reference tool and you should read a Manuel before any other purchases. It gives you an idea what tools you want or need and weather you even really want to be a reloader,and believe me you'll want an idea as to what your doing so you can start reloading as soon as you get your kit home. Don't forget the shell holders.
Post by: Fisherdave10 on May 19, 2013, 10:49:24 AM
there's so many in the Midway catalog ( 2 die set, neck sizer, match series, carbide 3 die, 3 die set, trim die etc etc).A 2 die set for bottleneck rifle calibers is sufficient. The first die resizes, the second die seats and crimps if you wish. I prefer crimping all ammo for semi-autos with a third die called a Lee Factory Crimp Die. For bolt actions, I generally don't crimp.
A 3 die set for non-bottleneck pistol calibers is sufficient. On my progressive, I use 5 dies. First is resize, second is a powder-through expander (called a PTX, I use this instead of the standard expander die included with a die set), third is a Hornady bullet feed die (not necessary), fourth is a seating die and fifth is a Lee FCD for a nice taper crimp (also not a necessity for reloading).
I like Hornady dies. They usually have a promotion where you get free bullets for buying one of their presses or die sets. All you pay is shipping. For buying the L-n-L progressive kit and a 9mm die set, I got 600 .308" 150gr soft points for the cost of shipping them to me. :)
A turret press is in between a progressive and a single stage. The bottom half of the press is built like a single stage, but the top has a rotating turret that you install your dies in. You rotate the turret to proceed to the next step. Here are examples of turret presses. Production with a turret press will be higher than a single stage. I think a turret press is simple enough for a beginner to learn on.
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.brownells.com%2Fuserdocs%2FMiscellaneous%2Fwb709-9rcbscomreddingpressm.jpg&hash=4ed9830ddf912f1c17e9bce71f97a6416a9a2a64)
Post by: Swannytheswan on May 19, 2013, 11:55:38 AM
Post by: Heredoggydoggy on May 19, 2013, 05:50:51 PM
Disclaimer: I've been reloading for over 40 years, and still don't have a progressive press.
Post by: Fisherdave10 on May 19, 2013, 06:18:32 PM
What is the advantage to crimping for semi autos vs not crimping for bolt actions?
The action of a semi-auto is not so gentle on ammunition. Crimping is more of a precaution because it adds extra neck tension to the round. If a round does not have sufficient neck tension, the loading action could cause bullet set-back. This could happen as the bullet hits the feed ramp. On some large caliber rounds, the recoil can cause bullet set-back of the cartridges in the magazine. This would happen with bullet to magazine wall contact. All cartridges need neck tension, but deciding how much is up to you. Before I had a Lee FCD, I loaded .223 without crimping because the neck tension seemed sufficient, and I never had an issue.
I don't feel like buying a die I don't need so I choose not to crimp my bolt action rounds. Someday if I'm bored I might experiment to see if a crimp improves or reduces accuracy. If you need to crimp, I highly recommend Lee Factory Crimp Dies.
I have heard crimping can reduce accuracy, but some say a Lee FCD improves accuracy. All I know is I don't want to blow up my AR and setting up a seat/crimp (in one) die sucks. If case length is not uniform with all of your brass, one case could have a perfect crimp and the next will have a buckled shoulder from too much pressure. A Lee Factory Crimp Die works like a collet, squeezing the neck into the bullet from the sides so case length does not matter.
Post by: Fisherdave10 on May 19, 2013, 06:30:12 PM
If you decide on a progressive reloader, get a Dillon--They work! RCBS= not so good. :twocents:
Disclaimer: I've been reloading for over 40 years, and still don't have a progressive press.
Dillon makes excellent products. I first taught myself to reload on my dad's old (1980s era) Dillon SDB. When deciding on a progressive press, I was considering a Dillon 650XL or a Hornady LnL AP.
In the end I chose the Lock-n-Load because of the significantly lower initial price ($385 on sale from Midsouth) and the lower price of the numerous accessories (shellplates, etc...) I would need to buy for each caliber. Hornady's CS is very good (almost as good as Dillon) and their accessories are more available as they are sold through many distributors and sellers. You can find LnL parts at the local Cabelas, Sportsman's Warehouse or almost any online retailer. You won't find anything Dillon at those stores.
If you have the money (and patience), go with Dillon. If you don't have a lot of money, go with Hornady. In the end, they both do the same thing. Both presses are great.
Post by: Greenhorn on May 19, 2013, 10:46:20 PM
Post by: Jerbear on May 19, 2013, 11:12:24 PM