Post by: BigGoonTuna on January 01, 2016, 07:12:18 AM
Lately it seems like things have become more or less available again so I'd like to take a crack at it. Primary motivation is to be able to be able to shoot a bit more for less(who wouldn't?) because some of my rifle calibers are horrendously expensive to buy loaded ammo for(like $40 a box for .45-70, or $50+ for .264 mag).
I've looked at some kits at Midway and Brownells, which seem to have a pretty wide range of prices, and what you get in them. I see a lot of preference toward RCBS but would something like a Lee press be fine for someone like me? I don't mind spending some money if it means I'm getting something that's going to last, but doubt I'd be interested in an expensive progressive setup. Anyone a fan of turret presses?
Is a chronograph absolutely necessary for someone like me starting out? It seems like a lot of articles I've read on reloading end up "heading down the rabbit hole" so to speak and suddenly we're going into the smallest detail(akay loony territory). It definitely seems like something you can be as anal about as you possibly want, but I'm not there yet...should I be?
Any advice for the beginner here?
Post by: Mark Brenckle on January 01, 2016, 07:41:09 AM
Post by: bobcat on January 01, 2016, 08:06:45 AM
Post by: BigGoonTuna on January 01, 2016, 08:18:25 AM
Post by: opdinkslayer on January 01, 2016, 08:24:41 AM
Post by: RadSav on January 01, 2016, 08:29:48 AM
We do not use a chrony. Would like to have one, but haven't put it on the priority list. I keep pallet sheets (large cardboard sheets). When I'm setting up my scope for hunting season and have found a sub MOA load the rifle likes I set a 100 yard zero and then try my best to group well at 500 yards. Then simply measure the bullet drop and type that into one of the free calculators online. Seems to work pretty darn good. I'm much more concerned with how well my bullets group than the digital readout on a chrony. Velocity is what it is when I get the load where I want on paper. I'm not about to shoot larger groups just to win a wiener measuring contest.
Post by: 300rum on January 01, 2016, 08:32:02 AM
The bare minimum that you will need (using new brass) is a press, a scale and a set of dies. That is the minimum, it only goes up from there.
If you do not plan on shooting any farther then typical hunting distance then a chrono is not needed. A Chrono helps you tell if you are on the upper end of pressure, allows you to enter velocity into a table and getting an idea on trajectory and also will tell you what the powder/bullet combo is doing, if you are getting spikes in pressure for instance.
If you are loading rifle cartridges, you need to know about headspace, what it is and how to bump your shoulder on fired brass. I swear most of the people on here are not trimming their brass and do not know what headspace is. Eventually they will find out.....
I stay with RCBS, I use a few Lee dies that are particular to a situation. Other then the couple of dies I use that are Lee, I think their stuff is pretty much junk. Even the particular dies that I use, the metal in the Lee dies is not the same quality as other's. RCBS has a great warranty and you can find lot's of used stuff. When you decide to upgrade RCBS will hold its value much better and will sell quicker too.
Post by: theleo on January 01, 2016, 08:33:25 AM
Each gun, each cartridge, will have their own intracacies that you'll learn as you go along. You'll end up spending a lot on primers, bullets, and powders. Not because you have to but because you'll want to tinker with loads. You can definitely get savings reloading for, old "obsolete", hard to find, and just about anything that takes a point .264 bullet.
Keep it simple, follow the reloading manuals to start with. Worry about seating depths, distance off the lands, and all that stuff later after you've got comfortable getting to where the factory standards are.
Post by: slm9s on January 01, 2016, 08:38:27 AM
As far as whether reloading 'is for you', I'd say it depends on whether you plan to be shooting for a LONG time, or whether its just a temporary fixation and you might stop going to the range except right before hunting season. I really enjoy reloading and wringing as much accuracy out of a rifle as I can. If you hunt for deals you can get the price down a LOT from factory ammo - especially if you shoot rounds like the Weatherbys, STW, Lapua, etc..
If you really enjoy shooting and actually shoot pretty often, start buying stuff now - the sooner you start the sooner you'll break even.
Put WTB ads up for presses/scales/dies/etc. I've got a couple presses that I could let go cheap.
Post by: Emptyhanded on January 01, 2016, 09:12:08 AM
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Post by: CAMPMEAT on January 01, 2016, 09:25:10 AM
Post by: Bill W on January 01, 2016, 09:28:02 AM
I've used RCBS and Lee equipment and my preference is RCBS as it seems to be made sturdier. I also prefer Redding dies as that's what I use for some BR shooting.
Post by: splitshot on January 01, 2016, 12:06:47 PM
Post by: Smokeploe on January 01, 2016, 12:50:55 PM
I would start by buying a good reloading manual, Lyman. Start reading. Then start getting good shells, rifle, pistol, sorting and cleaning. I started using the RCBS press when I started out, had to buy cause my father moved out of state, lost the place to reload. That press has served me for over 35 years. I do a lot of reloading with wildcats and regular cases, rifle and pistol. Read what you can find out about the cartridges you are going to reload. A chrony will help in the future when you get into special loads, high vel.. Right now just starting out you will need to get loads figured out for your rifle, moa loads. You will get all kinds of info here and other web pages. Just remember use plublished load data right now. The rcbs loading kit for somewhere between $250-350 is a good bet and will last you a lifetime, i know.
Post by: AWS on January 01, 2016, 02:13:08 PM
Presses.
Any of the top end Cast steel "O" frame single stage presses will do anything you want, I use a Lyman Crusher, and have owned RCBS Rockchucker(sold mine 35 yrs ago and it wasn't any better than anything else in the same style), Pacific, Hornady, C&H Magnum and Lee Cast Classic. My current "O" frame press is reserved for heavy case forming. My main press is a Lee Cast Classic Turret that I use as a single stage, I like the fact that the turret heads are interchangeable and I keep eight of them on the bench set up with one to two die sets in each, to change cartridges I just drop in a different head and al the dies are set to go no adjusting needed, I load about 12 different cartridges on a regular basis.
Scales
I like a beam scale as I can see whats happenning, I've tried to use an electronic scale and haven't had much faith in them and they can change and you don't know it, I do load in an un heated garage so that could be part of it.
Case prep
Lee trimmers work well, never go out of adjustment and are very accurate, I use them for many of my oddball cartridges. My favorite timmer for volume is the the Wilson/ C&H/ old Herters they are just about the same and the case holders are interchangeable. I have two set up on the bench one for my 204 Ruger based wildcats, I can trim all three without having to adjust, same with my 223/6x45mm. Trimmers that collet clamp on the rim of the case can give different lengths do to variations in rim diameter. Chamfer tools are a must, trimming leaves a sharp edge on the mouth of the case just about any tool will work I use a small one with the inside cutter on one end and the outside on the other. Prime pocket cleaner a basic little had held one works just great.
Priming tools
The priming arm on the press will do a great job, used one for years before hand helds came out. I like the old Lee Hand Held priming tool, I have three and one new version. I load a lot and keep one set up for each of the primers I uses SR, MSR, LR and SBR.
Case cleaners.
Never owned one , just wipe dirty cases down and brush the inside of the neck.
Case gauges
Other than a calipers and maybe a mic. I don't have any others, you have to be really anal to worry about run out and you can set the headspace on the case by smoking the shoulder or just by feel.
Chronograph
I never owned one until I started to load cartridges with no load data available, OLD foreign rounds and my own and uncommon wildcats. Printed data is fairly accurate and accuracy is FAR MORE important than velocity, there isn't a piece of paper or any game that a hundred FPS either way will make a difference. You can get in a lot more trouble chasing FPS than accuracy.
Have fun and stay safe.
Post by: AWS on January 01, 2016, 02:29:49 PM
Most are pretty much the same, and work with a rotating cylinder. I prefer ones with a micrometer adjustment, the ones with a sliding sleeve are a pain. I have on my bench right now 2 Lyman 55's, a Hornady, a Redding, a Midway pistol. and a couple of no names.
Post by: CAMPMEAT on January 01, 2016, 02:45:14 PM
Post by: splitshot on January 01, 2016, 03:36:27 PM
Post by: bobcat on January 01, 2016, 07:27:35 PM
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/943305/lee-improved-powder-measure-kit
Post by: Biggerhammer on January 01, 2016, 07:53:42 PM
Post by: BigGoonTuna on January 02, 2016, 07:33:57 AM
Post by: Blacklab on January 02, 2016, 07:41:48 AM
Post by: rudysts on January 02, 2016, 10:24:27 AM
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/479704/hornady-lock-n-load-headspace-gage-5-bushing-set-with-comparator
Post by: b23 on January 02, 2016, 12:42:13 PM
one of the most overlooked part of reloading is bumping the shoulder if done properly your brass will last a long time there are a few videos on youtube about this. you will also need bump gauges.
This is very true as it IS often an overlooked stage.
Oversize your brass, aka bump the shoulder back to far, and it'll lead to over worked brass and premature case/head seperation. Not a good thing!
Undersize or don't bump the shoulder back far enough and you'll end up with brass that won't chamber in your gun.
Think of your brass as a pressure chamber and every little change in the pressure chamber either increases or decreases the pressure. You want every piece of brass to be as near identical in size/dimension as possible but you also want it to just barely fit in your guns chamber without having to much extra room for the brass to expand.
Factory guns often have chambers that are a little on the loose side, compared to one cut by a gunsmith with a top quality reamer. So it may take a 2-3 firings before your brass has expanded enough to fit your chamber, if you're reloading for a factory chambered gun. This is why I don't bump the shoulder back until I get a piece that doesn't want to easily chamber. If you start bumping the shoulder back before that you really don't know if you're oversizing it or not.
If you go with bump guage inserts, spend the money on a decent caliper. Remember, you're measuring in the thousandts which is a VERY small measurement and cheap calipers can drive you nuts with inconsistent readings. Digital calipers are great but I'd gladly take a top quality dial caliper to a marginal digital one any day.
www.larrywillis.com makes a headspace, aka shoulder bump, guage that works for a variety of calibers and shoulder angles, works great for measuring bullets too. It's easy to use and even though a good caliper is something you'll want to eventually get, the cost of his headspace guage is less than what inserts and a caliper will cost you.
Also, I'd recommend buying one of the different reloading CD's that are out there. Shawn Carlock w/Defensive Edge made one that explains things in a very user friendly way.
What brand or color equipement you buy matters little if you aren't putting it all to good use. Do your research and take the time to always do things right. I'll often ask the same question multiple times and when I start getting the same answer, consistently, that's usually the one I tend to go with. It all may seem "Greek" to you at first and don't be surprised if it all gives you a headache. We've all been there and it is a lot to understand at first but learning from your mistakes and knowing all the things NOT to do is just as important as having the right answer. Get yourself one of those reloading CD's, I think it's a lot easier to learn stuff, especially if it's foreign to you, when you watch it as it's being explained versus just reading about it.
Also, don't get discouraged if the accuracy from your own loaded ammo isn't there right away. It, often, takes many tweaks before a load gets dialed in and the more proficient you become as a reloader, typically, the faster you can dial in a new load.
Post by: bobcat on January 02, 2016, 12:52:58 PM
Post by: b23 on January 02, 2016, 01:02:19 PM
I know of the advantages of only partially resizing your brass, but I just always full length resize. It's simpler for me and I don't shoot that much anymore so using up the brass too quickly isn't an issue. And I still get great accuracy.
I'm not a high volume shooter and I'm a little OCD, Ok, maybe a lot OCD so I vary well could be doing things that return minimal gains but I struggle with myself to do it any other way. I've got a brand new 550 Dillon that sits at the end of my bench collecting dust because of it.:o
Post by: HighlandLofts on January 05, 2016, 11:15:34 AM
I'm putting together what I need to reload, just about there. Every thing I have has been bought used except some powder I picked up.
Ebay is a good place to look for stuff. I just bought four reloading books on there, a lyman bullet puller, a Lee primer pocket tool and a few other things.
I bought two Pacific single stage presses and other accessories from members on here really reasonable.
One press came with a ton of 45acp brass.
I'll be useing mostly RCBS & Hornady dies. And I'll be loading handgun ammo for the most part to start with then rifle once I get it going.