absolutely needed reloading equipment

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Jetman

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going to try reloading some rifle rounds just to get started. lets call them practice rounds. not trying to putt all my eggs in one basket just yet. this is a list of what I have. what else is needed to safely start out . lets say less then 50 rounds at a time realistically 20 rounds.

HAVE
-press and dies
-scale
-case lube

KNOW I NEED
-hand primer
-powder funnel

are there ways to efficiently clean brass without the "name brand" machines?
I eventually want to achieve the point of making quality match grade ammo , and have ALL the equipment collected, but that is not my goal at this time.
 
Maybe will sound really cheap and silly, but I, like many others, started with a Lee Loader - pound the fired factory brass from your rifle, into a die with a plastic headed hammer - de-prime, re-prime, use the supplied scoop to dump in powder from the "recipe" - seat your bullet - done. Did up 25 to 40 rounds many, many times in an easy evening. All the rest comes after that - a scale to get better control of powder weight choices, or to use different powders, a case length trimmer, and so on. But cheap, cheap Lee Loader kit has everything that you need to make 20 to 40 rounds that will go "bang", and I know I shot several deer with them.

If you absolutely must use a "press", instead of a hammer - get an arbour press and use the Lee Loader with it. Down the road, for very high level precision loading, you are going to be using an arbour press for most of the operations - sort of like you can do with the Lee Loader...
 
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Brass can be cleaned with steel wool and elbow grease to a fine polish. A powder trickler is nice but you can substitute with a spent case with some powder inside gently rolled in your fingers to drop kernels of powder into the weigh pan.
 
a reloading manual and load data for your powder and bullet combo.

for case trimming a cheap option is the caliber specific lee lockstud and trimmer with depth stop/pilots.
 
For low volume I'd stick with what you have and add a Caliper and manual. If the brass grows too long get a trimmer/deburring solution (or new brass) You need some way to measure what you are making.

After a few firings may need a primer pocket cleaner.


For low vol I wouldn't worry about cleaning machines- just hand bomb it. If you are shooting a semi throwing brass everywhere the cleaning is harder but for the most part it won't get too dirty if you are careful. I use a touch of brake clean on a paper towel to get them "clean enough" for protecting sizing dies.
 
Manual
Pocket primer cleaner brush
Cartridge block holder most have various sizes
Funnel
Should get you started
 
Potashminer said:
Maybe will sound really cheap and silly, but I, like many others, started with a Lee Loader - pound the fired factory brass from your rifle, into a die with a plastic headed hammer - de-prime, re-prime, use the supplied scoop to dump in powder from the "recipe" - seat your bullet - done. Did up 25 to 40 rounds many, many times in an easy evening. All the rest comes after that - a scale to get better control of powder weight choices, or to use different powders, a case length trimmer, and so on. But cheap, cheap Lee Loader kit has everything that you need to make 20 to 40 rounds that will go "bang", and I know I shot several deer with them.

If you absolutely must use a "press", instead of a hammer - get an arbour press and use the Lee Loader with it. Down the road, for very high level precision loading, you are going to be using an arbour press for most of the operations - sort of like you can do with the Lee Loader...
Click to expand...

This is the truth. Bolt action with brass originally fired in that rifle it’s the best way to go for cheap reloading. If you get together with a couple other guys it’s super cheap.
 
Cleaning is pretty far down any list. Scungy range pick up, yes, but mostly your doing your own seldom x fired.

Press
Scale
Dies
Calipers
Reloading book
Consumables

That's your start. Notice I don't even have a trim solution. Thats because if your measuring, you catch that need several/or never depending on what your loading. Most kits contain stuff you seldom if ever use. Most steps can be tooled up for with hand tools or electric. Start cheap, upgrade as you go.
 
Jetman said:
going to try reloading some rifle rounds just to get started. lets call them practice rounds. not trying to putt all my eggs in one basket just yet. this is a list of what I have. what else is needed to safely start out . lets say less then 50 rounds at a time realistically 20 rounds.

HAVE
-press and dies
-scale
-case lube

KNOW I NEED
-hand primer
-powder funnel

are there ways to efficiently clean brass without the "name brand" machines?
I eventually want to achieve the point of making quality match grade ammo , and have ALL the equipment collected, but that is not my goal at this time.
Click to expand...

If you bought a press new, it likely has the ability to prime too. If it doesn't, yep, hand priming tool.

I used Lee Scoops for years before I ever got a scale. What I learned from the scale is that if I chose a ball type powder, and dipped it out of a container (I used a lid off an aerosol can a lot) I got really consistent load weights... And that it's easy enough to bump the scale and fill a hundred or so cases with the wrong powder charge. Pretty hard to go off the rails with a dipper...
The tables with the Lee Scoops are pretty conservative loads! Work out a system for getting sameness, it'll be fine!

Any press (and that gets you pretty low in the food chain!) is a step up from hammering ammo through a Lee Loader. But lots of deer didn't know that the ammo that shot them was built in a Lee Loader either...

Clean and shiny does not count as much as 'carefully inspected'. Remove any debris, give it a quick looking over, and carry on. Shiny is nice, but it's optional. The lee case trimmer sets work pretty well. You do have to deburr the inside and outside of the case mouth. Steel wool, sandpaper, or a deburring tool will work. Any case that is not visibly corroded or showing signs of separation (see loading manuals or online sources) is like to be just fine for the next 5 or more reloads.

A loading block is handy. Commercial, or drill a bunch of holes the right size in a chunk of 2x4. Yeah, get a funnel. Also, get a decent light. When you have finished measuring out the powder for whatever size batch you are doing, use the light to look in to the cases and see if they all look similarly filled. Rules out major errors like double charges. Sameness, is usually good!

Rubbing your funnel and container down with a bounce sheet, can help with static cling.

Buy at least one reloading manual and read the bits up front about how to reload. Buy several. Compare notes.

It's a pretty basic process, but requires that you stay focused on at least a couple aspects, like inspecting, and powder charges. Try not to do these things when you might be interrupted, and if you are, be aware of where you are in the process.

Buy a cheap digital Caliper. Measures case length, neck thickness, bullet diameter, etc. Useful tool.

Buy a primer pocket cleaner. Cheap and easy to use, gets the carbon mung out of the pocket pretty quick.

A drill press can be a wonderful tool! Spins cases for cleaning, spins the Lee Case Trimmer for trimming cases, etc. And is a LIGHT duty arbor press. Very light duty.

Anyways... A few points... Use as you see fit.
 
Jetman said:
going to try reloading some rifle rounds just to get started. lets call them practice rounds. not trying to putt all my eggs in one basket just yet. this is a list of what I have. what else is needed to safely start out . lets say less then 50 rounds at a time realistically 20 rounds.

HAVE
-press and dies
-scale
-case lube

KNOW I NEED
-hand primer
-powder funnel

are there ways to efficiently clean brass without the "name brand" machines?
I eventually want to achieve the point of making quality match grade ammo , and have ALL the equipment collected, but that is not my goal at this time.
Click to expand...

You don't need brass cleaning machines.

You could get started with what you have listed and the addition of a loading block, inside/outside chamfering tool, primer pocket cleaner, and $10 Canadian Tire calipers.
 
Loading blocks free and easily come by from the garbage bins at most handgun ranges.

9mm cartridge trays are great for 223 rem loading blocks

45acp cartridge trays are perfect for cases up to 30-06 or very slightly larger case head diameters, such as the 7,5x55. Anything larger and you will likely have to resort to the drilled 2x4

As mentioned, brass doesn't have to be polished and shiny to make accurate bullets.

If my cases get dirt/grit on them, I just wash them in a good liquid detergent for dishes. This gets rid of oily coatings as well.

If they're really dirty, from powder fouling a bit of fine steel wool will quickly remove most of the fouling, don't worry about the inside of the case. Just make sure to lube the inside of the necks before resizing, as it just makes everything smoother with the process and pulling the sizing spud back through the neck on the back stroke.

If I have to wash the cases, I do it before I resize them.

Use HOT water to rinse off the soap residue and just set them outside to dry. Resize them and that will get rid of any moisture that may still be in the cases.
 
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Jetman said:
are there ways to efficiently clean brass without the "name brand" machines?
I eventually want to achieve the point of making quality match grade ammo , and have ALL the equipment collected, but that is not my goal at this time.
Click to expand...

A hot citric acid (the canning section of the supermarket is where you'll find it) bath will take care of 99% of cleaning. And the passivated surface of your cases will resist tarnishing longer. A lifetime supply of citric acid powder will cost you just a few bucks.

A set of inexpensive vernier calipers will do to start - you need to be able to measure. And an impact bullet puller is just a few additional dollars - you WILL be using it. Case trimmer. Case mouth chamfering tool.

Just a thought, but if you believe you're going to work up to assembling match grade ammunition, I'd suggest (given the cost of reloading quality ammunition) you start from the first buying the quality that you can still be happily using decades later to assemble that match quality ammunition.
 
OP:
I'll second the comments about a reloading manual or three. The "ABCs of Reloading" is also an informative read.

One thing that has not been mentioned yet is a stuck case remover. After all, there are two types of relaoders out ther; those have have had a stuck case, and those who will.
 
My first brass cleaner included an old cordless drill, a bolt with the head removed, and a short piece of surgical tubing (one end goes over the headless bolt which is chucked in the drill, and the other end goes over the neck of the brass) ... a quick spin while holding the brass with some super fine steel wool, or a cloth with a mildly abrasive cleaner (Dutch Cleanser, Barkeepers Friend, etc.) on it ... and presto! ...shiny brass. Pop the brass out of the tubing, and finish up neck and head manually. Don't forget to rinse the cleanser off.

Also used a small glass fruit bowl to hold powder and a teaspoon as a dipper ... actually still do from time to time, depending on what and how many I'm building.
 
icedog said:
My first brass cleaner included an old cordless drill, a bolt with the head removed, and a short piece of surgical tubing (one end goes over the headless bolt which is chucked in the drill, and the other end goes over the neck of the brass) ... a quick spin while holding the brass with some super fine steel wool, or a cloth with a mildly abrasive cleaner (Dutch Cleanser, Barkeepers Friend, etc.) on it ... and presto! ...shiny brass. Pop the brass out of the tubing, and finish up neck and head manually. Don't forget to rinse the cleanser off.

Also used a small glass fruit bowl to hold powder and a teaspoon as a dipper ... actually still do from time to time, depending on what and how many I'm building.
Click to expand...

That tubing thing is a great idea!
 
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