Reloading gear? What to buy?

USP

USP

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I was looking at getting a basic single stage press- unless you guys think otherwise. I wanted to start off by reloading my 45/70. That way I can get into reloading nice and slow. So far all I have is-

ABCs of reloading 8th ed.
Lyman Pistol & Revolver Reloading 3rd ed.
Hornady handbook of cartridge reloading

Whats a good press?

Is tumbling the way to go to clean? Or is liquid better?

Should I stick with all one brand or shop from different sources?

Appreciate any help on this as its probably been done to death a million times... maybe if it turns into a good threa we can sticky it for info. :D

thanks for any help
 
I had a lot of these questions when I first started, here's where I ended up.

USP said:
I was looking at getting a basic single stage press- unless you guys think otherwise. I wanted to start off by reloading my 45/70. That way I can get into reloading nice and slow. So far all I have is-

If you see yourself loading volume pistol, get a turret press, at the least, I am currently looking into this and will probably have one within 6 months (started with single stage)

ABCs of reloading 8th ed.
Lyman Pistol & Revolver Reloading 3rd ed.
Hornady handbook of cartridge reloading

This is a good start IMO

Whats a good press?

Buy as good as you can afford, I got a Lee press and it works great, but I have a feeling I may upgrade down the road, its very likely a lifelong investment for you, so spend an appropriate amount. RCBS, Hornady and Dillon are all top quality.

Is tumbling the way to go to clean? Or is liquid better?

I personally prefer tumbling, decent quality tumblers can be had for as low as $50. The media can be had from non-gun shop places for pretty cheap as well. The beauty about tumbling is that it is a set it and forget type thing

Should I stick with all one brand or shop from different sources?

I tend to stick with one brand, the Lee dies tend to be great quality. If you just getting into it, kits can be a good start, although I never used my powder measure or my scale, since I upgrade to digital.

Appreciate any help on this as its probably been done to death a million times... maybe if it turns into a good threa we can sticky it for info. :D

thanks for any help
Click to expand...

Some other things to consider as must have's

Digital scale (this one is kinda preference actually)
Digital caliper
Decent deburring tool (if you get the Lee kit, just throw their's out)

Hope this helps :D
 
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What do you guys think about the Forsters CO-AX? Later on I will probably get a Dillon 650 or something to do 9mm or 10mm, but for now I just want to learn the basics and go with something nice and slow- low volume output is ok for now until I figure out what im doing.

Sunray how is the RCBS stuff? I heard the newer stuff isnt that durable anymore? Any thoughts on Hornady gear? thanks
 
I'm on a Dillon 550 and I'm very happy
many swear by auto indexing, but I think it's nice to index manually( anyway you're gonna pick up a bullet or a piece of brass so you just hit the wheel on the way) especially when you're developping a rifle load

I'm still new to this so it's still fresh in my memory, so here's what I bought, in order:

-Dillon 550 + 308WIN conversion kit
-ABC of reloading (not really worth it IMO but still a good read)
-308WIN dies (used RCBS)
-powder
-primers
-bullets
-scale
-6 boxes of 20 factory ammo (shot it then used the brass)
THEN I decided I wanted to do 45acp (same shellplate on the 550 so I didnt need a new conversion kit)
-45acp dies (Lyman)
-pistol powder
-pistol primers
-pistol bullets

So now I'm doing pistol ammo alright, but I weigh the 4,2gr for every round:bangHead: (I'm awaiting the apropriate powder funnel to go into real progressive)

no I don't have a tumbler, a case trimmer, a deburring tool
I know I need them, but I don't have the cash
oh and I don't have a manual, I go on powder manufacturers' website and print the data

In the long run, reloading sure is worth it, but the initial investment hurts like a mule kick to the nuts
 
charles.emond said:
I'm on a Dillon 550 and I'm very happy
many swear by auto indexing, but I think it's nice to index manually( anyway you're gonna pick up a bullet or a piece of brass so you just hit the wheel on the way) especially when you're developping a rifle load

I'm still new to this so it's still fresh in my memory, so here's what I bought, in order:

-Dillon 550 + 308WIN conversion kit
-ABC of reloading (not really worth it IMO but still a good read)
-308WIN dies (used RCBS)
-powder
-primers
-bullets
-scale
-6 boxes of 20 factory ammo (shot it then used the brass)
THEN I decided I wanted to do 45acp (same shellplate on the 550 so I didnt need a new conversion kit)
-45acp dies (Lyman)
-pistol powder
-pistol primers
-pistol bullets

So now I'm doing pistol ammo alright, but I weigh the 4,2gr for every round:bangHead: (I'm awaiting the apropriate powder funnel to go into real progressive)

no I don't have a tumbler, a case trimmer, a deburring tool
I know I need them, but I don't have the cash
oh and I don't have a manual, I go on powder manufacturers' website and print the data

In the long run, reloading sure is worth it, but the initial investment hurts like a mule kick to the nuts
Click to expand...


yeah but some factory ammo is hard to find.
 
I don't know where I read it but, ammo was reloaded on a few diff. presses and the most precise ammo, was made up on the Co-ax press. I believe in them and use mine whenever I can, and am using my old 1960's era Rockchucker less and less. I was slow to go over to the Co-ax and the Star as well, and now I use the Co-ax daily and have 2 air driven Stars doing a great job.
 
Very interested in this thread. Anyone care to ballpark the figures of what all this costs on a per-piece basis? I'll be reloading 9mm, .223, and .308. (The classics, cause you can't really reload .22 mag economically. :D)



Another factor is time. I have little of it. I can devote two or three hours a week, not ten or twelve.
 
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Can anybody point me in the right direction of where I can buy a CO-AX? does anybody sell these in Canada? Thanks.
 
firemachine69 said:
Very interested in this thread. Anyone care to ballpark the figures of what all this costs on a per-piece basis? I'll be reloading 9mm, .223, and .308. (The classics, cause you can't really reload .22 mag economically. :D)



Another factor is time. I have little of it. I can devote two or three hours a week, not ten or twelve.
Click to expand...

i just did the math on gmm compared to loading my match loads and it worked out to 1350$/1000 for factory rounds , and about 450$ for a thousand of my match reloads that has me around .5moa. so you cant really see the savings on your first 1000 lot. but after that your gear is paid for and then it really shows!!
 
I bought my CoAx at Wholesale sports, I think they are the only place in Canada you can get them? Mystic might be able to bring one in for you as he is selling Forster Die sets in BC.
Test show that loading with this press gives the least amount of runout compared to RCBS and Redding
Knew there had to be a good reason that they are the most expensive. FS
 
stevesummit said:
i just did the math on gmm compared to loading my match loads and it worked out to 1350$/1000 for factory rounds , and about 450$ for a thousand of my match reloads that has me around .5moa. so you cant really see the savings on your first 1000 lot. but after that your gear is paid for and then it really shows!!
Click to expand...

GMM for 27 bucks a box???
 
My Lee Turret press has been treating me well for 308. Getting fully kitted for reloading costed me roughly $500 (I saved on the scale, friend gave me his old Lee scale which works fairly well for just checking the charge is consistant).

Conservatively I do about 70 rounds an hour, I go really slow though.



I do strongly recomend you buy a tin of Imperial Sizing wax. Not a single stuck case ever since I started using the stuff.
 
firemachine69 said:
Very interested in this thread. Anyone care to ballpark the figures of what all this costs on a per-piece basis? I'll be reloading 9mm, .223, and .308. (The classics, cause you can't really reload .22 mag economically. :D)



Another factor is time. I have little of it. I can devote two or three hours a week, not ten or twelve.
Click to expand...

just go on that website:
http://handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp

enter the price of components (if you don't know them, it's a good reason to go otu shopping!) and it'll give you price per round/per 50/per 1000
 
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