I had used standard RCBS/Hornady FL sizing dies/seaters for 35+ years and was entirely happy with the results. Due to a twist of fate/circumstance, early last year I found myself needing a whole new reloading setup and while obliviously content with my previous mostly mid '70's RCBS setup (Rockchucker, Uniflow measure, 505 scale, trickler, case trimmer, case lube and pad, odds and ends), the Internet happened, RCBS went "made in china" and I doggedly researched everything and ordered all online and went with:
- Forster press including the short handle, shellholder adapter and a Manzgear shellplate,
- Redding 3BR powder measure + 7" hopper,
- Forster Original trimmer kit + 3in1 trimmer head for .22-250,
- EBayed a used Ohaus 10-10 scale and a Brown and Sharpe Dial Caliper,
- Hornady decapping die (never had one before),
- Hornady cam-lock bullet puller (had kinetic style before),
- Hornady bullet comparator + Sinclair bump gauges for 3 calibers,
- Thumblers Vibratory Tumbler (had before, liked it, bought again),
- RCBS auto-primer (primed on press before),
- Hornady Chamfer/deburr tool,
- Sincliar primer pocket uniformers (never had before),
- Lyman primer flash hole reamer/deburrer (never had before),
- Imperial sizing wax + graphite dry neck lube kit (RCBS case lube and pad previous)
- Sinclair chamber length gauges for 3 cals ( never had before)
- 4 pretty wooden reloading blocks 2 ea for standard, 2 for magnum (used 1 RCBS block before)
- 6 pack of Forster lock rings
- easily $1000 worth of consumables - Accubond, Interbond, SST, Interlock, VMax, Ballistic Tip bullets, 1000 LR + 1000 LRM Fed GMM primers, various powders 7828 x 3, H4350 x 3, Varget x 4, H380, CFE223, H4831sc
With one foot in this rabbit hole already, I undertook to take a look at the popular competition dies and obtained:
- RCBS Competition FL sizer/micrometer seater (.22-250 Rem)
- Forster regular FL sizer/Ultra micrometer seater (.270 Win)
- Redding Master Hunter die set: regular FL sizer/micrometer seater + carbide expander ball (7mm RM)
Yup, these micrometer seaters are the cats azz, except for the price of course, I remember paying about $20/set back then, now its $200+ for these fancy shmancy competition setups.
Not liking the RCBS .22-250 seater because it used a raised 1" shellholder that required me to exchange the unique Forster jaws for a shellplate adapter and the raised shellholder, I then bought:
- Whidden Bushing FL die set w/micrometer seater + 4 bushings + expander ball kit (.22-250 Rem), not a bad price either, roughly comparable to the Reddings, if you don't take the exchange rate into account
Since completing this spree I realized I was getting short of powder and have recently acquired 8 lb'ers of H4831sc and Varget. Still looking for H4350, maybe CFE233 as well as it seems to work so well in the .22-250, and clean too, that H380 I found is kinda dirty so will leave that alone. Primers are more than half gone now too, so looking to replenish with same.
I fear I am losing my balance and falling completely into this rabbit hole and may not resurface without:
- Redding Case Neck Gauge, $135 CDN (I'm blaming bigedp)
- 21st Century/Accuracy One Concentricity gauge, $240 - $325 US +
- 21st Century/KM neck turner ( ?$175 US +)
- Thumblers Rotary Tumbler + pins ($240 + $80) CDN
- those curved linkages for Co-ax presses from Inline Fabrication ($34 US)
- thinking about a digital caliper too, it'd be nice to zero out those Hornady comparators
I would be done then right? I don't really need a Giraud annealer with the Fluxeon Induction Unit do I? and Tempilaq? What would you do? Who sells 21st Century in Canada?
Alright enough already, I'm starting the first Sask. chapter of RA (Reloaders Anonymous), meeting once a month in Regina, 1/wk in summer and just before deer/duck/ moose/goose/bear/coyote/gopher seasons. The usual 12 step program will apply. Pilsner will be supplied on a cost recovery basis, bring cigs and crying towels if needed.
I started with just a press, dies, scale + teaspoon, case lube pad, reloading block, and powder funnel. Now its come to this. Help me pls. EMT preferred.
- Forster press including the short handle, shellholder adapter and a Manzgear shellplate,
- Redding 3BR powder measure + 7" hopper,
- Forster Original trimmer kit + 3in1 trimmer head for .22-250,
- EBayed a used Ohaus 10-10 scale and a Brown and Sharpe Dial Caliper,
- Hornady decapping die (never had one before),
- Hornady cam-lock bullet puller (had kinetic style before),
- Hornady bullet comparator + Sinclair bump gauges for 3 calibers,
- Thumblers Vibratory Tumbler (had before, liked it, bought again),
- RCBS auto-primer (primed on press before),
- Hornady Chamfer/deburr tool,
- Sincliar primer pocket uniformers (never had before),
- Lyman primer flash hole reamer/deburrer (never had before),
- Imperial sizing wax + graphite dry neck lube kit (RCBS case lube and pad previous)
- Sinclair chamber length gauges for 3 cals ( never had before)
- 4 pretty wooden reloading blocks 2 ea for standard, 2 for magnum (used 1 RCBS block before)
- 6 pack of Forster lock rings
- easily $1000 worth of consumables - Accubond, Interbond, SST, Interlock, VMax, Ballistic Tip bullets, 1000 LR + 1000 LRM Fed GMM primers, various powders 7828 x 3, H4350 x 3, Varget x 4, H380, CFE223, H4831sc
With one foot in this rabbit hole already, I undertook to take a look at the popular competition dies and obtained:
- RCBS Competition FL sizer/micrometer seater (.22-250 Rem)
- Forster regular FL sizer/Ultra micrometer seater (.270 Win)
- Redding Master Hunter die set: regular FL sizer/micrometer seater + carbide expander ball (7mm RM)
Yup, these micrometer seaters are the cats azz, except for the price of course, I remember paying about $20/set back then, now its $200+ for these fancy shmancy competition setups.
Not liking the RCBS .22-250 seater because it used a raised 1" shellholder that required me to exchange the unique Forster jaws for a shellplate adapter and the raised shellholder, I then bought:
- Whidden Bushing FL die set w/micrometer seater + 4 bushings + expander ball kit (.22-250 Rem), not a bad price either, roughly comparable to the Reddings, if you don't take the exchange rate into account
Since completing this spree I realized I was getting short of powder and have recently acquired 8 lb'ers of H4831sc and Varget. Still looking for H4350, maybe CFE233 as well as it seems to work so well in the .22-250, and clean too, that H380 I found is kinda dirty so will leave that alone. Primers are more than half gone now too, so looking to replenish with same.
I fear I am losing my balance and falling completely into this rabbit hole and may not resurface without:
- Redding Case Neck Gauge, $135 CDN (I'm blaming bigedp)
- 21st Century/Accuracy One Concentricity gauge, $240 - $325 US +
- 21st Century/KM neck turner ( ?$175 US +)
- Thumblers Rotary Tumbler + pins ($240 + $80) CDN
- those curved linkages for Co-ax presses from Inline Fabrication ($34 US)
- thinking about a digital caliper too, it'd be nice to zero out those Hornady comparators
I would be done then right? I don't really need a Giraud annealer with the Fluxeon Induction Unit do I? and Tempilaq? What would you do? Who sells 21st Century in Canada?
Alright enough already, I'm starting the first Sask. chapter of RA (Reloaders Anonymous), meeting once a month in Regina, 1/wk in summer and just before deer/duck/ moose/goose/bear/coyote/gopher seasons. The usual 12 step program will apply. Pilsner will be supplied on a cost recovery basis, bring cigs and crying towels if needed.
I started with just a press, dies, scale + teaspoon, case lube pad, reloading block, and powder funnel. Now its come to this. Help me pls. EMT preferred.
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