First reloading kit

I think you made a good choice. Rcbs seems to take care of us as far as warranty and things go. I stripped the threads out of the handle on my partner press I bought used about 15 years ago and they shipped me all of the parts to fix it for free. A single stage is good to learn on and you probably won't get rid of it when you buy a turret or progressive. By the time you figure out what you're doing and what your needs are you might be looking into something completely different. I don't shoot a lot of high volume so I just buy factory reloads for my pistols and ar.

Just to give you fair warning, it's an addiction and you'll probably be spending thousands of dollars and countless hours on this over the years to come.
 
Bustercluck said:
Has anyone had any dealings with hornady for warranty issues? It doesn't seem like they have a lot of support north of the border.
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Yes they do. Korth Group in Okotoks is the main distributor for Hornady. Hornady and Korth have treated me as well or better than RCBS has. Phone Hornady with the issue you have and they will look after you. I have dealt with several at Hornady but a guy named Seth really looked after me well.
 
Just bought the RCBS kit from Prophet River for 475 after shipping and tax. Wasn't planning to buy something so quick but I couldn't pass up on that price. I guess I've entered the rabbit hole now. I'm in no rush to crank out rounds and plan to take my time with thorough research.
 
JohnnyPython said:
I did a ton of research reading, watching videos etc. I finally settled on a Redding T7 turret press. I have no regrets even though it was $$$. Buy once, cry once. Finding used is difficult but I got it from Grouse River when the US $ was lower and got it on sale.

It's solid, high quality and works very well. It has to mounted onto a solid surface so it doesn't rock all over the place. I got the primer feeder and I really like it. S&B primers flip over so you gotta watch that.

I have loaded most pistol calibers and .223 and I can usually crank out ~100 rounds an hour of pistol. So far I have reloaded close to 10000 rounds on it with no probs.

I found a used and older Lyman powder measure which is accurate enough for hitting paper and as long as you are below max loads.

I like Lee 4 die pistol dies. Can't beat them.
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I own a Redding Boss, which replaced an RCBS Junior JR3 press.

Really love Redding build quality.

Also bought the competition powder measure, made of solid cast iron and steel, which is highly accurate to set up and use.
It will last a lifetime.

I would love to own a Redding T7. Built like the proverbial Abrams tank, with probably the best on-press primer feed in the business.

Some day I'll buy one.

Since I am in my 60s, that T7 will be the last press that I own, and the best.
 
RielM said:
Great info, thanks everyone. I have found a rock chucker supreme master kit for $450 vs wholesale's 589.. If you add up the price of components included, it seems like a pretty good deal... If the RCBS measure, scale, hand priming tool, etc are all good in the long run and superior to the items in the Lee kits, I am leaning towards going with this. I could always add a turret press to the works down the road.
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Hell of a deal.
 
x 2 on the Rock Chucker kit. I waited and got a deal in the U.S. on one, it's worked well for years. I thought about a turret press, and would still like to have one, but when starting out I think simple is better, IMHO, just because there's already a lot to learn. When I do buy a turret press, it will mainly be for handgun loading and I expect I'll keep the Rock Chucker anyway. As suggested, look for a used one, but they're hard to find, just for the reasons already stated - they last forever and they're handy.

I think it all depends on the cartridges you're loading and the amount of shooting. For a rifle shooter doing less than a couple thousand rounds a year, get a single stage and spend the extra cash on reloading manuals, dies, better scales, better components, and all the other fun stuff you realize you 'need' now that you're shooing more....:)
 
Whatever brand you choose, go with a cast iron press, rather than cheap aluminum. If you start with a good press, you will likely use it for your entire lifetime without issue.
 
I bought the RCBS Rockchucker supreme kit from the US.
In fact, I bought two of them, one for myself, and the other for a friend in Edmonton.
They were like $280.00 (US) each.
Bought dies for 9mm and my .243.
Ordered a tumbler, and other extras afterwards...
Waiting for dies for the .280 to go on sale...
I went with the RCBS because my wife's uncle has one, and if I needed parts for anything, like dies, I could borrow his, and he could borrow mine.
 
Buying used at reduced price is a good theory but there's not much used equipment for sale and pricing is close enough to new price you may as well buy new.

I like Lee presses - turret and single - but not their powder measures and beam scale. I don't especially like the kits and would rather mix and match from different manufacturers.
 
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