Got some reloading gear.

Major Sights

Major Sights

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Westlock, AB
For Christmas my wife conspired with her father and got me some second hand reloading gear.

What I received.
Lyman single stage press
Lee .223 2pc die set with shell holder
RCBS Auto Prime feed combo
Lee Safety Scale (already planing on upgrading, just don't want to hurt my wife feelings by switching it out right off the bat)

What I need.

Tumbler & media
funnels & casings holder
projectiles
cases
primers
powder
reloading manual
calipers

Anything else that you could suggest.

I am only loading for .223 currently, and will be getting into .308 soon enough and perhaps 7.62x39 and 7.62x54R later on.
 
What type of rifles do you plan on loading for? Bolt/semi/lever?

How much do you shoot in a month/year of the calibers you own?

How much you wanna spend?
 
A trimmer as mentioned, Inexpensive digital verniers like Prince Ass Auto or CT sometimes has on sale and a powder measure so you can toss loads into your .223's and occasionally check with your scales.

Plastic stuff like casing trays (2) and ammo boxes will come in real handy too but you can build a tray with a board and a drill (plastic is better).

Also, you might save a buck or two at this point by making your own spray on case lube. Get a 500ml bottle of 99% rubbing alcohol at Shoppers and a 4 oz bottle of anhydrous lanolin from a health food place. Stir these together in a chafing dish over hot water (so you don't catch the alcohol on fire) and you'll have a lifetime supply of spray on case lube.
 
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My two cents:

- a solid work surface. It can be a dedicated, custom-made one, a converted work bench, a Work-Mate or even some way to temporarily fasten your press etc onto a kitchen table.

- good lighting. Critical. A small flashlight in addition can come in handy

- two things that will save you a lot of profanity - a stuck case remover and a couple of spare depriming pins. You can get the lot for $10 or less.

- eye protection and a fire extinguisher.

- a legal way to store powder and primers. Check sticky for details.

- in addition to the manual, I'd suggest a large paperback called The ABCs of Reloading. It's an excellent introduction to reloading. Read both it and your manual before doing anything else.

- someplace to record load data - what works well, what doesn't. You can buy special ones, but a $1 Leroy notebook will do fine.

- WRT lubricant. You're going to need something. If you're planning on large quantities, then a spray lube is useful to make things faster. I myself tossed the lube pad that came with the RCBS kit I first bought and bought a tin of Imperial Die Sizing Wax. Just tap your fingertip lightly on the stuff (like a small tin of shoe polish) and roll the case between your fingers. It's less messy than the pads and one tin lasts forever.

Welcome to reloading!
 
Lyman single stage press: is it an angled back flat grey Spartan?, or one of the newer(orange or metallic grey) Crusher presses? Both came with a press mounted priming arm(small and large punches) and auto priming feed available. The Spartan, because it's angled, won't be as good with a powder measure mounted in head. Both work well. If you're not a benchrester(yet), the lee case trimmer pilot and cutter are very inexpensive and easy to use.
 
Right now i would only be loading for bolt action rifles, nothing to serious though, no competitive shooting, just plinking.

It is the angled Spartan Press.

I have, and have read, The ABC'S of reloading. (will read it again before I start throwing loads, as its been a few months now).

I have only been shooting these calibers since June, and only about 60 of each per-month, because I am buying the rounds retail. I would rather spend the money on gear to reload. Then, over the years, shoot more economically.

For a work surface, I was leaning towards a Crappy Tire "heavy duty workbench" That I could beef up at the family shop.
 
+1 on getting a case trimmer and lube. Lee makes an excellent that you use drill to do all the hard work. Right now I use RCBS lube and roll pad but after its gone I want to try te spray that Dillon makes. Another must have is some you can make, a stuck case remover from your dies. You'll find lots of ways to make one on YouTube. Welcome to the addiction :D
 
You will need a way of getting the crimp out of .223 primer pockets, may I suggest the Lyman delux case prep tool set, comes with several handy tools like pocket reamer and uniformers... A Lee case trimmer set in all calibers that you chuck into a cordless drill... Start thinking about cleaning your brass too, either a vibratory or ultrasonic cleaner because all that lube you put on the cases has to come off somehow!

Happy reloading! Welcome to the brotherhood.
 
Just looked at the 'heavy duty workbench'. It certainly looks sturdy enough and the storage cabinets and drawers will come in handy. One thing to consider, however (not having worked with one of them before).

Take your press and lower the arm as far as it will go. Now look carefully - will you be able to mount the press on the work bench or will the protruding bits run into the side of the bench before the ram gets all the way up? Will the bolt holes have to run through the frame?

You might want to take the press with you and physically place it on a sample bench.

Even if it doesn't (and hopefully it will be fine) you could mount a sheet of heavy plywood on top, sticking out a little bit and mount the press on that.

BTW - at 60 rounds per month, a single-stage press is perfect.

Have fun.
 
ATOM said:
Just looked at the 'heavy duty workbench'. It certainly looks sturdy enough and the storage cabinets and drawers will come in handy. One thing to consider, however (not having worked with one of them before).

Take your press and lower the arm as far as it will go. Now look carefully - will you be able to mount the press on the work bench or will the protruding bits run into the side of the bench before the ram gets all the way up? Will the bolt holes have to run through the frame?

You might want to take the press with you and physically place it on a sample bench.

Even if it doesn't (and hopefully it will be fine) you could mount a sheet of heavy plywood on top, sticking out a little bit and mount the press on that.

BTW - at 60 rounds per month, a single-stage press is perfect.

Have fun.
Click to expand...

Actually, I have decided against the heavy duty bench. Too big for my apartment. Instead I am building my own, and will hopefully be scaling down the CadTire version.

I just made an order with Jerry from Mystic Precision to get my final bits and pieces.

ordered:
Lee Collet Neck Die (.223)
Lee Powder Dippers
Lee Powder Funnel
Lee Lock stud and cutter
Lee Case Length Gauge
Deburring tool
Hornady Primer Pocket cleaner
Loading Tray

Just need:
powder
casings (I only have 40 :( )
primers
projectiles
Shell Tumbler (but that can be a little bit later)
 
A friend of mine gave me a couple piece's of plywood used in concrete form's.
They've never been used and are about 1 1/2 inch's thick! :dancingbanana:

That's my new bench top.
 
Slowly getting there!

Just got in some case prep tools, loading tray, funnel, powder measure kit, neck sizing die, and a brass tumbler! Took some old DIRTY brass I was given and tossed them in for 2.5 hours. Got a good result. Can't wait to have my reloading bench up and running!

2d94ca68-1.jpg
 
Major Sights said:
Slowly getting there!

Just got in some case prep tools, loading tray, funnel, powder measure kit, neck sizing die, and a brass tumbler! Took some old DIRTY brass I was given and tossed them in for 2.5 hours. Got a good result. Can't wait to have my reloading bench up and running!

2d94ca68-1.jpg
Click to expand...

Slow and steady win's the race!
 
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