How to get into reloading

S

SigSavage

Regular
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
4   0   0
Location
Winnipeg
I've seen some lists of "necessary" and "recommended" gear to start reloading. What would I be looking at for costs to get into it with reliable, quality equipment (i.e. not the $150 POS starter kit from Cabela's) without breakng the bank? Can it be done for $300-400?

Does somebody have a recommendation for a good starting kit, or have one for sale from their own personal supplies that they've outgrown? I'd rather save some money if I could by some 2nd hand stuff from people on here.

I've read about "neck turning" and other kinds of specific techniques that require specialized equipment that will supposedly help you squeeze out a hint more accuracy. Is this kind of thing necessary? Is reloading something that you can get good results from doing the basics, but if you like it as a hobby you can decide to go down the rabbit hole with it for that little bit of fine tuning? And when I say "good" I mean at least as good as what can be acheved using factory loads?

Thanks
 
yomomma said:
I started with the Lee kit and still use it to this day.

Lee will give you better than factory.
Click to expand...

Are talking abt that Lee 50th anniversary kit for $150? I thought it had flimsy parts and a scale that was innacurate as often as not. Maybe quality control of the pieces from the factory?
 
Achieving better than factory is more about your skill than the tools you have at your disposal. Doing the basics and matching a load to your rifle will almost surely outshoot factory ammo. You NEED a reliable scale, a good die set in your calibre and of course a press. A single stage press should be good enough to load quality ammo on. I personally use a Lee classic cast for the most part and it does a good enough job for me, but I'm not trying to win F-class matches either.

Neck trimming and neck turning are two things you eventually run into after you've loaded brass several times. The brass flows from the base to the neck, so the neck gets thicker and longer. If you have a factory rifle you probably don't need to turn the necks for a long time (if ever) as it likely has a sloppy neck diameter. Match chambers have very tight neck dimensions so a little growth creates problems. Trimming brass is also something that you may have to do sooner rather than later as you need to keep the brass below the SAAMI limits or bad things can happen with pressure.

Frist things first is get a reloading manual and read it to learn the process. From there gather tools- gun shows are good bets but so is ebay and the EE. You can get one of those starter kits as well. If your budget is your driver then you need to keep your eyes open and grab deals to grow your kit.
 
Get a RCBS kit , dies and shell holders , a half decent trimmer and your good to go. A manual will come with the kit. About $500 will get you started for rifle and hand gun. I load .223,308,22-50,.45 LC,38 special,.357 mag,9 mm with the RCBS press , and yes it's cheaper, but I shoot a lot more.you won't save any money because you'll shoot a lot more ammo:). It's not as complicated as some people make it out to be.
 
Good advice- thanks. So all you "need" to start is the press, die set and scale?
cartwheel said:
Achieving better than factory is more about your skill than the tools you have at your disposal. Doing the basics and matching a load to your rifle will almost surely outshoot factory ammo. You NEED a reliable scale, a good die set in your calibre and of course a press. A single stage press should be good enough to load quality ammo on. I personally use a Lee classic cast for the most part and it does a good enough job for me, but I'm not trying to win F-class matches either.

Neck trimming and neck turning are two things you eventually run into after you've loaded brass several times. The brass flows from the base to the neck, so the neck gets thicker and longer. If you have a factory rifle you probably don't need to turn the necks for a long time (if ever) as it likely has a sloppy neck diameter. Match chambers have very tight neck dimensions so a little growth creates problems. Trimming brass is also something that you may have to do sooner rather than later as you need to keep the brass below the SAAMI limits or bad things can happen with pressure.

Frist things first is get a reloading manual and read it to learn the process. From there gather tools- gun shows are good bets but so is ebay and the EE. You can get one of those starter kits as well. If your budget is your driver then you need to keep your eyes open and grab deals to grow your kit.
Click to expand...
 
Where do you find a RCBS kit for only $500?
Brianma65 said:
Get a RCBS kit , dies and shell holders , a half decent trimmer and your good to go. A manual will come with the kit. About &500 will get you started for rifle and hand gun. I load .223,308,22-50,.45 LC,38 special,.357 mag,9 mm with the RCBS press , and yes it's cheaper, but I shoot a lot more.you won't save any money because you'll shoot a lot more ammo:). It's not as complicated as some people make it out to be.
Click to expand...
 
I would get the lee kit mentioned above. It works! Don't cheap out on dies! And get a digital scale and when you can afford it, get a rcbs 1010 scale. What exactly are you loading for?
 
RCBS comes with a Speer manual, hodgdon reloading is a great sight. And of course CGN has all your answers. No need to be buying all kinds of books.
 
rl4930 said:
I would get the lee kit mentioned above. It works! Don't cheap out on dies! And get a digital scale and when you can afford it, get a rcbs 1010 scale. What exactly are you loading for?
Click to expand...
the RCBS comes with a 5-0-5 which has been excellent if your using stick powder you will need a trickler.
 
For about $35/year you can open an account at loaddata.com
You'll never need to buy a book again, as they're all on the site.
Don't forget shell holders, and calipers, case lube, and a good notebook to keep track of all your recipes that you try.
Once you find a pet load, buy those components whenever you see them. That way you'll never be out of the specific bullet, primer, powder you need.
 
GunsNotPuns said:
I use the Lee anniversary kit -- it works great. All I've really added was a digital scale, a better primer pocket cleaning tool and the Lee reloading manual.
Click to expand...

Well, its definitely more in my pricerange.... I'd rather spend my money on the rifle than the reloading equipment. It's good to hear the number of people here actually like it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom