If you were going to do it all over again...

Dorian Gray

Dorian Gray

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Just curious here guys.

I don't reload yet but have been toying with the idea for some time now. My volume of shooting (mostly .223) has increased dramatically over the last year or so and it's becoming more and more expensive to get out there and shoot. I mostly didn't get into reloading yet due to the cost of getting started but I think I'm going to bite the proverbial bullet so to speak and give'r a try.

So my question is: If you were going to start all over again, as a total noob, would you start with a kit? Like the RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme kit? Or maybe the Hornady Lock 'n Load kit? A Lee kit? Or would you buy all the stuff separately? I'm leaning more towards the kit because I don't know my butt from a hole in the ground when it comes to reloading yet so I'd like to get everything I need to start in one shot and not have to source much.

Also, space is at a premium in the small apartment I live in. I could probably arrange some sort of reloading bench (or desk more likely) but it would be tucked away with not a lot of room to spare. Do you need a lot of bench space to reload?

Sorry if any of this sounds stupid. I just would like some information on where to start and such. :redface:

Thanks.
 
The kit will work fine, more importantly is the bench you use, depending on the cartridge you will be putting a lot of pressure down on the bench then up, a bench that jumps up off the ground while sizing will not work for you, I load for over 20 cartridges and 223 is about the only one I don't load for, I can buy ammo cheap enough that it's not worth burning up powder that is so hard to get lately.
 
Kits will get you going in a hurry, just need to pick up a set of dies and components and a couple additional tools such as a set of calipers and reloading books. You'll need a case trimmer for bottle neck cases after resizing.

Cheaper kits will have you upgrading parts for higher quality ones sooner than the more expensive kits. If you're on a tight budget, the Lee 50th Anniversary kit is a good starter kit to get your feet wet but if you stick with reloading, chances are you will upgrade the powder measure and the scale. The RCBS kits come with a much nicer powder measure and a scale that is a little more accurate and easier to work. The scale and powder measure show up on EE every so often.

If you're going to reload bulk plinking ammo, a progressive press will make short work of an otherwise tedious task on a single stage. I load 9mm, 45ACP, 40SW, 375Mag, 223Rem, 300BLK and 308Win from my Lee 50th Anniversary press. I've upgraded my scale to a digital one and picked up an RCBS Quick Change powder measure. For precision loads or decapping before cleaning your brass, you'll be using a single stage press. So it doesn't hurt to have a single stage press.

For plinking 223, I don't even bother reloading (at least for now) since I can buy surplus 223 cheaper than I can reload 'em.
 
If you're starting out with no experience and nobody to ask questions get a kit. Make sure it has a book and read it. Lots of info on the Internet but the source is not always reliable. You don't need a lot of room but it is nice to have a bigger bench. Take your time, double check your powder charges at least while youre starting out. Keep a clean area to avoid mistakes.
 
If *I* had to do it all over again, I wouldn't buy a kit. But I'm not you..

Ask yourself how serious you are about getting into reloading as a hobby. Ask yourself how obsessive you are about things like this. Very importantly, ask yourself how much money you're willing to spend to chase accuracy and consistency.

If the answer to more than one of the above is 'a lot' then personally I'd recommend *not* buying a kit because you're likely to very quickly wind up replacing all of its components.

I went from thinking 'reloading? that's for crazy obsessives with bullet proof faces' to 'I can't stop watching this hickok45 video about reloading' to 'hrm, I think I'll pick up the Hornady starter kit and give it a go' to 'holy ####, I need a new powder dispenser, better dies, more accurate scale, powered case prep center, a bajillion gauges, dedicated spare press for decapping, APS primer system, Thumbler tumbler, etc. etc. etc.' in the space of about two months. Just about the only thing I still use from the original kit is the press itself.

I also made the mistake of replacing a lot of it gradually, so I bought a few things multiple times.

I've spent enough now that I'm going to have to reload for the next 10 years before I start to see actual savings :) but I don't care. It's an enormously relaxing and rewarding hobby for me, and I'm comfortable with the fact that I sank a stupid amount of money into it this year.

If you're unsure, then a kit is definitely the way to go. The only thing I'd personally recommend over and above a kit is a case gauge and OAL gauge and a decent set of calipers.
 
In reverse order:
Not at all, starting from scratch can be a bit daunting.It might sound trite, but the best place to start is with a manual. They all do a very good job of explaing the process, and most of them will give you an idea of what equipment is right for you, single stage, turret or a progressive.

Reloading doesn't neeeed a lot of space, but it is nice. One nice part of being limited in space is it forces you to be neat, clean and organised. I used a table saw stand as a reloading bench, and it worked pretty well. Buying the right tools the first time and not needing duplicates helps, too.

I started with a Lee kit, they are the most complete. Every other kit leaves out some important pieces, which is fine if you are close to a store, I'm not. Most other brands have nicer stuff, but at twice the price or more. Twice the quality or utility? That tends to be subjective. Until you use the tool, you don't really know if it will work for you.

If money is tight, the Lee Classic Turret kit will get you going, and you'll be able to crank out 223s by the bucket load.
If money isn't a concern, a Dillon will let you make 223s by the bigger bucket load. ;)

Most important is reading. Just don't fall into the trap of thinking you need the latest greatest new gadget. That can get real expensive in a hurry! :redface:
 
I would do exactly as I started.

Bought a rock chucker master reloading kit, layman trimmer. Loaded a few thousand 223 and a few hundred 30-06 like that. Picked up a charge master from natchez 2 years ago and that is the best thing yet.
 
Don't do it..........get counselling............stay completely away from it, it's worse than heroine or cocaine.......you will never be normal again, you'll start to obsess about things like how far apart 5 bullets are in a piece of paper at 100 yds, then 200 yds and before you know it, it'll be 1000 yds. Then you start buying guns because you got a great deal on a set of dies you have no rifle for..........and you'll actually convince yourself that there is nothing wrong with that. Your admittedly small apartment will look like an ammunition factory in very short order and you'll be eating off a loading bench that now takes up 2/3 off the space in your apartment. Your cupboards will slowly change from holding dishes and food to holding powder and primers and dies and hundreds of pretty green boxes with all kinds of various cartridges and test loads for every one. You'll convince yourself that you are saving so much money handloading that you can afford another 2 or 3 rifles a month, which by the way are now taking up the remaining 1/3 of your apartment. Pretty soon you'll be staying up all night because you just have to finish that new batch of test loads for 12 rifles with a "new" powder you've just discovered that is supposed to shrink your groups by 1/16" or give another 12 fps. It isn't long before you're calling in sick to work because you absolutely have to get to the range and prove out that 1/16" smaller group or see the magic chronograph confirm those 12 fps. If you have a significant other, she has already left you or soon will......doesn't matter you tell yourself, that just leaves more time for loading and buying guns..........oh ya and let's not forget the case trimmers and neck turners and Chargemasters and chronographs and case prep stations and case cleaning tumblers and progressive loaders and gauges and calipers and reamers and run-out indicators..........THEN you start thinking what if I took a 378 Wby and necked it down to 23 caliber..............now you have hit the lowest point, you are a full blown ADDICT, you prefer the scent of gunpowder, burnt and unburnt, to the stench of feminine perfume, you can speak of nothing that doesn't relate to internal, external and terminal ballistics. All of your old friends shun you because of your single minded obsession and you are finding new sick people to talk to on forums like (shudder) CGN. Everything you knew before in life has changed....................Run Dorian run, don't let the gunpowder permeate your soul and take over your life............BUT if you still decide to continue against my best advice, welcome to the wiccan, for you are about to be bewitched and your life changed forever more.
 
Okay, now I have all of the equipment, books, etc to start reloading. Just waiting for my move across the country and joining a new shooting range. I have been holding off on purchasing the primers, powder and bullets just yet before I get my reading done (which might be a mistake if I wait too long). I just don't want to make errors, but it seems that we learn through trial and error.

Now you guys have me scared that this will become an obsession that will lead to endless experimentation that will never quite satisfy me. Always searching and never finding!

Thank-you very much for the scare c-fbmi! This is in jest, but you guys really make it seem like it takes over your life. Shooting will never be the same once going down this rabbit hole!
 
If only I knew then what I know now...

I would start with the same RCBS Supreme press, but forget about virtually all the manual tools (trimmer, scale debur, powder measure etc and go directly to:
Auto powder dispenser/scale (RCBS or HDY, there's others)
Electric case trimmer
Electric case prep for debur/chamfer etc

Once you have a press, those things and dies, there's not much more required - maybe a couple of loading blocks and some plastic containers and a cleaner (I went ultrasonic - no walnut messes etc). Decent set of digital calipers, case gauges and a bullet puller prolly finish the gear iirc. I have all kinds of stuff that I bought early on as a "I just want to keep the cost down" type thing that eventually got replaced. Manual powder measure, 2 scales, bunch of hand tools and drill bits for trimming, chamfer, debur, primer pocket brushes, case brushes - bleah, they all take up space. There's also a couple of die sets that I bought on impulse that I shouldn't have. If you're going to be doing precision loads, look at getting quality dies to start.

One thing I have yet to buy is a hand primer, keep meaning to but whenever I'm in a store there's never one in stock. I still prime and load most of my target rifle cases on the RCBS press (.223, .338LM and 30-06), doesn't take very long, but I'm sure the hand primer would go quicker.

After I got thru all that stuff I bought a Dillon 650 for higher volume stuff. I do .223 plinking, .44, .357, .40SW all on the Dillon.

I wouldn't call it an obsession, more of a striving for excellence. There's 2 sides to it. On the one hand, when you shoot a nice group you can let out a big grin and say "I made that". On the downside, it takes up some of your time if you shoot regularly and once in a while it can be a pain to find components these days.

Start slowly and do everything carefully. No multi-tasking when you're dealing with explosives, pay attention - your health and possibly your life depend on it. Read lots, ask questions. It's like anything else in life, it's easy once you know how.
 
I bought a Lee Turret kit over twenty years ago and am still using it. Didn't know anything about reloading then so it was a good choice for me. Do think of replacing it at times but why spend money to replace something that works. Reloaded 303 British, 303 Savage, 22 Hornet and thousands of 223.
 
There is a lot of good stuff in a kit, but really who wants a swing-balance scale anymore? Plus you'll probably want more than just a Speer manual (or whatever is included). The included powder measure might not do what you want to do (I have a smaller measure that runs out of steam when loading my more voluminous cases). Likewise you may but a trimmer, then buy something with a giant case only to find that the trimmer you have (or even the press) won't digest them (again, enter the 416 Rigby and 470 NE). But to get started there is no reason a kit wouldn't work.

I now wish I had a Chargemaster, electric trimmer etc. but so far it's not the end of the world to me.
 
kb007 totally nailed it! I was just like him with a Lee Kit, then I sold all the manual tooling and bought a case prep center. You don`t necessarily need to jump into any case cleaners (ultrasonic or tumblers) right off the start unless you are possessed by shiny brass. Still to this day I don`t own a powder trickler, I just throw some powder in a shell casing (I have marked visibly just for this purpose) and trickle by hand. Best investment was a digital scale, I just wished I had bought the "All-in-one" trickler/digital scale. Have fun, Darcy
 
OK DG, after my "tongue in cheek" dissertation, which is not as far fetched as you may think and you are still determined to join the wiccan, here is a list of the tooling that 40+ years of reloading has evolved into;

RCBS Rockchucker press X2
Lee monster press just for the 50 BMG (optional)
RCBS Chargemaster X2
Lyman power trimmer (POS which never gets used)
Forster case trimmer X3 1 for 50 BMG, 1 for 470 NE and 1 for all the rest
Trimmer pilots for every caliber from 17 to 50 cal (I make these myself)
Inside neck reamers for 12 different calibers
Quality dial gauge calipers X3 (so I can find one set at any given time)
Starret 0-1" micrometers X2 (lost one for a while, bought another then the first one reappeared)
RCBS Uniflow powder measure
Lyman vibrating case cleaner X2
RCBS vibrating case cleaner
Forster outside neck turning tool
RCBS powered case prep station
RCBS bench type priming tool
Hand priming tools X2
Case lube pads X3 different sizes
Loading blocks X7 (1 for hornet, 1 for 470 NE, 2 for 50 BMG and 3 for all the rest)
35 Shell holders for every rim size known to man.
108 sets of dies for almost every cartridge known to man
RCBS primer pocket swaging die for large and small pockets
Powder funnels X3
Bullet pullers (2X hammer style and 2X collet style)
Collets for every caliber up to 50 (make some of these myself)
Bullet run-out gauge
Cartridge loaded OAL gauges X3 made them myself S-M-L
Loading manuals (every one published since 1969, never missed an issue)
2 or 3 Chronys (junk) and 2X Oehler Mod 35P chronographs and an old Oehler Mod 10 (collectors item now)


AND last but not least my 5 gallon grain shovel for handling powder........aluminium so there is never a spark...........(Just for you BUM :p;))

And probably another dozen or so gadgets I have forgotten. How much of this list is necessary is subjective, but I do use every item on the list sometimes.
 
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The loading manuals can be found online in PDF format. I would prefer hard copies but I want to see which ones I like first. Everyone seems to have differing opinions, and no one manual has every powder type or bullet grain size listed. Of course I want to compare as well for accuracy reasons. But now I know who I will shout out to when the time comes c-fbmi! What is that acronym anyways, is it aircraft related?
 
If I could do it over again I'd do exactly what I did the first time.

I bought a LEE classic cast turret press kit. I really like that press as I can use it as a turret for high speed plinking rounds or take out the indexing rod to make it a single stage press when I'm loading slow and steady. With 4 holes on the turret it works great for me.

The powder measured that it comes with is the auto disk version and I find it meters very well and is quite accurate.

People seem to gate the old balance beam scale but I like it as it's very accurate. It's a little slow but I'm never in a big hurry if I'm weighing out every charge.

With the above mentioned kit I have loaded 1000's of rounds in probably 15 different rifle calibers from tiny 222 rounds up to 43 Mauser.

If you ask 10 reloaders what you need you will probably get 10 different answers.

The most important questions you need to ask yourself are:

-How many rounds do I actually shoot
-What type of accuracy do I want/need
-What calibers do I load
-how much money can I afford
-how much room do I have

I believe that it's not the equipment but it's the person running the equipment. Accuracy and speed are developed over time as the reloader perfects their craft.
 
Not as extreme as some here, but I did get 2 rockchuckers similar to the poster above. Got a chargemaster from natchez.com, a thumler's tumbler and stainless pins. Figure buy once cry once. I don't like the thought of buying something knowing I'm going to need to replace it in the future.
Been collecting odds and ends for 3 or 4 years now, probably close to $1500 spent so far, not including the $1500 I have invested in components. Its all in the anticipation of getting a membership at a range, so I have not even loaded a lot of rounds with it all yet. Hopefully this is my summer. Have a 10 week parental leave starting next week, have to look around to see who is accepting members and go from there.
 
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Dorian Gray said:
Just curious here guys.

I don't reload yet but have been toying with the idea for some time now. My volume of shooting (mostly .223) has increased dramatically over the last year or so and it's becoming more and more expensive to get out there and shoot. I mostly didn't get into reloading yet due to the cost of getting started but I think I'm going to bite the proverbial bullet so to speak and give'r a try.

So my question is: If you were going to start all over again, as a total noob, would you start with a kit? Like the RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme kit? Or maybe the Hornady Lock 'n Load kit? A Lee kit? Or would you buy all the stuff separately? I'm leaning more towards the kit because I don't know my butt from a hole in the ground when it comes to reloading yet so I'd like to get everything I need to start in one shot and not have to source much.

Also, space is at a premium in the small apartment I live in. I could probably arrange some sort of reloading bench (or desk more likely) but it would be tucked away with not a lot of room to spare. Do you need a lot of bench space to reload?

Sorry if any of this sounds stupid. I just would like some information on where to start and such. :redface:

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Are you loading .223 for your accurate bolt gun or to blast away with your AR15? If I were doing it over again I'd a buy a Dillon 650 with casefeeder. There's still case prep to do but the 1050 is out of reach.
 
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