New to Reloading, Curious about a good setup?

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ValleyGunNut

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Hey guys, new to CGN, joined up as I recently bought a Norc M14. Went through the different stickys and have done some of the mods. Definately a great site with a pile of info!

Now for the question... I've been thinking of getting into reloading for awhile now, Ive had my buddies dad doing my .338 RUM ammunition for awhile but Id like to get into it myself. Im wondering what a good startup kit woulde be?? Manufacture?? Im leaning towards RCBS mainly because thats what buddies dad uses.

Id be loading 22-250, 308, 30-06, 338 RUM, and possibly 280.

Any input/advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks a lot!
 
x2 on the RCBS kit.

I started with the Rockchucker kit about 10 years ago. Press is still going strong after 1000's of loads.

Upgraded the powder measure to Redding 3BR and added other tools.

RCBS kit is a great place to start.

If you use the Speer manual as (one of your) reference books, it refers to the RCBS gear which makes your initial set-up easy.

Good luck! SD
 
Thanks for the responses guys! As for the budget Id rather spend a little more and get a quality product (not saying dillon isnt at all) Lol I guess what Im trying to say is that there isnt a defined "budget" for me... Im just looking to get into it, with a decent quality kit... That being said I dont need to start turning out 1000's of rounds a day by any means LOL
 
If I had to do it again, I would for sure buy one of RCBS Rockchucker kits.
They can be had for just over three hundred if you're patient.
Do study these kits as there are variances in the contents in them.
The ones closer to four brown ones should offer a little more goodies.
Welcome aboard there Newbie........ :D
 
Get a good manual or 3 and read it. And when you start loading, follow the instructions step by step. (For example, make sure you trim your brass for your semi auto rifle so as not to cause an over pressure and blow up!!!!!!!)
Reloading is actually a bigger hobby for me than actually shooting, (I also cast my own bullets). I would recommend starting with low cost and simple, and make sure that it is something that you really want to do. It can be very time consuming, and some people find that they aren't willing to put the kind of time and patience that it takes to reload.
 
Can't go wrong buying RCBS, as noted above, there are variations in the kits as to content vs price. And spend some money on some manuals, they all have some different tips in them, and you can never have too much info on reloading.
 
I have a Lyman...works great. Buddy has a Hornady...also works great. I have RCBS,Hornady and Lee dies. Haven't been doing it long but i have already swore off Lee products. They are cheap and Sh**y!
 
i have a mix of stuff....Lee anniversary kit press, powder dispenser and primer loader setup is what i use from that. Lyman universal trimmer with RCBS 3 way trimmer adapted to it, RCBS deburring tools and a mix of Lee and RCBS dies. Hornady scale and Hornady One shot lube.

A lot of it is interchangable...

When it comes to single stage presses, really, how much difference can it be? Progressives i can undestand though.
 
I prefer to see people start with single stage presses (my $.02) so that they can fully appreciate all the steps necessary. Unless you are shooting pistol or high volume rifle such as hundreds of rounds at a time, a single stage will do you for a lifetime. Even if you do need the progressive, load development will be much easier on the single stage.

tbhupe
 
I'm going to have to disagree with the RCBS recommendation. I have not had a very good go with them. Never had one of there presses but from what I know now I find there stuff to be way over priced for what your getting. There warranty was also a pain for me where Hornady was a dream.

I have two Lee presses, one being a Load Master and the other a 50 years Anniversary set. The single stage Anniversary set you can not go wrong with. For less the $150 you get everything you need, minus the reloading manual. The Load Master is a good press as well but it can be a bit moody at times as there priming system is not the greatest.

Knowing what I know now I would probably go with either a Hornady LnL or a Dillon 550 for a progressive press but for a single stage, you just can't beat Lee's for the price.
 
Lot of good advice here. If it matters, I still have the Rockchucker setup I bought decades ago - still churning out good ammo.

As to what 'class', I would suggest you do a quick cost/benefit analysis. Consider things like:

  • How much are you planning on reloading? How many rounds per month?

  • How much will a single stage/turret/progressive cost?

  • How much will your components cost per round?

  • Based on that, how much will you save per round compared to commercial ammo?

From all of that, you should get a good estimate of how long it will take to pay off the gear. (There is of course the other theory that you won't save anything, just shoot more.)
 
Thanks for all the information guys! Im planning on getting into this as a hobby and to save a bit of money on shells. Mainly for the 338 RUM... I love shooting it but to go out and buy factory ammo is usually about $80 a box give or take... And I dont want to constantly harass my buddies dad to reload for me so Id like to get into it myself. The rock chucker kit is the one I was looking at, the local store can get them in, not sure of a price on it yet though, as I stated before just looking at the moment checking everything out sorta thing.

Another question: Whats the best reloading manual to have? Speer was mentioned earlier... Sorry for the questions guys, lol shooting guns is not new to me at all, but this reloading stuff is a lot to take in all at once haha
 
I would say go with at least 3 good manuals, more if you can find them. Speer, Nosler, Hornady are all good manuals, the Barnes book is good but not as good as the other three I listed in my opinion.
 
The Lyman manual is the best one published. The Hornady manual has the most realistic velocity figures which often match what you will see in real life.

The ABCs of reloading is a great instructional book even though it doesn't contain actual reloading data.

The LEE manual has lots of plagiarized data along with the ramblings of a bitter old man ......
 
what does everyone think of the lee progressive presses? Ive only really heard of one problem with the primer feed. other people with hands on?
 
I just finished reloading 70 308 in about 1 and half hours on my rockchucker. It was bought secondhand. Made in 1972 . I have loaded and formed brass at least 2000 rounds and still going strong. As far as dies i own lee rcbs and redding. They all perform well. So pick what you like. As far as manuals i have four lyman speer sierra and hornady. The one most help for a beginner is lyman.
 
RCBS works for me. They have a good rebate going on now. As for reading material. Try to find the ABC's of reloading. Good book for starters
 
ValleyGunNut said:
Another question: Whats the best reloading manual to have? Speer was mentioned earlier... Sorry for the questions guys, lol shooting guns is not new to me at all, but this reloading stuff is a lot to take in all at once haha
Click to expand...

There's a technical term for people who don't ask questions - 'ignorant'. So fire away.

As noted, The ABCs of Reloading is an excellent place to start for how-to information. Read it first and the task will become much clearer. Also as noted, it sadly is not rich in 'recipes', so reloading manuals are an additional requirement, but read ABCs first.

Manuals put out by any of the leading firms (Lyman, Speer, Sierra, etc) are reliable. (Far more so than the internet. There is much good info there, but also a lot of cowboys. I wouldn't recommend taking any reloading data off the net until you get some experience.) I personally think much of it is personal taste. I buy a new one every few years and try to buy one from a different source each time.
 
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