Recommend Set Up For Precision Reloading?

Unfortunatly I will probably spend on the higher side of the $ scale.

Would like recomendations from you guys about the individual components, please.

Based on what you guys recommend, I will start hunting down the individual components.

I was gonna do a kit like Skullboy recommended, but I suspect that quite a few of the kit components would go by the wayside, quickly.

Thanx guys.
 
I just bought two of these and they are working awesome for me so far.

CLASSIC.jpg
 
It is the lee classic cast.

Higginsons has them, and SIR has them.

They cost just around $100 plus tax and are CNC machined to line up the ram with the die.

ww w.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1176339708.1909=/html/catalog/classic.html
 
At the end of the day it's probably more important how you reload than the tools you use. A 1/200 gr scale won't help if it's not used properly, neither will a ten thou mic. I'm willing to bet you can turn out some pretty crappy accuracy with top-of-the-line equipment if you don't look at what, why and when you perform certain checks and develope a constant routine in the production of the loaded round. It's the same with anything in shooting, the tool is less important than the operator, which is why a guy like Mysticplayer produces great ammo with "average" off the shelf dies and presses, frankly I probably couldn't match his results if I bought 3 of everything in the Sinclair Catalogue.
 
ian_in_vic said:
At the end of the day it's probably more important how you reload than the tools you use. A 1/200 gr scale won't help if it's not used properly, neither will a ten thou mic. I'm willing to bet you can turn out some pretty crappy accuracy with top-of-the-line equipment if you don't look at what, why and when you perform certain checks and develope a constant routine in the production of the loaded round. It's the same with anything in shooting, the tool is less important than the operator, which is why a guy like Mysticplayer produces great ammo with "average" off the shelf dies and presses, frankly I probably couldn't match his results if I bought 3 of everything in the Sinclair Catalogue.
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Oh so true! After about a year of reloading lots I thought I had things figured out. What I figured out was that I had a lot more figuring to do!! :D

Like Mysticplayer says, you don't have to break the bank on tools but you do have to learn how to use them to get the results.

Consistency is everything from lot numbers to the routine you follow. Deviate and you will see how it affects you.

On the plus side there are some very experienced people here to draw experience from. Take advantage of this!
 
Blackcloud said:
Oh so true! After about a year of reloading lots I thought I had things figured out. What I figured out was that I had a lot more figuring to do!! :D

Like Mysticplayer says, you don't have to break the bank on tools but you do have to learn how to use them to get the results.

Consistency is everything from lot numbers to the routine you follow. Deviate and you will see how it affects you.

On the plus side there are some very experienced people here to draw experience from. Take advantage of this!
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If you already have a good handloading procedure that is repeatable every time, the only thing left to do is to reduce the size of the tolerances within your equipment. I was able to make very accurate .222 ammo with a set of standard RCBS FL dies. Does that mean I should not attempt to reduce the tolerances I was working with? I don't think so, so I have attempted since then to improve my equipment.

A super accurate scale alone might not improve your ammo, but it removes any question about charge weight if a load produces an unusually high or low extreme spread in velocity. A normal powder scale operates within the tolerances of + or - .1 grain, which easily could become a quarter of a grain from the time the scale is adjusted for zero to when it is zeroed the next time you begin to load. Is your eye at exactly the same level to the scale indicator every time you use a balance beam scale? Do you only accept weights which show the scale indicator as being dead on? Do you bounce the scale to ensure the measurement is repeatable? An electronic scale takes away a lot of the guess work, and super accurate scale reduces the tolerances to a point where you do not need to be concerned about them.

Neck turning with the cutter set by a micrometer again by itself will not make the difference between good and bad ammo, but it results in case necks being just a little more uniform, and if run-out is measured to 3 digits rather than 2 we again are talking about the combined potential of all of these elements.

Accuracy is nothing more than the combination of close tolerances and repeatable procedures. However, the search for accuracy is elusive, and "good enough" never is.
 
Max Owner said:
No more suggestions on individual components?
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Components can make a huge variation in accuracy. Each rifle has a mind of it's own so to speak, only by trying different bullets and powders can you really decide which works best in A particul rifle.
Lapua and Nosler brass I believe to be about the best for consistancy. In the old days I would but a lot more Winchester brass that I needed, weigh it to get as many within a grain or 2 as possible, then start neck turning, flash hole beburring and all the other time consuming crap we used to have to go through to get what Nosler and Lapua sell now in boxes already to load for the most part.
Primers also can play a big role in accuracy, again experimenting will dictate what works best for you.
Todays powders are a quantum leap up from what we had 30 years ago, there are some that are just plain reliable in a caliber ie Varget in 308 seems to always work, other calibers have several powders that will work well ie in 300 win mag H4831sc, RL22, Retumbo and I am sure there are more.
Reloading is as much experimentation as known science.
KK
 
Max, I really can't think of anything that hasn't been mentioned.
A cartridge concentricity gauge, a good press (I think that all the major ones have been mentioned), good dies, a good scale, and carefull technique with good record keeping, are the major factors in producing excellent reloads.

After that some small, incrimental gains can be made with things like neck turning, primer pocket uniforming and flash hole deburring.
 
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