Reloading set-up questions for biginner

RemingtonMarlin

RemingtonMarlin

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Hi, I am looking into starting reloading again (briefly tried before and sold them all).

Question 1: Which route is better between buying equipment together as a reloading kit or buying separately as needed?

Question 2: Can the RCBS shell holder used on Lee classic cast press? or Can I use Lee shell holder (for press) on Rock chucker Supreme press?

Thank you very very much.
 
RemingtonMarlin said:
Hi, I am looking into starting reloading again (briefly tried before and sold them all).

Question 1: Which route is better between buying equipment together as a reloading kit or buying separately as needed?

Question 2: Can the RCBS shell holder used on Lee classic cast press? or Can I use Lee shell holder (for press) on Rock chucker Supreme press?

Thank you very very much.
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RM
There is very little that comes in a kit that isn't needed when it comes to loading. If you nothing it is the best way to go. If your finances are good you can do it in pieces. RCBS, Redding, Hornady and Lyman all make good quality presses, Forrester Co-Ax is a great press but can be tough to find in Canada. FS
 
I agree with Fassteel, a kit is the best way to start. You will need to pick up a few more things along the way, but a kit should have everything needed to get started, less dies and shell holders.
 
Thank you.

Thank you Fassteel and Scott,

How about the shell holders? are they interchangeble between different brands and presses? From my understaning, dies are interchangeble between presses.


Scott_N said:
I agree with Fassteel, a kit is the best way to start. You will need to pick up a few more things along the way, but a kit should have everything needed to get started, less dies and shell holders.
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RemingtonMarlin said:
Thank you Fassteel and Scott,

How about the shell holders? are they interchangeble between different brands and presses? From my understaning, dies are interchangeble between presses.
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All my stuff is RCBS, so I can't answer your question definitively, but as far as I know, yes, dies / shell holders are interchangeable between presses.
 
Standard dies are 7/8x14TPI and most shellholders will interchange.I'd get a cast press over aluminum as the handle pivot is prone to breakage on entry level Lee's.E-Bay is a good place to start collecting needed stuff.................Harold
 
A press, dies, trimming tool, powder measuring device, and priming tool are all that's needed to reload. Most of the kits give you all of this, some not quite.

The standard types of shellholders, and die threads are interchangeable between almost all modern presses.

The Lee 50th Anniversary Kit, or Breech Lock kit are a good starting point. You just need dies, a case length gauge from Lee to trim with and components to load. If you decide you need different tools later you can always sell these, but I am finding myself using the Lee Presses more than my RCBS these days.

The linkage on the Breech Lock press is much stronger than the older style they used that people complain about breaking. I think in the last year or so that eBay prices have gotten to be higher or the same as retail, sometimes even for used gear. I would check out Factory Sales in WI for Lee equip pricing.
 
Shell holders will work on different press's. The RCBS hand primer uses standard shell holders whereas the Lee hand primer uses specific auto primer shell holders.
 
One thing kits don't come with is a hand primer, though not absolutely necessary they are a real aid to producing quality ammunition and IMHO speeds up the process. Also +1 on getting a cast press as the rigidity would be better.
 
I got the Lee Anniversary press and am pleased with it. It primes on the press and I find that is nice too. Very easy to use at the time of resizing or as a separate operation. The scale is accurate as is the measure that come with it. If you plan to neck size I would get their deluxe dies which have both the full length and neck dies in addition to the seater die. That way if you need to bump the shoulder after a while you have the FL die to do it. For hunting rounds you may want to use the FL die only to ensure chambering. As mentioned, you will need calipers, trim gauges for each caliber, a chamfer tool and perhaps a powder trickler to get your charges exact while setting the measure. I just use an empty case with some powder in it to trickle powder into the pan by rolling the case in my fingers. One more handy item is a case tray for organizing brass during the reloading steps. A couple of other tricks are to use a brass bore brush to clean the inside of fired brass case necks and a light grade of Scotchbrite to clean up the brass a bit if you are not going to tumble.
You will get a lot more use out of your brass if you are loading for a bolt action and decide to neck size only.
And let's not forget to get a couple of reloading manuals and read them a couple of times, the Lee one is good and also the ABC's of reloading. Ask questions here too once you've read them. The guys here are great at helping out.
 
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i believe lee has changed t steel linkage even on their challenger press. the alumminun ones were prone to breakage after several thousand rounds. i would go with the lee aniversary kit to start.
 
jasonburnsdundee said:
i believe lee has changed t steel linkage even on their challenger press. the alumminun ones were prone to breakage after several thousand rounds. i would go with the lee aniversary kit to start.
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X2... im on multiple thousands of rounds on a lee press i bought a year and a half ago with the 50th anniversary kit. it gets alot of use, and is holding up very well. i would buy the lee kit, and ideally RCBS, hornady or redding dies. not that there's anything wrong with lee dies, i just prefer to have dies that are built to exacting standards, and i have a couple lee dies that don't appear to have the same quality of machining as other brands. a good press is a good press. the lee breech lock challenger is a very good press.
 
mikeystew said:
X2... im on multiple thousands of rounds on a lee press i bought a year and a half ago with the 50th anniversary kit. it gets alot of use, and is holding up very well. i would buy the lee kit, and ideally RCBS, hornady or redding dies. not that there's anything wrong with lee dies, i just prefer to have dies that are built to exacting standards, and i have a couple lee dies that don't appear to have the same quality of machining as other brands. a good press is a good press. the lee breech lock challenger is a very good press.
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I have done several ten thousands on my Lee press. It was second hand when I got it 20 years ago and it is still going. There is nothing wrong with Lee equipment. Comparing different manufacturers is like comparing different car makers. What is the job of a car? To get you from point A to point B. A Porsche will get you there faster than a Kia and will work maybe a little better. Same thing here. Spend some money on a Lee kit and see where you want to be. Then move up if you have to. You can always sell the stuff if you really don't like it.
 
The 50th Anniversary kit comes with the safety prime on the press.

The Breech Lock kit comes with the Auto prime hand primer.

Otherwise the kits are identical. The breech lock still has the prime assemblies so you can load one primer at a time by hand on the ram and prime on the press, or use the autoprime.
 
I too caught the reloading bug. I ordered the RCBS Rockchucker Supreme kit from Mystic Precision (Jerry) last week and can't wait to get it! Basically, I am trying to improve my shot groupings and with all the information from such knowledgeable people on this site, I was able to make a solid decision as to what type of press and dies I needed to purchase.
 
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