Starting to reload
- Thread starter taz1977
- Start date
- Location
- Southwestern Ontario
Good single stage press (RCBS Rockchucker for example). Good scale, digital is best. Dies for each calibre. Method of cleaning cases. Case trimmer. Case lube pad. Good reloading manual (lyman, Lee). Digital caliper to check OAL, cases, etc. Bullet extractor - either hammer type or collet (collet is better but more $). Powders, projectiles, primers, and most of all patience.
I agree on all of the above with the exception of the digital scale.....
Don't get me wrong, I use a digital scale, but I also have a mechanical one to make sure the digital one is staying honest....
Prophet River has the rock chucker kit on sale plus they have no tax free shipping special on..... that comes with the mechanical scale, which is all you need to get started...... as it also comes with a check weight to verify it.... $450
To make things faster you can add the digital scale..... I got two decent ones off of the EE for $50 each......
So, for $500 you are all in...... you will need to get a bullet pulled eventuallybas mentioned above, but they aren't too expensive....
One at a time for dies, brass, and probably powder. Primers n' Bullets might be common among a few of your listed (.308 bores)... I started with my most "expensive to buy factory" round for dies and worked out to different calibers from there....
-Manual(s)
-Press
-scale
-components by caliber (dies, brass, primer. powder n' bullets)
-Target to shoot at...
...gettin'fancy? Add a chrono for load development.
-Manual(s)
-Press
-scale
-components by caliber (dies, brass, primer. powder n' bullets)
-Target to shoot at...
...gettin'fancy? Add a chrono for load development.
Its my opinion that if you find a Buddy who reloads, bring over a case of beer and participate in the experience before you buy anything. Some items are a waste of money, where others are very valuable. See it for yourself and decide what you may need. Many items are gathered along the way instead of dumping big cash into it all at once.
I don't have a "good" one...I have a cheapie f1 chrony.
There is no way in the world he's "all in" as you put it for $500.
He needs 8 sets of dies which will cost him at least $400.
He needs a way to clean his brass.
If I were to get into reloading now I would start off with a wet tumbler, Stainless Steel Pins, a media separator, some Lemishine and some dish soap.
To buy these items will cost about $300.
Yes some people make their own wet tumbler.
He needs a Vernier Caliper and a collet type bullet puller and some collets $100.
He will have a nearly impossible time with a kinetic puller with some of those large calibers
He is also missing tools which I think are vital to accurate reloading.
Case comparator to accurately measure how far you are pushing your shoulders back. $35
Bullet comparator to measure base to ogive and how far the bullet is from the lands.$35
Overall length gauge with the modified case for each caliber to measure where the lands are on your rifles.$90
I would say that he will be closer to $1500 all in plus components for all those calibers.
Yes he can get into reloading 1 caliber for around $600 but he will be missing a bunch of stuff which is useful and in my opinion necessary.
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Add another $100 at least for a manual case trimmer.
He wants to start...... he doesn't need anything to clean the brass he hasn't fired yet, and I am pretty sure he knows he needs dies and components.... and a bench to mount the vice to..... although a caliper is a must and I did overlook that...
Tazz.... my best advice is don't make the mistake I did and buy everything you think you need long term all at once.... you will find that you do need most of the stuff mentioned, but you won't know exactly what you want until you get there..... heck, if you are reloading cartridges like 223 rem or 308 win, you can get processed brass for cheap while you worry about case trimming and brass cleaning later.....
Get into the basics of making cartridges on the cheap that go bang safely and are accurate, then decide if you want to go to the next level.....
All of the stuff that gets said here is good advice, and thumpr, don't think I am discounting your info, but it can be intimidating to the new reloader that hasn't even learned the basics yet....
Reloading is like shooting in general.... most of us started with a cooey, a box of CT ammo and went from there..... it's best to take that same approach to reloading as well....
My assumption is that he has once fired brass from his rifles.
Maybe that is a false assumption.
If he has brass from his rifles then he needs a way to clean it an maybe trim it.
In my opinion all the measuring tools I mentioned are vital to measuring your progress in sizing your brass to fit your chambers and seating your bullets to the same length.
Yes you can do without them but you will be scrambling to buy them if you are unsure if you pushed the shoulder back too far on your brass.
I would also look into buying once fired .338 Lapua brass off the EE for a substantial savings over new.
- Location
- West Quebec
A CED m2 would do the job for both pistol & rifles
The sonic cleaner will do till you get tired of it and move to wet tumbling.
I would buy a Lee Universal decapping die which will remove the primers without sizing the cases.
This way when you clean them in the sonic cleaner the primer pockets will also come clean.
I would definitely buy a trimmer and at least the Hornady headspace gauge
Here are a couple of videos to watch.
$500 is a start, sky is the limit after that.
Started off dump brass into clean t-shirt, squirt of liquid thinner, rub away. brass brush on neck. worked fine.
Don't buy lemishine, get 2lb of food grade citric acid from Amazon.ca for C$10, last a lifetime.
Venier caliper CT has sales, reg $40, best sale $10. Buy 5 or more, keep the ones that are accurate (lucky to have 2 of 5).
Made my own puller with piece of 2x2 and scrap piece nail in for handle. drill deep hole for brass, then shallow hole for shellholder. Brass in shellholder, drop in hole, wrack a mole. For bigger boys like 300WM or 338LM wrack as hard as needed, don't worry about breaking like that expensive plastic kinetic puller, make several, wood is cheap.
Making your own modified case from 1F is better. Go to eBay for $5 tap.
Fed FGMM does not chase the land and it shoot fine for 1 MOA. Need that precision stuff chasing <1/2MOA.
Not time to talk precision tools cause the sky's the limit.
Started off dump brass into clean t-shirt, squirt of liquid thinner, rub away. brass brush on neck. worked fine.
Don't buy lemishine, get 2lb of food grade citric acid from Amazon.ca for C$10, last a lifetime.
Venier caliper CT has sales, reg $40, best sale $10. Buy 5 or more, keep the ones that are accurate (lucky to have 2 of 5).
Made my own puller with piece of 2x2 and scrap piece nail in for handle. drill deep hole for brass, then shallow hole for shellholder. Brass in shellholder, drop in hole, wrack a mole. For bigger boys like 300WM or 338LM wrack as hard as needed, don't worry about breaking like that expensive plastic kinetic puller, make several, wood is cheap.
Making your own modified case from 1F is better. Go to eBay for $5 tap.
Fed FGMM does not chase the land and it shoot fine for 1 MOA. Need that precision stuff chasing <1/2MOA.
Not time to talk precision tools cause the sky's the limit.
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