I have a nice GemPro 250 digital scale, probably one of the best ones out there as far as a moderately expensive reloading scale, and find that I am putting it away for the good used RCBS 10-10 scale I recently acquired. There is something about gravity as a constant that make me feel like I am getting accurate readings. Cheap digital scales or even better ones need to be constantly recalibrated for change in temperature etc. Buy a solid cast single stage (I love my lee classic cast), a good scale, and a good reloading book (I like the lyman as its not brand myopic for bullet choices. After you have those basics covered you can start to cheap out. My .02
trying to build a budget reloading bench and don't know where to start
- Thread starter neoconfection
- Start date
Don't need to worry about the tumbling thing at all. Purely aesthetics and tumblers have only become popular in the last 10 or 15 years. Lee makes a powder dipper set. Pick the one that throws slighglty below your desired charge and trickle the last few grains off a tea spoon. From my poverty stricken beginner days.
Grizz
Start hanging around Gun Shows and you'll be surprised what you can pick up for very reasonable prices. . . Not only good deals but quite a few ole Boys don't mind sharing some of their experience if they know you're honestly interested and want to learn . . But most important is pick up a few good reloading manuals and read the opening chapters on reloading procedures over and over again. . become familiar with what they're talking about, you'll learn about all the powders, case prep and inspection, safety etc. .
Then you'll need a place to set up in. . A couple of 2X10's and a few 2X4's will make do for a bench. .
Then you'll need a place to set up in. . A couple of 2X10's and a few 2X4's will make do for a bench. .
For my bench I went out to the garage and found a 4x8x3/4 sheet of rough ply, and 20' of 2"x4" (not 2x4s) lumber, and a couple 90* wall brackets. It's framed with 2"x4", the top is 1.5" thick, 30" deep x 48" width. It has 2 legs and the back is anchored to the wall with 10" brackets. My bench could be built for $100 and it's like a rock. To fancy it up a little, I covered the top with laminate flooring underlay. I used the smooth side up , it's purdy.
, it's purdy.
Phosphoric acid: I buy mine at Canadian Tire, it's called "Spa Aquarius Stain Prevent. Descaler for spa waters." It comes in a 500ml white plastic bottle. I'm still using the bottle I bought years ago.
I put all the brass I'm going to clean in an old saucepan (if you have a strainer or an old fry basket, put that in first so you can lift the brass out easily.) Fill it with enough hot tap water to cover all the brass, add 2 or 3 tablespoons of the descaler, stir it up a bit, and let sit for 5 minutes. Then lift the brass out, pour away the liquid, and thoroughly rinse the brass in hot water. I usually do all this in winter, so then I turn the furnace on, and place the basket on the floor vent, and stir it by hand until it's all dry. Takes about 5 minutes.
This sounds like more work than it really is, but it's dirt cheap and works well.
I put all the brass I'm going to clean in an old saucepan (if you have a strainer or an old fry basket, put that in first so you can lift the brass out easily.) Fill it with enough hot tap water to cover all the brass, add 2 or 3 tablespoons of the descaler, stir it up a bit, and let sit for 5 minutes. Then lift the brass out, pour away the liquid, and thoroughly rinse the brass in hot water. I usually do all this in winter, so then I turn the furnace on, and place the basket on the floor vent, and stir it by hand until it's all dry. Takes about 5 minutes.
This sounds like more work than it really is, but it's dirt cheap and works well.
Use Citric Acid crystals.
If you really want to nickel and dime your way through, you can try the stuff by buying some unsweetened lemonade Kool-Aid crystals, at the grocery store. About 3 packages, into enough really hot water to cover your cases should do it.
Or drop $10 on a Kg. of the crystals at a U-Brew shop.
You can clean brass, or make your own Kool-aid with it. A couple tablespoons in the dishwasher will clean it out, too.
Dispose down the sink after use. Easy!
Cheers
Trev
If you really want to nickel and dime your way through, you can try the stuff by buying some unsweetened lemonade Kool-Aid crystals, at the grocery store. About 3 packages, into enough really hot water to cover your cases should do it.
Or drop $10 on a Kg. of the crystals at a U-Brew shop.
You can clean brass, or make your own Kool-aid with it. A couple tablespoons in the dishwasher will clean it out, too.
Dispose down the sink after use. Easy!
Cheers
Trev
beretta boy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Orillia, Ontario
Re: Loading Bench ...
A Speer Manual I have from about 10 years ago ( No. 13) has a reference to a decent looking loading bench in it for
which you can order plans to build one. The plans can be ordered ( for sale, no indication of how much $ ) from the
National Reloading Manufacturers Association [NRMA] 1 Centerpoint Drive, Oswego, Oregon, USA 97035.
A Speer Manual I have from about 10 years ago ( No. 13) has a reference to a decent looking loading bench in it for
which you can order plans to build one. The plans can be ordered ( for sale, no indication of how much $ ) from the
National Reloading Manufacturers Association [NRMA] 1 Centerpoint Drive, Oswego, Oregon, USA 97035.
Wow, took a while, but finally there is some sense in this thread.
Reloading doesn't need to be an expensive undertaking.
You can get started for ~$100!
$35 for a Lee loader
$30 a pound of powder
$30 /100 bullets.
$4 /100 primers.
Now, don't get too excited, you're pretty limited in what you can do with that, but it gets you reloading.
A more flexible set-up is the Lee kit you can sometimes get on sale for $100. A set of dies and a dial caliper will get you started. It isn't the "best" stuff, but it is really very good. Most people don't like the scale, but that is because they don't understand how to read a vernier scale, not because the scale is junk.
Gunshows are a great place to get used equipment, but until you have done some reloading and are familiar with the process and tools, it would be daunting to try and piece together what you need.
Before any of this though, buy a reloading manual or two. Most of them have a how-to section at the front and reload data after.
ABCs of Reloading gives a great explanation of the process, but doesn't give any data.
Lee's Modern Reloading has great data, and great how-to, but he tries very hard to convince you every other makers' stuff is junk. It isn't, almost all reloading stuff is very, very good.
Lyman manual has a very good how-to, and very good data. A brief description of each chambering and they give a "most accurate" load. Doesn't always work, but it is a good standard to go by.
Hornady's book is very good, but their data only covers Hornady bullets (of course).
There is a good homework list
Don't get too caught up in the minutiae though, reloading is really pretty simple.
Resize and push out old primer.
Put in new primer.
Add powder.
Put a bullet on top.
You can spend a whole bunch on nice tools, and they are really very nice, but you don't have to.
Also Garage sales have some good finds . I was just using lee loaders for .223 and .308.
went to 1 garage sale found old single stage press , scale , hand prime , lube , powder hopper , mixture of brass , gun cleaning supplies . $30 for the whole box.
weeks later went to another yard sale and got a box of 500 cast .308 bullets for $5 .
Now to find a suitable work bench.
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I just got into reloading myself recently.
I just bought a RCBS supreme master reloading kit and also had to pick up a case trimmer, calipers and of course dies.
For a bench I found a little desk for 20 bucks on usedregina that works great for me.
I just bought a RCBS supreme master reloading kit and also had to pick up a case trimmer, calipers and of course dies.
For a bench I found a little desk for 20 bucks on usedregina that works great for me.
I started with the lee anniversary Kit and wouldn't go that way again, actually to be more precise, two of the tree main items are unsatisfactory IMHO : the Scale and the powder measure. The press and everything else that comes with it are fine, and you CAN make due with the powder measure and beam scale, but I would get a RCBS Beam scale and probably RCBS powder measure as well, or even a powder measure made for a progressive press. Other wise, if you really want to go the kit way, RCBS is probably a better option.
