What Else Do I Need?

FlyingHigh

FlyingHigh

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ok. i'm starting to save my money to buy a full reloading setup. i'm making a list and checking it twice, so i get everything i need. i'll be reloading 7mm Rem Mag to start and probably .243 within a year or so, once i get one. here's the list, as priced from Cabela's, where i plan to get most of the stuff. unless someone knows where i can get it cheaper. what else do i need to add to the list?

-RCBS Advanced RC Supreme Master Reloading Kit - $599.99
- RC Supreme press
- electronic Charge Master 1500 powder dispenser
- Charge Master scale
- plastic powder funnel
- hand priming tool
- Trim Pro case trimmer
- deburring tool
- case loading block
- Case Slick Lube spray (1 bottle)
- Speer No. 14 reloading manual

-RCBS Vibratory Case Cleaner - $69.99

-RCBS Die Set (7mm Rem Mag) - $26.99

-RCBS Shell Holder - $6.49

-RCBS Digital Calliper - $48.99

-Cabela’s Bullet Puller - $15.99

-bullets, primers, casings, powder, tumbling media (not sure what kind), case lube.

-something to pop the old primers out of the used casings...what is it?
 
You've made good choices for your equipment. I don't agree with crushed walnut. Corncob media is less harsh and much better for most uses, and polishing cases is no real benefit anyway. Most reloaders do without. Shiny cases are for pride, not function.
 
Skip the RCBS Digital Calliper - $48.99, and get one at princess auto or canadian tire for $15.
Your die set should have a shell holder with it.
 
You have case lube on your list. If you wanna spend 13 bucks and 10 min of your time for a lifetime supply buy a 500ml bottle of 99% rubbing alcohol at Shoppers. Don't drink it, its very bitter, :cheers:. Then go buy a 118 ml bottle of anhydrous (liquid) lanolin at a natural food joint. It comes in a little spray bottle which you'll need.

Warm the alcohol, 50 deg C +/-, in a chafing dish in water, " don't put alcohol in a pot directly on the stove, it'll catch fire :slap:. When the alcohol is nice and warm, mix in the lanolin, (warming the alcohol makes this easy), and voila! You've got a half litre of spray lube.

OK, this is penny pinching, but after aggressively spending 10's of 1,000's of $$ on this sport I take pride in saving a buck or two on the lube :dancingbanana:.

Have fun.
 
Manuals, lots of manuals! I'll second the chrony, and if you do lots of shooting a power case trimmer will save you some time. Get a scale weight check set, it's good value for piece of mind. At this stage of the game I often set up the powder charge I want with the check set, rather than simply zeroing the scale.

I realize you want good equipment, but you might want to consider how much time you want to spend loading as opposed to how much time to spend shooting. Once you've bought the basic tools, the additional tools that can be purchased to perfect your loads can be time consuming to use. I uniform my primer pockets and de-burr and uniform my flash holes. Does this make my ammo any better? Beats me, but it makes me feel better so I continue to do it. When I'm setting up I may check the neck run out at each stage of the loading process to see if there are any problems. This is pretty much a waste of time when you are loading ammo for a hunting rifle, but still I do it. When you set up your sizing die, using a black marker to color the neck and shoulder will show you quickly what portion of the neck is resized and how much the shoulder is set back. It is also useful to write the powder charge on each cartridge case when you are doing load development. The ink from a permanent marker wipes of easily, even after a considerable period of time.
 
here what i can say beside those been said:

for hand prime tool, lee product is excellent and not expensive.

for case outside lube, imperial sizing die wax is the best.

for case inside lube, never had a problem with lee resizing lube.

buy a lee factory crimp die, very useful for rifle round.

buy a lee neck sizing die, good for the brass.

i let others buddy continue.


bylogic
 
Stick with the stuff from "Big" Green all the way.

Another Shell holder ... so you can leave one in the press and one in the hand primer. You will likely find good use for a few more loading blocks, or make your own on a drill press from 1" plywood using an appropriate sized Forstner bit. A 100 hole plywood block is more stable than the plastic ones.

A stainless steel dial caliper will do nicely. Scale check weights are a good investment.

If you want to use inexpensive case lube, Kiwi Neutral Shoe Polish works just fine. Hard to tell any difference between it and Imperial.

I prefer treated corncob media as well, and refer to not only the Speer Manual, but also to Nosler & Sierra Manuals, and the magazine format Hodgdon "Annual Manual".
 
Looks like a good start. I began with a lot less than that. You don't need the vibratory cleaner right away. Wipe the brass off with a damp rag and it will be fine.

I would get the Lyman reloading manual instead of the Speer as my first reloading manual. the Lyman manual has better how-to sections for a beginner. Spend a week reading and studying the instructions before you start.
 
thanks for the info. i'll definitely be reading up on it alot before i even start loading. i'll probably pick up the Lyman, and Hornady manuals in addition to the one that comes with the set. anything thing else you guys can think of that i'm missing?
 
Try 50% castor oil mixed with 50% lanolin for a home-made case lube you don't have to bother with heating/melting (for a cheap factory product, nothing beats Lee). After using both the Lee and RCBS hand priming tools I strongly recommend the Hornady product; much less effort involved due to the design of the tool. A cartridge check gauge made by L.E. Wilson is worth its weight in gold.
 
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