What Product do I need to start reloading

[Bart212]

Hi,

I have a bunch of brass laying around and want to reload it. What books would be great references to learn the basics.

What I have to reload is a bunch of Milsurp ammo.

30-06
308
223
303

and some 22 Hornet and 8mm mauser.

Which brand of equipment to you suggest (keep in mind I don't have 1000s of rounds to reload and would like to keep the cost down). I also would like to know which brand of consumables are the best.

I'm looking at reloading them back to regular military loads (Ball rds).

The brass will need to be cleaned aswell.

Thanks

 

[tbrwlf]

Lee Cast Classic. You can reload anything upto 12 gauge shotgun.
Dies. One set for each caliber. You can go with Lee for the least expense.
Length sizing die for each caliber. Go with Lee. Cheap. Easy to use.
Micrometer. For all of you length measurements.
Scales. Go inexpensive electronic. Make sure it goes to +/- .1 grain. Not Gram.
Brass tumbler and media. You may not need it day one but it is the best way to clean your brass.
Manual. Any of the good manuals will work. Try to get the latest additions. It will give you options for powder and bullet combinations so that you don't blow up the gun and yourself.

That will get you ready to reload. After that, find someone who reloads and get them to show you how to use the equipment.

I almost forgot. You need:
Powder
Primers
Projectiles

 

[Bart212]

Hi I was on reloaders.ca and found these two presses ones a kit and the others the Cast one that you talked about. Is there a difference? Is one better than the other? as they are the same price and the kit comes with alot more loading kit.

http://reloaders.ca/oscommerce/popup_image.php?pID=265&osCsid=94aa5027416496ec61102d057bc4334d

http://reloaders.ca/oscommerce/popup_image.php?pID=105&osCsid=94aa5027416496ec61102d057bc4334d

and on my 30'06 milsurp brass the primers were sealed with a Red sealant and I can't punch them out is there a redneck method to getting these out???????

 

[ben hunchak]

I wasn't going to respond to this one because I don't believe in going for the cheapest stuff, however, I do think that military brass may not be the way to start, get some brass that will allow you to prime easily and deprime, and also find published loads for. Save the mil. brass for when you have learned the ropes and start 10% below listed loads. Quality press and dies would also help.

 

[Bart212]

I wasn't going to respond to this one because I don't believe in going for the cheapest stuff, however, I do think that military brass may not be the way to start, get some brass that will allow you to prime easily and deprime, and also find published loads for. Save the mil. brass for when you have learned the ropes and start 10% below listed loads. Quality press and dies would also help.

I do have some Winchester brass so I was going to start with it as the primers come out with a few hammer taps. So the Lee presses and dies are cheap? who makes better ones for similar cost? I've just started thinking about reloading and there seems to be quite a bit of reloading equipment on the EE. Is the equipment from different manufacturers compatible with one another???

I've been watching youtube videos on reloading and was wondering if I trim the brass do I still Size it???

Will soap and water with a scotchbrite pad clean the brass good enough and does the inside need to be cleaned????

 

[Ganderite]

So long as brass does not have mud on it, cleaning is cosmetic. I very seldom tumble brass to clean it.

When you lube the cases and then wipe off lube after sizing, you will wipe off some of the gunge. The brass does not have to be shiny to work well.

 

[trevj]

I do have some Winchester brass so I was going to start with it as the primers come out with a few hammer taps. So the Lee presses and dies are cheap? who makes better ones for similar cost? I've just started thinking about reloading and there seems to be quite a bit of reloading equipment on the EE. Is the equipment from different manufacturers compatible with one another???

I've been watching youtube videos on reloading and was wondering if I trim the brass do I still Size it???

Will soap and water with a scotchbrite pad clean the brass good enough and does the inside need to be cleaned????

The standard Lee presses made of Zinc alloy are cheap but work. That is the Challenger, and similar models. They are not a tool for folks that need their stuff to feel like it cost a lot. But they will make ammo that works, if you are not gonna go to the Olympics with it.

The Lee Classic Cast, is a big, heavy, solid bit of kit that sells for a price that seems a bit low for what you end up with, compared to the other single stage presses on the market. If you get a chance to see one in person, you will see what I mean. It's large enough to do 50 cal with too, should you ever need. For $120 new, it's a good buy, IMO.

You can use soap and water if you really need the hobby to kill time. I wipe down the outside of my brass, give the inside of the case neck a quick swipe with a brass bore brush, and clean the crunchies out of the primer pockets. Done.

I have been playing with citric acid to clean grungy brass. That looks promising, and is a low labour input method! The case tumbler will make your brass clean and shiny, without a bunch of work.

Resizing makes the case fit chambers that are of a standard size, but may be a bit different than the one the case was fired in. Trimming the case only deals with the length of the case, which can stretch a bit when fired. Two different things to deal with. Yes, you need to do both. You can also just neck size, if the ammo was shot in your rifle, and it is not a semi-auto. Semi's usually require a resize each loading.

Cheers
Trev

 

[tbrwlf]

I have used the cast classic for 5 years now and it will reload anything I have. It is a tough as the RCBS machines at half the price.

That said, Lee is the cheap end of the scale as Ben pointed out. They work but you do get what you pay for.

I have never had a problem with any Lee equipment I have owned.

The case length trimmer is the easiest to use and you can use a cordless drill to drive it.

 

[mmattockx]

+1 on the Lee Classic cast press. It will do everything you need and last for years.

Before I bought a tumbler, I cleaned my brass by wiping it down with steel wool and then a tack cloth. Worked fine for me. All you need to do for cleaning is get any dirt or grit off to avoid damaging your sizing die, anything after that is strictly cosmetic.

Mark