what reloading gear for the clumsy?

[Mr. Friendly]

I've got fine motor skill deficits, so for process that require little motion tend to be a challenge for me. For you experienced hand loaders, can you recommend, for someone on a budget (HAH, aren't we all?), the equipment/hardware that I should look to purchase to make the task as easy as possible?

I love the idea of the Lee Loader kits, which do come in 2 calibers I have (.270 Win & .45-70), but not 7mm-08. Further, I'm not certain I would be able to load up as accurately as possible with those scoops. They seem to be more like a hand grenade when I need a scalpel (sensitive scale to pinpoint down to the fraction of a grain).

I won't be loading a lot, so I don't need anything extravagant like a multi-turret (though the concept of having one is amazing) press, but I'm not against buying used.

 

[skoal]

The hornady lnl seems like it would fit the bill.

 

[FoxAlpha]

Fine motor skills I've found while reloading.

I prime on my press so I load the primers individually into the priming arms, I'd recommend geting a hand primer unit so you can just flop the primers into the loader and go.

Powder handling is the next one and obviously the most important. I use one of 3 methods.
For pistol, I use a powder measure/thrower like the Lyman no 55 for all my pistol calibers. For load development, I use a 1/3 teaspoon to get me close and then trickle the rest into a scale. For large batches of rifle ammo, I use my Lyman gen 6 electronic powder thrower.

Doing it by hand with any type of measuring device, followed by a trickler is the cheapest solution, but requires them fine motor skills to be sure you're within a tenth of a grain.

Nobody is born with fine motor skills, just practice them like everything else and be careful when handling powder. If you accidentally throw 43.8 gr instead of the 43.1, start o ever.

 

[MiniMe]

I have a friend with similar issues.
Give turrets a second thought.
If you have a motor skill deficit, they would save you the trouble of adjusting dies over and over. If you don't really want a turret, look into the breech lock kits.

A nice digital scale with a powder tickler will make it easier than a regular scale. I have a digital scale with a integrated trickler, it is very steady.

Also, my buddy uses a turret and he says it is easier to pour the powder with the case in the shell holder than with the case in a reloading tray.

 

[Mr. Friendly]

thanks for the thoughts! Alpha...deficits stem from neurological damage 20 years ago. muscle memory and stuff will help in the end, but I know how clumsy my fingers can be when doing fine tasks. one big issues is thinking to move my hand one way, but the message get mixed and go the other.

 

[FoxAlpha]

thanks for the thoughts! Alpha...deficits stem from neurological damage 20 years ago. muscle memory and stuff will help in the end, but I know how clumsy my fingers can be when doing fine tasks. one big issues is thinking to move my hand one way, but the message get mixed and go the other.

I hadn't thought of that until just now. My brother has always complained of poor fine motor skills but that's just because he's a meathead so I just assumed.

In that case, I'd probably strongly recommend spending the coin on an electronic powder thrower just to keep spilling any powder to a minimum. I've done it myself, holding a tablespoon of powder only to wang my wrist off my Lee press and send powder everywhere.
The electronic thrower is great, except when it comes to changing over powders, I find it's a little tedious and hence why I only use it when doing large batches but if you only load for a handful of cartridges it shouldn't be too much of an issue.
You can definitely save some coin going with the cheaper press options. For my single stage I bought a Lee classic cast for 150.00 off the EE and I've been able to load .223 Match ammo that'll shoot nearly half MOA out of an auto loader so that tells me the press does its job, just as good as the 300 dollar options.

 

[Mr. Friendly]

yeah, I will likely hit up the EE and see what I can find that's been lovingly used.

 

[ultimate_monkey]

I'll just add a thought in terms of the electronic scales . Depending what you are doing an over through of .1 or .2 grains may not matter. Everyone always goes off about loading being exact down to the 100th of a grain, blah blah blah but shooting inside 200yds at a non competitive level you're not.going to see any difference between 45 and 45.1 grains of powder (arbitrary numbers ) as long as the 45 isnt maxing out acceptable pressure in your rifle.its not big deal

 

[Mr. Friendly]

so, being in a budget, I can't afford one of these costly progressive presses...nor do I need to have that kind of manufacturing capacity either.

if I want an entry level turret press, is Lee the only option?

and being clumsy, I'm not much for the scale the Classic Turret kit comes with. what is a reliable and accurate digital scale?

also, for those of you who are fairly hands on with your loading, not having the auto-measure powder feeder/scales and such, what do you use?

 

[Mystic Precision]

Single stage press.. I prefer the Lee ones with the breech lock inserts... makes die changes fast and easy.

A scoop, balance beam and trickler... can easily get you the powder charge you want and easy on the hands.

Any of the basic dies in that press will get the job done. The inserts make it a 1/3 turn to remove and insert.

hand primer, again by Lee... simple to operate.

If you don't care about mucking about with trim lengths, again, the new Lee trim kit is simple effective and works. Get an electric driver and you don't need any dexterity to function.

Let me know if I can help.... I do work with some shooters with mobility and vision concerns.

Jerry

 

[JohnnyPython]

so, being in a budget, I can't afford one of these costly progressive presses...nor do I need to have that kind of manufacturing capacity either.

if I want an entry level turret press, is Lee the only option?

and being clumsy, I'm not much for the scale the Classic Turret kit comes with. what is a reliable and accurate digital scale?

also, for those of you who are fairly hands on with your loading, not having the auto-measure powder feeder/scales and such, what do you use?

I have a Redding T7 turret press which is excellent but might be more than you want to spend. It’s been great and it eliminates frequent movement of cases. I reload in 2 stages. 1. Resize, prime and case mouth bell. 2. Powder charge, bullet seat and crimp.

For powder charges, I have an older Lyma/Ideal #55. It’s accurate enough for my needs.

I recently purchased a Lee auto breech lock pro. I haven’t used it full-on progressive yet but it works great. I am a big fan of Lee and you can’t beat the price. This press can be used progressive and can be manually indexed. Something you might consider.

Have your area set up so that all the operations are able to be executed safely and methodically.

Hope that helps and good luck. Reloading is awesome.