Repost about reloading

[MudBugjr]

I lost my thread about wanting to know what I needed to start reloading with about 300$. Someone was nice enough to give me a detailed list earlier and I didn't write anyof it down. The forum backdated to yesterday and lost me. So if whoever that was could run that list again I would appreciate it.

[herr.baer]

Lee Classic Turret Press $70

Lee Carbide Dies / per caliber $27

Lee Powder Dippers $9

Lee Hand Primer $13

Redding Powder Trickler $20

Lyman 500 Scale $48

Powder Funnel $3

Reloading Trays / per caliber $5

Calipers $43

Impact Bullet Puller $13

Tumbler $52

ABC's of Reloading $17

Reloading Data Book / per caiber $7

That will get you started.

[MudBugjr]

Thats the list

Thanks for the repost

[herr.baer]

No prob. Let me know if you have any questions.

[DWARREN123]

You may want to check out the Lee Kits. They come with almost all items needed and are fairly inexpensive.

[56FordGuy]

Not to derail this thread, but I have a related question. I just bought one of the Lee turret press kits, which include a Lee Safety Scale.

It looks like the Lee Safety Scale and the Lyman 500 scale are very similar. Is the Lyman a substantially better scale?

[xd shooter]

If I'm not mistaken all scales "have" to be in speck.

[herr.baer]

I don't believe there is that much difference. I just listed the Lyman because that is the one I have. I didn't buy a Lee kit back when I started reloading.

[USMCJG]

I started reloading about five months ago and went with the Lee Challenger kit(the one with the hand priming tool). I wanted to get started on the cheap and to make sure I was going to enjoy reloading and stick with it before I shelled out the big bucks. The worst case scenario was that I'd be out ~$100 for the kit if I didn't want to stick with reloading. I really expected to be disappointed with the Lee stuff, but I have been very happy that I went with the Lee kit to get started. The only other things you would need in addition to the kit are dies(I'm using Hornady dies because they have a deal where you get 100 free bullets with the purchase of their die sets), shellholders(Lee die sets come with shellholders, others don't), case loading trays, Lee case length gauges and shellholders for the calibers you will be loading, calipers, powder trickler(optional), and a good reloading manual.

I will probably replace most of the tools, except for the press which I really like- the breech lock system is fantastic, that came with the kit at some point as I become more familiar with reloading and have a clear idea of what I want in specific tools. But as a way to get started cheaply and be able to pick and choose the equipment I want in the future without commiting to a more expensive kit and still wanting to replace some of the stuff, the Lee was the way to go for me. I have since added a Pact digital scale(only because of the low weight capacity of the included scale, the Lee scale works just fine), Hornady LNL powder measure(didn't need it, just wanted it, I still use the Lee measure as well), Lyman chamfering, deburring, and primer pocket tools(the included tools are fine, except the chamfering tool is not very good for smaller pistol cases, so I got the Lyman case prep kit designed for use with a drill which speeds up case prep significantly), and a Forster Original case trimmer kit(the Lee kit comes with a lock stud and cutter for use with Lee case length gauges and shellholders, they work fine but I much prefer the Forster tool).

I don't know if this is the way you would want to go, but it has worked out great for me. Good luck with your reloading and I hope you enjoy it. I know I have.

Cliff

[MudBugjr]

Thanks. I'm almost set up. I need a .40 cal set of dies and small rifle primers. Someone gave me a RCBS single stage kit(brand new) Trying to get the last steps. Also trying to get mama to let me build me a reloader corner in the house instead of the garage.

[USMCJG]

I need a .40 cal set of dies and small rifle primers.

I hope you have better luck finding small rifle primers than I did. I had my .223 brass, bullets, powder,and dies for over a month before I finally found small rifle primers for a whopping $50+tax/1,000(Remington 7-1/2). I guess it could be worse though, I've seen small rifle primers on GunBroker going for well over $100/1,000.

I really like the Hornady dies for the free bullet deal as mentioned before, but there is a limited selection of free bullets available, you have to pay shipping charges(~$7), and it took about two and a half months for me to get my free bullets. The best thing to me about the Hornady dies is the availability of the micrometer seating stem MidwayUSA - Hornady Microjust Seating Stem add-on. For about $20-$25 you can add the micrometer seating stem to any Hornady seater die and basically have a competition seater die for cheap. I have one that I use on several dies and it makes COAL adjustments much easier. Eventually I'll have one for each of my Hornady die sets. I should mention that Hornady dies are the only ones I have used so far so I can't compare them to others, but I've had very good luck with them and see no reason to change. Good luck and enjoy!

Cliff

[Guest jos2f]

Hey guys, I too am looking to get into reloading.

I saw the Lee kit mentioned: is it similar to this: MidwayUSA - Lee Challenger Breech Lock Single Stage Press Kit ?

If so, would I basically just need to buy the die set along with the bullet/case/primer?

[USMCJG]

Hey guys, I too am looking to get into reloading.

I saw the Lee kit mentioned: is it similar to this: MidwayUSA - Lee Challenger Breech Lock Single Stage Press Kit ?

If so, would I basically just need to buy the die set along with the bullet/case/primer?

That's the same kit I have. It's a really good kit to get started with. I like it because it got me started reloading cheap and I can add and replace items at my leisure as funds allow. In addition to that kit you would need:

1- Dies for the caliber(s) you want to reload(I recommend Hornady because of the free bullet deal I mentioned earlier, other dies will work just fine though)

2- Shellholder(s) for the caliber(s) you want to load(Unless you get Lee dies which include a shellholder)

3- Lee case length gauge(s)(include shellholder, this shellholder will not work with the press- only with the lock stud) for use with the Lock Stud and Cutter that come with the kit. These are for length trimming cases. Straight walled pistol cases rarely need length trimming, bottlenecked cases typically need to be trimmed after each firing. It's not the most convenient system, but it works and is pretty much foolproof.

4- Reloading manual(Lee, Hornady, Lyman, etc.- I started with the Lyman manual which I would consider to be a good choice for the beginner)

5- Powder Trickler. This is optional but nice to have. I have the RCBS trickler which works fine for me, especially after I added lead to the base to make it heavier. If I had it to do over I'd probably just spend the couple extra bucks for the heavier Redding trickler.

6- Extra Breech Lock Quick Change Bushings(Optional) Ideally you would want one bushing for each individual die you will be using. The kit comes with three bushings.

7- Calipers. Use these to measure COAL(cartridge overall length) and case length. I'm using the Frankford Arsenal electronic calipers from Midway and they work very well(and they're cheap).

8- Case loading trays. I use and like the Hornady universal case trays. You'll want at least two.

9- Case tumbler and tumbling media(optional). If you're loading new brass you won't need a tumbler, but if you're loading used brass you will want one.

10- Case lube pad(optional). The kit includes Lee's case lube which is very good. Lee recommends you apply the lube to your cases by hand, but I use a case lube pad because it speeds thing up a bit. You do not need to lube straight walled cases if you are using carbide(nitride for Hornady) dies.

11- Supplies(brass, bullets, powder, and primers)

Those are all of the necessities(along with some optional items) that I can think of at the moment. You can watch a pretty good video by RCBS here- RCBS - Precisioneered Shooting Products - Videos

The video is the last one called "RCBS Loading Techniques(streaming)". It shows you all of the basics, and, of course, advertises RCBS products pretty heavily. Good luck, be safe, and have fun.

Cliff

Edited April 20, 2009 by USMCJG
Grammar

[lowbud]

Anyone here use the freeware reloaders reference on sourceforge? I kinda like it and use it often. Tons of load data, manuals, and targets..

[USMCJG]

Anyone here use the freeware reloaders reference on sourceforge? I kinda like it and use it often. Tons of load data, manuals, and targets..

I haven't used it, but I'm going to check it out now. I've been using Lyman and Sierra manuals and data available on the powder manufacturers websites that I made copies of and put in a binder to this point. But I'm still pretty new to reloading. Always looking for something new. Thanks!

Cliff