I need a reloading mentor

[Nick6.5]

Hi, I have a model 12lrp, 6.5 creedmoor that I'm trying to make live up to its potential. The hornady "match" ammo is not really living up to its name, and the nosler stuff is a little too pricy for my taste, SO.... I'm gonna try my hand at reloading. I am looking for quality, not quantity, so I've decided on an rcbs single stage press. I have read that the kits are ok but most people upgrade a lot of components so it's not really worth buying the kit. My question is: what exactly should I buy? Do I want a digital scale or a beam scale? What do I need for case prep? It seems the electric prep stuff is the way to go, or am I wrong? Best reloading manual? Basically, put together a shopping list for me. I don't want to break the bank, but I want to load precision ammo and make it somewhat easy on myself. Any input is appreciated, thanks in advance. By the way, I know very little about reloading......obviously!

[LHitchcox]

Unless you are going to be shooting a huge amount of ammo, the manual prep tools are just fine. I prefer a beam scale myself. My friends who adopted electronic scales often have to readjust them during a loading session. The exception would be the expensive auto scales that also trickle the powder. It seems to me that the one area that most new reloaders fall short is in case trimming. Brass grows in length after shooting and must be trimmed back.

Quality ammo can be put together with a quality press and dies and a good scale with a powder trickler. I prefer to drop powder charges with a good measure for hunting and plinking ammo, because measuring each charge takes a long time. Many target shooters want to weigh cases and sort for max uniformity and then they might want to uniform the primer pockets and debur the flash holes. Neck turning can pay benefits with a tight chambered match barrel, but is unlikely to pay off in a standard chamber. You need to sit down and decide exactly what you want your loads to do and decide if you can get there simply or through a lot of effort.

[Rick_W]

My first recommendation would be to see if any members live near you, or ask around at your local range, and visit with an experienced reloader.

Watch that person, ask questions, and then assist under supervision.

Buy a couple of reloading manuals and read them BEFORE you buy any equipment.

Lots of things can be learned over the internet and youtube has some good videos but nothing beats a local mentor.

[tufrthnails]

I had a long reply typed then hit the wrong button so the short version.....Order The ABC's of Reloading and Modern Reloading by Richard Lee. Those two books will get you pointed in the right direction.

[scope eye]

There is nothing wrong with hand tools, so you can get a true feel for what you are doing, don't get caught up in the hype.

Dean

[Steelhead]

Personally I like beam scales and a combination of hand tools and a RCBS prep center.
I think one of the major things for consistent ammo is the dies.
I use lee collet dies, redding body dies and Forster BR seating dies for my 260 and precision AR ammo.
Most of my 260 ammo is loaded on a Lee hand press so I don't feel a super high zoot press is needed.
A RCBS RC is fine.

[n4ue]

There is nothing wrong with hand tools, so you can get a true feel for what you are doing, don't get caught up in the hype.

Dean

+99 on scope eye's post. I've been reloading for over 40 years (38 different ctgs). I have all the modern stuff but I still go back to the RCBS Rockchucker. About every reloading manual has a great tutorial. Go slowly and eventually you'll find a 'node' that your rifle just loves. Like women, they're all different! ha ha

ron

[DanSavage]

For accurate rounds I would look at these items. 1 Lee or RCBS single stage press 2 RCBS 505 beam scale 3 Redding competition seater die 4 Redding powder trickler 5 Forster body die 6 Lee Collet die 7 Lee or RCBS hand priming tool 8 shell holders for press and hand primer tool 9 RCBS VLD chamfer and debur tool 10 Lee dead length trimmer with quick lock shell holder 11 pick powder funnel

[Rick_W]

Most of my 260 ammo is loaded on a Lee hand press so I don't feel a super high zoot press is needed.
A RCBS RC is fine.

I still have and occasionally use my LEE hand press and RCBS JR single stage.

It's nice to be able to take the LEE on a trip or out to the range.

[cstone]

Time is money. If you spend money, it often saves time.

How many rounds to you intend to load in each reloading session. I reload 500+ .223 rounds every time I go to my bench. This is not something I would do on a single stage with a powder trickler and beam scale. For .30-06, I might load 20 rounds, and I will load those one at a time, weighing each charge and seating the bullet in 1/4 twists to insure concentric seating.

Brass prep in 6.5 CM will be like most centerfire rifle. Some like it, but I find it tedious. For me, I deprime and tumble. Then I lube, size and trim, followed by a quick tumble to take the lube off. Last, I hand prime all of my non-.223 rifle brass. I can leave the ready to load brass stored in a cool dry place for long periods of time waiting to be loaded. I tend to process by caliber in batches as needed.

I have used manual trimmers, but once you have used a Girarud trimmer, you will not want to go back to a manual trimmer. They are expensive, and not better than other trimmers, but if you are looking for simple, consistent, one step trimming, nothing else comes close IMO. Giraud has just started making a tri-way trimmer, much like the WFT from Crow Gun Works. If you don't want to dive into the $500 world of powered trimmers, the tri-way from Giraud may be a good option for you.

As others have said, find someone near you or at the range where you normally shoot, who reloads. See what they do and then work on finding what works for you. Read alot and watch a lot of YouTube videos. Be conservative and take your time. It doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. You just need to know why you are doing it the way you choose to make certain that you are comfortable with your end product.

Be safe.

[jonbearman]

Get a loading manual first and start by reading it and I would get a hornady,lyman to start with before you go spend a lot of money and realize you could have gotten by using a manual tool. The manual tools can be driven by a cheap cordless drill with adaptors and some already can be driven by just the shank of the tool. You are going to need a trimmer and the rcbs is a good one,then you need an rcbs chamfer tool,a primer pocket cleaner,neck brushes,case lube,they all work if you follow the instructions. You will need shell plates for the press and lee sells a set for cheap.You will need a priming tool with the special set of shell holders and lee would be a great way to start. You will need a set of calipers and harbor freight has digitals for cheap and they work. Get a beam scale and don't forget to level it before you start weighing charges. If you need brass and bullets go to powder valley for powder,primers,and bullets. Make sure you load to book specs in the beginning till you fully understand the process. SAFETY FIRST= SAFETY GLASSES AND ANYTHING ELSE YOU FEEL YOU NEED! ABOVE ALL DONT TAKE LOAD IMFO OFF THE WEB WITHOUT BACK CHECKING IN A BOOK OR THE POWDER MANUFACTURERS WEB SITES. MAKE A DUMMY ROUND WITH NO PRIMER OR POWDER TO TRY IN THE RIFLE TO CHECK FUNCTION. Sorry about the caps but I wanted to make a point sir. Next where do you live state wise?

[kbiggun2]

I've been reloading for about 2 yrs. Trying different loads bullets powder,primers,it has all been well worth it,working on what's best for my new gun 300win.mag,alot of reading,questions,trial and error will help you find what works the best.range time is very important.

[cowtownup]

Where are you located?

[kbiggun2]

Kentucky

[kbiggun2]

Love shooting my savage 110ba 300winmag expensive though,I've got my brass now need to start buying powder,primers,bullets,getting hard to find these,

[kbiggun2]

Been on line studying what others reload and there resuls,but in the end I'll come to my own conclusions every long gun is different,they all have there sweet spots

[cowtownup]

I was like you, I just wanted to see somebody load a few rounds in person so I could wrap my head around the whole reloading process. I ended up watching videos and buying a few books to read. I started with a single stage based on advice given to most new reloaders and I'm kinda glad I did. I know I could churn out rounds with a progressive, but I've learned more about each individual stage by doing a batch style of reloading using my single stage. I initially invested about $350 to get press, dies, a few primers and a lb of powder. After about 500 rounds of 40 s&w I knew it was something I would continue to do so I invested more... And more... And more... Making that initial investment is the toughest thing, but it will be worth it for sure...

[kbiggun2]

Know the feeling,I started with a Lee turret press,it has led to tumblers,ultra sonic cleaner built reloading bench.you can learn a lot on you tube lol

[kbiggun2]

I do more single stage reloading than anything I try to to be pretty precise on loads.

[kbiggun2]

I haven't reloaded any handgun ammo yet,but I do know 40cal. Is hard to come by around me. I've had pretty good luck at paducah ky shooter supplies. Finding what I need