Getting started

[jrgreene1968]

Hi.. I’m wanting to try reloading, and wandering if I should buy a kit, or is it better to buy each piece individually? I’m not against buying used.., would actually prefer it if I can save a little. Any recommendations ? Better brands? And what to avoid ?
thanks

[lonestardiver]

I always recommend starting with a single stage press so that you learn all the steps and and understand them before throwing it all together in a progressive. A turrent press is also a good option there. The benefit of starting with the single stage is that you will likely always have a need for one especially if you are going to reload rifle cartridges.. Manually resizing that brass keeps the case lube out of your press especially if you have a case feeder.

[Phranque]

Nothing wrong with most of the starter kits out there, so long as you go in with the understanding that if you seriously "get into it", you will very likely wind up replacing some of the kit with better stuff. Two good kits would be the Rock Chucker kit or the Hornady Lock-n-Load... both very solid presses that should last a lifetime, and fairly decent gear to go with them.

[Evlshnngns]

I bought a rock crusher at a yard sale for 5$. before that I bought a lee press kit with 3 sets of dies used off ebay for a bit more than 100$. Then I wonder, would new fresh equipment give me tighter groups........Probably not, I have plenty to learn right now.

[jrgreene1968]

Thanks for the replies. I’m leaning towards a kit, due to not knowing what’s good or bad or worn out. I’ve been looking at eBay for individual items, ..dies, shell plates etc.
ive been wanting to do this for years, and never really had a good spot, but now the kids are grown and gone, I got a spare bedroom for my gun room.. finally

[Stumpkiller]

Ibought a starter kt sometime around 1975 and that's what I'm still using. ;--)

RCBS Rockchucker Jr. and 5-0-5 scale, I think it also came with a coupon for the dies & shell holder (I had to select & mail in), case tray, a pair of auto prime tubes, primer flip tray, funnel and a lube pad. Maybe neck brushes (can't recall if I added those later).

I've added to it, of course (Lee hand primer, Lyman case trimmer, assorted chamfer tools, powder trickler, more shell trays and Lyman No. 55 Powder dispenser) and this simple set-up got me through shooting PPC when I would shoot almost 400 rounds on a weekend and benchrest .222 Rem in a league. I never got so I was needing the mass-production of a progressive station. I can buy factory loads. ;-) But if you think you want progressive you can always "pretend" it was a single station to get started. I never reloaded to feed a semi-auto so I had no problem keeping up with my shooting.

I don't mind weighing out each powder charge manually. If I am doing a bunch I use the Lyman 55 to throw 95% of what I need and then use the trickler to get it the rest of the way on the beam scale.

Moral is - you can do quite a bit with a simple single station. I have even necked down brass with it - but not much. That was asking a lot of it even for a little .22 Jet (.357 Mag necked down to .22 cal.) and I had to use a cheater-bar on the arm. It would have broken something eventually I'm sure. But it didn't and I still use it frequently.

4344

I would recommend the RCBS Rockchucker Supreme Kit. You can always put it in the classifieds if you want to move to a progressive station press (PM me when you're ready to sell).

[daved20319]

I started with a Rockchucker Supreme after getting back into reloading after a 40 year hiatus. Then I added a Hornady LNL Classic kit because it was just too good a deal to pass up. There are things I like and dislike about both kits.

Both kits come with a press, of course, powder measure, scale, hand priming tool, loading manual, and a few other misc. pieces. Of the presses, the Rockchucker wins hands down. Much stouter, smoother, and heavier, the only place the Hornady wins is the LNL feature, so I got the conversion kit for my Rockchucker. The RCBS hand priming tool isn't bad, but the Hornady version simply sucks. Painful to use, allows primers to flip over in use, if I hadn't loaned my other one to a friend, I'd take a hammer to it. Did I mention it really sucks?

The RCBS kit comes with a balance beam scale, the Hornady is a digital. The digital is crap, I have one of the Frankford Arsenal digitals that I like, and trust, a lot more. The RCBS is a base model balance beam, but it works just fine.

In the battle of the powder measures, the Hornady wins. Larger hopper is a plus, but the real winner is the quick change feature for the measuring screw. You can push a button on the side and replace it with a straight spout (not included), makes it a snap to empty the hopper after a loading session. It also comes with the powder baffle, you pay extra for that with the RCBS unit. It also just seems to run smoother.

The Hornady kit also included a powder trickler, but again, it's junk. Cheap plastic, and way too light, I've never even tried to use it for fear it would tip over if I sneezed. I have a Frankford Arsenal one that I use and like, wasn't very expensive but it's solid steel and quite heavy. I highly recommend it.

And speaking of Frankford Arsenal, I also have their case prep center and vibratory brass tumbler, both of which I also highly recommend. They also have a hand priming tool I'm eyeing seriously, I'm debating between that and one of the bench priming tools.

BTW, I'm only loading .223 for now, mostly just blasting ammo for my AR, but I just got a 12 FV for Christmas, so will be looking to do some more precision loading. In that vein, I added a set of Redding dies in addition to the RCBS small base set I started with, I think I'll be sticking with Redding in the future. Nothing wrong with the RCBS dies, I just like the Redding dies better.

So if I had it to do over, I'd probably skip the kits and go with a Forster press, then mix and match for the other stuff. But you'd be well served with either of the kits I'm using, although if you're planning on loading for a large rifle, I'd lean toward the Rockchucker, it really is a beast. Hope that's helpful.

Dave

[jrgreene1968]

Thanks Daved.. that’s the kind of info I’ve been looking for. The good and the bad. Sounds like you have done built up quite a collection for loading. I’ve been getting me a bench built today, and moving safe etc to make room. Still need to go get some better lighting also.
Then I guess it will be time to start buying the reloading stuff. My wife is gonna kill me yet, lol
If you run across any good deals on equipment, let me know
Thanks

[jrgreene1968]

That’s a neat little setup stumpkiller

[big honkin jeep]

My wife bought me a Lee Anniversary kit that included the manual "modern reloading by Richard Lee" in the early-mid 1990s,
The only other things I had to buy were dies and case length gauges (to trim cases) for each caliber I wanted to reload and of course consumables (powder, bullets, primers).
Though I have added a few pieces since then, everything that came in the kit still works and loads very good ammo.
After reading the manual up to the part that contains the load data load data twice (not nearly as much reading as you would think looking at the thickness of the book which is mostly load data) I kept it handy for reference and started loading.
It's a really decent setup to start and learn on and everything you need to start with one caliber can be had for under $200

[mark r]

jrgreene, many yrs ago I was advised to by a rock chucker single stage press kit to get started in re-loading. it was the best advise I could get. from there I purchased parts as needed. all said and done, I had $ 160.00 into it and have been very happy ever since. I talked to 2 older re-loaders for advise and guidance and i'm glad I did, they were very helpful and understanding. I'm sure the fellow re-loaders here on the forum will help and guide you along. stay safe and enjoy your new hobby.

[PaddyD]

The Hornady kit is a pretty good deal. That's the one my son started out with and he likes it a lot. One thing to remember is that these kits will get you just about everything you'll need to get started loading cartridges like 9mm and similar auto pistol rounds and the straight walled rounds like 38spl and .357 among others. Those types you can load over and over and not be worried too much about the brass growing. If you're going to be loading bottle necked rifle rounds like .223 Rem or .308 Win. you'll be needing a couple extra tool like a case trimmer and chamfer tool. Primer pocket reamers flash hole de burrer, etc. You can get started with one of the kits out there, but even then you will need to buy a decent set of dial calipers.

[jrgreene1968]

I decided to just buy everything individually instead of buying a kit, then replacing the cheap stuff.
ive bought a press, tumbler, etc this week, and now looking at powder dispensers. What’s your opinion on the electronic dispensers like the chargemaster, or hornady electronic dispenser? Or am I better off staying with a manual setup with beam scale?

[Stumpkiller]

I prefer to manually weight out my rifle loads. Takes a little longer - but I don't shoot enough that I need a speedy process . . . darn it.

I'm using the "long cut" H4831 currently and it doesn't play well with my Lyman 55 hopper. So it takes about 20 seconds to scoop some powder into the tray and then use a dribbler to get the balance pointer lined up. Assuming an electric gets you there in 5 seconds (I don't know) that is 15 seconds savings per load. A minute every four; or 20 minutes per 100. Significant!

But if the alternative is watching 1/2 hour of television . . . I'd rather be reloading and listening to my mp3 player or the radio. ;-)

[Phranque]

I decided to just buy everything individually instead of buying a kit, then replacing the cheap stuff.
ive bought a press, tumbler, etc this week, and now looking at powder dispensers. What’s your opinion on the electronic dispensers like the chargemaster, or hornady electronic dispenser? Or am I better off staying with a manual setup with beam scale?

Depends on the free money you have to spend.... I did just fine with a throw, beam scale, & trickler for better than 25 years before picking up a Chargemaster. It is really nice having, but if you're on a tighter budget, that extra money could be better spent elsewhere while learning.

Word of note... if you do wind up picking up a Chargemaster, it will be really slow out of the box, and it will make you doubt your purchase. However, you can easily go into the programming of the machine to tune/tweak it for individual powders, which makes it a joy to use.

[daved20319]

I decided to just buy everything individually instead of buying a kit, then replacing the cheap stuff.
ive bought a press, tumbler, etc this week, and now looking at powder dispensers. What’s your opinion on the electronic dispensers like the chargemaster, or hornady electronic dispenser? Or am I better off staying with a manual setup with beam scale?

I'd say it depends on what you're loading for, and the volume of loading you intend to do. Like I said, most of my loading so far has been blasting ammo for my AR, I don't shoot a ton, but I can go through a fair bit when I do get out. My first loads were with powder measure to scale, then trickle up to weight. Accurate, but REALLY slow and tedious. Then I hit on a technique that seems to give me the best of both worlds, with a reasonable compromise between accuracy and speed, and without having to buy an expensive piece of equipment.

First, I set my powder measure to throw the load I want, and I keep fiddling with it until I get it consistently +/- .1 gr. of target. From there, I break out my little Frankford Arsenal DS-750 digital scale, put a case on the scale and zero it, then throw the charge and put it back on the scale. Digitals do drift a bit, so I've learned to give it a couple of seconds to settle, especially when switching cases. I also double check it against my balance beam every 10th round or so. Works fine for the higher volume stuff, and .1 gr. plus or minus really isn't going to make much difference with the AR. This only applies to plinking ammo, for the precision stuff, I throw light, and trickle up on the beam scale.

That said, I've never used a ChargeMaster, although one is definitely on my some day wish list. For now, I have other things I'd rather spend that kind of coin on, like powder and bullets. Plus, I have a lot more time than money :rolleyes:, and sitting in my shop reloading is a far more enjoyable use of my time vs. sitting in front of the TV drinking beer. Later.

Dave

[jrgreene1968]

Thanks for the replies. I was looking at the chargemaster, but there up there. Any idea how good the hornady electronic dispenser is? It’s about 1/2 price of the rcbs. Not really looking to go any faster, just thinking easier.

[Evlshnngns]

What press did you get?

[jrgreene1968]

What press did you get?

Rockchucker supreme

[Phranque]

Thanks for the replies. I was looking at the chargemaster, but there up there. Any idea how good the hornady electronic dispenser is? It’s about 1/2 price of the rcbs. Not really looking to go any faster, just thinking easier.

Nothing wrong with Hornady, love most of their equipment that I have, but.... If you do some searching on dispenser reviews, the Chargemaster pretty much comes out on top just about every time in any head-to-head. That's a piece of equipment I preferred to just get it over with & only cry once.