Thread: Starting reloading

I’ve got a friend at Mt Sommers who will do load development and produce you ammo in batches saving you all the time and hassle

Depending on your needs a reloading setup will cost about $700. If you plan on reloading a few hundred rounds per year then I assume you really want to keep costs under control.

If loading a few thousand a year then I'd tend to go a bit more upmarket on the press getting a RCBS/Reading/Lyman/Hornady unit. Simply they all seem very good so pick on in the colour you like. Though I have a RCBS and what I dont like is the crap way it handles used primers they seem to go all over the place so if I was buying again I would look at a press that drops them in a better way. Probably a Hornady.

So I suggest and even mostly use Lee kit. Even today I mostly use Lee dies in my progressive and single stage presses for target shooting.

Excellent Lee Stuff,
dies
delux quick trim

Good (enough) Lee stuff
powder thrower
press
hand primer

Not so good (but OK)
Lee case prep tools.

You can certainly buy more expensive kit but most of it is at best as good as Lee and sometimes poorer and considerably more expensive.

For example Lee neck collet die and bullet crimper as as good if not better than any other die IMHO and a lot cheaper.

I do have some hornady dies (for the amax insert) but I find them no more accurate and consistent for installing a bullet than Lee.

Case cleaning, I bought a 6litre ultra sonic off Aliexpress, after 20mins the cases are functionally clean. I did think about buying smaller but for me anyway the 6L was the right size.

Originally Posted by High Country Boy

So would the rcbs m500 or the Lyman pro 500 be adequate as they look to be in my price range

Yes.

Dont trust cheap digital scales without a cross check. I had a hornady one and it progressively under read getting worse over time, result 38gr of 2208 became 47gr of 2208 and it stretched my no4 mk2's receiver, I was lucky that all it did IMHO. I do now have a new hornady gen2 scale because its a good way to check quickly when setting up a thrower and as a final way to sample check 4 or 5 out of a 50 round batch. However when landholding for target work I use my Lee beam scale and trickle.

On and get a powder trickler I suggest. A metal RCBS one (or simialr) so they dont get knocked over easily.

Kinetic bullet puller for the stuff ups you are bound to make!

Originally Posted by steven

On and get a powder trickler I suggest. A metal RCBS one (or simialr) so they dont get knocked over easily.

Fav bit of gear! Saves 15mins per batch of 50 tuned loads.

Originally Posted by steven

On and get a powder trickler I suggest. A metal RCBS one (or simialr) so they dont get knocked over easily.

A powder trickler would be my number one pick for gear you don't need to have, but should have.

Hard to beat these for a starter kit iv got one add a powder trickler & away you go https://www.reloaders.co.nz/shop/Rel...rsary+Kit.html