best reloading equipment rifle/pistol

dirtyharry331

I'm going to start reloading calibers (rifle) 30-06, 270 Win. & (pistol) .44 mag/special, .357/.38, 9mm, .45 acp.
Shot per calibers (rifle- 300 min ea./year)
(pistol- 400 min. ea./year) Questions;
Type of press for each or one to do both?
What's a good, reliable brand press?
Carbide Dies, whose brand?
Not looking to break bank, just want to get good long use out of it.
The forum is now yours, but no battles please! It's good to hear all good from any brands. Thanks!

shooter93

Any of the Major makers all make good products. Most everyone starts with a single stage press and then ends up having sveral and quite possibly a progressive reloader if you do high volume laoding. Lee products are generally the least expensive, personally I use a great deal of Redding products....top flight quality, they have done a number of custom things for me and are probably the best kept secret in the reloading business.

drewto

Hello:
RCBS (Rock Chucker). Buy a digital scale. Read the reloading manual. Standard RCBS dies work great. If you follow the manual (there's probably 20 pages that are critical) you should be up and reloading in a couple of evenings. The Rock Chucker will last a life time, won't break the bank, and for the number of rounds your planning on reloading should be perfect. Progressive reloaders are great . . . but even if you want one . . . you should start with a single stage press just to get the process down. Last if you have a buddy who reloads, they can get you up a running faster than the book, and probably help with questions on bullet seating depths, case lubing, suggesting powders etc.

dcloco

A - you should always have a good single stage. I would recommend the Forster Co Ax. Why? No shell holders to buy - you save $5-7 PER caliber over the other brands.

I reload approximately 4K per year...all on a single stage. But, I have recently upgraded to a couple of used turret presses, with a single stage sitting between them.

I went with the turret presses because I can leave the dies setup. Saves quite a bit of time.

Other than that, you will need to find the "routine" that works best for you.

1 - I never leave dirty brass around. ALL brass is cleaned when it hits the door.

2 - I try to keep 200 ready to load cases for the calibers that I don't shoot as often (44 mag, 357 mag, 6.5x55, 270, etc).

2a - I try to keep 500 - 1000 ready to load cases for the items I shoot the most (17 Rem, 204, 223, 243, 7.5x55, etc).

2b - I fully prep rifle cases - inside primer hole debur, primer pocket uniform, trimmed to length, inside/outside chamfer, etc.

3 - don't bother with digital scales. Go with a Hornady M scale(longest beam). Very accurate. Unless you pop $250-300 for JUST a digital scale, they are not worth the money or accurate enough for the best results. Read some of the posts of people that do use digital scales...they are constantly re-checking their digital whatever for accuracy. About half go back to a beam scale. Beam scale and a manual powder measurer is 2 to 3 times faster than a digital dispenser combo. 4-5 times faster if using ball powder. (need to develop YOUR routine)

4 - I keep typing "routine". Your layout and equipment dictates what/how you load. Brass prep is the primary key to accuracy. Bullets is second. Correct powder/primer for the caliber is third. Primer selection is about a tie - depends on the powder you are using.

Definitely go with carbide dies for straight wall cases (most pistol and some rifle). Saves a step on sizing - no lube required.

Regardless of some of the good/great progressives out there, I would HIGHLY recommend starting with a single stage, but a good one. Rock Chucker, Forster CoAx, etc. As you might/should keep it around. I have two RCBS Jr's still here. One made in 1970, other in 1971. Would not hesitate to load with them.

In my personal opinion (I do NOT have any inside info either), but I think major changes in progressive presses are just around the corner...so, I would hold off buying one.

bpost

If you look at the RCBS or Hornaday package deals available from Cabala's, midsouth shooters supply, Midway and the like you can see what you get, they are good deals.

For what you do look on the auction side of this site for a used set up with a RCBS Rock Chucker or JR press. It is almost impossible to destroy a press so buying a used one is normally a OK bet.

Dies, ALL will work OK. I have been partial to Redding for the past 10 years due to obvious quality in my eyes. Carbide sizer for pistol calibers and a taper crimp for the .45 and 9MM.

Scale, Any beam scale holding 500 grains is fine. A digital is definately nicer but not necessarly better.

Powder measure, All of them work. All it does is change a volume to what ever setting you choose. Then that volume is locked to dispense powder within close tollerances. Having two cylinders one small one large for different loads is handy.

Tumbler, not critical at first but makes the brass all shiny and nice. Midway has them for a reasonable price.

Relaod manual, Buy several and READ THEM. There is a wealth of information in them. As a all around starter book it is hard to beat the Lyman Volume 48. It also lists several cast bullet loads.

kimberkid

I started with an RCBS Rock Chucker I picked up for $20 which I still have and use for working up loads and special projects ... most of my time is spent on one of my 2 Dillon 550's.

I keep one machine for small primers and the other for large primers(.223 and can do 9mm but never have) on one machine and 8mm Mauser, 308 and 45acp on the other ... with what I load I only have to change the die heads. Changing the primer tubes and shell plates is easy, but my wife bought me a 2nd machine for Christmas one year ... who would complain about that [:D]

Both RCBS and Dillon have no B.S. lifetime warranties and great customer support ... I've never had to call Dillon but RCBS sent me some parts I lost when I moved, they wouldn't let me pay for them.

For dies, I like Hornady Custom Grade ... as bpost1958 mentioned, carbide sizing dies for pistols is a must.

There are other systems out there but in 20 years of reloading I haven't had any reason to look at them.

gunnut505

With the small number of rounds you intend to create, and the calibers you listed; you need an inexpensive press. Even if you decide to get into it heavily; you don't need to waste money on starter equipment.
Get yourself a Lee Partner Press for about $35 from Midwayusa, Natchez Shooters Supply, Lock, Stock & Barrel, or one of the hundreds of discount supply houses out there.
Get some case lube for the rifle cases, and some cheapo carbide dies for your pistol calibers; even carbide dies will stick now & then, so be free with the lube on all of 'em.
Get several reloading manuals from garage sales, used bookstores, borrow them from other shooters, ask questions and take the answers with a grain of salt; memories can fail, and books have SPECIFIC recipes for each load. READ THE MANUALS SEVERAL TIMES before you even go out and price components!
That way, you'll have an idea of which load for which caliber, how many you'll need of what, and you can shop around for the best prices.
If you get a beam-type scale (you ARE getting a scale!), watch out for chips or cracks in the agate or razor blade used for the poises on the cheapest ones, or avoid the trauma and get a good digital scale like the Pact or Frankford Arsenal; they run around $70-100, are easy to set up, calibrate every time you turn 'em on, and are much quicker and at least as accurate as any other type
(+/- 0.1grain). That's a Tenth of a grain: there are 7,000 grains in a pound of powder, and considerably less in each cartridge.

I have used the setup described ( Lee press, digital scale, cheapo dies, lee priming tool) to make ammo out in the middle of nowhere, so I'm sure it will serve you well in your den/garage.
Later, as you progress into a competent shooter and avid reloader, you may start to get the itch to upgrade your equipment so that your scores are more consistent or your trophies are larger; go with a Dillon RL550B progressive press and never look back. Sure, it's easy to talk about tossing $325 out the door for something you never used before, but between the excellent ammo you'll make and the unparalleled customer service and NO B S warranty (that means even if you DID farg it all up; they send you parts for FREE); you'll be a much happier shooter.
Good luck, and remember; NO smoking or distractions while loading! You'll put yer eye out, kid!

sherpa

if you go with LEE buy their pistol dies. i found out the hard way and had to buy their "POWDER THROUGH THE EXPAND THE CASE MOUTH DIE" as their powder measure will not work with other dies