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Pet Loading Dies

one2hutnone2hutn Member Posts: 261 ✭✭✭
edited March 2009 in Perry Shooter Competition Shooting and Reloading Forum
Ok so I took a trip to Cabelas and hit the Bargain Cave. I think I did pretty good. For around $350 I got a Lyman T Mag II Expert kit and a Lee progressive 1000 set up for 45ACP(I know,I know-I'm a novice and should not start out with a progressive, but for $40 I took it.) The T Mag is complete, unopened til I bought it. Question?:Anyone use the 1000 xp electronic scalw with any feedback neg or positive? The #55 powder measure-same question.
Now that I've got my press and basic equipment I still need a tumbler and a powder trickler-any recommendations?
I've already looked at the specs and decided to start by loading for my 270. I also noticed that I can use the same powder for both my 243 and 25/06 with good results according to the manual.
Can everyone or anyone tell me what dies you would recommend and why? I am a hunter first but a serious recreational shooter and an accuracy freak to boot. If I group 5 bullets on target and they're not all in the 10x it bothers me. Any other suggested equipment that you feel may be beneficial initially?Please feel free to expound. I know I will always find another tool that will make my loads better and easier but I'm just looking to get set up now to start loading and add the bells and whistles later-anniversary gift-birthday-Christmas.
Thanks to all for reading my long winded babble>Chris
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    336marlin336marlin Member Posts: 201 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    The Lyman 55 powder measure is one of the best as far as I'm concerned. I've never trusted any of the electronic scales no matter which brand, just paranoid I guess. One of my 1000xp scales requires constant zeroing & I'm thinking of sending it back for a new load cell as I have had to do with the rcbs(pact). Once you find a problem with one of these it's hard to put trust back in them. I haven't used my Frankford Arsenal one yet it may be a winner who knows. No comment on the dies, you get what you pay for.
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    coledigger4coledigger4 Member Posts: 826 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I use my electronic scale a lot but I do occasionally verify the weight with a balance beam scale. I would have to go look at my tumbler for the brand but I think they are all about the same in my opinion. I have 2 RCBS tricklers that came with the RCBS Rockchucker kit and they do the job for me. I use RCBS dies just because. No good reason not to, they have always done just fine for me. One thing I didn't see on your list is books. I would suggest getting several and compare the load tables in them prior to loading. I have a couple of el cheapo manuals that I picked up somewhere and on some tables the load data is quite a bit different than what the well known manuals call for. You also want to compare internet load data to the manuals, I found this out almost the hard way in a 300 Winchester Magnum. I have deleted the site or I would post it but with their suggested MINIMUM load I was getting very strong recoil, tight bolt action, and on the second round I got a puntured primer. Two shots were enough, I pulled the bullets on the rest and started over.
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    RCrosbyRCrosby Member Posts: 3,808 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Have replaced most of my RCBS dies with HOrnady. Like the expander plugs and sliding sleeve on the bullet seaters. Can't say they make better ammo for me though. Just a personal preference.
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    OdawgpOdawgp Member Posts: 5,380 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by RCrosby
    Have replaced most of my RCBS dies with HOrnady. Like the expander plugs and sliding sleeve on the bullet seaters. Can't say they make better ammo for me though. Just a personal preference.


    Same here

    the bullet guide in the seating die is a HUGE plus when comparing Hornady dies to RCBs

    It is also a must have if you reload 17 & 20 calibers

    Those tiny little boolits are hard to set in a case and get started straight
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    one2hutnone2hutn Member Posts: 261 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks all. I just got the computer back on-we had a hell of a hail storm here. Coledigger-you are right, right now I have only two references- the second edition Lyman Manual from when I originally entered reloading and the 49th edition that came with the pro loader kit. I grabbed a reloaders catalog while at Cabelas and they offer several manuals. I'm going to price check several sources before I purchase supplementary. They have individual that look like crib notes but I don't feel alot of confidence in them as a novice.
    Another question?- anyone find any particular manual to be particularly better than another or should I just buy as many as I can and read em all. This will be the hardest part of reloading to me as I have never been particularly good at memorizing info from books. Thank you to everybody for the feed back and rest assured there will e more questions to come but for now I have a daughter who's having her third birthday party right now and I need to get off the computer,>Chris
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