Reloading -- Getting Started, Need Guidance

[Cecil S.]

^^^^^^Good advice right here. The "rabbit hole" is deep. Read and learn , a starter kit will get you going and as you gain knowledge you may want to improve on your equipment. This is a great form there is tons of knowledge on this form and it is given out FREE.

 

[SSL]

Hey folks. I’m a 63 year young PawPaw from south arkansas and am interested in starting reloading. I reloaded some shotshells years ago and am wondering what will be the best equipment to get for loading 30-06 and 243. Any ideas will be appreciated.

Everyone has given you good advice. Assuming you are interested in hunting or target rounds other than competition and commercially chambered rifles, so let's break it down by category:

Loading manual - Lyman, Hornady, Sierra etc.​

CASE PREP

Case trimmers - cheapest way is Lee hand trimmers dedicated to each cartridge. Made to trim to a uniform length without the need of micrometers and will work just fine unless you are doing very large numbers of cases at a time.
Case mouth chamfer tool (1)
Case lube - spray, wipe on or lube pad and lube style
Case neck brushes (caliber specific)
Primer seating tool - either on the press or a handheld unit such as Lee, RCBS or etc.
Primer pocket cleaning tool

POWDER TOOLS

Powder measure or powder dippers (Lee)
Lee dippers are fine to start but must be used with scales to verify the weights listed on the charts. They are seldom accurate - usually a fair bit under the rated listings. Powder measures can run from the Lee Perfect Measure on up in price, but will still need a good set of scales to set the weights.
Scales (Beam or electronic - beam preferred)
Powder funnel
Cartridge loading tray

LOADING TOOLS

Loading press - Lee Classic Cast Press is good along with other manufacturer's "O" presses.
As you stated that you are just starting, you will be much better off with a 'single stage' press rather than wrestling with any form of 'progressive' presses. Personally, I load all my rifle rounds on single stage presses.
Loading dies (a complete set for each caliber to be loaded) These can be Hornady, RCBS, Lyman or etc. I'm a fan of Lee dies for handguns, but not satisfied with them for rifle calibers. My own choice for commercial chambers is Hornady Custom dies.
Shell holder for each cartridge size. (Yes, .243 and .30-06 both use the same size, but it is handy to store them in each die box for ease of finding.)

If I missed anything I'm sure someone will chime in. There are of course many other things that you will find that you just have to have as you get more experience (case cleaner/tumbler, micrometer, automatic powder dispenser/scale, micrometer seating stems, case neck turners and many, many more things) but the above will get you a good, solid start.

Ask questions here and you will get answers. We all are happy to help get loaders started...and spend their money!

 

[PawPaw]

Wow! I’m overwhelmed by all the responses. First I’d like to thank each of you for the input. I’ve been thinking about reloading for the past few years and came across this forum and decided to join. I’d posted my request for information hoping to get just a couple of suggestions. When I had a chance to look back at all the replies I was amazed at how many different responses I’d gotten. As for getting another job, I’m working four now. And my boss is an a__hole, (I’m self employed). I’ll get a manual and do some studying and then find some equipment and get started.
I’ve been shooting federal premium in my 06 for years with great success. The tightest groups of any retail ammo that I’ve purchased. Do y’all have any suggestions on what load to use to compare it with. 150 grain ballistic tip.

Again thanks for all the info.

 

[jonbearman]

Do you have any freind's that reload like somebody from the local gun club? The reason I say that is because right now components are slim to none so don't waste your money unless you can buy primers ,powder and bullets in the weight range you like. If a friend does reload maybe you could work with him a few times to get a better look at how it is done.

 

[rkittine]

Find a mentor and work up slowly. I went to my first PA 1000 Bench Rest school many years ago and took copious notes and when I got home I started ordering things. Some $5,000 + Later I still have things that I have yet to use, but I have them. If I had it to do over again, I would buy those things that I needed as the need arose.

Bob

 

[K22]

Like some others have mentioned - the Lyman Reloading Manual is a great place to start because it not only tells you what and how to do it but why. It the best in my humble opinion.

I'm a fan of RCBS equipment for starters because of their outstanding customer service.

The 30 06 and 243 are probably two of the easiest cartridges to reload - there are also well established loads for both so you don't have to reinvent the wheel so to speak.

It's not necessary but would be most helpful to have an experienced and knowledgeable reloader initially help guide you through the process including the purchase of equipment.

If you're not sure about something don't hesitate to post questions on this Forum. There are no dumb questions.

Unfortunately we are currently experiencing a terrible shortage of components but this shouldn't deter you from getting started. Both the 06 and 243 have a wide range of powders and bullets that can work well with these cartridges in a pinch.

Good luck and best wishes.

 

[PRR1957]

And it’s a deep hole!
Besides the kit you will also need calipers, headspace and bullet comparators, and a case trimmer.

Deep hole is right. I just recently added up all my case preparation and loading equipment, and to my surprise I have over $1,500 invested and that does not include any of the dies. Thing is, there is more equipment that I would like to have. It would seem that I can never have enough.

 

[JSH]

Not to discourage you, but take a look an honest look at where you want to go. Seems like every time ammo gets short folks want to “roll their own”. If most casual shooters looked ahead and purchase 1-2 boxes every time they went to a gun shop, they would have plenty of ammo.
Just went down this road with a young friend of mine. Roughly $500 for everything he needed to get started. In a nut shell he shoots maybe 2-300 rounds a year of center fire ammo, rifle,pistol and shotgun combined. He came to his senses and will just purchase ammo.

As many have found, just because you have the equipment doesn’t mean you are set, if you have no components.

 

[TheOtherZilla]

Deep hole is right. I just recently added up all my case preparation and loading equipment, and to my surprise I have over $1,500 invested and that does not include any of the dies. Thing is, there is more equipment that I would like to have. It would seem that I can never have enough.

And it never ends. I started in the early 70's. I still purchase reloading tools. You'd think I have plenty by now, but nooooo. Latest Purchase was a K&M priming tool. Seems there's always something I "need"

 

[boltman13]

PawPaw, PM me. I have two Lee Die sets one Full Length and the other a Collet die. I haven't used them in years. They are yours if you want them. I would like to have someone get some use out of them and could use the space. They are well used but still work fine.

 

[Fotheringill]

Welcome.

The depth of knowledge and the willingness to share it on this forum is overwhelming and goes deeper than the rabbit hole you will soon jump into..

Have fun and go slowly and when you start fiddling around, just change (fine tune) one thing at a time. Otherwise, you will never know which change produced the results you will see on your target.

 

[Old Tanker]

I'm gonna skip right over the other equipment you'll need, and say that your most important item might be a good Reloading Manual. -- I'd say Lyman #49, unless they've moved up to 50 by now.

There is a lot of info in the google machine, and right here on this forum, but it's nice to have actual Reloading Scripture in your two hands when it comes to checking what five different guys have suggested in various ways. jd

I agree with the Lyman manual, plus Hornady has an excellent and easy to understand piece on pressure. Lee is very detailed but self aggrandizing writing style.

 

[Old Tanker]

As a beginner, I was happy with going with a single stage, especially if you’re just target shooting or doing hunting loads. Focus on one process at a time makes for a safer learning experience. If you are competing, then turret/progressive would make sense.