There are some range days with friends and family that are very memorable. I reload for stress relief and to relax. I enjoy both. The good range days are the best but reloading time is much more frequent.
My "Get into reloading! " newbies post
- Thread starter garandman
- Start date
Good advice above. I have some more practical suggestions / additional basic tools needed below.
Get / make a sturdy bench (no wiggle) at the right height to stand or sit. I'm old and I sit.
Mount a light or flashlight somewhere so you can check each powder drop to ensure against double charges.
Your press should come with the means to seat primers...I've used my press xclusively for 35 years and had no problems. Hand held seater can come later.
Your standard dies will work fine as you learn "the process" and how everything intetacts. Follow their instructions on sizing and bullet seating until you have the desire, $$ and time to play with seating depth and neck tension. You may not need it for what you do.
I use a single stage press for 35 yrs. It suits my needs, I don't shoot 6-800 rounds in competition every week. If I were beginning again I would get a turret press like the Hornady LNL. Can be used as a single stage, but has the built in capacity of a lo end progressive. I would stay away from the hi end Dillons at least until your shooting requirements exceed the single stage or LNL type presses. One other thing, from all the forums I've read, and the people that have the hi end presses and load thousands of rounds a month, they always seem to keep their starter presses, or reacquire them just for case prep.
Define what you want to do: hunting, long range hunting, extreme accuracy 600 to 100 + yds, competition...each step up requires more commitment and by the way $$. Basic set up will be sufficient to start hunting or plinking and if / what your handloads your firearm likes.
Get a good reloading manual, Lyman's 49 or 50 is a good start.
Use the right primer for what you reload; rifle for rifle pistol for pistol. After you get some experience you may want to use magnum over standard primers.
I bagan with a powder balance and weights and that is my gold standard and I compare my other digital and mechanical to it.
Do not attach your powder measure to the loading bench because any vibration from operating the press will cause non-repeatable powder drops. Operate the powder measure XACTLY THE SAME each time for uniform drops.
No fans or AC, air movement will cause inaccurate scale reading.
Harbor Freight has 6" calipers for around $20.
Bore scopes and cronograph can come later.
Learn which range pick up brass is reloadable. A tumbler is not required, at first. Brass only needs to be clean, not shiney. Clean YOUR brass with flitz cloth or some suitable. Clean RANGE brass in a bucket of soap and water; agitate, re rinse and set out on a towel to dry in the sun, on the water heater or some such.
Rifle case trimmer (Lee to start with, [inexpensive] you can upgrade later), Lyman manual will xplain why and how if you don't know. Pistol not so much.
What you need depends on what you intend to do with your shooting. Oh, and one other thing, in my garage any flat surface tends to accumulate things. Your bench will become cluttered depending on your dedication to keep it clean.
Get / make a sturdy bench (no wiggle) at the right height to stand or sit. I'm old and I sit.
Mount a light or flashlight somewhere so you can check each powder drop to ensure against double charges.
Your press should come with the means to seat primers...I've used my press xclusively for 35 years and had no problems. Hand held seater can come later.
Your standard dies will work fine as you learn "the process" and how everything intetacts. Follow their instructions on sizing and bullet seating until you have the desire, $$ and time to play with seating depth and neck tension. You may not need it for what you do.
I use a single stage press for 35 yrs. It suits my needs, I don't shoot 6-800 rounds in competition every week. If I were beginning again I would get a turret press like the Hornady LNL. Can be used as a single stage, but has the built in capacity of a lo end progressive. I would stay away from the hi end Dillons at least until your shooting requirements exceed the single stage or LNL type presses. One other thing, from all the forums I've read, and the people that have the hi end presses and load thousands of rounds a month, they always seem to keep their starter presses, or reacquire them just for case prep.
Define what you want to do: hunting, long range hunting, extreme accuracy 600 to 100 + yds, competition...each step up requires more commitment and by the way $$. Basic set up will be sufficient to start hunting or plinking and if / what your handloads your firearm likes.
Get a good reloading manual, Lyman's 49 or 50 is a good start.
Use the right primer for what you reload; rifle for rifle pistol for pistol. After you get some experience you may want to use magnum over standard primers.
I bagan with a powder balance and weights and that is my gold standard and I compare my other digital and mechanical to it.
Do not attach your powder measure to the loading bench because any vibration from operating the press will cause non-repeatable powder drops. Operate the powder measure XACTLY THE SAME each time for uniform drops.
No fans or AC, air movement will cause inaccurate scale reading.
Harbor Freight has 6" calipers for around $20.
Bore scopes and cronograph can come later.
Learn which range pick up brass is reloadable. A tumbler is not required, at first. Brass only needs to be clean, not shiney. Clean YOUR brass with flitz cloth or some suitable. Clean RANGE brass in a bucket of soap and water; agitate, re rinse and set out on a towel to dry in the sun, on the water heater or some such.
Rifle case trimmer (Lee to start with, [inexpensive] you can upgrade later), Lyman manual will xplain why and how if you don't know. Pistol not so much.
What you need depends on what you intend to do with your shooting. Oh, and one other thing, in my garage any flat surface tends to accumulate things. Your bench will become cluttered depending on your dedication to keep it clean.
Started with a RCBS Reloader Special single stage, powder drop, trickler, 5-10 scale, deburtool, primer pocket brush, and a case trimmer, all second hand stuff, the only new item was an RCBS two die set in .270 win back in the early 80's. That just started the madness, I now have all types of presses and related gear, my wife was allowed to look in my storage cabinet for my brass, bullets, and dies not long ago, she looked at me shook her head and said "Your just collecting now".
I am very pro reloading but over the last few years components have been pretty hard to find. I still load 98% of that which I shoot but I am shooting less volume for sure. I started a few people down the road to "rolling their own," but Covid put a monkey wrench in the plans of several of them.
Then again I could probably give a course on "minimalist" reloading as I use a tiny area and minimal gizmos.
John
Then again I could probably give a course on "minimalist" reloading as I use a tiny area and minimal gizmos.
John
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