Reloading equipment

[andrews1958]

I would like to purchase and set up the best reloading equipment possible from scratch with a budget around $1,500

What would you sugest for name brand equipment: Press, dies, scale,etc..

I will be reloading for 6.5x47 and 6br

Any help/ sugestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[K22]

Contact Sinclair International, 800-717-8211, and talk to one of their technical people. They'll set you up with the right equipment and save you a lot of money in the long run from misinformation or trial and error. They're very competant and knowledgable people.

 

[BoydAllen]

IMO, for that kind of money, you can have some refinement, and versatility. The best loads are those that are tailored to a particular rifle, and the conditions in which it will be shot. Because of this, and the fact that barrels have a relatively short peak accuracy life, I believe that working up loads at the range is the best way to proceed. I can fit all of what I use to load at the range, with a press, and an arbor press style seater(s) in this.
http://www.harborfreight.com/17-1-2-half-inch-x-12-1-2-half-inch-x-7-1-2-half-inch-aluminum-tool-case-36871.html
Having said that, I understand that some will want to produce the bulk of their loads at home, once the optimum load has been determined. For this, I suggest that a good single stage, cast iron press is a good idea. I like my old style Rock Chucker, some brag on their Forster presses. I find that they are a pain for making small changes in shoulder bump, and that they are the pits for using expander dies (as determined by actual test). Reddng makes some excellent presses. From there we go to powder measuring. These days, for longer ranges, weighed charges are becoming pretty standard. For this, the first level would be an RCBS Chargemaster. With a battery back, they can, and are used at the range. Beyond that, some shooters refine the accuracy of what the Chargemaster throws with a more accurate electronic scale. After having read recent reviews, I would probably choose something like a Gem Pro 250. You can spend more, but I think that it should do the job. Another important category is measuring tools. A dial caliper, 1" mic that reads to .0001, attachments that are used to measure shoulder bump, seating depth, and OAL from ogive to head, as well as neck thickness are all requirements of precision reloading. I find that inexpensive dial (not digital) calipers meet my needs, something like the Holland neck mic., a quality mic. like a Mitutoyo is a good idea. To trim cases, I like the Wilson trimmer, I like the Holland chamfer tool and a regular combination tool such as the Forster or RCBS for deburring. For reloading trays, I find that I like one that I have that is similar to these. http://www.midwayusa.com/Product/198445/frankford-arsenal-classic-wood-reloading-tray-6 in the correct size for your caliber(s). If you want to buy a powder measure (I use mine for fine grained powders.) I like my Harrell's Precision Deluxe. For loading at the range, I use his Combo Press. It has a built in arbor press as well as taking threaded dies. I prefer Wilson type seaters, and one of, if not the most important parts of your kit, the FL sizing dies, should be the best that are available. That is a whole post of its own. I think that a good match between die chamber and brass is essential. In fact I would rather put up with everything else being old ugly and used, and have the best dies, than the reverse, and remember, just because dies are shiny, good looking, and expensive does not guarantee that they produce the best ammunition for your rifle. That should keep you busy for a while.
Boyd

 

[artbosco]

I would like to purchase and set up the best reloading equipment possible from scratch with a budget around $1,500

What would you suggest for name brand equipment: Press, dies, scale,etc..

I will be reloading for 6.5x47 and 6br

Any help/ suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately, for the buyer, there's a huge population of excellent equipment. I say unfortunately, because if only a few companies stood out, it would be much easier to select their equipment.

I've got equipment from a variety of companies. After trying them out, keeping the ones I liked, and sending the others back, I arrive at my current inventory. The one thing I like about the whole process is that if you don't like something the large majority of companies that do business with our community, accept returns with no questions asked. They know how to provide customer service.

I've got equipment from Forster, Sinclair, RCBS, K&M, Harrell's, BAT Machine, Wilson, Hornady, Redding, Brownells, Dillon, Lyman, Lee, Ryobi, Skill, SPI, Vermont, 21st Century, Cabela's, Fowler, Dewalt, Mitutoyo, and a few others, all related to reloading.

Be forewarned, you're starting down a hill inside a small snowball. The only thing that's going to stop you, is buying discipline, when you see an item you think you must have to make your brass more precise so your groups will shrink. Good Luck.

 

[DaveWhite]

Hi Dave,

I knew that you would get around to loading your own eventually.

Given that you have some big game loads and will likely want to full length resize them every time, I would stay away from arbor presses. Your options are too many to simplify without soundling like a shill for one of the major supply houses.

That said, here is what I am currently using to turn out LR target (.308), varmint (.22-250 and .204 Ruger), Schuetzen (.32 Miller Short) and pistol (.45 ACP) loads:

Redding Big Boss II press
Dies from Redding and Hornady (pistol only), I also have a Warner, but that would blow your budget
(you will need two die sets for must of the rifle calibers, not any need for neck sizing in most hunting applications)
21st Century priming tool (with required Lee Autoprime components)
Harrell powder measure (look at the various models and capacities for the cartridges you want to load)
Redding match grade powder measure (for pistol and schuetzen loads (<15 grains)
Acculab 123 electronic powder measure
Starrett 6" veriner dial calipers
Wilson gages for each rifle caliber
Forster case trimmer/neck trimmer
Sinclair poly loading blocks (hold 50 each, I use three) - DO NOT buy those "universal" loading blocks, they are rubbish)
Loading manuals for each powder and bullet brand I use (Sierra, Nosler, Hornady), but update on line.

that is all for single stage loading, which in my opinion is where to start. Then if you want to load lots of rounds for pistol or varmint shooting, you might go with a progressive. I know a Dillion 650 is in one of my future Christmas lists...

Hold center,

dw

 

[DaveWhite]

As a follow up, post-it notes in the Sinclair International catalog left someplace your spouse is bound to find is one way to ensure yourself a smile on Christmas morning... One Christmas, about ten years ago, my wife bought every single item I had flagged... I just about dropped in my tracks a month later when I saw the credit card bill...

 

[Catfish]

If you will be loading large volumes of ammo Dillon is the only wat to go. With some of my more accurate I have shot alot of groups in the 2`s and a few in the 1`s with ammo loaded on it. As for dies, there are alot of good ones out there. I like the Redding S bushing dies for my tight necked chambers, but for factory chambers I have a varity of brands, more RCBS than anything else.

 

[infantrytrophy]

If you are new to reloading, you might consider a specific feature of the Forster Co-ax press. Instead of screwing the dies down into a threaded hole, in a Forster press the dies simply slide into a machined slot. After the lock ring is tightened down onto any die (sizing die, seating die, expanding die, decapping die), the dies can be snapped into and removed from the press in an instant, then exchanged for another die.

When you are learning to reload, or when you are making adjustments, there are many situations in which you need to quickly remove and replace the dies. This is done instantly in the Forster press. The Hornady LNL AP press has a similar feature, with its bushing system. This is a progressive press, however, and you would probably want to start with a single-stage press. If you want to try a progressive press, the Hornady LNL AP is good. There is a learning curve to using a progressive press, however.

Another feature of the Forster press is that there is a closed path for decapped primers. The removed primers simply drop directly through a tube into a small cup. No primer grit ever fouls the press around the shell holder area.

Regarding dies, Forster and Redding Dies are excellent. I specifically recommend their micrometer seating dies. In previous years, it was hard to read the index markings on the Forster micrometer dies. This has changed with their recent dies, and I would rate the current Forster and Redding micrometer seating dies equally good. Forster dies are typically less expensive. Technical support from both Forster and Redding is very good.

Hornady rifle dies are also good. One minor disadvantage of the Hornady micrometer seating die is its very long length. This works OK for the calibers that I load, but a micrometer die for a long cartridge (30-06, for example) might be too long to fit under the yoke-type handle of a Forster press.

If you need a primer pocket uniformer, the ones from Sinclair are much better than others I have seen. Ditto for a VLD-type case neck chamfering tool.

Case trimming can be a PITA. This is one of my least favorite tasks. With typical case trimmers, you trim the case mouth, then there are two more steps - chamfer and deburr the case mouth. 3 steps, handle each piece 3 times. Not for me ...

Instead, find a trimmer that does all 3 steps at once. The Giraud trimmer is great for high-volume work. Since this trimmer indexes on the case shoulder, you will see minor variance in the overall case length. No problem for most of us. If you must have absolute precision in your case length, then consider a manual trimmer with a special cutting head that does the trimming, chamfering and debarring all at once. Forster's new cutting head for its trimmer has such a feature, but I have not tried it.

The RCBS Chargemaster is excellent for automatically weighing powder charges. Once you have tried this, you would never want to go back to manually weighing powder charges. Coupled with Satern aluminum and brass powder funnels, weighing charges and charging cases is relatively fast.

Hope this helps,

Randy

 

[jonbearman]

Why not start out with an rcbs rockchucker master reloading kit.It has almost everything you need and it is good quality for about 300.00. I bought one years ago and still use most of it today.Get the feel and upgrade when you can.You will have alot left over from your budget to buy good quality reloading components such as bullets,powder,and primers.I might suggest looking at powdervalleys site for powder and stuff.The trick is to order enough powders to offset the hazmat fee(25.00) and then ask plenty of questions and we will be glad to anser them.Also stick with say rcbs dies and stock the decap pins and one decap spindle should you break one by accident.Buy several reloading books and read the heck out of them.I hope this helps and try midway for good prices as well as natchez shooters supply for rcbs sales events.

 

[SS427]

I think Jon has given the best advice. All the other advice is good, but one of the kits from RCBS or Redding represents the best value around. Great way to get started and then add and upgrade as you go. I don't think there is a single item in my original kit that I don't use even now. Even if you upgrade and one tool starts to gather dust, you can always sell it or give it to someone else just starting out. Cabelas currently has an RCBS $50 rebate going on if you spend $300....not sure if thats a Cabelas thing or offered direct from RCBS.