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What piece of equipment next ?

amboy49

I want to attempt to refine my reloading process for optimal reloads. I currently have an RCBS Rockchucker press and I’m using Lee Precision dies for my Savage 10T .223 rifle. What should I consider for my next reloading equipment purchase ? I am shooting Lapua brass, benchrest primers, and match grade bullets. I have not yet chronographed any of my loads. I do have chronograph. I am trimming my cases with a handheld lee case trimmer. I am not annealing any of my cases.

Different press. i.e. Forsters Co ax ?
Different dies. ? Brand or type ?
Something to check for concentricity ?
Or . . . . . . . . . ?

Thanks in advance.
 
I am a HUGE fan of neck turning, annealing and weighing down to the last kernel of powder. So, if you do not already have them, get an excellent neck turning tool, a good annealing machine and an A&D FX120I scale. This will eat up about $1200.00 or so>>>but I think these aide in accuracy immensely!
 
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You leave a fair bit on the table, as far as where you want to go.
A stock gun can shoot pretty good, to excellent. But until some measurements are found, you can build the most perfect ammo and still do no better than mediocre ammo.
FYI, been there done that. Stock rifle, then perfect ammo. You have to build what fits the chamber.
Don't get caught up with gadgets.
Load good ammo and get out there and shoot.
Jeff
 
Neck turning is way up there on my list. The consistency of neck tension improved notably when I started skimming the high sides off of necks (turning just enough to clean up ~50% of the neck). The force on the press handle was much smoother and my groups may not have got much smaller, but they were much more repeatable and consistent.

If you've got a reasonable scale already (+/- 0.05, reads out to .1) then I'd hold off on the expensive scale. My ES and SD are really small without one already.

Gadgets are fun, but until you actually hit a wall or problem of some sort, I wouldn't go buying anything. I think an annealer falls into this category. Save up for a custom barrel and cleanup job on your savage to REALLY make a difference.
 
A Savage 12FV was the second gun I started loading for. I bought a set of Lee dies that came with a neck sizer. When I started using that, groups really improved.
 
wind flags
amboy49 said:
I want to attempt to refine my reloading process for optimal reloads. I currently have an RCBS Rockchucker press and I’m using Lee Precision dies for my Savage 10T .223 rifle. What should I consider for my next reloading equipment purchase ? I am shooting Lapua brass, benchrest primers, and match grade bullets. I have not yet chronographed any of my loads. I do have chronograph. I am trimming my cases with a handheld lee case trimmer. I am not annealing any of my cases.

Different press. i.e. Forsters Co ax ?
Different dies. ? Brand or type ?
Something to check for concentricity ?
Or . . . . . . . . . ?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
 
A lot of great advise here. How is your gun shooting? The best reloads possible won't show up on the target if you barrel isn't a good one. From time to time factory barrels will leave you a bit short in the accuracy dept......

Regards
Rick
 
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amboy49 said:
I want to attempt to refine my reloading process for optimal reloads. I currently have an RCBS Rockchucker press and I’m using Lee Precision dies for my Savage 10T .223 rifle. What should I consider for my next reloading equipment purchase ? I am shooting Lapua brass, benchrest primers, and match grade bullets. I have not yet chronographed any of my loads. I do have chronograph. I am trimming my cases with a handheld lee case trimmer. I am not annealing any of my cases.

Different press. i.e. Forsters Co ax ?
Different dies. ? Brand or type ?
Something to check for concentricity ?
Or . . . . . . . . . ?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
What #40 Fan said, get an LCD.

I don't anneal 223 either and using a Lee Collet Die in 223 it's highly debatable that you need to.

Next on your list.....well maybe a Chargemaster Lite, that makes loading faster and more enjoyable.
 
retired said:
wind flags
Click to expand...

You got that right.

Your reloading press is fine. You can produce excellent ammo with a Rockchucker.

Other items that will make a difference if you don’t have them:

A good Front rest with a bag that fits your stock. A rear bag that plays nice with your stock. I instantly became a better shooter when I upgraded.

A shoulder bump gauge to go along with that die Dusty suggested.

A comparator so you can adjust seating depth using a method that is superior to using overall length. Sinclair makes a nice one. Hornady gets bad rapped, but you will see a ton of them at any SR group shoot so how crappy can they really be?

Get the Tony Boyer book and/or the Mike Ratigan book. There are some real nuggets of wisdom in there.
 
hoz53 said:
the comparator ok its a decent tool and one needed. the length gauge- pos- id give mine away but i dont want to discourage someone
Click to expand...


I'm with you. Stripped bolt method for me to determine touch length and jam length. To each his own though.
 
jimmymac said:
I'm with you. Stripped bolt method for me to determine touch length and jam length. To each his own though.
Click to expand...
i just could never push it in with the exact amount of force each time. i dont think many people really can. i use the wheeler method from the vid he made. like u say though each to his own. op is getting the different opinions so thats good

OP wat kind of scale do you have?
 
hoz53 said:
the comparator ok its a decent tool and one needed. the length gauge- pos- id give mine away but i dont want to discourage someone
Click to expand...

What's so terrible about it? I'd rather it be metal like the original SP, but other than that it works for me. Now I only use it for a reference point, but by sound of it the OP is flying blind. It was the obvious thing I saw he needed. I figure it's an entry level setup, but then I'm a entry level chooter... lol
 
Dan S said:
Can you explain what a stripped bolt meathod is? I hear it a lot, but have no idea
Click to expand...


Remove the firing pin and ejector from your bolt. Seat a bullet long and adjust your seating depth until you find touch.


That works awesome and you don't need any additional tools other than a caliper to record your numbers. Once you have the touch number, you can work the other way with a freshly sized piece of brass to establish a jam length number. Or, you can find jam first then touch. It doesn't matter. What matters is that in the end you have two measurements recorded that allows you the ability to play around with various seating depths in an educated fashion instead of guessing where you are at any particular seating depth.
 
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