I'm gonna buy a reloading kit

L

Lee6113

New member
Hey guys, especially after all the great responses in my other thread "Pricing on Ammo", and reading different view points in the "Cost: benefit to reloading" thread, my wife and I decided to go forwards and start reloading.

Now, I don't want this to go into a brand war, but I'm not certain what company to go with.

There's a great youtube series by Bill Morgan on youtube that's been great to watch, and he uses a Hornady Single Stage kit. I like the idea of getting that one so I can maximize his video tutorials.

But I'm brand new to this so I don't want to jump in and buy something before I get some more feedback.

I know I want to start with a single stage press. We don't have a lot of space so have a set up we can use our counter, dining tables coffee table, or my desk (desk or kitchen table being get most likely, depending on if it's just me or the both of us). So our setup will need to be portable. No building a bench where we're at right now, haha.
I have room for components, etc, and some storage space for when we're not using it.


So, does anyone have any recommendations for a good starter kit?

Based on hearing a lot of people's frustrations with the Lee press, I'm thinking of going with a different brand. Price isn't my main factor also, I'd much rather have something quality I can use with confidence and have access to great support.

Again, not trying to start a brand war, haha.

Thanks in advance for the help and advice!


Cheers,

Lee
 
Starting out

I would say, "skip the balance beam scale and just start off with a digital scale.
Also the Lee hand held priming tool is very good and is not expensive.
My 2 cents. JD
 
Here starts the war.

Do a search here and you will find many threads about junk digital scales and how even the better ones have to be isolated to work correctly. You do NOT need a digital scale especially since you are only measuring to 1/10th of a grain.

I was looking at the C store and most of the kits I saw had a blasted digital scale so you are going to have to look to find a kit without one.

Hand priming yes as you have more feel for the correct seating when you hand prime. Just be sure that what ever hand primer you get uses standard size shell holders.
 
When I started out handloading a few years back I was faced with the same dilemma "D/S or beam" ? I purchase the RCBS Rock Chuncker kit which comes with a beam scale so I tried it for about a month and the only issue with a beam is it takes so much additional time to settle vs a digital. Yes you will get a bit more accuracy and thus consistency with a beam, but again at the cost of added time. Digital scales have their inconsistencies but they are minor especially for the new handloader whom is trying to learn the complete process which will be frustrating at first. As my skills advance I do have all intentions of using a beam when I am after the ultimate precision for say competitions , but for now my amateur skills only require a D/S which allows me time to focus on other aspects of handloading.
 
I have one of the Lee Challenger kits and its a good starting point. Keep the balance scale! Get the basics of reloading down first with the simple tools and upgrade as needed. It took me close to 3 years of reloading before I ever considered a digital scale. Get good reloading manuals. I've 3 I turn to all the time: Lyman 49th, Hornady 8th and 9th. Sierra also has a good book as well. Get you a nice set of calipers for checking your lengths. NOT HARBOR FRIEGHT. I work with guys that do calibrations for a living and I had a set of cheap calipers and they were off by .197 of actual reading. Main thing I do is take my time. If I think I screwed up a charge, I'll dump it and check it again. Don't go crazy on your first loads either. Find the middle of the load data and back it down some from there. Don't be afraid to ask questions. We were all beginners at one time or another. Even the experienced guys need advice sometimes.
 
Get you a nice set of calipers for checking your lengths. NOT HARBOR FRIEGHT. I work with guys that do calibrations for a living and I had a set of cheap calipers and they were off by .197 of actual reading.
Click to expand...
First things first,.197" is over 3/16" you don't need calibration guys to see that
HARBOR FREIGHT calipers may not be high precision instruments but they measure accurately to +/- .0005",better than that will cost you considerably more and is not necessary anyway.A pair of mics is a good compliment and will
double check accuracy as a balance beam scale will a digital unit.
 
I'm not sure how this started as a question about single stage kits and rapidly turned into a balance beam vs digital scale debate.

I have the Lee challenger kit and use it for rifle calipers only and have been very happy with it. If your doing pistol rounds you might want want the 50th anniversary kit.

If I had more to spend I might have purchased another make/model but this kit (along with dies, bushings, and calipers) has easily met my reloading objectives (developing light loads for my daughter to practice with and custom loads to eek out all the accuracy possible in my hunting rifles). The money I saved with this kit vs. some of the others allowed me to spend more on different powder/bullet combinations.

You mentioned YouTube. Iraqveteran8888 has a number of YouTube videos using Lee products and a series with the Lee 50th anniversary kit.

I've noticed that many people have a visceral reaction to Lee products. I'm a mechanic and see the same thing with those tools (many believe a snapon product is the only thing that will fix a car). DEtermine what YOUR objectives with reloading are and then do your research and make your decision.
 
So +1 recommendation for Lee 50th anniversary kit.

I will only be loading my 9mms at this point. Just range ammo to start with. Down the road I'll be shooting .38/357 and then .45, but for the time being my next few pistols I'm gonna buy are 9mm still.

To reiterate the question: I want recommendations on a good starter kit. Dillon? Hornady? Lee? RCBS?
 
Hard to go wrong with an RCBS Rock Chucker. There are rock chucked kits in the 300 range that comes with a lot of good items, including a 505 balance.

For electronic scales, go expensive or prepare to be disappointed.
 
I, too, have had very good success with Harbor Freight calipers.

The only thing is, though, that even when "off" they tend to eat batteries.
 
I like RCBS but that is just a preference. Have used others.

Scales - regardless of digital or beam, you need check weights. Beams tend to be more reliable (no batteries to go dead, no electronics to go bad) and consistent in my opinion but can be a little slower to use. If you are only loading for handgun, a beam is more than sufficient. I only check my weights once every 10 rounds once my dispenser is set.....and it rarely goes "off track".
 
I would suggest getting a copy of The ABCs of Reloading. Not only will it tell you how and why, but the equipment that is needed to suit your reloading needs. Get a couple reloading manuals (for the "How To" not necessarily the load data). Lyman's 49th is a good generic manual, and if you choose to reload jacketed bullets, get a manual from the bullet manufacturer (I use a lot of Hornady and Speer bullets so I have a Hornady manual and a Speer manual).

All single stage reloading presses work the same. All adjust dies the same (or at least all the 6 that I have owned do). All are close ergonomically, ease/difficulty of operation (But the Forster Co-Ax is a bit different). The only manufacture to avoid is Smart Reloader, never seen a decent review and my experience is really bad. So, the other tools in the kit will have more importance. I'd suggest a Lee Classic Cast. Not too expensive, and it'll last a reloading lifetime.

Scales? Get a beam scale. If you're like many reloaders, seeing a beam center on a scale is easier to visualize/see/understand a weight rather than some numbers appearing on a display. The Lee scale is as accurate as any, but some folks can't/won't learn to read a vernier scale and it's a bit slower that other magnetically dampened scales. All the equipment manufacturers offer good, accurate beam scales (and some are made by the same maker). I have Lyman/Ohaus, RCBS, Lee and Redding scales and a couple "collectables". All are precision measuring tools accurate to less than .1 of a grain of powder.

As you can tell, reloading tools/equipment is very personal, more so than automobile preference (a lot of Ford vs. Chevy type "discussions" about reloading equipment on many forums testify to this!). I don't like kits and I read about/researched the individual tools before I purchased any. A vendor's catalog is a useful tool for this. Graf's, Natchez, Mid South, and Midway are some but I don't know if they offer printed catalogs anymore.

BTW; I started reloading in '69 with a Lee Loader, a mallet, a pound of Bullseye, 100 CCI primers, and 100 generic .357" lead bullets. I used brass I fired and picked up a lot at the local police range. I made several hundred good, safe, fairly accurate .38 Special reloads that summer before I could afford a Lee Challenger and dies.

Go slow, double check everything, and most important, enjoy...
 
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Since space is tight, you might want to look into the Inline Fabrication riser stands for reloading presses:
http://inlinefabrication.com/
IMG_4279_2_medium.JPG

I bought one for the RBCS Jr. (been using that press for over 35 years) and with the press mounted to that, and that to a piece of plywood, it is easy to use and clamp to a table top, or mount it on this:

http://www.harborfreight.com/universal-bench-grinder-stand-3184.html

Takes up very little space and should work for a single stage.
 
Let me offer an alternate since you seem to be shooting exclusively pistol.

My first kit has put together around the Lyman T-Mag turret press. I like it because it can be used as a single stage if you want, and you can have all three (four if you crimp separately) of your dies set up at the same time. I have a mixture of stuff on my bench, from Lyman, Hornady, RCBS, and Lee. I hand prime and use both digital and beam scales. I am checking the digital with the beam until I trust it. The trust issue is only because it's new to me.

If I were starting over today I might go with a Hornady press because that quick change die bushing system looks like it might be a time saver. I say "might". You can always get a nice "O" frame press later if you start shooting a lot of rifle rounds
 
Skip the kit and buy what you want. When I bought my setup in fall of 2013 I used the kits as a guide, but bought the individual items locally or from Amazon and MidwayUSA. Every kit I priced back then cost just as much or more than buying the items I wanted individually.

I went with-
RCBS Rock Chucker for the press, Frankford Arsenal Digital scale, Lyman Reloading manual, Lee dies, digital caliper form Amazon, Lee perfect powder measure, Lee hand priming tool, and other items as needed.
 
So, does anyone have any recommendations for a good starter kit?
Click to expand...

Yes I do! The RCBS kits are COMPLETE and all you need to get started besides dies and shell holders. The only choice is which kits based on which press. If you are just doing pistol rounds, and press will handle them fine. If you are considering rifle rounds, then the bigger presses will make life easier.

I absolutely would not buy anthing beyond the essential kit until you have gotten started , learned the process, and then figured out what fancy extras would make loading easier and more convenient, and that will be based on your own preferences once you know enough to know what you prefer. For example, 30 years of loading, and I prefer a balance beam scale while others detest them.

The Lee kits appear to be a less expensive enedeavor until you start purchasing everything they don't include to get started.

Calipers are needed for some rounds, especially semi-auto, but I started loading revolver rounds and didn't have any for the first few hundred rounds I loaded, and rarely use them on revolver rounds even now. If you start looking at somebody else's $3000 setup that they developed over a dozen years and thinking its what you need, you'll never get started when you could be shooting your own loads with with $300 worth of equipment that might turn into thousands over time, but it will be equipment YOU prefer.
 
"...I would suggest getting a copy of The ABCs of Reloading..." First.
Then look into one of the kits. Really doesn't matter which one, but the RCBS warrantee is tops. Any issues are covered by their warrantee for the life of the kit. Including if you ever buy used kit, like dies. Takes a lot of abuse/neglect to damage the stuff anyway.
Not buying a kit you will cost you more money. Do buy another manual(Lyman is the most versatile) and digital calipres. Just easier to read.
Scales need to be accurate to one decimal place in grains(avoirdupois). Any more is a waste of time and money. Digital or balance will work just fine. Kits usually come with a balance scale. (Have been loading for 40 years and have yet to find a need to calibrate my scale. No unauthorised booming either.)
You do not need case length, case headspace(no such thing as case headspace) or any of the assorted "give me all your money" gauges. The calipres can be locked at any length and used as a gauge.
You do need a solid work bench that fits the space domestic management has allocated you and does not have a particle board/OSB top. Breaks on the first use. Even the 1" plus thick tops.
 
I started reloading for my pistol calibers about a year ago and I went with a Lee Classic Turret press. With that press, you can set it up as a single stage press, or you can set it up to rotate the dies making the process a little faster but still leaving you able to observe every step.

If you buy a kit from Kempf Gunshop (kempfgunshop.com//index.php?page=shop.product_details&product_id=630&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=41&vmcchk=1&Itemid=41) you aren't buying the standard Lee kit. The Kempfs put together a kit with the press, one set of dies of your choice, the Lee disk-type powder drop (with an inexpensive upgrade to the Pro version available and recommended), and a primer feed. They throw in some ammo boxes, too. Besides components, you only need to add a manual and a scale. You can choose your own scale based on purpose; IMO an inexpensive digital scale is adequate for plinking rounds for pistol, but you want to upgrade for precision work.
 
Hartcreek post #3
Do a search here and you will find many threads about junk digital scales and how even the better ones have to be isolated to work correctly.
Click to expand...

FWIW I agree. I got a digital and played around with it for a couple weeks weighing 7 different coins and logging the results a couple times a day. Went back to my beam scale. IMhO the beam is way less fussy and frustrating.

I think you should give Single-sixer's suggestion (post #15) some consideration and look at a turret press (see my disclaimer below) I've looked at the Redding T-7 and was really impressed.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/588482/redding-t-7-turret-press

I started out cleaning brass with a rag and lighter fluid. Cheap, and I did it for years but this works better (but it's kinda noisy):

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/103614/rcbs-vibratory-case-tumbler-110-volt

Disclaimer: When I started reloading I got someone I trusted to sell me a press (he sold me a single stage) and accessories and never much looked at any other reloading equipment. After years and years of reloading a progressive press caught my eye at a gun show and I bought it and was incredibly impressed with how quick I could reload.

I never even looked at a turret press. After reading about reloading here and finally looking into other ways of reloading I kind of think I would have been better off getting a turret press at the beginning and I probably never would have felt the desire to move up to a progressive. YMMV.
 
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