Beginner in Reloading - What to purchase?

[streamerfish]

What you need....

A press

A priming tool of some kind ( on press, off press, something)

A die set (full length resize and bullet seating)

Some kind of scale to weigh powder charge ( I like beam, but beam, digital, whatever)

Some kind of way to dispense the powder (Powder drop like a RCBS uniflow, Lee dipper set, electronic powder dispenser/scale combo....something)

Calipers

Case Tray

Funnel

Case sizing lube of some kind

Probably a bullet puller of some kind as mistakes are going to be made.


I may be a bit against the grain on this. But I think a starter kit of some kind is fine. Sure, alot of people upgrade stuff. But that's a want, not a need.

 

[gerry35]

What you need....

A press

A priming tool of some kind ( on press, off press, something)

A die set (full length resize and bullet seating)

Some kind of scale to weigh powder charge ( I like beam, but beam, digital, whatever)

Some kind of way to dispense the powder (Powder drop like a RCBS uniflow, Lee dipper set, electronic powder dispenser/scale combo....something)

Calipers

Case Tray

Funnel

Case sizing lube of some kind

Probably a bullet puller of some kind as mistakes are going to be made.


I may be a bit against the grain on this. But I think a starter kit of some kind is fine. Sure, alot of people upgrade stuff. But that's a want, not a need.

I like this, the only thing I would change is instead of a powder measure the Lee dippers are nice for getting powder onto the scale. For trimming cases I used the Lee caliber specific trimmers but went to a Redding trimmer. If I had to do it again the Little Crow WTF trimmers are excellent.

 

[hounddogman]

To the OP, perhaps I missed it but what calibers are you wanting to load ? Might make a difference in what gear you want.

 

[N2TRKYS]

Really? All I use is a beam scale and a tumbler for brass cleaning, both post range and for lube cleanup. Imho the cheap electronic scales I have used are junk. Yes good electronic ones work well, but they are not cheap. A good beam never needs batteries and if kept clean, nothing to break or go out of adjustment.

I got tried of the inconsistency and the WAY too slowness of the beam scale to ever be able to recommend them to anybody. Good electronic scales aren’t expensive at all. I would quit reloading if I could only use a beam scale. Tumbling was a colossal waste of time for me, so I stopped that pretty early on.

 

[streamerfish]

I got tried of the inconsistency and the WAY too slowness of the beam scale to ever be able to recommend them to anybody. Good electronic scales aren’t expensive at all. I would quit reloading if I could only use a beam scale. Tumbling was a colossal waste of time for me, so I stopped that pretty early on.

Different strokes for different folks...

I'm the opposite. I find my Redding Beam Scale to be much more accurate then digital scales(until you get way up there in price, although i'm not too sure bout it mattering enough).

It may be a bit slower. But I also don't waste my time weighing every load either....I would quit if I had to (outside of pressure ladders).

A handful of weights on the beam per loading session doesn't take very long.

But either way works.

 

[Jack's Dad]

Get a Redding turret press, bushing dies, and a charge master up front if you are able. These tools are game changers for speed. If on a low budget you can get by with very little and still make great ammo. Also recommend the Sinclair vld chamfer tool to use before each seating session. It's the jam.

 

[Willie IV]

I'm starting out too and bought the Lyman Ultimate Kit. It literally has everything you need to get started. In my opinion it's the most comprehensive kit available. I feel I will use every component included at some time. Not sure why people are against kits - I'm guessing some kits may not be as complete as the Lyman. My $0.02

Have fun. It is addicting

 

[Dirty30]

1st- What’s your budget? Are you trying to get into reloading on the cheap and upgrade as time allows? Or can you buy once cry once? Gavin over at Ultimate Reloader has a ton of good reviews on a lot of equipment. If your trying to go cheap, before buying new search all theses different sites classifieds. You can find good deals. I agree on the “kits” that’s what I did and now all that stuffs in storage and I’ve upgraded everything.
2nd- Find someone you can learn from and stick to their process until you get experienced and then test other processes. There’s 1000 ways to reload. I’d recommend Erik Cortina YouTube or website.
3rd- BE SAFE. Work loads up slow, understand pressure. Don’t drink and reload. Take clear notes and label everything. (You’ll start brass prep or reload different tests and walkway for 1-2 months and pick it back up and wonder what the hell is what) Understand what’s dangerous, ie: Over charge/undercharge. Hot loads, jammed bullets, etc. Ask questions. There’s a lot of experienced guys on forums (some A-holes too) most are decent to help. Join other forums, read lots
Have fun.

 

[Brazo264]

Buy the book top grade ammo by Glenn Zediker trust me. It will answer all of your questions and walk you through the process step by step but there’s also a chapter on choosing reloading gear. It’s what you need. Best

 

[Willie IV]

Buy the book top grade ammo by Glenn Zediker trust me. It will answer all of your questions and walk you through the process step by step but there’s also a chapter on choosing reloading gear. It’s what you need. Best

$289 on Amazon. Can that be right?

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

 

[ResearchinStuff]

I've read glens book and tried his techniques. Just got done selling off all the stuff he recommended, he may have written a book but he doesn't know what he's talking about.

 

[gerry35]

You can make reloading extremely complicated or it can be pretty simple. I go for the latter more these days. When you use quality brass, bullets known for accuracy and powders that are known to give good accuracy in a particular cartridge it's generally pretty easy to find good loads. Especially with modern rifles these days.