Does anyone recommend a beginners reloading kit?

[Jaronmarkland]

Wanting to start reloading for my hunting rifle cartridges but I am not wanting to break the bank does anyone have any experience or recommend a good kit? Thankyou


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[CRJR45]

I just started last year . I got a RCBS Rock Chucker kit for $179 , but thats just the start , then you need dies , powder , primers , bullets , a bench , LOL .
I've got a good start , and any of my reloads are better than factory . It's hard to go wrong though , they're all good . If you just want to reload to shoot recreational stuff , a single stage is all you need . ,IMO .

 

[CrazySRanch]

Buddy has the rcbs I have the hornady to ke they both have upsides and down sides. No matter what you will probably upgrade components overtime.

 

[DAOutfitters208]

A basic rcbs rock chucker starter kit will get you what you need to reload. You can buy a kit or piece one together. Once you start going through the process, you will find there are things you would like to upgrade to save time or make things simpler.

 

[Sled]

You can get an inexpensive lee kit or used rcbs to get going. You can start with Hornady dies or go ahead and get some nice Redding dies. I wouldn't cheap out there if possible. All the little Nick nacks in the lee kit are useable and easy to upgrade after you know what you want. When you decide to upgrade your press, you can leave the lee setup for decapping.

 

[dieselchessy]

I started with an RCBS rock chucker supreme kit. I still use parts of it. It got me along for years.
I think Redding dies are an upgrade, but I’ve loaded lots with RCBS and Hornady dies and they make good ammo.

You’ll want a case trimmer to go along with it.

 

[Mag_7s]

I would also suggest the RCBS rock chucker kit for quality and value. You can make hand loading as simple or as complicated as you like. And if you choose to upgrade different components down the line, you still have a good press.

 

[Pickettpuncher]

Brownells has the rockchucker supreme kit for $250

 

[A382DWDZQ]

Kind of depends on what your rifle cartridges are. If their 223, your needs will be different than 300 Lapua Mag. So if you have smaller, you'd be fine with a Lee, but if you need more leverage, go with RCBS. You can probably get used gear on here or other forums for less than a kit also.

 

[archp625]

My recommendation is to not get a kit. Get what you want and will use little by little. Otherwise you will be sitting here in 3 years only using the press that came in your kit. You will be money ahead.

 

[rideold]

My recommendation is to not get a kit. Get what you want and will use little by little.

Agreed. I started reloading two years ago and am glad I did not get a kit. Happier to get each piece as I need it and be able to choose what works for me regardless of brand.

 

[CRJR45]

Agreed. I started reloading two years ago and am glad I did not get a kit. Happier to get each piece as I need it and be able to choose what works for me regardless of brand.

See , I'm the other side of that . For the $179 I spent I'm still using the press , the powder dispenser , the lube pad , the case prep tool , funnel , tray , powder measure , primer tool , trickler , almost everything that came in the kit , I'm still using . I bought a digital scale and dies , and calipers , OAL and BTOL gauges , but pretty much use just the kit stuff.
Plus , I was up and loading in two weeks time , total .
Granted , I load 50 cartridges at a time and maybe 100 a week , but it's easy and I can't see where I could use something more , or else . Spending more money to save a little time don't make sense to me , just saying .

 

[Gila]

The presses made in china are junk like everything else they make. Most accessories are made in china though. Just can’t get around that. If you are going to get a single stage press then I would get something that you can quickly change dies with or just get a turret press. I just recently started out and i am not a fan of kits because there is always stuff in a kit that I don’t want to use to begin with. I opted for a Lee classic turret press because I can change turrets for 12 dollars. I load 3 rifle calibers and one pistol. Lee has their breech lock system for quickly changing dies and so does Hornady with their lock n’ load. Mid-South has a good selection of stuff and puts their presses on sale once in a while.

 

[Steve300xcw]

I wouldnt buy a kit. You dont need much starting out.

Press, scale, priming tool, dies, can of OneShot, funnel and some shell holders.
I wouldnt be afraid of buying used either.

 

[Mojave]

Piece meal it.

Get a decent press
Good press mount like the unimount from Inline Fabrication
digital scales
chamfer debur hand tool from Lyman
Hand primer seater from Lee it works and it is cheap (I do this while watching tv on the couch)
Some way to deal with powder. Like a Powder measure or if you want to just start at the top buy a electronic scale and measure combo.

You don't need measurement tools or case trimmers to start, but you will need them within a few loadings.
I really like go-no go cartridge guages as well. Another brainless thing you can do on the couch.

Then you need dies
lube

bullets
brass
primers
powder

I do not load pistol or high volume AR stuff, as I am not set up for a progressive.

If that is your goal you need to focus on getting a progressive in the beginning and building a system around that.

If you are just a casual or dedicated long range person, you may or may not want to load single stage.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

You can get great press used for cheap...an old RCBS jr can be found used for under 75 bucks. Those older single stage press most of the time have better materials in them than a new one.....but what do I know I still use a 1950s model RCBS A2

Hand held primers and deprimers are worth every penny....

 

[FLS]

If you want to load accurate hunting ammo:
RCBS Rock Chucker
Case block
Lyman chamfer, and deburring tools
Redding Premium die set
Hand priming tool
RCBS Chargemaster has been more than accurate enough for anything I’ve loaded and worth the cost in time savings IMO.

If you will start with premium brass to can eliminate a lot of prep work from the start.

 

[long hunter]

Add a beam scale and powder trickler, never been a fan of the auto powder measures, go slow and look on e-bay some decent deals there. For me re-loading is not a quick as I can load deal.

 

[Gila]

Redding is too rich for my blood. They want $400 for their comp dies with the neck tension bushings. Hornady Match Grade dies are $100 and they have the same features except Hornady has different seating stems for different bullets. The neck tension bushings are the same between the two.

 

[cams]

I started with the RCBS rockchucker. I still use it to decap my brass.
It can be a rabbit hole. If I climbed up the rabbit hole, I would not hesitate to re-use the chucker again.