How to get started in Reloading?

[Bcoonce117]

Main thing for me was (and still) to take my time, and double check each step. When I am reloading I usually don't even listen to music.

Yeah I have even talked to people that say they write down everything they did after each step that way they don’t forget anything or double charge

 

[Bcoonce117]

I bought a Rock Chucker kit plus a few extras and dies throughout the years and never looked back. I started nearly 40 years ago now and all my gear is still going strong. I wish I had recorded the number of rounds I loaded.

Yeah I’m leaning toward just buying this kit and a trickler to get started and then graduate to the nicer stuff from there.

 

[Cousneddy]

Keep an eye out for used equipment on Marketplace, Craigslist and estate auctions. You may find someone that's getting out of it and selling everything together.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

Keep accurate records of all your loads.

 

[xebadir]

Was lucky enough to be given alot of what I have, bought a few extras to round out my kit. Keep a lookout for second hand presses and dies - there are usually plenty around. Agree on reloading manuals, and accurate recording.

 

[SloppyJ]

If you have the cash to spare and know you're going to get into it, start off with some better stuff than you get in a kit.

This should be standard: Get the Satern funnels for each caliber you load, a good set of calipers, bullet AND headspace comparator sets.

Optional: A tumbler, auto powder dispenser, brass prep station and trimmer.

Don't go crazy trying a bunch of powder right off the bat. Ive had best luck with Hodgdon stuff across the board. I'd stick with varget, h4350, and H1000 depending on what you're loading.

 

[Bcoonce117]

If you have the cash to spare and know you're going to get into it, start off with some better stuff than you get in a kit.

This should be standard: Get the Satern funnels for each caliber you load, a good set of calipers, bullet AND headspace comparator sets.

Optional: A tumbler, auto powder dispenser, brass prep station and trimmer.

Don't go crazy trying a bunch of powder right off the bat. Ive had best luck with Hodgdon stuff across the board. I'd stick with varget, h4350, and H1000 depending on what you're loading.

I actually have Varget and h4350. And 3000 primers. I bought the stuff that was harder to come by before getting all the reloading equipment

 

[PaHunter86]

Keep accurate records of all your loads.

This is important. Otherwise you will be like me right now. I misplaced the paper that i wrote the charge of varget I put in the case for my sons 7mm08. So now I'm going to pull 3 bullets to figure it out.

 

[magtech]

If youre just starting out in reloading define your budget.

If your budget is "cheaper is better" get a rock chucker kit. Its a solid baseline to start. The press is nice but the rest is adequate.

If youre looking to splurge get a fx120 scale and v4 accutrickler. Theyre in stock and work well. There are more expensive options than this, but this is in stock and a known quality.

Hornady comparator guages and a quality caliper (.001 or better) are almost essential.

Pick a brass trimmer in your budget and it should work fine for beginning.

On 24hrcampfire and sniperhide and other forums you can go to the reloading section and they have reloading pt 1-5 on how to reload accurately. Its a good baseline for gaining knowledge.

Most powder companies like hodgdon have a searchable database for powders and cartridges, i havent used a book in a decade.

If you read the reloading things i mentioned youll understand more, without havung to buy. Good luck.

 

[elephantrider]

Hello!

I want to start reloading. Ive been saving factory brass for my 308 and 6.5 PRC. There is a lot of information on the google about what equipment to start with and such. How do I choose equipment that will last me and help me get started? I'm surprised there isn't a pinned post here with beginners info but maybe this could be help other people too.

Free online reloading guides from powder manufacturers (Western Powders) have a reloading tutorial how-to section up front. Same goes for most hard copy manuals you can buy. For bottleneck rifle cartridge reloading, which is the easiest to start with IMO, you will need a press, powder scale, powder funnel(s), priming tool, and dies at a minimum. A powder dispenser and brass cleaning tumbler will make things faster and neater, but not totally necessary. There are a ton of various special reloading tools and equipment to make loading faster, more accurate, and general quality of life improvements. I'd recommend watching the Ultimate Reloader YouTube channel to get comparative info on specific equipment and reloading how-to guides.

 

[sololearn9]

Decisions despend on whether you want to load rifle ammo, too. Tchniques are quite different from those for pistols. I reload 32acp, 32 Fed Mag, 9mm, 38 spec, 45acp, 30-06. I would say the most difficult of all is the 32acp because it is so small. 32 Fed Mag suffers from lack of finding loading data. I like reloading for the 38 spec best.
wiollr.

 

[TxhunterPRC]

I just started reloading a at the beginning of the year. I bought the rock chucker supreme kit, a chargemaster supreme, the lyman brass prep station and the lyman xpress case trimmer along with a frankford tumbler and dryer. Bought RCBS matchmaster FL sizing dies and seating dies. Started off loading for 6.5 creed. I had a bunch of factory brass that I had saved for years. Played around with different powders and etc. and just tried to get the hang of it. Once I got confidence then I tried digging a little deeper for accuracy and speed. I have been able to turn my 300 prc from a 1-2 moa gun to a consistent .5 moa gun and I am as novice as they come. The investment to start off is quite steep but once you get everything you need, its real nice. If you have the time to do it, I say go for it. Ultimate reloader, erik cortina, and some others I cant remember are some youtube channels that I watched starting out to get a good baseline of what needs to be done. Once you start out, you'll realize there are a million different ways/things you can do, so just get a process that works for you and stick to it.

 

[WhoGarrDen]

reloading newb check list

I've decided to take the plunge! Here is the list of items i've come up with. Please chime in to let me know if I am missing anything or if anything is overkill. I will load for a 6.5 CM and 300wm. Lastly, I assume buy everything individually rather than a set as sets look like they have some...

rokslide.com

Cross-posting this thread again - this was pretty helpful for me starting off. If you're a 2,000rd+/yr guy, you may want to skip some of the hand tools and go straight to powered trimmer/case prep. I just finished 500 cases this week and I will never trim/chamfer/deburr without a powered tool again...

 

[Desert_Muley]

I started with a Lee reloading manual, Lee C press, and Lee beam scale. Digital scakes weren't a thing or too expensive. Lee dies. I was loading for 30-30 my first deer rifle. The Lee manual took me step by step. Newer esition still in production, i think. Gore hadn't invented the internet so the manual was a trusted source. Oh, I also had the Lee primer seater. I have since purchased more presses, other "must have " equipment and higher end dies but I still have all this equipment and still use some items once in awhile. I hope this helps. Best of luck

 

[Bcoonce117]

I started with a Lee reloading manual, Lee C press, and Lee beam scale. Digital scakes weren't a thing or too expensive. Lee dies. I was loading for 30-30 my first deer rifle. The Lee manual took me step by step. Newer esition still in production, i think. Gore hadn't invented the internet so the manual was a trusted source. Oh, I also had the Lee primer seater. I have since purchased more presses, other "must have " equipment and higher end dies but I still have all this equipment and still use some items once in awhile. I hope this helps. Best of luck

The part about gore inventing the internet had me rolling. Even had to show my dad so we could laugh together.