If you were to start reloading today?

[crowlja]

Two places I'd spend the extra money is an automatic powder dispenser, case trimmer and prep station. I read above that someone stated that he charges powder faster than the ribs chatge master...but not me. I personally feel like it save me time as I can set the charge master, seat a bullet and measure then go to the next one is it all taking 3 steps...and I let the ribs get infront of me 15-20 rds anyways.

I just got a case prep center and automatic trimmer recently and that I feel like saved me day's! I tend to reload at night after the wife and kids go to bed, so 10 to midnight. And case prep would take almost a full week! With the new setup, I did all my sizing Saturday night, I trimmed and prepped brass Sunday night and even had time to prime 100 cases. Tonight I primed another 100 cases and charged and seated 100 rounds. Now I just need to charge and see 100 rds tomorrow night and I'll have the 200 308 rounds done
Case prep alone use to take a week or so alone! Lol.

I haven't used the hornday presses, picked up an RCBS ages ago and haven't seen a need to change. I do prefer reading dies bust also have rcbs and hornday. Really...for me is saving time. Again with the short windows of time I have. I am often fighting between working out, reloading, or sleep...can't do all 3 lol.

 

[tstowater]

I'm going to take a different approach than most. Based on what you intend to load and the likelihood that your time is valuable, then I would recommend a single stage and a progressive. Single stage is personal preference. I have three or four Rockchuckers. The RC IV is really nice. I would also recommend looking at a Dillon 550 for volume loading. If you are going to load any amount of 9mm or 223, the progressive is going to keep you from hating yourself. Save the single stage for load development and loading hunting/precision loads. Case prep is the other nightmare of the process and I will defer to others as to what to do as I vary depending on the cartridge.

 

[flyfisher117]

Thanks for the input everyone. A case prep station was something I also have on my short list.

Will a rockchucker or redding be noticeably better than the hornady press? Only reason I keep looking at the hornady is the brass/bullet rebate that would almost pay for the press or kit.

Does anyone have any experience with the Frankford Arsenal M press that looks similar to the co-ax?

I learned to load on dad’s old rock chucker. I bought a LNL classic when I moved out since it came with the free bullets. I can’t tell a difference in ammo quality. I do want to upgrade now, just can’t justify it.

I use whatever dies I get the best deal on. I’m partial to the basic Hornady dies.

Your scale set up is IMHO the one area worth spending a little money. I learned on dad’s old Ohas beam scale. Worked great. I bought a new model RCBS scale and it was hot garbage. So I bought an RCBS charge master lite. Been using it for a while now and I am pleased. Your scale is one of the tools with the biggest impact on ammo quality/consistency.

I enjoy the flashy accessories, like my Area 419 funnel kit, but it’s not worth spending money on right out of the gate. The basic $3 plastic funnels work well enough.

 

[Basin&Range]

Only piece of advise I have for a newbie is that unless you are doing a metric ton of 9mm on a progressive or turret press, I would skip that. You have much better things to do with your time than reloading 9mm on a single stage. I would know, I do it now and it sucks. I'm going back to buying bulk 9mm once I've gone through my supplies.

Thanks for the heads up on this, Ill probably skip the 9mm for now and just focus on the rifle cartridges. I sometimes forget how cheap a box of 9mm is compared to any of my rifle ammo.

 

[Basin&Range]

I eventually switched to Redding dies. Tried Hornady dies but not for me. Regardless you will need quality calipers and a quality bullet comparator/ headspace gauge. Mitutoyo calipers are good. I have this set and so far been satisfied:

View attachment 1011831

Ill check these out, I didn't even think about looking at amazon for this stuff

 

[gbflyer]

I picked a co-ax because I didn't want to mess with shell holders sold separately. The one downside of the co-ax is flipping its jaws back and forth from standard size to small size for 223. Forster also makes one-piece quick change jaws. I'm not about buying extra clutter, whether it's shell holders or quick change jaws.

How many springs have you launched? Always good to have a few spares on hand.

 

[bnewt3]

So many different opinions:
"buy once cry once"
"kit to get started, then decide on upgrades later"
"get good dies"
"get cheap dies"
"specific shellholders are a pain"
"i dont like universal shellholders"
"get an auto powder charge"
"beam scale is more accurate"
"clean your brass"
"dont bother cleaning brass"
"you need a comparator"
"dont bother with a comparator"
"anneal"
"dont anneal"


wading through all of this is a big reason I have yet to pull the trigger on anything.

 

[ColPenguin]

How many springs have you launched? Always good to have a few spares on hand.

I haven't lost a spring yet.

But I have bent two or three decapping pins in just this short time.

 

[sodaksooner]

I'll parrot others, The rockchucker kit is a good starting point. I picked up a decent case trimmer and a digital scale (use it for arrow stuff too). Decent set of dies and I did also pick up a case polisher. I do pretty well with that and I hand weigh every charge. Kit comes with a trickler and a powder dispenser. I use both to get my powder right. I can get loads accurate enough to get 1/2 moa groups if I do my job. Also picked up a kinetic bullet puller as well. DIgital calipers are a must IMO as well.

 

[Marbles]

So many different opinions:
"buy once cry once"
"kit to get started, then decide on upgrades later"
"get good dies"
"get cheap dies"
"specific shellholders are a pain"
"i dont like universal shellholders"
"get an auto powder charge"
"beam scale is more accurate"
"clean your brass"
"dont bother cleaning brass"
"you need a comparator"
"dont bother with a comparator"
"anneal"
"dont anneal"


wading through all of this is a big reason I have yet to pull the trigger on anything.

Start simple. You van add complexity later if you want.

FL dies

Size/decap, prime, poor powder, seat bullet, shoot.

It is really that simple to make acceptable ammunition.

I add the step of checking brass length after sizing, but some people don't and they apparently do fine.

 

[Gila]

Whatever press you get suggest something that holds resale value and is easy to sell if you want to upgrade. Some presses are classics for a reason. Everyone has different needs and wants but some equipment is necessary if you are going to precision rifle hand loads. Consistency is achieved by having a repeatable process whatever that process turns out to be.

I tumble for two reasons primarily. One is to keep gunk out of the sizing die and from going back into the chamber and two is: clean brass is easier to see defects.

I anneal after every firing because the stretching of the neck and shoulder causes the brass to become brittle.

I don’t need to do these things, but I feel better knowing I am taking positive steps in the process.

 

[TxLite]

Rockchucker is a fantastic press. Mine has produced some very consistent ammo.

My two big purchases that have been completely worth it have been my charge master 1500 and my Henderson trimmer. Both have saved me a ton of time and have produced very consistent results. Zero regrets on both of those.

I use Hornady or Lee dies and haven’t had issues producing accurate ammo. I’m sure other dies are nicer but I haven’t seen a reason to spend any additional money on “nicer” dies

 

[streamerfish]

Skip the 9mm unless your loading for competition, and/or your getting a progressive.

Blazer brass ammo is pretty cheap and shoots good for just general plinking.

If your shooting a "modern" round then skip all the brass prep stuff, buy starline brass or something along those lines, reload them 4-5 times, then toss them. Skip all the brass cleaning stuff. Just wipe em off.

Personally I like a powder throw measure like or Harrell, or even the Lee's over the digital measure thrower/scale combo machines. They are about the same accuracy until you get into the really expensive scale setups, and the throwers are much, much faster.

Personally I like a beam scale, but you do need some kind of scale.

Calipers.

If your gonna mess around with coal a bunch then some kind of comparator setup is nice. If you just full.size resize and coal within saami specs really dont need them.

Dies are pretty subjective...

I would spend a little more on the press, knowing im skipping a bunch of the other stuff. They all work. Some are just nicer to operate then others.

 

[Basin&Range]

Skip the 9mm unless your loading for competition, and/or your getting a progressive.

Blazer brass ammo is pretty cheap and shoots good for just general plinking.

If your shooting a "modern" round then skip all the brass prep stuff, buy starline brass or something along those lines, reload them 4-5 times, then toss them. Skip all the brass cleaning stuff. Just wipe em off.

Personally I like a powder throw measure like or Harrell, or even the Lee's over the digital measure thrower/scale combo machines. They are about the same accuracy until you get into the really expensive scale setups, and the throwers are much, much faster.

Personally I like a beam scale, but you do need some kind of scale.

Calipers.

If your gonna mess around with coal a bunch then some kind of comparator setup is nice. If you just full.size resize and coal within saami specs really dont need them.

Dies are pretty subjective...

I would spend a little more on the press, knowing im skipping a bunch of the other stuff. They all work. Some are just nicer to operate then others.

You mentioned the starline brass and that got me thinking. How many reloads do people get out of higher end brass vs the cheaper hornady brass? Is it 4-5 on higher end stuff and more like 2-3 out of the hornady brass usually?

 

[Marbles]

You mentioned the starline brass and that got me thinking. How many reloads do people get out of higher end brass vs the cheaper hornady brass? Is it 4-5 on higher end stuff and more like 2-3 out of the hornady brass usually?

I get 7-9 out of my Starline 5.56 brass, that is without annealing.

I get 5-8 out of my Starline 243 brass, again without annealing.

On the 243 the neck ends up splitting during resizing.

On the 5.56 the brass separates below the shoulder (I backed off my FL die to see if this will help).

Winchester nickel 223 brass lasted 2-3 reloads before splitting.

Federal 223 brass starts having loose primer pockets after 3-6 loadings.

I've not used my Sig 223 brass to failure, so north of 5 loadings.

I have not used premium brass like Lapua or Peterson.

YMMV

 

[Lawnboi]

How much you shoot, and what you expect when you shoot plays a huge role in what I would spend.

Theres a huge difference between a guy loading a couple hundred rifle cases a year for a few rifles and a guy burning out barrels shooting multiple thousand rounds a season. That is why you’re going to get so much deviation in suggestions. Maybe explain what kind of a shooter you are and what you expect out of your cases?

On top of that it easy to make a good load once or twice. It’s a lot harder and more expensive to keep that case doing the same exact thing through the life of a barrel.

 

[Basin&Range]

How much you shoot, and what you expect when you shoot plays a huge role in what I would spend.

Theres a huge difference between a guy loading a couple hundred rifle cases a year for a few rifles and a guy burning out barrels shooting multiple thousand rounds a season. That is why you’re going to get so much deviation in suggestions. Maybe explain what kind of a shooter you are and what you expect out of your cases?

On top of that it easy to make a good load once or twice. It’s a lot harder and more expensive to keep that case doing the same exact thing through the life of a barrel.

I try to hunt coyotes every weekend and if hunting is slow or weather isn't ideal ill usually go to the range and shoot steel for a couple hours. I'm not at the level of burning out multiple barrels, I'd guess I shot around 500-800 rounds last year though my centerfire rifles. Really I want consistent loads for coyote hunting and my big game hunts without having to order factory ammo by the case anymore. I don't see myself getting into nrl or prs with where I live anytime soon.

 

[Lawnboi]

I try to hunt coyotes every weekend and if hunting is slow or weather isn't ideal I’ll usually go to the range and shoot steel for a couple hours. I'm not at the level of burning out multiple barrels, I'd guess I shot around 500-800 rounds last year though my centerfire rifles. Really I want consistent loads for coyote hunting and my big game hunts without having to order factory ammo by the case anymore. I don't see myself getting into nrl or prs with where I live anytime soon.

I think you would likely be fine with some basic tools though I would purchase an electric powder trickler.

 

[Dirty-D]

I started with a second hand Dillon 550 about 20 years ago for low pressure 40 and 45 rounds for IPSC/USPSA. It was nice because it had lots of upgrades someone else who was willing to teach me the ropes so I got a set-up and a process to match. I was shooting 100k+ a year back then, before life, wife, children took over…

I’m now doing hunting ammo with a Forster co-ax, am learning a lot of what I need, what works for me, and how to balance cost vs. utility.

My biggest issue now is getting powder from the 8# tub into the redding 50PR thrower, and back into the bottle without little grains all over my space!!!

Currently working on loads for 300WSM with H4350. The big 36 hour Texas freeze/Ice storm of 2026 allowed me to build up ladders with 3 different bullets. Time to shoot!

 

[streamerfish]

You mentioned the starline brass and that got me thinking. How many reloads do people get out of higher end brass vs the cheaper hornady brass? Is it 4-5 on higher end stuff and more like 2-3 out of the hornady brass usually?

Depends on what your shooting, how your sizing etc...

Creedmoors I've been seeing as many as 7 without trimming. I usually get 5/6. Considering starline is around 60 cents each, when im down around 10-12 cents per brass after 5-6 loads im good. Your gonna need 12 loads out of lapua to get the same roi.

Something that is notorious for growing like a 300 win mag maybe just a couple.

Reloading becomes pretty fast when you have no brass prep, and your powder throws take a few seconds.