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With two little ones at home, my time and money are getting harder and harder to come by so I want to make sure I get the most out of my components when I start to reload. My reloading will mainly be for a 270 Win and 338 WM with the goal being accuracy, performance and more practice. I also shoot 223 Rem and 40 S&W but can't see reloading for those with all the cheap ammo available. So.... Here's what I have so far: Forster Co-Ax press RCBS 10-10 scale RCBS Uniflow powder measure w/stand Lee AutoPrime RCBS Vibratory Cleaner Hornady 2-book reloading manual - 4th Edition And here's a list of stuff for debate: Manuals? Case Trimmer? Powder Trickler? Micrometer? Primer Pocket Uniformer? Deburring tools? RCBS Prime Guard or Lee AutoPrime (for second primer)? Stoney Point OAL Guage? Concentricity guage? What other "must haves" are there??? Thanks. | ||
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IMHO of course Manuals? - yes and/or online info like steves pages, be sure to read sure to read the manual instructions twice Case Trimmer? - yes Powder Trickler? - yes Micrometer? - yes Primer Pocket Uniformer? yes Deburring tools? yes RCBS Prime Guard or Lee AutoPrime (for second primer)? no Stoney Point OAL Guage? yes Concentricity guage? no that's what i'd do but i guess i didn't save you much money  | |||
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Manuals? You have 1, use powder mfg online data, steves pages etc for more data Case Trimmer? Yes Powder Trickler? Later, you can use a small spoon to shake in a kernel at a time for now. Micrometer? NO 6" dial caliper (used, from a pawn shop) Primer Pocket Uniformer? Later Deburring tools? Case mouth tool Yes, flash hole tool later RCBS Prime Guard or Lee AutoPrime (for second primer)? NO Stoney Point OAL Guage? NO Concentricity guage? NO | |||
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Quote:Hey Nebraska, 1. You have a fine start on your Manuals with the Hornady Set, especially if you use Hornady bullets. I like to recomend that a person have a Manual from the folks who make the Bullets they use as well as one from the folks who make the Powder they use. Lots of FREE Powder Manual handouts at the Gun Stores. But, Manuals are great Christmas gifts. Just leave a picture of one you want stuck to the refrigerator so the Boss can find it. 2. Case Trimmers are absolutely needed. The good news is the inexpensive Lee Case Trimmer/Gauge is an excellent buy and they often cut the cases to closer tolerances than the Lathe style trimmers. Plus you can trim cases over a trash can while watching the kids. 3. Powder Trickler is another must have when you are trying to get the Powder weight the same for all cases. I've only used the RCBS models and they work fine. If I only have 18 cases or so to load, I just fill the Trickler and hold it so the Powder flows freely out the spout into the scale pan until I get close and then trickle the rest in. I've done it so long that is is as fast as trying to get the Powder Measure re-set between various cartridges for me. Look inside the Trickler and have the hole in the Fed Tube straight up. Then take a marker and put a small spot on top of the tube where the Powder comes out. Then when you are using it to "pour Powder" (as I described above) you will always know when the hole inside the Trickler is up. 4. A 0.0001" capable Micrometer is a tool I use for measuring Pressure Ring Expansion(PRE) and Case Head Expansion(CHE), so it is real important to me. If you don't intend to measure either, then you can do without them. Lots of places have nice ones for under $20 now days. And you can often get a deal on some at a Pawn Shop which is where I got my $160 Thin Blade Micrometers for $25. A Caliper is absolutely needed and can be had for less then $20 from Midway and all the other suppliers. 5. Primer Pocket Uniformer can be put off for awhile, but it is nice to have. Not only do you get consistent Pocket Depth, but you can use it for a Primer Pocket Cleaner. When using it as a Cleaner, if you are still cutting a lot of case material, you should consider that another Pressure Indicator and back off the Load a bit. (Nice side benefit!) 6. A combined Deburring and Chamfering tool is needed. RCBS makes a nice one. There are specialized tools to do this as well, but the RCBS one will last you many years and get you started. After Chamfering the casemouth, Polish the inside with some "0000SteelWool" wrapped around an old 22cal brush. A couple of twists will do it and does wonders to help eliminate fliers. 7. An "additional" Primer Seater is not needed. I do have two of the Lee Auto-Primes, but I've had them at least 25years. Lube the potmetal link and they will last. 8. A lot of people like the Stoney Point gauges, but I've got no use for them. 9. If you intend to worry yourself to death, a Concentricity Gauge will help you get there quickly. Just Partial-Full Length Resize(P-FLR) all your rifle cases and you will have zero need for this device. And of course, they aren't used on Revolver/Pistol cases. 10. Other must haves on my bench include various color "Marks-A-Lots" to color code the Primers after I put a specific Test Laod in a case. Then put the same color on your Test Load Data Sheet beside the Load and if they somehow manage to get spilled, you will be able to quickly sort them out. Look at the Range for the nice Federal Plastic Cartridge Holders that people who only shoot factory ammo toss away. These make excellent cartridge holders for both your Test Loads and Hunting Loads. Plus there is a wide strip across them where you can place some Masking Tape and write the Load on it. I like them better than the commercial MTM plastic cartridge boxes that hold each case "loose"(no need to explain why). MTM does make a Funnel Set that is absolutely needed. They even include a short Drop Tube. Some kind of Loading Block to hold the Cases while you are actually doing the Loading is real nice and is not expensive. You can make your own by drilling a board full of holes and gluing another board to it. You absolutely positively need a Lockable Cabinet for storing your Primers, Powder and delicate tools (like the 10-10) so the young`uns can't get into them. Most folks(and fire departments) like the Primers stored separately from the Powder. It doesn't really matter, but that is the way they think. I store both on a set of walnut shelves I built in high school long, l-o-n-g ago. Best of luck to you. | |||
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Interesting thought from Hot Core on using a powder trickler for the whole powder throwing process....how many shells can you load before you have to recharge the trickler? At any rate, I use a powder measure, I'm lucky to have a couple really nice ones, My Harrell premium culver throws to within about +/- .3 grains or better depending on ball or stick propellanr, so I just throw 'em a little light (.3 gr. typically) and pour in the rest out of a case that I didn't decap after firing--I throw a charge into it and then pour out of it to bring the subsequent charges up. I think you should do something to clean out your primer pockets-- a uniformer isn't that expensive.... If you are loading only two calibers consider the 'Satern Metal Powder Funnels from Sinclair ($10 or$11), they are great--don;t pick up the static charge that plastic can & they sit right on top of your case. Also as someone mentioned you need a reloading block, I guess it's all relative but Sinclair also has some blocks made of polypropylene (about $9), they are also real nice,I guess a bit a luxury, they are harder to knock over than the cheap RCBS or other light plastic ones, I'm clumsy so an extra $4 apiece is definitely worth it to me...You have to have a chamfering deburring tool and a case trimmer. Calipers-yes, as others mentioned you can get a decent pair awfully reasonably nowadays. I think that with the gear you already have is enough, it's hard to have too many manuals-- Good Luck--D. | |||
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Nebraska, You've been good to me on a couple of deals. I've got some extra stuff gathering dust that I think you could use. I'll put together a list. Send me your address and organize a care package for you. This stuff will be wasted if it doesn't go to a good home. I'm not asking for anything in return at all. Maybe you can pay it forward someday to someone else. | |||
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You're on your way already! As for stuff, some people will continue to accumulate over the years and find themselves with Idle "must haves" around. The manuals are a thing you need! They don't have to be new, but read a couple, gather data and start your own notes for each rifle. Gadgets wise you can get by without some of this stuff for a long time. I started reloading before I could drive legally and still haven't purchased half of the equipment available. Here's my recommendations: 1. Yes on the trimmer, it is a need 2. Trickler- no An odd case is easy, free, and just as quick and precise. 3. Skip the Mic and get a Dial caliper as has been mentioned. You have a while before the CHE thing should be your new hill to tackle and by then a better method of pressure checking at home may be available. Or you may not care- I don't think it's an accurate science to go by myself. 4. The deburring tool is needed, I've seen some alternate stuff used but for the money buy one. 5. The rest of the stuff - primer pocket unifomity, concentricity, and Stoney point can be left alone until you have reached the Benchrest competitor stage in my opinion. Other methods are available to get you pretty dang close and again, sporter rifles usually don't benefit that much from them. Skip the priming stuff till later as well. I too rarely set up the powder measure for small batches. A Lee powder dipper set, or cases cut to hold about enough powder can be used to "throw" a charge, and then tap a few kernels at a time to top it off. If I'm trying new loads I buy 1 lb cans and sometimes pour right from the can to the pan, then top it off by tapping a little from a case. One thing not mentioned is a primer pocket cleaner. It's cheap and I like them because the crud can build up and affect primer seating in my opinion. The biggest thing is to only keep out the componets you are using at that time. Don't have more than one kind of primer sitting out. Keep other powders out of reach, and bullets separated. Wear real safety glasses! The safety in reloading is you! | |||
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Just my .02, but here goes. I love to read, anything to do with guns, but especially reloading manuals. The truth is, as long as you have one, all the rest you need can be gleaned from the internet. I use one manual to make sure online load data is not out of line, ie. dangerous. Primer pocket uniformer, to my mind is only useful for custom chambered guns and varmint shooting. That's about the only place you'll be able to use the difference. I have seen factory rifles that were chambered tight that it did some good on, but those are few and far between. Deburring tools a an absolute must have tool. In some cases, you can't load flat base bullets without deforming the base without a slight bevel. You have to have one. I've probably used every case trimmer made at one time or another, what do I use now? The Lee case trimmers. They're a must have and cheap as dirt. No fooling with setup, no measuring, just trim and go. Change over of calibers is about a 30 second affair. A concentricity gage, while not essential, can sometimes find the problems that cause you to pull out your hair. There is a direct correlation between bullet misalignment and inaccuracy. For me, a must have tool. Overall length guages are, to my mind, not essential. You can always use a fired case, press the mouth against something hard to flatten it just a tad and chamber it with a bullet partially seated. It's not a perfect science, but with a good guess and some experimentation, you'll do fine. Powder tricklers are nice, cheap and save time. I'd go for one, especially if I were using a beam scale. Although I think I could get by without a micrometer, I use one a lot to check things, so I would get one. Lee collet dies have a reputation of having slightly too big of mandrels. The solution is to polish the mandrel down by .001" or so, a micrometer is essential for this. If you need a second priming tool, why not use the press' priming setup? The CoAx's works really well. That's how I see it. I'm not a gadget person anymore, but I used to be. I like what works and what makes a difference. If it's time consuming and doesn't make a difference, then why do it, or buy the tools for it? | |||
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I agree with the above + a bullet puller. That way if you get a load thats a little to hot your not wasting the powder, bullet, ect.  | |||
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Thanks for all the detailed posts. This site is quite a wealth of knowledge! Longbob - Much appreciated!!  I'll shoot ya a PM. | |||
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If you have one good manual, Mid-way sells load books for a single caliber for 10 bucks. They have every load you can find in every manual, the pages are photo-copied from the actual manual.Every major poweder and bullet maker is in there. You can get freebies from the gun shop from Hodgen and Vihta Vouri. Not complete but will get you in the ballpark. I 2nd the Saturn funnels the are the best I have ever used. The red plastic blocks that Federal uses to pack 40 S&W rounds in are about as good as a reloading block you can get for 30-06 case head size. I have about 20 If you want a few. A few MTM ammo boxes are in order. You look to be about there | |||
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