I'm interested in start reloading my own ammo, in 300 WSM, 7mm rem mag, 30-06, 270, 25-06, 243 but I have never own any equipment. What would be a nice reloading press and dices?
I have a few friends in the range that have reloaded for years and they may be my advisors since I have not much experience in this. But anyway I would like to hear some other opinions about it.
Money is not a concern, but I would not like to spend thousands either.
Thanks in advance
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Philosophy on guns....... I have more than I need.....but less than I wish...
Since you're just in the beginning stage, you will be needing more than just a press & dies. You'll need a way to measure & dispense powder and manuals to help guide you through the reloading process and give you load data to work with.
I would suggest one of the loading kits available such as the RCBS Rockchucker - they come with most everything you Have to have to reload......................plus there are other items you'll be picking up as you get deeper into the process - things like calipers, tumblers, case trimmers, primer pocket uniformers, etc.
Before buying a single tool, I HIGHLY advise reading a good maunal that goes into the whole process, such as the Lyman manual or even The Lee book provides plenty of info to have you making good, safe ammo in short order.
BTW - approach relaoding with caution..................it's VERY addictive!
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"Every moving thing that liveth, I give unto you as meat" (Gen 9:3)
well, one thing I can suggest, that I learned the hard way ( I just started reloading in Jan 04) is dont try to load all of those calibers at once in the beginning, there is still alot I need to learn, but already I am loading 25-06, 7mm rem, 7mm STW, 300 rum, and 338 win mag, at times it gets confusing, and especially with all of that empty brass around. I finally put all my stuff away and stuck with the 7mm rem mag until I got 100% of my testing done, then I moved to 25-06 and so forth. Dont do too much at first, and expect to mess some things up, I ruined probably 20 rounds of brass, because I wasnt familiar with my case trimmer, and didnt set my seating die properly. Get a manual and read it first!!! Lymans 48th edition, and Noslers reloading guide both have great introductions to loading. And lastly listen to these guys in here, Bigcountry, 1mile50, high dessert wolf, Briman, eldequello, and some others really helped me out in the beggining!!! And if you want to see what a reloading station setup should look like, have 1mile50 post a picture of his reloading bench, WOW what a setup.
I have a few friends in the range that have reloaded for years and they may be my advisors since I have not much experience in this. But anyway I would like to hear some other opinions about it.
Buy a reloading manual- A lyman's 48th edition is a good one- read the reloading instructions 3 or 4 times.
Ask one of your friends to if you can watch them reload, being able to see someone else do it and show you how will put you a long way ahead in the learning curve. Ask lots of questions- and remember no two reloaders seem do things the exact same way or even favor the same tools.
Go to a stationary store and buy yourself a laboratory notebook or two to keep notes on your loads. I have about a dozen loads that I typically use and can remember off the top of my head, but I always double check what I'm doing, and log what I reload.
Only reload one cartridge at a time, and keep only the components for one cartridge on your bench at a time. Be absolutely sure of what you are using, especially powder. IMR 3031 cans look an awful lot like Goex cans. Yesterday I was loading up two different cartridges that required RL22 and RL2400, And I had to double check to see that I had the right powder can on the bench.
The RCBS starter kit is probably the best way to start out with. They aren't the cheapest, but will last a lifetime, and you won't have to scrounge around trying to buy seperate, cheaper tools, without knowing what to get.
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Obamanfreude - 1. taking pleasure from the misfortunes of an Obama supporter as he or she is adversely affected by the policies of their Dear Leader.
I started reloading by buying the RCBS Turret press with the reloading kit. The Turret press has the advantage that it will accept up to six different dies. If in the process of reloading, you damage a case or find a split case, you can go back and bring another case to the point you're at with the others, without having to remove the die in process and have to readjust and recheck it . You'll need to buy a set of calipers for measuring, a powder trickler and of course the reloading components. Buy all means have an expierenced reloader run you through the process. Eventually you'll want to buy a tumbler for brass cleaning, a brass trimmer, and other more sophisticated equipment to save time, depending on many rounds you reload. It's a lot of fun doing load development and improving the accuracy of your rifles by customizing the loads.
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Hunting and fishing are not matters of life or death. They are much more important than that.
Reloading Advice
