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Old 02-07-2014 | 04:15 AM
  #16  
homers brother
Nontypical Buck
 
Joined: Aug 2007
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There's some "fluff" included here. The RCBS Rockchucker packages are generally the best way to get started, but you don't absolutely need an electronic powder measure or powered case prep tool to get started. Yeah, they're nice to have, but the next package down is less than half the cost of this one. If you have the money and are pretty convinced that you'll stick with reloading, they're something to consider. But, that's a lot of extra money tied up in expensive tools where a simple beam scale, Uniflow powder measure, and handtools can get it done as well.

I added the powder measure here some 25 years after I started reloading. It's usually pretty accurate, and I'm happy with it, but I still check it every few rounds with the old-fashioned beam scale from my original kit.

The tool that made the most difference in my reloading wasn't a reloading tool at all - a chronograph. When you start looking at the results downrange, any number of variables can play: Your shooting ability, capabilities of your firearm, environment, quality of your ammunition, ... It's the latter you're concerned with here, and if you're serious about accuracy, you need to be able to isolate and correct or mitigate any of the above factors. You can guess, or you can know. My "old" reloads weren't consistent from shot-to-shot, sometimes as much as 250 fps difference between them, but I didn't know that until I bought the chronograph. Is it any wonder then that I wasn't getting the results I could with factory ammunition? Live and learn. Isolated. Corrected. Of course, along the road to correction were more tools (caliper, runout gauge,...) and processes (case trimming, cleaning, ...). The downside, today I can't often excuse a miss on my reloads.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd have bought the same Rockchucker kit I did back then (the next one down from this one), a chronograph, a caliper, a case trimmer, a case tumbler, and still have had about the same amount of money into it that you're looking to invest here - but a more complete suite of equipment.
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