AusVarmint

I am very keen to start reloading.

I will be chasing accuracy not mass production.

What are the better products to purchase, is there a kit that will cover it.

What should i stay away from - i would prefer a kit as that way i can hopefully save some coin purchasing it all together.

Anything i buy i would like to be able to keep as my interest hopefully increases. I don't want to have to replace some stuff later on.

Thanks in advance

I can highly recomend the RCBS Rockchucker Supreme Kit if the budget will stretch that far. It will get you started but the problem with reloading is that there is always something else that you "need"

stay away from the cheap lee kit as you will end up replacing half of it for good gear. I have and wish i got something better initally.

Brad Y wrote:stay away from the cheap lee kit as you will end up replacing half of it for good gear. I have and wish i got something better initally.

the cheap lee kit yes-very basic and definetly built to a price

the top end lee stuff is equal in function to other brands

but for the price you pay you can get rcbs and many others

I got my rcbs stuff as part of a deal many years ago- have no idea on current pricing or which brand is at the fore front these days

what ever you do buy quality once- I know a bloke who has rcbs stuff older than me and it's the first stuff he brought

how many cartridges you wanting 2 load for??

if it's only a couple you might want to consider a turret press so you dont have to remove/replace/re-set your dies each time you want to load

i dont know much about in-line dies- but the BR guys all seem to swear by them producing more accurate cartridges
dont know in-line dies speed though- and speeds a factor if you are loading hundreds of say 223 for culling work

P

yes
invest in a quality hand held primer unit

dont prime on the press
you have SFA feel on the press

P

i have a lee and it works ok but i prefer ( wish) a dillion progresive loader

If its green, its good!

Brad you and i did it the same way, dumped the crappy Lee stuff and went for a rockchucker kit, cheaper to buy the rockchucker first up!

after a while you wont be able to live without a Chargemaster

Go the RCBS you wont look back

after a while you wont be able to live without a Chargemaster
Brad you and i did it the same way, dumped the crappy Lee stuff and went for a rockchucker kit, cheaper to buy the rockchucker first up!

after a while you wont be able to live without a Chargemaster

im with ya on the chargemaster trevort

I started off 12 years ago with an RCBS Partner press kit + a few bits'n'pieces for about $300. I used to weigh each charge (Hornet) and now have a redding powder thrower which speeds things up a lot even if weighing charges.
I haven't had to replace anything yet ! It's loaded a few thousand rounds, and the only thing looking/feeling a bit worn is my Lee hand priming tool which is still working fine.
Definately buy good stuff, and if you start out with a basic kit you can build on it gradually. Anything decent put up for sale on the forums here or AHN gets snapped up fairly quickly so you know you could always sell it easily should you ever need or want to.
Some Lee stuff is good - case length trimmer, Deluxe Die set, but the scales I've seen were a bit "tinny" for my liking..

I am still using the standard Redding BOSS, the very first press/kit I bought.

I have loaded numerous rounds for benchrest, and it has always been consistent. I bought it as the BOSS kit when I first started.

If I were to start from scratch now, this is what I would do.

1. Redding BOSS press (Big Boss if loading big magnums, 300WM works with BOSS)
2. Lee Auto primer tool plus shelholder for round
3. Wilson case trimmer plus case holder to suit my round.
4. Inside flash hole deburrer.
5. Inside/outside case chamfer tool
6. Primer pocket cleaner
7. Chargemaster unit. Balance scales are a waste of time now days.. or should I say, waste of your time.


For accurate reloading consider this also.

1. neck turning gear
2. Primer pocket uniformer
3. Comp. dies, well a good seater, a bushing NK die and body die.

Most likely missed a few bits.....

Cheers
AI

Ackley Improved wrote:2. Lee Auto primer tool plus shelholder for round

I have one of these and I am not that impressed with it. I find that it occasionaly wants to load two primers or that it has trouble aligning the primers. It may just be a dodgy one or maybe there all like that (this I doubt as if AI still has his and is happy with it then that one anyway must be good). I have been contemplating buying another priming tool (RCBS or Hornady) but not the sinclair rolls royce model as individually handleing each primer dosent appeal. Any opinions

I pretty much have everything else on AI's list nowdays except the neck turning tools. Also I use a Forster Bonanza Co-Ax press which is excellent (despite not being green). Redding dies and K&M, Sinclair or Wilson case prep tools. If you intend to chase accuracy from the outset buy the best you can afford. I was lucky in the sense that my ex-wife and I split up at the top of the Aussie dollar's relationship to the $US so was able to import a lot of gear from the US at about half the price I would have paid for it locally as part of my retail therapy (ie Chargemaster combo for just under $AU400 delivered to my door).

My first kit was thrown together and given to me by ogre6BR (good man that fella ) and consisted of a lee press and a combination of lee and RCBS dies. The press now does duty as my primer decapping press and bullet puller while the dies have been set up for some local mates rifles for whom I will be reloading for.

Have fun stimulating the economy

Dr G

the lee priming tool is pretty week alloy. My mate got a batch of dodgy (too big) pmc primers that were a real tight fit. He placed the tool on the bench so he could press hard on the handle, the handle broke off when the primer was half in. Yeah, not the way you should use it but the rcbs one is solid metal, not sure that would have happened. We have an rcbs priming tool each now

Yet to have a problem with my Lee Auto (bet you it breaks now). It has no feeding issues etc. New 6mmBR brass seating CCI B4's works out the hands, but load them hot and the tight pockets go away. Na kidding, they are tight, but I dont have much trouble easting them still.

Sinclair would be nice, but I'll be F-ed if I do one at a time!

Cheers
AI

thanks for all the advice - i have decided that i will go for the RCBS kit.

Whats the best manual to get started with

Nick Harvey??