New to reloading

[ronc80]

Title says new to reloading. Not exactly true. Never done it but would like to start.
Let me tell you the reasons I would like to start. First I would like the best possible round that my gun will shoot. I like perfection or at least almost perfect. I like tinkering and getting the best out of what I have.
I started shooting a compound bow. After trips to pro shops to get my equipment tuned and what they think is good i purchased all the tools to work on my own bows. Now if i miss the spot were i am aiming it's not the arrow it's the Indian as they say.
Back to reloading i have a browning lever action 7mm 08 and a Remington model 783 243 that I would like to get the most out off. Both guns are nothing real special except they are mine.
My first question would be presses. Not looking to reload 1000nds of rounds fast. I am looking to load the best most accurate round I can. With a lot of testing and tinkering. So single stage would be best I think. What brand would people recommend and why. I kinda had an eye on the hornady lock and load but not having and knowledge or experience that's not set in stone. Let's say money is not a concern. I'm not rich but I do know ya get

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[ronc80]

What ya pay for. Don't know what just happened but Il just continue. I realize there is like a ton of other stuff needed but let me start there
So if any of you have any knowledge you would like to share please send it my way
Thanks
Ron

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[cloverleaf]

Ronc- welcome to the circus! There is a lot of knowledge and some great people here. Hope you find what you need. Your firearms will serve you well. Don't know If I am qualified to give you advice on a press. ( I use a 50 year old Herter's press and it works just fine.) There are a variety of types and brands used here. Im sure you'll get some opinions. Also had a thought: Just did a quick search for reloading on Craigs list and found the following:

https://stcloud.craigslist.org/for/d/mi ... 61011.html

Might be a cheaper way to get started. It would take a LOT of reloading to wear out a press in particular, and from what Ive read here manufacturers are pretty goodf about repair/replacement and standing behind there products. Cabelas for example used to lifetime warranty their tumblers. That a pretty good deal.... just thought. CL

 

[ronc80]

Thank you cloverleaf. This is why I got on this sight. I learned everything I know about bows on archery talk and of course trial and error. I'm in the research stage of this reloading thing. I'm here to get knowledge from the knowledgeable. I promise everyone dumb questions to follow
Ron

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[Elkman]

"Cloverleaf, Don't know If I am qualified to give you advice on a press. ( I use a 50 year old Herter's press and it works just fine.) There are a variety of types and brands used here. Im sure you'll get some opinions.

"
I have three, I just boxed one up to take south with me next week. My wife bought me a new rifle for Christmas, and I am waiting for the scope mounts to arrive so we can leave. I have everything else I need to do some load development while I am there this winter.

 

[Blkram]

RCBS and Hornady make great reloading kits that have most of the basic tools and equipment to get you started in reloading, and will save you some money vs buying all the tools and equipment separately. Be prepared to spend $500-700 to get started.
Redding and Forster are two other quality brands that you can look at. A little pricier, but quality equipment.
Lyman is not as expensive, but they offer some great handtools at reasonable prices.

It is a lot of fun, and you will get a lot of pleasure in fine tuning a load to each of your rifles, that will give you the accuracy and on-game performance that you will be proud of.

The following are just suggestions, but are not necessary to get started, but will save you time, effort and money in the long run.

If you do not mind spending more to get started, a very useful piece is a case prep center. It does several of the jobs with mechanical power vs doing a lot of case prep steps by hand. It will save you time and wear and tear on your hands. (Do a hundred cases with tools and then 100 with a case prep center and you will immediately understand).
Another more expensive option that will save you time and effort everytime you do some reloading, would be a turret press. Redding and Lyman both make them. 7 die turrets. The advantage is once you set your sizing die in one slot, you can set your seating die in the next slot and just rotate the turret from one position to the next for each ste of the reloading process. Savestime and effort in removing the sizing die and installing and setting the seating die as you progress through each step of the reloading process. Once your dies are set up for your 7mm-08 and 243, you won't need to do it again. If you get another rifle, you can buy another turret.
The last, more expensive option that I will mention is a powder dispensing machine, such as the RCBS ChargeMaster Combo. You can program it to automatically dispense and weigh your powder charge to the tenth of a grain to speed up your loading process and save you dipping or dropping a charge into your scale pan, and then having the trickle the powder to give you the proper charge with another tool.

If you have a friend that is experienced in handloading, get their help. If you do not, then talk to some of the guys at your local gun club. Many of the older guys are willing to help out a new hand loader.
Some of the guys at your local gunstore can be very helpful, but in my experience, many of the people at the gun counters do not hand load, and are not overly helpful except in helping you spend money.

Oh, wait! there are few enablers on this site too! LOL

 

[Anonymous]

Here are some thoughts...

Presses are the least important part of the equation- they all basically work and there's not a bad one on the market. A single stage is what you want for precision ammo. I'd expect to spend somewhere between $500 and $1000 but keep in mind you're talking a 30 year amortization. If you shoot a lot...you can save that in a year.

You can get a very decent setup for half that, but you're going to replace some parts in short order. I really like the Hornady Iron Press with Auto Prime. For precision rifle loading...just get an auto charger right out of the gate as well as a case trimmer. For your lever gun, you'll want full length dies- I have great luck with standard Hornady dies across several rifles.

One thing i do is to take a factory cartridge that shoots well, and then I replicate it as closely as possible. Also, Youtube is your friend- Gavin Gear over at Ultimate Reloader does a great job teaching folks about loading on his channel as do several others.

Last- Safety....always think safety. Reloading is a very safe hobby, but it can go very much wrong if you're cavalier about it. Stick to book loads with known components. Every manual has a lengthy section on safety...read it!

There is a ton of information and expertise here- let us know how it goes!

 

[NYDAN]

Ronc80, welcome to the forum. There a lot of terrific people on here with an amazing amount of knowledge.

Also welcome to reloading. It is very rewarding to develop an accurate load that works for your rifle. The advise already given above is excellent and on point. I would like to second (or third) the purchase of a powder dispensing machine such as the RCBS Chargemaster Combo. I love mine. It is a lot easier than using a balance beam scale or an electronic scale and hand trickling.

Dan

 

[jimbires]

I agree with buying a kit to get started . most of the needed items will be in the kit . I don't think what a guy buys to get started , will be the only tools he will buy . most guys after loading for a little while will decide he would like to try something different . as an example starting with a a single die , single stage press . he might decide he would like a turret top press . buying a more complete kit will save you some money when starting out . a kit from Hornady , Lee , lyman , RCBS , Redding , will do the job . I have very little Lee stuff , but it should load ammo just fine . it's just not as pretty and polished as the other companies . I kind of broke my list into 3 groups

must haves ;
press , trimmer , dies , shellholder , measuring calipers , scale , primer pocket cleaning brush , inside / outside neck deburing tool , lube pad I prefer over spray lubes . loading tray , tweezers , I don't like the powder drop powder measures , I prefer to use the Lee dipper spoons to get the bulk of my powder on the scale and trickle up to my charge with a trickler or add powder with tweezers . some type of a bullet puller I prefer the die type that uses collets for each caliber size . you will make mistakes , best to be prepared to fix them . at least one beginners reloading book that explains what to do and watch for . I learned from a Lyman book about 1976 . with these gun forums good info is just a few clicks away , don't be to proud to ask a question .

nice to have ;
hand primer you can prime with most presses but I like a hand primer , case tumbler to clean your fired brass , case prep center , second caliper , second loading tray . edit to add : primer flipper .

should have ;
headspace measuring tool like the hornady that clamps to your caliper . a way to set your dies for proper case sizing I prefer the redding competition shellholder sets . primer pocket debur tool , and the other hornady tool that measures your case length off the ogive of the bullet I think it's called the bullet comparator set . edit to add; drop tube funnel

and the list will grow from here . you'll eventually want to anneal , maybe turn the necks on your brass , and it just keeps going .

EDIT to add a couple more items .

 

[hunter24605]

Welcome aboard! You've found the place for friendly advice and answers. Even with a very basic single stage, you can build some very accurate ammo if it's setup/adjusted properly. You'll get plenty of knowledgeable opinions from the guys here about presses. Some other things that will greatly aid in your search for accuracy.

*Buy the best scale your budget will allow
*Get a headspace/OAL gauge and comparator set
*A chronograph is way more than just useful at measuring velocity..Lots of clues to your
loads are told by a chrony.
*Take copious notes
*read, read, read and ask..You'll find a wealth of knowledge here that's freely shared.

 

[1Shot]

I also suggest that you start with a package kit other than Lee. It has been a while since I looked at them but the Lyman kits had the best bang for the buck a while back because they contained their case trimmer. A good cast steel press will last you two life times.

 

[ronc80]

Just spent the better part of 8 hrs reading and watching videos. Mostly on presses. Kinda norrowed that down from a pretty large list. Rcbs summit or the hornady lnl iron. Both seem to be really precise. The lock and load seems to be easier to switch between calibers. Hornady I think only makes one set of dies for the 7mm08 which is the long ones which I think I read in an earlier post is what I need. I do think the lock and load collars will except other manufacturers dies as long as the threads are the same. What that was I forgot because of all the stuff I just read and watched.
I don't think I would have been this tired if I didnt get rained out today
So on from the presses. Scales- triple beam,digital, automatic, manual. Another large list. I'm thinking digital. Rcbs lite seemed to be pretty accurate . Without a huge price tag. Set it just under and manually make it perfect. I'm looking for the best possible round so not in any hurry but a little automation might not be a bad thing. Kinda like hornady brass prepping station. Does a few different things in one unit.
I do realize this is just the tip of this great big titanic sinking iceberg but this boat is still afloat for now. Thanks for the list from you guys
Ron


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[ronc80]

Oh already have a pretty decent chrono. Used it alot tweaking my arrow set ups for compound and crossbow

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[ronc80]

Welcome aboard! You've found the place for friendly advice and answers. Even with a very basic single stage, you can build some very accurate ammo if it's setup/adjusted properly. You'll get plenty of knowledgeable opinions from the guys here about presses. Some other things that will greatly aid in your search for accuracy.

*Buy the best scale your budget will allow
*Get a headspace/OAL gauge and comparator set
*A chronograph is way more than just useful at measuring velocity..Lots of clues to your
loads are told by a chrony.
*Take copious notes
*read, read, read and ask..You'll find a wealth of knowledge here that's freely shared.

I just found this. Can any one say if this is worth the $350

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[ronc80]

I get most of it some things on that list I guess I will learn

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[Anonymous]

I got this kit- https://www.midwayusa.com/product/3...d-iron-single-stage-press-kit-with-auto-prime

You could add the trimmer kit you mentioned and an auto charger and be set for life.

 

[jimbires]

Just spent the better part of 8 hrs reading and watching videos. Mostly on presses. Kinda norrowed that down from a pretty large list. Rcbs summit or the hornady lnl iron. Both seem to be really precise. The lock and load seems to be easier to switch between calibers. Hornady I think only makes one set of dies for the 7mm08 which is the long ones which I think I read in an earlier post is what I need. I do think the lock and load collars will except other manufacturers dies as long as the threads are the same. What that was I forgot because of all the stuff I just read and watched.
I don't think I would have been this tired if I didnt get rained out today
So on from the presses. Scales- triple beam,digital, automatic, manual. Another large list. I'm thinking digital. Rcbs lite seemed to be pretty accurate . Without a huge price tag. Set it just under and manually make it perfect. I'm looking for the best possible round so not in any hurry but a little automation might not be a bad thing. Kinda like hornady brass prepping station. Does a few different things in one unit.
I do realize this is just the tip of this great big titanic sinking iceberg but this boat is still afloat for now. Thanks for the list from you guys
Ron


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I forgot to mention a powder funnel with a drop tube . this helps fit a max charge of powder in the case . the drop tube helps settle the powder . I like the Forester blue ribbon funnel .

yes , the LNL bushings will fit just about all die sets , until you get into some of the oddball stuff . the standard die is 7/8-14 threads . this fits pretty much all common dies . the down side is you will need to buy bushings for every die . the plus side is you will adjust the die , tighten the lock ring against the bushing , and let the LNL bushing on the die .a quarter turn and the die goes in and out of the press . for a scale I used a older Lyman that came with my kit . it started to act goofy at times , so I bought a RCBS 10-10 . I have now bought a nice digital scale . if you want to look these over google up A&D FX120i . it's really a nice scale , but it is expensive . you can also buy a kit that turns it into an automatic dispenser . when looking for a digital scale look at the resolution . my A&D scale is +/- 0.01 grain . some scales for reloading are 0.1 gr I don't feel that's accurate enough . the guys seem to like the RCBS charge master , and the comparable Hornady unit .

the hornady kit you pictured looks ok . it has the 2 tools I mentioned ( all the little bushings ) , trimmer , case prep motor tool , and a caliper .
the included concentricity tool holds the loaded ammo different than the sinclair tool I have . I have not used this style , it should be ok though . this is more advanced reloading . some guys reload a lifetime and never even thought about checking ammo with a tool like this . I'd say there is $350 worth of goods there .

 

[ronc80]

Yea that's the one I was looking at. It's actually in the cart I noticed some stuff in the pic was in the press kit. I have a couple months until this happens so I have time for more research and working things in and out of the budget

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[ronc80]

Overall length gauge sounds like it will come in handy for getting the rounds to match my gun. The bent one is for lever action. So do I need the longer one at 19 or so inches or the shorter one at 12 ish inches. The way it looks I need the straight one for the bolt action 243 or would the bent one work for both. No idea how to use them so I have to ask to some might be a dumb question but I'm dumb well not dumb just clueless

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[Blkram]

The bent one is specific to lever actions, semi-autos and pump guns where you cannot remove the bolt from the action to take the measurement, as you can with the straight one. The 12" one should be fine for the 243 you have for now. (It also works better for rifles with monte carlo stocks, such as some of the Weatherby's).