Reloading Equipment Recommendations

After reading some of the threads on equipment, Im still questioning which brand of reloading equipment I should buy.
I dont do a lot of shooting, but would like to try my hand at it. I only have 223 but have 2 rifles- A Tikka T3 Hunter Bolt and a Browning BLR Lightweight Pistol Grip.
Lee Precision , Lyman, Redding, Hornady, Sinclair, RCBS ???
I don't mind spending a little more for quality, but I don't think I need top of the line either!
Thanks

I have similar interest but with an added requirement

redlee said:

After reading some of the threads on equipment, Im still questioning which brand of reloading equipment I should buy.
I dont do a lot of shooting, but would like to try my hand at it. I only have 223 but have 2 rifles- A Tikka T3 Hunter Bolt and a Browning BLR Lightweight Pistol Grip.
Lee Precision , Lyman, Redding, Hornady, Sinclair, RCBS ???
I don't mind spending a little more for quality, but I don't think I need top of the line either!
Thanks

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swaging cast lead in ,22 and ,30

i'm surprised they let you have bolt actions up there, let alone BLRs, those tyrants...
Pick whatever brand is available at your local gun store. My choice is Lee because even though it's the cheapest, i still haven't broke anything, and have gotten good results.

Trot over to the " Cast Boolits" website - lots of reloading equipment info on their various forums . I've had excellent service from an RCBS loading press and RCBS or Redding loading dies. Also Lyman and RCBS bullet molds. All the brands you listed ( and quite a few others ) make good equipment. Lee is on the cheaper end of things - but some folks feel that Lee delivers the best value for the buck. I started reloading 40 years ago with a simple little Lee hand loading tool set for 7.5 X 55 swiss. Good luck - its a fun and interesting pursuit.

excello

Hornady, RCBS, and Redding are all very high quality equipment and should last you forever.

But #1 on my wishlist is the Forster Co-Ax

I reload up to 300 Win Mag and the RCBS press I have (Jr 3, 1978 vintage) seems a little undersized. Having said that, I've reloaded thousands of rounds on it.

With reloading equipment, it's either a high volume with marginal precision, or a low volume with high precision. You can't serve two masters. I was always more into accuracy and precision, not volume.

For learning to reload, I'd suggest an RCBS Rock Chucker kit - solid quality and the right price.

Thomas Paine said:

i'm surprised they let you have bolt actions up there, let alone BLRs, those tyrants...
Pick whatever brand is available at your local gun store. My choice is Lee because even though it's the cheapest, i still haven't broke anything, and have gotten good results.

Click to expand...

Uhh I can buy a 50 Cal if I want, also Tavor, Bullpup, Swiss Arms, almost anything I want other than full auto!

Thanks for the Input, from all.

If you plan to cast your own bullets and learn to reload at the same time, you have a lot of experimenting and learning ahead of you. You won't have a choice but to go slow and methodical, so all you need is a single stage press.

Depending on your accuracy needs, one load probably will not work well for both rifles, in which case you'll want two sets of dies (one for each rifle). Die adjustment can be tedious.

It's a fun and relaxing hobby - have fun with it

SLG said:

But #1 on my wishlist is the Forster Co-Ax

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I can verify that that's a sweet, sweet press. I got one for $75 in a consignment situation where, to my amazement, no one seemed to know what it was and it sat around forever until I made my "what do I have to lose by trying" offer ... It is qualitatively hugely different and nicer to use than any other press brand or type that I have tried, and I've tried several....

Any of the brands above will give excellent service. Spend some money and get a few different reloading manuals. Start out slow and methodical. Reloading is a lot like an airplane. It is simple, but a small error can cause major damage. Regards, Clark

Basic options from cheapest to most expensive:

Batch reloading - Single stage or turret press

Finished round per stroke - progressive press

If you aren't loading many rounds at a time a single stage press is fine. A turret press is basically a single stage press that you can leave the whole set of dies in and rotate to the one you want. The secret with both is to get the split shaft collar type lock rings. Once the die is adjusted you can just thread it in until it stops as long as it is going in the same press or hole in a turret.

The main things you need for loading are:

A proven load recipe
A press
Dies
A powder measure
A scale
And most important of all - attention to detail

Once you get into it you will wonder why you waited.

Except for Lee any of the ones you listed will do fine. Some people like Lee but the ones I've seen haven't impressed me.

My first was a Lyman since they have a complete set up to get you going. Current version looks like it's called Lyman Crusher II Pro Kit 500.

Pay attention to the reloading manuals, this is a hobby that can hurt you if you screw up.

Steve

I've been fairly impressed with all but the Lee single stage presses.
The only progressive presses I've found to be worth my money are Dillon. However the only other progressives I've seen are Lee & RCBS.
I have an old Lyman #55 powder measure and have used the Redding powder measures. Both are very repeatable.
A spiral bound notebook and Speer or Lyman load books are your best buddy.

If I were to do it again I would pick a Redding T7 for my first press, just from the versatility/quality standpoint.

Prime with a hand primer such as the Lee AutoPrime, although the RCBS version is a little pricier but you can use standard shell holders in it. An expedient is to machine down old shell holders you find at gun shows or used gun shops, they go for almost nothing.

Dies are a toss up, they all work pretty well to be honest. Although ones that let you charge the case through the neck expander save some time and effort.

I like Lymans universal case trimmer the most if I had to stick with the hand cranks. Although I cannibalized another one onto some #2 Morse taper shanks so my case trimmer is now my little myford lathe. An old junker Atlas/Craftsman/Dunlop/7X12 or whatever junker lathe thats been permanently set up like this would make the best case trimmer/neck turning machine you could want. You turn those hand crank versions enough and it becomes a something you'l consider.........

Get whatever tumbler you want, a cheap vibratory one will probably meet your needs just fine. Use pet store lizard bedding as a tumble media, do not buy the ready made stuff, its a waste of money.

For a premium scale I'd go for an RCBC chargemaster or a Lyman 1200 DPS, life's to friggen short to screw with a balance beam and a trickler. Avoid the Lee balance scales at all costs!!! its one of their few products I hate and don't trust.

I dont even bother with adjustable powder measures that come with the kits, but I still use a Lee Autodisc powder measure (uses a series of discs that have an array of holes to measure powder, very repeatable and cheap), once you start using it, its hard to let go of it.

Everything else is just fluff mostly, you dont need case length gauges since you have a caliper. You dont need reloading blocks if you dont mind drilling some 5/8 inch holes in some old 2x10.......list goes on and on

Entry level should be simple batch work on a single stage press.
I would watch Craig's list and the local classifieds.
Good chance you will run across one that someone has outgrown or never used.


Safety - I would not give a penny for a second hand scale. Powder weight is critical for safety, so you need to know the scales history, or be able to check the calibration.
Get an accurate powder scale and some kind of calibration weight to check it once in a while.
Beam balances are stupid simple and gravity is very consistent. As long as they are not abused and kept clean they work very well, but are time consuming.
Digital balance's are now reasonably priced and becoming entry level equipment.

Press - starting out, a simple press with 7/8-14 threads (standard) would be my choice.
Cast iron and steel frames are nice, but aluminum frames are fine. Steel threaded inserts in aluminum frames (RCBS, Lee, and others) allow for the use of oversize dies should you venture into the land of 577/450 or another large body shell, otherwise, who cares.

Avoid the Hurters presses on the second hand market. They use an odd ball shell holder.

Powder drop - choice depends a bit on case volume. Large drops with big powder chambers are fussy to adjust. Small diameter powder chambers are easy to adjust, but can have filling problems with big loads. I prefer adjustable, but nothing wrong with fixed bushings and you can always turn custom bushings if needed.

Case trimming - hand cranked trimmers are for the birds. Forester used to sell a simple rig to use in a drill press. I do something similar on my mill.

Case tumbler - pick one with a drain port and mesh basket. Keeps the mess under control when you fish out cases. Remember, no polishing loaded rounds. If you change the powders shape by grinding it against itself, all bets are off on burn rate and case pressure.

Priming- the priming kits that come with the press work ok, but a simple hand primer is a lot nicer for batch work.

Dies - I don't care for Lees lock rings, otherwise they are a good general purpose die. RCBS, Layman, Hornaday, all kick out shells that shoot.
If your punching paper competitively, your needs may change.

I have dies that allow charging through the expander and have never used the feature.

Like other have said, most of the other stuff is just fluff.

I went with Dillon and never looked back.. they are progressive, but I wouldn't have it any other way whether i'm reloading 10 or 1000.. Anything breaks gets replaced by the manufacture no questions asked.. they have a no Bs warranty on all of their products. also accepts standard dies RCBS/Lee. Ect..

If you like service, quality, price, resale value and did I mention SERVICE, then buy a Dillon. If the before mentioned qualities repulse you, then buy something from Hornady. I have been an avid reloader since the early seventies and over the years I have owned or at least used most brands and types of equipment. Then, in the eighties, my friend became a commercial reloader and that was when our education really began. The Bonanza Co Ax on my bench is for load development, but the Dillon’s are what I use for my shooting ammo, even my match and bragging rights ammo. If a box or so of ammo a night is acceptable to you, then a good single stage press will provide good ammo, but unless you have a ton of time or need something very special, I would not recommend one as my first or only press. Not that you will want to, but remember that the progressives can be used as a single. As you may have guessed, I think Hornady has survived by producing great advertising, not great products. RCBS dies and equipment are good and the Redding dies, especially there seating dies, are outstanding.
Remember, that in your quest for accuracy, it’s the bullet.
Jump in; it’s a great hobby, Mike

Thanks again, I have some thinking to do before I chose.
Some good points about safety and value for the dollar.

I have a Lee turret, I like it a LOT.
The Lee hand primer I like as well.

I have a Hornady New dimension seating die with the micrometer and stem for HPBT seating.
The Lee factory crimp die is great.

In truth, I load little enough any of the good quality O or C presses would meet my needs just fine.

One thing.
GET a good scale and powder throw.
If you are going to load tight buy a Good powder trickler. The Redding number 5 is my choice.
No part of the process is more fiddly than powder handling, and fiddly tools just make it painful.
I have shitcanned my Lee AutoDisk because I find it fiddly and want to measure each charge anyway.
The Lee Perfect looks good and works fine but feels cheap.
I may spring for an expensive measure just for the aesthetics, but it won't work better...perhaps a Redding BR3
I suspect if I were loading a lot the autodisk would be fine.
I charge through a station on my turret press.
I second the call off on the Lee balance, it works but it's fiddly and I pay more attention to it than I should have to.

Case prep I have is Lee, it works for me in my drill press but I haven't used anything else so I can't speak to that.

For your level of reloading I also recommend Lee for most basic stuff (press, auto-prime, case length cutter, etc.) except for their balance. Lee has a full set of 223 dies for a very reasonable price. I use a Lee turret press, Lee dies, Lee auto-prime, Lee Perfect powder measure, Lyman beam scale and Lyman trickler.