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Thread: looking to get into reloading?

  1. #21
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    One Shot really is worthless.

    Dillon's Cas Lube or the equivalent homemade mixture of Lanolin and 90% rubbing alcohol really is idiot proof and a little goes a very long way.

    I'll second the recommendation for Imperial Sizing wax. Another one of those products that just can't be beat and a little goes a long way. I've still got a 3/4 full little tub of it that I bought probably 3-4 years ago.

    A Rock Chucker single stage is a can't miss, great first press and even if you decide to get a progressive later; you won't ever want to get rid of the single stage. Ever.

    Lee actually makes what I believe is the best hand priming tool. I do like my RCBS bench priming tool though.

    Don't even consider using SS pins when wet tumbling 223 brass unless you are a glutton for punishment as it is a time consuming PITA getting the pins back out through the neck. I love shiny brass inside and out but it is ridiculously time consuming.
    ~Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.
    Thomas Jefferson

  2. #22
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    I've loaded thousands of rounds of .223 Remington for AR, using One Shot. It works well if you use as directed. I've never had the slightest problem.

  3. #23
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    Thanks again for all the replies. A lot of information to go through, appreciate it for sure!

    NYH1.

    ROLLTIDE!
    NYSRPA Member.

  4. #24
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    Get a chronograph. Reading primers, measuring head expansion with a micrometer, interpreting ejector marks is a lot of voodoo science. Way too many variables. The best way to make safe reloads? Measure your velocity. Examine how good your reloads are with extreme spread or standard deviation results. Keep a clean work space, be consistent, pay attention, use a journal to note your techniques and results.

  5. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by TxRaptor View Post
    Suggestion:
    Research and write out a plan on how you want to reload for each caliber...

    The following is intended as a suggestion and is not provided as an end-all-be-all solution for reloading.
    This is really helpful.

    I'm going to bookmark my thread, just for this post, because it's going to be helpful when I make the jump from loading pistol cartridges to loading rifle cartridges...



    Quote Originally Posted by Krazykarl View Post
    ... is a lot of voodoo science. Way too many variables....

    Keep a clean work space, be consistent, pay attention, use a journal to note your techniques and results.
    Yes, a chronograph is a must. (You'll also learn a lot about factory ammo running it over a chrono.)

    As for voodoo... The best advice I can give you is to find a MENTOR, somebody who already reloads, and have him/her teach you. A lot of running a reloading press is "feel," and you can't learn that by reading stuff on the errornet.

  6. #26
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    Not to send you further down a rabbit hole, but I would suggest a Dillon 550 or a Redding T7 turret press instead of a single stage press. The rockchucker kit is great because it includes most of what you'd need, but I'd still get a more capable press off the bat. My reasoning is that you can easily use either a turret or a 550 as a single stage when you first begin loading (trust me, it's a pain in the ass but you'll be safer and learn better by starting off with one operation at a time), but once you get the hang of things you can speed up. I just started loading on a T7 and after using it I honestly don't understand why anyone would buy a single stage press. I've loaded on a Redding Boss, RCBS Rockchucker (from WAAAAY back in the day), and a Dillon XL650. I love my 650 and I drink the blue koolaid 100%, but an auto-indexing press doesn't give you the flexibility that a 550 would. Dillon presses hold their value like S&W revolvers, so if you wanna upgrade to a 650 or 1100 later on you could sell it for damn near what you paid for it.

    The suggestion to map out your reloading plan is good advice.

    I'll end with my standard reloading advice/caution: most people don't actually save money by handloading; they spend the same amount but shoot 2-3x more

  7. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by MWAG19919 View Post
    I honestly don't understand why anyone would buy a single stage press.
    I've never used one: I started on a RL550B, because the guy who taught me reloading had one.

    Of course, I've only loaded pistol cartridges.

    I did buy a single-stage in preparation of loading rifle cartridges, because I read that it'll be easier to do case prep in a place that won't make my progressive filthy, but the single-stage is still in the box...



    Quote Originally Posted by MWAG19919 View Post
    most people don't actually save money by handloading; they spend the same amount but shoot 2-3x more
    Amen. I've spent a lot more on reloading equipment and components than I ever would have spent on factory ammo.

    Of course, I also shoot a LOT more (and better ammo) than I would if I were buying factory ammo.

  8. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by MWAG19919 View Post
    I just started loading on a T7 and after using it I honestly don't understand why anyone would buy a single stage press.
    With LNL conversion on my BIG BOSS II, I have no efficiency issues at all. I might even say that I'd give up my 550b before I'd let my Big Boss go. I do way more critical brass prep on that press.
    "What would a $2,000 Geissele Super Duty do that a $500 PSA door buster on Black Friday couldn't do?" - Stopsign32v

  9. #29
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    I have only used a Lachmiller single stage press.

    My handloading is done for precision though not cost savings. Time spent reloading plinking ammo is better spent on the range.

  10. #30
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    My first press was a Rock Chucker. Did many a load on it.

    Then I bought an RL550B. Then another. And a couple XL650s and a 1050. (I ditched the super swager for a 1050 ).

    Rock Chucker in your arsenal is never bad to have, as others have said.

    Years ago I had bad luck with the Hornady One Shot in the aerosol can. Got cases stuck in my 223 trim die. You need to follow instructions very carefully with it and let all the carrier material evaporate in my experience when using it. The Dillon Case Lube is basically a brainless thing to use. You really can't go wrong.
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