Thread: Beginner reloader setup

I'm looking at getting into reloading, and these are some main bits that I'm thinking about getting and their approximate costs:

Lee hand press ($150)
Lee Carbide dies ($90)
Frankford Arsenal DS-750 Digital Scale ($115)
Frankford Arsenal powder trickler ($70)
Lyman case prep multi tool ($80)
Lee cutter & lock stud and case length gague w/ Shellholder ($40)
Hornady Digital Caliper ($110)

What do you all think about the components mentioned above?
Are there certain items where I could get something better for a similar or slightly higher price?

buy a manual dial calliper and a manual scale probably get a lyman hornady or rcbs on here for same money and no batteries electrics to f up all the rest will see you started

What volumes are you looking at loading? Will also need to think about case cleaning at some point, walnut in a vibrating tumbler.

Originally Posted by m101a1

buy a manual dial calliper and a manual scale probably get a lyman hornady or rcbs on here for same money and no batteries electrics to f up all the rest will see you started

Agree. Any half decent dial caliper. Mine come from ebay. Beam balance is best, also consider Redding, im happy with mine.
You can do without a trickler initially, just half fill a cartridge with powder and use that.

https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....g-tools-98589/

Your list looks good.

Why Carbide dies? Are you planning on reloading a handgun calibre?

Something to add: Bullet puller(kinetic hammer type will do)

Depending on the calibre Id spend more on a sturdier press.

What calibre(s) will you be reloading for?

Fujiwara digital calipers can be had from AliExpress for around $50, and are equal quality to the Hornady ones, which are probably made in China anyway. I’ve been using them for years. Much better value for money and will suit most home reloaders.

If you are buying a number of items at once, take a look at what Brownells or Grafs has in stock. Even with shipping from the US, it will still be cheaper than buying many of these items in NZ. Especially for numerous items that will fit in a small box, such as dies, Lee case gauges, deburring tools etc.

I'd been thinking about possibly going with the hornady dial one, and it's basically the same cost, but I wasn't set on either digital or dial calipers, so I just put one down here.

For the scale I saw a pretty good comparison on here where someone did testing against the RCBS charge master, and it seemed to have pretty good accuracy results, so that's why I was interested in that scale. Here's the accuracy test:
https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....on-test-93971/

I'd be reloading for my 30-06.
I saw in my relaoding manual that the Carbide dies for handguns didn't require case lube, and I thought that might also be the case for rifle rounds but wasn't quite sure (I thought I'd find probably find out from this post).
I'm not married to the ideal of getting Carbide dies though, just thought that it'd be convenient for the hand press if no case lube was required.

I didn't mention a specific bullet puller here as I didn't think there'd be much of a difference between each of them, so it wouldn't be a purchase that I'd need to put a whole lot of thought into, but I may be wrong.

Join the, https://www.nzha.co.nz/ they have all the gear required and do a course on getting started. Heaps of old crusty bastards, more than willing to help newbees.

One thing I'd add to your list is a stuck case removal tool.

But only if you use that hornady spray lube , cant beat imperial wax or old style lyman / rcbs lube in a tube on a pad

Yeh, all you need is RGB Lee dies.
Lube, there is more BS in forums about lube than a cattle yard.
Gear box oil, used it for years. Currently coco nut oil for 30.06 and 223. Works fine for FLSing. Just put some with cases in a zip lock plastic bag, good shake and rub, good to go, dont forget a bit inside the necks too.

Cheap bullet remover. Lol

The issue with One Shot is people don't give it time for the IPA or whatever they use, to fully flash off.
Watched F Class John do a big run of FLSing using One Shot. No issues whatsoever.
I used to use it for neck sizing but have long given up neck sizing. It was good for that as you can spray at an angle to lubricate inside the neck.
I use Imperial Wax (relatively slow) or a stamp pad with Lyman lube impregnated in the pad. I can usually roll 5 at a time on the pad. Still need to lube inside the necks if using the expander ball.
I avoid all the snake oil lubes as some then require tumbling to remove them.

Botton line, get a tin of Imperial Sizing Wax, it will last a lifetime. You will always have it. Use whatever other lube you decide upon but you’ve always got the Imperial for anything more difficult.