Thread: Buyers guide for reloading, Newbie Loader

Knowledgeable folk in the reloading world

Im new to reloading and I would like to know
What I need to buy
What are nice to haves, not necessarily needed to get started
and how to go about seating depth.

I am going to reload a 7mm RM and a 6.5x284.

Cheers

Well I’d buy Nathan Fosters book about reloading. Plenty in there to keep you safe and happy.
How much are you going to load?
If under 100 rounds a year then get a hand lee loader. If more we’ll its a big hole

Basically it comes down to budget, and what you feel happy to spend on gear.
You can load on any press, but a costlier press can be nicer to work with.
A press would be your first necessity

Next would come dies and the same applies. Less money doesnt mean less die
( these would be your second necessity)

Powder measure, once you are loading for a bit more volume ( more cases ) a measure is nice, and speeds things up I would suggest a higher end model as these are easier to readjust between powders and tend to be more repeatable.

Powder scales..... absolutely needed to check powder weights with accuracy.
( this would be your third necessity item )


That would be it for a start

Before you start getting gear together try and find someone near you that is happy to show you the basics, and learn from them.
The good thing about buying reloading gear is that there is usually a market for the stuff you no longer need, or found unnecessary.
A lot of what you need or want will be driven by your end use..... straight out hunting and likely to fire under 100 rounds a year or target / long range shooting where you might do that in an afternoon.

That is all good advice above. My advice is get a couple of manuals - the Hornady one is quite good for this - and read the how-to chapters several times before you buy anything. That’s what I did and it meant when I was buying gear I kind of knew the basics and what I was trying to achieve. And of course there’s YouTube!

I havnt read anything above so don't hold it against me.

A press - don't get a hand loader you will regret it. Any cheap press will do but a nice one is nicer
Dies - any dies available for your calibre will do - Full Length Sizer and Seating die are the two must haves, neck die optional
Case Lube - Just save yourself the time and hassle and get Redding Sizing wax and some Redding graphite and media
Case Prep tools - Chamfer (any will do as long as it does inside and outside) - some form of case length cutter (the lee one that goes in the drill is fine). Primer pocket cleaner optional
I would look at the Hornady Comparator kit for getting good consistent seating depths, it screws onto a set of verniers and can come with most projectile diameters although not 6.5 from memory.

Then its projectiles, brass and primers. Get the best brass you can, Federal primers are good and cheap.

I would use YouTube to learn the process rather than reading a book but that's just me.

Along with the above, try to find some old speer, lyman, or hornady manuals from the 70s and 80s its not the load data you want but the details on technique, equipment and other stuff that you just cant find elsewhere. Understanding Old school reloading is good as the process hasnt really changed at all.

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

Along with the above, try to find some old speer, lyman, or hornady manuals from the 70s and 80s its not the load data you want but the details on technique, equipment and other stuff that you just cant find elsewhere. Understanding Old school reloading is good as the process hasnt really changed at all.

Yeah I have done this with a couple of younger guys getting in to shooting, but the fuckers wont read! If you would like a lyman 45th edition reloading manual @Reindeer your welcome to have it. Its got 7 RRM in it too! But 6.5 x .284 is a bit too modern

Lyman manuals have good info.

loading for bolt actions a good single stage press of cast steel or iron is a must IMO, stay away from cast aluminum junk.

A scoop and trickler with a balance beam is cheap and bloody accurate and effective but can be tedious if loading more than about 50 at a time....a lyman or chargemaster automatic powder dispenser is great but more of a luxury item really.

Thanks allot guys for all of your replys. Just the sort of direction I was after.

Ill be reloading around 100-150 7mm RM loads year and prob 50 odd 6.5 rounds.
I do have a Hornady electronic scales, Lee Breech lock press and a Lee Ram Prime tool. This Press I intend to have set up to do de-prime and prime with. Federal and Norma brass 7mm Lapua brass 6-5.
I brought all this gear from forum members
@johnd I would like to take you up on that Cheers

Now Brands, Good bad ugly. Hornady RCBS Lee Lyman

I am happy to buy second hand.

@Reindeer be weary of those electronic scales I'd buy a lee beam scale just to double check that there reading true.
As for brands I've got a Lee press Hornady balance beam scale and K&N priming tool.
Just need more time

@Reindeer send me a pm with your delivery details and I'll get that in the post before xmas.
..... an early pressie for ya


Re Brands, this becomes a very debateable subject as everyone has had different successes through their reloading career. And as a consequence can be faithfull / biased to particular brands.

If you want quality try and avoid gear that is now made in china but was once manufactured in the US.

Loading for the likes of 7RM you will want as much tool head space as posssible, so be driven by that.

My own personal brand favorites are Redding and Forster, but that doesnt mean I dont have Lee on my bench somewhere. ( Hell a plastic funnel, is a plastic funnel right? )
Lee do some very innovative stuff that I bet a few other companies wish they had copy righted.

The best handheld case prep tool ( to my mind ) is the Lyman case prep multi tool ... you can pick one up for $50 on TM

Do get a beam scale, they are simple and fool proof, never run low on battery, change point of accuracy etc. My own one came from CH and I paid $35 for it in the late '70s Probably over half a weeks wages at the time..... I still remember the cringe as I took the cash from my wallet. But hey they still go, and haven't been superseded by a newer brighter reinvented wheel.

For seating depth you need to find the lands with some kind of dummie round or modified case. Also take into account mag length. The book shows Sammi length.
The things you can't buy are most important like eyes. Read up on pressure signs and what case failure signs look like.
A good book will go into detail about these things. I can recommend Nathan fosters book as well. It's not a reloading manual but will tell you how to go about it.

Dont get hung up on brands, I have stuff from a lot of different manufacturers, but you need to work out what you like. I really like Lee collet dies and seating dies, but generally use other brands for f/l resizing, not to say the Lee don’t work, just I have and prefer others.

Do get a good quality beam scale. Mine is a 60-70s model, prob older than me, but will never part with it. Most important item on the bench.

Originally Posted by berg243

looking to get into reloading a bit soon myself, what are the lee kits like for loading a couple hundred rounds a year or better to buy as individual items for higher quality gear?

Perfectly fine for that. Question is will you keep to 200 per year - that’s what I thought too.... I don’t use too much of my old Lee kit now, as I’ve slowly replaced things, but will certainly get you going. Most of the replacements are for things that are nicer to use, but the Lee stuff still gets the job done. Bit like buying a Howa vs a Sako, both do the trick, but the Sako is a bit nicer to play with...

I have only recently got into reloading, I did look at the Lee kit but in the end bought seperate bits.... most of which is Lee anyway. I got the cast iron Lee press from guncity in one of their sales, it seems a pretty solid piece of equipment. I bought a second hand set of Ohaus 5- 10 beam scales for $100 and got dies second hand on here, Lee collet and full length die set, I also got a Lee case trimmer. The other thing that is needed is a set of veriner calipers, which I already had.
I did improvise with some small kitchen funnels to poor the powder through and drilled a heap of holes in a bit of ply for case holders. For lube I had some lanolin but it is probably better buying proper case lube