New to reloading...this is my plan...

[rrseahorse]

Welcome to LRH. You are hooked so get ready to spend a bunch of money. You have chosen wisely. I don't know what all in in the Rockchucker kit but I have one that I bought 50 years ago that still loads perfect ammo. You are going to get inindated with suggestions so be prepared to sort through the chaff.
You will need a good set of calipers, a case trimmer, Deburring tool, case lube and dies. You don't need much in the way of cleaning for a rifle if you don't let your brass hit the ground or get wet in the grass. I just wipe mine off with alcohol and a rag then deprime with a separate depriming die they are cheap $15. I would recommend a set of Forester dies they are about $89 and will serve you well if you are looking to get accuracy out of your reloads. The Forester sizing die will make some really straight ammo. I prefer to prime separate from my main press so I use a RCBS bench primer tool.
I also have a separate cheap press, I mean cheap, just to deprime and I leave it set up that way. Don't buy too much gear until you get the hang of reloading and need to improve your game. It is easy to get carried away and spend a bunch of money and then have to sell it or stick it in a box and buy what you really need. You will need a trimmer at some point and I use a RCBS trimmer it has served me well for many years. Weigh your powder carefully and try and load every round the same. Consistency is the name of the game. Start with your once fired brass until you get going then you will want to buy premium brass. I use ADG if they make it. At some point you will need to control your headspace off the shoulder or you will get case head separation. I use Hornady Unique sizing lube I don't recommend the pad and old sticky lube. Don't use too much of the Unique and if you do stick a case in the die don't panic just buy a stuck case remover tool and move on we have all done it at one time or another. There are lots of threads on reloading and most are long as everybody has their way of doing things and think it is the best. The search button at the top is your friend. If you get stumped don't hesitate to ask here and someone will come up with a solution. Hope I have been of a little help. Remember to enjoy the journey.

Great advice!

 

[cdherman]

Forster or Redding dies, and I would spring for the micrometer seating die in a heartbeat. Why? Because getting the seating depth right affects accuracy SO MUCH, and only with a micrometer die can you vary that depth easily. Totally important for long range work. Personally, I like the Forster seating die, and I use redding bushing dies, but I am not sure you need to go bushing right off the bat. You can sink a lot of money into bushings, and that rabbit hole of neck tension, case wall thickness gets deep fast. Just a good FL die, set to bump the shoulder back .002.

To verify that bump, you will need the Hornady case comparator, as others have suggested. AKA Lock N Load headspace guage. Your 7 RM belted cases will last a long time if you only bump the shoulder .002. 7 RM is a great case, don't let the guys with the "newest shiny thing" tell you otherwise. Proper sizing will have your 7 RM headspacing off the shoulder and not the belt. Down the road, if you get the dreaded bump before the necks split, you can invest in Larry Willis' belted die base resizing tool. But you don't need it now, for sure.

I'd also put in the plea for a beam scale. Why? Because a beam scale is analog and virtually fool proof. It is your reference tool to keep the electronic scale honest. I personally find that with the heavy extruded powders that you will use in a 7mm RM, I get .1 to .2 grain variation with my Chargemaster. I set my Chargemaster to throw .2 less than my desired weight and then trickle up on my beam scale. For work inside of 400 yards, totally unnecessary. For long range stuff, I think it matters.

Powder trickler -- save the change and use a 12 guage shotgun shell. You put 100 grains or so of powder in it, and tap tap tap. Little practice and you tap out individual powder granules. Just remember to return the powder to your can after each loading session.

Another bit of "buying advice". Buy 8 lbs of powder. Why? Because there is a lot of variation in powder lots, and once you have duplicated that special load that your gun likes, you do NOT want to start over again after 1lb is gone. You WILL have to experiment with loading to duplicate that custom load. Especially if you want to use 1x, 2x, 3x fired brass. The sweet spot may be close to the loading they gave you, but I doubt it will be identical, as many others have suggested.

 

[bonsai cruiser]

Start with a lee loader ))) minimalistic approach and acceptable results

 

[HunterLongRange]

Hi, I'm a new member here. Been reading for some time and this will be my first post. I've hunted my whole life...Oregon, Alaska, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana. Never shot at anything over 400 yards and recently bought a MOA extreme summit 7mm Rem Mag as I wanted to stretch things out and shoot a bit further with confidence. With the help of a friend, my first shot at 1000 was a dead ringer! After a string of shots, I then stretched it out to 1160 with pretty good results!. I have to say I'm hooked on the long range shooting deal.

So I figured I might as well get into the reloading thing too! The custom ammo made for my gun is about $4.25 a squeeze! I figured I might as well invest in a reloading setup for that kind of money.

After reading a great deal on here and finding a great sale online, I'm thinking about purchasing the Rockchucker kit and a chargemaster lite. On Natchez I can get both for $500. Additionally I'll need some premium dies and my components, obviously.

So is this a good starting point for someone that wants shoot out to 1000-1200 yards? What other tools will I need that aren't included in the Rockchucker kit that I may need?

Thanks!

Pretty much everyone's here is right on the mark as far as reloading. I might add a YouTube channel to your arsenal of info. I would suggest watching videos on Professional Long Range shooter David Tubb simply by going to YouTube and search for David Tubb Reloading and a copious amount of info will be at your disposal. I've found (reliable) videos to be very helpful on reloading. Kind of gave me a hands on approach when I was a Noob.
You'll be amazed how much you improve with custom ammo. You'll quickly find out that a certain load that shoots extremely well in 80* temperature, doesn't act the same way in 50* temperature. That is why reloading is paramount if you want accuracy and consistency.

 

[foul bore]

Buy quality tools, when the say "good calipers" they mean good, if you try to skimp you will wind up buying again, lots of good advice in previous post, you will learn a lot thru experience. Get solid on the basics, take your time, be precise. Have fun and good shooting

 

[bonsai cruiser]

Reloading gear is the same fetish as shoes are for many women... And endless appetite / longing for more and better.

They told me start reloading. You'll save money they said.

 

[basinman]

When I first started reloading rifle and pistol (about 40 years ago) I bought an RCBS kit. It came with a Speer reloading manual and this book had great information from page 1. From there I bought more reloading manuals and read them as well. You can trust the information in these manuals as they were written by some of the pioneers that started the reloading industry. It will help keep you safe and this is the most important thing when getting started in reloading.

 

[Buffalo Chip]

Hi Mossyhorn,

I recommended you watch Sam at Panhandle Precision on YouTube (I have no affiliation). He really walks you through precision reloading. he is very knowledgeable and has a good, down home presentation.

FWIW, I just bought a MEC reloading press to replace an RCBS rockchucker that has served me well for 20 years. I've had some inconsistency lately and I suspect the old press. I haven't got the MEC set up yet, so time will tell if that was the problem.

All the best,
Stu

 

[5gauss]

Don't forget good scales. Pay attention to detail but is not rocket science. Just have to remember case length, OAL, powder weight, bullet weight, and a few other details. Check at least 2 sources for your load data...

 

[Tidus56]

IMHO the three most important aspects of reloading are: 1. SAFETY! 2. Concentration. Distraction can turn disastrous. 3. Consistency. I added the RCBS Precision Mic to the measuring tool menagerie, and use it with Larry Willis' digital headspace gauge as well. Then the standard batch of comparators, etc. Don't forget the Hornady tools for getting your seating depth sorted out. The rabbit hole gets deeper the longer you reload, especially for precision reloading, and as you go, you will find other things you "need" as you go. I personally use a checklist so I do the same things in the same order each time. Keeps me on track. If I reach a stopping point, I know what has been done, what is left to do and where to start up again. The checklist grows as I learn more. Might suggest more than one reloading manual, also info for the companies that make powder and bullets, etc. I also find a burn rate cart a handy reference when I am deciding on powder choices. And then - have fun!

Having a set order I do my loading in aka a checklist has made the biggest difference. No guessing what I have or haven't done. I made the list on excel, print it out for each case of 50 or 100 rounds and put it in the case. I update it as soon as the task is done.

 

[TX Badger]

I started with the RCBS Rockchucker Supreme Kit and still use most of the pcs. Here are the things I added that I really like.

https://annealeez.com/ fast, easy, preserves brass and saves money in the long run. $275, you'll also need magnum wheels for the 7 RM

https://lewilson.com/stainless-bullet-seater-blank-with-micrometer/ I really prefer seating bullets with this tool. More feel and concentricity $90

https://kmshooting.com/arbor-press/arborpressbuilder.html Needed for Wilson seater $109 on midway

https://www.brownells.com/reloading...y&utm_campaign=itwine&utm_content=749-007-902 It's nice to know how well you are doing. $99

I also use a decapping die, sonic clean (these are cheap), then I run the brass through the anealer which speeds up the drying process a lot. You may not need these things right away, but I enjoy using them.

 

[coop2564]

Going long range and gonna reload ?

Two things ...

move away from belted cartridges, it's 2019, no real reason to go backwards ......

planning to shoot big game @ 1000 + yards ? you'll need something bigger than a 7mm Rem Mag

other than that ,

the RCBS Rockchucker Supreme press will work to load accurate ammo for all cartridges up to the CheyTacs and a bit longer wildcats up to 3.2" case length with long copper solid bullets

the Redding Big Boss ll press is also a good one for the price, works great for loading my 300 Rum, 338 Edge and Norma Mag based wildcats, got two of those bolted to my bench

the Redding Ultramag press is awesome but more money than the Big Boss ll

Holy BS. Everything posted is good advice except this!

 

[Tree Farmer]

I started reloading in 1968. After following this forum I'm not sure if I have 50 years experience or 1 years experience 50 times over. Really good advice to someone new to the game (or not so new).

 

[ronstone09]

Don't skimp on anything that your don't have too. If this is truly something you love and will do for the rest of your life then invest in quality. The kit is a nice value but realistically your going to use two things. The press and priming tool.

Every person on this site has a preference and opinion. Research and buy the items you want. And from time to time ask us how to spend your money!

i agree ! buy cheap and you'll just replace it down the road ! try K&M and Sinclair they are both quality companies with everything you will ever for reloading !