Kansaswoodguy
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2014
- Messages
- 773
I ordered my Forster Co-ax from Graf and sons I think there out of stock again Brownells and Midway get them in from time to time maybe Midsouth and Natchez carry them.
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- Thread starter Cody Bruland
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Kansaswoodguy
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2014
- Messages
- 773
On micrometers I prefer to use a digital but have two or three analog laying around for when the batteries go dead and I'm in the middle of something.
17Tactical
Well-Known Member
RCBS Rockchucker is a good single stage press. I have used mind for over 40 years now and it still works great. Redding or Forster reloading dies are good premium dies. Sierra's reloading manuals covers reloading basics and a lot more.
Cody,
Check out panhandleprecision.com. Alot of videos I think are done well. You'll notice he uses mostly Redding equipment. When I got into reloading, I failed to research manufacturers and their products and completely overlooked Redding. Granted, I didn't have the money to invest, but had I known then what I know now, I would have waited a little longer til I could afford it. There is alot to be said and credit given to experienced loaders who have done very well rolling their own on lesser priced and engineered equipment, which proves experience and attention to detail is critical and worthwhile. You can't win a drag race in a 6 spd Corvette against a guy in a Chevette if you've never driven a stick. Bottom line, to start over again, at the very least all my dies would be Redding. Good luck, welcome and enjoy! Be safe!
Check out panhandleprecision.com. Alot of videos I think are done well. You'll notice he uses mostly Redding equipment. When I got into reloading, I failed to research manufacturers and their products and completely overlooked Redding. Granted, I didn't have the money to invest, but had I known then what I know now, I would have waited a little longer til I could afford it. There is alot to be said and credit given to experienced loaders who have done very well rolling their own on lesser priced and engineered equipment, which proves experience and attention to detail is critical and worthwhile. You can't win a drag race in a 6 spd Corvette against a guy in a Chevette if you've never driven a stick. Bottom line, to start over again, at the very least all my dies would be Redding. Good luck, welcome and enjoy! Be safe!
SAM55
Well-Known Member
I'm with Cody. I started with Lyman equipment, progressed through RCBS, then finally discovered Redding. I use all Redding dies now, an RCBS Chargemaster and will soon upgrade my old Lyman press to a Redding turret style press. All my other reloading paraphernalia is a mixture of different brands. Buy most of my stuff from Midway or Brownells. I even have a Dillon progressive for handguns! Have fun!
slv hunter
Well-Known Member
Pick up a hand priming tool , much better than your press and not to expensive. Rcbs rock chucker, redding competition dies.
mfk
Well-Known Member
+1 on panhandle precision. he is very thorough at explaining. Here is a youtube link on measuring CBTO that is great:
I like my Forster brass trimmer and paid extra for a part for it that trims and chamfers all in one. There is a lot of info in the forums on this website-- a lot of helpful people. If you know someone that reloads that you can learn from it will speed up your learning curve a ton.
I like my Forster brass trimmer and paid extra for a part for it that trims and chamfers all in one. There is a lot of info in the forums on this website-- a lot of helpful people. If you know someone that reloads that you can learn from it will speed up your learning curve a ton.
Herr Nagler
Member
Reloading is a wonderful rat hole and you can dive as deep as you want.
What it all boils down to is confidence. What do YOU (not everyone else) need to be confident that YOUR ammo will perform as YOU require in YOUR rifle.
Start with a well-defined goal and add a good rifle and then add good components (e.g. Brass, Bullets ... etc) and you can usually get to at least 1/4- 1/2 MOA Precision without very much effort or expensive equipment.
Some people try to make up for an average rifle by going hog wild on the Reloading process. Some pay to have a great rifle built and can get by with minimal effort and cheap tools - your choice. Just remember, the best reloading tools and components won't make up for a crap rifle.
Once you reach your goal stop there and go out and shoot/practice.
If you are shooting F-Class or benchrest or want sub 1/4 MOA or better precision then the reloading process can get much more involved.
To get 1/2 MOA precision/accuracy here is the minimum you will need (assuming you start with a rifle that is capable of shooting 1/2 MOA):
Presses:
As stated, there are several well-built single-stage presses that will work. I like CO-Ax, Redding, Rock Chucker in that order.
Dies:
Whidden, Redding, Forster in that order (might be a tie between the last two)
A micrometer seater die - you can get by without one but why do this when you spent $4,000 on your rifle?
A micrometer and the tools to accurately set bullet seating depth are very useful but in a pinch you can get by using a factory round as a reference to set your seating die.
Priming tools: doesn't really matter get a tool that is easy to use and won't spill your primers all over the floor.
You must have a scale that can weigh to at least .1 grains resolution. Note you can get to sub .1g grains of powder with a decent beam scale.
Unless you are going to spend $600+ you can do better with a beam scale than most electronic scales and electronic scales have more issues. The beam scales are simple and just work but if you have the cash a Promethius is very cool ...
Remember: this is supposed to fun ...
What it all boils down to is confidence. What do YOU (not everyone else) need to be confident that YOUR ammo will perform as YOU require in YOUR rifle.
Start with a well-defined goal and add a good rifle and then add good components (e.g. Brass, Bullets ... etc) and you can usually get to at least 1/4- 1/2 MOA Precision without very much effort or expensive equipment.
Some people try to make up for an average rifle by going hog wild on the Reloading process. Some pay to have a great rifle built and can get by with minimal effort and cheap tools - your choice. Just remember, the best reloading tools and components won't make up for a crap rifle.
Once you reach your goal stop there and go out and shoot/practice.
If you are shooting F-Class or benchrest or want sub 1/4 MOA or better precision then the reloading process can get much more involved.
To get 1/2 MOA precision/accuracy here is the minimum you will need (assuming you start with a rifle that is capable of shooting 1/2 MOA):
Presses:
As stated, there are several well-built single-stage presses that will work. I like CO-Ax, Redding, Rock Chucker in that order.
Dies:
Whidden, Redding, Forster in that order (might be a tie between the last two)
A micrometer seater die - you can get by without one but why do this when you spent $4,000 on your rifle?
A micrometer and the tools to accurately set bullet seating depth are very useful but in a pinch you can get by using a factory round as a reference to set your seating die.
Priming tools: doesn't really matter get a tool that is easy to use and won't spill your primers all over the floor.
You must have a scale that can weigh to at least .1 grains resolution. Note you can get to sub .1g grains of powder with a decent beam scale.
Unless you are going to spend $600+ you can do better with a beam scale than most electronic scales and electronic scales have more issues. The beam scales are simple and just work but if you have the cash a Promethius is very cool ...
Remember: this is supposed to fun ...
Herr Nagler
Member
I forgot to mention Brass prep. Not needed if you use good brass like Lapua. But if you are going to reload your brass until failure you will need to trim it.
What are you going to be reloading for; calibers. I have a myriad of reloading equipment on hand and always finding something that I really need (want). I've been reloading for 57 years and still learning new stuff every day due to the information you will find on the forums. The more that you read this forum, the more you will find something that peaks your interest and you'll want to try. You probably will get some answers to your post that are the equivalent to the "Ford vs Chevy" argument; and....there's really no correct answer. I'm presently looking into reloading for long range and looking at neck turning tools vs neck reaming tools and what I have found is that sometimes the process will determine what tools you will need to get. You might want to start with some good basic equipment and then expand as you decide on how far you want to go with precision reloading. If you're just starting out, I would suggest going with quality equipment and expanding from there. I have an RCBS Rockchucker press and also a Dillon 650 XL that I use for pistol reloading. I would strongly suggest that you go to the forums here and scroll down to the reloading forum and start reading the posts there, you will find lots of answers and.....lots of information that will generate questions in your mind. You also might want to check out the classified forums as well. As for videos, when I have a question about a particular piece of equipment (like the Sinclair or K&M or Forster neck turning tools), I Google that equipment and look for videos. And.....last but not least when thinking about equipment, also think about components especially quality brass if you want to reload for long-range shooting. I noticed that you're relatively new to the forum, welcome. There's a good bunch of members and a lot of good information.
IndianaMatt
Well-Known Member
http://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/ammunition_practical_precision_reloading_102710/99822#
Best advice on the net.
Best advice on the net.
