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Im interested in reloading

+1 for Reloaders Bench in Mt. Juliet. Black Friday will bring out some stupid cheap deals. All the powder companies and most bullet mfgs. have online info. Throttle your wallet at Reloaders Bench, they have all kinds of things to lighten your wallet. Study what components you want and make a list in case you find it, it can be overwhelming seeing a large and varied display, and no, you won't remember.
 
I would recommend the RCBS powder auto scale. Some folks complain that it not as fine as they prefer but I don't weight out much below a full grain myself, I don't sweat the 1/10 gr. stuff as I am not a benchrest target shooter. The auto scale enables reasonably accurate powder loading and repeatability. You might see some impact in your standard deviation through your chronograph, but that's 10-10ths stuff. They say the RCBS is hands down the best tool of its type. I would recommend the bayonet style chronograph too. I have had a three different screen chrono's and the bayonet style is easier to set up and more reliable especially in bright sunlight. If money is no object go for the radar based chrony, that is arguably the most accurate and easiest to set up. If money is a consideration even the lowest cost chrony will make a real difference in your reloading. Otherwise your are shooting blind velocity wise. Get an electronic caliper as overall round length is a critical measurement in reloading and accuracy. Personally I prefer Hornady dies over RCBS. But RCBS has a no cost replacement guarantee that is worthy. For me price is an object so I stick to Lee presses, I have a Lee turret press that is 15 yrs old and it keeps on ticking. I like Lee neck sizing dies too for there value and accuracy. Some folks like hand priming tools, I have an old RCBS tool that is a desk top unit and I like its feel more than the hand held types. Welcome to the world of cartridge reloading, it is an enjoyable never ending quest. :tu:
 
Wow, another 460 Weatherby lunatic exists in TN!

I'd recommend the RCBS Rockchucker kit because you get most everything you need at one time. It sells for around $400. You'd still need dies, shell holders for each cartridges, case trimmer and dial caliper. I like the Forster Trimmer myself because you can also get a case neck turning tool for it if you ever want to do that operation later. A lot of trimmers don't have that capability.

Being that you load for 3 Weatherby cartridges you can easily pay for the tools. The RCBS Rockchucker kit is about $400. Dies from $40 up, the Forster Trimmer and caliper would be something like $100 or a bit more??

The 460 especially can benefit from loading your own ammo. With factory ammo it's pretty much a shoulder smashing elephant killer and not much else. If you load your own you have all the lighter .458 bullets to choose from. It's a real hoot and actually fun to shoot with the various 300 grain bullets at full throttle around 2900ft/sec. I used to buy 460 cases for $30 per 20 but think they are $40 or so now. Still that's dirt cheap compared to paying $100 for 20 loaded rounds just to get brass. I bought a couple hundred 257 Weatherby cases this Spring but don't recall the price. They were waaaaay cheaper than factory ammo for sure. I can load 20 257's with Barnes TTSX bullets for less than $30 and of course the price is a lot lower if I use a more standard bullet.

With the tools and components both in short supply right now you can take the time to read up on loading and make more informed decisions. The shortages will pass as they always do once the election is over.

One thing I would recommend is to stay away from a Progressive Press. These are the tools that produce a loaded cartridge with every pull of the handle. In my opinion, they should only be used after several years of single station press loading because there is so much happening at the same time on a Progressive Press that it's REAL easy to mess up and turn out bad or dangerous ammo. Stick with a single stage press like the Rockchucker and stay safe. I've loaded since the late 1970's and still much prefer this way in spite of having two Progressive presses also.
 
If you use Kindle as an e-reader you can get almost any one of them you want online. I use a laptop or Ipad on my bench. I have the legacy manuals from years ago too that I used back then, but electronic books are easier now.
 
diamond hunter said:
Bringing this to the top,still studying
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Probably be good to ask your questions, that way we can better assist you in where ever you are in the process. What equipment have you acquired, what are you lacking? As I am sure you may have noticed, primers will be your hardest to get items, but powder is starting to come back in decent quantities and offerings. Here is a link to Midsouth, by exit 11 on I-24 in Clarksville: Midsouth Shooters Supply It's a drive but will save on shipping and Hazmat fees.
 
Brass or shotshells?
I have RCBS for brass and Mec 650 Jr. and Mec 9000 for shotshells. The latter is a high volume that I bought when I shot competition trap. The new 650 is heavy sheet metal base whereas my old one of about 53 years is a casting. To me, reloading is part of the fun of shooting.
 
diamond hunter said:
Bringing this to the top,still studying
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I'm also looking at starting from scratch. I don't have a budget, but I can't justify something like a Dillion because I won't be loading that much. I'm kicking around the idea because of availability not cost. (Cost to some degree; I'm not paying a buck a round for handgun ammo that will eventually come back down) Also, I may need some Cowboy loads that has requirements that might not be readily available when ammo comes back online.

I haven't bought anything yet but am kinda looking at the "Lee Classic 4 Hole Turret Press Deluxe Kit" I'm listing things as I find them. I figure with that $260 kit I'm looking at round $500 before I buy and power, bullets or primer.

I really didn't want to do this as I have plenty of hobbies and didn't really need another. But I'm not shooting because I refuse to be part of this non-sense. So this is a possible alternative to get me shooting again.

I've started putting this stuff in a spreadsheet for comparison, and so I can keep links when I can't remember where I saw something. I used Midway for most of this because they will have most everything. These aren't necessarily the best prices; they are just to give me a ballpark idea.

The members on this forum are an incredible help. I really appreciate them.

HSkYhul.jpg
 
DaveTN said:
I'm also looking at starting from scratch. I don't have a budget, but I can't justify something like a Dillion because I won't be loading that much. I'm kicking around the idea because of availability not cost. (Cost to some degree; I'm not paying a buck a round for handgun ammo that will eventually come back down) Also, I may need some Cowboy loads that has requirements that might not be readily available when ammo comes back online.

I haven't bought anything yet but am kinda looking at the "Lee Classic 4 Hole Turret Press Deluxe Kit" I'm listing things as I find them. I figure with that $260 kit I'm looking at round $500 before I buy and power, bullets or primer.

I really didn't want to do this as I have plenty of hobbies and didn't really need another. But I'm not shooting because I refuse to be part of this non-sense. So this is a possible alternative to get me shooting again.

I've started putting this stuff in a spreadsheet for comparison, and so I can keep links when I can't remember where I saw something. I used Midway for most of this because they will have most everything. These aren't necessarily the best prices; they are just to give me a ballpark idea.

The members on this forum are an incredible help. I really appreciate them.

HSkYhul.jpg
Click to expand...
I'd recommend a single stage press for getting started. Running turrets or progressive presses right out of the gate is like trying to run a race before you've learned to crawl.
 
Pioneer1789 said:
I'd recommend a single stage press for getting started. Running turrets or progressive presses right out of the gate is like trying to run a race before you've learned to crawl.
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Thanks, but I only want to buy once; get what I need and be done. With my background I think I will be okay. But yeah, if a beginner thinks that's too much for them they might want to look at something different. I've had offers for help from established reloaders in my area. I will probably get with them and check it out before I buy.
 
DaveTN said:
Thanks, but I only want to buy once; get what I need and be done. With my background I think I will be okay. But yeah, if a beginner thinks that's too much for them they might want to look at something different. I've had offers for help from established reloaders in my area. I will probably get with them and check it out before I buy.
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Good luck.
 
Primers are going to be your biggest challenge. They have been very hard to find for a long time now but they do turn up every now and again, but at obscene prices!
 

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