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Minimum Reloading Equipment Necessary

TN Song Dog

TN Song Dog

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Reloading may be in my future, and I'm curious what the minimum equipment needs are to start with my once fired brass and end with quality reloads. I would be focusing on a .308 match 175gr SMK load. Wanting to see what all is really needed, but don't want to spend a fortune buying every specialty tool, tumbler, and gadget that may not be needed.

Case cleaning and prep - only what is necessary?

What brand/model single stage press and dies do you suggest?
 
You can get by with a good kit like the RCBS master reloading kit. Include the press and balance scales, trimmers, powder dispenser, a manual, calipers, dies and your powder, bullets, primers. You will need case lube, case cleaner, some basic case tools. Later you can add tumblers, electronic dispensers and scales, case trimmers and a variety of other things that will speed things up and help with precision. Once you get started its pretty addictive especially when you start shooting the good stuff.
 
Google is your friend.

https://www.midwayusa.com/general.mvc/i ... g-reloader

https://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/how-to ... mmunition/

Some caveats:

Stay away from digital scales. They are expensive and extremely finicky. They can cause huge mistakes for the beginner that can be tragic. Balance beam only, please.

Research, research, research. Spend your money ONCE.

Reload in a place where you will not be distracted. No phones, TVs, radios, small children, and nagging wives. And if you own a cat ......... LOCK HIM OUT OF THE ROOM PERMANENTLY.

If you are an organized person, you're ahead of the game. If you aren't you need to have a good place to work that will allow you to organize your various powders, brass, primers, and bullets so that you can avoid making a mistake. Unfortunately, mistakes made at the reloading table usually result in unpleasant and dangerous things at the range or in the field. Have adequate space available to "expand". Yes, as you progress you'll get hooked and end up with way more stuff than you expected.

Back to the research ........ Before you buy ANYTHING, get a good loading manual like Lyman, etc and read it thoroughly. Read on forums like Accurate Shooter and others. Understand the entire process BEFORE you buy ANYTHING. Again .... spend your money only once.

ASK QUESTIONS. Never make assumptions. And never, ever rely on a recipe that you can't confirm in a reloading manual. Ever. It's far too easy for a person to make a mizztakke (get it?) typing a recipe online that could cause catastrophic results in your firearm.

Learn the process of working up loads safely and learn to recognize the signs of excessive pressure. This is of extreme importance.

I've been loading for 30+ years, for 3 gauges of shotgun and 15+ rifle and pistol calibers. I load well over 10,000 shotshells yearly and probably half that amount for centerfire calibers.

And I feel certain that there are others here that load that much or more.

I'll be more than glad to help in any way I can.
 
Looking to get into trouble ......... :lol: :lol:

Just for clarification, I love cats. They're probably the funniest, most curious, and "untame-able" pet you could own. But their curiosity will cause you a problem in the reloading room.
 
With all the advice and recommendations above, I would also recommend keeping the cat away while you load. Total concentration and attention should be your focus on the task at hand, lest thou loseth a hand. ;)
 
I went with the hornady kit. With the kit you will get a voucher for a bunch of free bullets, even if it's not what you want you can trade them for other components. I'm happy with it for the money, but in the long run what you spend on the kit is just pocket change. Just add components and you can get started. The digital scale that comes in the kit is repeatable and at least twice as fast as my beam, to each his own I guess. You will need a micrometer and a case trimmer, then whatever components you like. On the cheap you could get the Lee caliber specific case trimmer for$6. How much do you intend on reloading and how often? Do you intend on expanding at some point? If so, roughly how long?
 
Overhead lighting is helpful.

A piece of trim sticking up 1/8 or so to keep things from rolling off the bench.

A shelf so you can mount your beam scale at a comfortable no-bend height. If you use a digital scale you can use the shelf as the place you store your prothesis. I really do not like digital scales.

The primer tool you use. I used the Lee round one for ever. Then I thought the square one was the solution and it is just junk. Now I have the RCBS bench mounted one. No cramps in your hand and after you get the rythmn just as fast as ther round one.
 
MUP":1hfqoosf said:
With all the advice and recommendations above, I would also recommend keeping the cat away while you load. Total concentration and attention should be your focus on the task at hand, lest thou loseth a hand. ;)
Click to expand...
It was an odd google image search to find a good "cat on reloading bench" picture to post. Ha!
 
Since I started as a 19 year old college kid, with only the money I could beg my Father into giving me, I know all about loading with the minimum equipment. I got a RCBS Rockchucker press, RCBS beam scale, dies and shell holder, case lube and powder dribbler. That's it. No loading block, no powder dropper, no manual, no caliper. :) For the quantities most people need for a rifle, you can do all your powder charging with a dribbler. You quickly learn to tilt it so that powder flows freely until the beam just wiggles, then you sit the dribbler back down and turn the shaft slowly until you get your desired charge. This will get you going for a good while.

What you have to be aware of is the fact that cases grow with each firing/sizing and stay on top of inspecting case mouths for evidence that they have bumped the front of the chamber. When they do, you can sit those cases aside until you get a trimmer. Of course when you get a trimmer, you also need a caliper to use to set the trimmer. If you were going to only load one cartridge it would be cheaper to get a trim die for trimming rather than a trimmer. But nobody ever just loads one cartridge. :)

Later if you want to measure bullet run out or trim/ream case necks, mess with primer pockets and flash holes, etc, you can but those things aren't essential for producing good hunting quality ammo. A lot of the deal with case cleaning is purely cosmetic and pride in your product. I loaded for a lot of years just making sure the cases were wiped with a clean rag and totally grit free before sizing. All my cases had black stains all over them. I shot some tiny little groups with my 22 CHeetah and blackened cases. Stick with the basics until you decide if you have enough interest to go deeper into the hobby.
 
Hunter 257W":1n3m2t1p said:
What you have to be aware of is the fact that cases grow with each firing/sizing and stay on top of inspecting case mouths for evidence that they have bumped the front of the chamber. When they do, you can sit those cases aside until you get a trimmer. Of course when you get a trimmer, you also need a caliper to use to set the trimmer. If you were going to only load one cartridge it would be cheaper to get a trim die for trimming rather than a trimmer. But nobody ever just loads one cartridge. :)
Click to expand...

Waiting for the case to show that it has "bumped the end of the chamber" is courting disaster. You simply cannot "eyeball" a case length and determine the safety of the case. A case that long is a sure setup for clamping the neck down on the bullet and raising the pressures to disastrous levels. DON'T DO THAT !!! If this has been your manner of judging the safety of a case consider yourself fortunate that you still have all of your fingers and eyes. Doing it wrong for years doesn't make it right.

When an overlength case is chambered, the mouth or edge of the neck will come up against the throat before the bolt has fully closed or the case shoulder has contacted the chamber. The camming action of the bolt is so powerful that it will actually crimp the case mouth fully into the bullet (without you knowing it) and wedge the case so solidly between the bullet and the throat that the neck cannot expand to release the bullet. Chamber pressures in this situation can and most certainly will go dangerously high. If a case shows evidence that it has contacted the chamber throat when fired it was too long to begin with.

Calipers are cheap. Even the very inexpensive ones (under$50) are adequate. You ideally should measure brass length every time you prepare the case for loading. That's the PROPER and SAFE way to go about it.
 
I forgot to mention that way back when I was operating with a bare bones setup, I also used the mostly forgotten method of inserting a bullet into the neck of a fired case to check for neck problems. While this won't directly measure case length, it will verify whether or not the case has been shoved into the chamber neck and reduced in diameter as you mention Bobtail. If a bullet will slide into the neck of a fired case with no resistance, that case is good for another loading. Of course the beginning reloader has to be tuned into why they are doing this, and do it every time they load a case, because this method doesn't give you any clue as to how close you are to the danger point - only that you haven't reached it yet.

Don't worry, I haven't done this for all those years. I was referring to way back in 1979 when I 1st went off to college and started loading metallic cartridges. A year or two later I scrounged up enough money to buy a Forester case trimmer and cheap SS caliper. There was a shooting range near the college that I did odd jobs for to get cash. I spent every penny I ever made right there in their reloading store before even leaving the property. :oops:
 
Hunter 257W":gzh3tz0q said:
I forgot to mention that way back when I was operating with a bare bones setup, I also used the mostly forgotten method of inserting a bullet into the neck of a fired case to check for neck problems. While this won't directly measure case length, it will verify whether or not the case has been shoved into the chamber neck and reduced in diameter as you mention Bobtail. If a bullet will slide into the neck of a fired case with no resistance, that case is good for another loading. Of course the beginning reloader has to be tuned into why they are doing this, and do it every time they load a case, because this method doesn't give you any clue as to how close you are to the danger point - only that you haven't reached it yet.
Click to expand...

No, no, and NO. What you are advocating is DANGEROUS and shouldn't be recommended. I don't know what idiot advised you to do such a thing, but it is absolutely the most careless and incorrect manner of gauging case length that I have ever heard. Actually, it does NOTHING to measure case length except to tell you that you DIDN'T measure the case. It is totally irresponsible to even post this crap because you are going to get a uninformed person injured. And sticking a bullet into a fired case does nothing except tell you that you can stick a bullet into the case mouth. It tells you nothing about the case condition or length.

Folks, anyone reading this: Get yourself a set of calipers and measure your cases BEFORE you load them. That's the only SAFE way of doing it. Shadetree tactics will get you injured or worse.
 
BobTail":27412966 said:
Hunter 257W":27412966 said:
I forgot to mention that way back when I was operating with a bare bones setup, I also used the mostly forgotten method of inserting a bullet into the neck of a fired case to check for neck problems. While this won't directly measure case length, it will verify whether or not the case has been shoved into the chamber neck and reduced in diameter as you mention Bobtail. If a bullet will slide into the neck of a fired case with no resistance, that case is good for another loading. Of course the beginning reloader has to be tuned into why they are doing this, and do it every time they load a case, because this method doesn't give you any clue as to how close you are to the danger point - only that you haven't reached it yet.
Click to expand...

No, no, and NO. What you are advocating is DANGEROUS and shouldn't be recommended. I don't know what idiot advised you to do such a thing, but it is absolutely the most careless and incorrect manner of gauging case length that I have ever heard. Actually, it does NOTHING to measure case length except to tell you that you DIDN'T measure the case. It is totally irresponsible to even post this crap because you are going to get a uninformed person injured. And sticking a bullet into a fired case does nothing except tell you that you can stick a bullet into the case mouth. It tells you nothing about the case condition or length.

Folks, anyone reading this: Get yourself a set of calipers and measure your cases BEFORE you load them. That's the only SAFE way of doing it. Shadetree tactics will get you injured or worse.
Click to expand...

Read what I said.
Also I can promise you it will tell you that the case is capable of safely releasing a bullet. I have a mechanical Engineering degree and am fully aware of what is going on with reloading brass cases. I do agree that somebody, in particular a beginner, can get in big trouble trying this if they don't fully understand what they are doing. I also said that above. And YES, measuring cases each time they are loaded and trimming per the book is the best way. The original poster merely asked what the minimum equipment needed was and I answered him.
 
Also even IF you do measure case length frequently and trim to Min OAL as required, it is still a good idea to try the "bullet in a fired case" test now and then. Reason being that even if case length is held in check, case neck thickness can increase due to multiple firings, particularly at the shoulder neck junction. Neck reaming is the only way to remedy this issue.
 
Wait a minute ..... now you're bringing neck sizing into the equation. The issue you are now talking about is easily remedied by the expander ball when you resize. I've loaded brass over 10 times and never had a neck thicken enough to cause a problem. 99% of factory chambers are loose enough that the neck thickness isn't ever an issue. The brass will fail in the web long before that happens.

I read what you said. Several times. You said: "If a bullet will slide into the neck of a fired case with no resistance, that case is good for another loading". It was incorrect then and it is still incorrect. You absolutely CANNOT SAFELY wait until the brass shows signs of being into the throat before you check the overall length. It is an incorrect and unsafe way to do things. And that's not MY opinion .... it is common knowledge with anyone who knows what they are doing.

You said the beginner wanted to know what minimum equipment was and you answered him. Well ..... loading cases that are too long is not safe. Calipers are minimum equipment. Period. At the very LEAST the reloader should purchase an inexpensive case length gauge. The cases have to be measured. There are no shortcuts to safety. Or didn't they teach you that in your engineering degree?

Enough of this discussion for me. Brass must be measured in order to be safely reloaded. If you don't believe me, that's fine. But any loading manual will tell you that. Any seasoned reloader who knows the correct (and basic) practices will tell you that. Go to any reloading forum on the internet and inquire and 99% will tell you that. Any reloading manual will caution you against EVER allowing the brass to lengthen enough to contact the throat. That's just the truth plain and simple. Advising anyone to do otherwise is simply irresponsible.
 
TN Song Dog: Once again:

https://www.midwayusa.com/general.mvc/i ... g-reloader

https://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/how-to ... mmunition/

Read this stuff, get a good manual and read it, and get a decent understanding of the PROPER procedures. The folks who write the manuals know what they are doing. Then research your costs to get a feel for what you are getting into. There are also many videos on YouTube that are produced by the reloading equipment and powder companies that are very insightful. Just remember that everything that they tell you is there for a reason. Good luck and have fun. It's a very rewarding hobby!
 

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