Diving into reloading (equipment list)

[bubajoe]

Putting together a wishlist of equipment for reloading. Planning to reload mainly .308 with some .223 and 9mm and 40cal here and there. I'm getting into mid range (600 yard) shooting and want to develop more accurate loads for my rifles and bring down the cost of shooting.
Have already:
1. Chicago Electric ultrasonic cleaner
2. Calipers
3. RCBS Chargemaster combo
Plan to order soon:
4. Forster Co-Ax Single Stage Press
5. Lee Ram Priming unit for single stage press
6. Forster Full Length and Ultra Seater Set
7. Forster Case Trimmer Collet
8. Forster case timmer pilot
9. Forster 3 in 1 case mouth cutter
10. Reloading Manuals
11. Reloading trays

What's missing: case lube, primer hole cleaning / deburring tool, what else? Good picks? I know Redding dies are solid but at twice the cost of Forster they're tough to justify.

 

[damoncali]

Re: Diving into reloading (equipment list)

If cost is an issue, you might look at a cheaper press. They're all good except Lee, which is only recommended to those on a strict budget.

I assume you have the case trimmer itself already.

I would highly recommend a hand or bench mounted priming tool - I've used RCBS hand tool, which is ok, there may be others that are better. Priming in the press is a pain.

You'll also need shell holder(s) or does the Coax come with one of those collet jobs - I can't recall.

Check weights are a nice thing to have and not all that expensive. I have a set of RCBS weights that do the trick.

Another very useful thing to have is a case gage - either wilson style or for a little more money, an RCBS Precision Mic.

Similarly, something to measure seating depth is helpful. I like the Sinclair Hex tools, but there are others that are good. (By the way, the bullet thing meant for this purpose that comes with the Precision Mic is next to useless.)

Also don't forget ammo boxes for the loaded rounds.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.